[Once upon a time, the Tree of All Worlds is lush with living leaves, all evergreen and unbound by eternity.]

I opened my eyes to the world of silence. 

[Yet that eternity soon begun to dwindle, and the leaves fell and died.]

Death is a question foolish men often liken with darkness, but then, wisdom doesn't made my eyes any less emboldened. Everything is white wherever I set my sight on. Blindingly, unbearably white. The vast curtain of light expanse lies before my eyes, dazzling the very space I am in. This is the first thing that I saw just after my life ended, like a leaf falling into a still water. It fell so slowly that I would have called it intoxicating.

[It all begun somewhere. A point forgotten and unseen by the eyes watching from realms beyond the horizon. Was it the will of the Fates, or their mistake?]

As if to taunt me, the white became even lighter, as if the twinkle itself is splitting the matters my eyes is made of. And I can't do anything to hide from it. Something then spoke right through my ears.

"There, the firelights laid its bud. There, the Tree may live once and evermore, lest the leaves shall fall to the darkest depths of unknown."

Vivid, the voice is concrete, unlike the words earlier resonating in my head. I lifted my hands toward my eyes, feeling the lingering pain from the mysterious echoes.

"Who are you?" My voice rang through the air, but the air blew no answer back. I tried to augment my perception through awakening my aether rose inside of mine, perhaps I might be able to use my Affinity in this white expanse, but I saw nothing else other than space.

"I have died." Past habits forced my mind to calm down, so by the time further words left my mouth, the fear stark in the tone has now been hidden. "I should be dead."

Yet why do I feel alive?

"Is this related to my power?"

No, that can't be. Elemental magic is boundless and powerful, yet even this force has its own limit. Just like how fire can't become a sun, I can't use my power to bring lives back to life. If that was the case, I would never have come this far.

Then what is this?

"I will not repeat myself. Tell me what's going on, or I'll force it out of your mouth."

Again. Past habits are the hardest to forget. I quietly grit my teeth out of resentment. To whatever lies beyond this white expanse, and to myself.

[There is no need for such threat, Your Highness. My power is failing, this is the only chance.]

Hazy voices pierced the gaps between my ears, driving me into an excruciating pain. Yet I still find the strength to ask.

"Only chance for what?"

[For salvation…] "…of the Tree. For…" […the continuation of the eternity.] "For the chance to correct the future of your world."

Hundreds, no, thousands of voices spoke in all forms of tones and melody, orchestrating a harmony of pain and resonation. I can feel the anguish in their voices, along with their hope. But since the beginning, no voice would ever reach me. 

"Then you're speaking with the wrong man. I have no duty to do your bidding, nor I could care any less. Whatever happens to the world is the problem of the living, not the dead." At least, not mine. "Now tell me who you are, how are you doing this?" 

[I am nothing, and I did nothing. This all roots from a hope, my lord, from something, someone.... Your memories have begun to fade, Your Highness, but this is no longer an affair only the living realm should resolve. You must remember.]

The moment the voices spoke, visions forced themselves through my eyes. The white soon begun to be filled with colors, and broken images appeared one after another. 

"I do remember."

My world, or at least how the world had been the moment of my death. 

Blazing destruction devoured the earth in every corners of the living, ruthless cold freezes countless lives until they became but shells of the dying, the world quakes as if crying in pain, and the sky opened as it fell down the world. Death is both indiscriminate and unjust. As the strong preys upon the weak, strength faces the same imminence and fickleness of dying still. But it is like this even before the day the sun blackened, and the night a nightmare devoured the world's moon. 

"Humanity deserve this fate." 

The images of chaos and apocalypse are as vivid as the time I happened to be there. There is nothing worth saving, it has always been that merciless, then or now. The salvation these mysterious voices talked about is no more but a desperate attempt to shy from the inevitable. It's both fragile and hopeless. 

[Marvius Yrian Verelise can never become a hero, nor is he the face of judgment as well.]

The voices said, as if reading something from a book. I felt my throat tightening hearing those words, as it's the truth. There would be times that I lost myself amidst this overwhelming feeling...that I wish everything had been part of a static nightmare, and maybe fate can let these nightmares be mine, I can do that much at least. Maybe something like a book...so all tragedies, all emotions, would easily lose its burden, and meaning. It's cowardice, I knew, but only heroes bear the responsibility for bravery. 

