The Past Has Come to Exist

"You are not the Afros I know!"

Who exactly are you?

After realizing that the other party could not cross this threshold and could not cause him any harm, Cheng Shi's voice became noticeably firmer.

He looked at that perfect face and thought to himself:

This "Gate of Joyful Desire" seems to be a follower of "Filth and Decay," so is He really Emissary of "Filth and Decay"?

Cheng Shi dared not be sure, because in his imagination, the image of the [Filth and Decay] Emissary should not be so... gentle.

Yes, gentle.

Afros's methods were too gentle. Even though she was constantly torn between her emotions, she did not exert any other influence on herself, nor did she display her power of "Filth and Decay".

Cheng Shi had witnessed the terrifying power of the [Filth and Decay] talent, and he found it hard to believe that someone capable of summoning him here wouldn't have other means.

Of course, it is very likely that this invisible threshold is restricting her. Cheng Shi does not understand the function of this "door", so she can only treat it with the utmost vigilance.

So after showing off, he quickly retreated back to the invisible wall. Even though the distance was only one step, Cheng Shi felt that this step was the most reassuring buffer distance.

Afros remained motionless, watching Cheng Shi take a step back, seemingly disgusted with himself.

She shook her head and smiled bitterly. I asked her with pity, "Am I not beautiful?"

Cheng Shi very honest. "She's beautiful, very beautiful, but my mother told me that the more beautiful a woman is, the scarier she is."

Afros nodded thoughtfully, then turned around, transforming himself back into a male. He stared into Cheng Shi's eyes, smiling sweetly, and asked again:

"And now?"

"..." Cheng Shi's lips twitched. "She also said that men are the same."

Afros couldn't help but chuckle, "You have a wonderful mother."

"..."

Cheng Shi felt that this was an insult to him. He wanted to retort with "You too," but then he realized that it seemed to be a compliment, so he reluctantly gave up.

Afros didn't know what Cheng Shi thinking; he only knew that his "recruitment" had failed.

"Unfortunately, my brother, we did not end up on the same path."

I naively thought you were truly His follower, but I never imagined you would deceive me.

So, whose Believer are you?

Let me guess...

Hmm, you're very observant and good at constructing logic, so you wouldn't happen to be a follower of "Truth," would you?

That rigid Scholar spent his entire life pursuing the path of becoming [*He], finding no joy in it, which is quite unlike you.

Let me think about it again. Although "Civilization" is full of filth, it is still orderly because of the existence of noble "Order". So you don't seem to be a practitioner of "Civilization".

[Life] is not a consideration, [Sinking] is impossible, [Chaos]... they're all fools, unlike you.

So, oh~

I understand, you are a practitioner of "existence"?

Are you helping your Lord of Grace organize their Memory?

Hmm, you're frowning, so it doesn't seem like that.

Could it be...?

Are you a person of "Time"?

When he said the last sentence, Afros's tone turned cold instantly, and his face became gloomy, as if reciting the Divine Name of time was a tedious thing for him.

Of course, Cheng Shi, but rather he was influenced by the other party's methods of emotional contagion and felt it as if he were experiencing it firsthand.

Cheng Shi felt there was something wrong with what the other person said, so he frowned even more.

At that moment, Afros once again caught Cheng Shi's Change in expression. He was startled for a moment, and then laughed as if he had just realized something.

But the laughter was less of a sense of relief at having figured something out and more of a self-mockery, a self-mockery of his own ignorance!

"So another era has passed. [Existence] has become a thing of the past, hasn't it?"

My good brother, I'm so curious. Why don't you tell me, in the era after [existence], who stood at the pinnacle of the gods?

You...

You're Believer in the New God, aren't you?

!!!!!!!!!!!!

New God!

What New God?!

Cheng Shi was stunned, completely stunned!

His mind was blank and buzzing; ever since he heard "Existence has become the past," the roar in his head had never stopped.

Why, why didn't Afros know about the existence of [Nothingness]?

She even referred to the two gods of [Nothingness] as "New God"!

So, is she really Him?

A Filth and Decay Emissary was imprisoned by time, perhaps before the arrival of the "Nothingness"!?

Cheng Shi's eyes were filled with confusion. He looked at Afros with a complicated expression and asked:

"[Gate of Joyful Desire], is that your Divine Name?"

Afros's expression was even more complicated. It was hard to tell whether he was lamenting that he had been trapped for too long and was out of touch with the times, or whether it was the fact that a name that had been forgotten for countless years had been brought up again. In any case, his eyes were filled with sighs and emotions.

"I've told you before, you're great in every way, except you're too smart, my brother."

Clever?

But the Tullatin I know most advocates choosing wisdom from Faith, humanity, and wisdom itself!

What, have you forgotten?

Cheng Shi didn't say anything, but his eyes said it all.

His equally wistful expression was undoubtedly a question directed at Afros, asking him why he had become like this.

But this time, Afros did not respond; instead, he said with utter desolation and self-deprecation:

"I thought He remembered me, forgave me, and sent you to save me."

But little did they know, all of this was merely a fleeting glance from the New God as he surveyed the Cosmos.

Ah, He was never merciful, nor were they.

God, since you have already sat on the Divine Throne, why do you imprison yourself in another set of rules?

Even He, even the Filth and Decay that brought me into the world, never embraced His own desires. So how could He allow people to Sinking into the Sea of Desire?

Ah, it's all just wishful thinking.

How... boring.

With that, Afros turned and left, Cheng Shi outside the door.

His desolation was so intense and terrifying that Cheng Shi was also infected by the spray of emotion, instantly sinking into Despair, kneeling on the ground, and howling in anguish.

But he never gave up observing. At every opportunity when he could control his emotions, he would take Scalpel and stab himself hard, then struggle frantically with his emotions, fighting for control of his consciousness, and looking with all his might into the mysterious Evil Infant Tribunal, watching Afros leave.

Whether it was a trick of his imagination or not, Cheng Shi felt as if he saw a dark, writhing mass of flesh and blood in the shadows deep within the hall.

But when he looked up again, the traces of blood and flesh and Afros's figure had disappeared.

As everything before him gradually faded away, Cheng Shi's devastating emotions slowly crumbled. He gritted his teeth and stood up, wanting to ask inside before leaving, "What exactly happened?" But before he could open his mouth, he found that the scene before him had suddenly Change, and he was back on the roof of the Rest Area.

He stood on the rooftop, his legs covered in blood, confused and terrified, frowning as he looked at himself, motionless.

Era...

Afros mentioned the "era".

It's important to understand that while the word "era" is frequently used by players, it doesn't necessarily refer to a specific period that belongs exclusively to "them." They generally call such periods "epochs," because each epoch corresponds to the peak of rule of a few of "them."

So, is the era that Afros speaks of the same as the era that players understand?

The problem is, the Isle of Hope seems to have never had an "Era of Existence"!

So what does this era refer to?

Cheng Shi frowned and fell into deep thought. He felt as if he had learned something extraordinary again.