Author's note: Here is the first chapter of the final arc of book 1 :). Enjoy!

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“Have you ever wondered how it would feel like if you are the first of your kind? That singularity, being the only one that was different…That loneliness, unable to be understood by everyone else…Are you even able to grasp those concepts? Let alone know how it would feel.

Maybe it was due to my inquisitive nature that pushed me to learn about the history of our world, giving me a reason to travel and discover the wonders of Astora. Yet, out of all I have seen, it was the history of perhaps the most enigmatic race and also the youngest of us all that has attracted my attention.

Legends told us of the demon kind who one day just appeared out of nowhere without anyone knowing how they first came to be. But instead of focusing on how they were created or how they became the demons we know today, I want to understand the feelings the first ones of their kinds had back at the first moment of their creation. What would it be like to know that you are not one of those who are meant to even exist all while being rejected by others?

It was the reason why I accepted the offer of my father to become the hero of my clan in order to destroy the demon lord. While I despise violence since my childhood, the blood inside gave me powers unattainable by others who spent their entire lives in training. Why did the Gods have to be so playful with their gifts? Why give power to someone who has no desire of it?

Alas, unknown to my father, it was just an excuse for me to go to the demon continent of Ragna. But not even in my wildest imagination I would expect to find the person who would be my closest friend of all. Though maybe calling him a person would not describe him correctly to some but to me, he was, in every definition of the word.

While our hero party was busy with the talks of peace and such, us two would chat about our lives. At first, he seemed a bit reluctant and unfriendly to talk about his past. Perhaps it was due to my reactions when I first saw him. A monster who could talk was not something you see every day after all. But as time passed by, we bonded until one day when he revealed to me the secret of his identity, which he has hidden away from many. And I could understand why he chose for it to be that way. After all, he was the first demon to ever walk in this world. It was merely on a whim that the Goddess of the Flesh chose him to be her first experiment in creating a new race. From it, he became a sentient monster. I wondered how he felt at that moment when he realized he was the only one of his kind. Although he has never told me, I could only imagine how frightening, how insecure it would feel to be all alone in this world, to be rejected by all. Even more, being the first demon has given him the purest and most powerful bloodline transmitted by the Goddess herself, granting him immortality.

It was why he was unfriendly to many before me, for he could not die and any friend he had would one day leave his side. In the end, he would find himself all alone again. He was aware of this fact. That was the reason why he isolated himself all these years until the demon lord Asgore changed him and recruited him as one of his closest retainers. In a way, it was thanks to Asgore that I could meet this peculiar individual that became my best friend.

I don’t know what fate has in store for us. But please know that whatever happens, I will always be your friend, Primora!”

-‘Diary of a Wanderer’ by Arshe-

* * *

“The sceptre is on its way to Alastor. Although there have been a few minor troubles on the way, it is done.”

“Troubles? What kind of trouble?”

“Nothing that needs your concern.”

“We are almost at our goal. There can’t be any distraction now. If something needs to be done then we must do it quickly.”

“As I have told you, it’s nothing. Nothing would matter in a few days anyway.”

“*sigh* I never understand why you women can be so complicated. Fine! Do it your way then! Just make sure it is done!”

“I am looking forward to it! The final act is going to begin soon.”

* * *

It was the end of the ‘War of the World’. As expected, victory went to the Valhalla Alliance. The fights were tight but in the end, it was a small boy who ended it in the most flashy and overwhelming display of power. Without any hesitation, all forces left over have stopped what they were doing after having witnessed that godly power of the prince. From the adventurers of the Guild to the merchants of Dor, everyone has dropped their weapons and surrendered themselves to the army of Valhalla unconditionally. Some out of doubts for their own cause, others out of fear. But what mattered and perhaps the biggest challenge to the peace talk was how to transform that fear into acceptance, how to imprint the idea of peace into the mind of the people. Alas, it would take time for that to come but everything depended on how well the peace talk between all the leaders of the world went, which would take place a week from now.

