Many Years into the Future!

The 7th Realm!

A lone figure walked across a massive landscape dotted with gargantuan mountain ranges that reached high into the vaults of the heavens. They were covered in heavy snowfall and thick ice with dark stormy clouds overhead and snowy white trees covering the terrain. 

A severe blizzard had come down with such ferocity that it blocked nearly all sight except for only a few inches up ahead. The temperature had dropped down to nearly absolute zero, and the biting cold gripped the solitary man in its icy grasp. 

Lucian Arcades or better known as Paradox, the Time Lord, one of the great… and last remaining Champion of Humanity wade through the deep heavy snow. His cloaked figure was only a tiny blip in the vast sweeping snowy-white environment.

He was all alone now with nobody by his side. Everyone he knew or held dear was dead! 

He was now the last remaining human alive on this floor!

He continued trodding along, heedless of any direction he was going in as he had long resigned himself to his fate.

Images kept on replaying in his mind of the slaughter that took place when they immediately stepped into the 7th floor. Their enemy seemed to be waiting for them as soon as they arrived… almost as if they had word beforehand. 

They were told from the beginning that the next 3 floors would be on a whole nother level of difficulty. But they could never have imagined that they would face such overwhelming and terrifying might. 

They numbered 10,000 souls! The greatest and most powerful warriors and heroes that humanity had to offer… or at least all that was left to give. 

In truth, they were a poultry amount. Due to infighting, scheming, wars, and many great disasters, humanity had become a shadow of its former self. There were so few great powerhouses remaining, that they couldn’t even achieve an inkling of their once glorious power. 

But still, they were all that was left, and they were humanity's last hope! Billions of people were counting on them to clear the way up ahead or else all of mankind as they knew it would be doomed forever, trapped in this nightmarish death game for all of eternity. 

And they couldn’t let that happen. They had already seen the outcome of that, and it wasn’t pleasant at all!

Thus they had arrived here in all their might and glory, presenting a unified front for the first time in a very long time. Or at least the closest thing to it. 

For too long the varying leaders of humanity have gotten used to ruling by themselves, breeding too much arrogance and pretentious self-importance. Even he wasn’t exempt from the massive ego and cult personality that made him clash heads with others!

Still, their foes only numbered in the hundred or so, a force 100 times smaller than theirs. And despite it all, they were the ones who had lost in the end! 

They had given it their all and used all their abilities and tricks they had up their sleeves, but it didn’t matter one bit since their enemies were way out of their league. 

One by one, the Time Lord recalled all his fallen comrades and allies that died in the field of battle. 

The British Sword Saintess Artoria Pendragon!

The Chinese Fairy Goddess Xi Shi!

The Swedish Valkyrie Queen Freyja Brynhildr!

The Syrian Golden Lion Hamza Al-Ayubi!

The Indian Great Sage Gautama Gandhi!

The South Africian Storm Father Noah Mandela!

The French Ice Empress Catherine Moreau!

The Native American Shaman Chieftess Nokia Momoa!

The Indonesian Sea Master Joey Salim!

The Brazilian King of Beasts Lucas Santos!

And so many more! Countless more that he didn’t even recognize or know their names, but their faces still haunted his waking mind.

But most of all, the blow that struck closest to home... was her death.

Suddenly from far off into the distance, there was the deep rumble of something very heavy and massive coming his way. 

Looking up, Lucian saw gargantuan shadows in the distance that vastly eclipsed him and blotted out the sky. 

“Hehehe,” a thin rasping chuckle tinged with madness escaped his lips. It seemed like they found him! Finally, at long last, he could put an end to this charade! 

Standing there and waiting for his foes to come to him, their outlines started to become clearer. Meanwhile, the blizzard which had been raging this whole time suddenly started to settle down as if under the command of someone. 

Lucian took in the colossal monstrosity in all their glory; they were humanoid in shape except for the fact that they stood as tall as the mountains all around them with massive bison-like horns, pale icy blue skin, and snowy white hair and beards. 

They were beings plucked right out of legends and tales told throughout antiquity, Giants or Jötunn whatever you might call them!

