Episode 285
A delicate figure with hair and eyebrows as white as snow.
But Zeke quickly realized that the person before him wasn’t Kaishir.
The eyes were a different shade, a striking green, and there was a subtle difference in the build—this was a woman, not a man.
Zeke spoke again, looking at her.
“Are you Chronos?”
Chronos nodded, her green eyes gleaming.
“Yes, that’s right.”
As the dizziness subsided, Zeke straightened himself and stood up.
Chronos gestured for him to come closer.
“Come over here. If I remember correctly, you like tea, don’t you?”
Zeke was taken aback that Chronos, the dragon of the Hero King era, knew about his fondness for tea.
“How do you know that?”
“Let’s just say it’s one of the powers of the Dragon of Time.”
Nodding, Zeke followed Chronos into the sitting room.
While Chronos prepared the tea, Zeke glanced around.
Through the window, he could see the cityscape.
‘This place…’
Zeke turned to Chronos and asked, “Is this place… Chronos?”
Pouring tea into a cup, Chronos nodded.
“Yes. In your time, this would be where Baranaon is.”
“Baranaon stands where Chronos once was?”
“Exactly. In your era, the East with Midland is the center of the continent, but in our time, it’s the West.”
Zeke turned again to take in the view of Chronos.
A beautifully maintained city, as pristine as the new city of Atlas.
It was hard to believe it was built two thousand years ago.
“Tea is best enjoyed while it’s hot. Come, have a seat.”
Zeke sat down and sipped the tea Chronos had prepared.
‘This aroma…’
It was reminiscent of the tea he had tasted in Ishtar.
While Ishtar’s tea had a more concentrated aroma and flavor, the tea from Chronos was subtle and elegant.
“The High Elves gifted it to me. Do you like it?”
Zeke nodded.
After silently drinking the tea and setting the cup down, Zeke looked at Chronos.
“I never expected you to summon me to the past.”
“I didn’t think it was possible either. But with you, it seems it is.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Chronos set her cup down and spoke.
“Zeke, you’ve already traveled back in time once.”
Zeke was startled by her words.
No one had known about his return to the past until now.
‘Is it because she’s the Dragon of Time?’
Seeing Zeke’s wary expression, Chronos smiled.
“There’s no need to be on guard. It was I who prepared the ‘irrevocable promised power’ in the Elder Dragon’s relic.”
“You mean the emergency measure was set up by you, Chronos?”
“Yes, it was a gamble, but since you’ve come to find me, it seems it paid off.”
Zeke was confused by Chronos’s words.
It was hard to grasp that she had prepared such measures for him two thousand years ago.
Sensing Zeke’s thoughts, Chronos nodded.
“You must have many questions, but you know, meddling with the timeline could lead to both of us being erased.”
Zeke nodded at her words.
Chronos took a sip of her tea and continued.
“What I can tell you now is… in your time, the Demon King will be resurrected.”
The mention of the Demon King left Zeke in a daze. After a moment, he gathered himself and asked, “In this timeline, is the war over?”
Chronos shook her head.
“No, Kaishir hasn’t even left for the Fairy Realm yet.”
Zeke was taken aback by her response.
“If that’s the case, can’t we stop the Demon King now?”
As soon as he spoke, Zeke realized the contradiction in his words.
“It’s because of karma, isn’t it?”
Chronos nodded.
“Yes, I know the future. More precisely, I know the various possibilities of what could happen. If I try to alter the present based on events that haven’t occurred yet, karma will erase me first.”
“So, the reason you brought me here is to stop the Demon King from resurrecting in my time?”
Chronos looked at Zeke and said, “That’s one ‘possibility.’”
The future was never set in stone, always existing as a possibility.
As the Dragon of Time, Chronos could read these possibilities and, within the limits of karma, offer warnings in the form of prophecies.
The reason prophecies were often vague and ambiguous was to avoid the constraints of karma as much as possible.
Chronos spoke to Zeke.
“Zeke Draker, you are truly important. I believe only you can stop the Demon King.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The one who defied fate.”
Chronos looked at Zeke.
“You rejected the destiny originally given to you and traveled back in time, creating a new fate. That’s something even karma can’t predict.”
Zeke was astonished by Chronos’s words.
“Are you saying I’m outside the laws of karma?”
“Yes. Everything in the material world is bound by karma. But Zeke Draker, you alone can defy it. Even now, you’re here, defying time.”
“Why am I the only one who can do this?”
“It’s the result of countless coincidences and inevitabilities, intersecting possibilities. But… it was also possible because of your strong will, Zeke.”
“The power of will…”
Zeke sensed that Chronos was withholding something.
But knowing the limits imposed by karma, he couldn’t press further.
Chronos instructed Zeke.
“Take out the watch.”
When Zeke produced the watch, Chronos reached out her hand.
A shimmering haze rose from the watch and seeped into her palm.
After absorbing the haze, Chronos murmured to herself.
“I see, so that’s how it is.”
She nodded in understanding, then opened her palm over the watch again.
Runes glowed on the back of her hand.
A soft hum filled the air as the runes’ light flowed into the watch.
A message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[Authentication key updated.]
[???‘s watch is activated.]
[Main quest mission completed.]
