Life Before Becoming an Omniverse Entity

[Go read the auxiliary ch]*

"Hmm," Renan hummed as he saw a white ball of energy coming out of the dead body of shadow Elf, which he didn't recognize. But being cautious, he made a distance between himself and the white ball of energy and asked,

"Elaris, what is that," he asked.

Just as Renan asked, the earring began to shine brightly, and in the next moment, Elaris transformed into her human form. She appeared beside Renan, standing gracefully by his side while gazing intently at the white ball of energy that hovered above the lifeless body of the dead Shadow Elf.

"It's time element energy," Elaris said, her voice calm and composed, her expression steady as she kept her eyes fixed on the glowing white energy ball.

"Hmm, I see," Renan responded, slowly nodding his head as he thought about it. "Since it's time element energy and it's lingering in the shadow of the Elf progenitor, then that must mean the Elf progenitor possessed the time element… interesting," he murmured thoughtfully, his gaze narrowing as he studied the radiant energy.

"Yes, husband, you are right," Elaris said with a proud smile, nodding happily, clearly pleased that her husband was able to piece it together so quickly. She continued in a slightly excited tone, "She was the very first one who awakened an affinity with the time element," Elaris explained, her voice taking on a hint of nostalgia.

'First one… so does that mean there was a second one or maybe even more after her?' Renan thought, eyebrows slightly furrowed, but he didn't speak those thoughts aloud. Instead, he stayed silent and allowed Elaris to continue her explanation uninterrupted.

"And she awakened it when she was out there, exploring the vast oceans all alone. She stumbled upon something—something mysterious—something connected to the time element itself. Upon making contact with it, she awakened her affinity. But all of this occurred before I had even formed my will, so I can't say with certainty whether that's true or not," Elaris explained, her tone shifting to a more uncertain one.

"And now, what is affinity?" she continued, shifting gears like a teacher about to explain a complicated lesson. "Affinity is something different from the elemental control of dragons. Dragons, when they awaken an element, can control it freely—shaping it into whatever form they want, however they like, even if it's at a low level. But affinity… affinity is something else entirely. It means you have a natural bond with that element. When you come into contact with it, the element responds to you, and won't harm you if came in contact, and can be used by them Which is well under normal circumstances impossible because they're called affinities—for a reason."

She paused for breath, then resumed speaking. "But since the Elves didn't have a way to control those elements through affinity, they began researching it. It took years—decades or even more time but eventually, they found a solution. That solution was the creation of magic circles. These circles allowed them to harness the elements they had affinities with, though in a limited way. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing. Wouldn't you rather use something in a limited way than not at all?" she said.

"And after the long war between humans and dragons, the Elves eventually shared this knowledge with humans too. Now even humans have something similar. They also refer to it as affinity," Elaris concluded, smiling as if proud of her long, detailed explanation.

Renan, who had been listening intently, suddenly felt amused by her behavior. She really sounded like a teacher giving a lecture to a curious student. 'Hmm… I think we should try some role play sometime… maybe a student and teacher scenario,' Renan thought mischievously. He imagined Elaris in tight, professional teacher clothes—glasses perched on her nose—and the thought alone made his 'little brother' twitch with excitement. But before his imagination could run wild, Elaris's voice pulled him out of his fantasy.

"So, Renan, do you have any more questions? If you do, go ahead and ask. If not, then you should move forward and touch the time element energy. Awaken it," Elaris said, looking at him innocently, completely oblivious to the naughty thoughts dancing through her husband's mind.

"I do," Renan said quickly, shaking off his dirty thoughts for now and choosing to focus on the important matter at hand. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "First question—are there any others who possess the time element and are able to use it? Second—does the awakening process of the time element differ from other elements? After all, this is the time we're talking about. I'd be more surprised if nothing unusual happened."

"Hmmm," Elaris hummed, thinking for a moment. "For your first question—yes, there is one other counting the Elf progenitor there are a total of two who possess the time element, and the other one is none other than the crown princess of the Elf Empire. The one we met at the Elf City," she answered, her response catching Renan off guard.

"She possesses the time element?" Renan asked, surprised.

"Yes, she does," Elaris confirmed. "And the reason you felt like she knew everything about you back then was because, just like you guessed, a strange phenomenon does occur when someone awakens time element. They see two versions of their lives past and future—one where they possess the time element and one where they do not. It's like having access to two timelines. So, in a way, she does know everything about you. At least everything from both possibilities," she said thoughtfully.

"And the one where you possess the time element would be your timeline and the other one where you don't is a variation," she said.

"That's all the Elf progenitor ever told me about it."

"I see," Renan muttered, stroking his chin, his mind once again drifting into deep thought. 'The feeling I got from her… it was really like she knew every single detail about me. So then, in the future, are we close? Or are we enemies? Enemies so deeply involved in each other's fates that she knows everything about me?'

Thinking about it only stirred more questions than answers, but he quickly stopped himself. 'Well, if I awaken the time element myself, I guess I'll find out soon enough. No point in frying my brain over it now,' Renan thought, exhaling.

"Oh well, I'll know once I awaken my time element. No point in overthinking it," Renan said aloud as he stepped forward, walking confidently toward the white sphere of energy.

"Renan, be careful," Elaris called from behind, her voice filled with concern.

"Hm, I will," Renan replied with a small smile. He reached his hand out toward the glowing orb. The moment his fingers made contact with the energy, it began to flow slowly into his body. A warm, soothing feeling spread throughout him, like something long missing had finally returned. It was as if he had never been whole until now.

As that warmth enveloped him, Renan closed his eyes.

And when he opened them again, he was somewhere else entirely—a place of pitch-black nothingness. Darkness stretched endlessly in all directions, an infinite void with no end.

"Huh… where am I?" Renan whispered into the darkness.