For the Eternalist from the future, the scene before them was nothing less than the apocalypse.
Everything was burning. Murals were peeling off, idols were incinerated, and the bodies of the cultists were indistinguishable from the remains of the Supplement Demons. With the situation clear and the main culprit gone, all they should do was leave.
But they simply couldn't.
The scorching air distorted their vision, and suddenly a massive magic circle appeared in the hall.
The deceased griffin and Supplement Demon vanished in the light, which was then filled with countless golden threads. They moved through the flames and thick smoke, precisely breaking through the protective magic, binding and cutting their bodies.
Some tried to flee the scene; others used weapons to resist this unseen enemy. However, the golden threads mercilessly reaped everything, and was as hard to shake off as a shadow.
Until their deaths, they never realized that the tiny perpetrator was close by.
Teest tightly controlled the golden threads, with his eyes solely on Nol. Whether it was the Lord of Whitebird City, the hunter in the forest, or the queen of the Succubi, they all accepted their fate and only then chose their own ways to struggle, mostly by exploiting loopholes.
That was the domain of the gods. Mortals could only survive in the gaps, wearing shackles and trying to make the best of their situation.
But just now, right in front of him, Nol fooled fate.
The omniscient Lich, even in the face of God, never bowed. Nol, a visitor from another world, cared immensely about the lives on the Tahe continent. He commanded magic as if it was a part of his body… Nol wasn't just an insignificant participant. He seemed more like a loving creator of it all.
This explanation made the most sense, and it was the most thrilling. Teest felt heat all over. How many years had it been since he felt this excited?
[The loyal servant will witness a miracle and he will die under God's gaze.]
If Priest Bonds witnessed the terrifying miracle of "resurrection", then the corresponding "God's gaze" couldn't simply hint at his death in the church. If, just if, this witnessing "God" was truly present…
"You understand all of this too well. You care about it all too much," Teest said sweetly while the air around burned, but nothing compared to the excitement in his soul at that moment. "That so-called game was actually created by you… You created this world, right?"
Before Nol could recover from the joy of saving someone, he turned around in the burning church.
The church's interior was lit with fire, but the dawn outside the door was even brighter. The open door frame looked like a picture frame, embedding Nol in a painting with a vivid red background.
'Such a gentle red,' Teest thought. 'Not the red of flames or the red of flesh and blood.'
"Why don't you answer me?" he whispered.
Nol shifted a bit, took a few deep breaths, and nodded sheepishly.
He admitted it.
Teest laughed joyfully. He had made himself a part of Nol, and who would've thought that in less than an hour, Nol would also become a part of him—the truth he desperately sought about God and the world was inevitably connected to Nol, the Creator.
Wasn't this more useful than exchanging rings and kisses? Nothing could ever separate them now.
Seeing Teest's strange demeanor, Nol awkwardly waved his hand. "I know what you're thinking. I have nothing to do with the 'gods'."
"You know my power, and I'm clueless about the current situation. I only have knowledge that's two hundred years outdated. I just wanted to say, um…"
"You wanted to say a 'God' wouldn't be this powerless," Teest interjected understandingly.
"Exactly," Nol replied, wiping his face smeared with ash and blood. "And I'm quite sure I didn't create you, nor did I create the Goddess of Life and the Eternal Son."
Teest retracted the blood-stained golden threads, leisurely wrapping them up. "If you say so, then so be it—honey, when this is over, you'll have to tell me more stories of Tahe."
Nol visibly relaxed. "No problem. About what happened with Little Piel earlier…"
"I heard the system prompt, probably because we're 'teammates'." Teest shrugged, a playful glint still in his eyes. "I can roughly guess your approach. You don't have to explain."
With that, he tapped his heel on the shadow below him. "Ben!"
The shadowy wolf, reminiscent of a mischievous pup, crept out. Teest gracefully mounted the creature and extended his hand to Nol. "We should focus on the task at hand. If we wait any longer, the data on the Eclipse Shield will be burned to ashes."
"Huh?!"
Nol, snapping back to reality, quickly glanced at the corpse of Priest Bonds. He had been so engrossed in rescuing people that he forgot about it. The prophecies of the Chosen Ones had already turned to ash.
Nol's expression fell, and his lips tightened, looking somewhat disheartened. He hesitated, glancing at the ashes several times, before finally taking Teest's hand.
With his magic drained, Nol could only rely on his physical agility to mount the wolf. His coordination, however, was that of a typical office worker. If it weren't for Teest's quick reflexes, catching hold of his clothes, Nol would've slipped on the bloody floor.
Sitting atop the shadow wolf, Nol secured his staff on his back. He wrapped his arms tightly around Teest's waist, fearing another fall.
Feeling the pressure on his waist and the just-right warmth of Nol, Teest exhaled deeply. The once subdued tremor of excitement surged through him once again.
