"...so, it's this world, huh?"
In outer space, just around the vicinity of the Blue Planet where the Grand Fleet of the Celestials was stationed, a man could be seen walking in the vacuum of space seemingly fine.
He looked like a human more than a Celestial. He's about five feet and 9 inches tall, has bronze-tinted skin, he has light blue eyes that created a sharp contrast with his skin color. He had long brown hair that reaches his waist and he was wearing a pristine white robe.
His appearance looks simple but it has a subtle elegance. The way he carried himself speaks volumes of his status, if that wasn't already a sign, then perhaps the entire army of Celestials kneeling respectfully behind him would be enough.
This isn't just any other Celestial. This man is someone that is known by almost all Celestials, and Hypogeans as well, meeting him is considered a rare occurrence because of his status, so for him to personally visit this backward planet, meant that things were really about to go down.
"Such a small thing..." He mumbled to himself, "It certainly gives me an impression that I could just crush it with a simple squeeze of my hand, yet it's surprisingly sturdy."
The man's expression was cold and dismissive, yet behind that coldness was a hint of curiosity.
To think that such a small planet like this caused them some rather alarming casualties is something that he would never dare to imagine before. Yet that's precisely what's happening now.
"You all, go back to your jobs. I'll go ahead and have a look."
"B-but Sire—!"
The one who tried to argue with his decision was met with a cold and soul-chilling glare that caused them to freeze on the spot. The man didn't need to say anything after that, his glare already said what needed to be said.
Unable to argue with him, the others had no choice but to follow his orders. They retreated and gave the man his freedom to move on his own.
Of course, some were worried about the man. They couldn't help it. They've seen this scene before where someone from their side felt a little too confident about their abilities and made a personal trip to that planet only to never be heard from ever again.
They were worried that the same might happen to this man as well, but at the end of the day, they couldn't go against the man's decision to go alone.
All they could do is to trust in his abilities and pray that he wouldn't fall for whatever nasty trap that world has to offer.
The man remained inconsiderate of their worries. He was fully and completely convinced that this world doesn't have what it takes to hurt him. He had absolute faith in his power to make him think so.
And thus, he did not hesitate. He descended into the world.
Its flimsy barrier trembled for a split second. A flash of rainbow-colored light shone on its surface, briefly surprising the man before eventually giving way for him to pass through.
'What were that colorful lights all about?' The man was momentarily confused. Eventually, he decided to discard that thought and return to the present.
The barrier didn't break, which somewhat surprised the man but he paid it no mind. After all, this was the same barrier that none of their tools managed to penetrate.
Still, the fact that it couldn't handle him was a sign that he had nothing to worry about. If this was all this world could do to keep them from colonizing it, then it's already failing miserably.
The man's descent was unhindered until he landed on the ground.
His landing was as soft as a feather. Despite its speed, he landed without making any noise, disruption, or damage to the earth.
He looked around upon landing, silently taking in the atmosphere of this world.
Despite his obvious disdain for such a planet like this, he wouldn't deny how peaceful it looked.
Sure it can make do without the filthy trace of Hypogean Corruption but for the most part, especially the lands untouched by neither the miracle nor corruption, it carried a sense of subtle beauty that he could admire.
He walked barefoot on the planet's soil. Experiencing everything it could offer. Its atmosphere was truly simple, making it obvious just how this world was certainly geared for mere mortals.
'It's quite romantic, actually.' He couldn't help but think. 'It'd be nice if we could turn this into a province. I bet Father would like it here.'
As he walked around, he could see some rather strange developments around.
He saw the Strays: Demons, and Angels who broke off from the influence of Laguna and Qliphoth, acting like royalties around.
The man scoffed in disdain upon witnessing this. Fools, all of them. To think that they even dare to think that they are worth that much to put a crown on their heads.
They don't know the immensity of Heaven and Earth. They're frogs in a well.
The man ignored them for the most part. He couldn't be bothered to lift a finger to deal with these fools. It's just not worth it. He could just ask his minions to take care of them.
He moved on to the real objective of his visit here, and that is the Humans. That's what the locals of this world are called according to the reports he received. And they're also the ones who are giving them some surprising failures in their attempts to colonize this world.
The man already knew the location of their little home. They're like a tribe of barbarians. Holing up in a small portion of what this world has to offer.
In his eyes, the fact that Humans don't even have what it takes to fully utilize every single square inch of their home world was a clear sign of their incompetence.
They don't deserve this world without that kind of ability, so why don't they just roll over and die? If they were to just hand the ownership of this world to the Celestials, then they wouldn't need to suffer from any of this! Wouldn't that be a much better use of everybody's time?
Alas, he might never really understand how the minds of mortals work. After all, his birthright automatically denies him that kind of compassion.
And then, he finally saw it...
To be completely honest, it was a bit impressive. At least compared to other worlds that he had been through before. He could see some semblance of prosperity in this place.
If they were to be left alone for a couple of hundred years, then they might have what it takes for Celestials to take them seriously.
Unfortunately, that can never happen now. After all, they've made too much noise and got his attention.
And while the man was certainly up for a challenge, he'd be damned if he let some lesser creatures catch up to the progress of their race.
They don't need another rival, like the Hypogeans, in their long list of worries...
Because of his appearance, and being close to that Humans, he didn't receive that much attention, which was rather refreshing. He melded in with the crowd seamlessly, as if he belongs there.
The gates were open wide and he just casually strolled inside, not triggering any sort of alarm whatsoever.
Walking around this civilization made him fully aware of just how backward this planet truly was.
The mundanity of their problems gave him the impression that they were just mortals. There is nothing worth to be seen here.
...so how in the world did this world give his men some serious trouble?
Out of nowhere, the man heard a whistling tune.
Something about it made him pay attention to it. Unable to fight his curiosity, he followed the melody and it lead him to a rather obscure path leading to a small lake.
There, he found a man wearing a white cloak. He's sitting by the edge of the lake with his fishing rod and whistling the same tune that leads him to discover this place.
The man felt emboldened out of nowhere and he approached this man with the intent of striking up a conversation. But it was then that the man somehow managed to sense his presence and looked over in his direction.
Their eyes met and suddenly, he wasn't able to speak. Then, the fisherman smiled at him meaningfully before saying:
"Ah...so you're here. I didn't expect you to look like that but...mn, not bad."
The man was confused about that of course, because the fisherman sounded like he was familiar with him, making the man question his memories.
"I'd like to talk to you some more, but I'm afraid that this isn't the right time or place to do so. We'll see in the future, I guess. Until then..."
The fisherman suddenly reeled in his catch and all of a sudden, the world spun.
The man was surprised by the sudden change and before he knew it, he found himself standing in the vacuum of space, beneath him was the world he could swear he was just in.
He blinked in disbelief before hollowly asking himself:
'How much of that was real?'
'How much was fake?'
A shiver run down his spine and a wicked smile appeared on his face before he started laughing uproariously.
"It looks like I got myself an interesting new toy..."
