Rex once forced his body to stand.
I wonder how many times I witnessed him doing this.
Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, but he didn’t stop.
He barely managed to stand, using what little strength he had left in him. His legs wobbled, his breathing was ragged, and his head felt too heavy to lift.
Still—he moved forward.
One step.
Then another.
He dragged one of his broken legs forward. A sharp, burning pain shot through his entire body, and I felt all of it.
It was truly unbearable.
Like something was tearing through his flesh, stabbing his bones with every slight movement he made.
Yet, he didn’t stop.
He couldn’t.
Not when Lucy was still out of his reach.
Not when those bastards had taken her.
"Help..."
His voice was weak, barely above a whisper.
Still, he pleaded to the people around him.
Even though he knew they wouldn’t help.
Even though he knew they would turn their backs.
Still, he tried.
Because somewhere, deep down, he wished, he hoped.
Hoped that maybe—just maybe—someone would hear him out.
That someone, somewhere, would have a heart.
"Anyone… My sister… My Lucy…"
His voice broke.
He dragged his broken body forward towards a man.
"Go away!"
The man shoved him aside.
"Get lost!"
Another one spat at his feet.
They didn’t care.
They didn’t even spare a glimpse at him.
They simply shooed him away, treating him like filth.
Like he was nothing.
Like he didn’t even exist.
’Why aren’t they helping him?!’ I cried inside.
Hic... Hic...
Rex sobbed.
Tears mixed with the blood on his face, slowly streaking down his skin.
But no one minded him.
’...’
How pitiful.
I didn’t know Rex.
But somehow, deep down—
I felt a deep connection to him.
I didn’t understand why.
I didn’t even know who he was.
But I wanted answers.
I wanted to ask him.
Who are you, Rex?
And more importantly—
Why am I in your body?
Why do I see through your eyes?
Why do I feel your pain?
What did Lucy do?
What did you do?
And what was your connection to Olympus?
I wanted to know.
But I couldn’t ask.
Because right now, Rex was barely holding on.
He was breaking apart.
And all I could do was watch.
He kept moving, step by step.
His feet dragged against the dirt, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
He stumbled, his balance slipped.
Thud!
He collapsed against the wall of a house, his hands pressing against the wall for support.
His blood-stained hands left a red handprint on the wall.
He was still breathing.
’How much longer could he keep going?’
’How much longer would he force himself to move?’
’How much more would he suffer before his body finally gave out?’
"No!"
His voice screamed through the rain.
His fists clenched.
His rage was burning.
"I won’t ever give up!"
His silver eyes—so full of pain, so full of fury—glowed beneath the storm.
"Did you hear me?!"
His voice cracked.
But there was no doubt in it.
Only hatred.
Only resolve.
"I will make you pay."
His hands clenched to fist.
"I will make all of you pay."
Lightning rumbled in the sky, illuminating the madness in his eyes.
"This Olympus..."
His breathing grew heavier.
"This City of Gods..."
A sharp pain shot through my chest.
"I shall doom it with my own two hands!"
The sky roared.
Thunder shook the land.
And in that moment—
I believed him.
The city of Olympus was ruled by thirteen gods—as told by Ylthea. ’They’ were all worshiped by the mortals. ’They’ elected a mortal king to handle the affairs related to them, all of that was left to a single man—the so-called King of Olympus, Aurelian Leonus.
A mortal king in name.
A dog in reality.
From Rex’s memories, I saw glimpses of him—a man rotten to the very core, greedy, and obsessed with power. He would do anything to stay in some gods’ favor, bending his knees, groveling like a worm if it meant they would grant him another day on his throne.
And he wanted Lucy.
Not for himself.
For one of them.
One of the thirteen gods had ordered her capture.
’But why?’ That I really wanted to know.
What would a god want from a mortal girl?
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find the answer.
Rex pushed himself forward. His steps were slow.
He entered a narrow alley, his body squeezing through the stone walls of the houses that lined the path. The ground beneath him was muddy, soaking through the torn fabric of his robes.
And then, after a few seconds, he collapsed.
His back hit the wall, his body sliding down until he sat on the cold ground.
His right hands dug into his robes, desperately, searching for something.
’What was he doing?’
"He asked me to call…" he muttered, his voice was low, almost a whisper.
A creeping sensation crawled down my spine.
’Who asked him to call?’
"He will fix everything…"
I felt it—his emotions.
Or rather, the absence of them.
The rage, the pain, the sorrow he once felt— all gone.
Only a void left behind.
"He told me he can grant me power…"
His fingers finally wrapped around something.
And then—he pulled it out.
’!?’
I froze.
No.
No, no, no—
What is that thing doing here?!
A crystal pendant.
A golden watch inside it.
Thirteen hours inscribed on its surface, one more than a normal clock should have.
And the hour hand? It was golden.
Aegis.
The Wheel of Fate.
An artifact crafted by the God of Time himself.
Rex held it in his hands, his eyes locked onto the mechanism inside it.
The watch moved.
The hour hand spun.
It circled through the thirteen hours, a mechanical, relentless movement, like it was counting down to something.
And then—
It stopped in the thirteenth hour.
The Paradox.
The instant he turned the dial to that number—
The world around us froze.
The raindrops that had been falling—floated in the air.
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The birds above Rex’s head were motionless.
The chatter of people—erased.
A silence befall.
A deep, eternal silence.
To be Continued…