[1,000 karma points awarded as a reward.]
[Two random boxes awarded as quest rewards.]
[Chronos’s power ‘Rewind’ awarded as a quest reward.]
[The seal on the Cursed Light Dragon Bahamut’s heart has decreased to 45%.]
‘Rewind power?’
Given that it was Chronos’s power, it seemed related to time.
“Phew.”
Having completed the authentication key update, Chronos looked at Zeke.
“I’ve reactivated the watch. You’ll need it to use my power.”
“Judging by the name ‘Rewind,’ it seems related to time…”
“Yes. It’s a rather tricky power for a human to wield. Use it wisely. If misused, it could cause the material world to collapse before you even face the Demon King.”
Zeke nodded at Chronos’s warning.
Suddenly, his heart began to pound violently.
“Ugh.”
Overwhelmed by dizziness, he clutched his head.
Chronos observed Zeke and spoke.
“If you stay here any longer, your body won’t be able to handle it.”
She placed the watch in Zeke’s hand.
Focusing her power, different runes appeared on her hands, emitting a radiant glow.
Chronos held Zeke’s hand tightly and said,
“Zeke Draker, there’s one last thing I can tell you.”
She looked at the sweating Zeke and said,
“Beyond the Dark Sea. That’s where the truth lies hidden.”
Boom!
Zeke’s body began to tremble violently.
“Argh.”
Wracked with pain, Zeke twisted in agony.
At the same time, a stronger light emanated from Chronos’s hands, flowing into the watch Zeke held.
A deep hum resonated as Zeke’s body became translucent.
Rumble―!
A burst of light enveloped Zeke’s body, and with a thunderous sound, he vanished.
Rumble!
Chronos looked at her now-empty hand with a bittersweet expression.
“Please, Zeke Draker.”
Bang!
Suddenly, the door swung open, and someone entered.
It was Kaishir, casually carrying a sword on his shoulder.
“What was that? I felt a strange wave from the edge of the city.”
Chronos smiled at Kaishir’s words.
“I just had a prophecy.”
“Oh, really? What did you see this time?”
“I saw something, but I’m not sure. All I can say is… a knight with black eyes. A knight with a very strong will.”
Kaishir clicked his tongue at that.
“If there’s someone like that, bring them to me. I need a new apprentice to pass on the damned Elemental Sword.”
“I thought you were going to pass it on to Siemens?”
Kaishir’s expression hardened slightly at that.
“Siemens is… But that rascal Shaton is nowhere to be found. Hey! Shaton! You rascal!”
As Kaishir left, calling out to the unsuspecting Shaton, the smile on Chronos’s face quickly faded.
She glanced down at her hands.
They were trembling slightly.
“Not yet. I have to hold on a little longer.”
Rising from her seat, she approached the wall and pressed firmly on a spot.
With a clatter, the wall opened to reveal a black box inside.
When Chronos opened the box, a black dragon figurine was revealed.
She gazed at the dragon and spoke softly.
“Please watch over us, Elder Dragon.”
Vroooom!
Zeke found himself transported once more, surrounded by a halo of light.
Thud!
As his vision returned, Zeke took in his surroundings.
‘This place is…’
He was in a museum, just before closing time.
The security guard who had been approaching him was still frozen in place.
Zeke glanced at the watch in his hand.
The hour hand had moved one notch forward.
In that instant, time resumed.
The guard, now able to move, approached Zeke, ready to shout.
“It’s closing time! You need to leave… Oh, wait a minute. Aren’t you Sir Zeke Draker, the Knight of Haiju?”
The guard recognized Zeke’s face, likely from the frequent news articles about the Knight of Haiju.
Zeke offered a small smile and slowly stood up.
‘Ugh.’
The aftereffects of time travel still lingered, leaving his head pounding and his stomach queasy.
Even his healing factor couldn’t cure this kind of motion sickness.
The guard, noticing Zeke’s discomfort, spoke with concern.
“Sir Zeke, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Actually, could you call a carriage for me? I need to get to the Nirvana Central Branch.”
Soon, Zeke was settled in the carriage the guard had summoned, heading back to the central branch.
Sipping a potion inside the carriage, Zeke finally managed to calm himself a bit.
‘Time travel. Definitely not something to do twice.’
Even now, he found it hard to believe he had just returned from the past.
As Zeke tried to gather his thoughts, still somewhat dazed, the carriage arrived at the central branch, and he slowly made his way inside.
The lobby was in chaos.
‘What’s going on?’
A large man was shouting at the top of his lungs in front of the lobby, while security golems attempted to escort him out.
Despite two golems trying to restrain him, the man’s strength was such that he didn’t budge an inch.
“Please, I beg you! Just help me this once!”
His voice echoed through the lobby, but the passing mages paid him no mind.
‘What could be happening?’
The man, clad in a thick leather coat and sporting a full beard, resembled a bear from the forest.
It was then that Zeke received an unexpected message.
[The compass has recalibrated to the optimal direction for the ‘Fairy Lake.’]
[Information updated.]
[Guidance to the new direction has begun.]
Zeke pulled out the compass to check the needle’s direction.
It pointed directly at the bear-like man.
‘Could it be him?’
It seemed he had found the druid of Aten.