Tower of Heaven

Infinite possibilities.

He felt like they became available to him every time he returned after a long period of training. This time, even if he wanted to stay for longer, he could not. The Tower was calling his name.

After he progressed into Bone Forging, he stayed in the Tatsuya Clan for another three months before he got ready to leave.

Alaric was the only one to see him off. The others were kept to their own areas due to their specific circumstances, after all.

"It seems like you're helping me every time we meet. It's even a bit annoying," Atlas said.

"Eh? Are you a masochist? You want me to start charging you for lessons?" Alaric responded in annoyance.

Atlas smiled slightly, nodding his head.

"Something like that. It feels wrong to take so much without giving anything in return. I'm not a person who likes to owe people favors."

Alaric looked at him for a second like he was stupid.

"Are you stupid?"

Right, he was never someone to think one thing and say another. Alaric spoke while laughing. Atas' innocent desire to repay his debt was apparently hilarious to him.

"Kid, you're too weak to do anything right now. You can't even solve your own problems, so how are you going to help me?"

He put his hand on Atlas' head.

"Just get stronger and focus on yourself. Don't think of it as a favor, because I'm not doing anything I don't want to. And, if you really want to be helpful…"

He grinned, pushing Atlas forward.

"Take care of our little Ari if you see her in the Tower. She's a hot-headed one like me, so I know she's probably out there stirring up trouble."

"Haa… if you say it like that, then there's nothing I can do about it."

Atlas rubbed his head with a smile.

"Next time I see you, it'll be different."

"You're being arrogant, but I like that attitude."

"Hmph."

Atlas turned around without another word. It was strange. Between him and Alaric, something like a real goodbye wasn't necessary. They didn't need to say such words to each other.

It was enough for them to talk competitively and bash each other, because within each and every backhanded word was a type of care and respect that could only be felt by them.

Atlas had already wished Veradon and the others goodbye beforehand. Once he parted from Alaric, he went directly to the teleportation array in Vanlandi.

That array was used to return to the Celestial Ladder. From there, any Ascender could return to any floor they wanted to visit. It was a little inefficient, but it was a means to keep the Neutral Zones as separated from the main Tower as possible.

Even though he had some status, Atlas still had to wait in line before he could leave the realm. It was an hour where nothing particularly happened, and right when it was coming to an end…

"Next group!"

The array operator called out for the group that Atlas was a part of. As he walked into the array, he was passed by the group that had just arrived in the realm.

Thud!

His shoulder came in contact with another man's.

"Hey, watch where you're going!"

"I apologize. It was my fault."

They said their parts and continued on their way without any more contact.

However, Atlas' eyes were slightly narrowed.

'His cloak…'

The symbol of a golden hourglass carrying an ocean on his cloak… Atlas had seen it before.

"Are those guests from Sea of Time? It's rare to see them acting."

"Right, but if they are, then something big is going to happen in Vanatos. You know that everyone thinks they're related to–"

"Don't say anything else. They'll hear you and kill you."

It was one of many conversations about the group that began once they passed. The group they came from was quite famous after all. They were heavily related to many great happenings in the Tower, so they were even regarded as harbingers of chaos in the eyes of some.

But, that was not how Atlas knew them.

'Sea of Time, they said…'

So that was the name of the influence that was chasing the Xuanying Treasure Pagoda.

'I should be careful around them in the future.'

He didn't think they'd be able to track him or the pagoda, but he didn't want to taunt fate and associate with them. The people who could cause him the most trouble if the pagoda was discovered were exactly them.
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It was a good thing to keep in mind.

Atlas thought of the small piece of information as one of the many boons he received from this realm as he disappeared from it. The next time he was seen in the Tower, he was already on the 35th Floor.

'Ah, I should have asked them about the absolute truth.'

He put everything out of his mind to the extent that he'd even forgotten about such an important thing.

'The Desolate Dragon Continent is truly here… it is not something that greatly affects my mind, but it has concerning implications.'

Since he'd sorted out the problems with his own fate, the information didn't hold as much weight in his mind anymore.

'This continent has quite the interesting story. The creation legend…'

"Were their names Susanoo and Amaterasu? They were two Divine siblings who were said to have had a massive fight that led to permanent damage to the continent."

They chewed and spat out each other's belongings, creating great waves in the world. Afterward, Susanoo wreaked havoc, destroying a great deal of the continent and killing one of Amaterasu's favorite entertainers. As a result, she hid herself away and took with her the world's light.

In this instance, she used power that the beings of the continent could not understand. They were left to suffer, but eventually evolved instead, becoming the first natives of the Desolate Dragon Continent.

"Eventually, Amaterasu was coaxed to return the continent's light, and Susanoo was expelled for his deeds. In their wake, the Elder Tree was born and the spirits were allowed to thrive."

From there, the continent became the Desolate Dragon Continent that Atlas knew. The three massive gashes in the land were the ever-remaining proof of Susanoo's deeds here, though there weren't many who still knew of them in these times.

"It was said that he even defecated in her rice fields… is it alright to call this a mere sibling rivalry?"

Atlas was merely talking to himself, but he attracted quite a bit of attention from a place he couldn't see.

[Warlord of Storms glares at you fiercely and tells you to never bring up his dark history again.]

'Hm? This person can't be…'

[Warlord of Storms continues to glare at you.]

'It is most definitely him.'

Was this how Atlas learned that the continent's creation myth was actually the product of the Gods? And, was the god in question truly bearing his weight down on him for such a petty reason?

As he sighed wryly, a new set of messages appeared.

[Great Sun of the Gods snickers at her younger brother and tells you to bring up his history as you please.]

[Great Sun of the Gods is pleased with her brother's humiliation.]

[Great Sun of the Gods says that she will protect you from his divine might, so you may say whatever you wish to say.]

'A sibling rivalry indeed.'

Atlas smiled slightly, enjoying the show he got to witness through those messages as he walked the fractured land of the Desolate Dragon Continent.

'In a way, it is nice to know that these stories are real. In a time when this continent feels like nothing more than an imitation of what was real, their interactions give it life.'

It truly was the Desolate Dragon Continent, at the end of the day.

'And, in this life, it is nothing more than a memory. There is no need to treat it as anything else.'

Kallos' legacy was already with him. This continent didn't have anything else tying him to it.

Still, it was a place that was closely tied to his fate.

Was that why?

As he continued to walk, fate put him on a path to two encounters.

Two encounters that he never expected to have one after another.