“Goodbye, Celdora!”

The sword of light came crushing down onto the dragon. But just before it could touch him, something happened. For a moment, it looked like the fabrics of space itself has been bent: the column of light was distorted and somehow failed to touch the dragon even though it was just above him a second ago.

“…..You…” the doll muttered upon coming to realization about what just transpired before her eyes, and most importantly the individual behind it.

“Greetings!” the large figure landed in front of Celdora who still did not understand what happened. Possessing a strange yet unique pale glossy skin of an aquatic creature, this person was one of the last remaining members of their species. Although, to be truthful, up until just a few days ago, he has been dead for quite a long time to be accounted for. “Your favorite actor Xenes is now on stage.”

“Be careful, Xenes! She is not who she claims to be.” Celdora shouted.

“I know, I know.” The pale dragon grinned. “I know who she is exactly.”

“…..What are you talking about?” muttered Stella.

“Ohoho, no need to feign ignorance! Your tricks don’t work against me, little doll! You think only you and your ‘friend’ are aware of the events ten years ago? That is a very big assumption on your part.” Said Xenes.

“……” instead of giving words, the doll threw an intense glare at the dragon. For the first time, she showed such an acute emotion: anger.

“Looks like I hit a mark.” Chuckled Xenes.

“What do you know?” Stella pointed her luminous sword at the smirking dragon.

“Enough to realize that this entire thing was just a set-up, as well the what happened ten years ago.” Xenes suddenly laughed out loud. “But I got to say, what you did back then, that was the most amusing piece of art I have ever seen. No wonder no one would ever suspect you. They simply can’t. Hahahahaha!”

All of the sudden, the light sword slashed forward, only to miss its target once again due to that strange distortion.

“Not so fast!” said Xenes.

“What is your goal?” asked Stella with a hint of fury in her voice. But aside from the unusual intensity of emotion shown on her face, the doll’s right arm wielding the sword was twitching, so much that she had to use her other hand to calm it down before muttering. “…Not now!”

“Oh dear, oh dear, apparently, that is not a very well-behaved arm, is it? Got to wonder why…” grinned Xenes sarcastically.

“Shut your foul mouth!” raged the doll. “Answer me! What is your goal?”

“He he he! I desire something very simply yet so complex no one has ever found the answer: the Truth!”

“What?”

“For now, you stand in my….in our way of finding the Truth. I won’t let anything disrupting my search.

”

A terrifying sound echoed inside the doll’s mind. Even more strange, it was not a physical sound that was emitted. It was something else, something that transpired even the wildest imagination of all: something not of this world. In the poor soul’s mind affected by that odd noise, it was almost like something was trying to contact with her but the noise itself was so ghastly, enough to drive any perceptive individual to the borderlines of insanity. Where did it resonate from? The source was unseen, at least to the visible eye. However, the direction, the doll could sense it: it came from the sky above, beyond the limitations of this world.

“What is this..?” grunted the doll as she crouched down in pain. “I should be immune to illusionary magic….this…”

“Hahaha! None can resist the power of the cosmos, not even you or ‘your friend’ “ said Xenes.

“Don’t…under…estimate…me!!!” In an instant, the invisible shackles that bound the girl in white seemed to have been lifted along with her burst of power.

“Oh dear!” muttered the pale dragon. “What an annoying ghost!” He turned to Celdora. “We are going.”

“What? Where? I can’t let that woman get away!!! She holds the key to everything.” The dragon lord argued.

“You don’t have to worry about that. She can’t get away. The thing she desires the most is right here after all.” Said Xenes.

“The thing she desires the most?” uttered Celdora.

“Oh come on. You already know her true identity. You know what she did. In your opinion, what does she want?”

“You can’t mean??”

“Yes! Looks like you got it.” Grabbing the dragon before jumping down from the shoulder of the titan, Xenes laughed out loud. “Look like we got company.”

Following a strong aura that blasted everything in sight, a white figure emerged from the explosion and jumped down toward the two dragons.

“Not so fast!” the doll spoke.

“I have no time for this!

