Third Person POV
“………………………..?”
A place that exists everywhere and nowhere. Suddenly, a feeling of discomfort arises within IT. However, when turning its consciousness towards the multitude of worlds under its dominion, there is no problem to be found.
No, to be precise, there are plenty of problems if you look at individual lifeforms within these worlds. But even if these problems cause a world to crumble, as long as it is contained within that world, it is not a problem. After all, IT is the overseer of all worlds and does not bother to pay attention to each small thing that exists therein.
“………………………..?”
A slight misgiving or a moment of confusion. If It were a human, such feelings could be dismissed as such. However, IT was not omniscient and omnipotent per se, but IT does know and can do almost anything. If IT senses something amiss in its perception, there must be something there.
Therefore, IT focuses its consciousness carefully… and finds the source of the discomfort. It concentrates its vast, distributed consciousness onto the source, takes on the most versatile human form when conducting tasks, appears there, and opens its eyes in astonishment.
“No way……!?”
What lies there is a sealed box IT created a long, long time ago, so long ago that even the memory of stars looks blurry in comparison. This box, detached from the flow of time, harboring an eternal instant, was meant to bring peace to the world by ultimately making its very existence null and void—a taboo cage.
But IT still remembers the seal, and it is right before Its eyes. This means that the detestable Demon King still exists unendingly inside it, and just that fact alone is infuriating… But the problem is that IT felt discomfort towards it.
“Is something happening inside…?”
The sealed box is isolated from the regular flow of time. And within it, a limited same time repeats eternally. Even if there were any changes, they would disappear as if they never happened once a certain amount of time has passed and it all starts over again.
Therefore, there should be no way for any changes exceeding tolerance levels to occur. However, the more IT senses, the more It can’t shake off the feeling that something is happening inside the box. This feeling is similar to what a human would describe as “feeling restless and uneasy”, but if IT, an entity existing on a high level, is feeling it, then it is as reliable as an infallible prediction of the future.
“Should I investigate? But then again…”
It can open the box since It’s the one who sealed it. But once opened, the flow of time inside the box, which had been eternally repeating the same point, would connect with the flow of time outside, which flows normally.
That would be fatal. It absolutely must be avoided. But without opening the lid, one cannot know the state of the contents. Naturally, as it was made to be unknowable. If It looks, the other will look back. Though the entity inside it must be weakened, the very fact that this box continues to exist is reason enough not to underestimate.
“…………..There’s no helping it.”
After contemplating for a time as long as it takes for a couple of stars to be born and then die, It decides on a compromise.
Originally, this box was built with several safety devices. One of them is that even within the large box encompassing everything, the fundamental “eternal white” and the hundred alternate worlds are each placed in separate smaller boxes. Even if by some chance the seal of either box comes undone, time will not immediately resume its flow.
So, IT only slightly opens the lid of the box, confirming that that entity isn’t inside while pulling all the hundred alternate worlds out of the box, and immediately closed the lid.
By doing so, IT minimizes the impact on the ‘eternal white’ where IT resides, and begins to examine the contents of each of the hundred alternate world boxes It has pulled out.
IT checked one, then two, thirty, fifty, and there seems to be no significant problem in the worlds. In every world, the Demon King, a fragment of that entity, exists, and the hero created by the will of the world is fighting to expel the foreign entity. This is the originally anticipated flow, proof that Its plot is going well.
But, IT remained vigilant. It continued to investigate the worlds… and finally discoveredthe cause of the discomfort.
“The Demon King is missing!?”
In that world, the Demon King does not exist. A fragment of the Demon King’s power, which should have undoubtedly been sent, does not exist in either the past or the future.
That means it’s not just that the Demon King was defeated by the hero. There is only one reason why the existence of the Demon King would disappear from the world. Only when that entity has taken that power into itself.
“No way… no way, no way!?”
It hurriedly checked the remaining worlds. Then, it found several other worlds where the Demon King does not exist. The number is still small, but this can’t be overlooked. The eternal cycle has meaning because it is unchanging, and if that being can regain Its power, it just provides endless opportunities for that.
“This is bad. This is bad… what do I do?”
Its eyes turn towards the large box that was sealed.
Should it open the lid and confirm the state of that entity, who is likely in the ‘eternal white’? But what can it do once it sees? While that entity’s power has not been fully regained, should it further break down its power and reseal it?
IT’s already done that. Repeating the same thing will only buy time, and buying time is meaningless. The only thing that matters is whether that entity seeks its own end or not, and the time it takes to reach that conclusion, whether it be billions or trillions of years, makes no difference from both of their perspective.
Then, a more fundamental correction… for example, should it tamper with the personality it gave to that entity? But the current personality was judged to be optimal as a result of careful consideration, so it doesn’t seem like a good idea to meddle with it. If that entity is made too fragile, it may lose its emotions like a bug and stop making the decision to ‘end itself’, and it’s out of the question to strengthen that entity when it’s already regaining its power.
“It’s impossible. I can’t interfere with Its soul any more. Or rather, if that entity regaining Its power, isn’t It also regaining Its memories about me? Even more so then.”
The power that It has to ‘end everything’ is dangerously unmanageable. IT can’t imagine that it would be able to completely end that entity suddenly in its weakened state, but it might be possible to do it partially. And considering the magnitude of IT’s power, even if it’s just a part… even if it’s just as much as the nail of IT’s little toe, it would have an impact on countless worlds.
“…………this side.”
After pondering for a time enough for two or three universes to be born and disappear, IT turned its eyes to the box containing the hundred alternate worlds.
It can’t directly interfere with that entity. But fortunately, it seems that the chains that bind Its actions have not completely broken yet.
Then it will manipulate the world that that entity will visit from now on. Thus, if It witnesses the cruelty of its own power, It might choose to let go of its power.
Or by regaining its power in an incomplete state, might it not end itself in a rampage? It could be effective to shake Its emotions strongly. It should certainly resonate if It remains the Clown Ed.
“There’s nothing else to do but try.”
Now, having reconfirmed the danger of that entity, I don’t want to open the lid of the sealing box so many times. So,IT opened the lids of some of the boxes where the Demon King is still alive and poured in just a little bit of its own power.
It’s like dropping a grain of sand in a desert. But if that grain of sand is gold dust, the world will be greatly stirred. After finishing the preparation, IT puts the box back into the larger box once again, this time perfectly closing the lid and leaving the scene.
Will the box disappear or stay? If the lid does open, whether it’s from the outside or inside… nobody knows yet what outcome Its actions will bring.
(T/N: God damn someone’s angry)