In the center of the group was one giant that stood out. In its hand was a massive pale white-blue spear as long as a skyscraper back on earth, a jagged white crown made of ice rested on its brows, its long flowing white-blue hair fell behind its back and its beard was braided in an intricate manner. 

The giant was decked out in fine armor with runes engraved on them, a white fur-lined mantle from some unknown creature rested on his shoulders, and its eyes were so pure white that they look irisless. 

With a flick of his hand, Lucian held his weapon in his hand; it had seen him through countless fights up these 7 floors that made up this hellhole and helped him cut down innumerable foes. 

He pointed his weapon at the King of the Ice Giants and addressed him while trying his best to keep hold of his rage… For it had been the one who struck her down right before his eyes. 

“It is so good of you all to finally make it,” Lucian said in a frosty tone as cold as this frozen tundra. He stared at the forces arrayed against him. They were here in all their number, with thousands upon thousands of giants circling him from all sides.

Truly humanity stood no chance to begin with! 

Still, this will make what he is about to do so much easier and satisfying. 

“You should feel honored,” the Giant King called out as he gazed down at him. “You are the one amongst your fellows that gave us the most trouble and even managed to escape! Though it all ends here, today!” 

“Hahaha, is that what you think?” Lucian asked as the madness in his eyes grew. If there were any of his allies left that knew him, it was obvious that he was about to do something very foolish and crazy. 

“Come now and accept your fate,” the Giant King uttered with all the arrogance of someone who was assured of his victory. “And don’t blame us for the faith that has befallen you! We are all the same here, trapped here in this endless cycle thanks to their hands.” 

“Tsk!” A sneer spread across Lucian's face, but he bite back whatever retort he was about to say. What would even be the point since this was the end now?

Looking up at the sky which was now clear as blue, Lucian made peace with himself and muttered in a low tone only he could hear. “Finally I can join you all!” Images of people he once held dear and knew as comrades flashed through his mind as he took them in one final time.

Staring back at the giants with a serene smile on his face, Lucian called out. “I really must thank you for letting me wipe you all out together at once!” 

For some reason, the Ice Giant King didn’t like that look on his face and reached out uselessly with his arm as he shouted. “STOP HIM!” 

But it was too late. 

Holding out his right hand up in the air, in a blur of motion his hand reached into his chest… literally. 

The only thing that echoed out in the vast landscape was the sound of crunching bone and the wet squirt of blood. Slowly, ever so slowly, Lucian pulled his hand out inch by inch as it was covered in slick fluid and gore. Blood rolled down from the corner of his lips as Paradox, the Time Lord, Master of Time, and Legendary Hero of Humanity held his still living beating heart in his hand. 

“Who knew I would ever have to use this,” he said as he glanced at his own heart in open fascination. “But hey, better to be prepared than sorry, huh?!” 

No one replied to his quip as they were all too aghast with shock and horror at his action. 

Nevertheless, Lucian still continued monologuing as if he was all too happy to spill the beans on his master plan. 

“You all might be wondering what the hell I just did. But don’t worry, there is a perfectly good reason for it. You see, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill heart over here. No siree! I have specifically prepared it in case of emergencies, and shit had hit the fan.”

Still, there was silence as every Giant held their bated breath, waiting for him to finish. 

“Don’t you get it,” Lucian gleefully said like a schoolchild showing off his prized possession to everyone. “This is a ticking Time Bomb with a big old Paradox trapped within it.” 

Immediately he broke out into laughter, and the King of the Ice Giant stared at him as if he had lost his mind, and whispered. “You are mad! Y-you know you will also be killing yourself too, right?!” 

“So?” Lucian asked as his features quickly changed on the drop of the hat and went blank. “You have seen to the death and destruction of everyone I loved or cared for. So what’s the point in even living anymore?” 

“We c-can come to some sort of accord,” the Giant King uselessly pleaded as the tables turned on him. No being, whether great or small, wanted to risk their own death! But the Giant King seemed to forget one simple rule; never corner an injured beast or else you will get more than you bargained for!

Lucian paused as if almost considering it, then turned to face the Giant King and decisively said with a hint of finality. “NO!”

