Cronus' system: Against the gods

Chapter 8: Death

"Dammit! Dammit!! Dammit!!!" Rex cursed at his helplessness once more. He could feel the destruction around him, the city he stayed was now left in ruins, the soldiers were risking their lives to fight along with other people who had awakened and yet he could do nothing.

Suddenly, a monster from afar flashed its deadly gaze upon Rex. It was a massive, hulking beast, covered in dark, matted fur, with eyes that burned with an unnatural, malevolent glow. Its jagged teeth gleamed as it let out a guttural snarl, and without warning, it charged toward Rex with terrifying speed.

Rex felt his heart racing as he watched the creature charging at him, the earth shook with every step the monster took. His legs were like blocks of lead, he could not move, and his body was paralyzed with fear. The stone in his hand was still lifeless, indifferent, laughing at his pathetic attempts to gain strength.

"Get out of the way, damn it!" Rex shouted at himself, but his body did not respond to his command. The only thing he could do was to stand and wait as the creature advanced towards him, its body getting bigger and uglier with every passing moment. The cries of the battle were drowned out by the noise of his own panting and the heavy footfalls of the monster.

As the beast was upon him, a flash of light came from the stone in his hand. For a brief moment, Rex felt a ray of hope, a chance that something would occur this time. The light was bright, clean, and it appeared to drive away the darkness that surrounded him.

But as quickly as it appeared, the light flickered and died, leaving Rex standing there, once again powerless. The stone, now dim, slipped from his trembling fingers and fell to the ground with a soft thud.

"No...no!" Rex cried out, his voice breaking. The beast was almost on him now, its jaws open wide, ready to tear him apart.

In those final moments, time seemed to slow. Rex's mind raced, memories flooding in about his parents, the promises he had made, the people he wanted to protect. He had failed them all. He had failed himself.

The beast's hot breath washed over him, its foul stench filling his nostrils. Rex closed his eyes, bracing for the end. He could feel the creature's presence looming over him, its shadow swallowing him whole.

But then, amidst the fear and despair, a strange calm settled over Rex. He opened his eyes, looking up at the beast with a quiet resolve. If this was how it was going to end, then he would face it, not as a helpless boy, but as someone who tried, who fought against the impossible odds.

The beast lunged, its claws slicing through the air. There was a moment of searing pain as they tore into his flesh, a sharp, unbearable agony that surged through his entire body. Rex gasped, his knees buckling beneath him as blood poured from the deep wounds.

He crumpled to the ground, his vision fading as the world around him blurred. The sounds of battle grew distant, muffled as if he were slipping away from reality. The last thing he saw was the beast standing over him, its eyes no longer filled with malice, but something else, something almost like...recognition.

And then, everything went dark.

Rex's body lay still on the shattered pavement, the life slowly draining from him. The stone, now cracked and lifeless, rolled a few inches away from his outstretched hand. The city continued to burn, the battle raged on, but for Rex, it was over.

"I'll be meeting you soon, Mum... Dad..." Rex managed to mutter as his consciousness started fading away, his vision blurring. Amidst the haze, he suddenly saw the city, which had been in ruins moments before, now restored to its original state. The streets were clean, the buildings stood tall, and there were no monsters in sight. Cars passed by as if nothing had happened, completely ignoring his broken body on the ground.

"What... what... what's going... on?" Rex muttered again, confusion mingling with the pain that wracked his body. He couldn't die without understanding what was happening. With immense effort, he tried to push himself up, his muscles screaming in protest. But just as he struggled to rise, a cold, masculine voice cut through the air, freezing him in place.

"Hmph, you're a strong kid, even without abilities," the voice said.

Rex's heart skipped a beat. He recognized that voice. Twisting his head, he caught sight of the man from before, the one who had wielded the staff and summoned the monsters. But now, the man looked different, dressed like a normal citizen, with his hands casually tucked into his pockets. The staff was gone, and he seemed completely at ease amidst the chaos.

"H...help... help..." Rex whispered, his voice weak as he stretched a trembling hand toward the man. It was a desperate, futile plea, but he had nothing left to lose.

The man's cold gaze fell on Rex, his expression unreadable. "I'm sorry, kid," he said, though his tone carried no hint of regret. "People like you aren't needed in society."

There was a finality in his words that sent a shiver down Rex's spine. The man stepped closer, looming over Rex, his shadow swallowing the dying boy in darkness. Rex could barely keep his eyes open now, his strength ebbing away with every passing second. The pain in his chest was overwhelming, each breath more difficult than the last.

"Why...?" Rex managed to choke out, his voice barely audible. He needed to know why this was happening, why he had been singled out, why he had been left to die like this.

