“IT’S DONE! HAHAHAAHAHA!” The pale sea dragon laughed manically. “The Astral sword of Moonlight has been forged!!! I have finally done it.”

In his hands, a giant great sword seemingly designed for dragon’ size and made out of purely a special stone that contained an exceptional power: the moonstone. Originally a rock falling from the sky, this stone has been broken to thousands of pieces but now it has once again been assembled in a new form. The opaque colour with a faint dim blue light emanating from inside was so magnificent that once you have laid your eyes on it, it would be impossible to separate from it. One look at the two dragons staring at it and you would understand the captivation it possessed on the people around it.

“So this is what you want? This sword?”

“Yes….for so long. Can you feel it, Abalone? Its voice…its calling….it will grant us guidance on the path to Ascension.” Xenes muttered as he stared and caressed the sword.

“…..So what now?” Abalone put her hand on the sword, pushing it away from Xenes. “You said you will give me back my stone.”

“Well it’s a part of the sword now…” Xenes said.

“Don’t screw with me!” Abalone grabbed her sword for herself. “If I can take it out then the sword is mine.”

“….Fine! Take it! It’s yours.” Xenes casually spoke.

“What? You will give it to me that easily? Even though you spent so many years looking for it?” Abalone was surprised to see Xenes giving the sword without resistance “Is this a trap? You aren’t going to attack me when I turn around, right?”

“Oh please! If I want to take it, you would have died long ago the moment you handed me your stone. Just take it and help the others in their battle!”

“Alright….then…I will be on my way then. Let’s go Heru!” Abalone turned to her gyrfalcon before moving out toward the battlefield, leaving the pale dragon by himself.

“…Sorry, Abalone! But the Blood Moon requires one more ingredient…And I can’t be it. I need to witness this for myself.”

* * *

“Hello children! I am Rouge, the Sanguine Incarnation! You may also call me Madame Rouge. Enchantée!” The red woman bowed slightly as she presented herself joyfully before noticing a dazed Maria. “And here you are, my dear, Maria the Blood Huntress! Or do you prefer me to call you Marie?”

“What? Who are you?” asked Maria in awe facing this strange woman.

Her figure suggested her to be some kind of frail noble woman, the kind that could not lift even a flower with her own hands. And yet, maybe it was her bright red clothing that made her look like she came out of the pool of blood itself but the woman possessed a tremendous presence, one that made people sick upon looking at her. Even more, it was her strange beauty that stood out the most. Perhaps calling it ‘strange’ was an understatement. Seemingly older than Maria only a couple years, this Madame Rouge had a so fair skin without a single complexion, passing to the borderlines of an artificial forgery. And her dark eyes with two bright slit sun-colour eyes like that of a snake, a beast….they sent shivers to the spines of those who dared to stare at her.

“Do you have a hearing problem dear? I didn’t see that detail in the book though….Am I missing something here?” Madame Rouge muttered. “Hum…I need to read it all again to make sure…But for now….”

In an instant, the woman disappeared from her location without a sound and reappeared in front of Maria, making her unable to react in time. Reaching her hand to the Huntress’ cheek, Maria found herself paralyzed as she was slowly embraced excitedly by the strange woman.

“Oh! I have been waiting so long for this. You are one of my favourite characters you know! A harsh past, drama, mystery, courage….everything I want was there…Hihihi!” the woman chuckled as she hugged Maria tightly. “So warm…and that smell…that crimson fluid…I was surprised to see someone with the same taste as me. AAA how delightful! You might not have much screen time but I still like you the most.”

“What’s wrong with you?” Maria did the only thing she could do at that moment: shout.

“Quiet, dear! Don’t ruin this moment for me please! I just need to take all this smell in…Aaa…It’s much better than what I imagined…This is the only thing I can’t do with a book…To touch you…to smell you…”

“You are creepy!” Maria said, doing her best to move her head away from the approaching woman but to no avail.

“Please don’t say that! I am here to help you so just let me have this one last hug okay?” Rouge smiled.

“HEY! What the hell are you doing?” the last person who was left out and completely ignored since the very beginning has finally decided to gather attention from the two ladies. “What is this place? Let me out!”

“ *sigh* oh damn it! I forgot about the chicken…..” the red woman muttered in annoyance.

“Who are you calling chicken? I am a demon lord! If you don’t let me out, I will kill you.” Lucifer raged.

