Twilight Valentine

The air was thick with the weight of decades, the very fabric of reality trembling under the gaze of Shiro, a being of unparalleled insight and patience. His eyes, cold and unyielding, reflected the countless futures he had observed, all leading to this singular moment. His target, Twilight Valentine, lay before him, weakened and vulnerable—a rare sight for one so ancient and powerful.

For decades, Shiro had watched, waiting for the perfect opportunity. His *Clairvoyance*, a sub-skill of his *Unique Skill: Author*, had shown him every possible outcome, every twist of fate, every thread of destiny. The power to perceive and understand all cause-and-effect relations, to deduce the myriad paths leading to any outcome, was both a gift and a curse. It allowed him to plan with absolute precision, to see through the very fabric of time and space, but it also revealed a terrifying reality—there was no path to victory against Twilight Valentine, no future where he emerged triumphant. Until now.

Twilight Valentine, the being created by Veldanava to serve as the ancestor of humans, demi-humans, vampires, and giants, was a figure of immense wisdom and power. His knowledge spanned eons, and his influence was etched into the very essence of the world. To defeat such a being was beyond the grasp of even the most powerful entities. But Shiro was different. He came from a world where the very existence of beings like Twilight Valentine was fiction—a story, a fictional character. He knew things that no one else did, things that could tip the scales in his favor.

For decades, Shiro had seen nothing but blackness when he tried to foresee a successful confrontation with Twilight. The future was empty, devoid of hope—a void where victory did not exist. It was a sobering realization, one that might have driven others to despair. But not Shiro. He waited, endured, and persisted, biding his time until the universe itself bent to his will.

And now, finally, the moment had come.

Twilight Valentine had survived an assassination attempt by his own daughter, Luminous Valentine. The attack was no ordinary strike—it was Sanctuary Disintegration, an ultimate-level spell of immense power, categorized as Tier 2-C, capable of harming even a true dragon. That Twilight had survived was nothing short of a miracle, but it had left him severely weakened, vulnerable in a way he had not been for millennia. Shiro knew he could not afford to miss this chance.

The room was bathed in a dim, otherworldly light, the remnants of the spell still crackling in the air like distant thunder. Twilight Valentine lay on the ground, his once-glistening form now dull and cracked, like a statue on the verge of crumbling. His breath came in ragged gasps, each one a laborious effort, as if even the act of drawing air was a battle he was losing.

Shiro stood over him, his expression devoid of emotion. He could feel the weight of the years bearing down on him, the countless futures he had observed, all leading to this one decisive moment. The future was no longer black and empty—it was clear, with one shining path leading to victory.

"Father," Shiro's voice was cold, devoid of any affection. "Your time has come."

Twilight Valentine looked up at him, his eyes still glowing with a flicker of the old power. There was no fear in those eyes, only a deep, ancient understanding—a resignation to the inevitability of what was to come.

"You... have waited long for this," Twilight said, his voice weak but steady. "But do not think it will be so easy. I am... not so easily defeated."

Shiro said nothing. Instead, he reached deep within himself, tapping into the vast reservoir of power that lay dormant, waiting to be unleashed. His *Ideal Outcome* skill activated, bending the very laws of the world to his will. The air around him shimmered as reality itself seemed to warp and twist, aligning with his desires.

Twilight Valentine felt the shift in the air, the way the world bent around Shiro, as if the universe itself was bowing to his will. He tried to rise, to summon the last vestiges of his strength, but it was too late. Shiro's *Source Drain* activated, a dark, insidious power that began to siphon the life-force from Twilight's body. His body withered at a pace observable by the naked eye.

Twilight's eyes widened in shock as he felt his very essence being drained away, his power slipping through his fingers like sand. He tried to resist, to fight back, but it was as if the world itself had turned against him. His strength was fading fast, his once-mighty form crumbling under the relentless assault.

But Shiro was not content with simply ending Twilight's life. He wanted him to suffer, to feel the same despair that he had endured for decades. With a thought, Shiro activated *Thought Acceleration*, a skill that allowed him to accelerate the speed of his thoughts to an unimaginable degree. But this time, he extended the effect to Twilight Valentine.

For what felt like an eternity, Twilight Valentine experienced pain and despair on a scale that defied comprehension. Each nanosecond was stretched into millions of years, an endless torment that had no end. Shiro watched, unmoved, as his creator, his father, was trapped in a prison of his own mind, unable to escape the horror that had been inflicted upon him.

To the outside world, it was over in an instant. Twilight Valentine's body collapsed, lifeless, the spark of divinity extinguished. Shiro stood over the spot once occupied by Twilight Valentine, his expression as cold and unreadable as ever. It had been easy, almost too easy, to kill the severely weakened Twilight Valentine. It was like an adult stealing a lollipop from a child—a simple, effortless act.

But Shiro did not let his guard down. Even in death, Twilight Valentine was a being of immense power, and Shiro knew better than to underestimate him. He scanned the area with his *Clairvoyance*, searching for any lingering traces of Twilight's presence, any sign that his creator might somehow rise again.

But there was nothing. The future was clear, devoid of any threat. Twilight Valentine was truly dead.

Shiro let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. The weight of the years lifted from his shoulders, replaced by a sense of accomplishment. He had done it. He had defeated the one being who had loomed over his life like a dark shadow, the one obstacle that had stood between him and his ultimate goal.

But as he stood there, staring at the spot once occupied by the Divine Ancestor, Twilight Valentine, Shiro felt no joy, no satisfaction. There was only a cold, empty feeling—a hollow victory that left him questioning what came next. He had achieved his revenge, was this all there was?

His thoughts drifted to Luminous Valentine, the one who had unknowingly made this possible. Without her, he would never have had this opportunity. She had done what he could not, weakening Twilight Valentine to the point where even he could kill him. He owed her a debt, though he doubted she would ever know. He planned to repay her in the future, and that future isn't so far off.

Turning away from the spot once occupied by the now deceased Divine Ancestor, Twilight Valentine, Shiro began to walk. He walk towards his future. His world was different now, the future uncertain and unpredictable. But for the first time in decades, Shiro was free and unshackled. The chains that had bound him to his creator, his father, to his past, future and present were broken. He was no longer a prisoner of fate, no longer bound by the destiny that Twilight Valentine had tried to impose on him. He achieved freedom.

But as he stepped into the shadows, one thought lingered in his mind: What now? He needed a goal, a path, one created and achieve by his own hands. He doesn't wish to experience the same regrets he did in his past life as Kaizen Santos. His future is limitless. Yet, he also couldn't let go, his mother, how is she, is she well, Shiro felt conflict. He was a bad, very bad and ungrateful son. Only now did he realized, when it was too late.

He want to know her state, yet despite all his power that allows him to bend reality itself to his will to a degree. He couldn't. He can only accept his current reality. But deep down Shiro knew, one day, there will come a day he can reunite with his mother and ask for her forgiveness. For now, he will lived as he pleased, free and unfeathered.

The journey ahead might be uncertain, the path unclear. But Shiro was no longer bound by the past, future and present. He was free to forge his own destiny, to carve out a future that was truly his own.

And so, with the death of Twilight Valentine, a new chapter began.