"I am you...you are me...we are the same being..."
—An being from another universe.
Drip...pitter-patter...
Raindrops pattered softly on the empty grassland...
The air was filled with the scent of earth and rain, a scent that was undeniably pleasant...yet the surroundings were thick with despair...
Beneath these raindrops, a figure cradled a corpse...he let the rain fall on him and the lifeless body in his arms...
His fingers gently wiped the rain from the corpse's face...but tears streamed down his face...he could no longer distinguish...whether the tears in his eyes were raindrops or tears...
"Tina...please..." "Don't leave me... I... please..." he murmured softly.
He clutched the corpse tightly, his eyes filled with pain, anger, and self-reproach.
Above all this, two pairs of eyes stared intently at him, their gazes like those of gods, observing everything unfold, yet their aura was filled with despair.
Meanwhile, on the other side...
Our familiar Taga was walking with Tina on a bustling street. Tina, hands behind her head, strolled casually beside Taga.
"So, in your world, I'm already dead, right?"
Tina asked in a slightly languid tone. Though her tone was nonchalant, she seemed equally curious about how she had died in another world.
"That's right…you died in a war…I'll never forget the scene of you being killed in my dreams…I'll never forget that bastard's face…but for some reason…I always feel his face is blurry…"
Taga lowered his head, lost in thought. He looked at the necklace in his arms…he wanted to give it to Tina beside him, but he always felt this wasn't Tina from his own world…
"Who knows~Judging from your description, he probably died long ago in the shattering of your universe~"
Tina spoke with a hint of sneer, a confident expression on her face.
"No…I witnessed him disappearing into the cosmic rift along with another being…"
Taga clenched his fists, his teeth clenched, his expression shifting from initial somberness to anger to helplessness.
Tina remained silent upon hearing this, while Syl, walking behind, spoke loudly.
"Hey! You bunch of idiots! Did you forget someone?!"
Taga and Tina turned around simultaneously and saw Syl rushing towards them, squeezing through the crowd.
"Couldn't you two have waited for me?! Are you taking advantage of my short legs?!"
Syl glared angrily at Taga and Tina, who awkwardly scratched each other's cheeks and could only manage identical embarrassed smiles.
"Sorry, Syl... we forgot about you... we were too focused on reminiscing about our past..."
Taga said apologetically, taking a dessert from her backpack and handing it to Syl.
"Never mind~ I'm magnanimous~ I forgive you~"
Syl smiled, showing her teeth, and took the dessert with both hands, eating it.
"So... Taga... is he your boyfriend? When did your tastes change so much?"
Tina looked at Taga with a playful expression, her smile resembling that of a mother seeing her son finally find a girlfriend.
"No…he's my good friend…we just share similar interests; we both like to talk about things related to books."
Taga explained with a helpless tone, looking at Tina speechlessly.
"Huh~ I thought you had such unique tastes~ What a pity~"
Tina looked disappointed, putting her hands in her pockets.
"Your face is full of disappointment…what's there to be disappointed about! I'm just a skeleton!"
Taga's helplessness was palpable, his brows furrowed.
Syl quietly ate his pastries, watching Taga and Tina bicker, wearing an indifferent expression.
Soon…evening arrived…
Taga and the other two returned to their hotel.
"Goodnight Tina. Goodnight Syl. Sweet dreams."
Taga offered his usual greeting. Since losing Tina in his original universe, he had rarely spoken to anyone, but after everything that had happened, that everyday greeting had returned.
Tina and Syl exchanged goodnights with Taga and went into their rooms.
Taga also opened his door and sat down on the bed.
"Hey! Taga!"
A familiar voice reached Taga's ears. Taga turned around and saw the black-robed figure he hadn't seen in a long time.
"Sir! What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you have already disappeared from your original universe...?"
Taga looked at the black-robed figure standing by the door with a mixture of surprise and wariness.
"This is actually a difficult question to explain completely, but simply put... I can travel between different universes~"
The black-robed figure spoke in a gentle, almost joking tone, spreading his hands and slowly walking to sit down beside Taga.
"You can travel between different universes?"
Taga tilted his head, looking at the black-robed figure with a puzzled expression. In his memory, the black-robed figure he knew had never shown him this power before.
"Actually, I could travel a long time ago~ I just didn't know how to use this power." "
After explaining, the man in black summoned a cigarette from his fingertip and lit it with a flame.
"That's true... it's quite reasonable for someone as powerful as you to easily travel between universes..."
Taga sighed and sat down beside the man in black.
"Sir... I'm a little confused right now... I don't know what my so-called chosen one identity is... what it's all for... why I need to fulfill this heavy responsibility... why am I... the hero who saves the universe... why did God choose me..."
Taga spoke with his head down, his hands gripping the bed tightly. Pu, in front of the man in black robes, always showed his true self. He usually maintained a confident and reliable image, but he also wanted to confide and express his painful side...
"Taga, do you know, the meaning of each identity is different, the duties they have to fulfill are different. Many times, this is the arrangement of fate. Everything is fate. If you change, you will become a completely new destiny, or no matter how you change, the outcome you know will not change. So no matter what, just follow your heart... Fate will not deceive you... Once you truly understand fate, you will understand the meaning of all this." "
The man in black robes smoked a cigarette, slowly exhaling a puff of smoke. His face remained obscured.
"Alright... sir... I understand... but I still don't understand..."
Taga slowly raised his head to look at the man in black robes, but he still didn't quite grasp the man's meaning. He wanted to ask further, but the man in black robes had vanished...
"Sir is as mysterious as ever..."
Meanwhile...
In a rift between universes, two figures were looking at a sphere. Inside the sphere was a skeleton tightly embracing the corpse of a woman.
He cried out to the heavens, his emotions filled with resentment, anger, sorrow, and helplessness...
One of the figures stroked the sphere with its tentacles...
"The taste of despair... is truly... delicious..."
The tentacle offered the sphere to the figure, who licked it with its long tongue.
"It seems he is the most suitable being to become my follower." "
" Another figure spoke coldly, his eerie wings and the pain emanating from him fixed on the sphere.
The sphere emanated an aura of pain and despair, and the figure who had just spoken slowly transformed into a beam of light and entered the sphere...
And inside the sphere...
The skeleton inside the sphere was tightly clutching the corpse, weeping. He hated his powerlessness, hated why he couldn't save everything he wanted to save.
At that moment, the rustling sound of footsteps on the grass reached his ears. He slowly raised his head and saw a hand gently extended towards him.
"Poor child! Are you feeling pain...? I can solve your troubles. As long as you become my follower, you can change your destiny." "
"The owner of the hand spoke in a cold, ethereal voice, gazing at the kneeling skeleton.
"If I become your follower... can you help me resurrect Tina...?"
The skeleton stared blankly at the figure, his tone as if confirming...
"Of course... as long as you become my follower... and do some things for me... I can help you resurrect your family."
The figure spoke with certainty, looking at the skeleton.
At that moment, a light appeared in the skeleton's eyes, and he slowly raised his hand, tightly grasping the other's hand...