Chapter 285
A delicate appearance with hair and eyebrows as white as snow.
However, Zeke soon realized the being before him was not Kaisir. Their eyes were a different color, glowing green, and he noticed a subtle difference that told him this was a female, not a male.
Zeke spoke again.
"Are you Lady Chronos?"
Her green eyes shining, Chronos nodded.
"Yes, that's right."
As his dizziness subsided, Zeke composed himself and stood up straight. Chronos spoke to him.
"Come this way. If I remember correctly, you were fond of tea. Am I right?"
Zeke was taken aback that Chronos, the Dragonkin from the Hero-King's era, knew that his current self liked tea.
"How do you know that?"
"Let's just call it an authority of the Dragon of Time."
Zeke nodded and followed Chronos into a reception room. While Chronos prepared the tea, Zeke looked around. Through the window, he could see the entire panorama of a city.
'This place is...'
He looked at Chronos and asked,
"Don't tell me... this city is Chronos?"
Chronos nodded as she poured tea into a cup.
"It is. In your timeline, this is where the city of Baranaon is located."
"Baranaon is where Chronos used to be?"
"Yes. In your time, the east where the Midlands are located is the center of the continent, but in our time, the west is the center."
Zeke turned again to gaze at the cityscape of Chronos. It was a beautiful, well-maintained city, comparable to the modern metropolis of Atlas. It was hard to believe it had been built two thousand years ago.
"Tea is best when it's warm. Come, sit."
Zeke sat down and drank the tea Chronos had prepared.
'This aroma...?'
It was similar to the tea he had drunk in Ishtar. While Ishtar's tea had a more concentrated aroma and flavor, the one Chronos served was more subtle and elegant.
"It was a gift from the High Elves. It's quite good, isn't it?"
Zeke nodded. After drinking his tea in silence, he set the cup down and looked at Chronos.
"I never imagined you would summon me to the past yourself."
"I didn't think it was possible either. I believe it only worked because it was you."
"What do you mean by that?"
Chronos set down her cup.
"Zeke, you've already traveled back in time once before, haven't you?"
Zeke was stunned. Until now, no one had known about his regression.
'Does she know because she's the Dragon of Time?'
As Zeke unconsciously grew wary, Chronos smiled.
"No need to look at me like that. I was the one who prepared the 'Irreversible Promised Power' in the relic of the Elder Dragon."
"You're saying you were the one who prepared the emergency measure?"
"Yes. I prepared it in a state of mind that was closer to a gamble than anything else. But since you've found your way to me like this, I suppose it was a success."
Zeke was bewildered. It was difficult to readily accept that she had made such an arrangement for him two thousand years ago. As if reading his thoughts, Chronos nodded.
"I'm sure you have many questions, but you know, right? One wrong move and we could interfere with the timeline, causing both of us to be annihilated."
Zeke nodded at her words. Chronos took a sip of her tea.
"What I can tell you right now is... that the Demon King will be resurrected in your timeline."
Zeke's mind went blank at the mention of the Demon King. After a moment, he collected himself and asked,
"In this current timeline I'm in, is the war over?"
Chronos shook her head.
"No. This is a time before Kaisir has even left for the Fairy Realm."
Zeke was confused.
"If that's the case, can't we stop the Demon King now?"
The moment he spoke, Zeke realized the contradiction in his own words.
"It's because of Karma."
Chronos nodded.
"Yes. I know the future. To be precise, I know the various possibilities that could occur in the future. If I try to manipulate the mortal plane based on events that have not yet happened, Karma will erase me first."
"Then is the reason you brought me here because I must stop the resurrected Demon King in my timeline?"
Chronos looked at him.
"That 'possibility' also exists."
The future was not yet fixed; it always existed only as a possibility. As the Dragon of Time, Chronos could read those possibilities and, only within the limits permitted by Karma, issue warnings about the future in the form of prophecies.
The reason prophecies were always composed of ambiguous and metaphorical expressions was precisely to circumvent such limitations of Karma.
Chronos spoke to Zeke.
"Zeke Draker, your existence is truly important. I believe you are the only one who can stop the Demon King."
"What do you mean?"
"You are the one who defied fate."
Chronos looked at Zeke.
"Through your own will, you rejected the destiny that was originally given to you and traveled back to the past, writing a new destiny for yourself. That... is something that not even Karma can predict."
Zeke was shocked.
"Are you saying I am exempt from the laws of Karma?"
"That's right. Everything that exists in the mortal plane is bound by Karma. But you, Zeke Draker, are the sole exception. Even now, you are defying time, existing here before me."
"Why am I the only one who can do this?"
"It is the result of countless coincidences and inevitabilities, of innumerable possibilities intersecting. However... it was also made possible by your will, Zeke, which is stronger than anyone's."
"The power of will..."
Zeke felt that Chronos was leaving something unsaid. But he knew there was a clear limit to what she could tell him due to Karma, so he couldn't press her further.
Chronos said to him,
"Take out your watch."
As Zeke took out the watch, Chronos extended her hand.
VMMMM!
A shimmering haze rose from the watch and seeped into her palm.
After absorbing the entire haze, Chronos muttered to herself,
"I see. So that's how it is."
She nodded as if in understanding, then opened her palm again and placed it over the watch. A runic character appeared on the back of her hand.
VWOOOONG!
The light from the rune flowed into the watch. A series of messages appeared before Zeke's eyes.
