"Miss Bronya, do you think… Belobog's situation counts as hopeless?"
Hearing this, Bronya thought carefully.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Adrian. Forgive my ignorance—I haven't seen the vastness of the galaxy… so I can't make an accurate judgment."
"From my perspective alone, that war changed everything. The appearance of Fragmentum creatures plunged Belobog into endless despair… even to this day."
Why say the Legion's crimes are endless when Jarilo-VI's tragedy seems insignificant? The Anti-Matter Legion's invasions play out in every corner of the universe, with innocent lives lost every moment.
A faint star's light goes out, and people have long grown used to it.
The cosmos is filled with tragedies. The impact of the Anti-Matter Legion, from another angle… is also negligible. Before them, disasters came one after another, each greater than the last.
The Mechanical Emperor War, waged by Genius Society #27 Emperor Rupert, swept through countless lives, leaving worlds in ruin—a truly horrific toll.
Over a dozen Amber Eras, the Emperor's majesty was inviolable, leaving indelible scars… but the Empire's life was merely two [Moments] in Nous's calculations.
Back then, Adrian didn't even glance at Rupert. Though a mechanical lifeform, it had nothing to do with [Eternity]. Why bother?
As for Mythus and Nous's affairs, Adrian wanted no part. Those two wouldn't let THEM join either. Blame Aha for tanking his rep among Aeon colleagues.
Ultimately, the Emperor War's scale didn't match the Swarm Disaster. Poor [Order] Ena and [Propagation] Tayzzyronth.
"Enough backstory, Miss Bronya. Now… let's get to the main event!"
"Since you know we're interstellar travelers, you understand… situations like Belobog's are countless in the cosmos."
"As the saying goes, seeing is believing. A bedtime story isn't enough—you need to experience it… to grasp the Eternity within."
Snap!
A snap echoed, and Bronya blinked. The dim lower district blurred, Adrian's figure faded, and darkness seeped from the corners, enveloping her.
Bronya opened her eyes amid the sour scent of rotting leaves, finding herself in a new scene.
"No need to panic, Miss Bronya," Adrian narrated. "These are just fragments of past memories. If you feel uneasy… we can stop anytime."
"Now, try taking a step forward. See that figure not far off? Go check her out."
As his voice faded, an orange-yellow exclamation mark appeared fifty meters away, guiding Bronya.
She hesitated for a few seconds, then quickened her pace. Fallen trees and insectoid limbs littered both sides.
Moonlight pierced through charred branches of a life tree. In the center stood a girl, her smooth silver hair cascading to her waist, its tips glowing faintly blue. Her emerald eyes were lifeless.
Each tremble of her lashes sent stardust falling from her eyes. She knelt, dazed, her skirt stained with mud.
Ice crystals formed on her silver-white lashes. She reached for the emerald pendant at her neck but grasped sticky blood, still trickling down her collarbone onto her pure white dress.
Bronya could tell this land had just endured war's ravages, at a devastating cost.
"As expected of a battle-hardened Guard commander. A good story's judged by its opening—whether it hooks the reader. Miss Bronya… want to keep going?"
"Yes." Curiosity drove Bronya. She wanted to know what happened to this land. Were they also invaded by the Anti-Matter Legion?
A crisp snap sounded, and memories pierced Bronya's mind like shattered diamonds.
Three hours ago, this place was peaceful. An elven girl, crowned with woven vines, sang the Hymn of Eternity atop the royal court.
"May the stars witness our tribe's Eternity." She prayed devoutly, her green eyes shimmering under starlight. Hundreds of her kin gathered below the tower, witnessing this historic moment.
"This is the Aeria elves' once-in-a-millennium festival. For long-lived elves, a thousand years is a fleeting moment… and the protagonist of this story is their Saintess," Adrian's voice echoed, filling in the lore.
"Eternity…" Bronya caught the keyword. "Are they Ite's followers?"
"Yes, but not quite."
Adrian began the planet's tale, but first, a disclaimer: "You might wonder, Miss Bronya, how I know so many stories?"
"The answer: they're recorded in the Eternity Church's archives. If you don't mind… I could take you to the Church to see for yourself." Adrian found the perfect excuse.
"Sorry, got sidetracked." The narrator cleared his throat, diving in.
"A land without divine protection, yet curiously… this planet was once a resting place for an [Eternity] Pathstrider. Yes, you heard right—just an ordinary Pathstrider."
"His footsteps spanned countless star systems, including here, where he taught the naive tribe the concept of Eternity."
"This Pathstrider spent his life yearning for a glimpse of the Aeon. Sadly… fate is never fair. Not long after… he perished."
"As for the cause of his death…"
Adrian's voice cut off. An anomaly struck, and the azure sky darkened.
Not with black clouds, but billions of locust wings blotting out the sun, their buzzing arriving before their bodies.
High-pitched soundwaves mixed with a storm-like rasp, like thousands of rusted razors scraping against a grindstone.
A crimson tide surged from the horizon, each True Sting's compound eyes glinting with cold light.
Their wing sheaths clashed in flight, sparking metallic clinks. As the swarm loomed overhead, grass fragments drifted down, heralding the planet's doom.
"[Insect Emperor] Tayzzyronth's spawn, numerous enough to shroud the stars, their antennae long enough to measure the galaxy. The worlds fearfully called their self-replicating chaos… the Swarm."
Adrian stood beside Bronya, expressionless, watching her tremble, her gaze frozen.
Bronya witnessed the Swarm's invasion, devouring fields from small to large… until they targeted the planet's native elves.
The elven girl watched countless guards fall before her, swallowed by darkness, their bodies gone.
Despite the planet's advanced technology and the faint energy left by the Eternity Pathstrider, they couldn't withstand the sky-full of locusts.
The Swarm gave no respite. The Aeria elves' proud holy tree collapsed with a boom. The ashen sky tore open with a scarlet rift, revealing a planet-sized, sky-blocking Star-Devouring Insect staring down.
"Friendly reminder: this King Insect is a true [Propagation] Emanator, unlike ordinary giant True Stings."
More fragments flashed, and the scene shifted. The grand royal city lay in ruins… when the smoke cleared, only the Saintess remained.
Seeing Bronya, speechless, Adrian sighed. This was already a toned-down memory.
He'd cut out the bloodier parts—some scenes could leave lasting trauma just by looking, let alone for the girl who lived through it.
After picking her up and teaching her carefully… she grew.
But… why did she become such a chuni priestess? That's worth some self-reflection.