The universe is a forever-expanding cosmic body. Forged by the hammer of absurdity, both of pure possibilities and impossibilities.
Lies between that infinite space. A place where void and creation both spontaneously destroy and create, a dimension big enough to contain anything of infinite magnitude, yet small enough to feel claustrophobic. Continuously changing to fit the nature of one's desires.
Yet a spark of life has suddenly appeared in this vast, lonely space. Shaking up the entire dimension with an unfamiliar energy.
Forming a wind of particles and atoms. Shaping together the shape of a boy, lost in the abyss of infinity.
[Existence stabilized]
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[Soul Equilibrium succeeded]
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[Reformation of body completed]
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[Wake up, Robin]
Lying on the ground is the perfectly preserved body of Robin. Previously atomized, now rebuilt atom by atom, a miracle granted in the purest form of life.
"...huhhhh!"
Robin opens his eyes in a shocking panic and gasping for oxygen from his mouth. Deprived of life for a short amount of time. It would only be natural for him to cling onto sight and the breath of life.
However, as fresh as the air he is breathing. This place doesn't exactly seem to be a place meant for any living human or creature...
"Where am I? What is this place?"
[System updating in progress]
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[Please wait for complete information]
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[...78% completion]
"W-what!? Who are you? Actually... what are you?"
[System identified: Magi]
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[Operator: Robin]
It was the same blue holo-screen that he had seen a moment ago. He had thought that it was just an illusion caused by the creature's attack. However, in this moment, it has all come together.
Thisisa fantasy novel. This is basically a system! To be more precise, Robin could only make sense of this holo screen hovering right in front of him. Of course, it is something he'd be familiar with; after all, he had read a couple of these kinds of stories before. Yet, he'd never expect to live through one.
It almost feels like a dream. Except...
"Emi..."
Robin refused to even think of the possibility of anything bad happening. Robin believes that things will just have to wait until he can find a clue about everything that has happened. It would be a long shot, but out of all the impossibilities that he witnessed, that is perhaps the one sensible thing to do.
"I need to get out of here first...but why is everything so dark?"
*rrrr*
Before he could organize his thoughts. A slight vibration can be felt below the ground through his fingertips.
"Huh? But.. what? This shouldn't be possible..."
He lightly tapped the floor with his fingernail, just to confirm his suspicious thought.
*cling*
A loud, fragile sound echoed all over space. From where he tapped. A wave of visible multicolored light rose across the entire floor and spread from where he lay to the entire area.
The wave of light then creates smaller hovering orbs of light that cling to surfaces all around the entire unknown space.
Now, Robin can finally make sense of his current surroundings.
"A platform made of nearly invisible glass... some kind of unnatural construct"
However, that isn't all that would be of shock value to him.
"I'm in...space!?"
There are planets, stars, and even the far-off sun. Like our galaxy.
"I am fine... in space?"
Perhaps the laws of physics and how reality is written here are a bit different from Earth's. As if something is allowing him to breathe and exist in the vast vacuum of space.
"but-"
Gloom over and below Robin's surroundings. A serpent, incomprehensibly large. Just casually living and occupying seemingly the entire universe.
A cosmically massive serpent-like creature, or in this case, it would be better to call this serpent an entity. Covered entirely in magically shiny golden scales, its body spans almost impossibly long, perhaps even endlessly long. Covering the entire space itself, in fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that the great being is occupying the entirety of creation. A space so incomprehensibly big, yet seemingly barely enough to fit this god.
"A cosmically giant serpent? What in the world is going on here?!"
[Update completed]
[Information requested received]
*ding*
[Location: The Prison of Ouroboros]
"WHAT!?"
Surprised at the answer provided by the system.
"LIKE THE SERPENT THAT EATS ITSELF OVER AND OVER AGAIN!?"
[Correct]
Robin understands what kind of creature Ouroboros is; at the very least, he has to remember something from his history class.
Surrounding the platform made of glass on which Robin is currently standing. Far off in the distance, its body can be seen wrapping around a planet the size of Pluto, crushing it into stardust.
Its head then appears, sneaking through its endless knots made entirely of its own body. In one wide bite, it closed it mouth and what's left of the crushed planet was reduced to a crunchy blueberry flavored candies, at least for the cosmic serpent.
However, after the planet was destroyed, another identical planet suddenly materialized in its place, replacing the old destroyed planet in an instant.
Could this be the power of that god-like serpent?
The power to change the very thread of reality.
Creation and multiplication in an instant.
"How can something like that exist here?"
Robin has his fair share of impossibilities today. However, what he was seeing would take the trophy.
*RRRR*
Suddenly, the cosmic serpent notices Robin's presence, and it's more than interested in his existence within its domain...
