Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The Truth
[Scene: At the Edge of Time—Ultear's Hidden Sanctuary]
Ultear's voice trembled, and her eyes shimmered with the weight of eons. She was no longer simply Ultear, daughter of Ur. No… she was something much more ancient.
Ultear (barely whispering): That day… the entire continent was dyed in blood. Cities fell. Nations vanished. Even tribes under divine protection were slaughtered without mercy."
Her body shook as if the memories themselves lashed her from within. Escanor stepped forward, arms gentle and warm. He pulled her close—his embrace unshakable, his flame unwavering.
Escanor (softly): I'm here. You don't have to carry it alone."
A moment of silence passed. And then, like an old lock turned by a familiar key, she continued.
[Scene: The Age of Ancient Power]
Ultear (narrating): In that era, even gods could die. Power was law. Survival of the fittest wasn't a philosophy—it was the air we breathed."
"There existed a race equal to dragons in might… the Titans. Children were born with S-rank magic. By adulthood, they could sunder mountains."
"Their king… The Titan God… wielded a blade that cleaved heaven and earth. His sword was divine. His body, impenetrable."
"But within a single moon's cycle… every last one was dead."
Escanor (quietly): ...Ankhseram."
Ultear (nodding): The God of Souls. Only his cursed magic—Ankhseram's Curse—could drain the soul from such beings."
[Scene: The Curse of Life]
"Ankhseram created undying followers—twisted by the promise of immortality. They were cursed… not to live forever, but to never die."
"So long as they longed to live… they would unleash a spell called Life Hunt, ripping the souls of the living around them."
"They killed lovers, friends, children… all while screaming for it to stop."
[Scene: The Divine Rebellion]
"The gods finally united and struck him down. Outnumbered, Ankhseram fled. A fragile peace returned. But just when the gods thought it was over…"
Her voice cracked.
Ultear (voice tightening): ...They began dying. One by one."
Escanor (sharp): He killed them?"
Ultear (shaking her head): No. They died… trying to become true gods."
[Scene: The Final Trial of Godhood]
Ultear stepped away and raised her hand. A ripple of temporal magic danced on her palm—a fragment of something once infinite.
UUltear: To become a god… there is a final trial."
Stage One: Cast off the mortal body. Stage Two: Sublimate your magic source. Stage Three: Comprehend your law—the absolute truth behind your power. Stage Four: Fuse with that law—until your words shape reality itself. Final Step: Break the world's limitation. And survive.
Escanor: Break the world?"
Ultear (nodding gravely): When your power grows too vast… the World Will descends."
[Scene: The World Will]
Ultear (eyes shining faintly gold): The world itself has consciousness. A Will formed over eons—shaped by every soul, every thought."
"It takes on a human form. Not a god… but something beyond one."
"It sees every overpowered lifeform as a threat. When you try to transcend the rules… the World Will appears to erase you."
She paused, letting the weight of the truth settle.
UUltear: Becoming a god… is to fight against the world itself."
[Scene: Ankhseram's Fall—and Betrayal]
"Ankhseram was the first to reach that realm. He couldn't defeat the World Will… so he hid. He created a sub-world, gathered souls, and used his cursed followers to fuel himself—to try again."
Escanor: ...Tiya. Are you one of his followers?"
Ultear (smirking through a tear): Adorably foolish. If I were… would I tell you this?"
[Scene: Her True Name]
Ultear (softly): I… like Ankhseram… fear the World Will."
Escanor (stepping back, stunned): ...Wait. Your magic… the Arc of Time…"
Ultear's eyes glowed gold, her magic flaring into a clockwork halo.
Ultear: You guessed it. I was the Time God."
[Scene: A Betrayed Legacy]
Escanor (shocked): But… you're Ur's daughter!"
Ultear (smiling bitterly): In this life, yes. But long ago, I was something else entirely."
"When I met Ankhseram again… and you… the divine echoes inside me awakened."
[Scene: The Tragedy of the Sister Gods]
"I wasn't alone. My sister… she was the Space God."
"We both stood at the precipice—ready to break the world's limit."
"But on the day of ascension, Ankhseram ambushed us."
She clenched her fist, voice shaking.
UUltear: He attacked us while we confronted the World Will. He used that moment of weakness…"
Escanor (grimly): Coward."
UUltear: My sister… She didn't strike back. She used all her power to send me into the Time Rift, the one place Ankhseram and the World Will couldn't reach."
"She died. Her soul… devoured."
[Scene: The Long Sleep of the Time God]
Ultear stepped to the edge of the cliff, wind lifting her hair.
"I scattered my soul across timelines, reincarnating over and over. Each life, I absorbed fragments of time… to slowly restore my body."
"I never planned to wake… not until I had enough strength to survive the World Will."
She turned, eyes wet with warmth.
Ultear: But then… I met you."
[Scene: The Promise]
UUltear: Escanor… my only love. My first love in thousands of lifetimes."
"In this life, I'll protect you. I'll help you reach true godhood. I've known nothing but loneliness for ages… so promise me…"
Her voice cracked.
Ultear (falling into his chest): Never leave me. In life or death… promise me."
Escanor (hugging her tightly, his voice like sunfire): I swear."
[Scene: A New Resolve]
As they stood together, embraced by time and fate, Escanor did not falter. He did not fear.
Instead, his golden magic surged—brighter and more resolute than ever.
Escanor (to himself): To stand at the apex of all living beings… even the World Will shall bow."
To Be Continued…