“Such generic dialogue! No wonder no one likes your character!” Rouge addressed the angry celestial. “I mean…how much of a villain are you? ‘Oh I will kill you!’, ‘I will enjoy watching you suffer’ and something like that….bla bla bla. No development or anything! Completely useless!” Rouge grunted as she released Maria.

“What? You dare?” both Lucifer and Rouge spoke simultaneously. “How? How are you?”

“Bla bla bla….see? I don’t even read what is in the book to know what you will say! So please shut up and let me have my precious time with Maria! Shoo shoo!” Madame Rouge waved her hand, signalling Lucifer to go away.

“That’s it! I will kill you!” Lucifer dashed forward, raising his sword.

“….*sigh* Forgive me, Maria! Wait here for a minute, will you?” Rouge held Maria’s hands softly before letting go.

But before she could even turn her head, Lucifer was right above her and slashed his sword down. “DIE!”

*CLANG*

Something has stopped the sword dead in its track. Using the folded parasol, Madame Rouge has blocked the sword without any hint of using any force at all. And yet, Lucifer was using all his strength and both his hands in that attack.

“Chapter Twenty-Seven…The scene where Kaiser confronts the three S-rank adventurers….” Rouge muttered.

“What?” Lucifer said.

“He has one of the best quotes in my opinion. ‘Maggots don’t talk. They die! Now please die!’….So now, use whatever that is in that tiny stupid head of yours and think hard about it. Who do you think it’s the maggot here?”

“……” Lucifer remained silent. He knew what this woman was implying but a part of him…something he has long forgotten about has stopped him from saying it. It was fear.

“Silence? Well, at least you know how to play a maggot role. And what do we do to maggots?”

Within the flash of an eye, a hole appeared on Lucifer’s chest with all the flesh inside gone. Things happened so fast that both Maria and the person himself were unable to see what actually transpired.

“How..?” Lucifer coughed off blood as he fell down to the ground, immobile. He was still alive despite the seemingly fatal wound. Being a demon lord, Lucifer would not die that easily, only temporarily paralyzed to heal himself. “I…am ..a demon lord….how is this…possible?” he muttered.

“Demon lord…an existence so tiny I eat them for breakfast. There are times one or two come out as a nice patch but those are rare. Asmodeus and Alastor…maybe Asgore too but the rest….not even worth mentioning. I guess I can’t expect much from a flop like Magnus.” The woman in red grinned as she turned back to Maria. “But well, sorry for making you waiting, Maria! Now it’s your turn!”

“….” Maria showed a fearful expression thinking what this ghastly woman would do to her. This was the person who managed to beat a demon lord like playing with a child. And she didn’t even to have broken a sweat or gave any effort…

“Fear not! I am here to help you. It would not be right for me to kill him. I am part of the audience and he is still a character, no matter how much of a minor role he played. But you seem to have some trouble with it so I will give you something that will…rebalance the Game. And you can talk you know?”

“What are you going to do to me?” asked Maria.

“Only if you want it. All I do is giving you a chance at victory. It’s up to you whether you accept it or not…I don’t need to tell you how you are powerless against him right? He is already recovering and you know what he will do to you and Scarlet when I am gone right? Even Lilith’s blood can’t help you forever you know.”

“…..”

“It’s your choice, Maria: keep your sanity and accept your inevitable death…Or choose a more…different path but survive!” Madame Rouge muttered.

“….If this will save Scarlet..and the others then I will do it.”

“You sure you don’t want to know the consequences?” asked Rouge.

“Is there a difference if I ask?”

“No!”

“Then do it! Whatever curse, whatever abomination I will become, I will embrace it.” Maria said.

“Very well!” Rouge pulled up her sleeves and showed her pale wrist. Using her sharp nail on the other hand, Rouge made a cut on her wrist and a crimson fluid poured out as she moved her hand above Maria’s head. “Drink it!”

Following the instructions, Maria opened her mouth and let the blood dropping into her. The warmth and taste of each drop was so exquisite, unlike anything she has ever eaten.

“In a way, Lilith and I are very similar. However, Lilith is but a child…unable to grow. A waste of that special heritage I must say…But her actions allowed all these special beings that formed this story so I guess I will throw a blind eye on that child.

