"I'm pleased to see you once again, Bygone Days Deity," Shard began, adjusting his mood before he continued, "May I know how much time has passed since I last left?"
The young man wearing a jester's hat shook his head, his aura of decay now more pronounced than during their last meeting.
It was as if all things were nearing their wither:
"Hope Town itself is not a normal place; there's no normal concept of time here. Furthermore, my imminent demise has caused a distortion in the material world, casting an abnormal state of time and space over this area. It is merely autumn in the year 1068 of the Fifth Era here, which doesn't represent any specific point in time."
"I see," Shard thought, "So the History Academy of Saint Byrons didn't spot any major events at this time because of this reason. That Circle Sorcerer who repeated grades for decades must have been wronged."
Shard pondered internally and hypothesized that Hope Town itself might be a Relic from an era even older than the Fifth Era.
Guessing this, with the knowledge that time was of the essence, he then said:
"Bygone Days Deity, my purpose in visiting remains to witness your final wish, but... can you return after a being like you perishes?"
He posed this question, seeking to confirm what Miss Annette had said about the "Whispering Verses."
"Rather than perishing, the word 'sleeping' is more appropriate."
"Sleeping? Can you awaken?"
Shard asked in surprise, but the saint with the jester's hat only smiled and did not respond.
"Very well, may I ask a few more questions?"
"Of course, satisfying the curiosity of children is one of my duties. However, you seem unable to stay here for too long, so be mindful of the time," he kindly reminded, to which Shard immediately nodded:
"Do you know the Sublimation Incantation?"
The power used by the doctor when employing the Sublimation Incantation had a distinct sense of decay, similar to what was emanating from the saint before him.
"I don't know, the Circle Sorcerer System you possess was formed only in the mid to late Fifth Era, and this moment is merely the early Fifth Era, so I am unaware of it."
"Then how do you... Well, there are some things you can know, yet I temporarily cannot."
Shard understood the saint's meaning, who then smiled and said:
"But you will receive answers, after all, even the mystical system of mortals of the present era in the Fifth Era has powers similar to what you call 'Sublimation Incantation.' But you must seek out those answers yourself."
"Yes, I understand," he said. Then, inquiring in his mind how much time was left and receiving an answer from the whispering voices, he temporarily put aside his doubts. Whether it was "Whispering Verses" or The Chosen One, these matters happened after the deity's demise, so he couldn't get answers and might as well concentrate on the task the Ancient God had given him.
"So, Saint, what is your final wish?"
The Old God "Creator of Innocence" gently clapped his hands:
"It's simple. Children, come forth."
Then, from the crowded shelves of the toy store, three small children walked out, which Shard had not expected since he thought there were no others around.
Two boys and a girl, with the girl looking to be the oldest but no older than 12 years, and the youngest boy even had bubbles of snot coming from his nose.
Their attire was drastically different from that of the other townsfolk outside, not just in style but certainly much more colorful and vibrant. Compared to the numb townspeople of the eerie Hope Town, they were indeed the living.
The Saint gazed at the three bewildered children and gently explained,
"I had intended to quietly meet my end here, observing the material world one last time in the form of a Saint. I never anticipated accidentally involving these three children in the affairs of the town. As an apology, my final wish is to fulfill their wishes."
The language used by the Old God was not of any known language at this moment in time, and the children could not understand it; Shard, however, could.
"Children, what do you want?"
The Saint switched to another language as he asked the three children, his smile warm and contagious, causing the children to look at him with anticipation. They were protected by the blessing of Deity and would not be harmed by looking at the divine being. However, this was only temporary.
To Shard, the mental state of the three children seemed off, their inexplicable joy and excitement uncharacteristic of children in an unfamiliar environment.
The oldest girl, wearing a pretty floral dress, looked up and said, her eyes bright:
"Sir, I want the power to protect myself."
The boy holding a wooden toy sword said, feigning an adult's tone:
"Oh, sir, I certainly want to grow up and become an adult right away."
The blonde boy holding a teddy bear, his nose bubbling, said:
"I want stories, I just want to hear nice stories."
All of them were looking at the Saint behind the counter, while this deity of Bygone Days then turned to look at Shard:
"You see, my final wish is to fulfill these wishes."
These wishes should be simple for a god to fulfill, especially for a being known as the Creator of Innocence within the scope of his divine duties, indeed suitable to be his last wishes.
But seeing the Saint smiling at him, Shard got a bad feeling:
"You're not going to say that you can't do it, are you?"
The young man wearing a jester's hat laughed:
"Yes, I can't do it at the moment. I used the remainder of my power on my last creation, and they appeared too late. But I truly wish to fulfill their desires. This wish, borne from the pureness of a child's heart, is indeed my own final wish. I thought it was impossible to fulfill until you came along..."
Once again using the language that the children couldn't understand, Shard incredulously pointed at himself and asked:
"You don't mean... me?"
The Saint nodded again with a smile, an expression that oddly suited the jester's hat he wore:
"Whatever method you use, as long as you fulfill these three children's wishes, it will serve as a testament to my final desire. The Deity of Time is not stingy, nor will I be. I will give you an additional gift, one that will surely please you."
Though it was highly tempting, Shard still shook his head:
"I'd like to help you, but I am merely human, I do not possess the creative power you have."
"How many humans receive the help of a deity? Yet, most of the time, children's wishes are fulfilled by humans."
The Deity from Bygone Days, approaching his end, pointed towards the three children:
"Those who seek power, wish to grow up, or desire stories. A human bathed in the remnants of divinity's glow, I believe you can fulfill these wishes."
Immediately, the three children looked at Shard with renewed anticipation, and Shard forced a smile back at them.