A new legend, a heroic tale, a bard's song appeared the day Theo defeated Calamity at Mount Etna. As no one knew what happened then, it spun out of control.

Some said he beat her with his sword and wits, some claimed he beat her using legendary weapons, another said he punched the shit out of her and close the portal with his bare hands, other said he was secretly a legendary sage that knew how to turn fire cold hence the bizarre phenomenon, still other speculated that he wooed Calamity to surrender. Of course, they mentioned Val, Setanta, and his women. Setanta was, surprisingly for Theo and Val, a very honest man. He didn't take more credit than he deserved and admitted his defeat at the hand of Calamity. He also took part in exaggerating Theo's and Val's accomplishment when he told the story to others.

The tales traveled twice as fast as wildfires in a dry forest in the height of summer. Even fishermen on a remote corner of the Continent knew him. It reached Nihon and Ulster isle in weeks, and would reach the Far Land to the north and Westrend to the west in a matter of months. Even demon races that was so absorbed in their internal strifes and civil war did not close their ears to such tales. Theo Gladium, a human who defeated a Fire Lord. Although it was his name, Theo Gladium not his deeds that caught their attention.

The tales wouldn't travel half as far or half as fast if not for someone spreading it on purpose. And who would gain more from his fame than himself and those who supported him, someone who championed him a few weeks prior. His success meant her credibility, and her credibility meant her chance to become the next Pontiff. It was a simple calculation really.

The tales brought joy and happiness to the common people. His friends and his women scattered across the Continent showed their prideful smile and let out a relieved sigh as they heard his tales from wandering bards, traveling adventurers, and gossiping maids. Of course, exaggerated tales also brought negative impacts as the tales reached his enemies. Those who hated him, their hatred burned even wilder. Those envious and jealous, became even more caught up in their envy and jealousy. Those that wanted him dead would stop at nothing to see him buried beneath their feet. The most important attention, however, came from a few select individuals. Individuals smart enough to pick the truth from fictions. The tales pricked the ears of a Holy Empire prince. He was the Emperor's oldest of seven children but was last in line for succession due to his status as an adopted child. Claiming the throne was a faraway dream, but not an impossibility. If he got this new hero's favor, he believed even the stars wasn't his limit. Although one might argue that this new hero had been backed by a high priestess from Ketu Theocracy and received a medal of honor by King Alonon of Amaryn himself, he had no official affiliation. He had never pledged his allegiance nor swore a vow. At best he only had contract with the Adventurer Guild, and that could be broken any time with little repercussion.

The newest rumor said this new hero targeted the Holy Empire capital city as his next destination. If it was true, then he would welcome him with open arms and treat him with hospitality second to none before his brothers or sister could offer the same thing. Luckily for him, the rumor told him about the hero's love for women and sex that rivaled even a satyr.

But the prince was not hasty. There was no preparation for an extravagant party or a reservation of a high-class brothel. Because unlike his brothers and sisters, he had to use every single coin of gold from his own treasury. And even if he could spend his money without reservation, he did not know what the hero had in plan when he came to the capital city. The time of his arrival was also still unknown. If everything went as smooth as a baby's bottom, it would take at least a week before he arrived. That still had not put into consideration the time needed to recover from his injuries and time taken for detour or problem during travel. He needed to know many unknown factors before making any big preparation.

The prince was not the only one who took an interest in Theo though. The idea of taking him under their command came to another man from across the small sea in Nihon.

Nihon was stricken with a civil war since thirty years ago. Clans and noble families waged war against one another, trying to expand their territories and increase their own power. Problems first arose with the Emperor's declining political power and influence. Now, the Emperor of Nihon was nothing, but a glorified symbol, a remnant of ancient tradition; an ancient tradition many was happy to see fade away.

Even during the civil war, there were many clans and families who fought among themselves for the position of Family head. And during a civil war, many family heads didn't live to old age. The man was a young lord of one such families.

After the death of his father, a dispute rose over who should lead them next. The man should have been the next head by birthright, but many of his retainers rejected his claim and chose his younger brother instead, causing his family to split into two.

Many regarded him as a man ignorant of politics, economy, and war. Many saw him spending his time fooling and playing around.