But enough about her! I will make sure that you will become something more…more than Lilith or anyone else. And then…oh I tremble at the mere thought of how this will influence the story!” Madame Rouge hugged herself with one hand still extending for Maria to drink her blood while the rest of her body shook excitedly.

“And…it’s done. Do you feel anything different, dear?” asked Rouge.

“No…does that….ARGGHHHH!!!!” Maria screamed in pain.

“Oh yes, I forgot to tell you that it takes a while to circulate in your veins.”

Writhing on the surface of the pool of blood, Maria began to cough off blood like vomiting as she agitated like a madman. The pains were excruciating so much she felt her insides melting and boiling as if she was in a cauldron. Yet, she could not fall unconscious to ignore this pain. She had to endure it. Her pupils started to take on the orange colour the same as Rouge, although slightly less shiny while the rest of her eyes were a pure blackness.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!! ARAGAGAAG!” the young woman moaned in agony.

“…What…is wrong with her?” Lucifer uttered upon seeing the horrifying sight in front of him. His wounds were mostly healed and he should be able to move in a short moment. But instead of staying here and confronting the monstrosity, his mind was telling him to run.

“Ascension! Hahahaha!” the lady in red laughed out loud.

“GRGRRGRGRRGAAAAAAAAAA!” Canines poked from Maria’s jaws as she roared a horrifying screeching scream like that of a bat. A pair of dark wings has grown from her back, puncturing through her skin and cloth. They were much more impressive compared to those of the devil’s clan in term of size, dark colour and form.

“She is ready!” Rouge spoke.

“Ready? For what??” Lucifer slowly stood up.

“For her first meal! Go, Maria! Eat that chicken maggot!”

In an instant, the monster in the form of Maria dashed forward, gushing through the stream of blood as crimson fluid flew onto the air following her path. Unable to keep up, Lucifer decided to dodge to the side but realized he has just lost a limb without him even being aware about it.

“AAAA!” the celestial screamed in pain as he looked at his back, only to see the monster was sucking the blood out of his severed limb she took with her claws. “What the hell are you?”

“ *screeching sound* “ Maria uttered an inhuman scream before dashing again and took the second arm of Lucifer. Within seconds, all the blood have been drawn out of the vessel, sucked dry and left mummified by her fangs.

Watching as the monster Maria has become continued its savage assault on the demon lord, Madame Rouge rested her head on her opening hands as her cheeks reddened by the scene. “Oh…how beautiful! Colour him in red! Colour them all in red! Colour the world in red!”

“No!!!!!!” That was the last thing Lucifer spoke before his decapitated head was being held by the bestial claws of the beast.

“Grow, Maria! Grow and become more beautiful! I have high hopes in you.” Rouge chuckled as she vanished from the scene along with the blood world around her.

Shortly, Maria found herself once again where she fought Lucifer on the battlefield. Everything was left as it was. However, the only difference was that the demon lord has now turned into a puddle of dry flesh and blood. Her consciousness started to come back as she regained control of her body. Yet, this taste in her mouth…the taste of blood…she could not stop this urge. Crouching down to the ground as she stared at the gory sight, Maria licked and tried to take every drop of that warm crimson liquid inside her.

* * *

“Hello, young Edward! My name is Cronos, Overseer of Time! It’s good to finally see you face to face! Now, let us start changing this timeline, shall we?”

“What? Who are you? And why is….?” Edward uttered in shock upon realizing that not just the area around him but the entire world has stopped, seemingly frozen in time. Aside from the two, everything was coloured only in black and white, making them standing out even in the middle of the intense battle.

“I told you. I am Cronos, Overseer of Time. The title alone should have given you some clue on what is happening around.” Said the young man.

“You can stop time? That’s…”

“Impossible? Then look around him more careful! Isn’t this more than enough proof?”

“But…no one could use it except for the Gods….well at least according to the scriptures..” Edward said.

“Well I am not just anybody. And your Gods could not use time magic, mind you. They only have something close to it and even then it is nothing compared to true time magic. But then again, I didn’t come here to discuss history and about the Gods.” Cronos spoke.

“Then what do you want from me? For someone who can use time magic, anything is possible so I don’t see why you would want from a kid like me.” The boy argued.

“I want…entertainment, Edward and you so far are my favourite candidate. Someone with your potential could reach much more than you thought you could. However it will take some time and at this rate, you won’t live to see another day. As a member of the audience who enjoys watching your adventure and growth, I would rather not have your future ends here. You see what I mean, Edward?”

