Three Divine Wishes: Yes, I'm OP!

"I just hope the boy finds true peace someday..."

Number One lingered on the icy mound long after the Dreamer’s Rift had vanished.

He remained still, his gaze fixed on the space where it had been, lost in thought.

Perhaps he was the only one in the Pantheon who had ever been granted a genuine glimpse of Melvin as he once was, before the weight of his troubles—and his thirst for vengeance—had fully settled on his shoulders.

And even those lighter moments were fleeting...

"With every passing year... it feels like he’s becoming colder and more distant," Number One murmured with a weary sigh.

At last, he shook his head and pushed himself up from the mound.

His long white hair whipped in the fierce wind as he straightened to his full height.

"It’s time to finish my final task," he said quietly, resolve hardening in his voice.

With a single step, he was carried out of the peak’s immediate cold.

Purple dream-like mist gathered around his form and released him again above the central continent of Kalpa, where the greater part of the work had already been prepared.

----

During his time overlooking Melvin, he had been tasked by Luna with clearing the world of Kalpa.

Of course, that didn’t mean committing some mass slaughter—obviously not.

The plan was far simpler.

He was to gather every last remaining being in the world and send them onward to wherever Destiny wanted them to be.

He overlooked that expanse for a moment, then summoned a small box marked with a smiling face.

The object rested lightly against his palm while he regarded it with the dry skepticism of a man who had served under stranger instructions before.

"Now, Mistress Luna said that if I throw this out... it’ll handle everything else," he murmured.

He paused for a moment longer than he really needed to, as if giving the words one last chance to make sense when spoken out loud.

Then, without another thought—never one to second-guess the Mistress once her instructions were clear—he flung the small box high into the air.

As it descended, it began to open, its panels sliding apart with deliberate, mechanical slowness.

HUMMMMMM!!!!!!

When the box was fully open, a vast, continent-spanning portal emerged, unfurling gracefully and sweeping across the entire landmass below.

The portal didn’t rip open, didn’t flare with light, didn’t arrive with some grand display of divine power.

It just slipped into existence, passing through the world like solid matter was more of a suggestion than an obstacle.

In one moment the continent bustled with people going about the ordinary business of a living world.

In the next, the same continent stood empty—roads bare, doorways vacant, fields without a single figure moving between the rows.

Seeing such a display, Number One tilted his head, pure wonder cutting through his usual composure.

"Are all my masters so powerful...?"

He had long been convinced that only Akasha possessed the kind of power that defied conventional comprehension.

Yet, the vast, barren continent stretching out beneath him compelled a reassessment of that conviction.

With a final shake of his head, he acknowledged the shift in his understanding.

"Well... it is time to return to Dream Land."

----

The moment he departed, the world shifted once more... another transformation born from Luna’s creation.

HUMMMMMM!!!!!

Behind him, the world of Kalpa trembled, but the rumble was deeper and more all-encompassing than the earlier surge.

The shift rolled out far beyond Lucid Winter Peak, reaching every last corner of the world.

From a vibrant world of five continents, seven radiant suns, and fields of dazzlingly colored grass, Kalpa began to change.

Winter crept outward from the peak, unfolding in a steady, unstoppable tide of soft white and icy blue.

Forests took on a white sheen and fell silent, as if a person were holding their breath in the deepening chill.

The plains settled into a frosty stillness, while the oceans and vast waters let go of their restless tides, turning smooth and still.

However, it wasn’t just ordinary water inside, but pure potential—oceans, lakes, and rivers that gave anyone the chance to move closer to their best self.

By the end, the whole world had transformed into a frozen wonder, and the once-exclusive oasis grandeur of Lucid Winter Peak now belonged to all of Kalpa.

It had truly become the World of Potential.

----

Only a few hours later, Melvin appeared in the high atmosphere above another world entirely.

The Dreamer’s Rift descended through thin cloud and open sky, black-and-white hull cutting a clean line against the light.

Inside, the main chamber felt almost empty with its pale floors and long sightlines, and Melvin stood at the large window, one hand resting on the frame.

His reflection ghosted faintly over the glass: the longer black hair, pale skin, black eyes marked with white swords.

But he did not linger on that reflection for long; instead, his gaze shifted outward.

Below, the Hub of Knowledge emerged in its entirety beneath the steadily descending ship, its vast structure and intricate details coming into clear view.

The oceanic world stretched endlessly in every direction, its surface awash in soft shades of pastel purple and shimmering gold.

At the center of it all, a grand island emerged from the water, fashioned from sturdy wood and marble-like stone that gleamed softly.

Elegant bridges stretched outward toward smaller satellite islands, each one drifting lazily in a slow, deliberate orbit, like quiet thoughts meandering around a calm and focused mind.

"Why am I not surprised?"

Melvin muttered with a shake of his head.

"After this... I’ll spend some time around Master—he’s far too interesting to ignore."

As his words faded into the air, the starship lingered high above, holding its position in the tranquil sky.

Melvin stepped out into open air and descended toward the main building.

What waited for him at the end of that descent was not a library in any ordinary sense.

The building rose in dark wood, rich with grain that seemed to hold shadows within it, its vaulted heights lending it more the feel of a cathedral than any library meant for hushed study.

The great doors stood wide, and without hesitation, he stepped across the threshold.

Inside, the space opened wider than the exterior had promised.

There were no shelves, no neat rows of books.

Just an expanse of smooth marble and warm wood, with zafus drifting a hand’s width above the floor, silent and expectant.

All around him, set into air and wall with deliberate order, hung hundreds—then thousands—of sigils: blades, spears, bows, abstract marks that suggested decrees, seasons, names, and things he did not yet have words for.

When he looked up, the sigils continued to stack, shifting through color as they climbed, until the column of them passed beyond the reach of even his sight.

He was still taking the measure of that height when Calista appeared.

Though it was not truly her...

The form that took shape before him was illusory, yet clear enough to hold every detail: her long black hair falling in a clean line, black horns, pale skin, a face composed into deadly beauty.

Black wings unfurled behind her, like literal shadows sharpened into form and substance.

Her robes were exquisite, as though they were woven to match the grandeur of the place itself.

Tilting her head, she studied Melvin, her black eyes sweeping once over the stark white robes, the longer hair, and the glint of swords reflected in his gaze.

"So... I suppose I should call you Elder Brother, huh?"