Readying their combat stance, Alastor and Luna charged toward the Monochrome. An unusual sight it was, to see a demon lord and a goddess fighting side by side against a common foe. Albeit this was only an ephemeral truce between them, it showed us something, something compelling: peace was possible. Yes, we, standing for all the races, might have our differences. Yes, we might fight each other from time to time. But it didn’t mean that we hated each other so much we couldn’t share the same sky in a huge world like Astora. At the very least, Alastor and Luna didn’t look that way. If we could reach a mutual understanding, then perhaps the idea of a peaceful world between the races might not seem that much of an illusion after all. But alas, this wasn’t time to talk about peace, not when there was a giant man-eating freaking monster with a bad artistic sense of choice for skin colour was roaming around in front of you.

The fight might seem one-sided at first with the monster at a great disadvantage as he had to fight two adversaries at the same time and they were not just any random foe like the soldiers. However, that would be the case if you didn’t take in account Solana, or rather her body. While the creature was waving his long arms around, smashing everything, with her upper half sticking out on the monster’s chest, Solana’s body was holding her golden bow and fired consecutively a rain of seeking arrows of light that would pursue the two till the end of earth. Even if they somehow managed to avoid the arrows despite its incredible speed, the thing could change its trajectory to find them as if it was alive. And at that speed, they looked more like laser beams than actual arrows.

“How annoying these are!” muttered Alastor as he increased his flying speed to avoid the beams.

“It’s Solana’ specialty, . You can’t escape from them. Our only option is to intercept them before they hit us, else this will never end.” Advised Luna as she quickly slashed an arrow with her shadowy daggers.

“Or this!” Alastor grinned as he thought of a plan to deal with these arrows.

Diving right toward the monster, he skilfully glided between its legs. But that act had a purpose, aside from making the monster even more annoyed as it couldn’t hit him with its giant fists. If we took in account the speed of the arrows, even if they had the ability to change their trajectory, it would still take a short moment before they could actually do it. By moving toward the monster, Alastor has lured all the arrows pursuing him into hitting it instead, damaging it as well of getting rid of the pursuers. Two birds with one stone, as they said.

But based on the little injuries it caused, the Monochrome seemed to have taken on Solana’s properties, meaning it was very resistant to light elemental attack. But that also meant that it would be vulnerable to dark damage. Coincidentally, we had a demon lord and a Goddess of darkness right here.

“” Alastor invoked black orbs filling the area and bombarded the monster’s location, destroying it little by little. Each orb would provoke a small explosion, obliterating the monster’s flesh bit by bit before the wounds could even heal.

“” The two daggers that Luna has been using suddenly shined brightly, radiating a nebulous luminescence before disintegrating into particles that would fuse together to form a long dark sword that looked nothing like the common swords found in Astora. The blade, obsidian in colour, was unusually thin and long, attached to a handle. With such a fragile blade, it seemed that its purpose was not to endure strike like a normal sword would. Instead, it was designed to cut through flesh with a single fast slash. In ancient times, there were warriors who used that type of swords but nowadays that culture seemed to have died out, leaving very few successors to the art: the katana.

Holding her sword vertically with both her hands, Luna entered a completely different stance of combat compared to when she used the twin-daggers. Facing another wave of arrows, the woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed not to see with her eyes. Emptying her mind, she visualized her surroundings.

Standing in this cloudy darkness, tiny dots of light appeared one by one. Each corresponded to an arrow, filled with mana. She could see all of them now, moving as slow as a snail toward her. In this darkness, she has removed all unnecessary things. All except for what was important.

“” In an instant, the ten-foot blade lashed out with light speed. Luna unleashed a streak of furious slashes, eliminating all the arrows. Considering how thin the blade was, her movement must be made with extreme precision without any excess motions. After what seemed to be an eternity of battle, which was only a few seconds in reality, Luna lowered her blade in relief. All the arrows have been destroyed without a single one capable of even touching one of them. By now, the monster should have realized that his attack was absolutely useless. Unless he did something else, the tide would never turn in his favour.

“Time to finish this!” Alastor shouted, pointing his hand at the creature. “”

The attack that was basically a one-hit kill, even against an S-rank Monochrome. But how would it fare against this special one?

“….….”

A giant orb of flame appeared in front of the monster and lunged itself at the incoming black hole. At the moment of impact, it released a huge explosion that blasted away all the buildings below it, as well as an immense shockwave of energy that diffused to the entire city, causing a total blackout.