[There are others, all facing the peril of their worlds' destruction.]

I asked, "Can saving my world prevent these things from occuring?"

[It shall, Your Highness. All leaves are connected through strings of breathing time, knitting them all around the fabric of all existences. The firelights of Fates chooses their Victors to truss that fabric at the branches of the Tree of All Worlds, but you are not the Victor, you are something else.]

Absolute genius. Does it expect me to understand all these things, then say "oh, that makes perfect sense?" I skillfully forced the irritation down my throat, opting to ask the voices instead. 

"Why not give your errand to the Victor of my world, instead of wasting your time on me?" Perhaps not being a victor would probably make me incredulously stupid I'll be fooled into doing their bidding. I'm glad that's not the case.

[The Victor...is gone. Vanished into the unseen. Even if he's here, he doesn't possess the Affinity that only Your Highness, a Lich's Fragment, have in the lifeline that you are in.] The voices paused, losing its own composure. [The Fates wrote your story. You're not a hero willing to risk its life in order to save the lives of others, nor a judgement willing to surrender from vanity to uphold the benefit of the greater good. But the First Timekeeper have seen it. Perhaps you can be the maker of your own future. Out of all the Fragments that have passed the time of your world, only you have been strong enough to resist the greed to bring the lives of all your loved ones back from their slumber. Only you chose the path against the dark arts. Grand Duke Marvius Yrian Verelise, the Second, Overlord of the Fourth Realm, side with our cause...and perhaps you might reach the epilogue you have been longing for.]

"Perhaps, you say." It happened again, I listening to another rambling of promises for a better chance. It's stupid, everything is. Why does everything has to act this foolish?

I couldn't help myself, revealing a cruel smile plastered on my lips. "Then perhaps I can lead the world into further deaths and destruction. Something grander, befitting of name like mine." I laughed, forcing the breath out my tongue. "How would you all like that?"

The voice gave no answer. 

The sad, pitiful noise lasted for only a little bit, fading back to my lips.

"Can you at least remove my Affinity, all this?" The sound that'd left my mouth is broken with fragility that I couldn't recognize it as my own. "My curse…can you remove it from me?" 

[My deepest apology for I do not possess the ability to do so.]

"Then what can you do?!"

The moment my tone sharpened, I immediately filled my breath with control. I am past the point of carelessness, I must never break. 

"Tell me, what can you do for me then?" This time, my tone is softer and still. 

I am prepared now, at least. To whatever the mysterious voices may do to me. 

[My Affinity lies at the heart of the First Timekeeper. To the point where the Tree haven't begun to darken yet, I shall take you, but only up to that point. What lies next is all within your hands.]

Suddenly, the lights spread across the vast expanse. Images blurred, broke, and begun to devour the spaces I am in. The wisp of light whispered through my skin, as if unraveling within my flesh. 

I can become a new person. A better, kinder alternate. Someone who cares about the future of the Unified Realm, someone who would never cross the line. Maybe I don't even have to do anything, I'm one of the catalyst that have had led to the world's ruthless fate after all. Maybe I can prevent countless death from happening, maybe I can stop countless evil from being born into the world. 

But that's the story of other people. Maybe the story of that Victor, had he only been chosen to okay this fool's errand instead of I. Just like what the voices said, I am no hero. 

Grand Duke Verelise had been one of the worst threat the realm has ever face, yet here he is. Already dead, yet still given in his hand is the fate of the world's future. Even I would laugh at the irony. 

[I shall not give you words of encouragement, nor advices for your actions…]

"A wise decision." I never needed any, anyway. 

[But I can give precaution to you, o' Your Highness.] "The moment the branches begun to darken, whatever lies deep in the unknown have long been awakened. We can never say for a certainty, but… I feel that it's waiting."

Before I can say anything else, everything then went light and heavy at the same time. I felt like I'm drowning inside a still water, strings slithered all around the world, raveling and unraveling.

The inks are black and silver, but when it entered the fabrics of the water, it became him.

I opened my eyes to the sound of silence. I opened my eyes…to the sight of the world ten years ago.

Hi again. This is the revised version of the prologue, I just change things a little bit. No big changes, just enough to play with stuff. For the readers who did read the first version, please give this one a shot. I don't know, maybe it's better or something? Thanks! :>