"We thought we had escaped. We were wrong. Because later, the Eternals found us again.
"So what happened after Amun brought everyone here?"
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"We arrived in a universe that hadn’t even been given a name. The Prime Universe that you know today was nothing more than a young universe back then. Its laws were incomplete, its civilizations were still growing and although Demi-Gods already existed, they were nowhere close to the level of the Lords from our original universe."
Her fingers gently traced the rim of the teapot as she continued.
"The natives naturally viewed us as invaders. Imagine watching hundreds of powerful refugees suddenly descend into your home carrying armies, ancient knowledge and cultivation methods that your universe had never seen before. Fear was inevitable."
I nodded.
"I suppose they tried to stop us."
"They did. Several native Demi-Gods gathered together and confronted Amun the moment we attempted to settle within what is now called the Prime Galaxy. They demanded that we leave immediately."
She laughed quietly.
"Unfortunately for them, they chose the worst possible moment. Amun had just lost everything. He had watched his home burn. He had watched friends die. Entire families had been erased before his eyes. He had led millions across realities while carrying the burden of defeat."
She slowly shook her head.
"He wasn’t in the mood for negotiations."
The old woman looked at me.
"According to those who witnessed it, he didn’t even draw a weapon."
"What did he do?"
"He fought barehanded. That alone forced every native Demi-God to their knees. Entire star systems were obliterated. The stars above the galaxy dimmed as though the universe itself had sensed his fury."
She smiled faintly.
"Amun simply looked at them and said that he wasn’t asking permission. The confrontation ended there. No one questioned us again."
The old woman leaned back comfortably.
"Our people settled within the Prime Galaxy while the surviving families slowly rebuilt their lives. For the first time in centuries there was peace. It wasn’t perfect, but after everything we had endured it felt almost unreal."
She paused before adding,
"Then Amun disappeared."
I frowned.
"Disappeared?"
"He left without warning."
She nodded.
"He didn’t appoint a successor. He didn’t explain where he was going or why. One day he simply walked away."
"For how long?"
"For far too long to be normal. When people say he disappeared for centuries, they aren’t exaggerating. Some believed he had died. Others believed he had returned to our original universe. There were even rumors that he had found the Throne."
"When he finally returned..."
She stopped speaking for several moments as though searching for the right words.
"...he was still Amun."
Then she looked directly at me.
"And yet he wasn’t."
I waited for her to explain.
"His personality hadn’t changed. He still spoke the same way. He still smiled. He still treated people kindly."
Another pause followed.
"But everyone who had known him before agreed on one thing."
She met my eyes.
"Something about him was different."
I instinctively thought about the version of Amun I knew. He had always carried an indescribable feeling around him.
"What changed?"
"I don’t know."
"I’ve heard a thousand theories throughout my life."
She counted on her fingers.
"Some say he reached the Throne. Some believe he encountered a God. Others claim he sacrificed a part of himself."
She eventually lowered her hand.
"I don’t believe any of those stories."
"What do you believe?"
She laughed softly.
"I believe Amun found something that convinced him time was running out. He returned with only one purpose."
The old woman’s expression gradually became serious.
"Preparation."
I nodded slowly.
"He no longer spoke about rebuilding civilizations or reclaiming what we had lost. Every decision he made afterward revolved around a single future event."
"The Eternal invasion."
"Exactly."
The hatred hidden within those two words was impossible to miss.
"He had learned that Theras hadn’t stopped with our universe. The transformed race had already begun invading neighboring universes, consuming civilizations one after another while calling themselves the Eternals."
Her gaze drifted toward the city.
"Amun knew they would eventually find us. So he prepared. He transformed an entire universe. The first thing he did was something that none of us expected."
She pointed upward.
"He scattered fragments of the System throughout the Prime Universe."
I frowned.
"What do you mean scattered?"
"The System had never been meant for a handful of people."
Her voice carried unmistakable admiration.
"Amun rewrote the laws of this universe and embedded the System directly into them. Every living being born afterward possessed the ability to awaken a connection with it. Strong souls formed stronger connections while weaker ones formed weaker ones, but everyone possessed the opportunity. The System became part of the universe itself."
"It was Amun’s greatest creation. He didn’t stop there. He personally traveled throughout the universe forcing powerful factions to unite. Kingdoms that refused cooperation disappeared overnight. Demi-Gods who believed they could stand alone were defeated and dragged into alliances whether they liked it or not."
"He became a dictator."
The words left her mouth without hesitation.
"A benevolent one perhaps, but a dictator nonetheless. He no longer asked for cooperation. He demanded it."
Entire galaxies were reorganized under a unified command. Ancient cultivation methods from our original universe were shared with the natives.
Massive academies were established to produce stronger Saints and Demi-Gods. Teleportation networks connected distant galaxies. Defensive formations capable of protecting entire star systems were built. Resources stopped belonging to individual kingdoms and instead became part of a single war effort."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Anyone who stood in the way was removed."
I couldn’t help asking,
"Didn’t people resist?"
She smiled.
"Constantly."
"And?"
"They always lost."
The certainty in her voice left no room for argument.
"For nearly two centuries everything worked exactly as Amun intended."
A warmth entered her expression.
"The Prime Universe grew stronger than it had ever been. Native races flourished. New Demi-Gods appeared one after another. Entire civilizations united beneath a single purpose."
She looked toward me.
"When the Eternals finally arrived..."
A faint smile crossed her lips.
"...they were met by an army waiting for them."
I imagined the battle.
"The war reached a stalemate."
She nodded proudly.
"Neither side could gain a decisive advantage. We knew their tactics. They learned ours. Entire galaxies became battlefields, yet for the first time since fleeing our home, we genuinely believed victory was possible."
The smile slowly disappeared.
"That illusion lasted until the day the curse awakened. No battle announced it. There was no warning."
Her fingers tightened around the armrest.
"One morning our people simply began collapsing."