The first day of that fateful week started with the trial of the merchants of Dor with their most remarkable face, Goldbeard. Thanks to an unknown source, documents proving his corruption and link to a criminal fanatic organisation called Sanctus have been made public. Needless to say, the trial was swift and short with the dwarf and a few others in cahoots with him were found guilty, full of charge. A hunt for the scattering agents of Sanctus has also been done not just in cities but also inside the courts of every nation in order to eliminate them once and for all.

One unexpected event was the emergence of the celestials who have remained silent the entire time during the war. What happened to them has crippled their entire race and gave them a huge set back compared to other races. However, thanks to their new leader, Herald Ikarus Salem, a deal was struck with the demon race of Ragna and mostly their demon lord Kaiser who would gladly help them take care of their people until the celestials could become independent again. Of course, this was the result of Ikarus’ efforts in spreading the truth about the demons, helping her people understand and accept this new idea which might seem outrageous to some. The Empress of Valhalla, Morrigan Magnolia, has also proposed to help the celestials by giving them a piece of her own land to the celestials just as she did to the elves. This was to ease the tension between those who opposed to the idea of neutrality toward demons so that it would give them time to grow to accept it. As expected, this was accepted easily and the moving process was underway in what could be called the smoothest movement of all time thanks to the cooperative attitude from all sides. It made one wonder all the achievements we could get if everyone was working with one another since the very beginning. Things would be so easy to say the least.

Another surprising event was the beastmen who has voluntarily asked to join Valhalla as part of their territory. The Beast King Zen and his council have taken that decision after a careful analysis of the situation they were in and that seemed to be the best course of actions. Unlike before, they now had a huge nation on their borders which was composed of most of other nations with only them left alone by themselves. Either way, it would not end well for them to stay in their own corner while ignoring the rest of the world. Plus, the hatred toward the demon kind was never really that intense in the Whispering Forest because of the little interaction they had with Ragna so there was also that which played a non-negligible part in the acceptance process.

As for Ceadric, King Charles has kept his position thanks to the request from the prince of Valhalla. Although from now on, he would still have to answer for the High Empress Morrigan. In addition, all the Gates around the world have been activated once more, allowing for a fast travel across the entire globe. However, like before, it was still restricted to only a few dozens per day, not because the Gates could not allow more. Technically there was no longer any limit since that limitation has been removed by the one who created it. However, for the sake of border controls, it was decided that the use of the Gate would remain restricted, controlled by an international organisation composed of members of different races until further notice.

While the people of Astora were busy to get used to their new lifestyle, a seemingly sombre conversation was currently taking place in the demon lord’s castle of Ragna. Aside from the usual crew of demons including the royal guards and Alastor’s companions except for the lich Noroeth and Lilith who were still on their way coming here, there was also Kaiser who only became the new demon lord recently. The change was relatively easy and smooth with no objection from anyone, even from Diablo and his party. Not because they agreed to this new king but because they had no choice but to obey. Everyone remembered what happened last time to someone who refused to follow the boy. And now after what they have witnessed the extent of his power in the last war, his authority, even after quitting the demon lord’s position, was undeniable.

“So you are saying that Arshe, the one pulling the strings of Sanctus, was actually a puppet himself all long?” Alastor asked the group who went and confronted the dead hero at the headquarter of Sanctus.

“Yes! It was clear that he was possessed by something but unfortunately, whatever it was, it has left his body before we could ascertain the situation….” Azureus reported. “My apologies…”

“No you have nothing to apologize for, Azureus! You did your best in that circumstance. But now we have a problem…I don’t know the aim of this person but if they are indeed responsible for the actions of Sanctus, then they are the enemies of peace and therefore must be hunted down before something happens.” Alastor spoke.

“I agree. Especially when they could control someone as powerful as a hero himself…” Maria advised.

“But who could do that? And why?” Ikarus joined the conversation.