As if that was the straw that broke the camel’s back, the Giant King let out a loud roar of anger and desperation as he and his fellow warriors charged heedlessly at the lone human figure. 

Lucian just simply smiled at the great onrushing horde of giants. He felt cold more so than ever before as his very life ebbed and flowed out of him. He was still only standing by pure will alone. 

Letting out a long sigh that seemed to encompass all his burdens and sorrow, Lucian Arcades crushed his own heart in his hand into a bloody pulp!

All the energy and power built up in that one organ was let loose in a big violent explosion that ripped out everywhere. And this wasn’t your mundane fiery eruption, but one far from it. 

Like a black hole, everything was sucked in and was spewed out in a distorted volatile pulse. Reality seemed to break into countless broken mirror shards as time literally collapsed in on itself. 

At the very last moment, Lucian entered a state he was all too familiar with at this point. Everything all around him seemed to come to a crawling halt while his mind ran at abnormal speed. 

But in fact, that was just a trick of his mind. Time was still moving at regular speed all around him as his body, which was at the epicenter of the explosion, was being disintegrated right before his very eyes.

Yet his mind was in a state where it was perceiving time at a fraction of a fraction of a millisecond. It was a simple application of his power that he had long mastered. 

“Ahhh,” Lucian thought. “So this is it, huh? The end of my story!” 

Lucian watched as inch by inch his body crumbled into small particles and motes. He felt no pain at all since this was only happening in a matter of seconds. Nor did he feel any sadness for his imminent death.

He felt at peace with himself for the first time in a long time as he tried to let go of all his earthly desires and concerns. Yet there was this insistent nagging feeling that wouldn’t leave him alone. 

Humanity was utterly and completely doomed now that all its last few remaining powerhouses were dead. The last few vestiges of humanity would become nothing more than servants for the Tower eking out a miserable existence.

And looking back at the past, there had been so many deaths and catastrophes that could have been avoided. From the Great Supremacy Wars that were akin to the World Wars back on Earth, to the losses of some floors to the endless tides of monsters, to the Villians, Psychopath, and Warlords that rouse up and caused many heartaches to humanity, and so much grief and suffering,

If only he had a chance to go back in time, and fix it all!

It was hopeful thinking… but wasn’t his power the command over Time itself.

Like lightning striking him, all at once, his thoughts raced through and fro as Lucian ran through countless scenarios until he knew only one option was left for him. Sighing, Lucian figured there was rest for the wicked. 

In the end, it seemed like he wouldn’t be getting his long desired rest after all. 

Rewinding time completely all the way to the beginning of it all was something theoretical he never dared to ever think about fully. But now that he was on his last leg, what was even the point in denying himself the satisfaction of trying.

The damage to his body now had reached up to his waist as his bottom portion was completely gone. Time for all it was worth wasn’t on his side anymore. The clock was ticking and if he wanted to do anything at all to save all of mankind, he had to act right now. 

Throughout his years in the Tower, Lucian slowly began to get a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of time. Time was like a river. All beings only went straight down the stream. 

His powers however let him interact with this so-called river and dip his toes within it. But until now he never dared to go up against the stream!

His body at this point was all but gone as it was disintegrated up to his neck now. All that was letting him continue on at this point with the final firing of his neurons.

So that meant physical going back was out of the option. Thus he only had one avenue available to him, and he hoped and prayed it would work out. If not… then it would be truly game over.

Focusing all his will and power, Lucian conjured up a clock in his mind and imagined himself slowly turning back the hand of time. He went faster and faster until it was only a kaleidoscope of spinning motion. 

He didn’t know if he would break reality itself with his action or create an unforeseen paradox. But at this point, who really cared!

With reckless abandonment, he shouted. “TURN BACK THE WHEEL OF TIME TO THE BEGINNING OF IT ALL!” 

With a great final bang, time seemed to catch up to itself as the explosion swallowed everyone up including him and all the giants, and continued spreading all across the whole floor, laying waste to everything and everyone!

Then Lucian Arcades knew no more!

***

Ice Giant King(Thrym): https://natasailincic.tumblr.com/post/79987097898/%C3%BErymr-thrymr-thrym-uproar-was-king-of-the