”

A distortion engulfed the two dragons in an instant before quickly disappearing into nothingness. In what seemed to be another dimension decorated with stars and darkness, Celdora, dumbfounded by his surroundings, asked the only person by his side. “Where are we?”

“Everywhere….yet nowhere!” answered Xenes in a cryptic way.

“What?”

“Follow along, young dragon! We have much to do!” the pale dragon signaled the other to follow him.

Crossing through this strange space, Celdora wondered about the conversation between Xenes and the doll earlier. From their exchange, apparently, this doll had another ally in cahoots with her plan, whatever it was. Could it be Alastor? From the looks of what has happened, it appeared so. However, the dragon could not shake that feeling that there was much more to this story than told. After all, he now knew with certainty that the doll was not who she claimed to be. This revelation would change the entire premise of what has been known during the last decade.

‘If it was her….then…..no no it can’t….’ his voice echoed in his mind, refusing to accept the terrible truth he just uncovered.

“No need to beat yourself up over this! She tricked everyone since the very beginning.” Said the pale dragon after taking a look of the contemplating dragon lord.

“...What is your goal, Xenes?” asked Celdora. “I don’t believe that you come all this way just to save me.”

“You catch on quickly, boy. No, I don’t give a damn about your life.” Smiled Xenes in a creepy way. “All I want was to confirm the existence of her ‘friend’ before the end of the show. And it looks like my provocation did wonders.”

“Friend? Who is this friend of hers?”

“Use that little brain of yours and think! But even if you know the answer, it won’t change anything. Destiny is calling, my friend! Ha ha ha ha!” laughed Xenes.

“….You still did not answer my first question. What is your goal in this?” demanded the dragon.

“My goal? I said earlier, didn’t I: the Truth. The cosmic Truth of our universe! That is what I desire. Unfortunately, the answer does not lie in this world nor does any of its inhabitant are even aware of the ‘Lie’ they are told.”

“What are your talking about?” Celdora raised his voice.

“When a child does not know the answer, he has to ask the elder ones. In our case, it is not so easy as many preparations are needed. But the tool has been provided. The actor, or should I saw actress, is on the move. Everything is ready.” Said Xenes as he looked upon one particular object floating around a blue world.

“What?” Celdora uttered in confusion, unable to understand what Xenes was talking about.

“The moon will open its gate and the Old One will enter this world to unfold to us the cosmic Truth! Let the finale begin!”

* * *

“….This is bad!” said Lilith after pushing off Alastor, or at least one Alastor.

In front of her, five other excluding the one she just pushed back were combatting against the others. They looked like the effect of an illusionary spell yet they were as real as it could be.

‘One already posed a great problem and now there were six of them? Just great!’ thought the Goddess.

This event was the result of the spell that our young demon lord has acquired upon consuming Merkabah, the God of Celestials. Just as the celestial once used it against him, Alastor himself could also now do the same to create more versions of himself, balancing the odds stacked against him in terms of number. Though, he might not need them even so thanks to his already ultimate power.

“Hahahaha, die! Die! Die!” the young boy laughed maniacally as he launched a volley of attacks against an opponent who seemed almost too reluctant to even defend herself.

“Alastor, please!” implored Ikarus in a pleading voice as she used her spear and wings to defend against his assault. Although with her current power, the celestial could do much more than that, her heart simply did not allow her to do so. Even though, in some deep part of her mind, she knew what she had to do and pleading was not the answer. “Don’t you remember me? Don’t you remember our time together?”

“I know naught of any of you traitors!” the boy spoke in a cold voice. In a flash, he caught on one of the winged lady’s blunder. “DIE!”

*CLANG (metal clashing)*

“Brace yourself, Ikarus!” Maria, using her twin swords, stopped the blade of the demon lord in its track.

“None shall escape the call of destiny!” Putting more strength in his arms, Alastor shattered the twin blades of the Blood Huntress.

But in an instant, blood spread from her arms before merging forward as two new blades in her hands.

“Interesting trick! But useless all the same!” spoke the demon lord. Quickly redirecting his sword from below, the boy cut down the woman, slashing her into two from her gut.

“Hehe!” the woman smirked as flows of blood emerged from the torn body parts before reassembling together to make her whole once again.