No matter how much Nol denied, no matter how weak he appeared, this "Creator" could be considered a False God. But it was fine. Teest never intended to revere gods anyway. If such an acknowledgment embarrassed Nol, it was best kept in his heart.
He was sculpting a god with his own hands. There was nothing more blasphemous and pleasurable than this.
Wait, maybe there was something else? Teest glanced at the hands intertwined around his waist.
What pleased him more was that this "god" happened to be Nol, his adorable Mr. Lich.
Such a familiar yet strange satisfaction. He hadn't felt this since the death of his family.
…What was this feeling called again?
...
People often say that darkness inevitably follows glory. Nol understood this deeply.
He and Teest had a vigorous fight in the west hall of the Immortal Church, and then they picked up the garbage in the central tower of the church.
This tower stood somewhat independently and hadn't yet been burned by the fire.
The battle between the Supplement Demons and the Eternalists was nearing its end. Occasionally, they encountered some Eternalists who were still alive, and Teest didn't hesitate to deal with them. The crazed Supplement Demons left only corpses behind—after killing all living creatures in front of them, they would often kill themselves.
At the very top of the tower, the secret room of the archives had been smashed open by a Supplement Demon, creating an entrance covered in blood and eyeballs.
"I remember this place being hit."
Teest cheerfully rummaged through the bricks and stones, stuffing items into his pouch without hesitation—the people of the Eternal Church used this place as a vault, storing not only valuable archives but also many precious materials and tools. Now, everything had found its way into the two's pockets.
"You're a genius." Nol didn't hesitate to praise. After all, who wouldn't want more money?
However, the search for the archives was painful. It was evident that there had been a major battle between the guards and the Supplement Demons that entered. Now, the guards' bodies were evenly scattered throughout the room, adding significant pressure to Nol's search.
Fortunately, they were faster than the approaching fire. By the time the flames reached the base of the tower, Nol had found records of the location of the "Eclipse Shield".
Reading the brief notes, Nol fell silent.
He had just defied fate, and now fate seemed to be giving him the middle finger in return.
"You have to admit, they did pick a good hiding spot." Hours later, Teest remarked as they stood before their destination.
The Eclipse Shield was hidden in the ruins of the Flama family, deep within the basement. No one would ever approach here, and it was like an "under the light, yet in darkness" area for the Temple of Life.
Five human heads stood silently in the sunlight.
"That's my parents—the one on the left is my father, and on the right, my mother. Everyone says I look like her."
Teest pointed calmly at two of the skulls, their jaws wide open, with the hollow eye sockets seemingly still harboring traces of despair and pain. Pointed stakes held the lone skulls, and the rest of the corpses were long gone.
To the two little people, these five stakes seemed like five lonely towers.
"Over here are my siblings. The smallest one is my younger sister. I used to hold her a lot."
Teest guided Nol under the shadow of his family's skulls. Their silhouettes cast shadows on the ground, causing the two to walk in the transition between light and dark.
"I get why you'd torment the higher-ups of the Eternal Church," Nol began, "but you seem quite tolerant of the Temple of Life."
According to the old lady, it was the Temple of Life that directly killed Teest's family.
"That old woman tells half-truths. If you're always so gullible, one day you'll be left with nothing." Teest laughed, looking at him. "The real witness is right beside you. Why didn't you just ask me?"
'It's not something a normal person would ask,' Nol thought, trying hard not to roll his eyes.
"The idiots from the Eternal Church even made me watch," Teest continued. "The ones who killed my family weren't knights from the Temple of Life, but our kind neighbors from the Flama house. My father once fixed jewelry for them, and my mother exchanged recipes with them. They always greeted us with smiles on the streets."
But when they found out the Flama family was "blasphemous" and "worshiped evil gods", those friendly neighbors took up tongs, kitchen knives, and axes.
They trampled the carefully-tended garden, broke down the newly painted door, and dragged the respectable family out.
"By the time the Investigation Knights arrived, my family had been turned into a pulp, and their heads were already on the stakes. The crowd seemed to think that the more they hacked, the more blessings they'd receive from the Goddess of Life. Ah, they even called me the 'Mad Monk'."
Teest didn't hide the sarcasm in his voice.
"The people of the Temple of Life came too late. By then, my home was burning fiercely, and my sister's hair was already on fire. They just conducted a brief investigation and made some records."
"The old man from the Eternal Church hoped I'd resent the Temple of Life. But I was more focused on something else—I was just captured by the Eternal Church, and then the news spread. Clearly, the situation was deliberately induced by them."
"The Temple of Life, the Eternal Church. If I'm going to resent, I'd resent them equally," the Mad Monk concluded seriously.
Nol didn't know what to say.
Witnessing all of this firsthand would be enough to destroy the spirit of a normal seven-year-old child. But it seemed that Teest was inherently mad and saw through the Church's tricks on the spot.
The Eternal Church was eagerly waiting for Teest to "bring endless destruction and chaos". But for over a decade, the Mad Monk had been wreaking havoc and chaos on their tails every day… Picking such a Chosen One, did the Eternal Son have a masochistic streak?
