Eternal Thief

"… Heaven's Stealer!"

Those two mildly spoken words resounded like thunder in Ace's mind as he had never expected to hear them from anyone other than the system. Maybe that's why he was so shocked, or it was just that his biggest secret had been seen through by this mysterious voice like it was nothing. 

Ace always thought that no one would be able to tell his true origin and what kind of status he represents. But now, the realization stuck with him hard. He always had this strange thought deep in his heart, which he never paid attention to, but it was always there. 

It was now become quite clear that he wasn't the first Heaven's Stealer. There were others like him who had walked on the same path that he was walking. But just how many were before him, what were their endings, and how they met their ends? 

But one thing was abundantly clear; since he was the current Heaven's Stealer, the one before him was no longer in this world. 

This was probably the biggest burden Ace had to carry. The risks involved in this path were too great, and one wrong step and he would be the next dead Heaven's Stealer and vanish into the long history. 

But now, all of a sudden, someone has guessed his origin, which means people out there knew about Heaven's Stealer or at least about his predecessors. 

Furthermore, with how the system did things, the thief symbols, the opposition against Heaven, and all the things, it was quite hard to remain low-key. So, Ace should've expected that the people might know about Heaven's Stealer. 

It's just that he wasn't prepared, or he might never be. Nonetheless, the situation had turned extremely complex because of it, and now he didn't know if he should do anything to get rid of this person who had guessed his identity or listen to what he had to say. 

"What Heaven's Stealer? I think you've mistaken me for someone else." Ace quickly composed himself and plainly denied. 

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I found the correct person. There's no need to deny it. Everyone like me knows the owl symbol represents the Heaven's Stealer. It's symbolized your kind, and I'm not the one saying it. It's in every legendary story of the Heaven's Stealer. 

"It's just that I never expected I would see the real thing myself in this long lifetime. What an honor it is." The voice sounded jolly and excited. 

Ace's expression grew heavier, and he blamed something that was behind all of this, "System, you degenerate! At least changed the thief symbol for individuality's sake! Now I'm exposed!" 

Nonetheless, no matter how indignant he felt, he knew this was unavoidable. Furthermore, he was also curious about the history of Heaven's Stealers and just what kind of legends they had. 

But his biggest concern was this person who seemed to know those legends, and he's clearly been keeping an eye on him, or it's just that only now he took notice after his recent thievery. 

Moreover, even if they know about Heaven's Stealer, they shouldn't know about the system at all. After all, it was actually the true culprit behind making a Heaven's Stealer. 

"You can think what you want. Now, tell me, who are you?" Ace still refrained from admitting he was Heaven's Stealer even if the proof was quite clear; he would deny it. 

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm a wisp of will that my original body left behind in this final trial. I'm the founder of the Sun and Moon Sword Union!" The voice introduced itself. 

Ace's eyes winded at this revelation, "Y-you're Sun God or the Moon God?!" 

"Heh, there are no two separate gods, but the Sun and Moon God is one, and that's me, alright. But I'm just a wisp of his will and have a part of his boundless knowledge, and after severing my purpose, I'll vanish." 

Ace's expression sank even further because he never expected to speak a god, and he finally understood why he felt that terrifying oppression from that voice and how he knew about Heaven's Stealer. 

'If only just a wisp of his will is this terrifying, what about his real body?' Ace didn't dare to imagine, and that's what probably being a God means. 

The voice continued, "I've been observing you from the moment you entered the Union that day, but I have to admit, you didn't make it easy at all, and you can vanish whenever you like. I was shocked at first and confused, but I couldn't interfere with the Union no matter what, so I observed. 

"Then you completely went blank after you entered the Sun Secret Realm, and the next thing happened; it got destroyed, and you vanished. But you appeared again, and this time you destroyed the Moon Secret Realm…" 

Ace's heart skipped a beat when he sensed a faint coldness in that voice. He felt like he was at the bottom of a boundless icy lake for a moment. 

"I don't know how I should…thank you." 

Ace's taut expression went blank for a moment, and he felt he had just heard wrong, "Thank…you?" 

"Oh, you must be confused. But the truth is, I'm really glad you got rid of those two idiots. They were supposed to be the final holy treasures for whoever cleared all the trials and then followed that person as their one and only master. 

"But they seemed to have developed sentience after a long period of time, and they took control of the independent cores of the secret realm. Hmph, if I wasn't stuck here, I ought to have taught them a painful lesson, but I was as helpless as them since they were also bound by rules. No matter how much they resist, nothing can go against my original body settings, now even his own little will." 

Ace could feel the bitterness in the voice, which made him surprised. 

'Why did he explain all that to me? He just revealed almost all of his weaknesses. It's like he openly admits he didn't pry into my secrets, or he simply can't. Even if it's just a wisp of will, my knowledge in front of it is a speck of dust.' Ace thought as he didn't dare to trust this guy no matter what. 

"Anyway, then those annoying guys came along, and they schemed against SMSC, who was the caretaker of the Union. If I hadn't used all my accumulated power and saved his core before they trapped his visage, he would've been done for." 

"What do you want from me?" Ace couldn't help but ask with a frown hidden under his calm mask. 

Ace clearly wasn't interested in anything other than leaving here as quickly as possible, especially after learning about who dwells here and his identity has been exposed. 

"Look, I know you don't trust me, and you shouldn't since I won't as well. So, I'll be straightforward with you. I know you're after the secret my true body hid and sealed in the Mortal Sky Heaven. 

"I don't have those memories of what it was, but I know it was important enough to make my original body descend into the Mortal Sky Heaven despite it being absolutely impossible. 

"And after he left, 531,000 years later, an anomaly stuck the mortal sky heaven, which, unfortunately, I can only sense for a moment. But soon after that anomaly, I lost my connection with my real body!"