As Eternis clutched his chest, collapsing from a heart attack, Arrav stood frozen in shock. The person lying before him was none other than his future self. The one who had become a myth… now helpless and dying.
But strangely, Steve—the boy who was supposedly his student—remained emotionless.
"Let's bury him," Steve said coldly, as if it were just another chore.
Arrav, though deeply shaken, nodded silently and carried out the painful task. Burying your own future self—could there be anything more haunting?
The moment was suffocating. A harsh truth lingered in the air: "Even the immortal crave death… and the mortal chase immortality. Yet, in the end, we all return to the dust." Steve, with a rare depth, uttered this as they finished the burial.
"Time to move," Steve said calmly.
"Where?" Arrav asked.
"To gather your team."
Confused, Arrav blinked. Team? What team? But before he could question more, he instinctively activated his teleportation ability.
Within seconds, he stood in his home city.
But everything was… destroyed.
The streets were lined with ruins. Ashes in the wind. The sky was gray, and the air reeked of death. Arrav, panicked, sprinted toward his home. Cries echoed around him, but his mind could only focus on one thing—his friends.
As he neared his house, his worst fears were confirmed: the lifeless bodies of Zabuza's parents lay motionless on the floor.
Then—"Arrav! Over here!" Saanvi's voice.
Without hesitation, he bolted toward the sound.
But there, already standing with Saanvi, was Steve.
Arrav's blood boiled. "This… is my grandson?" he shouted, pointing to Steve.
Saanvi, now twelve years old, punched him square in the face.
"Idiot! I'm TWELVE! Don't call me a grandmother, dumbass!"
Zabuza and Arrav both held her back, trying not to laugh through the tension.
Arrav explained everything. Who Steve was. That he was Eternis' grandson. That Arrav himself was Eternis—his future self, living across time. That Steve wasn't from the future, but from their timeline… just ahead in the cycle.
Saanvi's head spun. "Wait… so I become… a grandmother?"
Zabuza fainted.
Regaining his senses, Arrav asked, "What happened here?"
Saanvi answered solemnly. "After you left, the 12 magical beasts launched an attack. They destroyed everything—no one was spared. We tried to fight, and you… awakened Eternis' power within you. But even then… they beat you down like a dog. They drained 25% of your power."
Arrav's fists clenched. "Then how did I escape?"
"A man appeared. He called himself Ernis. He teleported you to Europe. It took us five days to regroup here. That same man told us: 'Aeternis will return. Until then, wait.' So… we waited."
At that moment, Steve turned. "Time's up. We need to move."
Before Arrav could ask where—they vanished.
A massive portal ripped open where they had just stood. From it emerged a terrifying new beast.
But it was too late.
Arrav and his team had already escaped—teleported into space.
And from that cold, distant place… they watched their planet be destroyed before their eyes.