The Villain's Story

“The Creator is sealed, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do anything. The Progenitor’s efforts weakened him significantly and sealed him, but it was never enough to truly cripple him.

The Creator is aware of you, and unlike the Abyss, he knows all about you. You’re still an existence in his domain, and that gives him the right to be able to know so much about you…”

Valus took a deep breath, as Alan’s eyes widened with horror.

“He knows, and he knows a lot. Why do you think Elijah suddenly developed an affinity for time? The one element at the same level as space? The numerous updates in the system are for ‘you’. The system was originally designed to deal with Aranus, but it’s shifted to you.

To learn from you, to observe you, to ‘deal’ with you. Elijah is to the Universal Conscient what Aranus was to the Abyss, a tool. The Creator has been interfering with the Universe from his cage for a long, long while.”

Alan didn’t answer, his mind frozen. Only after a minute had passed did he barely manage to ask.

“Since… when?”

“Since you two met, since you planted your foot in Elijah’s chest. Every confrontation with Elijah is simply giving the Creator fuel to learn more about you, to learn how to deal with you.

And what’s worse? You can’t avoid it unless you’re in the Abyss. The Creator has been manipulating the Universe to make sure you two have contact. Why do you think he asked you out to fight? Not once but many times? From the small competitions to the larger ones. Why do you think this happens?

Elijah doesn’t know, but a ‘cue’ has been planted in him to do this. And it isn’t just limited to him. Why do you think the tower had an entire series of floors dedicated to a simple one-versus-one? The towers scattered around the universe are meant to challenge the individual by putting them through trials and pitting them against themselves.

Never against another. That duel was orchestrated by The Creator, pitting you against his tool. Elijah is being modelled into the perfect enemy for you, to counter your every strength, everything about you.

That’s why Lanesha was forced to sleep after she tried to interfere with the tower.

You may have won, but every victory brings you closer to defeat.

Alan didn’t know what to say; he was… shocked and mortified. Ignoring it all, Valus continued, he didn’t make any efforts to console Alan, nor to hide the truth.

“The Creator knows, and he is observing you with disdain. You’re the biggest insult to him, but he’d be damned if he let a guy from the weakest universe outperform. The Greatest Hero in the entire universe is being modelled into something entirely else.

And he doesn’t even know, unlike Aranus, who could resist the Abyss, Ardoris has no way to resist The Creator.

Ardoris was allowed to be himself with Aranus, simply because it was better to do so, but with you? Who knows what The Creator will think about what he should be for you?”

Valus’s face was a mixture of pity and hate, as if he couldn’t bear to see what Ardoris, what Elijah would become in the future, unaware of the changes to him. It was as if it hurt to see things turn out this way, with Elijah.

Alan, too, was horrified.

‘All of that…?’

The times he came asking for a spar? During the Academic Convergence, the situation in Aror, the duel in the tower. And it was then that Alan realized a harrowing fact, one that sent cold shivers down his spine.

He was guarded against Elijah at the beginning. The false memories James had planted in him made him do so, and even after that, he was always ‘wary’ of Elijah. But then… this began to change, so subtly.

He began to talk to him more; no longer would he avoid him, and even treat him like a close friend. At first, Alan thought that was because Elijah was a dragon, and that there was a sort of kinship…

But it wasn’t. It was all the influence of the Creator. He caused Alan to lower his guard, and it was all so normal.

With a shaking voice, Alan asked.

“The Creator… He… can’t see anything in the Abyss?”

Valus affirmed.

“Yes, the Abyss is the only place his eyes can’t reach. The Abyssal Conscient made sure of that. He hates The Creator. The Creator’s influence in the Abyss is zero. Even if he is able to influence the universe to make you avoid the Abyss, I’d still throw you in.

The Abyss is your enemy, but it can’t ever compare to The Creator. You can handle the Abyss, you can’t handle him. Your destiny lies in the Abyss, it is the place where you can grow without his influence affecting you.

Otherwise, every waking second of your life your being led to something that will benefit him.”

And at that point, Valus revealed a smile, a sinister smile.

“But we aren’t just going to let that happen. As he studies you, we can study him, and as he gifts Elijah more gifts to deal with you, James made it so that you can have support in this regard as well.

That bastard won’t be able to do as he pleases, as long as we are behind you. The Dragons are the descendants of the being that made the greatest contribution to sealing him; we have our own ways of dealing with him.

As you fight on Earth, He’d be watching you, and we will also be doing the same.”

Although Alan was sure that was to comfort him, he didn’t feel comforted in the least. His worries didn’t lessen, but increased as he came to the realization that he was just a chess piece at this current moment.

On one side, there was The Creator, silently influencing the fate of the Universe to suit his needs, and on the other, there was James and the Dragons, silently doing their best to combat his arrangements.

And in the middle, it was he who had no real power to go against these arrangements.

He sighed, coming to terms with his fate for now.

And it was then that Valus suddenly stood up.