“Maria…” uttered Ikarus upon seeing the ghastly fight in front of her. These two had no fear of death at all in their eyes. They were fighting for real, to the death.

But what about her? What should she do? In her entire life, she has believed in the just, to do what was right. However, what if it put her in a spot where she had to confront her loved ones? Now was the time to answer that question. Only, she herself did not have the answer.

‘You have to do it!’ a voice echoed in her mind. Perhaps it was the voice of her own reason as it shared her voice, coming from the deepest part of her unconsciousness. But maybe, just maybe, it was something else.

* * *

While the apparent main body was fighting against the two strongest women, the last person who has received the gift from the strange entities was now struggling to survive himself. While his power could be considered the most omnipotent, it inflicted a heavy burden upon him. The price for such godlike magic was ruinous and the boy has given everything he had with little left.

“Is this where I will die? Right after receiving this power?” the boy murmured in defeat.

The demon lord Sullivan, as well as the cat girl Viviana, were doing their best only to halt the relentless assault of one of Alastor’s clones. And even so, it looked like he was only toying with them, prolonging their suffering like a sadistic punisher.

A battle of magic leaving the entire area in flame was taking place right in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it. Well, maybe not that he could not do anything but more like he was afraid of the consequences. The few times he has used time magic has almost taken all of his remaining life. In his mind, there was only one last course of action.

“I must…” Edward uttered as he looked down upon the small item in his hand: a hourglass containing a black sand which shimmered under the flashes of explosions.

“Do not break it! You know what will happen”

Those were the words of the man named Cronos before he granted this power to our sorcerer. A warning and quite a wise one, that was what it was. After all, these tiny particles possessed within them the power to control time itself. Such a frightening endowment for such a tiny thing!

* * *

At that moment, inside a certain bar

“…..Why did you do it?” asked the bartender to the only other man sitting on the other side of the table while doing his usual cleaning of his glassware with a white cloth.

“Do what?” questioned the man cheerfully, as if he has already known what the bartender was talking about but still insisted on making him ask anyway.

“Why did you give him the hourglass, knowing what he would do?”

“I just did what was best considering the situation. In any case, should we not care and prepare for what is about to happen?” said Cronos.

“You mean that dragon?” asked the woman in red who has been listening to their conversation from earlier.

“……” the Master of the place remained silent, not because he was upset about the change in subject but for another reason. Even though his expression was impossible to see, his silent sigh showed a small hint of melancholy in face to the brilliant smile of the other man. Whatever could this mean? “Very well! We shall depart shortly!”

Putting down the glass he has been cleaning in his hands, the bartender moved toward the red door of the place and went out. “See you there!”

“I guess we should not wander around any further. Madame Rouge, if you please!” the gentleman bowed slightly and invited the woman to go before him. “Ladies first!”

“You still did not answer his question, you know? Why did you give the boy that hourglass?” asked Rouge.

Instead of an immediate answer, the man gave out a wicked grin before finally answer the question.

“Because that is the worst thing I could do to him!” smiled Cronos.

…..

*CRACK*

The sound of glass breaking echoed. All it took was a single crush of his small hand. While the sound was so tiny that no one could hear it amidst this battlefield, the repercussion it would induce was tremendous.

In an instant, the black sand trapped inside the hourglass has been freed. But unlike the sand that would normally be drifted by the wind, instead, the black sand englobed the first body it stumbled upon before finding its way to enter it. Like a drug, the sorcerer sniffled the sand, absorbing it into his vessel. Each particle was like a shard of glass, forcefully entered the body of the boy Edward. These immense pains he was feeling, there was no words to describe it. And with each shard in, smoke started to emit from the frail boy. As for his body, it was …changing.

That strange scene has caught the attention of one of Alastor’s clones. Fearing it would be some kind of spell, the clone dashed toward the recovering figure. Raising its sword, the clone tried to attack the figure rising from that smoke.

