"Take this child and head east," the King of White Crown said, "to where the Gold Bull stands tall. That is the promised land I grant unto you."

"You shall raise him to adulthood. Tell him of the sacrifices and devotion you have offered today. Inform him that though the old blood has run dry this day, new blood will flow unceasingly, for in the future, the blood of the whole world shall gather here. You have lost your kin, but new kin will be born. The wealth you have lost today shall be returned ten thousandfold, perhaps even more, in days to come."

Thus the White Crown King decreed, "This is the covenant I establish with you. Go and etch it upon the stone foundation of the Gold Bull. For as long as the Gold Bull stands, your prosperity shall remain unshakable."

So it was that amid pious praise, the elderly woman lifted the infant, bowed deeply, and then walked towards the east, vanishing into the wilderness.

All was silent once more.

Yet the long wait persisted.

Countless people arrived, countless bowed their heads, and numerous others departed with their redemption.

From beginning to end, the White Crown King serenely witnessed everything.

It was not until much later, amidst the fog over the distant sea, that a small lifeboat drifted in, carrying the teenage girl who should not exist.

Upon that vacant visage, the White Crown King's eyes seemed to lift, and then he understood.

"A new Event Branch?" he commented indifferently. "You've created an absolutely impossible fantasy, cunningly crafted an untenable future... Whose arrangement is this?"

Three figures materialized behind him.

An ancient elder, a woman in black, and a middle-aged man with glasses—visitors who should not be there—paid their respects with a hand over their hearts, presenting themselves before the King of White Crown.

The White Crown King glanced at them dismissively, his tone turning mocking.

"DM? What can endless adventure and all-in gambles accomplish? Utopia?"

The elder's face was calm, his gaze lowered.

"ST? Can eternal darkness and struggles against undercurrents, amidst incessant scheming, lead to a future bright with light?"

The woman in black remained silent, her smile unchanged.

"KP? And what do you seek? Knowledge beyond human comprehension? Wisdom beyond human intelligence?"

The White Crown King easily pierced through their essence, his arrogance undisguised. "Knowledge beyond human comprehension offers humanity no enlightenment; wisdom beyond human intelligence is of no use to humanity. When courage is exhausted, at the end of fear lies only nothingness."

"—What you seek is mere fantasy, and all you shall obtain is emptiness. The so-called 'Heavenly Kingdom' is just such a meaningless place!"

"But that is our mission, is it not?" the visitors spoke, their three voices merging into one. "At the end of eternal pursuit, meaning must surely exist."

The White Crown King raised his eyebrows. After a long moment, he indifferently withdrew his gaze. "Then, what have you brought me, guests from another timeline?"

"A possibility," DM spoke. "A possibility of salvation."

"And what do you wish to take away?" ST asked.

"A hope," she said. "A hope to avoid repeating past mistakes."

After brief contemplation, the White Crown King nodded. "A fair exchange."

He extended his hand.

Thus, the three unfolded their palms. Three fragmented pages came together, forming an ancient scroll that fell into the hands of the White Crown King.

From the quiet surges of the tide, that majestic figure faded into the void.

No, rather, they were dispatched from his Domain by the King of White Crown.

And there was that lifeboat, slowly reaching shore.

On the boat, the teenage girl, drenched by the sea waves, awoke from her stupor. Her weary eyes opened, gazing upon this strange world.

It was cold and dark, so brutal it seemed as if no warmth could dwell within.

"She is cold," ST said with pity, removing her pitch-black cloak and gently wrapping it around the teenage girl's shoulders.

"Yes, and she is thirsty and hungry." DM sighed, lighting a campfire. The pot on the fire boiled, thick soup churning, and fish roasted to a crisp.

"And lonely and in pain." KP waved his hand, dispersing the dark clouds and clearing the muddy waves. Brilliant sunlight shone between the sea and the sky. Clumps of green plants and bright flowers grew from the sharp crevices of the rocks, making the world beautiful.

The teenage girl watched them blankly, shrinking back slightly in fear and clutching the broken Axe Blade in her arms. "Who are you?"

"The ones who have come to meet you." ST gazed at her tenderly. "Like you, we are visitors who do not belong to this place."

DM nodded. "Similar to you, we belong to fantasies that don't exist in reality."

KP shrugged. "Essentially the same—phantoms that never lived in the world."

So spoke the spirits that existed only in records and rumors, gazing at the teenage girl before them with kind and gentle eyes. "But you are not like us."

"Yes, not bound by a mission."

"You have freedom and a future; you have potential."

ST extended her hand, gently pulled the girl up, and led her before the campfire to experience the warmth.

"You... came for me?" Lily was incredulous.

"To be precise, I performed a great feat, precisely intercepting your record and creating the path to this fictional branch." KP started proudly, but sensing the fierce glares from his companions, he quickly let out an embarrassed smile. "Alright, there were some accidents along the way, but in any case, the outcome is perfect. Yes, perfect."

In the end, he sheepishly fell silent.

ST said, "I have brought you frankincense." She unfolded her fingers, revealing a pure white, crystalline substance, bearing a pure wish.

"I have brought gold," DM said, producing a box from his robes. Inside the opened box, the dazzling metal shone with a glow akin to the Philosopher's Stone, symbolizing an undying faith.

"Ahem, myrrh." KP flusteredly produced a string of amber. The amber reflected the firelight, like a mind that shone brightly after much refinement.

Thereupon, the prayer that brings miracles was granted, enabling her to return to reality from the void.

Subsequently, undying faith was given, lest she lose herself amidst the myriad and complex events.

Finally, a steadfast mind was imparted, with the hope that she might walk to the very end of this dream-like, mortal world.

Thus, illusion and reality inverted, the boundary between fantasy and actuality overturned.

Through a mere record from the void, an unknown branch and hypothesis emerged from the history of four hundred years ago. The past, as it once was, gradually transformed amidst numerous legends and anecdotes, forming an entirely different story that was passed down to four hundred years later.

In her daze, the teenage girl seemed to understand something, staring at them blankly.

"Am I... fictional?" she asked softly. "Am I fake?"

"You will exist." Thus judged the sages who came from beyond their time. "You are the naïve child who denies the Miracle, the Holy Woman who denies the Abyss, the Soul originating in the void, the pure individual—Hela. Your very existence is the proof of this Miracle."

They gazed at the teenage girl, bringing a new Fate. "In the distant future, another story about Hell and the Heavenly Kingdom will be told once more."

"And you will become human."

"Become a legend, the essence of events."

"Become a Creator, and far surpass us!"

"Go and witness it all," they said. "From this very moment."

This, then, was the beginning of this story, from a time long past.

[The Start]

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