“We also managed to recover this from Arshe. Based on that insignia, I say it’s the last Tempus Machina you are looking for.” Mephisto brought out a creepy looking staff with a closed eye embedded on the triangle head at one end of the sceptre.

Examining the sceptre, Alastor saw nothing wrong with it: no mana nor any spirit presence inside. So the sceptre was not affected like the crown or the spirit has already left it. Either way, this staff should not pose any problem in the future as long as Alastor kept an eye on it. But that would not a problem either. After all, he was not interested in the staff’s power but its function as a Tempus machine: it was the last key to Tartarus.

However, Alastor still remembered the warning from Amon. The Dragon God first tried to purify the crown so he could make out something useful from it. But the way he spoke of it, it seemed like Tartarus might indeed have its use in the future. Yet in the end, even the God Amon decided to destroy it anyway. Although it was clear that he failed, it still meant that Amon and perhaps even the rest of Gods dreaded this thing. What secret was it hiding after all these years? Well, for the first time after millennia, someone had in his hands all the keys and artefacts necessary to unveil this ancient secret….Yet he doubted himself. Should he do it just because he could? What if there was a good reason that this thing, whatever it was, was sealed away so no one would ever be able to touch it? However, if that was the case, why has no one, including their creator the old Artificer, ever thought of destroy the keys themselves instead of hiding them away? Could it be that there was a grander purpose for them in the future that so far, none were able to grasp yet? Alastor thought hard about these questions.

“Alastor? Are you alright?” asked the celestial with a worried voice after noticing his sombre expression. During this entire conflict, she has not been able to be with him. For each had their own duties and roles to uphold if they ever wanted to realize this dream of peace. A cost that both must be prepared to pay.

“Oh…” Alastor lifted his head in awe as if he has just been woken up from a dream. “Sorry! I was thinking about something else. You were saying?”

“We are talking about the coming peace talk that will take place here in a week…Are you sure you are okay? Perhaps the war has strained your body. You should rest and leave the rest to us!” Ikarus advised.

“Miss Ikarus is right. You can leave these political affairs to us, father! You have done more than enough already.” Kaiser added.

“I see…then I guess I will take up your offer. Though before I retreat back to my chamber, I would like to go to the underground a bit.” Alastor said.

“The underground? What for?” Asked Mephisto.

“Just checking something. I will not take long.” Standing up as he left the room, Alastor turned to his beloved. “I will see you tonight, Ikarus!”

“Of course, my love!” smiled the celestial gently. Indeed, there was nothing that could soothe the boy’s mind more than her smile. Receiving his most rewarding present, the boy opened the door and left.

“Miss Ikarus, do you mind if I accompany Alastor for the day? I would not be able to help you all in matters of politics and the only thing I could do now is to keep him accompanied.” The doll asked.

While Ikarus was very attached to Alastor, to say the least, the celestial was not the kind of person who would get jealous easily when seeing Alastor with other women. She had total confidence in him for doing the right thing. Furthermore, Stella was no stranger and looked more like a sister figure….or even a mother to Alastor in some aspect, much like Morrigan. But unlike all others, the doll always remained silent without every showing any faintest emotion and never to go as far as selfishly take him for herself, even though Ikarus knew that Stella would very much like to stay with Alastor.

“I don’t mind at all. Please do as you wish!” Ikarus spoke with a smile.

“Thank you! Then if you excuse me!” Standing up, the doll quickly went out of the room. As she closed the door behind her, a voice could be heard addressing the celestial.

“So does it mean I have to call you Mother from now on?” The True Monarch raised the question he has been itching to inquire.

“What? Do you have any problem with that?” questioned Ikarus.

“Not really….though I am curious…” contemplated Kaiser as he rubbed his chin. “Two?....Maybe three?”

“About what?” the celestial pondered.

“About how many brothers and sisters will I have from now on!”