Suddenly, Alastor, or rather his clone, could feel a chill in his spines. Not out of fear of the person in front of him but perhaps due to the absence of something. Just a moment ago, all the clone could see was a young frail boy wielding some weird magic. Now, even though he still did not perceive anything visual yet because of the mist, his instincts told him to stop, making him jumping a few steps back. How weird for something to make an individual such as Alastor, a person who has killed Gods, to behave this way! Again, this feeling could not be described as fear, but rather uneasiness, a certain anxiety in face of what was in front of him. The aura of the once young boy has disappeared. In return, something else has taken his place, something that lacked a certain aspect which all living creatures in this world shared. And yet, it was not a thing that could be perceived by the common eyes, for it had no form.

“”

The clone refused to take any chance and decided to take the initiative. With a single spell, it launched all sorts of elemental projectiles toward the smoke.

Suddenly, a hand rose from the mist. In an instant, it was as if all the projectiles just vanished with no reason at all. The white mist has now turned into a black storm of tiny shimmering sand swirling around the arm, hiding the face of its owners.

“What is this?” Alastor uttered through one of his clones. Even though it was created by magic, he shared all his senses and thoughts between the clones and the main body and was alerted of this sudden change. “What are you?”

“A man who has abandoned his humanity…A man who has been forsaken by time” the voice echoed from within the sandstorm. “Master, please forgive this student! But I cannot let you do this! I won’t let destruction to be the only legacy you leave to our world.

”

* * *

Meanwhile, another battle was taking place between a father and his child. The echoes of swords smashing against each other rang across the field. With each clash, the hit seemed to get heavier along with the tension of battle. The two individuals have forsaken the battle of words but instead resorted to the seemingly only way to solve the current situation: one of them must go down before the end of this battle.

Using his heavy twin great swords, Kaiser seemed to have the upper hand thanks to his large stature compared to his opponent. Dancing skillfully and ravaging the grounds he crossed, the True Monarch looked like he was the one with the advantages. However, the real situation was a bit different: none of his attacks even connected at all. In fact, he has spent the entire time chasing this young boy who was clearly toying with him.

“KAISER!” a voice rang from behind, catching the attention of the monarch and making him retreat back.

“Sullivan? What are you doing here? What happened to the one fighting you?” asked Kaiser after seeing the cat girl who accompanied the demon lord. With no capable fighter on that side of the field, the clone would be left to launch its own assault upon the rest of the troops. So why did these two come here?

“It..It…” Viviana tried to speak up but something was holding her back. Her eyes showed an expression of fear of what she just saw a moment ago.

“It has been dealt with. More importantly, we have come to help you.” Sullivan quickly retorted.

“Then you should have gone to help the others!” Kaiser spoke loudly.

Suddenly, a large black orb came crashing down at the group. Luckily, using his quick reflex, Kaiser has managed to grab both his allies and get out of the way in time. Where they once stood was now nothing but an empty giant crater.

“Tch! They got away!” the caster of that magic grunted to himself as he prepared his next attack. “But not next time! NONE!

TARTARUS!”

Answering the call of its master, the mechanical titan began to move again. Although it has been deprived of its mobility, the titan still held an insurmountable amount of weaponry hidden deep inside the enormous body of metal. A single movement was enough to create violent vibrations in the atmosphere, along with the screeching sounds of metal. Putting both its lengthy arms on the ground, the titan revealed several openings on its back. From each gap, a pointy red object began to rise.

“Let the sinners have a taste of the hell they deserve!”

…..

The two eyes of Tartarus brightened with a crimson radiance as smoke escaped from its gaps.

“….NUCLEAR SILOS ACTIVATED! BEGINNING !”

“What? Nuclear power?” Sullivan uttered in shock as he laid eyes upon the hundreds of missiles being fired from the titan into the sky.

“What is that?” Kaiser spoke.

“We got to run!!!” the cat girl shouted.

“Can you run away from this world?” asked Sullivan in a monotone voice. “It is already too late.”

“It is never too late.” A voice resounded from the sky. Looking upward, Kaiser searched for the source of the voice. Yet, the only thing he could see was a black mass of what looked like to be sand. The voice came from within the mass.

“Who…” Before he could say anything, Kaiser has been interrupted by the rain of impending doom: the missiles fired by Tartarus were now directing themselves to the ground, targeting everything without discrimination.

