"It’s you!" Aldrian blurted out.
How could he not recognize that figure when he had already seen it multiple tis? Although the figure was now wearing a different robe and his face remained blurry, Aldrian instantly knew it was him—the man who had repeatedly appeared throughout his journey.
However, this ti, as Aldrian looked closer, he finally caught a distinct feature of the figure’s face—clear, beautiful blue eyes, like the tranquil waters or the dark blue sky. The mont he saw those eyes, he felt as if he had been transported to the past—to an unknown ti long ago. He gasped, trying to calm himself.
But then, Aldrian found himself already sitting on a mat in front of a small table beneath the tree. The figure sat across from him, gazing at him with curiosity, which made Aldrian feel sowhat uncomfortable.
"I suppose you have many questions, but I can’t answer all of them. If you learn too soon, it will be aningless," the figure said.
Aldrian remained silent for a mont before finally speaking.
"Then, I suppose you won’t tell about my origin or sothing like that?"
"That’s right. That is one of them. Knowing now would make your journey pointless—you will have to uncover it yourself."
"Then let’s not talk about . Let’s talk about you—who are you, really?" Aldrian asked, narrowing his eyes. "You seem close to , and I also feel a sense of familiarity from you. Who were you in my past life?"
Although Aldrian couldn’t see the figure’s mouth, he had the distinct sense that the figure was smiling at him upon hearing the question.
"Would you like to take a guess?" the figure asked in a calm yet teasing tone.
"I don’t think I can. My visions of the past are too random and too many. Sotis, it feels like I’ve already lived many lives when those visions appear in my mind or dreams. And I doubt that’s all of them—I still feel like there are many scenes yet to be shown to ," Aldrian replied.
"Alright, that’s okay. As for who I truly am, you will know in the future. That’s because it also concerns you. But for now, let’s settle with a clue. I believe you’re smart, and one day, you’ll think, ’Ah, so that’s what he ant!’—sothing like that," the figure said with a smile.
"The clue is this: the past and future are connected. The past stays in the past, but it shapes the future. The future is yours to decide, while the past remains only as history. If you understand the true aning of these words, you will know who I really am."
Aldrian frowned at these words. Although they sounded simple—sothing most people wouldn’t find complex—he knew there was a deeper aning behind them. The figure wasn’t just stating the obvious; he was hinting at sothing far more profound.
"’The past is history, and the future is mine to decide.’ That’s an obvious statent—sothing even an ordinary man with no deep philosophical understanding would grasp. However, if he used it as a clue to his identity, that must an he has so connection to in the past," Aldrian thought to himself.
"Is there anything else that could serve as another clue?"
Then, Aldrian rembered sothing the figure had said after he finished forging the unnad divine sword in Forgeheart Kingdom.
"There is no one worthy of wielding that sword besides him and . Even the Origin Sword, which served as the blueprint for that artifact, respects and seems to recognize ."
However, for Aldrian, that still wasn’t enough. The figure’s connection to him in the past might have been deep enough to make the sword react that way—but it wasn’t conclusive proof of who he really was.
There was one more possibility about the figure’s identity that crossed Aldrian’s mind—one that seed outrageous. His heart trembled at the thought, but without enough proof, he refused to jump to conclusions too soon.
"Forget it. I’ll just be wasting my ti if I keep dwelling on this," Aldrian thought with sigh as he looked at the figure’s blurry face—or rather, at his eyes.
"Are you the one who planned all of this? I an, everything that has happened to , everything left behind on the continent—the places, the artifacts. Was all of that your doing?"
"Not really," the figure replied. "That was the combined effort of many people, even the heavens themselves. I’m just soone from the past, from even before all of this happened. I had no real influence over their plans or this chain of events. I rely observe you—until you uncover the truth."
Aldrian frowned at the subtle aning behind the figure’s words.
"Are you saying... you were already dead?"
"Hmm, you could say that," the figure replied. "But I also exist in another form. You’ll understand what I an in the future."
Aldrian’s heart trembled. If this person had passed away long before any of these events unfolded, then—
"Do those people, or even the heavens, know that we’re eting and speaking right now?"
"No, they don’t. Not even the heavens, like I told you, I only observe you specifically. I simply took advantage of their plans, slipping between the events so I could speak with you like this or when you manage to comprehend certain things." The figure said.
Aldrian’s eyes widened in shock. Just how powerful was the figure in front of him? He was soone from the past, yet he could pull off a trick that even the heavens failed to notice like speaking to him effortlessly, as if it were nothing.
Aldrian sighed, suddenly feeling at a loss for how to deal with this mysterious figure.
"Then why are you observing ? What exactly are you watching?" Aldrian asked.
"Good question. Why you? Because you are special to . What am I observing? Your growth, your journey—everything. I want to see for myself how this all ends. I want to know if my decision was the right one, if my hypothesis is correct."
The answer still felt ambiguous, but Aldrian chose not to press further. He had another question in mind. For now, he would absorb as much information as possible from this figure and think about its aning later—once he returned to reality.
"I’m actually quite curious about the symbol—the one that always seems connected to you. What does it truly an? The large circle that illuminates everything beneath it, including the yin and yang symbol below." Aldrian asked.
"Were you the one who created that symbol?" he added.
"Yes, I am the one who made it," the figure replied. "That symbol is called the symbol of the Absolute Ruler. As for its aning, the symbol represents power and authority. You have already comprehended a part of it and even wield so of its power."
Aldrian pondered the figure’s answer.
"If I’ve already comprehended part of it, then it must be sothing I possess... sothing I already have so control over."
"Is it my domain power?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"That is one of them."
"The golden energy?"
"That is one of them."
Aldrian narrowed his eyes further. It seed he still had much to learn about his own power or maybe, his power is actually from this—
"Anyway, it’s really nice to have an actual conversation with you, rather than the usual one-sided communication. And it’s all thanks to you—because you connected yourself directly to the heaven in that part of the world before it was entirely lost. I have the strongest karma with the heavens, which is why we’re able to have this little talk." the figure said.
"After watching your journey up to this point, I must say I’m quite satisfied with what I’ve seen. And now, in this final life, the truth is for you to find. For , this is the mont of truth—whether my decision was the right one. Will you succeed in your journey? I will continue watching you. But be warned—who you beco in the future, based on your choices, will determine the final outco of everything. And that outco... will affect as well."
Aldrian looked into the figure’s blue eyes—eyes that seed to know everything, carrying deep secrets and boundless wisdom. Yet at this mont, they gazed at him with tenderness, filled with compassion.
"Alright, I’ve already taken up much of your ti. It’s ti to go," the figure said as the light on the island began to dim with quick speed.
"Wait! Will I et you again in the future?" Aldrian suddenly shouted.
"That will depend on you, Aldrian," the figure replied before everything was swallowed by darkness.
In the distance, a lone star appeared, but it was much closer than the last ti he had arrived here. He exhaled softly, realizing that he had returned to his own being’s essence.
"Who is he really?" he wondered before deciding to cultivate within the void.
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