[Authentication key has been updated.]
[???'s Watch has been activated.]
[Main Quest Mission completed.]
[Reward: 1,000 Karma Points have been awarded.]
[Quest Reward: Two Random Boxes have been awarded.]
[Quest Reward: Chronos's Authority 'Rewind' has been awarded.]
[The seal on the Heart of the Cursed Mad Dragon Bahamut has been lowered to 45%.]
'Authority: Rewind?'
As it was the authority of Chronos, the Dragon of Time, it seemed to be a power related to time.
"Phew."
Having finished updating the key, Chronos looked at Zeke.
"I've reactivated the watch. You will need it to use my authority."
"Judging by the name 'Rewind', it seems to be related to time..."
"It is. And it's a rather difficult authority for a human like you to wield. Think carefully about when you should use it. If you misuse it, the mortal plane could collapse from its power before you even face the Demon King."
Zeke nodded. Just then, his heart suddenly began to pound violently.
"Ugh."
A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he clutched his head. Chronos watched him.
"If you stay here any longer, your body won't be able to take it."
Chronos placed the watch in Zeke's hand. She concentrated her power, and different characters from before appeared on the backs of both her hands, glowing with light.
She squeezed Zeke's hand tightly.
"Zeke Draker, there is one last thing I can tell you."
She looked at Zeke, who was covered in a cold sweat.
"Beyond the Sea of Darkness. The truth is hidden there."
RUMBLE!
Zeke's body began to vibrate violently.
"Krrgh."
He writhed as a pain that felt like his entire body was being torn apart shot through him.
At the same time, a stronger light flowed from the back of Chronos's hands and into the watch Zeke was holding.
VWOOOOOOOONG!
A massive vibration shook the room, and Zeke's body began to blur.
DRRRRRRR—!
A haze of light exploded and enveloped him. With a deafening roar, his body vanished.
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE!
Chronos looked at the empty hand that had been holding Zeke's, her expression bittersweet.
"...I'm counting on you, Zeke Draker."
BANG!
Suddenly, the door burst open and someone entered. It was Kaisir, with his sword slung casually over his shoulder.
"What was that? I felt a strange wave of power all the way at the edge of the city."
Chronos smiled.
"I was just doing a bit of prophesying for the first time in a while."
"Oh, yeah? What did you see this time?"
"I saw something, but it wasn't very clear. All I can say is... a knight with black eyes. A knight with an incredibly strong will."
Kaisir clicked his tongue.
"If you find a guy like that, bring him to me. I'll make him my disciple for the Elemental Sword."
"Aren't you teaching Siemens?"
At that, Kaisir's expression stiffened slightly.
"Siemens is... Anyway, that damn Saturn is nowhere to be seen. Hey! Saturn! You punk!"
As Kaisir left, yelling for the unfortunate Saturn, the smile on Chronos's face quickly faded, replaced by a dark expression.
She looked down at her own hand. It was trembling faintly.
"Not yet. I have to endure a little longer."
She rose from her seat, walked to the wall, and pressed a specific spot. With a soft click, the wall opened, revealing a black box inside.
Chronos opened it, revealing a black dragon statue within. She looked at the statue and said,
"Please watch over us, o' Elder Dragon."
***
VWOOOOONG!
Zeke traveled once more, surrounded by a haze of light.
RUMBLE!
As his vision cleared, he looked around.
'H-Here...'
He was back in the museum, just before closing time. The guard who had been approaching him was still frozen in place.
Zeke looked down at the watch in his hand. The hour hand had moved forward by one position.
In that instant, the frozen time resumed.
The guard finally started moving again, walking up to Zeke to shout at him.
"It's closing time! You need to leave— huh, wait a minute? Are you the Knight of the Sea Lord... S-Sir Zeke Draker?"
The guard had recognized him. It seemed his face had become quite well-known, thanks to the recent newsletters. Zeke gave a small smile and slowly stood up.
'Ugh.'
Likely a side effect of leaping through time, his head was still ringing and he felt nauseous. Even his Healing Factor couldn't fix the motion sickness.
The guard looked at him with concern.
"S-Sir Zeke. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Actually, could you possibly call a carriage for me? To the Nirvana Central Branch."
Soon, Zeke was in a carriage called by the guard, heading back. Inside, he drank a potion and, after taking a moment to calm himself, was finally able to relax a little.
'Time travel. Not something you want to do twice.'
He still couldn't quite believe he had actually been to the past. As Zeke was recovering in a daze, the carriage arrived at the central branch, and he slowly walked into the building. But the lobby was in an uproar.
'What's going on?'
A burly man was shouting at the front of the lobby, while security golems tried to grab him and force him outside. But the man was so strong that even with two golems on him, he wouldn't budge an inch.
"Please, I'm begging you! Please help me, just this once!"
The man's booming voice echoed through the lobby, but the mages passing by paid him no mind at all.
'What's all this about?'
The man, dressed in a thick leather coat with a full beard, was reminiscent of a bear from the forest.
It was then.
[The compass is resetting the optimal direction to the 'Fairy's Lake'.]
[Information has been updated.]
[Beginning guidance to the new direction.]
Surprised by the sudden message, Zeke took out his compass and checked the direction of the needle. It was pointing directly at the bear-like man.
'Don't tell me... that's him?'
It seemed he had found the druid of Aten.