“”

From the black mass, a seemingly endless torrent of sand launched itself out in every direction, wrapping itself around the missiles. In an instant, everything was gone.

“How..? Who did that?” asked Kaiser in disbelief.

“Edward….” Viviana uttered.

“What? Are you telling me that Edward is inside that thing?” the True Monarch pointed at the black mass of sand.

“I….I am not sure anymore. We were fighting one of the clones and suddenly, he changed….I think.” The cat girl spoke with uncertainty, for she herself was doubting her own memories.

…..

“You again!” a sword of radiant blue light slashed toward the black mass, only to be blocked by a thick layer of sand. “You dare stop me again?”

A small hole opened on the wall of sand, revealing the head of a dark haired young man with eyes as dark as night. However, he did not share the body of the once small sorcerer of Ceadric anymore. However, some uncanny resemblances were irrefutable between them, as if there were some deep connection between the two. Maybe…just maybe, they were the same person.

“I will not allow anyone, not even you Master, to bring ruin to the world Tasha lives in!” the man spoke angrily. Yet, a hint of sadness was hidden in his tone.

“You think those missiles were the only ones I got? Big mistake!” Alastor snapped his fingers.

Once again, the gaps on the titan’s back were filled with the deadly weapons, ready to be fired.

“Let’s see if you can stop them while fighting me!” the demon lord unleashed a series of attacks with his sword, forcing the man in his defensive state unable to do anything.

“We have to help him.” Kaiser declared, taking flight together with Sullivan.

As for the person left behind because she could not fly, there has never been a moment in her life where she felt as insignificant as she was ever since this war began. The opponents she faced were simply too strong for her to even get close to. Even worst, watching her friends and allies doing their best in battle while she was unable to contribute anything only add to this feeling of emptiness. Maybe she was not cut out for the job. Maybe, someone else better than her should have taken this position. Maybe, if it was not for her, more lives would have been saved.

‘Child, this is not like you at all.’ A voice echoed in her mind.

“But I am worthless…I cannot do anything.” The girl spoke in tears.

‘If you think that, then it is already over. You cannot let yourself be drown in despair.’ The spirit spoke softly.

“But I….”

‘You have managed this far. From a simple girl of Caelum to the Champion of the Beastmen. Are you saying that all those accomplishments are for naught?’

“I only succeeded thanks to you.” Viviana wept.

‘You did it through your own volition and strength of will. I merely lent you the tools. I need not to mind you that not everyone can use me. Only those with a pure soul.’ Yggdrasil said.

“…..”

‘Now, will you continue to despair? Or will you try to resist destiny?’

“You think I still can?” asked the girl.

‘…Even a Great Spirit such as myself cannot answer that question. But I do know this: the moment you give up is the moment you accept defeat. That, at least I know.’

“….Thank you, Yggdrasil…for cheering me up!” Viviana wept away her tears and took a deep breath. “I am okay now!”

‘Then let us go, child of man, to save the world!’

“What do I need to do?” asked the cat girl.

‘Will you trust me with your life?’ the Spirit spoke.

“I do.”

‘Then give me all of your mana! Focus your power into the staff!’

“….” The Champion of the beastmen started to send all her mana into her hands, then the ashen staff. In an instant, the staff shined brightly as a reaction to the mana poured into it. Like a rite of rejuvenation, the tree branch shed its outer layers and took on the form of a pointy white spear.

‘Put all your strength and throw me at the titan! The mana you have given me should make the throw powerful enough to reach it.’ Said Yggdrasil.

“What do you intend to do?” asked the girl.

‘There is no time to explain, child. Just do it and leave the rest to me! You trust me, don’t you?’

“I do….But what you are saying, it sounds like…”

‘Don’t worry! I promise I will be back. After all, you promised me that you will help me find the Child of Destiny.’

“…Alright then…” Putting her throwing arm and leg behind, Viviana assumed a stance to prepare herself. “I am ready!”

‘NOW!’

With all her might, Viviana screamed piercingly as the tree branch left her hand, plunging with sound speed at the titan. How could this kind of tiny weapon be able to do anything to something that surpassed even the sky itself? But one must not forget: this was the Great Spirit of the World Tree Yggdrasil, created by the Gods in ancient time.