"So that's it," Nol muttered. "No wonder you showcased the bodies like that. Your revenge is quite targeted."
Teest stopped in his tracks.
"No, no, no. Showcasing the bodies isn't about revenge, honey."
Teest raised an eyebrow at Nol. "The Eternal Church burned down my home and killed all its members. So, I did the same to them. Killed all their members cleanly—my mother used to say, treat others as they treat you. Up to this point, my 'revenge' has ended."
"Everything that follows is just investigation and entertainment. Look how well I combine them!"
'Alright,' Nol thought, choking back his words. He really couldn't predict Teest's train of thought.
Nol couldn't help but touch his chest—Teest's gold wheel was embedded in his flesh—a gift from his family, one of the treasures of the Mad Monk.
To this day, Nol felt more and more perplexed about Teest. When he showed concern, Teest would narrate his bloody past as if nothing had happened. Though he showed indifference, Teest gave him the last gift from his family for all these years for safekeeping.
Teest turned and continued leading the way, while Nol discreetly reached into his abdomen and took out the gold wheel.
He flipped the coin to the side with the scratches. Now it appeared that those weren't just random marks but hastily carved letters. Nol consciously pieced them together to spell out five names and a date.
Thacker Flama. Edith Flama. Earl Flama. Sally Flama. Tina Flama.
702.3.2
The gold coin symbolized the sun.
People liked to inscribe the time of their loved ones' deaths on gold coins so that the sunlight would forever warm their souls. Unfortunately, Teest's family didn't have any funeral rituals or even a burial.
So, the young Mad Monk also engraved the names of his family on the coin. It was both a blessing and a tiny tombstone—a golden tombstone burying five people.
Nol examined the coin, and suddenly he noticed something. His fingers tightened slowly.
The first letters of the five names were capitalized, forming a familiar phrase—
T.E.E.S.T
The young Teest lost his real name forever, so he gave himself a new one.
Nol buried the coin back into his flesh, pondered for a few seconds, then walked up and grabbed Teest's hand. The latter turned in surprise.
"Let's go, Teest," Nol said.
'No more weird nicknames,' Nol thought. From now on, he decided to always call him by this name.
...
After finding the Eclipse Shield, Teest directly stuffed it into his waist pouch. Even though this simple pouch was enchanted with spatial magic, both of them still struggled a bit to fit everything in.
Fortunately, they secured the item, and afterward, they returned to the hideout they were originally at until the effects of the "Time Reversion" potion wore off.
The moment the potion's effects faded, the world in front of them shimmered briefly. Nol felt dizzy, as if he had spun around thirty times on the spot, stumbling and ultimately falling into Teest's arms.
They were back to their starting point in the year 723, on that lively night.
"Oh my, did I interrupt something?" A sneering voice echoed from the depths of the alley.
Nol's hair stood on end. Just as he reached for his staff, he saw a familiar face—former Pope Mr. Painter was leaning against the wall with a skewer of roasted meat in his hand.
"What's the meaning of this?" Teest asked with a smile, drawing his sword and keeping Nol beside him with his left hand.
"What? What? I'm just being responsible here!" Painter hastily bit into his skewer, raising both hands in surrender. "Don't be so quick to draw your sword. It's terrifying."
"The potion was real. We returned alive," Teest replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Anything else you need to confirm, sir?"
"No, not at all." Painter quickly gulped down the skewer, coughing a bit in the process. "Thank you for your patronage. I hope to see you again."
Nol, unable to resist, asked, "Another 'Time Reversion'?"
"Besides this one." Painter chuckled. "It's not something as common as tomatoes in a garden. We might not have another one for a century."
Nol: "I see…"
Painter gave a formal bow. "Consider your commission at your leisure. Just pass a message to 'The General' when you decide. I need to get some late-night snacks, so I'll be leaving—"
"Eh, what are you doing here?" Before Painter could slip away, someone blocked the alley.
"Golden Sword" Billy leaned against the alley wall, scrutinizing Painter. His gaze passed over Teest, who urgently activated the "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and settled on Nol, who pulled his hood down.
"Doing business, Captain?" Billy grinned.
"My business is just finished." Painter hastily bowed. "I assume Lord Golden Sword wouldn't have any commissions. I'll take my leave."
"It's been so long. You don't have to be so distant," Billy remarked with regret. "Why not come over? My wife made amazing ribs and onion bread. We have too much."
Painter paused in his steps. "The two of you?"
"Yes."
Billy smiled slyly, looking at Nol. "This gentleman looks familiar. We met not long ago. Is your 'brother' not with you today?"
The author has something to say:
The origin of Teest's name—
You can abandon the theory that Nol pinched and tested the serial number (?
Although there's a meaning behind it, it's not that one lol.
Kinky Thoughts:
Well, this was unexpected. What a misdirect.