The man crouched down beside Rex, his face inches from the boy's. His eyes were cold, devoid of empathy. "Because you're different, Rex. And in our society, difference is a threat. We can't afford to have someone like you disrupting the order."

Rex's vision was nearly gone now, the world around him reduced to a blur of colors and shapes. The man's words echoed in his mind, filling him with a despair deeper than any he had ever known. He had always felt like he didn't belong, but to hear it confirmed in his final moments was a cruelty he hadn't expected.

The man stood up again, looking down at Rex with an air of indifference. "It's nothing personal," he said, turning away. "Just the way things are."

As the man walked away, Rex felt his body growing colder, the life slipping away from him. His mind drifted back to his parents, to the promises he had made, to the future he would never see. Tears welled up in his eyes, but there was no more strength left in him to cry.

The last thing he saw before everything went dark was the city around him, whole, undisturbed as if none of it had ever happened. As if his existence had never mattered.

Congratulations boy, you've awakened the Cronus' system

Rex's vision faded completely, and for a moment, there was nothing, just an endless, dark void. The pain, the chaos, the destruction, all of it was gone, replaced by a silence so that seemed to swallow him whole.

He was floating, weightless, in a place where time itself felt meaningless. There was no up or down, no sense of direction. Just emptiness. For a moment, Rex wondered if this was what death felt like, a never-ending void where he would drift forever, forgotten and alone.

But then, a light appeared in the distance. It was faint at first, just a tiny light in the darkness, but it grew steadily brighter, more intense. The light wasn't warm or welcoming; it was cold, ancient, and powerful, carrying with it a sense of timelessness that made Rex's heart race.

As the light expanded, it revealed a towering figure standing in the void. The figure was massive, larger than anything Rex had ever seen, and yet there was a certain grace to its form. It was humanoid in shape, but its features were shrouded in shadows, save for its eyes, glowing orbs that seemed to contain the birth and death of stars.

This was no ordinary being. This was Cronus, the Titan of Time, the ancient force that governed the flow of past, present, and future. Rex could feel the weight of Cronus's gaze upon him, pinning him in place, rendering him utterly powerless.

Cronus spoke, and his voice was like the grinding of iron, deep and resonant, reverberating through the void.

"Mortal child, you stand at the threshold of time, where few have dared to tread. You have been chosen, not by fate, but by necessity."

Rex felt a shiver run down his spine. There was no warmth in Cronus's voice, only an ancient, impassive authority. The Titan's words carried the weight of ages as if each speech had been formed from the very essence of time itself.

Cronus extended a hand, and in the palm of that colossal hand, Rex saw images flickering—his life, his struggles, his failures. The loss of his parents, his desperate attempts to awaken, the moment of his death. It was all there, laid bare before the Titan.

"You seek power, yet you have failed to awaken in the manner of your peers. This failure is not a flaw, but a divergence. You are not bound by the limitations of ordinary mortals. You are to be the vessel of my power, the Harbinger of Time."

Rex struggled to find his voice, his mind reeling from the enormity of what was happening. "Why...why me?" he managed to whisper, his voice trembling in the presence of the Titan.

Cronus's eyes bore into Rex's soul, as if weighing his very essence. "Because you are unshackled by time's flow, because you have faced the abyss and did not break. You are malleable, capable of becoming something more, something eternal. But know this: with this power comes great peril. The control of time is no gift,

Rex felt a wave of fear wash over him, but there was something else too, hope. The idea that he could rise above his failures, that he could become something greater, something powerful.

"What...what do I have to do?" Rex asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Cronus's form seemed to grow even larger, more imposing, the very fabric of the void trembled in his presence.

"You must master the flow of time, bend it to your will. But be warned: time is a force that defies control. It is alive, a river that seeks its own path. If you are to wield it, you must become one with it. There will be no room for error, no second chances. Should you falter, you will be consumed by the very power you seek to command."

Rex swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Cronus's words. The stakes were higher than he had ever imagined. He had wanted power, but this...this was something beyond power. It was responsibility, destiny, and danger all wrapped into one.

Cronus lowered his hand, and the images of Rex's past faded away, replaced by a single glowing light, a symbol of infinity, the endless loop of time.

"I offer you this power, Rex. The power to change your fate, to rewrite the past, to shape the future. But know that once you accept, there is no turning back. You will be bound to time, and it to you. Your life will no longer be your own."

"Wait! Are you connected to the stone I held?" Rex suddenly asked.

"Yes, the stone was imbued with my will. Though I know not how your parents came to possess it, the power within it has now passed to you."

"I accept!!!" Rex shouted. So his shy stone wasn't too shy but why the hell did it have to wait for his death?

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