"Oh God, no!"
Grasping the situation, Robin can sense the sudden change in its mood. Like how one would notice a change of purpose in a cat the moment you're about to feed it food.
"What did I do in my past life to deserve this!?"
The serpent slowly flew headfirst toward Robin. As the serpent gets closer, its size only gets bigger. At least in the distance, the serpent could be seen. However, as it gets closer to him, more of his vision is covered with bright golden scales of the serpent.
Terrified, Robin's only option was to slowly back up into the glass wall.
*thud*
"Ouch!"
He tripped over something on the floor.
"What's... this?"
Looking at his feet, the familiar feeling of something soft and rugged.
"It's my backpack!"
Hugging this backpack as if it were his only relative left.
"Oh, you don't know how much I miss you."
One wouldn't be able to convey the feeling of finding a worn and torn backpack scuffed with the dirty sense of any human familiarity.
"Ah, right! There should be something useful in here."
What could work in this situation? If it is a knife, then it might work against a normal mugging in New York, but against a cosmic eating serpent...
"Cheese ball?"
"I wonder if it likes cheese balls?"
[Calculating probabilities: ...maybe?]
An absolutely ridiculous thought process. However, does anyone really know if the world-eater would actually like cheese balls or not? Surely it's worth a try, at the expense of his life if the serpent's appetite isn't up to par.
*rumbling*
Just then, the once small vibration rapidly becomes a seismic rumble that shakes the entire realm.
Robin loses balance as the glass floor destabilizes due to the pure pressure of the serpent approaching.
*glass crackles*
"Oh"
"This is great, totally fine even!"
The platform shakes as cracks appear across the platform, once thought to be a tough construct, merely brittle as candy in the serpent's presence.
*shatters*
"Come on-"
The platform shatters into countless pieces of glasses, floating around Robin.
*ROAR!!!*
An ominously deafening roar tears across reality itself.
The serpent arrived.
For a moment, it seems to stop to observe the small and fragile human.
Trembling with the unfiltered emotion of fear, compared to the face of the colossal angel, this serpent is the face of death itself.
Free-floating in front of the eye of the massive serpent. Its left eye is comparable to the sun.
Left with no other option. Robin takes out his bag of cheese balls with his shaky hands, a last effort perhaps. Who even cares about what would happen at this point? Certainly no harm in trying.
"C-cheese ball?"
A quiet moment has passed. The absurdity of questioning a god within his own domain for some mere cheese balls.
*completely silent*
No way.
"Do you actually want cheese balls!?"
Robin opened the bag of cheese balls. The swift smell arose from within the bag of cheese balls; the stinky yet savory smell spread around him.
Yet, in this moment. The serpent seems not to mind the smell. In fact, the serpent approached closer to Robin using its giant nose.
Each sniff was like a vacuum pushing in and out of the surrounding space.
*ding*
[Ouroboros... like the cheese balls]
The serpent's eyes lighten up.
Hold on, there is no way that it would like an ordinary bag cheese ball. A snack meant for students and snotty kids.
Yet in this moment, it seemed like Robin's luck is finally calling him back.
"Haha... you actually like these cheese balls!"
Suddenly, the space serpent opens its mouth wide, covering Robin's entire view. Shamelessly asking the boy to throw the bag toward its black-hole mouth.
"Here, eat up!"
He winds up his arm. Preparing to throw the best pitch of his life. This time, a bag of cheese balls.
*hu!*
The cheese balls left his hand and flew at a decent speed toward the serpent's mouth. However, something magical happened at the moment the cheese balls flew toward the serpent's mouth.
A golden light wrapped around the bag of cheese balls. Imbuing the snack with godly power.
*puff*
"What the-?"
*puff. puff. PUFF!*
Somehow, a small bag of cheese balls becomes two bags. Then again, four more appear. The cheese balls rapidly materialized through cloning. An endless amount of pure stinkiness.
"Duplication!?"
In a short time, cheese balls become a large body of multiple cheese balls. So much that it covers Robin and everything around him.
With one quick motion, the serpent's mouth created an incredibly strong vacuum. Sucking the all the cheese balls and everything surrounding them, except for Robin.
*CHOMP!*
A wave of pressure spread across space itself. The gaping mouth closed, and all the cheese balls disappeared.
The atmosphere turns silent for a moment.
Was the serpent pleased?
Its face would suggest so...
Have you ever seen a snake smile?
"Phew... ha, how was it? Isn't it good?"
*rumbling*
Suddenly, the god-like serpent turns toward Robin.
Looking down at him with its fierce eyes.
The mood has now changed. There are no cheese balls left to give. Could this be the end?
"Lets talk"
…
"huh?"
[It can talk]
"It can indeed talk..."
In... English?