The world had returned to normal. Nothing had changed. No trace of destruction, no memory of the threat that once loomed beyond the sky. Everything carried on as if nothing had ever happened. Yet, this world had nearly been erased by the existence of a being named Lithanos. But that name had now vanished from all records and memories. Gone without a trace.
Exafanos still sat in front of his old hut. A simple structure he took care of with devotion. Around him, a small garden bloomed with neatly arranged greenery. He was watering the plants with water drawn from a small well behind the house. Occasionally, he plucked weeds or swept away dry leaves blown into the yard by the wind.
There was nothing strange about these activities. At a glance, he looked like an ordinary man living peacefully at the edge of the forest. No one knew that behind his human form, lay an existence that couldn't be explained by any concept in this universe.
That evening, a gentle breeze blew. The sunlight began to turn golden, signaling dusk. Exafanos stared straight ahead. His gaze landed on five hunters staggering toward his hut. Some were severely wounded, one of them barely able to walk. Yet Exafanos remained still. He did not move, nor did he offer help. He simply observed them with a blank expression.
One of them finally spoke, asking for help to save their friend. They had no idea who Exafanos truly was—only saw him as someone who might be able to assist. Though he held neither good nor ill intentions, Exafanos chose to act. Not out of empathy, but simply because… he could.
He didn't know how to heal. He wasn't a healer, nor a mage, let alone a god. But with his will, the gaping wounds on the hunters' bodies disappeared. Not healed, not cured—erased. As if they had never existed.
The hunters fell silent. Confusion was clear on their faces. They began to question one another, even forgetting why they were there. No wounds, no pain, no memory of the battle or their journey to that place. Everything was wiped from their minds. Still puzzled, they politely thanked Exafanos and slowly left the old hut without another word.
Exafanos stood still, returning his gaze to the small garden. Suddenly, the world before him folded. Distance vanished. In an instant, he was in the middle of a bustling market, without anyone noticing the shift. He hadn't used magic or teleportation. He had simply erased the distance.
Space and time remained intact. But between the hut and the market, there was no longer any distance for Exafanos.
He brought his harvest—vegetables and fruits from his garden. He sold them by the roadside, exchanging them for meat, food supplies, or spices he couldn't grow himself. No one suspected anything. To the other vendors, he was just a regular villager.
Once his business was done, he walked away casually. And again, the world folded around him. With a single light step, he was back in front of his hut, altering nothing but distance.
Now he sat in his small kitchen, cooking the pork he had just bought. The aroma of spices and grilled fat filled the modest space. Though he didn't need to eat—hunger, satiety, and metabolism didn't apply to him—he still did it. Eating was part of the human routine he enjoyed.
But just as he was about to eat, Exafanos looked up at the sky. His gaze was empty, but within that emptiness, he sensed something strange. The sky changed. Clouds disappeared. The sky became one enormous eye, as large as the world itself. That eye stared sharply at the planet Wallbert.
Everyone in the world froze. Not figuratively—literally. Time stopped. All movement ceased within seconds. Even the gods couldn't resist the agonizing pressure of submission.
That eye was no mere creature. It was the Anomaly Killer, a hunter of anomalies blessed with all concepts embedded within its form. It did not act on behalf of creators or gods. It merely carried out its function: to erase anomalies that could not be explained by any narrative.
It had come sensing the presence of Exafanos.
But as time froze and the world began to crumble, Exafanos merely sighed. He wasn't angry. He wasn't afraid. He didn't resist. He simply willed. And in his will, time shattered. Time resumed. And the hunter, the Anomaly Killer—was gone.
No sound, no explosion, no fragments of soul left behind. Every concept of its existence was utterly destroyed. It never existed. Never remembered. Never written in any narrative within or beyond the universe.
Peace returned. The world moved again. The wind blew. Crickets chirped once more. Exafanos sat in his chair, poured warm tea into a cup, and sipped it slowly. Night was falling.
He lit a small fire inside his hut. By the fireplace, he roasted the remaining dinner meat. The flickering flames cast his calm shadow onto the aging wooden walls. Everything seemed ordinary. Until hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
Two women emerged from the trees, wearing torn and dirtied noble clothing. Despite their disheveled appearance, their faces were still strikingly beautiful—though filled with fear.
Exafanos opened the door without a word. He knew they were coming but had no intention of rejecting them. He had no reason. No empathy, but also no desire to ignore.
They sat together by the fire. Silent. Until one of the women finally spoke, her voice trembling with trauma.
"We… we didn't mean to disturb your evening, sir," said the older woman, her voice barely a whisper.
Exafanos glanced at them briefly, then returned to his tea. No response.
The younger woman gathered her courage to speak, her voice a bit stronger but still nervous. "We were ambushed… by bandits. On the road to the Kingdom of Leona. All our guards were killed… we—we ran into the forest and… found this place."
Exafanos said nothing. Yet he showed no sign of turning them away.
"We have nothing. We won't be a burden. We just need… shelter for the night," said the older woman again.
"I'm Alexa Abigail," she added, bowing her head. "And this is my younger sister, Alice."
"Our father is Duke Albert Abigail," Alice said softly, as if asking for understanding.
Exafanos set his cup on the wooden table. His gaze passed through the firelight, but focused on nothing.
"You can sleep there," he said softly, pointing to a corner of the room where an old mat and pillow lay.
The two women looked at each other—relieved, but also puzzled. They hadn't expected to be accepted so easily by a stranger—especially one with such an empty presence.
"Thank you…" Alexa whispered, barely audible.
"…thank you so much," added Alice, even quieter.
The night grew calm once more.
.....
To Be Continued