‘You may not be the Chosen One of Fate, Viviana. But to me, you already are a hero who saves our world.

Milady Fate, please forgive this humble servant for being unable to complete the task you have entrusted to me!’

The ivory spear continued its path toward its destination in hope that it could reach the titan in time without being interrupted. Unlike other outstanding generals of this war like Kaiser, Viviana did not possess that much of mana in her in the first place. The amount she poured in was only sufficient to sustain Yggdrasil’ spear in this form for only a few miles. But if an obstacle presented itself in the way, all those efforts would be for naught. Such as…

“Unidentified object detected! Defense mechanism activated!”

Multiples red dots started to appear on the white spear: it has entered the field of vision of the titan and was now its target. But just before those iron towers could fire its weapons, a luminescent beam suddenly trailed across the surface of the skin of Tartarus, followed by a chain of explosions. It was not enough to make real damage to the iron titan but the defending towers protecting it from intruders have been neutralized.

“You can thank me later, little wisp.” A pale winged figure grinned as it flew by the spear in the opposite direction. “The magnificent Xenes has come just in time to save the days. Ha ha ha! Go on! Fly!”

Crossing the lengthy path, the spear has finally arrived at its destination. The moment it plunged itself into the surface of the titan, the staff emitted a majestic radiance, so bright it was like the sun itself has come down to earth, catching the attention of everyone.

‘’

From the small ashen tree branch, tendrils of woods and vines grew out at amazing speed and began to invade the first vessel it found: Tartarus. Piercing layers after layers of hard iron, the trees sent out their roots anchored deep within as they infested everything they found. The machines had no way to counter this fierce assault but to let themselves to taken over, little by little until the vegetation reached the deepest part of Tartarus, englobing everything with it.

“Error….Error…System…sh.sh..sys…tem…down!”

The world could only stay silent, appealed by the incredible sight in front of them: Tartarus has completely been neutralized and became an enormous mass of trees and vines. Within second of the shutdown, simultaneously across the battlefield, the army of dolls sent out to destroy the world by the Dark Lord fell to the ground, motionless, much to the shocking expression of every soldier.

“This is…incredible.” Uttered the dragon lord Celdora as he witnessed the green titan frozen in place while the army of doom has fallen.

But while everyone was shouting and waving their swords in celebration, one person who appeared to share their joy was in fact hiding a much more sinister motive. After all, one by one, all the obstacles in his plan have disappeared and the path was getting clear.

“Tartarus gone! Yggdrasil gone! Hehehe! The Blood Moon draws near!”

* * *

As for the battle with Maria, the second clone of the demon lord has joined in, making it a two versus one fight with all the detriments stacked against the Blood Huntress.

“Ikarus, I really need some help right now!” Maria shouted to the frozen celestial behind her.

“….I get it now!” the celestial muttered in a low monotone voice. Something has changed inside her. Right now, both of her rings worn on her finger began to shimmer. Holding her spear firmly in her hands, the woman slammed the handle down to the ground, emitting a bright luminous white light, along with a powerful aura glimmering around her. Above her head, a small circle of light appeared: a halo of light. “This war has to end, now!”

The ground started to crack and erupt in columns of white light across the battlefield, catching them all off-guard.

As the smoke got out of the way, only one opponent stood still in the final act of this war: Alastor, or what many were referring as the Dark Lord. His army has fallen. The ultimate weapon Tartarus was rendered defenseless. As for the Living Metal, he could no longer sense it anymore after sending it to deal with the army of the sea. Whatever happened to me, it made no different to know it now. Everything has been stripped from him and leaving him to face what he called parasites of the world. And yet, those “parasites” seemed to have won the war against him. How ironic!

“Surrender now, Alastor!” Ikarus pointed her spear forward. She hoped that judging by the situation, the boy would have to surrender to her. All her allies have gathered here, including the Goddess Lilith as well as the others. Powerful he might be, there was no way he could take on all of them at the same time. At least, those were the thoughts of the celestial.

