Chapter 320: Time... Is Weird (4)

The Lord of Dreams and the Lord of Nightmares were not just enigmas to Sunya, but to the entire first layer of existence.

Five thousand years into the future, Akassha—or more accurately, the entire Pantheon of Infinite Dreams—had become nothing more than a legend whispered across every corner of reality.

Yet, one peculiar detail stood out: the Lord of Dreams, famed for his benevolence and his ability to grant even the wildest fantasies, had no identifiable face.

Everyone knew he was the ruler of the Pantheon of Infinite Dreams, though not because he proclaimed it.

It was simply because he was recognized as the most prolific master in the lower realms.

Every disciple he took on became a legend in their own right, rivaling his fame.

Yet the one thing that set the Lord of Dreams apart from all of them was that he had never once been seen.

Well, it wasn’t exactly that... it was more like no one could ever truly pin down his identity because every time he was reported to be seen, he looked completely different.

Each encounter brought changes—his hair color, his features—never once the same as they had been a few years before.

On top of that, if someone hadn’t been in his immediate presence, it was impossible even to catch his scent.

When beings spoke of the Dreams he gave them, they never described his appearance —only the results—because he never allowed his recipients to see him.

A genuine enigma, whose rare public appearances became moments etched into memory for generations.

In stark contrast, the Lord of Nightmares was his opposite in every way—a figure never directly seen, but whose presence was marked solely by devastation and death.

Every major calamity of that era bore his unseen hand, leaving behind only the grim traces of his dark influence.

Over time, whispers began to link the two figures, drawn together by their shared aura of mystery.

Neither could ever be truly found, yet the most striking detail was that their paths had never once crossed.

For instance, a place devastated by the Lord of Nightmares was never restored by the Lord of Dreams, which was strange considering their titles seemed to suggest they should be mortal foes.

Even so, such tales and beliefs were mostly embraced by beings and factions with a fanatic streak—those who devoted themselves to tracking history, or to unraveling the enigma of the individuals themselves.

And Sunya found herself fitting neatly into the latter group.

----

She strolled along one of the many bridges winding through the tree, the envelope still clutched in her fingers, while in the distance the three sectors loomed.

The white across a third of the orbit, black filling the next, gray shading the last, making a total of thirty-three universes slowly revolving in that unhurried circle.

For a while she did not speak, only keeping her eyes on the three sectors.

A pale greenish-golden light sat on her hands and on the envelope she had not yet put away.

Elves moved on far walks, and the sound of them stayed distant... but it was clear that Suya had built herself something worthy.

"To stay... or to return, huh?" she murmured with a faint smile; she wasn’t foolish enough to think she occupied any special place in Akasha’s Life.

She knew—at least she believed she knew—that the Lord of Dreams, or Nightmares, never acted without a purpose... or perhaps that purpose was something anyone could never truly grasp.

Still, mystery has a way of drawing more attention than those who flaunt themselves openly.

And when Akasha presented Sunya with the choice—to remain in the future or to go back—it turned out to be a far simpler decision for her than he might have imagined.

Mainly because... she could have returned whenever she wanted to.

She drew a slow breath, let the sectors keep turning, and opened her status.

----

[Sunya Ultos

Age: 183 Years Old

Rank: Unbound God (Tier 23) (Battle Power +79)

Race: Divine All-Elf (Bloodline: Yggs Cosmic Creator Bloodline (Divine)

Affinity: Nature, Time, Space-Time, Grace, Light, Darkness, Death, Beauty, Divinity

Divinity: 65 Billion

Star: The Goddess Star of Eternal Hours (Above Origin)

Aura(s): Battle (Tier 21/21), Hunting (Tier 21/21), Bow (Tier 21/21),

Intent(s): Bow (Tier 3/21), Battle (Tier 4/21)

Authority: Time (99%), Life (99%), Death (99%), Grace (99%), Light (99%), Darkness (99%), Divinity (99%)

Battle Art: The Nine-Fruit Draw (Divine)

Divine Cosmic Physique: Crownwood All-Sea Physique

Divine Cosmic Powers: Banner Bloom, Root Step, Crown Flood, Season Verdict

Decree(s): Decree of the Eternal Hour (Celestial) (3/3)

Weapon: Bow (Divine) Mastery - 100/100

Innate Powers: Eternal Hour Command (Above Origin), Temporal Fracture Bloom (Above Origin), Timeline Stability Veil (Above Origin), Rupture Step (Origin), Hour Convergence Bind (Origin)

----

"One hundred and fifty years... of progress," she muttered, struggling to put into words just how far she had come after being hurled five thousand years into the future.

If not for her resilient physique, she would have died more times than she could count.

"Empress," a voice called as light, practiced footsteps drew closer from behind.

Sunya turned and gave a slight nod to the approaching White Elven woman.

The woman bowed deeply, her pale skin and long white-and-green hair falling forward, green eyes fixed on the wooden boards until she was granted permission to look up.

"Are we to go forward with the commencement of War against the Multiverse of the Living Prize?"

’Ah, those bastards...’ Sunya thought to herself, knowing that this faction was just one among many of her enemies, yet at this moment, they weren’t the ones occupying her full attention.

’Hmm, if I could go back to the past... I could wipe them out before they even had the chance to rise.’

In that moment, she nodded toward the white elf.

"Maybe," she said as she began moving again, "or maybe not. I’ll let you know soon."

She left the open stretch of bridge for a quieter seat of carved wood set into the trunk, a spot meant for thinking rather than ruling, and settled there with the envelope in her lap.

"In the meantime," she said, settling in, "bring me every record we have on the Lord of Nightmares and the Lord of Dreams. Immediately."

The attendant bowed once more and had already begun to turn when Sunya gazed off, watching the white sector more than the woman.

"I will definitely return..." Sunya said softly, "But I must first connect every appearance you had before your disappearance."

As the attendant left, the bridge fell silent except for the distant hum of elves on other paths.

SSunya’sthumb traced the edge of the envelope, and her mind drifted from the present without her consent, slipping back to that first hour in this future—the jolt of the incursion.