A Monochrome should not be able to hold that kind of power, not by itself. But it would be another story if it has devoured a god, and the Goddess of the Sun at that. As suspected, that miniature sun was actually cast by Solana who was sticking out of its chest. It seemed that she was still conscious of what was happening as she clearly showed a painful expression on her face, not due to the pain she had to endure while being eaten alive, but for the mental torture she was going through. Tears poured from her lifeless eyes as she was forced to fight against her own sister.

But even when she was at wit’s end, a Goddess remained a Goddess. Thanks to her special connection with her twin, Solana was still able to send a final message to her sister.

‘Lu…na…’ a voice called out to the Goddess of the Moon in her mind.

‘Sis!!!’ she shouted in her mind.

‘I…don’t have much time left. The monster…I have fused with its heart…That’s the most I can do...You can kill him by…’ Solana uttered in pain.

‘…’

‘I…I am sorry for asking you to do this, sister! I..am sorry.’ Solana pled.

‘I know, sis. I have readied myself for this to happen the moment we decided to come down here. It’s just…now that we are at this crossing, it’s too hard!!!” Luna sobbed.

‘I know. But you have to be strong…This is lord Eden’s will…my will…Fate’s will. We have to do it, no matter how painful it might be.’ Solana asserted softly. ‘Do not fear! We will be together once this is over! I swear it to you.’

‘ *hic hic* I understand.’ Luna whimpered.

‘ Know that I always love you, Luna…..’

‘…..Sis? Sis?’ she called out.

‘……’ but there was no answer. The connection was already cut off.’

‘ …. I guess..I will see you later sis’

…..

“LUNA!” the scream of a young boy brought the Goddess back to reality. When she opened her eyes, a boy has been shielding her by absorbing the fire ray coming toward her. Watching him from behind, a sudden urge to embrace him came over her. But unlike Ikarus or Morrigan who would do it out of love, what Luna wanted to do came from a very different source of emotions: guilt, pity, regret. What could cause her, a Goddess, the enemy of demons apparently, to feel such a way? Only she would know. But for now, biting her lips and strengthening her resolve, she has held back her tears and compulsion. She needed to prepare herself for what was about to come.

“Alastor, I will create a diversion to distract it. Use that time and target at Solana’s body! You have to…kill her in order to kill the monster.” Luna stuttered at the end, pinching her eyes to hold off the tears.

“…Are you sure?” Alastor asked.

“I am. So…please, do it..as quick as possible!” she begged.

“I understand…Here I go!” In an instant, Alastor transformed into beast mode. Sharpening his claws, he readied himself. One single strike, that was all it would take. And he could not afford to miss. Right now, Solana was still hanging out from the Monochrome’s chest but if let alone any longer, it would consume her completely in its body. At that time, they would lose their chance to end this fight quickly. “Ready whenever you are!”

“” the murky night sky which has been covered by the clouds and smokes has now become clear, revealing a pale soothing giant moon and the stars that have been hidden. Raising her katana high above her head as she lifted herself right in front of the moon, Luna made a small incantation and pointed down the sword to the monster. “”

All of a sudden, a crack appeared behind Luna as if the moon itself was breaking apart like a mirror. Inside were a whole other night sky but unlike the one in this world, the stars inside the crack were much bigger and seemed to be increasing in size. Or at least that was what it seemed to be. But it wasn’t. Instead of becoming bigger, it was the stars themselves that were actually approaching.

One by one, they surged out from the fissure and dived toward the Monochrome. It was a display of the finest fireworks anyone has ever seen. Each star Luna created was of different colour, ranging from light blue to bright red. With each hit, the monster was pushed back a few steps before another one would hit it again. While all these might seem impressive, the damage it did was very little, not just because of the monster’s resistance but also because Luna has deliberately lessened its destructive power. Even if she used it at full power, the only thing that would be destroyed was the city itself. Luna knew this herself. That was why it wasn’t her aim to kill it with this attack at all. In fact, it was merely a distraction. Facing this kind of colourful attack all of the sudden, anyone would be stunned, assuming it would be devastating. This put the monster into a defensive stance, making it ignore the real threat that has been lurking inside this rain of meteors.

“YOU ARE MINE!” Hiding behind on the incoming star, Alastor jumped down from it and dashed toward its weak spot: Solana. Positioning his arm straight, he lunged himself like a spear.

