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She shook and replied in a hushed voice, "I don’t know! I didn’t even think it was possible."

The rings around the white ball of energy vibrated softly as the figure chuckled. "You’re right, it’s not possible. This is only my projection, but unlike your unrefined technique, I can form a nearly identical copy of my main body that is equally powerful."

Wendy was shocked. She had thought her technique was impressive, but she couldn’t deny how lacking it seemed compared to the stranger they encountered.

"I see... But may I ask who—or what—you are? Why did you stop us from going any further?" Wendy asked after overcoming her initial surprise at meeting another like them.

The odd humanoid’s rings spun as it replied, "Organic beings can’t pronounce my real name, but you can call me Deus. I’m what most people call a Novakin, beings made of pure energy. As for why I stopped you, it’s because I noticed you two waltzing straight into a claimed moment in time. You wouldn’t have survived if the one who claimed it had found you."

Sol’s cloud body tilted slightly as he asked, "A claimed moment? What does that mean?"

Deus explained casually, "Claimed moment, fixed point, canon event, it goes by a few different names. Essentially, it means someone like us, who can see and influence time, has taken hold of the time in this area. Entering it would alert them, and unless you become a god, I highly suggest you don’t do that. Otherwise, they might obliterate your consciousness or erase your existence. Even a wild Null Beast would be a threat to you, so don’t pick a fight with a god who’s expending a lot of energy to make things unfold the way they want."

’I feel like I understand more but less at the same time. What even is a Null Beast?’ Sol thought to himself.

"Umm… Sir Deus—" Wendy began.

"Deus is fine." Deus interrupted, raising its hand. "I’m not one for honorifics."

Wendy’s cloud body bobbed up and down. "Okay, Deus. Thank you for saving us, but this city is our home. If something bad is going to happen, we need to know what it is. I don’t think someone would claim this moment in time with good intentions."

"You live here?" Deus glanced around the city briefly, then focused on the palace in the distance. "Oh, there you are."

In an instant, the three of them disappeared from the streets and reappeared in the Saintess’ chambers. There, they saw the real bodies of Wendy and Sol, holding hands over the rune etched table.

"So we’re currently in the present? Then doesn’t that mean..." Sol mumbled gravely.

"Whatever is going to happen will happen soon..." Wendy finished his sentence in a similarly grave tone.

"So this is your present then?" Deus pondered for a moment, its disembodied foot tapping the floor. It sighed. "Argh, fine, I’ll help you this time. It’d be a waste for two new explorers of time to die before they could grow. Wait here for a moment."

In an instant, Deus disappeared again, leaving the two behind.

Sol turned to Wendy. "How long do you thi—"

Before he could finish, Deus reappeared, laughing. "Hahaha! I can’t believe this is happening! Fate really works in mysterious ways."

Wendy floated closer. "What’s happening? Is it bad?"

Deus laughed for a bit longer before calming down. "Hah... Well, it’s comedic in the grand scheme of things, but for you right now, it’s not very good. I was going to inform you what will happen, but after seeing it all play out, it’s best not to say anything. Sorry."

Deus put its hands together in an apologetic gesture.

"I do feel a bit bad about not saying anything, so I’ll do you another favor instead." Deus said, turning to Sol. "Let me save you some time and help you find what you came for."

"What he came for?" Wendy asked, unaware of the situation.

Sol, on the other hand, knew exactly what Deus meant. "Really?"

"Yep, let’s go." Deus said as it grabbed the two of them and moved through time once more. Unlike before, this took a bit longer. As they arrived, Deus said, "I’ll drop you two here and head out. I have other matters to tend to, but I have one piece of advice for you, Sol. When blood rains, don’t look up, look behind."

"Wait, blood rain? What does that mean? Also, how did you know my name?" Sol turned around to ask, but Deus was already gone.

’I guess it heard my name in the future it went to see. But what did it mean by blood rain? Is it a literal rain of blood or some kind of blood attack like I saw with the vampires?’ With Deus gone, Sol could only wonder about its cryptic words.

Wendy looked around and realized they were at the docks of a large city. Blue banners emblazoned with an emblem of five diamond shaped scales, arranged in a crescent shape, hung from walls, posts, and ships.

Wendy recognized the symbol. "It looks like we ended up in the port city of Lominsa, one of the major cities of the Sapphire Scales Alliance... But, Sol, what did Deus mean by ’what you came for’? Is there something you’re not telling me?" she asked with suspicion.

Not expecting Deus to reveal his intentions, Sol struggled to find the words to explain himself.

"Well… I do want to help you, but I also want to find some people..."

"Who are you looking for? Wait! Is that who I think it is?"

Wendy was about to offer to help Sol in his search until she spotted a man and a woman disembarking from one of the boats. The woman was tall and fit, with long silver hair tied into a ponytail, while the man, somewhat shorter in comparison, had dark brown hair and an average face. Sol’s eyes widened, he recognized both of them instantly. Though they looked slightly older than he remembered, there was no doubt they were his parents, Roman and Sylvia.

Wendy focused on the two figures and exclaimed, "It is them! The Black Tongue and Sylvia!"

They watched as Roman and Sylvia walked past, and Sol was about to follow to see where they were going. But before he could, he felt a sharp pain throughout his cloud body. Their combined energy had just run out, and they could no longer maintain their projections.

Regardless of the pain, Sol tried to force himself to follow after them, but with no more energy, his and Wendy’s cloud bodies disappeared in a puff of smoke.