Kuaerao

It was already night as the rare day of Kuro actually going to work ended. Alon with going back to the home, he stranded around to buy gifts for the person in his house.

While so, Kuro were also thinking what manga he will write next. After all, Inuyasha are about to be completed. Although his works for today ended, his mind kept working.

Internet were also one of problem. He may be able to set it inside Reign Empire as long as he had money, but how should do about—how should he expand the internet beyond these wall?

That was however a future problem. For now Kuro's focused at internet almost everywhere inside Reign Empire.

Even that's so, are still a huge work due to how big the Reign Empire was.

"Yu-kun, do you want MakDonald as the dinner ton-"

"Why do you keep staring on that screens! Lo-… look at me mo-"

"I hope these days continues forev-"

Kuro walked into that so-called dating spot—to make it worse, it was night so these couples were much brazen than in day.

However he didn't care anything about that. The sounds, the air movement, the nature energies, the mana passage, everything decelerated at extreme rate.

Until now, the streets were bustling with love yet suddenly it all went quiet… aside from the footsteps that strangely resounded through this stopped space.

Walking in this space which time seemed to step were the red-haired children which was around Kuro's age.

At this instances, all sorts of thought occurring inside Kuro has disappeared as completely different matters took his attention.

"Quite a big entrance, aren't it? Aera-kun." To match with Aera's epic-entrance, Kuro formed a chair out of darkness as he sat down to it.

Truth be told, it was the first time Kuro used his ability inside Reign Empire without restrain.

"Let's get to the point. Who are you?" Aera faced Kuro staring at him whoks sitting like some mafia boss.

An strange to behold but it was happening.

"An outworld traveler? Returnee? Reincarnator? Time Manipulator? Unlikely yet but, Player? Which one are you? " After a pause, Aera continued.

Rather surprised at Aera's sentences, Kuro's expressions were unfazed as he analysed the 'children' in front of him.

'Suit coated with +5 Auto Fit Enchantment meaning that his size change many times. Highly unlikely for the considering of growth as +4 Auto Fit Enchantment is enough for that."

'Possibly an ability that changes his appearance—not just an disguise but the change in whole bone structure.'

'Children? Small possibilities, as the possessions(storage rings by his hand, iPhone) in him carries too much responsibility to be given to children.'

'However by the look of his skin and bone, he IS a children.'

"I am… I wonder what am I?" Kuro made an strange answer.

"What?"

'An baffled answer, as if he have tried this kind of things many times but never heard this sort of answer.'

'I'm complicating this. Engaging test No.1'

Kuro sighed at his own analysis. Although he have look clearly on Aera, he didn't look at his surrounding. That's right, its: stopped.

Kuro's action remained unfazed, still sitting in his chair while thinking the answer but he secretly created a blade made out of darkness behind Aera's back.

After the blade was done, it launched toward his leg, with an hidden intention to injure him. The further the blade got nearer Aera, the more it speed dropped.

It was only after the blade was close that Aera noticed—surprised, Aera turned back and deflected the decelerated blade.

'Good. It's his 1st time meeting with me.' Kuro confirmed as he finally stood up and brought his hand forward furthermore surprising the children.

"I am… The Only One. Pleasure to meet with you." Kuro brought up the title Maou called him once in the past because he felt that Aera may know the reason.

Those who can play with time aren't to be messed, they tend to be the person with the most knowledge.

Aera then quickly regained his composure as he looked at Kuro and shook his hand.

'An old person. His time has passed for so long but at the same time, it seems stopped at the age of 20 or so as well.' Aera's pupils, attitude told it all.

"So what's the matter? Is learning my identity worth your time?" Kuro said ironically.

"Yes." Aera nodded as emotionless as Kuro.

"Oh is that so. Then give me an information in return. How many time is this now that you went on different timeline?"

"10,879 times. About the time I try something new."

"Any thoughts of killing me? Like you did to Hanabi." Kuro said in ridicule.

"So it was really you who did that. I have no interest because in the future, you may be a good reinforcement." Aera's expressions were slightly weird as if he was talking about someone else.

"Why did you ki-… why did you order someone to kill her?" Naturally, Kuro meant about Matsuri's mother. He wanted an confirmation through Aera's mouth.

"To save the world."

"WHY. Killing an ordinary children's mother to awaken the artifact inside her in a word of saving the world?" Kuro toned up his voice as an invisible pressure welled up.

"So? I'm also going to steal the artifact inside her, killing her as well!" Aera said in crazed eyes.

"Aren't you just a power-crazy bastard? You may be saying that you're saving the world but in truth, aren't you the destroying it?" Kuro provoked him for more information.

"I tried." Grabbing Kuro's collar, he pushed him to the ground as Aera directly rode on the top of his body.

"I tried, you bastard! What could you possibly know. No matter how much effort I've put in, in the end, the world's going to be end, and my memories will be nothing but a picture inside my mind."

"If not a past, it's not even the reality, nothing but a memories of nothing but sheer imagination in the name of 'something what happened in parallel timeline.'"

'As expected, emotionally unstable.' Kuro silently stared at Aera as he endured the beating.

"I tried awakening Matsuri. I tried growing up the hero. I tried manipulating the players to oppose against him. I tried uniting the mythical beasts and seven deadly sins."

"You know what happened? Matsuri died after some time has passed and she couldn't beat her opponent despite the power advantage."

"The hero was a trash."

"Quantity in the end, couldn't beat the absolute quality."

"All the mythical beasts and seven deadly sins power combined couldn't beat him."

"So I decided! They're all useless! They don't have the enough energy to change the destined future. So I have to do it myself! I have no one to relies on!"

"Don't talk about me as if you know everything about me, unless you've seen my 10,879 tries worth of memory." Despite knowing that he was being provoked, Aera said everything.

He willingly said out the future information which he really rarely did in his life.

As his unstableness continues, Aera slightly calmed down as he asked Kuro who was still—digesting the information he just heard.

"Do you know why Treiner called you the Only One?"

"…"

"It's because among all the millions, billions, quadrillion… infinite timelines and parallel Virturan, among them, the timeline where you exists is only this timeline."

"And the fewer the individuals in the timelines, like Pekora Francois le dra Beriano, the bigger the energy they contains in that timeline."