1 Arcane Entities

The Epilogue Maker, a traveler of universes, Witnessed countless endings, with no adverse, He knew the secrets of every world's closure, But his own memories, he had to expose. For the power to see each and every end, He traded his memories, a deal to transcend, But the cost was too high, as he traversed on, The madness crept in, and he couldn't abscond. The Epilogue Maker, once so wise and free, Now lost in the madness, he could not see, The beauty of endings, he longed to perceive, For his mind was shattered, and he couldn't conceive. The madness consumed him, like a raging fire, His sanity slipping, like a frayed wire, And as he looked upon each ending he had seen, He wished for a bad one, to make him feel serene. For the Epilogue Maker, now cursed with the power, Saw the beauty in endings, but it made him sour, He yearned for his memories, to bring him back to life, But they were gone forever, and he faced eternal strife. And so he trudged on, in his eerie madness, With a mind so broken, he could not find gladness, For the Epilogue Maker, once a bringer of joy, Was now lost in the endings, with no way to enjoy.

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I regained consciousness and was immediately overcome by an eerie sensation. My body felt numb and unresponsive, as if I were paralyzed. As I opened my eyes, I found myself seated comfortably in a grandiose chair, fashioned from gleaming gold. Strangely, I could only move my eyes, everything else seemed to be locked in place.

The space around me was shrouded in a thick, white fog that stretched as far as the eye could see. As I gazed into the distance, I could discern that the fog was impenetrable, hiding all that lay beyond. Despite my inability to move or sense anything, I could hear a familiar tune playing in the background. It was Pyotr Tchaikovsky's "Valse Sentimentale," a piece I had been listening to earlier in the day on my way to the university.

The melody of "Valse Sentimentale" was beautiful, but I couldn't fully appreciate it without the ability to smell or taste. Suddenly, the music came to an abrupt halt, and the thick fog dissipated. A massive gate shattered into a million pieces, releasing a shower of stars that illuminated the dark space. The stars shone brighter and brighter until a figure emerged from the darkness and approached me, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

[I guess I kept you waiting,]

the figure spoke.

I attempted to reply, but no sound escaped my lips.

[You do not have to speak to me. In fact, it's best if you don't. They'll burn you alive the moment you try. I can communicate telepathically.] The figure was a man, cloaked in black robes, wearing a mask that resembled a broken mirror. His face was indescribable, as if it were constantly shifting and changing, defying all attempts to understand it. [Hmm, perhaps you're waiting for my introduction? Indeed, I should introduce myself to you, but I can't. That's because I already did. Last time I introduced myself, you lost consciousness for the 2356th time.]

The figure's words left me reeling. 2356 times? What did that even mean? [don't be rude! The stars are the best at counting.] How did I? No! it's actually when did I? I don't remember anything! The only thing think I remember is this morning.

I woke up early in the morning, feeling refreshed after a warm shower. As I made my way to the university, I stopped by the cafeteria to grab an egg sandwich - my go-to breakfast. It was a peaceful morning, and I took a moment to admire the calmness before the day got busy.

"I really love this time of the day, there are few people who are so busy that they don't even have the luxury to notice your existence." I murmured to myself.

"Here is your order sir, one egg sandwich"

"Ah thank you!" If it wasn't for this time schedule, it would be crowded here, thanks to that I can enjoy this fresh warm sandwich

"I could recognise you anywhere with that egg sandwich of yours, Gus!"

"it's sir Gustang Lijk, Liam!" it was Liam, my classmate, my friend who approached from behind, an above average height well-built guy, with dark messy hair. That creepy smile of him sends shivers down my spine, thank God, he called me and not just hit me in the back of my head as he usually does

"Ah my bad, but I think Gus is a lot better, shall I introduce myself again?"

"N- no please sto-" Why am I even trying? as always, he did it, he did the introduction of an antagonist of that series who is 33 years old, who want to leave peacefully, when he's actually a serial killer. I don't know what he likes about that stupid show.

"Are you perhaps insulting my favourite show in your monologue?"

"Huh? No, I wouldn't dar-" I was interrupted by the bus that arrived just in time before he insults my taste, my family tree, my neighbourhood, and my whole life.

"-ey" "oi" "-re you going to keep standing there?"

"Hey! Let Ruby pass through"

"Ah I apologise!" I didn't notice I was in the way, when she stood before, I moved to my seat next to Liam. Wait…she didn't even glance my way,she is strangely weird today. Why am I even thinking about it, let's listen to some music.

"Ah, Liam! I will be listening to some music, if anything happens shake me, I'll probably be thinking of myself as a tragic hero or something"

"okay" he is still reading that light novel about that guys who gets a second chance to live in another world, isn't it the plot of almost every book he reads, that hardcore otaku!

'Valse Sentimentale'.

