The calamity laughed as he beheld the magnificent six pairs of golden and azure wings that had unfurled majestically from the back of the young man, who lay in front of him. The shimmering, cerulean and gold scales covering his whole body, and even the horns he shouldn't have possessed.
"I have no connection to hell or heaven, yet you do. And it's not a simple link. Not at all. What in the cosmos have you... I become?"
He staggered back as the unfurled wings enveloped Skyler's bloodied, unconscious body entirely, like a cocoon.
"I have so many questions."
He glanced at his own wings. He had four pairs of wings. They were magnificent, but those with six pairs were far superior.
Suddenly, sensing a powerful intruder from his timeline into the space he had specially created to train Skyler, he raised his head.
Then vanished from his place.
As he reached the point where a crack had appeared, he saw a woman, draped in gray, her face hidden behind a veil, stepping out.
She opened her lips, and a melodic and enchanting voice echoed through the air.
"So, this is where you were hiding? I wasn't able to locate this hidden place. Only when you used your power did I finally feel it."
He blinked, his eyes crinkling.
"Here to settle the battle that was left unfinished due to your husband?"
The woman snapped.
"My husband? Mind your words. If it were up to me, I would have killed him myself."
He took a stance, ready to fight. Last time he was attacked from behind, so he wasn't able to kill this woman, but now he would.
"Then why did the Queen of Spirits come searching for me? You and your race have lost. If not for that man interfering, would I have been here? Just submit to me. After all, it's not like you have a choice."
The woman let out a hum. Her iridescent wings shimmering even in the darkness.
"This time... I am not here to battle you. I know you have suffered a lot. You came to our realm, failed to find a place for yourself, nearly dying so many times since the spirits didn't welcome you. However, you've proven yourself. We know we can no longer defeat you. Therefore, I am here to make a deal."
He tilted his head.
"A deal?"
He pointed at her and then himself.
"Between you and me? What makes you think I will agree when I can simply end you and your entire race? It would be very good revenge for everything I had gone through."
The woman's eyes flashed with panic.
"Hear me out. You will like this deal. I will give you my most precious possession."
The calamity's interest was piqued, so he stopped releasing his aura to hear her out. Well, he could always end her after hearing the deal. After all, it was already surprising that the arrogant Spirit Queen, the one who never submitted to him, was offering a deal. Her stiff posture relaxed, and she exhaled.
"You marry my daughter, and I will give you my crown. The entire spirit race will accept you as their king without further objections. Just do me one favor: kill that man. I know you can. It's a win-win for both of us."
He raised a surprised brow.
"Your daughter?"
He wanted to say more, like why should he marry her daughter when he could get what she was offering him on his own, when the Spirit Queen suddenly spoke up, effectively silencing the words at the tip of his tongue.
"Yes, my daughter, Riruru. You must have heard of her. She left my side many years ago and just came back home. She's the most beautiful spirit in existence."
A smile lit her face at the mention of her precious daughter as she met his gaze.
"So, what's your answer, Skyler?"
However, despite the smile on her lips, her fists were clenched secretly, and her heart was in turmoil. Because she hoped he didn't know the truth about her daughter: that she was incomplete, and would die soon.
This was the Spirit Queen's last effort to save her race, which that man wanted to obliterate completely after his last visit.
That man was as dangerous and powerful as Skyler. The best option was to have one of them join her, so they would fight each other. That way, her race could survive.
And her choice was obviously Skyler.
Yet, she was surprised to see the look of daze in the blue eyes staring at him.
Skyler opened his lips but then ultimately settled on just a single word to utter.
"Riruru?"
He tasted the familiar name, savoring it. It rolled out of his tongue with ease. It was so familiar. Hadn't he heard it? From his other self from a future timeline?
So, she existed in his timeline too?
It's just he had yet to meet her?
The scales covering his face retracted, and the Spirit Queen felt a chill down her spine when she saw the smile lighting his face. A genuine smile. One she never saw on him, even when he killed their strongest warrior.
Skyler held out his hand toward her.
"Let's seal the deal. It's not bad. I like it. However, instead of marriage, I would like to get to know your daughter better first."
The Spirit Queen flinched. Why did she feel like she had done something very wrong?
Like she had opened a door to something that should have stayed closed, and now the results would echo through eternity?
Naturally, she loved her daughter.
Yet, to save her race, she had made this difficult decision since she had no choice.
That's why she hoped this man would treat Riruru better in the time she had left to live.
The Spirit Queen shook his outstretched hand, feeling the unnaturally warm skin.
She then looked around.
"When are you leaving this place? Although this place exists within a time pocket, I can tell you've sacrificed to hold time here. You should not mess with time; it's something even the heaven dare not interfere with."
Skyler looked to a distant place. Now that he'd heard about Riruru, he wanted to leave immediately to meet her. But thinking about the him from a future timeline, he sighed.
"Soon. This place is one of the few hidden from the prying eyes of those higher beings. Even if I spend a long time here, only a brief time will pass in my reality. You should leave. I still have something to do here."