Chapter 7: A New Perspective

In a remote village, a crash rings out like an earthquake amid the snow. The villagers nervously rush out of their homes while many others hide in fear.

In the middle of the village, a relatively large crater releases smoke in strange shades of green as the snow melts. A few brave inhabitants approach the hole, but before they can look down, the first man sees a woman already extremely close to him, having emerged from the crater before anyone noticed anything had moved.

"A-Aahh..." He steps back, raising a pitchfork as the green-haired woman stares at the human before her. She looks around, taking in the fearful gazes cast upon the unknown.

"W-Who are you? I-Identify yourself." A hunter aiming a bow and arrow at the woman speaks it like a demand, but his hand trembles. Unlike the others, he is used to hunting monsters, yet he feels extremely small when looking at this "thing" before him.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. I tried to reduce the impact on the ground, and landing in the snow seemed safer. I didn’t realize there were lives here. I am Typhon, and you would be?" She asks the hunter as several people who had drawn close back away even further, unsettled by a voice that, though gentle, carries a strange weight.

"I am Rubert... what do you want here?" The hunter pants, barely able to form the question after saying his name.

"...As I said, I was merely falling toward a location I deemed adequate. I did not expect to be an inconvenience, but do not worry. I do not plan to stay here... I am searching for someone..."

"But before that, I would like to know a few things. Could you grant me the honor of some answers? I understand if you do not wish to. I will leave right now, though the questions will be brief..." The woman’s gaze makes several people flee to their homes while the hunter cowers.

"S-Speak..."

"What is the name of this world?"

"...?...T-Traleya." The hunter answers, stammering, as the girl looks up at the sky.

’I do not feel the remnants of the world’s essence that scattered across the universe when Yggdrasil was destroyed... and as far as I remember, there was no world called Traleya in the entire universe... what a tacky name... I deduce, then, that the universe has ended...’ Typhon’s eyes gleam as she sees the entire path of the world’s magic.

’Scattered... no influence from a world tree similar to Yggdrasil, nor can I feel a superior cosmic influence... a truly inferior world... though the magic I feel is the same as the one I know.’

"I see. Thank you for the answer... Tell me, am I frightening to you?"

"...Y-Yes."

’Fear... humans are not good comparative measures of strength, and I fell in an area too remote to assess this world’s threats... aside from the fact that this human seems extremely weak...’

"Have you ever seen anything like me?"

"M-Monsters... I-I think you look like a monster." Typhon touches the horn on her head. Her appearance, though resembling a human, bears many different traits.

’So monsters exist. Considering the magic, I deduce it is not so distant from the universe I came from... perhaps an inferior branch born from the destruction of the universe, or something similar... I have no proof of anything yet.’

"That was enlightening." Typhon turns and begins walking toward the rocky descent of the area.

"W-Wait, y-you’re leaving? Just like that?"

"Naturally. There are no reasons for me to stay here, are there? As I said, I seek to find someone, so I cannot waste time... but since you were so responsive and rational, I will grant you a kindness. You have my mercy." Typhon says only that as she snaps her fingers and continues down through the snow.

The green cloud from the crater where she fell has already infected everyone within a one-kilometer radius — animals, people, insects, and anything alive — doomed to an agonizing death where their bodies melt from the outside in. But the hunter, with his more rational attitude, earned mercy, even if he does not yet understand that mercy means surviving this while watching everyone else die.

A natural consequence of colliding with a being like Typhon, who, even without actively wanting to kill, can harm "inferior beings" like humans.

’She is here, isn’t she? I can feel it... her scent saturates the air of this planet... there is no way something like Nio can move without leaving traces...’ Typhon breathes deeply. Nio’s arrival has contaminated all the planet’s magic with traces almost impossible to detect.

’She undoubtedly survived... Nio... I wonder where she is... the scent is too diffuse... I cannot locate her with magic either...’ Typhon opens her status, noting differences.

’An inferior status form, a simplification made by magic for a broader visualization... this world disgusts me... it reeks of a decadent, low-level world... unworthy of having my wife’s presence.’ Each of Typhon’s steps in the snow produces a hiss.

The snow melts beneath her body, which is so hot it melts everything around her. The fall of her body, which began from space, made her almost a comet that impacted directly with the earth as a green, toxic fireball.

"I do not understand... how did I survive the anomalous singularity? Was it not meant to have ended the existence of everything? I wonder if my cute wife is the reason I survived..."

"You know, she adores me. I should please her with a sweet tea party..." Typhon begins to spin in the snow, imagining a dance with her "wife."

"But... she is not looking for me, is she?... She was always such a coward... should I... break her?" For a moment, Typhon’s eyes take on a dangerous gleam.

"...No. She is probably just weaker... I also feel weaker. Nio should have the power to stabilize a collapsing universe, and yet I barely feel her presence. Indeed, our power level has fallen, leaving the cosmic scale we should possess..."

"That’s right. She must be very sad and confused with how weak she has become... I need to find her before something potentially dangerous that might exist on this planet finds her..."

"A new chance, a fresh start... it is perfect. No more legends for my wife, no more worship from others, no more tales of her deeds, none of those irritating servants of hers. Just me, her, and eternity... as it always should have been." Typhon gives a small smile, imagining this future.

’I cannot find her because she is inactive... but if Nio begins using magic nonstop, the traces of contamination in the environment will increase. The stronger the magic, the greater the chances I will feel it... so... I need to keep watch.’

’I will not sleep. I will not stop trying to detect magic, and I will cast magical perception spells every second so that I can feel if the magic in the environment changes too much...’

"Do not worry, Nio. I am coming to you. We will have a beautiful reunion. I will be so happy to see you again. The cosmos has aligned so that we may have a new chance, a new world for the two of us to turn into our personal toy, our very own amusement park, and I will make sure to make this world worthy of your existence."