"You are an immortal, my disciple. Do you truly want to know how to kill yourself?"
"I have to, Master," Solomon replied. "Ever since the soul of the Chaos God Aesah split, the instability has only grown. I don't know why He originally granted His power to humanity, but now it seems the separated soul is causing even greater trouble."
The Sorcerer Supreme of this era nodded and took out the Eye of Agamotto.
"The Eye of Agamotto, or more precisely, the Time Stone, allows its user to glimpse the secrets of time. Do you know what else it's capable of? That's right—it allows one to communicate with all versions of oneself across time. It seems my future self taught you well. That means I could fully understand your mission and everything that happens in the future… but I won't," the Sorcerer said with a smile. "Not because I'm lazy, but because the time loop is a delicate matter—it can't be navigated through subjective choices. It must be adjusted by considering conditions from alternate timelines. We have time, so show me what you know of the future. Meanwhile, I'll teach you how to properly track a timeline. I assume we haven't covered that lesson yet?"
"No, Master," Solomon admitted.
"Then, for now, our task is to be observers," the Sorcerer continued, shifting the tone. "But the future is yours to shape. So you must decide—and bear the consequences, even if those consequences negate everything you've done. Even if you destroy the galaxy, it won't matter to me. I'll be retired by then. Out of my hands." Solomon knew that smile well—it was the one his Master wore whenever fantasizing about retirement. "In any case, let's begin the lesson and examine the clues you missed."
The Time Stone reveals timelines: one past, one present, and countless futures. Solomon gave the Sorcerer the critical time—Rosa's death—and the Sorcerer activated the Eye of Agamotto, allowing Solomon to see what truly happened. However, because the event had not yet occurred, Rosa's death played out in many variations: she stood beneath the moonlit dome, or she lay dying in Balder's arms, or both she and Balder were alive and back-to-back against some enemy.
As the minutes passed, the future the Eye displayed gradually came into clearer focus.
Solomon scrolled through the images like adjusting a video playback timeline, repeatedly watching the moment of Rosa's death. But the footage was choppy—one moment she was alive, the next she was gasping her last breath in Balder's arms.
"I can't see who actually kills her."
"That's the Time Stone's limitation. Just like prophecy—it tells you the outcome but not whether your resistance caused it in the first place. I'm sure you've studied this," the Sorcerer said. "The Time Stone isn't omnipotent. It won't make you all-knowing. It's just a tool. The one who extracts wisdom from it must be us. Since we've encountered an anomaly, we can deduce that some beings are capable of masking their presence in the timeline."
"Aesah. The Eye of the World," Solomon murmured. "Their power is so similar to the Time Stone's."
"Indeed. The Eye of the World can replicate some of the Time Stone's functions," the Sorcerer nodded. "But don't lose heart. Time will separate truth from illusion. All we need is patience."
"I didn't know you enjoyed puns… Oh? What's that?" Solomon pointed at a massive black shadow streaking across the sky, trailing purple flames.
"Just a witch battle mech," the Sorcerer said calmly.
These single-pilot war machines were the witches' ultimate weapons. Since this era lacked alloys capable of supporting such constructs, the mechs were hand-crafted through alchemical means, taking centuries to develop into functional war machines. Their power was undeniable—capable of holding their own even against Quaternity Angels. Solomon watched two black mechs ascend into the skies and easily crush several high-tier angels and living battleships attacking the witches' base.
Even when facing the Water-element Quaternity Angel, Wisdom, they didn't falter. Solomon saw the giant metallic angel—shaped like a lizard—being hurled through the sky by a mech. Along the way, it crashed into and shattered a luxurious airborne warship made of marble, gold, sapphire, ruby, and enamel, piloted by a Seraph-class six-winged angel: Radiance.
Radiance-class angels were massive—far larger than mid-tier living battleships like Adoration or Intimacy. Even during this attack on the witches' stronghold, Solomon had seen fewer than ten of these strategic weapons in the sky.
Bayonetta leapt excitedly from one of the mechs. The chance to fight alongside her mother filled her with joy.
The tide of battle seemed to shift once the witches deployed their battle mechs. The Sages, who had incited mobs to violence, were now being slaughtered by the enraged witches. The balance of war tilted hard in one direction—unlike the mutual-destruction scenario Kamar-Taj had predicted. The Sorcerer gestured for Solomon to continue watching. "No rush, my disciple."
Solomon removed his helmet. Without the detection system and enhanced optics, the distant battle became hard to see. He could no longer make out who was piloting the mechs.
"I already know the result," he said.
"Then how do you know your timeline hasn't already been altered?" the Sorcerer raised an eyebrow. "As far as I know, you and Bayonetta have already changed the past once before."
"You got me there. But hey, that was your own decision," Solomon replied.
"Can my future self speak for my present self?" the Sorcerer challenged. "Can the future affect the now?"
"Master… this isn't a philosophy class..."
"Philosophy encompasses both science and magic. Seeking metaphysical truth isn't useless—it can help you better understand your situation. In any case, this is a fixed timeline now—one that includes the changes you made to the past," the Sorcerer said. "Just be patient. Events will unfold in a way that surprises you."
"Take me to Finbowent!" the boy shouted the moment he awoke, startling Constantine. Perhaps it was the golden baroque-style power armor that made the groggy-eyed boy mistake him for Solomon, because the boy began babbling everything without restraint. "I must stop the other me! We are good and evil… This card… This is the solution… Wait, who are you?!"
Constantine looked down at the panicked child.
"Calm down, kid. I'm here to help you fix this mess." Perhaps the gold armor reminded the boy of Solomon, because at the sound of Constantine's voice, he relaxed a little. "I'm a member of the Monarch's Royal Guard. I heard everything you said," Constantine said. "But Finbowent is now under full lockdown. You can't get in."
(End of Chapter)
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