Back in the Cosmic God Mansion's space,
"Dylan... I want... revenge... for me... Don't forget... Please..."
With a smile that did not fear his impending death, he slashed with his right hand using all the strength he has left! He faced the inevitable with the same rebellious spirit that drove him to get this far!
"!!!"
The four supreme beings were all caught by surprise that he would still even try to resist in this situation.
An very attack seemed to burn his entire being! An attack that made the entire cosmos shake and distort in its wake.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
Then, the entire space was reset.
The view changed. It once again reverted back to that overwhelmingly dark expanse with the eye-catching majesty of the Cosmic God Mansion.
It seemed that was the end of the memory.
Yet, Dylan Ford and the younger Dylan was not able to appreciate its majesty. They had witnessed its prime!
The way the mansion stood in its glory days was far more awe-inspiring, radiating a breathtaking beauty that commanded respect from every corner of existence.
Thus, despite its remaining architectural splendor and the lingering aesthetic marvel that still dominated any building or form of architecture they witnessed, they could not help but feel a profound sense of hollow melancholy.
It was as if the very walls and foundations of the mansion were mourning the tragic, irreversible loss of their master and creator.
The emptiness now echoing through the halls and its gardens felt heavier than the silence of the void, transforming the once-glorious sanctuary into a grand, glittering tomb that served only to remind them of the tragic end they had just witnessed.
The two Dylans' also noticed that they have tears as in their eyes as they witnessed the final moments of the Cosmic God.
'Why am I crying?' They both thought as they wiped the tears of their faces
Is it the fact that what the Cosmic God did was honorable to fight until the very end? Were they moved by the rebellious spirit and unwavering courage that he displayed in his last act?
Was it the tragedy of witnessing an almighty being fall after what seemed to be collusion to take him out?
These thought circulated their minds. While all of these made sense and were rational assumption, they both still felt like it doesn't hit the nail in the coffin.
"What was up with his final words... It seemed like he was looking directly at us. It was like he was speaking with us..." The younger Dylan was still unable to move on with what he just witnessed. He felt like he had to express it with Dylan Ford.
"True..." Dylan Ford was also at a loss for words with what that could have meant.
"Did he really speak with us? How can he do that? That would mean he had the power to transcend time and relay a conversation with us." Dylan Ford blurted it out.
Then, he realized something soon after, "Oh... considering how powerful he seemed to be, he could very well have that capability! His strength seemed to be on par with those four other supreme beings if they are at the pinnacle of all creation. Then, it may not be ridiculous to think that he could have that level of power."
"No way! He relayed a message that transcended through time and space for us? Why?" The younger Dylan asked further.
"I have no clue at all." Dylan Ford could only shrug as he had clueless expression in his face.
"Hahaha, what? I thought you'd know." The younger Dylan could not help but laugh. Since he thought that Dylan was an eloquent and sophisticated individual, he thought he would have an answer for everything.
Dylan Ford explained with a light laugh, "Hahaha, well, this is my first time encountering something like this. I have no idea where I am right now. I don't know the reason why I have been called in this space. Plus, we have just been shown something that seemed to be far beyond our capabilities to intervene."
"Don't you think it's because we're the chosen ones?!"
"Hm, chosen ones?"
The younger Dylan excitedly said, "Yeah, like the destined ones, to take revenge for the Cosmic God. That's why he gave us the Cosmic God Mansion and this space to connect with! I think he wanted us to be his disciples!"
Dylan Ford said with more realistic expectations, "To take revenge? Against those godly beings? Why do we have to take revenge for someone we don't know? Additionally, we don't know if we have the necessary talent to even progress to their levels."
"But, we have the Cosmic God Mansion! We're the successors of the Cosmic God. We should avenge our master! We definitely can reach their strengths! If we are able to gain the cultivation method and the treasures inside the mansion, I think that is a given rather than just a possibility!" The younger Dylan said optimistically.
"I can see where you're coming from but that is under the assumption that we gain the inheritance of the Cosmic God. Can we even open it in the first place?" Dylan Ford argued.
'Although I would also like to believe that this is a perk that I can utilize to become strong, my life has never been that easy.'
Dylan knew that Reincarnators were always given a cheat-like ability in all the novels that he read. These abilities allowed them to either get overwhelmingly strong than everyone else or that they progress so fast and grow strong at an unbelievable rate.
But those were fiction.
He wasn't really inclined to believe that this was a gift, something that he can take advantage of and abuse to grow endlessly strong. For Dylan, it was too convenient.
'There is no way it is that convenient, right?' Dylan thought. He really wanted to believe that it would be that easy but that was not how he has lived his life.
"Of course! We're the successors of the Cosmic God!" The younger Dylan wanting to prove Dylan Ford wrong, ran towards the Cosmic God mansion.
Once he reached the gate, he put his hands on the gates and pushed. He looked back at Dylan Ford as he said, "See!"
"..." Dylan Ford looked at him and shook his head. "It didn't open."
"..." The younger Dylan soon realized that his arms hadn't move and the gates haven't budged.
"Maybe, I just haven't tried hard enough!"
