You madman

A haze of faint white particles suddenly emerged from the darkness. They were as fine as dust yet as brilliant as stars, drifting one by one through his consciousness and gathering into a boundless river.

Nairmis's consciousness drifted involuntarily toward that river. Every speck of light within it was a frozen instant of time.

He floated beneath the surface. Through the shimmering boundary, he saw a figure approaching in the distance, walking on the water.

Golden hair, a flowing white robe, a golden pen in one hand and a gleaming book tucked beneath the other arm.

The figure walked unhurriedly along the river's surface. Each step sent ripples spreading across the water beneath his feet, and the particles they touched shone more brightly.

Then he stopped, directly above Nairmis, and looked down.

Nairmis's eyes widened. It was him.

The face was his own, its contours slightly more mature than his current appearance, with a composure between the brows honed by long years.

Those pale blue eyes were identical to his own. They gazed down at him beneath the water with a smile.

Nairmis understood in an instant. This must be the river of time. His time node divine nature had brought him here to see his future self.

He carefully sensed the aura emanating from the figure on the river. Though his perception was hazy, the magnitude of that divine power was beyond doubt. It rivaled Uranus's, and even seemed faintly to surpass it.

An immense sense of gratification welled up in him. He had known he was no ordinary talent. His prospects truly were limitless.

Then he remembered Uranus, the tyrant who had thrown him out of the Sky Divine Domain like garbage, the old bastard who had forcibly ripped the flame divine nature from his body.

Nairmis instinctively clenched his fists, brimming with hatred. Once he grew that powerful, he would cut Uranus into a thousand pieces and let him taste what it was like to have his divine nature forcibly torn away.

Then he paused.

No, according to the course of history I know, Uranus is about to be castrated by Cronus. He won't even last until I grow stronger. He'll be forced off the stage of history before then.

Nairmis's expression grew complicated. It was like bottling up a bellyful of rage and preparing for a huge fight, only for the other person to get hit by a car and die beforehand.

But at the same time, he could not help cursing inwardly. If you're so powerful, why didn't you come save me when my divine nature was being extracted?

Forget it. He shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and waved vigorously at his future self on the river.

The Nairmis on the river watched him, the smile at the corners of his lips deepening. He knew what his past self beneath the water was thinking at that moment.

The upheaval of fate and laws had opened a fissure in the river of time. Using his time node divine nature, he had found this tributary leading to the past and brought his past self's consciousness here.

He slowly crouched down. The golden pen spun once between his fingers, and a point of light gathered at its tip.

He gently pointed toward Nairmis beneath the water. The pen's tip touched the surface, sending out a ring of ripples.

The ripples spread downward and touched Nairmis precisely between the brows.

A warm current flowed into the depths of his consciousness. Then Nairmis opened his eyes.

He sat up abruptly, his long golden hair sliding from his shoulders, his chest heaving.

"Your Highness!"

Acenoe threw herself into his arms and burst into sobs. The spirits around him crowded closer as well. Only after confirming that he was truly awake did they hug one another, laughing and crying.

Acenoe stepped back, wiping her tears and smiling foolishly. "Your Highness, you scared us to death!"

Hemera rose, surprise still lingering on the goddess of day's face. She had checked him herself. With injuries like Nairmis's, he should have needed at least several months to regain consciousness, yet barely any time had passed.

"You..." She hesitated.

Nairmis smiled at her. He reached out to pat Acenoe reassuringly, then looked toward the distant horizon. Daylight was fading.

"Beautiful Hemera, goddess of day," Nairmis said softly with a smile. He had sensed what happened while he was unconscious.

"Thank you for your help. Night is approaching. Come visit Proeon when you have time, and let me properly express my gratitude."

Hemera's face flushed crimson. The sight of Nairmis speaking to her with that gentle smile made her heart give a sudden thump.

She murmured an assent, forgetting even to give a complete reply, then turned into a streak of light and flew away.

Nairmis watched her disappear into the horizon and shook his head gently.

Of course he could tell what state Hemera was in. The goddess had merely been blinded by desire. Once that surge passed, she would naturally come to her senses.

"Your Highness," Acenoe leaned closer. "Are you really all right now? What exactly happened?"

Nairmis stood and flexed his still somewhat stiff fingers. Suddenly, his smile vanished, replaced by a gravity Acenoe had never seen before.

"Acenoe, take everyone away." Nairmis turned to the spirits. "Go to the cave we found earlier, right now. Not one of you is to stay."

Acenoe froze. "Your Highness, what happened?"

"Go." Nairmis cut her off, his gaze sweeping over every spirit. "Something will happen tonight. I can handle it, but if you're here, I'll be distracted."

"...We'll go."

The five women nodded, then turned and gathered the spirits together to leave. They called out, "Your Highness, make sure you stay safe!"

Nairmis smiled at them and raised a hand in a reassuring gesture.

The spirits and the five deities soon disappeared into the shadows of the forest. Proeon fell quiet, leaving Nairmis alone.

He turned, pushed off with his toes, and flew up to land on Proeon's highest peak.

He tilted his head back to look at the sky. It seemed peaceful and serene, with nothing out of the ordinary. But Nairmis knew this was merely the calm before the storm.

Uranus had extracted his flame divine nature today, so he certainly would not wait. Considering the timing of the prophecy, it had to be tonight.

But the problem was, it was only a mass of flame divine nature.

If Uranus wanted to kill him, one hand would suffice. Why go to such lengths to extract his divine nature before striking?

Even if he could use that mass of flame divine nature through some means, why use it to attack Proeon? Was he worth so much trouble from the god of the sky?

Could he have discovered that I'll be able to pin him down and beat him in the future, so Uranus is humiliating me before destroying me?

That was highly unlikely. A spark of wisdom flashed. Unless he was not the target, and Proeon and he were merely innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire.

Thinking of what had happened at the entrance to the Underworld yesterday, Nairmis formed a conjecture. At the very moment he sorted out his thoughts, night completely enveloped the land.

Then the sky stirred. A supreme surge of sky divine power bore down from the depths of the heavens. Golden light erupted in the night, and an ominous orange-red hue suddenly spread over the entire night sky.

The color spread outward from the center. Nairmis's pupils abruptly contracted as he watched the night sky grow brighter and redder. Thousands upon thousands of fireballs fell from the heavens, and a rain of fire roared past overhead.

Nairmis could hardly believe it. Uranus, you madman! How dare you?