Chapter 2: Shadows of the Past
The air was thick with the stench of burnt flesh and blood, but to Timothy, it was just another Tuesday. His mind wandered as he and Iris made their way through the remnants of the city, stepping over charred corpses and collapsed buildings like they were nothing more than pebbles on a path.
Timothy, lowkey by nature, felt no need to stand out. Dressed in a simple black coat and jeans, he looked like any other middle-aged man. His chiseled, handsome face and fit body could have attracted attention, but the coldness in his eyes kept people at a distance. There was a heaviness in his gaze—one that came from living too long and fighting too many battles.
As they approached the ramen shop, it seemed untouched by the carnage. A neon sign buzzed overhead, casting a pale glow over the entrance. Iris pushed the door open, the jingle of the doorbell sounding almost comically out of place after the violence they had just witnessed.
Inside, it was eerily normal. A few customers sat at the counter, slurping noodles, oblivious to the destruction outside. Timothy slid into a booth with a grunt, laying his sword beside him.
"You want the usual?" Iris asked as she waved to the cook behind the counter.
Timothy nodded, leaning back and closing his eyes for a moment. He could still feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, but there was an emptiness now—a familiar void that always followed the thrill of battle.
"I’ll get the spicy miso with extra pork for you," Iris said with a smile. "You’ve earned it."
As she ordered, Timothy let his mind drift. The fight with the Titan had been just another in a long series of conflicts. The city was in ruins, but Neo-Earth had seen worse. After all, in a world populated by gods, titans, and supernatural beings, mass destruction was just part of the landscape.
As the ramen arrived, steaming and fragrant, a thought tugged at the back of Timothy’s mind—something that had been bothering him since the fight with the Titan. It wasn’t the size of the creature or the destruction it caused. No, it was something deeper, something unsettling.
"That Titan," Timothy said, stirring his noodles absently. "It wasn’t from here."
Iris looked up from her bowl, eyebrow raised. "You mean from Neo-Earth?"
Timothy shook his head. "No, I mean it wasn’t from the Omniverse. It felt… different. Like it came from beyond. Way beyond."
Iris frowned, setting down her chopsticks. "Beyond the Omniverse? You’re not saying—"
"Yeah," Timothy interrupted. "I think we’re dealing with something from beyond the beyond."
The silence between them thickened. Iris knew exactly what Timothy meant. Beyond the Omniverse lay realms that even the most powerful gods and titans feared to tread—places where the laws of physics broke down, where time and space bent in ways incomprehensible to the human mind. Only whispers existed about the beings that dwelled there, and none of those whispers were pleasant.
"Shit," Iris muttered, leaning back in her seat. "That’s… not good."
"Nope," Timothy agreed, taking a long sip of his ramen broth. "Not good at all."
Just as they were about to continue their conversation, the door to the ramen shop creaked open. Timothy’s instincts flared. He didn’t have to look to know that something was wrong. He could feel it—a presence that sent a shiver down his spine, something powerful and dangerous.
Two figures stepped inside: their movements unnaturally fluid. They were tall, clad in black armor that shimmered like oil, and their eyes glowed a deep, menacing red.
Timothy sighed. "Here we go again."
The figures moved with inhuman speed. One second, they were at the door; the next, they were standing right in front of Timothy’s booth, their glowing eyes fixated on him. The other patrons in the shop froze, as if time itself had stopped for them, unaware of the danger that had just walked in.
"Timothy," one of the figures said in a voice that sounded like metal scraping on stone. "You have interfered in matters that are beyond you."
Timothy didn’t even bother looking up. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
Iris was already on her feet, hand on the hilt of her sword. "Who the hell are you?"
The second figure took a step forward, its black armor clinking softly. "We are the Black Legion. We serve the Architects of the Void, and we have come to reclaim what you have taken."
Timothy raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly did I take?"
"The Titan you destroyed," the first figure hissed. "It was not yours to kill. It was a vessel of the Void, sent to prepare this world for the Architects. You have disrupted their plans."
Timothy let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Right. So, you’re mad because I killed your oversized pet? Got it."
Without warning, the first figure lunged at Timothy, its armored fist aimed directly at his head. But Timothy moved faster. In the blink of an eye, he was behind the figure, his sword drawn and pressed against the back of its neck.
"Listen," Timothy said, his voice low and dangerous, "I’ve had a long day, and I’m really not in the mood for this. So, here’s how this is gonna go. You’re gonna leave, and I’m gonna finish my ramen. Deal?"
The second figure didn’t respond. Instead, it raised its hand, summoning a *****ling sphere of dark energy that pulsed with malevolent power. The walls of the ramen shop began to warp, the very fabric of reality bending under the weight of the energy.