Though the truth was very much different.

No one could understand him. No one could comprehend the depth of his mind. No one was able to match him in strength and prowess. His tactics and policies were unorthodox and radical, but in no way foolish and ineffective. But most people, most of his retainers, were too absorbed by their own delusion of knowledge, too absorbed in their crumbling ways of old, too absorbed in their own pride that they were unwilling to change and adapt. They never even considered his strategy and policy when they labeled him as The Fool.

"Toki!" The man called from his room. Unlike on the Continent where two milennia ago Alexander the Greatest unified its language after his conquest, Nihon retained their distinct language as their land was spared from his conquest by the small sea.

A woman in men's clothing entered the room. "Y-yes, my lord." She had been waiting just outside his room in case he needed her or someone wanted to meet him. She had a typical look of Nihonese woman, though unlike many women in Nihon, field work and soldier training forged her body to excellence. When she kept her silence and wore full armor, even the young lord doubted that she was a woman due to her posture.

The young lord smiled when she entered the room. She was a mere commoner, a son of a farmer with no blood relation to any lord or any knight for as far as seven generations past. A common soldier with a little above average abilities, yet the young lord kept her close as his guard and sandal-bearer. It was not due to his affection towards her, one look and you knew she was only average in almost every aspect.

Yet, his gut told him otherwise. The woman was the furthest from normal, though the specific still eluded the young lord. It was uncharacteristic for the young lord to trust his gut with no tangible proof, but the feeling he had never went away no matter how much he dismissed it.

He wanted to test her.

"Search for this Theo Gladium. And make him come to my side, whatever the cost." The young lord was not a man of pleasantries, so he cut to the chase.

Her jaw dropped. "E-E-EHHHH!! But that man is on the Continent!" She thrashed her arm around, panicking. Since the moment she was born, she had never left the province she was currently in, and now her lord told her to cross the small sea to search for this new hero whose whereabouts was only known through a vague and exaggerated rumor. "A-and I'm not suited for this job! Why don't you order your other people?!" She asked. There was little respect in her voice, causing many of his retainer to despise her, but he didn't pay her any mind to such a trivial thing.

"TOKI!" He shouted with a tone that would shame a lion.

Her body stiffened. "Y-YES!" There was no room for rebuttal or rejection. Once her lord had made his mind even storm and waves could not sway him.

"You may not return to Nihon without him." He showed her the stick should she fail. He realized how tall and unreasonable it was to tell her that, but he believed she could and would accomplish it. If not ... then his gut must be wrong and there was no reason to keep her close to him.

'B-but-' She complained within her heart, his gaze froze her lips from uttering those complaints. Dread and uneasiness filled her bosom, unlike anything she ever felt before. The young lord was merciless both to his enemy and retainer, however, she felt this order was unfair and cruel even for him. She had no experience traveling, exploring, searching, hunting, or recruiting people. She even had problems communicating her thought to the people that she was familiar. Considering those facts, it seems like the young lord wanted to get rid of her on purpose.

No, she reassured herself in her heart. The young lord wouldn't do something this deliberate just to get rid of her. If he wanted to get rid of her, he wouldn't do it in a roundabout way. That was not how the young lord operates and that was precisely why she chose his side instead of his brother.

She knew he had something planned for her.

"I'll make you a commander when you return." Then he showed her the carrot. He knew how much she wanted to raise in status, how much she dreamt of being more than just a commoner footsoldier, and how much she coveted riches and money. Being a commander would give her all of that.

Her eyes opened wide again. All uneasiness and doubt within her heart were blown away. And from the ashes of her doubt bloomed an excitement for future adventures and her future success. This task might take her years, but if she succeeds, and she promised herself she will, it would be a dream come true. "R-really?! I-I mean-" She bowed deeply. "At once!"