He tried with all of his strength to push the gates open but it did not budge by even a small inch. He tried again and again.
He tried various ways to open the gates but to no avail, he failed. He tried attacking it by using his body, only to be blown back.
"The gates are too sturdy..."
"Can't I climb it?" The younger Dylan tried to climb the mansion. But as soon as he did, he felt a crushing weight and pressure as soon as he lifted his body off the ground.
"What is this?!" He tried his best to hold on but he couldn't hold on for longer than 5 seconds.
Just like that, he fell without having to climb a single inch.
"Maybe if I do this..." The younger Dylan bit down on his thumb and smeared some of his blood hoping to form a contract with the gate.
"Maybe if I say, Cosmic God Mansion, Open!" He thought that maybe if he says its name while pushing it. It would work since when they uttered its name it showed itself.
"Cosmic God Mansion, it is I, Dylan!" The younger Dylan thought that maybe if he used his name which was also said by the Cosmic God in his passing, then it might open.
"Open Sesame!"
...
"Nothing..."
Yes, nothing happened. All his efforts were futile. He tried all sort of password. There was neither a response nor reaction from the Cosmic God Mansion.
"That is enough. It's apparent that it's not gonna open up." Dylan Ford finally decided to act.
"This isn't fair! Why did this mansion appear? Why even show all of that to us in the first place?! If you want us to avenge you, at least give us something, anything to help us! I hate being given false hope!!!" The younger Dylan roared in desperation. It seemed that it triggered something that happened to him in the past.
"I really believed that this time... it would be different..."
Dylan Ford said as he approached the younger Dylan. "There's nothing wrong in being optimistic and believing in something."
"Optimism is just the fuel. It is the raw feeling that things can get better. But optimism on its own is fragile. It expects the universe to hand you a good outcome just because you want it. It shatters the moment it hits an unyielding wall like these gates."
"Belief is something that drives all human after all. What's important is that you supplement that belief with effort, action and a vision. Belief without effort, action and vision is just an empty delusion."
He continued, "However, reality is harsh and unfair. Things are not often not handed to you in a silver spoon. More often than not, you need to take matters in your own hands. Your starting point can be luckier than others or less fortunate than most but your future is determined by the actions that you do for yourself."
Everything that he attained from being an MMA champion to becoming the Greatest Businessman in Earth by establishing the biggest technological company in the world, he had to earn it with his blood, sweat and tears.
"It must be fate's cruel joke that we had experienced and witnessed everything that we have had. Only to not receive anything from it."
Dylan Ford's voice trailed off, leaving a profound, ringing silence in the vast expanse.
"That's pretty messed-up." The younger Dylan sat on the floor, his head resting against his knees, his shoulders trembling slightly from the emotional whiplash. The raw, desperate anger that had fueled his outbursts was slowly draining away, leaving behind a hollow exhaustion.
"Damn it!"
He stared at the dried smear of blood on his thumb. A stark, pathetic reminder of how powerless he truly was in the grand scheme of the cosmos.
Dylan Ford stood quietly beside him, his gaze fixed on the towering gates of the Cosmic God Mansion. He didn't try to touch them. He knew better.
But as he stared at the intricate, star-mapped carvings pulsating with a faint, dormant energy, a familiar spark began to ignite deep within his chest.
"This must be a challenge then..."
It was the same relentless drive that had propelled him from a bruised kid in the MMA ring to the absolute pinnacle of Earth's business and technological landscape. He had never been handed a victory, and he wasn't about to start expecting them now.
"But you know," Dylan Ford spoke up, his voice breaking the heavy silence, calmer and more grounded this time, "There is one thing we aren't considering."
The younger Dylan slowly raised his head, looking up through tear-stained eyes. "What's that?"
"The Cosmic God didn't give us a key, and he didn't give us a cheat code," Dylan Ford said, turning his head to look directly at the younger Dylan.
"But he gave us something else. He gave us a glimpse of the absolute peak. We saw the apex of strength, the limits of what a being can achieve, and the rebellious will it takes to stand against the very pinnacle of the universe."
He stepped closer, extending a hand to help the younger Dylan up.
"Where I am from, people spend their entire lives searching for a path, completely blind to what lies at the top. We just got a front-row seat to the ultimate destination. If this mansion is an inheritance, it's not meant for a couple of beggars looking for a handout. It's meant for someone who can match that god's indomitable spirit."
The younger Dylan stared at the outstretched hand for a moment before taking it, pulling himself to his feet.
He wiped the remaining tears from his face, the hopelessness in his expression gradually shifting into a quiet, burning resolve.
"So... we don't look for a way in anymore?" the youth asked, his voice steadying.
"Not today," Dylan Ford replied, a sharp, confident smile playing on his lips as he looked back at the grand, silent tomb of a mansion.
"We focus on what we can control. We build our strength, we find our path, and we study it. We don't need this gates to open for us out of pity. We'll prove to be worthy of this inheritance."
"I look forward to that fateful day..."
A mysterious voice resounded in both their ears.
"Wha-"
"Who-"
Then, both of them lost consciousness.