Lucien's clone hovered above the city of Aetherion, crimson eyes scanning the horizon. His aura, subtle yet overwhelming, stretched across the planet, brushing every corner of the academy and spilling into the mortal realm.
"Bear with this a little," he muttered. With a slow sweep of his hand, a fragment of his aura expanded like an invisible web, covering the entirety of Aetherion. The planet trembled subtly under the pressure, though only those attuned to extraordinary power could sense it. He retracted it moments later, letting the natural order return.
"Ah… so that's where you're hiding," he said, voice calm but carrying a dangerous edge.
He glanced forward. "Follow me."
The space in front of him shimmered. Reality twisted. With a deliberate motion, he muttered, "Open." The air cracked, a jagged line of pure distortion splitting existence. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, and those who followed followed in turn. The crack sealed behind them, leaving the normal flow of time untouched outside.
They entered a dimension unlike any other — a plane suspended in dead timezones, where moments stretched infinitely or collapsed without warning. Here, seconds meant nothing, and centuries could pass in a heartbeat.
Somewhere deep within this warped reality, Fein's senses flared. "Someone's here," he hissed. His eyes burned with anger, scanning the distortions. This plane was his domain, and no one had ever trespassed without consequence.
He gestured, and the entire rank of his men responded instantly. Subordinates, second-in-command, dungeon rankers — all trained to exploit anomalies in reality itself — surged toward the main hall of the dead-timezone. They moved unnaturally fast, each step precise, each breath calculated for battle.
Fein himself stepped into the central chamber, the air around him warping as he exuded a terrifying aura of control and malice. "Who dares intrude my domain?" he demanded, voice ringing with authority.
Guru tilted his head, studying Fein with a smirk. "Hey… did he just call this time zone his? Now I get why you said he's breaking the laws of the era, Lucien. Using time manipulation as if it's weak… how bold can one man be?"
Fein's crimson gaze flicked toward the talking monkey. "You're just a monkey," he said dismissively.
Without warning, Fein signaled. His men surged forward in unison. A thousand, maybe more, charged at Lucien's clone.
Guru exhaled slowly. "Yeah… that Fein guy is… fucked. Weak, reckless, and chose to provoke Lucienof all people. Definitely… fucked."
The horde rushed with all the might their unnatural powers granted them. Lucien's clone raised a hand lazily. "Stop."
Instantly, every single attacker froze. Their bodies halted mid-motion, mid-breath, as if reality itself had drawn a line they could not cross.
"You experiment on people," Lucien's clone said coldly, his crimson eyes piercing. "Ridding them of their own free choice… If you invaded and fought and some had died, that would've been… one thing. But you stole their future. You tried to take my children."
Fein's lips curled. "The only children I wanted… were the Dreamveil twins. They would have made excellent test subjects."
Lucien's clone's gaze sharpened, and in that instant, a silent command passed through existence itself. Every one of Fein's men except Fein himself, Guru, Vealion, Aelira, and Umbra collapsed instantly. Their lives were erased, not violently, but with absolute finality.
Lucien's clone stepped forward, eyes locked on Fein. "Do you want to know what it feels like to be powerless?"
Fein's body tensed. He lunged with punches, kicks, and strikes of overwhelming physical strength — each blow deflected effortlessly, bouncing off an invisible barrier.
"I… I am time!" Fein spat, attempting to reverse the events, undo the deaths, rewind Lucien's arrival.
Nothing.
"No," Fein hissed. "No… this cannot…"
Lucien's clone's eyes bore into Fein's very soul. Fein's heart, mind, and will were assaulted by existential hopelessness. He trembled, felt every ounce of control slip away, and finally collapsed into complete resignation.
"Next time you think you're all-powerful," Lucien's clone said, voice low and calm, "fight with your planet's strongest first. You wouldn't last a minute against her."
Telekinesis flared silently. Fein's body lifted, suspended between worlds. In moments, he was transported to the real world — above the Aetherion Academy itself. Lucien's clone snapped his fingers.
From the academy, Philis Evongoth and the elders sensed the intrusion. They stepped outside in unison.
"Hmm…" Philis muttered, squinting upward.
Above them hovered Lucien's clone, Aelira with Umbra coiling protectively, Guru, Vealion… and Fein, helpless and utterly contained.
Lucien's clone's crimson eyes swept the academy before focusing on the trembling principal. "Philis, it's been a while. You've gotten… old."
Philis' knees buckled as he dropped his cane, falling to the ground. "Creator…" he whispered, voice trembling.
Lucien's clone extended a hand. "It's okay, Philis. My higher self sees everything. Consider me the medium of myself."
In a classroom, Arios and Lysera both received a system notification simultaneously:
SYSTEM ALERT: Creator detected. Host, the system creator is outside. Appears to be the father of the host.
The twins exchanged wide-eyed glances. "Dad…" they whispered almost in unison.
They bolted from the classroom and raced to the academy courtyard.
There, hovering above them, were Lucien's clone, Aelira, Umbra, Guru, and Vealion. The children ran forward, embracing Lucien's clone in a mixture of relief and joy.
"Hey, son… and daughter… you've grown," Lucien's clone said, holding them close.
"This is your sister, Aelira," he said, gesturing. Aelira ran forward and hugged them both. "I've wanted to meet you for so long!"
Introductions followed, laughter and awe blending together. Guru's eyes scanned Arios and Lysera. "Ooh… he's got a fragment of the Mastered White and Void Swordsmanship. This… this is the Neo Ascendant trait they spoke of five thousand years ago. And Lysera… life, death, nonexistence manipulation. Connected to the World Tree Ydris."
Vealion added, "It's generational. And potent."
Lucien's clone gave a faint sigh. "Philis, I must leave. Take care of the academy."
At the Dreamveil Estate, Selene awaited. Her silver eyes glimmered as she sensed the presence of her husband's clone, tethered to him through the Void Luminance and the bond of their mirrored bloodlines.
"Lucien?" she whispered.
He approached her, and they embraced. "How are you, wife?"
"I missed you," she murmured.
"I know, babe," he replied softly, turning to Aelira. "This is your mother, Selene."
Selene knelt and embraced Aelira. "You may stay and visit as you please, daughter. You are welcome."
Aelira smiled. "Thank you."
Lucien's clone knelt before Arios and placed a finger on his forehead. "This is the first version of the Tian Quan technique. Basics only. It will upgrade as you master it."
SYSTEM ALERT: Ding. Host has received Heaven-Void Rank Technique, Basic Version. Upgradable on mastery.
He repeated the gesture for Lysera. "This is Void's Equal — extreme focus, heightened perception."
"Thanks, Dad," they said together.
He stood, eyes meeting theirs. "Train, stay strong. I love you all."
With a snap, Lucien's clone, Vealion, Aelira, and Umbra vanished.
Guru chuckled. "I'm excited. Can't wait to see what happens in a few years."
Vealion nodded. "I foresee… the fall of many gods."
Lucien's clone whispered to Aelira one last time. "Now you've seen your siblings. When your ready, visit. They'll have your back. You can ascend together, or choose peace. The choice is yours."
Lucien's clone then knelt before Aelira. "This is Deity Suppression. Compatible with your ancestral bloodline. Suppresses other bloodlines and entities. The stronger your will, the greater the pressure you exert."
Aelira nodded, determination in her eyes.
The Heaven Void Paradox returned to his realm — the Infinite Palace of the Heaven Void — leaving the Dreamveil Estate calm, yet forever changed.
The children of the True Sole Exception had received their first gifts. Their enemies had been shown the futility of defiance. And across all realities, the era of Gotterdammerung continued, stronger and more dangerous than ever.