"The preparation has been made and your ship will sail in a week time. If you have anything left you want to do or goodbye you want to give, better hurry." The young lord dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

After she left, the young lord let out a sigh. It was a shame to lose such a fine companion and conversation partner, but this was a perfect chance to test all of her worth. In truth, this task was more of a test for her rather than him wanting to recruit this new hero. The hero was just a nice coincidence that gave him a powerful reason to give her a tall task. Even if he never appeared, then the young lord already had a few other plans to test her. Divine light shone through the ceiling of Sara's personal inner chamber. It was a secret room that only she had access to and even the pontiff, the current and all his predecessor, did not know. The light rained down upon the kneeling High Priestess. The walls and the ceiling were enchanted with anti-magic and anti-miracle enchantment of the highest order, strong enough to block most if not all known spell and miracle from entering the room without her permission. Yet, the divine light shone still, ignoring the enchantment and barrier like it never existed.

With both hand clasped together, she prayed from the depth of her heart. There wasn't anything covering her doll-like white skin, it glistened under the divine light. But her beautiful skin was immaterial when compared to the holy wings coming from her back.

The wings sparkled with divine light, very much alike to the one coming from the ceiling. The feather was pure white with no flaw whatsoever. Otherworldly. Nothing in this world or the other could be that pure and without imperfection. One look at her wings and the darkest and hardest of heart would mellow and soften. One sniff at the fragrance wafting off her wings and the godless and heathen would turn into the most faithful of God's servant. One touch of the soft feather and even the most sinful and evil would kneel and beg for forgiveness.

"Rafaela ... or should I call you Sara?" A voice came from nowhere, anywhere, and everywhere. It was the voice of divinity, bringing with it a pure and weighing power unlike anything of this world. It was the most beautiful voice the world had ever heard. Hearing the voice alone would turn most creation to madness if not outright obliterate them.

Her jaw hung low and her eyes opened wide with tears flowing like a flood. Her cheeks turned red, her eyes sparkled, her breath quickened. She refrained herself from thinking about the owner's form, or even the celibate High Priestess would wet herself.

"M-my Lord ... y-you contacted me." She couldn't hold back the rush of emotion. Relief, joy, surprise, and many more emotions intermingled within her heart, it was far too much to be expressed. "It has been far too long ... far, far too long without your presence, my Lord."

"Do you regret your choice Rafaela, coming to this world and pretending to be its inhabitant?" The voice asked with a soft and melodious tone.

"No," She said firmly with no hesitation or lie. "I've never regretted my decision, not even once! When you chose me as a player, I felt the greatest joy that your creation could ever hope to feel. But still ... every second without looking at your magnificent figure, without hearing your divine voice, without your holy presence touching my skin, every moment is an eternity for me."

"Your words flattered me, Sara. Thank you."

'Thank you' The words filled Sara's mind. In that moment the world around her turned blank as nothing else mattered. Her heart pounded and almost exploded. She couldn't contain her happiness that it maddened her. "N-no." Tears couldn't stop flowing from her eyes. "You're too kind, my Lord." "No. I truly thank you, Sara. My Free for All scenario has become a great success, and part of it is because you volunteered." the voice praised her with utmost sincerity.

"N-no I-I-MY LORD!" She hugged herself. Her body shuddered uncontrollably. She had never felt such a strong rush of emotion since she descended to this world and assumed a mortal form. She truly had left the realm of sanity, that praise pushed her over the edge.

"Sara," The voice reminded her he was not done speaking with her, and her current state of mind hindered it from continuing. "Give me your report and assessment of the situation"

After regaining her composure and nodded, she reported all major events since their last communication. She was happy and delighted to be of use, though she was afraid that even her discipline could not keep her overflowing emotion. She was afraid it would inconvenience him.

Her Lord, while power was insurmountable and unimaginable for her and any creation, was not omnipotent nor omniscient. He could do anything to this world. But because of this 'Free for All' scenario, he made a self-restricting rule to let everyone in the world have their way without his direct interference. He also could see anything and everything in the world if he wanted to, but again, imposed a self-restricting rule on himself. That was where she came in, to act as an observer, player, and pseudo-gamemaster. Her task was to monitor and prevent the scenario from getting too out of control too fast while also keeping the scenario from becoming stale and boring. Though it was easier said than done considering her divine power was forbidden, only her hard-earned mortal power.

"How many Rule Breakers are there?" the voice asked after they done discussing the Rule Breakers.