“…What are you really? You spoke of audience..does that mean there are others like you too?”

“It’s nothing you should concern yourself me. Trust me! It’s for your own good. Maybe in the future…or in the past…but not now!

More importantly, I am here to help you out of this predicament you are in.” Cronos pointed to the demon lord. “Of course, I won’t fight him for you. You have to do that yourself. As for me, all I can do is…merely giving a small push, harmless by itself but in the right person’s hands….it can change the world.”

“I still don’t understand your motivation…” Edward said.

“Like I said, I want to see you grow, Edward. But I don’t think you should focus on me right now. Think of how Tasha would react if you die here!”

“You know about Tasha???”

“A good character is someone the readers can relate to. Sadness and joy, tragedy and comedy…it all comes down to how well people can understand the character’s emotional state, to give their empathy. In my case, we have a connection, you and I, Eward. And that gives me the reason to choose you.” The man spoke in a solemn voice.

“Character? Reader? What are you talking about?” Edward asked in confusion.

“It’s nothing. Just some babbling from me. Now I am giving you a choice, Edward: take this power for yourself or die like an underdog! You know your power better than anyone. Beelzebub is the worst opponent for a mage like you because of his abilities to negate magic. But not even that power could measure up to time magic. But you also knew this don’t you? What you found in the basement of Helios….all the knowledge down there is now in your head!”

Something was odd. If Cronos read the book, his information should only be limited to what was written in it. Yet, there was nothing mentioning Edward’s discovery. A contradiction? An anomaly? What was it?

“….You know about it too?” inquired Edward.

“I can’t claim to know everything about you but I do know a few, more than you think at least. But with just the spell alone, it’s impossible to cast it without a proper catalyst able to contain it. That’s why you researched on charm and enchantment like the ones you used on Charles: imprinting the spell itself inside a catalyst and use it later whenever you want. Sounds similar to the artefacts but completely different. The stronger the spell, the more powerful the catalyst is needed.

And I will give it to you!” Reaching to the insides of his pocket, Cronos drew out a small hourglass containing peculiar black sand inside.

“This colour…the Sands of Time????” Edward shouted in awe.

“Correct! Fragments of the past, the future and the present all condensed into physical particles where time is distorted…They are the fruits of the births and deaths of countless universes…And I am giving this to you.” The man handed over the hourglass casually to the boy who held it tremblingly in his hand. “Don’t drop it or let it break! You know what will happen.”

“…This is..I don’t know what to say…” uttered Edward.

“Then don’t! Use that energy to get yourself out of this situation! You do realize the cost of time magic right?”

“I do…”

“Will you use it then? Between Tasha and the world, which will you choose?”

“…”

“Well I am done here so I will be on my way. Think hard, Edward! I look forward to see your decision.” With that said, Cronos walked away from the boy toward the door he came by in the first place as he raised his hand and fixed his hat. “Show me something interesting, Edward!” And he was gone, along with the red door as time resumed its course.

* * *

Inside a peculiar bar, a woman in red was sipping from her glass of champagne, waiting for the return of her two associates. She came here out of curiosity about the mystery surrounding this place and somehow ended up like this, doing things she would never even dream of. She herself was fully aware of the consequences of her embroilment in this affair and those repercussions were not something to be taken lightly even for someone as powerful as her. She has gained the attention of an individual no one in this universe, of this entire cosmos where Astora was but a grain of sand, would want to mess or be involved. That thought alone was frightening by itself. And yet, this thrill of danger and risk was something she has not felt for a very long time. This long forgotten emotion she thought lost has now resurfaced and it was impeccable.

“The All-Seeing Eye is watching me…I feel flattered. What about you? How do you feel to be up there and watch us as you dictate our words, our thoughts, our being?” The woman looked at the empty ceiling above her as she gave a soft smiled out of irony. “Are you making me say this too? Is our hatred for you just a production of your mind?”

Suddenly, the only door of the bar opened and a young man holding onto his cap walked in.

“Oh, you have already finished, Madame Rouge? I am surprised.” The man said while swiping the unseen dust off this coat.

“For the Overseer of Time, you are too slow. I thought you control time perfectly.” Rouge spoke.

“What can I say? Time is like a woman. Its temperament is...fleeting.” Cronos joked.

“…..Want to find out my temperament?” Rouge raised her voice.