“What???” shouted Ikarus in embarrassment. Meanwhile, the others in the room were trying to hold back their laugh. “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

“I am only speaking of the future. A king must be able to predict and prepare for all kinds of situation. Now that the war is over, there is nothing stopping you from ….ehem…performing family duties….Furthermore, Father is a great man. I am sure one or two children are nothing.” Kaiser explained in a serious tone. The fact that he was so serious about this made it even more embarrassing for the celestial, making her blushing bright red. But it was not anger that induced her to this state. It was happiness and a slight of shyness since she herself has thought about the moment the war ended. It was something she was ashamed about herself that she wished no one would ever know this side of her.

“….You…may be right… I should be thinking of this.” Ikarus muttered in a soft tone. “Names…I must think of some names just in case….Will it be a boy? Or a girl? ….or both?”

“WHAT???” upon hearing the outrageous declaration from the celestial, the people in the room, except for Kaiser, shouted simultaneously. This girl was about to commit a crime at this rate.

……

Back to the doll, while the conversation inside did seem interesting, she decided to ignore it and rushed to find Alastor who has just left before her. But as soon as she turned in the corner, she was greeted with the boy standing against the wall, waiting for her.

“So you get what I mean…” Alastor spoke in a deep voice.

“Of course! Shall we go?” asked Stella.

“Yes! This thing has been laying down there for centuries without anyone knowing what it is…With almost everything is now in place, I need to figure out what it is. If it’s an enemy I will destroy it. If it is something useful, I will use it. Either way, I don’t like having something unknown just waiting to be released one day without having the slightest idea how to counter it or at least what it actually is.

Let us go to Tartarus!”

* * *

“So Alastor finally returns.” A lich walking in the hallway of the castle together with a little girl was now on their way to the meeting room. “At last, we can have a proper talk with him about this.”

“…..” the girl stayed in silence.

“Oh come one, Lilith! We must tell him about what we have discovered. After all that happened, he deserves to know the danger it poses.”

“I am not saying no. Just thinking that even if he knows, it won’t do us any help in destroying it.” The Goddess uttered.

“As I have told you, we must not destroy or even come anywhere close to Akroma. That thing is the only thing standing between you and whatever it is behind that wall. And believe me when say that you definitely don’t want Tartarus to be released!” Noroeth raised his voice.

“I know I know…Fine! Let’s just tell him!” the little girl grunted.

The reason Lilith didn’t want to tell the boy was rather simple and to some extent quite ridiculous. Alastor has grown so much in such a short time with his current power even exceeding her. And to think Lilith as a Goddess who has not accomplished anything during the entire time and to make her admit that she failed in destroying Akroma was something she did not appreciate at all. But most important of all, it would mean that she lost to the host of Magnus and to some extent, Magnus himself. And that was what annoyed her the most.

“Yes we should! And who knows? Maybe Alastor can give us his opinion or even find a solution to this. He has after all accomplished so many things that were thought impossible. I mean, can you imagine it: a world where peace between the demons and the primes is actually possible? Ten years ago I would even laugh at the idea but now….to think it has become a reality…It almost brings tears to my eyes.” The lich sobbed.

“Oh please, you don’t even have eyes!” the Goddess pointed out.

“I was speaking figuratively. Anyway, what are they laughing about?” the lich commented upon hearing loud laughter coming from the meeting room. Walking inside, the couple saw the entire crew having gathered here.

“Oh Noroeth and Lilith! You two come just at the right time. We need your opinions here.” Ikarus spoke after seeing the skeleton and the elf girl.

“What are you all chatting about? Seem like fun!” asked the lich joyfully.

“I want to ask your opinion on a very serious matter. Please be as honest as you can!” asked Ikarus in an urgent voice.

Hearing her tone, the lich quickly dropped his smile and took a seat. Did something happen and he was not aware about? Considering the way Ikarus talked, it must be something very crucial and perhaps even grievous. Was it related to the so hard earned peace? The skeleton could only dread at the thought. “So what is it?” he asked.

“Between Aldfric and Andren, which do you prefer?”

“…..what?”