"Quite a few. With your lack of direct control, My Lord, there are more and more of Rule Breakers with each age. I'm ashamed to say I don't have the knowledge of their exact number. But I know about the time travelers."

"How many are they, and your assessment?"

"There are two that I know. The one in the Eternal City is troublesome, but in no way a threat to the scenario, but the one in Lethrand ... I'm sorry." Her head dropped in shame. Her knees went weak, and she slumped to the floor. She was a failure, a shame, a thorn in her Lord's side. Her Lord had given her a lot of trusts and a lot of responsibilities, one she couldn't imagine getting any, one she didn't deserve. Yet despite her Lord limitless kindness, she failed him. She betrayed his trust. She was not worthy.

"Rafaela." The voice reprimanded her. It was easy for her to enter a cycle of self-blaming and self-deprecation when she talked about the Rule Breakers.

Sara wiped the tears from her eyes and continue giving her report. "He has lived there for forty years now, and his activity has caused a great ripple to the current scenario, creating many abnormalities and glitches and big events that are outside even my prediction. I have tried to the best of my abilities to remove him, but he was cunning and strong beyond any foe I have ever faced. This servant begs your forgiveness, My Lord." "What is his goal, his agenda, does he know the truth?"

"I believe he knows about it, about the existence of the Pantheon and about you, My Lord. But from my observation, he has no intention to do anything about it, nor does he despaired or become crazy from his knowledge. He has no intention of getting in our way. His goal, while unknown to me, seems more personal and selfish than most Rule Breaker I've ever encountered."

"Continue observing him, but let him be for now. He might be a fine addition to this scenario. A wild card, a glitch that not even the gamemaster knows ... hahaha," The voice giggled. "What a nice twist. And good work, Rafaela. The Fire invasion has proven to be quite an entertaining event. I hope you can serve me even better entertainments in the future."

Sara bowed her head. The tears coming from her eyes had been replaced by tears of happiness. "Thank you, My Lord. You're too kind."

The light from the ceiling vanished. Sara clasped her hands together and started a long and deep prayer. A true pray to the true God, her God. She was thankful for her Lord's limitless mercy and compassion, his unquestionable understanding, his unmatched grace and majesty. She lost her word to describe her Lord. She knew that it was foolish and disgraceful for trying to describe Him with words created by mortals, it was simply an impossible task.

After many hours of deep and silent prayer, she stood up and walked to her usual chamber with a little skip in each step she took. Within her eyes, the determination to please her Lord and entertain the great Pantheon burned ever brighter.

She would sow the seeds of chaos and conflict all over the world so her Lord would never run out of entertainment. She would create the greatest play this world has ever seen, the greatest, grandest grand opera of all time. Of course, she had done just that since the moment she stepped into this world. Yet, it was different now, she had a burst of imagination and motivation. Her Lord visit had rejuvenated and renewed her will and gave her untold amount of inspiration for her next plan.

She smiled and shuddered at the thought of accomplishing such a thing, to carry out what her sisters had never done, what they couldn't do. But what made her happy was the thought of the praises she would get, the love she would get from her Lord once she accomplished such a feat.

She shook her head. It was not the time for delusion and dreams. If she wanted her wishes to come true, she must work hard for it, and she have to start from this very second. She mustn't waste even a single moment.

She brought out the checkerboard within her mind, reviewing every plans she put on hold and all the pawn and pieces she had all around the world. Not every piece was under her complete control, but it did not matter to her. For as long as she was able to point out the direction they were going, everything should be going according to her plan and prediction. But something interrupted her.

A ripple of spacetime.

Faint and hidden, but not gone.

The third time travelers had just arrived that very second.

Shivers ran down Sara's spine. She loved chaos and discord, but not when it concerned her plan. This sudden addition threw a wrench to her well laid out plan, and adjusting it to take into account this new variable would be a pain in the ass ... but ... everything might still work out well for her in the end, considering who that was.

She smiled and turned her body towards the source of the ripple. She could pinpoint the source somewhere in the Haken Empire. What business does that person have in that pile of trash of an empire, she did not know.

"Looks like Demon Lord Theo Gladium from the future has some businesses in the present."