The Tomb That Buries the Past

Clo’s hand slowly reached toward the door. The moment her fingers brushed against it, she thought she had touched the surface of water, but the ethereal, fleeting sensation reminded her that she had touched nothing at all—or rather, it was a touch of extreme softness.

She gradually reached inside as light flowed around her hands. She gently pushed outward, parting the light to either side, though it slowly began to close behind her again.

After confirming multiple times that there were no spells within that could harm her, Clo stepped inside with caution. Light poured down around her as she bathed in a pale blue glow, entering the silent tower.

“This is... a forest?” Clo froze. The scene before her was entirely different from what she had imagined; her surroundings appeared to be a lush, verdant forest.

Clo had fantasized that it might be a holy temple or perhaps a desolate ruin filled with broken walls and debris. She had never expected a scene so fresh and natural.

“Am I about to meet... some kind of forest deity?” Clo teased herself inwardly, trying to alleviate the fear she felt in that moment. She wasn't Li Yue; she was afraid of the coming crisis—the kind that could erase her consciousness or place her in mortal danger. In this world, perhaps only Li Yue did not fear death or self-destruction.

Or rather, to some extent, Li Yue had already experienced self-destruction and rebirth, having lingered on the edge of death countless times. These were experiences Clo lacked.

She looked at the forest before her. Or rather, it couldn't exactly be called a forest, as there were signs of human habitation. The silhouettes of buildings were visible in the far distance. It looked like an entirely new world.

“Have I... returned to the past again?” Clo frowned. “Or have I arrived at another strange point in time?”

She let out a soft sigh, surprised to find herself feeling a slight sense of relaxation. She tried to lean her body against a nearby tree trunk to ease the fatigue of standing, but as she tilted her weight, the expected collision never came. Instead, she felt a sharp sensation of weightlessness.

Hm?

Magic flickered in Clo’s palm, and a series of gentle pulses caught her body before she could fall to the ground. Otherwise, she might have tumbled right onto the forest floor.

Wait...

Clo checked her surroundings. Her body seemed to be a phantom image, having passed straight through the brown-black tree trunk.

She tried taking a few steps, which confirmed her suspicion. Normal ground was uneven, but the steps she took felt as if she were walking on a marble floor—perfectly level. In places where the terrain was supposed to be bumpy, her feet clearly clipped through the ground.

This wasn't a return to the past; it was a magic she was very familiar with—a Time Afterimage. She was indeed still inside the tower, and the scene before her was a projection of the past.

It seemed the deity no longer had the means to send her back into a segment of history. So, what did it want to show her in this scene?

She walked forward slowly. The silhouettes of the buildings ahead gradually became clear. It was an ancient city. The white marble walls reminded her of the grand holy city she had just seen, though this one appeared smaller and lacked the abundance of statues.

In a massive square, a gargantuan dragon with glowing gold vertical pupils and flowing golden magic runes crawled slowly. Its body resembled the dragons of Eastern legends, yet it had only one eye. Its body lacked traditional scales, and it possessed massive wings.

Golden eyes were scattered across its giant wings. It swept up the people on the ground who worshipped it, bestowing blessings upon them one by one.

Clo moved closer to watch. Knowing these were projections, her fear had faded slightly, but the sheer scale of the scene still filled her with involuntary awe. She mingled with the kneeling crowd and dropped to one knee, expressing her respect.

“This is the primordial god. He has no specific name, so we all call Him ‘Beginning.’” A devout believer among the crowd stood up. She removed her white hood, and her pale blue hair flowed down like a waterfall. Clo’s pupils constricted as she looked at her.

I’ve never seen her before... but I feel as if I’ve known her for a long time...

“Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce myself, little one who inherited my name.” She gave a shallow smile, appearing to be in a very good mood. There was the joy of a child who had successfully pulled off a prank, but also a heavy sense of relief.

“I am the God of Time, Chronos. I like clocks, humans, and this world.”

...

“I almost forgot... I helped her find this once... But why is it suddenly flickering now?” Li Yue pulled an ancient pocket watch from her ring. It was an item she had found in the Ancient Tomb of Gods. Even after her resurrection, she hadn't noticed anything unusual about it. Since she had obtained it, it had remained dormant, as if waiting for the right moment.

“I remember Clo mentioned a pocket watch back then... but the one I found was so ordinary that I ignored it.” Li Yue toyed with the object in her hand, her mood becoming irritable.

Li Yue took a deep breath. Her noisy surroundings were now deathly silent. All the clamor had vanished into nothingness after her slaughter.

“Where is she now... Where did that fellow Chronos take her?” Li Yue frowned slightly. The unexpected had inevitably happened, and she had almost no connection with Chronos.

“What a pain...” Li Yue walked back into the crumbling church. The hands of the pocket watch began to turn slowly. She looked at the painting on the wall, gazing at the white-haired girl running through the field of flowers. A flicker of complex emotion flashed in her eyes, and she slowly closed them.

My past... my past is a tomb, but there are no bodies inside.