"This is the eye from just now? But why can I see myself?"
Looking at the divine, singular eye before him, Wende was completely baffled. This perspective of watching himself was truly... truly strange... From this viewpoint, the "him" in this cosmic darkness was less than a drop in the ocean... yet this was the perspective he was seeing from...
[This is your eye.]
The system screen drifted silently before Wende, the words on it glaringly conspicuous.
"This is my eye? But... what is going on? My power, how is it..."
Wende's brow furrowed tightly. He looked around in a daze, but found only a void of emptiness and bewilderment.
[...]
[Perhaps they were a bit too hasty, but there really isn't enough time. Try to accept it as much as you can, and then give it a try. See what you can do in this world.]
The system screen guided Wende, like a tutorial for a new game.
"Are you... really miHoYo's system?"
Looking at the screen, Wende asked with some hesitation. He felt as if the system had been replaced by a different person.
[Me? Of course not. I am merely borrowing it. Why are you so afraid of it? Isn't it also yours?]
The "system screen" looked back with a puzzled expression, typing out its response to the astonished Wende.
"Hiss... I'd like for it to be mine, but I also don't... So who are you, exactly?"
Wende chose not to continue beating around the bush with the "system screen" and got straight to the point.
[Me? Ah... let me think. Ever since this world's version of you was born, I have been attached to your body. All the way until now.]
The "system screen" held nothing back, laying its cards on the table with Wende.
[That little fellow on your train noticed me before. He seemed to have mistaken me for some other... hmm, "Dragon Exalt"? It feels strange to call the younger generation that. Anyway, that's how it was. Back then, you had just accepted your power, so I replied to him on a whim. I hope he hasn't been obsessing over it all this time.]
"You're a bit of a chatterbox."
Wende stated flatly, his face devoid of expression.
[Am I? Perhaps it's because I don't come out often, or maybe I've been by myself for too long? No, no, none of that is important. What's important is, do you understand your own situation right now? Don't tell me you don't recognize this eye. If that's the case, I'd really feel bad for that 'little fellow.' Have you not even glanced at the data bank on the train?]
"Definitely a chatterbox."
Wende nodded with a deadpan expression, as if confirming a fact.
[Tsk... How I wish I were one of those Suiyang right now, so I could control your hand and give you a good slap. Are you even listening to me, or is it just in one ear and out the other?]
"This eye... I've seen it many times... As for where..."
Stroking his chin, Wende began to recall the records he had seen in the data bank. Was there anything about an eye?
"Eye, eye, eye..."
[I get it. You really don't know.]
If the screen had a face, it would surely be one of utter helplessness.
"Can we drop the eye topic for now? I'm suddenly feeling quite comfortable with having an extra one. Let's get back to the main point. Who are you?"
Wende looked warily at the system screen. This guy had been playing Tai Chi with him from the very beginning.
[Me? Right... me... Wouldn't it be a bit boring if I told you right now? What if you start groveling and sucking up to me after you find out my true identity? Wouldn't that make me lose a lot of face?]
"Forget it. Knowing your true identity doesn't seem that important anymore."
[You little punk.jpg]
For a moment, the entire space fell silent once more, leaving only Wende looking thoughtful, lost in his own world.
The eye felt as if it had become a part of him. He could control it with his consciousness, doing things like zooming his vision in and out. The range was vast, but in this void, he couldn't measure just how far the eye's range extended.
Just as Wende was testing out the eye, the previously silent system screen, for some reason, typed out another sentence.
[Kid, have you noticed something?]
"What is it?" Wende raised an eyebrow.
[Have you noticed that you're a very terrifying person? No matter what happens, you adapt to it very quickly, and act as if... hmm, as if it's what you were always meant to do.]
The words on the screen paused for a moment, but were typed out nonetheless.
"Have I?"
[Yes.]
"..."
"Perhaps it's just my personality..."
[Is it?]
"Spit it out or shut up."
[Right, right, right, it's your personality! You're absolutely right!]
Deciding to ignore this guy who sounded like he wanted to go live under a bridge, Wende felt the Chaos energy throughout the space and once again sank into deep thought.
Previously, the Chaos energy within his body had been limited, though sufficient... But now, this entire space was filled with a dense Chaos energy, so vast it felt like countless times the amount he once held!
And most importantly, it seemed... he could control all of it.
A bold idea suddenly surfaced in Wende's mind. And so...
He began to gather the Chaos energy... separating it into Yin and Yang...
Heaven as Yang, Earth as Yin; Sun as Yang, Moon as Yin...
Yin and Yang flowed endlessly. The Chaos energy transformed into the power of Yin and Yang, differentiating and coalescing within this void...
"The Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three..."
"Three gives birth to all things..."
Wende muttered to himself. A world, as if freshly molded by God, began to take shape before him...
Oh, right now, he was God. Or perhaps... Pangu?
---o---
"Is this the final boss? After we beat him, we can go back to the Express and rest, right?"
March looked at the hooded man and the Stellaron behind him. She nudged Stelle's side with her finger and asked with some uncertainty.
"We've made it this far, so this should be it, right?"
Stelle was also unsure. She felt that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Shouldn't the final battle have some kind of epic setting? But right now, it was just a patch of grass, and the opponent was just a hooded man. And this guy hadn't paid any attention to them since he appeared! So rude!
"Don't act rashly. Let's try to communicate first."
Dan Heng held back the eager Stelle and March, looking at the man opposite them with great caution.