“It’s for the boy’s name. Tell me which one do you prefer? Aldfric sounds quite cool while Andren seems gentler. There are a few other options but these two are the ones I like the most. Also we have made a list for the girl’s name but we want to finish for the boy first.” Ikarus said.

“Boy? Is someone having a kid soon?”

“Me! Well not soon but we never know.” Ikarus casually uttered.

“YOU? Isn’t Alastor a bit…you know…too young for this kind of stuff?” the lich conveyed.

“A king must perform his duty to his people and his family, no matter what his age is.” Kaiser spoke.

“Oh stop with your king stuff already!” Maria complained.

“A king never stops!” Kaiser continued.

“You want to try me?” Maria stood up.

“A king never refuses a challenge!” Kaiser stood up.

“STOP!!! We are talking about serious matter here.” Ikarus shouted. “Aldfric or Andren????”

“Aldfric does sound like a kingly name.” Kaiser commented as he sat down.

“Andren sounds more like the intelligent type. At least, I hope he won’t grow up to be like a certain idiot who calls himself king.” Maria chuckled.

“Aldfric is better!” Kaiser shouted, slamming the table.

“Andren is better!” Maria shouted too.

As the two continued to argue against one another on such a trivial matter, they ignored the people around them who were actually getting tired of this conversation. But it was then that one of the late arrivals started noticing someone missing.

“Hey, where is Alastor?” asked Lilith.

“Alastor? He is going to the underground with that sceptre we recovered from Sanctus.” Mephisto replied.

“Oh I see….wait a minute! Didn’t you say that sceptre is actually one of the Tempus Machina?” Noroeth asked.

“Yeah…why you ask?”

“You once told me that the weird thing in the underground actually has holes with one of them looking like a sceptre right?” Noroeth inquired further.

“I believe so…still why are you asking me all these?”

“…Oh no….Oh no oh no oh no!” Noroeth panicked.

“What’s wrong?” asked Lilith.

“That thing is the mechanism that will activate Tartarus. And Alastor has all the keys!!!!”

“Keys? What keys?” Lilith questioned in confusion.

“In the journal of Tia, the Artificer’s wife, she said that in order to disable Tartarus, they took six pieces of it and made them into keys necessary to gain access to Tartarus. I once paid a visit to that weird structure in the underground and based on the description in a few other documents, it is where you have to put the keys in.”

“What? So the keys of Tartarus are actually….”

“Yes. They are all the Tempus Machinas. And once they are pieced back together….” The lich yelled.

“Tartarus will awake from its slumber!” muttered Lilith. “We need to find Alastor now! We must stop him before it is too late!”

* * *

Arriving at the large metal door leading to the underground cavern, Alastor and Stella were confronted with the group of robots named Destroyers who somehow have waited here for them. Perhaps the intelligence has detected the presence of all the keys and the crown before he even came here. Who knew?

“Welcome, demon lord Alastor!” one of the Destroyers spoke in an automatic voice. While there was no eyes on their faces, a bright blue light was coming out of what seemed to be the mechanism giving the robot the ability to see its surroundings.

“So you have been waiting for me?” asked Alastor.

“We knew the moment we sensed the presence of the Proof of Command. If you intend to go to Tartarus, that is if you wish to do so, please wear the crown from now on after this door!” the Destroyer informed.

“…Fine!” Taking out the black crown, Alastor reluctantly put it on his head, slowly. Nothing happened: no spirit or any weird voice coming. He sighed in relief. “So what now?”

“Please step forward before the scanner!” asked the Destroyer.

Standing firmly in front of the strange device, Alastor hardened his grip as a red light coming out from a small black orb above the gate examined his body from head to toe, including the crown.

“Scanning completed! Please proceed!” said the intelligence. Its voice was the same as the one that talked to Alastor back in the cavern. Suddenly, the door split into two with its two parts sliding into the walls, revealing a passage to the cavern.

“Alright…Come Stella!” Alastor turned to his doll before walking in.

