"It all began with a single seed..."
—A Being from Beyond Nothingness
The blazing sun in the sky shone across the entire snow-white continent, and the ice crystals on the ground reflected the sunlight, appearing exceptionally beautiful.
The air across the continent was filled with chill, a deep chill that pricked Taga and Syl as they walked along a road long covered in snow.
Taga and Syl walked along the road, their breaths constantly exhaling, their clothing incredibly thick, despite Taga's light clothing.
"No...why can you set out on this journey in such thin clothing..." Syl hugged himself tightly, staring at Taga speechlessly. He couldn't believe that an elf who had lived in the icy continent for years couldn't withstand the cold as well as a skeleton.
"Maybe...it's because I'm a skeleton. I have no flesh and blood, so I'm naturally insensitive to the cold. But it could also be because of my clothes." Taga looked at Syl and shrugged, a look of resignation on her face.
"Why! This isn't fair!" Syl shouted, gazing up at the sky. Taga smiled helplessly and turned to survey her surroundings, occasionally flipping through the book to see if there were any similar sights nearby.
A long time passed...
They kept walking, stopping to rest when they felt tired, and then continuing on their way.
As they walked, they unknowingly reached the depths of the continent.
On the way, Taga asked Syl about his experience living on this continent.
"Have you never been deep inside?" Taga asked Syl with a hint of doubt, parting the grass that blocked their path.
"Never—after all, I'm a fearful elf—I only look for herbs on the outskirts. I've heard of the indigenous people of this continent, but I've rarely seen them." Syl continued, following Taga closely.
After parting the last row of grass, they arrived at a place that resembled an altar.
"Where are we, Taga?" Syl looked at Taga in confusion, leaning forward to gaze at the altar Taga was looking at.
"I don't know. It seems we've arrived at an altar?" Taga asked, stepping forward to examine the altar's decorations.
The altar was covered in all sorts of bizarre decorations, including strange creature heads and strange runes carved into its stone pillars.
These pillars were connected by chains made of a strange metal, and a strange pattern was carved into the ground in the center of the altar.
Taga stepped over the chains and walked toward the center of the altar, while Syl followed eagerly.
Taga walked to the center of the altar and slowly squatted down. He gently stroked the pattern on the ground, as if sensing the energy emanating from the altar.
"What do you sense?" Syl asked, tilting his head to look at Taga.
"I sense a profound energy deep within this altar, a power I've never felt before." Taga felt this energy, as if resonating with it.
Suddenly, a multitude of elves, their bodies covered in ice crystals, emerged from the altar, their swords pointed at Taga and Syl, who were crouching in the center.
Taga and Syl were startled by the outpouring of elves, who spoke a language they couldn't understand.
Taga immediately stood up and assumed a fighting stance, his eyes surveying all the elves present.
"They look like indigenous people, but I can't quite understand their language." Syl hid behind Taga, observing the somewhat hostile indigenous elves.
"From the looks of them, it seems they're ready to fight us... Syl, hide behind me... I'll protect you. Remember to find a place to hide later!" Taga slowly raised his hands, clenching his fists tightly, and the power around them slowly emanated.
"Don't worry! I've defeated you before! I can still defend myself against other elves!" Syl was still making this inappropriate joke, leaving Taga speechless and sweating.
The elves looked at the Taga duo, who ignored them. Veins popped out of the leader's forehead, and he pointed his longsword at them, seemingly directing the others to attack Taga.
The other elves, watching their leader's orders, all charged towards Taga and his companions.
"Syl! Get out of sight! Remember to protect yourself!" Taga declared, stomping his foot hard, cracking the altar floor. He leaped forward to engage the elves.
"No problem!" Syl shouted, quickly running to hide in a bush.
The elves, watching Taga charging at them, raised their longswords and swung at him.
Taga simply ducked, dodging the sword's icy flash. The elf in front of him, swinging his sword in the air, tried to react, but found Taga too fast.
Taga dodged the longsword attack and then delivered a powerful punch to the abdomen of an elf standing in front of him. The elf was sent flying and crashed into a tree.
The other elves watched their companions being sent flying, furiously swinging their longswords at Taga.
Taga effortlessly dodged each of the elves' attacks. One elf even leaped up and slashed at Taga's head with great force.
Taga looked up and casually struck the longsword, snapping it in two. The elf stared at him in shock, but Taga showed no mercy, kicking the elf away.
In Taga's eyes, these elves were so weak that he didn't even need to use his own strength to defeat them.
The leading elf captain frowned and stepped forward, seemingly determined to take action himself.
Taga watched the advancing elf captain, who was poised, ready to face any attack.
The Elf Captain rushed forward, wielding his longsword and slashing at Taga, who dodged every blow.
After dodging several attacks, Taga swung a punch at the Elf Captain, who reacted quickly, blocking himself with his sword.
Taga's blow landed heavily on the longsword, sending the Elf Captain stumbling backward, his hands trembling.
The Elf Captain stared at Taga, wondering...why Taga's power was so immense. It was as if he hadn't just been struck by a skeleton...but by a mountain bearing down on him.
Taga wasted no time, continuing his assault on the Elf Captain, each blow packed with ferocity.
The Elf Captain immediately felt the strain; it was his first encounter with such an opponent.
At this moment, Syl, hiding in the bushes, silently observed the entire situation...
"I wonder if Taga can handle them..." Syl observed the battle between Taga and the Elf Captain from his hiding place in the bushes.
At this moment, a sneaky elf was behind him. The elf slowed its pace, and Syl was completely unaware of its presence.
The elf then lunged forward, throwing itself directly at Syl. Syl was pinned to the ground before he could react. The elf then pulled a rope from its pocket and bound Syl's hands and mouth.
And on Taga's side...
Taga was still locked in a struggle with the elf captain. The elf captain struggled to attack Taga, while Taga fought with a relaxed demeanor.
Suddenly, the elf that had grabbed Syl screamed, emerging from the brush, grasping Syl and pressing his sword against her neck.
Taga turned to look at the screaming elf. He saw the elf had grabbed Syl, and his pupils constricted. He wanted to rush forward to save Syl, but he saw the elf's sword pointed at her.
After watching Syl being captured, Taga sighed helplessly and tactfully placed his hands behind his back. The elf captain stared at Taga's actions with a bewildered expression.
Taga wasn't unwilling to save Syl, but rather feared that Syl would be harmed by his reckless actions, something he didn't want to see, so he chose to surrender.
The elf captain waved his hands and ordered two elves to tie Taga's hands.
After tying Taga's hands with rope, the two elves held their swords against Taga's neck and approached the elf captain.
The elf captain turned and waved, and the other injured elves carried the bound Taga and Syl away...
Even on the other side...
Distortion was sitting at a table, opposite Rhazoth.
"Oh, my great Lord Rhazoth! What have you seen?" Distortion said politely to Rhazoth, then picked up the teapot beside him and poured a cup of tea.
"I'm an old monster who's lived for hundreds of millions of years. There's no need to address me with honorifics." Rhazoth opened his single pupil and looked at Distortion, who was sipping tea.
"How can that be? You're one of the few remaining, most outstanding partners." Distortion narrowed his eyes and smiled, his smile clearly false, yet unbreakable.
"I saw the Destined One reach the Heart of Truth, and I also saw my other torsos." Rhazoth shook his head helplessly at Distortion's fake smile, then spoke of his own body, which had long been torn apart by the Creator God.
"It seems we can go to the Heart of Truth to find the Destined One. You need to be prepared... We're preparing to destroy the universe..." Distortion's tone darkened mid-sentence...
This universe... will be plunged into suffering...