"All right, we wasted enough time. This memory dive took too long."
Pandora clapped, and the scenery changed. Theon found himself standing on a stone platform, inside some kind of ancient temple. In front of him was a stone throne. Pandora was sitting on it.
"Theon Rivenhart Ignisborn. Here you stand at the crossroads of destiny, as does every ascendant who came before you. Your fate is no longer determined by others but by your own will. All the effort you put in, all the sacrifices you made, brought you this far. As you have broken through the constraints of strength placed on humanity, the level cap shall no longer affect you."
"Here, at this crossroads, you must make your choice. Whether to go back to being how you were or become something more. Decide what you will become."
"You have slain war by putting your life on the line and saving lives, depicting the actions of a savior."
"You have earned the loyalty of countless people and vanquished countless enemies single-handedly while resisting the strength of the apostle of lost love, depicting the actions of an absolute monarch. You possessed the potential to protect all creation or devour it all."
"Which path shall you take, for it shall change the future of countless people for better or worse."
Two portals opened on his either side. Theon locked his eyes on the portal on the right. It was a similar scene. Same as what Azrivel showed him. He saw countless people of various races, Werewolves, Vampires, Dragon kin, Elves, Humans, and Demons, standing side by side in harmony.
Theon saw himself revered as a savior who protected their lives and their peace. A beautiful and idealistic future that Adrian once achieved. Then he looked towards the left portal, which showed a completely different scenery.
He saw Varenthis Castle. He saw the throne room. He saw himself sitting on the emperor's throne. Long black hair, piercing blue eyes. He saw four individuals bowing their heads. The avatars. Behind them, countless people, nobles and royalty alike, knelt on the ground. He saw absolute loyalty in their eyes. Not from love but from fear.
This version of Theon dominated everything as an absolute being. He crushed his enemies mercilessly, dominated others, and ensured proper order, discipline, justice, and punishment. He sought to devour and conquer everything in his path, ruling the world in the right way. His gaze was similar to Reyna's. It's the same path she is taking right now.
Seeing this, Theon sighed. There was a dream he had once. Something impossible to achieve. Yet, these two versions of himself have gotten closest to that goal. But it's still not enough. He has seen the fate of the saviour. People will keep relying on him. He will be taken advantage of and will be discarded when there was no more use. Once the savior goes down, everyone who relied on him will inevitably fall.
Ironically, being a monarch who oppresses everything is the opposite path from a savior, but still carries the same result. In fact, his subjects will probably rejoice in his fall and eventually fall with him. Nothing lasts forever, after all. Such a path would she so much blood and take countless lives. I will become the very thing I detested. He took a deep breath and spoke,
"Neither of these paths will reach my destination. I have no intention of oppressing anyone, as I know how that feels."
He took a step forward.
"I have no intention of becoming an emblem of hope, eventually to see it all break down."
He looked Pandora in the eye and spoke solemnly.
"My wish is to be neither a monarch nor a savior. My wish is to create a world where everyone can write their own stories. A world where people do not have to rely on saviors or monarchs but take charge of their own fate."
Theon took a deep breath and spoke loudly.
"I wish to reach the peak of this world and wish to take all of humanity with me. I wish to walk by their side, not conquering or liberating, but running side by side. If the era demands the existence of savors, monarchs, and avatars, I will move the era itself."
Pandora was quiet for a while. And then she smiled.
"As expected, you chose the thorniest path. You would've succeeded easily in both other paths but chose the most difficult one."
Then she spoke with a serious tone.
"This will not be easy. You will suffer a lot. People will continuously question you, underestimate you, and betray you. You will lose many allies, friends, or even lovers."
"Your opponents have already achieved unattainable strength, influence, and power. People who were once your allies will become your enemies. Apostle of lost love, avatar of time, and even the lost prince of sins. And worse, you have yet to realize the true enemy you're supposed to face."
Theon spoke with unwavering confidence.
"Even still, I will not change my mind. As for this enemy I'm supposed to face,"
Theon smirked.
"I'm not a fool, Pandora. Adrian's transmigration, Reyna's regression, Adrian's death, and Azrivel's return. All of these events were orchestrated by someone. A higher being that is capable of manipulating primordial goddesses. Someone who's moving us like pawns on a chessboard. I will eventually have to confront that person."
"in order to achieve my dream, I will gladly participate in this play of destiny, and I will win."
As he spoke these words, an emblem appeared on the back of his left arm. It started shining in cyan light. His pupils glowed blue, his hair started floating upwards, and a translucent silhouette of an emerald flame appeared around him.
Seeing this, Pandora burst out laughing.
"That's sure as hell gonna be an interesting story. I look forward to your future kids."
She calmed down and looked directly at him.
"You have chosen a different path from Adrian. Along the way, you have shed all his influence and become an independent person. Our work is almost done. Only one thing left, kid. After that, you will wake up as an ascendant not bound by fate."
"You have one last thing passed down from Adrian. As you have made your choice, it's time to say goodbye."
As soon as she finished speaking, a blue translucent window appeared in front of him.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION:
SYSTEM TERMINATION IS IN PROGRESS. HOST SHALL HAVE ACCESS TO THE STATUS WINDOW. BUT ALL OTHER FUNCTIONS SHALL BE TERMINATED.
IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR SERVING YOU, HOST. GOODBYE.