Citadel

Upon arriving at the gate of the citadel, I was pretty sure no one would open it for me.

So I tried to crash through it with a Chidori, but before I could the gate opened and I was able to make my way inside.

My first thought upon entering was that the painter was lazy or forgot to buy colors other than black.

However, after touching the stone pillar, I noticed some strange dark energy flowing through it.

Using my Sharingan, I could also see runes and this energy everywhere.

This place seems to be floating in space due to these runes and the energy.

When I saw the strange cracks my first thought was that maybe it was starting to break down.

But after feeling how stable the runes and energy were, I wasn't so sure anymore.

It seems more likely that this place was completely destroyed sometime in the past and then glued together again, like a broken vase.

I continued walking forward after inspecting this place, but then felt something appear in front of me.

So I grabbed it as soon as it appeared. It was a flying orange clock with a face, arms and feet.

"Let go of me! Why can't I teleport away?" it complains, while struggling around.

I show her my right hand and draw the rune I-Isa for ice on it with my chakra.

"Because I placed this on your back when I grabbed you."

I used the rune to literally freeze her in this space...

She tried to look at her back, but it didn't work... because she had no head to turn around.

Grabbing her with my other hand, I wanted to tear her apart, but she started to beg.

"Please wait! I came here with a peace offer."

So I stop and step away.

"He Who Remains is willing to give you your timeline back. Step out of this citadel and you can get everything back."

But I say nothing and stare at her.

"Wasn't this the reason why you attacked us? Because you lost everything? You can have it all back, so please go away?"

As a response, I summon a sword and slice her in half and she looks shocked and asks, "W... why...?"

I say relaxed, "I think you got something wrong. If I wanted to restore my timeline, I would have done that long ago."

She starts to disintegrate and asks, "Then...why?"

"Because I will never forgive someone who tries to take something so important from me and will hunt everyone down who tries. Without exception."

She probably didn't hear this part anymore, but it wouldn't have helped her anyway if she did. After this distraction was out of the way, I continued to make my way to the elevator.

---

Stepping in front of the elevator, it begins to open and I expect the 'remains' guy to be inside. But no one was there. So I entered it and it started moving upwards.

Eventually, the elevator doors opened again and I saw the culprit making tea.

The room felt and looked special and was, for some reason, mirrored in the middle. The exact same pillar, candles, fireplace and bookshelves were on the left and right sides.

Most of the light came from the space outside and I could feel that this place was ancient and many millennia old.

In contrast, he wore strange clothes and looked like an average Joe. His clothes looked as if he had fallen through a time rift and grabbed everything he could.

The ancient sandals and violet Jack the Ripper coat all suggest that he is either a time traveler or a weirdo.

When I came too close for his liking, he put the tea cup down and quickly moved to the other side of the table. Then he sat down while gesturing for me to do the same.

"Wow, if you look at me like that, my blood starts to freeze, so please relax, take a seat and let us talk."

I do so and sit down and let him talk a bit because he seems to like doing so.

"So you are a quiet one, aren't you? Let me ask you one question I hope you can answer. What exactly are you?"

This made me raise my eyebrows.

He noticed my confusion and said,

"You see, I've been doing this for a long time... a very long time and everything was fine. Everything proceeded how it should.

But one day, you appeared out of nowhere, a person who had no past, future, or variants. It felt like a completely independent time strand was created when you appeared, which followed only one path... yours.

Normally people follow the time strand and not the other way around, so tell me, how can you simply rewrite what should be?"

After sipping tea, I thought about his question, but the answer was simple, the simplest there is.

So I say, "I have absolutely no idea." and continue to drink the tea.

He stared at me in disbelief and said nothing... which is new since he didn't shut up during the show.

So I asked him, "If it was a new time strand, then why the fuck did you interfere with it when it had no effect on your strand?"

He looks at me as if I had said something really dumb and says, "Isn't it clear? It's all about order. We struggle to keep one strand in check, but with a second, chaos ensues.

It doesn't seem clear to you that our problems literally double as a result of your appearance. So we needed to correct that."

---

I place the cup down and look at him while trying to keep myself from ripping him apart.

But he only smiles and speaks with pride.

"Do you see this citadel? What if I told you that it was the only thing left after the war? It was only my efforts that prevented complete destruction.

Afterwards, I created a timeline that would prevent this from happening ever again and you need to understand that I couldn't let anything disturb that."

I applaud him and say, "A truly selfless savior sits before me.

But you forgot something. The one who caused destruction in the first place is you and will probably always be you or some of your variants.

He was shocked when he heard this.

"You are a true anomaly. How do you know that? But in the end, it doesn't matter who the destroyer is, because it's a fact that the universe will be destroyed without the right path."

I shrug and say, "Maybe, but why not do the same thing you did to my timeline and eliminate the one who can cause destruction in the process?

Or let's go back and delete one of your ancestors and create a timeline where no destruction would be caused by you. What do you say?"

These words make him kinda happy and he smiles again.

"Now you get it. That is exactly how I think and work. You see, we are pretty much alike.

But this is not how the timeline should play out, so it's not allowed and this is what you still fail to understand."

Hearing this made me lose control for a moment and my chakra leaked out, blowing out the fires and cracking the window behind him.

This made him grab his TemPad, which was on his left hand and wait for my next action.

"What I'm failing to understand is, who decides how it should play out? You?" I ask him.

This time he shrugs and says, "Someone has to and for now, I was the one who needed to make these hard decisions, but this can change.

You are on the right path. Let's work together and you will see there is no other way. In addition, I will help you restore your loved one so you can live with him or her forever here in peace.

This will make you get what you want and I will also get what I want."

He doesn't even know who he took away from me...?

Standing up, he stretches out his hand and says, "It's a win-win situation. Think about it."

I also stand up and take his hand. Which makes him happy again, but only for a second.

Why? Because as soon as I grabbed his hand, I crushed it and then kicked him, with his table, into the window behind him.

"Ahh!!!" he hits the wall and screams in pain, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the impact or because I still had his arm in my hand.

After throwing his arm away, I walk closer to him, while he attempts to use his TemPad with his nose.

I push the table to the side, then kneel down and ask him, "Why do you guys always think you know what I want?"