“Come on! It’s just a joke. By the way, Master is not back yet?”

“He sent me a message saying that he will be late a bit. It seems there is some problem with that celestial.” Rouge informed.

“Problem? What kind of problem? Is her condition that serious?” Cronos asked but pulled back his statement shortly after. “No, it can’t be that…If it is a wound or something, Master should not have any trouble…unless….”

“You know what the problem is?” inquired the woman in red.

“I am not sure…Let’s just wait for him to go back!”

* * *

“This is a problem….” The white masked man muttered in a grave voice with his hand hovering above the wingless celestial, emitting an intense light. “…How is this possible? Something this big has been overlooked? Why?”

Retracting his hand back as the light subsided, the mature man stayed silent upon the discovery he just made. Like his other two allies, it was his intention to come here and bestow power in order to rebalance the Game they watched. However, his plan has encountered an unexpected source of troubles lying within Ikarus herself.

“…Why was it not mentioned at all? But if it is indeed the case, then I can’t proceed like this…something else must be done.” The man whispered in contemplation. “….Too bad, she could become so much more….I guess this would have to do.”

Clenching his hand, the Master opened his palm and revealed an odd ring inside. Silver frame adorned with a blue gem like the colour of the sky, the ring shared a similar appearance, if not the exact same shape and details as the ring on the finger of the slumbering celestial. Ikarus’ ring came from her bond with Alastor which gave her the translucent wings and her current power along with her spear weapon. But that ring was a unique item so how was it possible that there was a second one right here in the hands of this mysterious man?

“This ring used to belong to a certain person who aspired justice, peace and…love. However, in the end, she was killed by the very same thing she loved.

Would you share the same fate as her, Ikarus? I wonder.

Your current constitution is too fragile for the coming challenge. It would take a complete reset to restart it all. Creation is but another façade of destruction. To give way to the new, the old must perish…But because of that inside you, I will refrain from doing it.

A bit disappointing but this will have to do! I shall give you back your wings and something else. What you will do with it, how much you will grow, it’s up to you. I am looking forward to it so please, show me that I have not wasted my time here!”

The Master crouched on his knees as he put the strange ring on Ikarus’ finger right next to her ring. Close to each other, the gems embedded in them faintly shined.

“A good book is all about balance. Against a force of evil that’s so powerful, a hero of equal power must rise. Else there would be nothing but destruction and chaos. Those ideas might seem tempting but after a while it gets dull.

Alastor has grown to be too powerful. His role in this story has faded. It’s about time someone put him down. Like I said, the old must give way to the old for things to progress. After all, changes are always interesting to watch.”

…..

* * *

“Ah here he is!” Cronos noticed the door opening and a familiar figure walked in. “How was it, Master?”

“….We got a problem.” uttered the bartender.

“What?”

“Something is missing in the book. Something that was not supposed to be there was actually there.”

“What is?”

“…Life…” the senior muttered.

“Life? What are you talking about?” asked Rouge.

“….Life…the child….there is a child inside Ikarus…” said Cronos.

“WHAT? Alastor and Ikarus have a child??? But that’s…” Rouge shouted.

“Impossible! Yes! The book didn’t mention anything about a child…yet I clearly feel its mana. It’s a boy.” Said Master. “Of course, he is mentioned now because of us. We have become part of the story ourselves and are now under the radar.”

“But if Alastor killed Ikarus at the end of the book then perhaps that’s why he was not mentioned?” said Rouge.

“No…something that important would be critical to the story…It heightens the drama….It’s impossible that it was not mentioned at all.” Said Cronos.

“Then how?” questioned the woman in red. “The All-Seeing Eye keeps a constant watch on everything around Alastor and his associates.”

“Two possibilities! Neither seems very reassuring…” said Master.

“I admit…” Cronos spoke. “Either the boy has no importance to the story, which is completely illogical...Or…” uttered Cronos in an annoyed tone.

“Origin deliberately overlooked him.”

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Author's note: Hi everyone! Just a quick word that the next two weeks I will be quite busy so it might be difficult to have a chapter on daily basis while keeping the quality. So what I do is to keep at least 3 chapters per week (potentially more if I can find some time). In addition, this weekend might not receive any chapter so I am sorry ><.

Also this chapter can be a bit confusing. i can only ask for your patience and look forward in future chapters ! Hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think :)