It was deep into the night.
The wasteland lay silent beneath a motionless sky. Inside their tents, everyone had already fallen asleep. Camearra rested peacefully in Yu Zhou's arms, her breathing soft and steady.
To be honest, Yu Zhou still found it all somewhat unreal.
Since arriving in the Ultra-Ancient era, barely a few dozen days had passed—yet so much had already happened.
Monsters appeared. Darkness invaded. The Earth Defence Corps was formed.
All of it began after he came into this world.
"Could my arrival really be what triggered all of this?" he wondered quietly. Then, shaking his head, he whispered to himself,
"No… Even if I hadn't come, the monsters and the invasion of darkness would've happened anyway."
He remembered the official Tiga novel from his original world. In it, the King of Darkness had despised the brilliance and prosperity of the Ultra-Ancient Civilization—and so unleashed his dark servants, his kin, to crush that shining age.
"In that story," Yu Zhou murmured, "the 'dark kin' were summoned from the Dark Star… so that means beings like Gatanozoa."
Holding the sleeping Camearra closer, his thoughts wandered among fragments of lore and history.
Then, with a faint smile, he pressed a gentle kiss on Camearra's forehead and decided to stop thinking.
He never imagined that he would end up with the young Camearra of this era so soon. Everything felt so sudden—so fated.
They hadn't even known each other long, and yet their bond had grown so close, so naturally.
Maybe… it was because all the affection he had carried for her in his future life had somehow poured into this time, into this version of her.
Feelings transcend time, he thought. When your heart reaches out to someone, they can feel it—no matter the era.
Camearra must have sensed the depth of his affection, his sincerity, his longing.
"Maybe she was just stunned when I hugged her that first time," Yu Zhou chuckled softly.
He still remembered it clearly—the moment he saw her; he couldn't help himself. He had embraced her without thinking. He'd already braced himself to be called a pervert afterward… but instead, Camearra, flustered and curious, had simply asked him about an 'old friend.'
The young Camearra was so kind, so gentle—nothing like the bitter, vengeful woman she would one day become in the Final Odyssey.
"But why…" he whispered, "why would I—why would Tiga—seal Camearra and the others away in the future?"
His mind replayed that first meeting in the ruins of R'lyeh, where the resurrected Camearra had confronted him with tears in her eyes.
'Why didn't you take me with you into the light?'
'Why did you abandon me—why did you seal me away?'
That look of heartbreak still tore at him.
"Will that… really happen someday?" he muttered.
He couldn't believe that he—of all people—would one day seal Camearra in the ruins of R'lyeh… for thirty million years.
"Ugh. My head hurts just thinking about it."
Sighing, Yu Zhou gently laid Camearra back onto the bedroll and pulled the blanket over her. Then, quietly, he slipped out of the tent.
The wasteland outside was eerily still. Though he had cleared out most of the monsters nearby earlier, there was no guarantee a few more wouldn't wander close.
He decided to take a walk—to check the perimeter, and maybe clear his mind.
I must be the first person in history to go on a midnight stroll in the Dark Domain, he thought dryly.
The campfires still burned softly, crackling with faint pops and sparks.
He'd brought all the fuel himself—there was no wood to be found in this barren place. Pots and pans were still sitting near the fire. He hadn't bothered to pack them away; he'd need them again in the morning for breakfast.
Even in the Dark Domain, Yu Zhou thought with a faint smile, you can still live with a touch of style.
But then—
Just as he stepped past the fire, a figure appeared out of nowhere in front of him.
Yu Zhou's instincts kicked in instantly, his body tensing. Even with his strong nerves, the sudden appearance nearly made his heart jump.
"Who's there?"
The figure didn't answer. It simply stepped closer.
As it neared the firelight, Yu Zhou finally saw the stranger clearly—an old man.
He had pale green hair, hollow sunken eyes, and a gaunt face stretched tight over bone. His frame was frail, wrapped in a long black robe. Even his shoes were made of plain black cloth.
But the thing that stood out most—what made Yu Zhou's senses flare—was the power radiating from him.
A deep, overwhelming darkness.
So thick and ancient it felt alive—almost equal to Yu Zhou's own.
Then, to Yu Zhou's surprise, the old man finally spoke—not with malice, but with a hoarse, almost casual tone:
"These dishes… you made them?"
Yu Zhou blinked. He had already prepared to fight, but the old man simply walked past him, heading straight for the firepit—where the leftover soup and rice still sat in the pot.
"…Yeah. I made them." Yu Zhou replied warily, still watching his every move.
The old man nodded. "Then I won't be polite."
Before Yu Zhou could respond, the old man picked up a bowl and began ladling the cooled soup for himself.
"It's a bit cold," Yu Zhou offered instinctively. "Want me to heat it up for you?"
"That would be… appreciated," said the old man, smiling faintly.
His manner was so calm, so natural, that Yu Zhou found his tension slowly easing. Whoever this old man was, he didn't seem hostile—at least, not yet.
Yu Zhou reheated the soup and handed it over. The old man inhaled deeply, savouring the aroma, his expression softening.
Then, to Yu Zhou's shock, he lifted the steaming bowl—and gulped the entire thing down in one go.
"Whoa—!" Yu Zhou blinked in disbelief. "That was boiling hot!"
The old man lowered the bowl and exhaled contentedly, as if nothing had happened. "Delicious. Another, please?"
Yu Zhou sighed, shaking his head with a half-smile. "Sure."
He refilled the bowl and added some rice this time. The old man ate hungrily, as if he hadn't had a proper meal in ages.
Unlike the rice of modern times, the grains of the Ultra-Ancient era were rougher, coarser—but still filling.
Then, with a wave of his hand, the old man conjured a table of black stone, smooth and heavy. Another gesture—and a matching chair appeared beside it.
He sat down comfortably, alternating between spoonfuls of soup and bites of rice.
Yu Zhou, amused, brought over the reheated side dishes and placed them on the table.
With another lazy wave, the old man summoned a second stone chair for Yu Zhou.
"Well," Yu Zhou said, grinning a little, "don't mind if I do."
He sat.
The material of the stone was familiar—identical to the black rocks of the Dark Island's stone forests.
From his storage bracelet, Yu Zhou pulled out a small bottle of fruit cocktail he'd brought from the future. Pouring two cups, he handed one to the old man.
The old man stared curiously at the shimmering liquid. "What's this?"
"Just a little drink," Yu Zhou replied with a smile.
The old man lifted it, sniffed once, then took a sip. A faint warmth flickered in his eyes.