"Ah, shit," Iris muttered, drawing her sword.
Timothy’s grip tightened on his own blade. The fight was inevitable.
The Black Legion moved in perfect unison, their attacks relentless and precise. Dark energy *****led through the air, tearing apart the walls of the shop and distorting the space around them. The once-cozy ramen shop now looked like a warzone—tables overturned, walls split open, and the floor littered with debris.
Timothy moved like a ghost, slipping through their attacks with ease. Every swing of their swords, every blast of dark energy—they all missed him by mere inches. He danced around them with effortless grace, his movements so fast that they were almost invisible to the ***** eye.
Iris wasn’t far behind. Her sword clashed with one of the Legion’s blades, the sound of metal on metal ringing out as sparks flew. She moved with precision, her strikes aimed at the weak points in their armor, but the Black Legion were no ordinary foes. Their armor absorbed the blows, barely denting under the force of her attacks.
"Timothy!" she shouted as she parried another strike. "These guys are tough!"
"Tell me something I don’t know," Timothy replied, dodging a blast of dark energy that left a smoking crater where he had been standing.
The first figure lunged at him again, this time faster, its sword aimed for his throat. Timothy deflected the strike with his own blade, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the room. He countered with a slash aimed at the figure’s chest, but the Black Legion’s armor absorbed the blow once more.
"Okay," Timothy said, stepping back. "Enough of this."
In one swift motion, Timothy’s sword began to glow with an intense, otherworldly light. The air around him *****led with energy as he raised the blade high, preparing for a strike that would end the fight.
The Black Legion seemed to sense the danger, but it was too late. With a single, fluid motion, Timothy brought his sword down, unleashing a wave of energy so powerful that it tore through the very fabric of space. The two figures didn’t even have time to scream as they were torn apart, their bodies disintegrating into nothingness.
The room fell silent.
Timothy sheathed his sword with a tired sigh. "Well, that was annoying."
Iris, panting slightly from the exertion, gave him a wry smile. "You know, we really need to find better places to eat."
Timothy chuckled, wiping a bit of blood off his cheek. "Yeah. I hear there’s a sushi place on the other side of town. Might be worth checking out."
As they stepped over the remains of the Black Legion, the neon sign of the ramen shop flickered and buzzed overhead, casting long shadows on the broken street. But Timothy wasn’t worried. He knew this was just the beginning. The Black Legion, the Void, the Architects—something bigger was coming. And he’d be ready for it.
"Come on," Timothy said, glancing at the wreckage one last time. "We’ve got work to do."
And with that, they disappeared into the night, leaving behind only the echoes of a battle that was far from over.
The air was thick with the stench of burnt flesh and blood, but to Timothy, it was just another Tuesday. His mind wandered as he and Iris made their way through the remnants of the city, stepping over charred corpses and collapsed buildings like they were nothing more than pebbles on a path.
Timothy, lowkey by nature, felt no need to stand out. Dressed in a simple black coat and jeans, he looked like any other middle-aged man. His chiseled, handsome face and fit body could have attracted attention, but the coldness in his eyes kept people at a distance. There was a heaviness in his gaze—one that came from living too long and fighting too many battles.
As they approached the ramen shop, it seemed untouched by the carnage. A neon sign buzzed overhead, casting a pale glow over the entrance. Iris pushed the door open, the jingle of the doorbell sounding almost comically out of place after the violence they had just witnessed.
Inside, it was eerily normal. A few customers sat at the counter, slurping noodles, oblivious to the destruction outside. Timothy slid into a booth with a grunt, laying his sword beside him.
"You want the usual?" Iris asked as she waved to the cook behind the counter.
Timothy nodded, leaning back and closing his eyes for a moment. He could still feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, but there was an emptiness now—a familiar void that always followed the thrill of battle.
"I’ll get the spicy miso with extra pork for you," Iris said with a smile. "You’ve earned it."
As she ordered, Timothy let his mind drift. The fight with the Titan had been just another in a long series of conflicts. The city was in ruins, but Neo-Earth had seen worse. After all, in a world populated by gods, titans, and supernatural beings, mass destruction was just part of the landscape.
"That Titan," Timothy said, stirring his noodles absently. "It wasn’t from here."
Iris looked up from her bowl, eyebrow raised. "You mean from Neo-Earth?"
Timothy shook his head. "No, I mean it wasn’t from the Omniverse. It felt… different. Like it came from beyond. Way beyond."
Iris frowned, setting down her chopsticks. "Beyond the Omniverse? You’re not saying—"
"Yeah," Timothy interrupted. "I think we’re dealing with something from beyond the beyond."