19th century's music is the best, I just find it amazing how people were gifted in that era-, hmm?

As I looked around the bus, I noticed that everyone was frozen in the same position except for Liam, who seemed to be eagerly standing. Unlike the terrified expressions on everyone else's faces, Liam appeared to be excited. Then, to my surprise, Ruby's expression changed from blank to frightened, but I couldn't tell if she was faking it. Suddenly, the screams of other passengers filled the bus.

As everyone panicked, I still sat in my seat, pushing Liam aside as he murmured about how he had been waiting for this moment his entire life. I needed to see what was causing this chaos, even if it seemed impossible.

What the …

A cracking sound filled the air, like the shattering of glass, and then suddenly, a single eye appeared, staring at us through the newly formed hole. My stomach clenched in fear at the sight. The eye was gigantic, and it felt like it was analyzing every inch of us. It moved quickly, scanning our surroundings, but it also felt like it was fixated on us, watching our every move with intense scrutiny.

an otherworldly language. The symbol was so bizarre and unsettling that it left us all frozen in place, unable to move or speak. A deafening silence enveloped the space, not just in the bus but seemingly across the entire earth. It was as if the whole world had fallen silent. The only sound that could be heard was a faint whisper that seemed to come from within the symbol, emanating a haunting and ominous presence.

[ah uh? Um is there a possibility that you can understand me?]

"That was the coolest shit I've ever witnessed!" How can you be excited in this scenario freaking lunatic.

[it seems that is the case, allow me to introduce myself. I am a Deity, well it seems our names cannot be translated to your languages, well, probably some ancient ones….., I am one of the ancient beyond the galaxy deities]

"Mommy I want to go back home…"

"there's no signal, what happened to the line"

"Finally, the 'invasion arc'. Status window! Wai- where is it?"

"Please let me go I have a family I need to feed"

"I shouldn't have woken up early"

"Stop this prank right now, I won't sue you if you properly apologise"

The passengers erupted into chaos, shouting and screaming in confusion and terror. Despite the mysterious entity referring to itself as a deity, nobody knew what was happening, and panic was spreading throughout the bus.

The situation felt utterly surreal, and everyone was struggling to process what was going on.

The entity let out a sinister laugh, taunting us. "Ha-ha-ha, I knew it. What did I expect from you lowly, dumb, ungrateful creatures?" Its words were ominous, and it was clear that the situation was quickly escalating.

Even Liam, who had been excited earlier, was now struck with terror, and fear sealed his throat shut. The children continued to cry, and their parents desperately tried to silence them. Nobody wanted to see their children meet a tragic end before their own.

[It appears that your planetary system is going through some significant changes, which have attracted the attention of creatures from other galaxies,] the entity explained. [As gods, we felt obligated to descend and watch over you in this time of need.]

Its words were still ominous, but there was a sense of explanation and justification behind them. Nonetheless, the fear and uncertainty in the bus remained, and nobody knew what was going to happen next.

[But do not fear. As long as you trust and believe in us, we will keep you safe,] the entity continued, trying to reassure us. [We will grant you blessings and the authority to help stop this universal calamity.] Its words were still unsettling, but there was a glimmer of hope in them. Perhaps we had allies in this cosmic crisis after all.

One of the children on the bus spoke up, their voice shaking with fear and confusion. "If that's true, why couldn't you save us from them?" Everyone turned to look at the child, surprised by their bravery in speaking up.

Nobody expected an answer from the entity, but the question hung in the air, demanding a response.

The child's question hung in the air, as everyone waited with bated breath for the entity's response. Nobody knew what to expect, but the child's innocence had managed to cut through the fear and tension in the bus.

The entity burst into a cacophony of laughter, a bizarre and unsettling sound that sent shivers down our spines.

[Pffft, puha- puhahahahahhhahhaahahahahhaahahahahahahhahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhaahahhahahahahHaHaHahahahhaahahahahahahah- haaaaa,] it laughed, the sound echoing through the bus.

A grotesque smile appeared beneath its eyes, revealing jagged teeth. [Oh man! I haven't laughed in ages,] it said, its tone still unsettling. [Where is the fun in that?]

As I gazed out the window, I was struck by the surreal sight before me.

The once blue sky had turned a sickly shade of black, and a strange hue of red and purple emanated from a gate-shaped opening in the distance. Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from the gate and descended to the ground.

"We're screwed," I muttered to myself, still trying to process the reality of the situation. My breathing became shallow and my heart raced in my chest, while my face felt stiff with fear.

I turned to look at my reflection in the darkened window of the bus, hoping to find some semblance of calm, but all I saw was…

As I looked at my reflection, I noticed that my face had a strange creepy smile on it.

  Was I actually excited about this catastrophic event? I couldn't understand my own emotions.

Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder and I was pulled into what appeared to be a rift in space.

[I found you,|||||||||