Eternia's Requiem

A small notebook sat beside him.

He began writing.

Possible conclusions:

First Dream existed before creation.

Multiple civilizations remember fragments.

Ancient records intentionally erased.

Axis may have been created specifically to oppose him.

Future catastrophe larger than originally believed.

The final point made him stop.

His pen hovered above the page.

Then he added another line.

Need power immediately.

Need allies eventually.

Need answers urgently.

The words felt inadequate.

Because answers alone wouldn’t save anyone.

Strength would.

The First Dream had made that painfully clear.

Etherius closed the notebook.

Then stood.

His chair scraped against the floor.

The sound echoed through the library.

Good.

He was done reading.

For now.

Knowledge mattered.

But knowledge without strength was merely a more accurate way to die.

He needed training.

Immediately.

Far away.

Inside Eternia’s soul.

Hell had begun.

At least that’s what Eternia called it.

Eternity called it training.

The difference was largely semantic.

The soulscape resembled an endless black sea.

Stars floated overhead.

Silver light stretched across the horizon.

A beautiful place.

Normally.

Unfortunately.

Eternity had transformed it.

Towering stone pillars emerged from the darkness.

Massive training grounds appeared.

Weapons floated in the air.

Thousands of them.

Spears.

Swords.

Axes.

Chains.

Daggers.

Every weapon Eternity had mastered throughout her life.

Which was an absurd number.

Eternia stared at everything.

Then slowly looked toward Eternity.

"..."

"..."

Neither spoke.

Finally Eternia pointed.

"What is all this?"

Eternity smiled.

That smile immediately activated every survival instinct Eternia possessed.

"Training."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

Eternity pointed toward the horizon.

A mountain appeared.

Then another.

Then another.

Within seconds an entire mountain range existed.

Eternia stared.

Speechless.

"What does that have to do with training?"

"You’re running."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Eternity.

"You’re running."

Eternia.

"That’s a mountain range."

"Correct."

"That’s hundreds of kilometers."

"Correct."

"Are you insane?"

"Probably."

Eternia immediately attempted to leave.

Unfortunately.

Soul spaces did not work that way.

Three seconds later she found herself teleported back.

Eternity crossed her arms.

"Again."

"This is abuse."

"This is conditioning."

"This is abuse."

"Words have meanings."

"They do."

"You’re abusing them."

Eternity ignored her.

A moment later.

The ground exploded.

A gigantic wolf emerged.

Then another.

Then fifty more.

Each possessed glowing silver eyes.

Each radiated terrifying power.

Eternia stared.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

She turned toward Eternity.

"What are those?"

"Problems."

"They have teeth."

"Most problems do."

"They look hungry."

"They are."

Eternia immediately started running.

The wolves followed.

Hours passed.

Or perhaps days.

Time worked differently inside the soulscape.

Eternia had lost track.

Several mountains had been destroyed.

Multiple valleys no longer existed.

A lake had somehow exploded.

She still wasn’t entirely sure how.

Currently she lay face-down inside a crater.

Exhausted.

Broken.

Miserable.

Eternity stood nearby.

Looking completely unaffected.

"Again."

Eternia groaned.

"I hate you."

"No you don’t."

"Currently I do."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Stop being reasonable."

Eternity laughed.

Then sat beside her.

For a moment.

Silence returned.

A rare thing.

Eventually Eternia spoke.

Her voice quieter.

More serious.

"How strong was he?"

Eternity knew exactly who she meant.

The First Dream.

Her expression changed.

The humor vanished.

The atmosphere became heavier.

Darker.

"He was terrifying."

Eternia swallowed.

Because Eternity almost never admitted fear.

"That bad?"

"Worse."

The answer came immediately.

No hesitation.

No exaggeration.

Just certainty.

Eternia slowly sat up.

The stars above reflected in her eyes.

"What happened in your timeline?"

Eternity was silent for several moments.

Remembering.

Thinking.

Reliving.

Then she finally spoke.

"He won."

The words felt cold.

Like ice.

"He collected Axis after Axis."

"He manipulated kingdoms."

"He destroyed civilizations."

"He turned heroes into puppets."

Eternia listened carefully.

Every word mattered.

Every detail.

"He wasn’t unbeatable."

Eternity continued.

"But he was patient."

"Whenever someone became dangerous..."

"He disappeared."

"When they weakened..."

"He returned."

"When they gathered allies..."

"He corrupted them."

"When they created plans..."

"He learned them."

Eternia frowned.

"That’s unfair."

"It is."

Silence returned.

Then Eternity looked directly at her.

"For a long time I hated him."

Eternia blinked.

"For a long time?"

Eternity nodded.

"Eventually I stopped."

"Why?"

A bitter smile appeared.

"Because hate requires believing someone can change."

The words lingered.

Heavy.

Uncomfortable.

Honest.

Eternia didn’t know how to respond.

So she remained silent.

Sometimes silence was enough.

Eventually Eternity stood.

The serious atmosphere vanished instantly.

"Anyway."

Eternia narrowed her eyes.

"Anyway?"

"Training."

"No."

"Training."

"No."

"Training."

The ground exploded again.

The wolves returned.

This time there were more.

Many more.

Eternia stared in horror.

"There are hundreds!"

"Correct."

"I hate this."

"Run faster."

"They’re getting bigger!"

"Run faster."

"They’re breathing fire!"

"Run faster."

Eternia screamed.

Then started running.

Again.

Back in reality.

Etherius stood atop a balcony overlooking the estate.

The sun was setting.

Orange light painted the horizon.

Most people would have appreciated the view.

Etherius barely noticed.

His thoughts remained elsewhere.

On Axis.

On the First Dream.

On Eternia.

On the future.

The wind brushed against his hair.

For a brief moment.

Everything seemed peaceful.

Then the memory returned.

A four-armed figure.

A battlefield of corpses.

An impossible pressure.

His fists tightened.

"No."

The word escaped quietly.

He refused.

Absolutely refused.

To remain powerless.

Not again.

Not in this life.

Not after seeing what awaited them.

The Axis stirred inside him once more.

Slightly stronger than before.

Almost as though responding.

Listening.

Waiting.

Etherius felt it.

The potential.

The vastness.

The possibility hidden beneath the surface.

A power he still barely understood.

But one day would.

One day he would uncover every secret.

Every mystery.

Every truth.

And when that day came.

The First Dream would no longer be the only ancient monster capable of changing fate.

Far away.

Inside the medical hall.

Eternia continued screaming while being chased by several hundred divine wolves.

Eternity laughed so hard she nearly fell over.

And somewhere beyond both of them.

Hidden behind reality itself.

Something ancient watched.

Something furious.

Something that had just lost control of its vessel.

The First Dream had been pushed back.

But not defeated.

Not even close.

And for the first time in countless ages.

The game had become interesting.