*STAB*

“ *SHRIEK* ” the Monochrome roared in pain. The frightening scream it made could pierce anyone’s eardrums if they were near it. Feeling the life leaving its disgusting body, the creature fell down like a log on its back, giving out some final weak wails before drawing its last breath.

Alastor’s beastly has now pierced the Goddess of the Sun’s chest. Unlike the monster, she felt no pain when he impaled her. She has endured much more than that already. What he did was not killing her, it was freeing her from her suffering, to let her rest in peace. Even though Alastor was in odds with the gods, Elemyr hasn’t done anything directly to him, at least based on what he has seen so far. What happened to her was unfortunate and Alastor wished somehow things could have been different. Because frankly, she didn’t seem like anyone evil. She attacked Odium because Odium manipulated her people.

With her remaining strength, Solana Elemyr lifted her trembling arms toward the boy’s face, holding it as she gazed upon him. Alastor would not mind if she cursed him for being part of the reason why she ended up like this. Or for how he let his daughter ruining her entire kingdom. Even if he wasn’t directly responsible, he still felt a certain guilt looking at her. Yet she did no such thing. Her hands, gently caressed his confused face as she uttered her final words with a smile.

“Thank you!”

Solana’s body began to illuminate and withering into particles of light. These glitters glided playfully around Alastor before reassembling into an orb of light in the boy’s hand. This sphere was the soul of a God. All that power now remained inside this tiny little thing. But why did it not enter Alastor like before? If the same was supposed to happen when he killed Merkabah and Gnome, then their souls would become one with him. He knew naught why it happened that way but that was what would usually happen. So why was this time different?

Because the soul has yet been completed.

Following his instinct, Alastor immediately turned around, only to see that Luna has collapsed on the ground, her body was glowing a dim light. Fearing the worst, he rushed to her side, seizing the orb in his hand. Lifting her head with his arm, Alastor called out to her desperately.

“Luna! Wake up! What happened to you?”

“Light and…dark cannot exist without the other. Just like the sun and the moon. Both are necessary to the survival of the world. Solana and I are the same. Our souls...are one. If one dies, so will the other. Such is our fate.” Luna uttered weakly.

“Then why? Why did you want me to kill her…to kill you?” he yelled at her in anger.

“We will die either way if you let her inside that monster. But this way, at the very least, she could remain unsoiled till the very end…So…thank you for doing this! …I could not have done this without you.”

“Why are you thanking me? I killed your sister. I killed you. Hate me! Curse me! Don’t thank me!!!” Alastor shouted even louder. A drop of tears fell onto Luna’s face. Even if they were supposed to be enemies, Alastor could not hide this incomprehensible sadness he was feeling for her. Why did things have to be this way? Why did people continue to die? For what reason?

“I…am happy…that you cry for me. But don’t be sad for me. This is what I wanted for myself…Besides…I will be able to see my sister again…inside your soul.” Muttered Luna.

“Tell me! Why is this happening? Just what do you people want from me?” asked Alastor.

“I wish…I can tell you…but… you have to find out for yourself…Go to Oros! You will find Amon there. With the four Gods’ souls, ascend to Celestia! There…you will find your answer you are looking for…But whatever happens….be strong!” The Goddess sobbed as a flow of tears poured out of her red eyes. “I am sorry..Alastor… for what we did…and for what will transpire from our actions…It’s all because…of that accursed box…”

“What are you saying? I don’t understand. What box?” Alastor urged in desperation, mortified by what Luna was saying. What did she mean by that? Why did the Gods do? “Explain it to me, please!!!”

But he didn’t get the answer he was looking for.

As a person was in a near-death state, sometimes they would have hallucinations. For some, the mirages may be good memories, their loved ones, things that could comfort them in their final moment. But for others, it could be their regrets, what has haunted them for their entire lives.

“I am…sorry…Please forgive me….”

“No no she is hallucinating….I have to….” Alastor panicked as he didn’t know what to do. But then…

“…Asgore!”

Asgore, the name of the last demon lord, a chosen of Magnus and….Alastor’s father.

“WHAT? Why are you saying that name? How do you know him?” Alastor began to shake Luna violently. He tried to bring her back to herself, to no avail. The Goddess of the Moon has already gone too far from the world of the living. “ANSWER ME!”

…..

It was too late. Luna has just drawn her last breath. Her body, just like her sister, has turned into an orb of light and fused together with the other one to form a bigger orb before entering Alastor. Crossing the field of darkness, the orb fell down a cliff and entered the door located at the depths of the Abyss.