“Ikarus…..” murmured the boy in a defeated voice. This tone invoked a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the young woman who assumed that he has finally given up. “At least, I must take that woman down!”

Without warning, Alastor manifested a crystal arrow and launched it forward, leaving no time for anyone to react. Unexpectedly, it passed right by the dumbfounded Ikarus. No, his target was not her but the one behind her: Lilith.

“Look out!”

*SLASH*

Unable to fathom what just happened, the Goddess of Flesh looked at herself carefully. She was not hurt at all. In fact, the attack did not manage to even reach her. It was deflected, or rather destroyed by that weird magical arc which just passed by a moment ago. For a moment, it looked like the crystal projectile was turned into dust by the arc. Even stranger, normal magic usually took up the color of the elemental propriety infused to it. Water would be sky blue. Fire would be crimson or orange. However, that arc was composed of a mixture of black and white. Yet, the strangest thing of all was that Lilith swore she never sent any mana coming from it. All magic used mana. That was a fact. While the magic itself might not employed mana during its execution such as curse magic, the incantation itself should have left a trace of mana behind. But that was not the case here.

“What is this strange familiar feeling I have?” muttered Lilith as she looked at the direction where the arc came from: above her. But, betraying her expectation, all she saw was an unfamiliar figure that should not have any connection to her.

“ᴌᴉᴌᴉᴛᴂ” a deep voice rang from the body of the sea dragon Abalone in her human form. A voice so strange it did not belong to something of this world. And yet, behind that eerie tone, a feeling of nostalgia, of love could be heard.

“Abalone?” Ikarus wondered.

“No….that is not Abalone.” Lilith spoke with certainty. This weird feeling she had from just looking at the figure clearly showed that whatever it was, this thing was not the dragon they knew. “What or who are you?”

“ᴅᴏ ᴥᴏᴝ ᴎᴏᴛ ᴚᴇᴍᴇᴍᴃᴇᴚ ᴍᴇ?” asked Abalone in a strange language, unknown to everyone.

“What are you saying? We can’t understand you.” shouted Lilith.

“...For me to speak the tongue of the inferior species, how laughable!” Abalone spoke. “But you have nothing to worry about, Lilith. We will meet face to face soon enough.”

“Are you admitting that you are not Abalone?” questioned the group.

“Is this a joke of the lower world?” the figure asked itself honestly. “The mind of lesser creatures is truly even beyond the understanding for us.”

“What?”

“Do you think you have time to question me?” pointed Abalone at the incoming giant black orb. Using her outlandish deep blue sword, with a single slash, the dragoness cut down the orb into nothingness as she stayed floating on air with ease. “We shall postpone our reunion later. Now…” The dragon girl glided on air forward, passing through the two dragons who could do nothing but stayed in their place. But unlike the other who was clearly in awe, the other did not seem so much surprised by the presence of this being possessing Abalone.

‘You have done well for this day… A deal is a deal. Your wish shall be granted!’ the dragon girl spoke in a voiceless tone in her mind directly destined to the pale dragon.

‘Let me remind you that I do not fear you! Unlike others, I know what you truly are.’ Said Xenes voicelessly.

‘I do not seek submission or obedience from your kind. This pact of ours is merely our last resort to retrieve back one of us. If not for Origin….’

‘Origin?’ asked Xenes.

‘None of your concerns! The deal will be done when I do the ritual. Your job here is done.’ Said Abalone. ‘I will take care of the rest.’ Abalone handed the peculiar sword to the dragon.

‘As you say!’

…..

Back to the real world, an unlikely confrontation was about to happen.

“Alastor Magnolia…what a powerful child…for a child of man…Is something troubling you?” Abalone, unlike her usual self, started talking in a sarcastic tone.

“What are you, creature? How come I cannot read your mana level?” Alastor said in an annoyed tone.

But betraying his expectation, the girl did not look like she had any interest in what he was saying at all. “It would be better if I take care of you first or the ritual might be interrupted. The other three…” Abalone looked at Ikarus, Maria and the black mass above not far away. “I see…They too have joined the game. I have to do this fast.” He turned to Alastor. “You are the source of all the problems. Once you are back to normal, everything should go back in order.”