The silence between them thickened. Iris knew exactly what Timothy meant. Beyond the Omniverse lay realms that even the most powerful gods and titans feared to tread—places where the laws of physics broke down, where time and space bent in ways incomprehensible to the human mind. Only whispers existed about the beings that dwelled there, and none of those whispers were pleasant.
"Shit," Iris muttered, leaning back in her seat. "That’s… not good."
"Nope," Timothy agreed, taking a long sip of his ramen broth. "Not good at all."
Just as they were about to continue their conversation, the door to the ramen shop creaked open. Timothy’s instincts flared. He didn’t have to look to know that something was wrong. He could feel it—a presence that sent a shiver down his spine, something powerful and dangerous.
Two figures stepped inside: their movements unnaturally fluid. They were tall, clad in black armor that shimmered like oil, and their eyes glowed a deep, menacing red.
Timothy sighed. "Here we go again."
"Timothy," one of the figures said in a voice that sounded like metal scraping on stone. "You have interfered in matters that are beyond you."
Timothy didn’t even bother looking up. "Yeah, I get that a lot."
Iris was already on her feet, hand on the hilt of her sword. "Who the hell are you?"
The second figure took a step forward, its black armor clinking softly. "We are the Black Legion. We serve the Architects of the Void, and we have come to reclaim what you have taken."
Timothy raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly did I take?"
"The Titan you destroyed," the first figure hissed. "It was not yours to kill. It was a vessel of the Void, sent to prepare this world for the Architects. You have disrupted their plans."
Timothy let out a long, exaggerated sigh. "Right. So, you’re mad because I killed your oversized pet? Got it."
Without warning, the first figure lunged at Timothy, its armored fist aimed directly at his head. But Timothy moved faster. In the blink of an eye, he was behind the figure, his sword drawn and pressed against the back of its neck.
"Listen," Timothy said, his voice low and dangerous, "I’ve had a long day, and I’m really not in the mood for this. So, here’s how this is gonna go. You’re gonna leave, and I’m gonna finish my ramen. Deal?"
The second figure didn’t respond. Instead, it raised its hand, summoning a *****ling sphere of dark energy that pulsed with malevolent power. The walls of the ramen shop began to warp, the very fabric of reality bending under the weight of the energy.
"Ah, shit," Iris muttered, drawing her sword.
Timothy’s grip tightened on his own blade. The fight was inevitable.
Timothy moved like a ghost, slipping through their attacks with ease. Every swing of their swords, every blast of dark energy—they all missed him by mere inches. He danced around them with effortless grace, his movements so fast that they were almost invisible to the ***** eye.
Iris wasn’t far behind. Her sword clashed with one of the Legion’s blades, the sound of metal on metal ringing out as sparks flew. She moved with precision, her strikes aimed at the weak points in their armor, but the Black Legion were no ordinary foes. Their armor absorbed the blows, barely denting under the force of her attacks.
"Timothy!" she shouted as she parried another strike. "These guys are tough!"
"Tell me something I don’t know," Timothy replied, dodging a blast of dark energy that left a smoking crater where he had been standing.
The first figure lunged at him again, this time faster, its sword aimed for his throat. Timothy deflected the strike with his own blade, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the room. He countered with a slash aimed at the figure’s chest, but the Black Legion’s armor absorbed the blow once more.
"Okay," Timothy said, stepping back. "Enough of this."
In one swift motion, Timothy’s sword began to glow with an intense, otherworldly light. The air around him *****led with energy as he raised the blade high, preparing for a strike that would end the fight.
The Black Legion seemed to sense the danger, but it was too late. With a single, fluid motion, Timothy brought his sword down, unleashing a wave of energy so powerful that it tore through the very fabric of space. The two figures didn’t even have time to scream as they were torn apart, their bodies disintegrating into nothingness.
The room fell silent.
Timothy sheathed his sword with a tired sigh. "Well, that was annoying."
Iris, panting slightly from the exertion, gave him a wry smile. "You know, we really need to find better places to eat."
Timothy chuckled, wiping a bit of blood off his cheek. "Yeah. I hear there’s a sushi place on the other side of town. Might be worth checking out."
As they stepped over the remains of the Black Legion, the neon sign of the ramen shop flickered and buzzed overhead, casting long shadows on the broken street. But Timothy wasn’t worried. He knew this was just the beginning. The Black Legion, the Void, the Architects—something bigger was coming. And he’d be ready for it.
"Come on," Timothy said, glancing at the wreckage one last time. "We’ve got work to do."
And with that, they disappeared into the night, leaving behind only the echoes of a battle that was far from over.
