Before Taufik could take another step, a thought struck him.

Because of his own actions, the Void Century on his Earth had never happened, no, it had ceased to happen. With Gaia freed, the flow of mana on Earth had never grown corrupt enough for the Gates of Hell to open at will, and thus the continuation of the Great War had been erased from history.

And yet… in the first place, the reason Thalia had ended up on his Earth was because of that Great War.

He understood the paradox well enough: even if he had changed the past, anything he had already done before that change would remain fixed in time. Only events not directly tied to his own actions would shift.

So how, then, had Thalia come to Earth?

Taufik didn't know. But one thing was certain, he had been the one who sent her back home. That much was fact.

He exhaled slowly... The realization weighed heavier than any blade.

If his actions had truly rewritten the timeline, then this version of Thalia had never fought in the Great War.

Maybe she had never even crossed into his Earth at all.

And yet... her soul still remembered him.

That paradox alone was enough to twist the foundation of reality.

"Causality doesn't bend like this," he muttered. "It loops… then breaks"

The ground beneath his feet shimmered, light fracturing like ripples across glass. Álfheimr itself seemed uncertain of what it was supposed to remember, the version of reality that once was, or the one that now existed.

A soft hum rose from the air. Not wind. Not mana. But a Thought.

Then he felt them.

Hundreds of presences, bright as stars, closing in from every direction. Wings of light beat the air above him, forming geometric patterns, defensive arrays woven from pure will and song.

Taufik looked up. "So they come," he whispered, almost amused.

Moments later, the sky bloomed with radiant forms, Elven warriors of the Celestial Guard, their living crystal armor refracting the world into prisms of color, their spears of light all aimed downward. The glow danced across Taufik's eyes, but his expression remained unreadable.

Their formation split as a greater presence descended, commanding and radiant, like a morning star in motion.

From their midst emerged Caelir Ljósaara, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Light. His silver armor shimmered faintly with runes older than time itself, and in his hand, he carried a blade forged from condensed sunlight.

When he spoke, his voice bore both the grace of nobility and the weight of divine command.

"Stranger of the Void," he declared, his words resonating through the mana-fields. "You stand upon the sacred soil of Álfheimr unbidden. Name yourself, or be cast beyond the Nine Realms"

Taufik tilted his head slightly. "...That sounds interesting"

"Then you admit your intrusion," Caelir said sharply. "Your very presence disrupts the Light. Whatever you are, you were not called here"

Taufik sighed faintly. "You sound like the others I've met across worlds. Always assuming Light is the only harmony worth keeping"

The Celestials shifted uneasily, their wings flaring at his words.

"Careful with your tongue," one of them hissed.

Taufik's gaze swept over them, calm, almost bored. "Relax. If I wanted to destroy your world, I could do it with a flick of my hand"

A murmur rippled through their ranks. Even Caelir's grip on his sword tightened slightly.

Then, just as the tension reached its peak-

A voice cut through the air.

"Enough!"

Caelir froze. His expression faltered.

Light gathered behind him, folding into a radiant bloom. From it stepped Thalia, her presence softer but no less commanding. Her hair gleamed like woven sunlight, and her emerald eyes widened as they met Taufik's.

"Lower your weapons," she ordered.

"But, Princess-"

"That's an order!"

The Celestials hesitated, then obeyed.

The air stilled. The song of Álfheimr resumed, tentative, but alive.

Taufik turned slightly, meeting her gaze fully.

It had been lifetimes, universes, and rewoven realities since he'd last seen her, and yet… somehow, she was exactly as he remembered.

"...Yo, Isshin. Long time no see," he said quietly.

Thalia's lips trembled, caught between disbelief and a smile.

"You… you really are Taufik, aren't you?"

"Hm~ do you know anyone else as handsome as I am?" Taufik replied with a faint grin, his eyes softening with recognition. "So it's true, you're a princess, huh?"

Hearing the exchange between his sister and the stranger, Caelir approached cautiously. "...Do you know him, Thalia?" he whispered.

"Mm~ more than just know," Thalia murmured, descending gracefully until she stood before Taufik. Her gaze swept over him, studying every change.

"...You've changed," she said softly.

"Something like that is bound to happ-" Taufik didn't finish. He didn't see it coming, not because he didn't expect it, but because he didn't think she would actually do it.

Thalia closed the distance between them, far too close, and suddenly, she embraced him.

For a heartbeat, Taufik froze. Unconsciously, he lifted his hands halfway.

"...Issh-Thalia," he began, awkwardly. "I don't remember us being this close. It's not that I mind, but… we didn't have that kind of relationship, right?" He spoke carefully, unsure whether the history he remembered matched the one she knew.

