The Earth After Rebirth

Kiro looked at the being in front of him, as if waiting for him to say the big reveal. Because the one he had said must've been some kind of a joke.

His face once again contorted into one of panic. If this wasn't the game, then where was he. He understood what the being told him about this place, but he was just a human, the urge to know the where and how were very strong.

"It's not a joke." He reassured him.

The appearance he put on was definitely easy on the eyes. If he hadn't seen his true self, he would probably be admiring how chiselled, yet seemingly soft his facial features were.

"Who are you?" He asked coldly, he wanted to get up but didn't trust that his legs would carry him.

"Time god, Chronos." He said simply as if that was the most obvious thing.

"Gods are real?" He croaked.

"Who do you think turned back time with your memories intact? Huh?"

"You—it was you?"

The man nodded, unsure whether Kiro was ready for it all. But it wasn't up to him anymore, things were progressing too fast.

He had observed them for many years, if you counted the times he'd turn back the time—it would round up to a few centuries. They've never, not once, have been this impatient, maybe he was to blame.

He got too involved, he gave this boy in front of him too much power. The power to know the future and how best to navigate it for the best results. He gave him a gift and then he went and made great changes in his life—he didn't fault him for this of course it was his lack of instruction that was to blame.

Chronos didn't know how, but they somehow knew what he'd done and they were acting sooner. He wasn't planning to meet Kiro this soon, they were forcing his hand.

He watched Kiro get up from his chair, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He'd never dealt with his Lord's creation before and they were quite, impulsive.

Kiro started pacing around the garden, mumbling, a way to process these thoughts that were being thrown at him faster. He felt something rise from within him—it was burning, hot, raw anger.

"If you could do that for me, why couldn't you make the world below you a better place for all?" He practically screamed. "Where were you when your people needed you, huh? Wasting time bringing me back!"

"Sit down!" The man commanded. "For you? None of these were done for you, humble yourself a little. Yes you're very important, but this is for humanity."

As much as Kiro was fuming, he recognised that, this being's commands couldn't be disobeyed. He went and sat obediently, totally against his own will. His eyes were still very violent, thinking of everyone that died, thinking of the children they kidnapped and kept as slaves.

"Your thinking is very shallow, as per usual. Acting on emotions, isn't it tiring?" He mocked. "But I do like your spirit, very strong. Maybe that's why..."

"What?" It came out as venomous as he intended. Did this god just call him shallow minded?

The god before him acknowledged that he was treading on thin waters. They weren't enemies, he was intending for them to be allies.

"All I mean is, this is bigger than your world. Me turning back the time for you wasn't a waste. I've done this a thousand times already.

"Besides, all I can do is turn back time—this memory intact thing was just a theory gone right. I had no business interfering with master's business. Now I'll receive my punishment." He said those last lines with great sorrow.

"You mean you've brought me back a thousand times? You're a god but you answer to someone else?" This mellowed his anger a little, if he wasn't the creator then maybe it was out his control.

"Yes." He answered both his questions.

"And? What happens to me?" Kiro was more interested in his own life, if he was honest with himself.

"You died every single time, before you did anything significant. This incident of yours snowballed into many that eventually ended your world and everything else."

"Huh?"

"You're what they call a constant. Without you, the world crumbles into nothing but dust. Why you were chosen is beyond me, I guess the Lord thought it would be amusing to have a human as a constant." He tried putting it in simple terms.

This was naturally a lot to take in. Not only is he finding out that gods are real and apparently don't care about being worshiped, he was finding out that he was somehow chosen by their supreme god to be a constant.

He couldn't believe he'd died a thousand times and couldn't remember any of them, except for the last one.

This burden was too much, his shoulders were just human. He wasn't sure that he could carry the entire universe on them.

"My memories..." He trailed off.

"Yes, this time I decided to bring you back with your memories and I have to say, that took a toll on me." He said coincidentally coughing.

"W-what ends the world?"

Chronos looked at him knowingly. He didn't say anything, if the chosen one wasn't smart enough to figure it out maybe their universe was doomed to be eaten whether he was there or not.

"Harbingers? No, Ancient ones? Is that why you created the game?"

He nodded, "good boy maybe there's hope for you yet. I've created this game so that you humans can safely fight them. I planned to get this going for as long as possible but they're pushing through harder than I've ever seen them push."

He thought back to that room of stars being born and dying at the same time. It made sense to him now, the god of time was showing him many possibilities that have yet to come and already passed.

Kiro looked at him incredulously, "wouldn't it have been better to just give us power?"

"You think we haven't thought of that before?" He said leaning back on his chair, lighting his tobacco pipe. "Why do you think your world has only one continent now?" He puffed.