After the two walking inside, the door closed up again. However, with Alastor inside, the blue light of the Destroyers all switched to a crimson luminescence as they stood firmly in battle position with their backs against the door.

“None shall pass beyond this door!”

…..

“Hello again!” Alastor spoke to no one inside the strange architecture, the only one located in this barren cavern now void of people. The whole army of Ragna was now still on the territory of Ceadric while waiting for new orders with very few remaining on the demon continent itself. It was for that reason that Alastor has not encountered anyone on his way to this place. And he liked it this way.

“Welcome back, demon lord Alastor! ….So you have finally gathered everything I see.” Spoke the intelligence in a generic female voice upon noticing the sceptre in his hand and the crown he was wearing. “Please insert the final key!”

Following what the intelligence told him to, Alastor put the sceptre in the last empty slot inside the small chamber. The moment it was in, the slot slid inside the machine and vanished.

“Is that it? Can you tell me everything now?” Alastor asked.

“We still need to proceed with the Rite of Bequest. But seeing is believing. It would be better to just show you. Please stay away from the central platform!”

An outline of a circle appeared at the centre of the floor, revealing some kind of board that slid horizontally. From the hole it left, two odd chairs rose from below on another platform.

“Please take a seat!” the intelligence spoke.

“Alright…” muttered Alastor as he sat down on the chair and put hands on the arm rests. Following her master, Stella did the same on the other chair.

…..

Meanwhile, at the door to the underground from earlier, a group of people has gathered at its gate but could not proceed because of the destroyers and the door locking down, allowing no one to pass.

“Let us through!” Mephisto shouted at the motionless Destroyers.

“Order overridden!” a disembodied voice uttered from the speakers. “This is your final warning: leave or perish!” The Destroyers pointed their weapons at the group.

“What? How? You are supposed to obey to us!” Mephisto voiced.

“Only in normal cases. However, no one is allowed to pass beyond this point while the master of Tartarus is inside. Please leave!” the voice answered.

“Master of Tartarus? What do you…?”

“Enough of this! We are going in!” Lilith raised her voice. “Out of my way!”

“Negotiation failed! Taking offensive position!”

“We have no time for this. We must reach Alastor before…” Noroeth spoke before being interrupted by a slight tremor, making him almost fall down to his knees. “What the…Please don’t tell me that we are too late!”

…..

A few minutes before, the moment Alastor and Stella sat down on the chair, something unexpected happened. Metal straps appeared from the arm rests and restrained them to the chairs.

“What is the meaning of this?” shouted Alastor.

“Do not worry! This is a precaution to make sure that you will arrive at the destination safely!” The door of the chamber instantly closed and trapped the couple inside. As for the chamber itself, it was shaking a bit violently as if it has not moved for a very long time and only started now. Sounds of metal hitting each other, clacking echoed in the cavern. “System online! Starting generator! Elevator checking….all intact. Pressurising chamber!”

Alastor could feel the chamber he was in moving, not in any direction but only one and it was downward. Unlike what he has imagined before, this thing was not some kind of key storage facility to open the door to Tartarus. No, it was the mechanism that would bring him directly to Tartarus which was buried in the depth of the underground miles below him.

And then without warning….

“Starting the descent!”

Suddenly, the elevator dropped down at incredible speed. If not for the strap on that was holding him to the chair, Alastor would have been thrown at the ceiling. But the sudden change in altitude, even though already greatly reduced thanks to the preparation of the system from earlier, was quite unbearable, especially when you considered the speed they were going at in addition to all that shakings.

“Minus one hundred meters…….Minus two hundreds…..Minus five hundreds….Minus a thousands…Minus two thousands……….Minus three thousands….”

The counter continued to increase exponentially without any sign of it stopping soon. Through the few small glass windows of the chamber, Alastor could only see layers of earth and rocks they were passing by without being able to make out of anything because of the speed they were going at. But occasionally, he could see a small light on the soil wall along with some metal bars, seemingly belonging to the whole structure that allowed this chamber to go down without just crushing into a bed of rock. Well he hoped that it would still be the case when he actually got down to his destination.