“Three down…Three more to go!”

* * *

Somewhere nearby, on the roof of a nearby intact building, two individuals have been observing the battle since the very beginning. It was in the middle of the fight that they realized how big the universe truly was. Just a few days ago, the girl thought that Greymen would be the only solution to the Monochrome threat. But only after a faithful encounter with a certain Traveller from another world, she could not believe how wrong she was.

The same could be said for the old doctor. He has seen the boy’s power before this. He had a taste of what magic was capable of during his short time at Astora. Yet, even then, he could not believe his eyes as they witnessed the battle of the century.

“The power of a God….truly something that cannot be underestimated.” Uttered softly Vincent with his wide opened eyes, frozen in awe. “If only we can obtain such power…everything would be….”

“ALASTOR!” a scream brought Vincent back to reality. It was his granddaughter Fiora who has called out to the boy. The moment a luminous orb entered him, the boy fell down to the ground, seemingly unconscious. “Grandpa, we need to go help him.”

The monster has been immobile for a moment now. That strange woman, thought to be his enemy but helped Alastor in the end, also seemed to have disappeared. There shouldn’t any danger anymore so Vincent agreed to her request.

…..

“Alastor, are you alright? Answer me!” screamed Fiora as she tried to shake the boy heavily.

“Calm down, Fiora! Let me handle this!” said Vincent. The old man brought out a small gadget and scanned the unconscious boy with it. After a few moments, he exhaled in relief. “He will be fine. He is just sleeping. Nothing seems to be damaged.”

“Thank God!!!” Fiora sobbed.

“Go take the car! We can’t let him laying here like this. Go, I will watch him!” ordered Vincent.

“Ok, I will be back shortly.” With that said, Fiora ran as fast as she could back to her car, leaving the old man alone with Alastor. There shouldn’t be any danger that could harm them left at the scene.

But what Fiora didn’t know was that Vincent deliberately wanted her to go away for a while, for he knew that she would not allow him to do what he was about to do.

“Alastor, are you awake?” the old man shook the boy lightly to make sure that he was unconscious. At that moment, the doctor decided to do something completely outrageous. Using all his strength, he stepped down from the wheelchair he has been sitting on for years. But half-way, his grip on the chair softened as he fell down to the ground. But that would not stop him. If he could not walk, he would crawl. Slowly but surely, he crawled to the boy’ side before sitting down against the wheelchair to take a deep breath. That alone was too much of an exercise for an old man like Vincent.

Drawing his hand in his pocket, Vincent took out a small glass vial with a needle at its end. Then he stabbed it into Alastor’s arm as a red liquid began to fill the vial. Next, he proceeded to take a strand of hair of the boy and put it into a small transparent plastic bag before stashing the two samples in his pocket again.

Now, he waited, waited for Fiora to come back. She has only been away for a few minutes now so why did he feel already like an eternity? His wizened face started to sweat as he had some trouble to breath. What did he just do, he wondered…

After a short while, a flying car came by with Fiora quickly jumping out. Dismayed by the fact that her grandpa was not on his wheelchair but rather on the ground, she screamed out.

“Grandpa!!! How come you are on the ground? Did you fall? Did something attack you?”

“No no! I am fine my dear. Just..just want to do some tests to make sure that he is alright. That’s all! But don’t mind me! Let’s take him back to your home first before the military comes!” Vincent said.

“O..Of course, grandpa! But what about you?” she asked.

“Ah yes…can you drop me at home first then?”

“No problem, grandpa! Just wait there! I will bring him in the car then I will get you in.”

“Thank you,…my dear!”

And with that, the three left the scene, leaving behind the devastation that was caused. However, unknown to Vincent, his actions have been observed by a shadowy individual who has been hiding in the background for a very long time.

“My old friend Vincent, after all these years, you never change one bit, you sneaky little devil!”

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Author's note: Should I take the absence of comments in the last few chapters as a good sign that everything is good or the opposite? ^^ Please leave a comment if you enjoyed the chapters (which I hope you did). I am a little afraid of this silence so if you can leave a review/rating, it would motivate me greatly. Thanks for reading my chapter. Also for those who think that there are too many mysteries with so many clues hidden around, I don't mind make a small recap of all the findings so far. Please leave a note if you want me to do something like that, though it might spoil for some people who want to find it themselves :)