"I…" Thalia's voice broke, a quiet sob escaping her. Taufik felt the warmth of her tears seeping through his clothes.

"I thought you were just my imagination," she whispered. "That everything I experienced on Earth was only an illusion. I visited Midgard, but it was so different from the Earth I once knew. I didn't know what was real anymore. But now you're here… now I know it was real. All of it. I'm so relieved"

Taufik said nothing for a moment. Silence fell between them, heavy and tender.

Then, slowly, he lowered his hands and exhaled. He wanted to comfort her, to say something, anything, but a voice cut through the stillness.

"Hands, stranger!" Caelir shouted, his sword flaring with light.

Taufik didn't even turn his head.

"It's fine," he said calmly, his hand gently resting on Thalia's back. "I'm here. It's all real"

He spoke not just to reassure her, but to remind himself.

--------

The air inside the Celestial Hall shimmered like molten dawn. Pillars of crystal light reached high into the heavens, their surfaces alive with flowing runes that pulsed in rhythm with the Queen's breath. On either side of the grand chamber, the Celestial Guard knelt in reverent silence, their armor gleaming with threads of gold and starlight.

And before the throne of radiance, stood Taufik.

At the highest seat sat a woman whose presence could bend the very light around her. Her beauty was ageless, serene, her hair a cascade of sunlight, her eyes holding centuries of dawns within them. Though she resembled Thalia, there was a stillness in her gaze that only eternity could shape.

She was Queen Lysandra Ljósaara, The Dawnmother, Sovereign of the Kingdom of Light.

To her right sat Crown Prince Caelir Ljósaara, clad in silver armor, the emblem of the Dawnwardens upon his chest. His every motion radiated discipline, controlled, sharp, and heavy with pride.

Beside him sat Princess Elaria Ljósaara, her eyes veiled with a band of silver cloth. Even covered, Taufik could feel something emanating from her, an awareness that reached beyond sight, brushing faintly against him.

Next was Prince Ardyn Ljósaara, lounging with his chin resting against his hand, a faint, knowing smile tugging at his lips. His eyes gleamed not with hostility, but with curiosity, the look of a man who enjoyed watching the world's certainties unravel.

And at the end, her expression a fragile mix of relief and disbelief, sat Princess Thalia, the youngest.

Her eyes met his, soft, hesitant, but filled with the same warmth.

---

Queen Lysandra's voice broke the silence, calm yet commanding, "State your name, O Stranger of the Void"

Taufik didn't answer immediately. He studied her, her glow, her stillness, the faint hum of divine mana in the air around her. Though her face seemed youthful, her presence told another story. This was no ordinary queen.

This was a being who had watched time itself bow.

Caelir's patience broke first. "Stranger, the Mother Queen is asking yo-"

"Tch. Shut up, will you?" Taufik snapped, his tone sharp but oddly casual.

The temperature in the room shifted. Celestial blades gleamed; the guards tensed, ready to move at Caelir's command. But no order came. Caelir stood frozen, his knuckles white around his sword, his fury barely contained.

Taufik exhaled, long and tired. "This is becoming bothersome. I only came to meet an old friend, and suddenly everyone's on edge"

Queen Lysandra's gaze never wavered. "And yet you have not answered my question"

Taufik shrugged lightly, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Alright, alright~ I'll play along"

He inclined his head slightly. "I'm Taufik D'Archy Hidayat. Pleased to meet you, Your Radiance"

A faint murmur passed among the courtiers. Then, softly, Elaria spoke, her voice gentle but unsettlingly calm.

"…You're an error"

The hall fell silent.

Taufik's eyes turned toward her, curious. "Oh? Really? How?"

Elaria tilted her head slightly beneath her veil. "Something about you is wrong. I can see every soul's thread, their past, their present, their countless possible futures. But with you… there is nothing"

Her tone wavered between awe and fear. "I see no past. No future. Not even a shadow of possibility. You are not mortal, nor a god. You are… unknown"

A slow grin crept across Taufik's face.

And then... he vanished.

A pulse of darkness rippled through the chamber. The next heartbeat, he was standing directly before Elaria.

Gasps filled the hall.

Caelir rose instantly, sword half-drawn, while the Celestial Guards moved in a synchronized blur, but they froze as Elaria raised her hand.

"Stand down," she whispered.

Taufik leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing, voice low but edged with interest. "…Some amazing eyes you've got there"

For a moment, the shadows around him thickened, curling faintly against the light. His next words carried a quiet gravity that made even Lysandra's eyes flicker.

"Tell me, Princess, what are you to Fate?" He smiled faintly. "His agent?"

....

...

..

.