“Just how much more are we going?” Alastor shouted.

“Almost there. Minus ten thousands….Preparing for impact!” the disembodied voice proclaimed.

“Impact??? With what?” the boy panicked.

“Brace yourselves! Impact in…five…four…three…two….one”

“Oh great!”

“ZERO!”

*SPLASH (sound of something falling into liquid)*

To his surprise, this ‘impact’ was not so dramatic and violent as he expected one would be like. It seemed like they fell into some kind of bed of water. But how come there was water here? And what kind of water looked so silvery? Alastor noticed the weird colour of the liquid flowing outside through the window.

“We are now crossing the outside barrier of Akroma.” the computer announced.

“Akroma? Isn’t that the thing Vincent talked about? The nanomachines-thing? I thought anything it touches will be disintegrated.” Alastor asked.

“Correct! However, thanks to the Proof of Command, the Akroma will not harm the elevator and will instead guide us to Tartarus. Please remain in your seat until we complete the boarding process!”

“Well it’s not like we can move around with these things on us!” Alastor looked at the straps.

“I know you are more than capable of breaking out of them. These only serve as a measure of safety for yourself.”

“I know, I know.” The boy said.

“Boarding...” From inside the chamber, Alastor could feel something metal reaching out to the chamber and pulled it. Looking out the window, it looked like some kind of large metal pincers and in just a few seconds, they have quitted the silver liquid and were now inside a dark place. “Stabilizing pressure…”.

At the same time, the restrains attached to the chairs were released, letting Alastor and Stella free. As the door of the chamber began to open, white smoke was expunging from small opening of the pod, allowing the pressure inside the chamber to be the same as outside in a smooth and slow way. Looking through the dark alley, Alastor could see some blinking dots of light but nothing concrete. It was simply too dark.

“We have arrived. Please proceed! A guide is already waiting for you outside!” the intelligence spoke through the speakers.

“A guide?” asked Alastor.

“You will understand soon enough. See you later, demon lord Alastor!” the voice vanished.

“Hum….” Alastor grunted quietly before turning to the doll. “Let us see who this guide is!”

“Right after you, Alastor!” replied the doll.

Walking out of the small chamber, the couple had a hard time to see what was actually out there. The first thing they noticed was the strange floor they were walking on. It was not rock but some kind of metal plate. However, it was not just any bland metal plate but something much more sophisticated, similar to the ones Alastor saw back at Vincent’s mansion in the Other World. Even more, the same kind of board was covering the entire place, at least everything they saw in their short vision. With time, their eyes started to get used to the obscurity and they could see some outlines of their surroundings. Wherever they were, it was huge. For now, the only source of light they got was the one coming out of the chamber and shined upon the small space in front of it, limiting their field of vision.

Suddenly, footsteps could be heard coming toward them. It came from the darkness forward and it was coming closer and closer to them.

“Who is there? Show yourself!” Alastor shouted at the figure menacingly while preparing for battle. Yet, strangely, the doll beside him didn’t not show any sign of hostility while before, if there was anything unknown, she would automatically draw her weapon immediately.

Hearing his voice, the figure stopped walking and spoke. “I am the guide sent by Zwei to escort you in this place. Please keep your weapons down! You, master of Tartarus, have nothing to fear here.”

The voice was so familiar that it shocked Alastor to his core. He recognized it…it was something he heard almost every day.

“This is not possible….Who are you?” Alastor yelled in a trembling tone.

The figure resumed their walk to the boy. From the dim light coming from the chamber behind him, Alastor could see the silhouette revealing itself. The body, the hair, the cloth…they were the same as he thought.

“Welcome to Tartarus, demon lord Alastor! I am Stella, your guide in this place and your faithful servant! We have been waiting for you for a very long time.”