Those eyes, as dark as the void in the sky, hid some glimmers of the stars as they peered into the very soul of the boy. “I see you, parasite!

”

From the dragon girl’s forehead, something horrifying has made its appearance: a third eye with a strange pupil that took on the form of a galactical spiral like that of the cosmos itself.

“Peer into the iris!” shouted Abalone.

“AARGG!” Alastor hugged his head in pain.

“Fight it, child of man! Don’t let it take over you! FIGHT!”

“ARGGG!”

In an instant, an agonizing scream cried out from the direction of the boy. Yet, it was not him who made that scream but rather the shadow looming behind him that was just revealed by the sight of the third eye. Perhaps due to its special body, it was impossible to make out the facial traits of the shadow before it turned to dust. Alas, shortly after, the boy too fell to the ground, not in pain but because he has finally been freed from the influence.

“What…where….what am I doing?” Alastor struggled to stand up. His head hurt like hell, as if he has been sleeping all these times. And judging from the pain, it must have been filled with nightmares.

“Alastor!” shouted Ikarus as she tried to rush to his sides. However, she was stopped by others before she could even take a step.

“Be careful!” warned Lilith. “We don’t know what is happening yet…” she glared at the dragoness, unable to grasp what she just did.

“He is back to himself. You can check.” Said Abalone.

“What did you do to him?” doubted Lilith.

“I merely removed the thing that was haunting him. Nothing special.”

“…..” Deciding to check it herself, Lilith turned to the boy who was still on his knees. “Alastor…answer me…what is your goal?”

“To bring peace to the world…between all the races.” The boy faintly answered. Yet his voice was filled with determination.

“It is really him.” Said Ikarus.

“I wonder…it might be a trick…” Sullivan said.

“Then why don’t you all go check?” Xenes suddenly spoke out loud. “If all of you go at the same time, even he won’t be able to do anything if he is faking it.”

“….That is not actually a bad idea at all.” Sullivan thought.

As they all were in haste to check if their dear Alastor has finally been brought back to himself, all but Lilith who remained in doubt stayed behind. It was the chance to finally end this conflict once and for all and to find out what exactly happened. It was the chance for peace…

Alas, none could foresee what could happen next. None but destiny itself.

…..

“You disappointed me greatly, Alastor!”

*STAB*

To the horror of everyone, Alastor felt a deep pain in his chest. Slowly, he turned his eyes down, only to see a luminescent sword, much familiar to himself. That was right. It was his own sword that stabbed him: the Blade of Destiny bestowed by the Goddess Fate upon the heroes of this world, generation after generation and then from his mother to him. Who could have wielded it besides him? The dread began to take over as he turned his head back.

“Stella?” murmured the boy.

“Stella is no longer here.” The doll inserted the blade even deeper.

Strangely, Alastor’s body should have healed by now. Even a Soul Weapon should not be able to render his regeneration useless like this…Unless…..

…..

While everyone was stunned by the sudden event, another scream rang from behind them, much to their horror.

“My apologies!” Xenes spoke as he held the Moon blade, plunging it deep into the small body of Alice from behind. “I have waited too long for this. Oh Great Ones, grant us your wisdom! Show us the Truth!”

“What are you doing, XENES????” shouted the group.

“Return to us, ᴌᴉᴌᴉᴛᴂ!” spoke Abalone as she raised her arms to the sky. “The Cosmos awaits your return!”

A column of light rose to the sky from the body of the Goddess, piercing through levels of clouds until it reached the last outer layer of this world. Crossing the field of nothingness, it reached the closest object in space: the moon.

Back on earth, the sky has darkened and the moon has shown itself even though it was supposed to be in the middle of the day. Even stranger, unlike its usual pale color, the moon was now soaked in a red radiance like that of blood. And then, from the center of that image seen by the whole world, a crack has opened, revealing on the other side a world of nothingness. Space itself has been torn apart by this unseen power.

But was there really nothing on the other side? The answer could be seen in the form of countless shadows pouring out of that crack all aiming at the world of Astora, followed by a much grander silhouette. Those creatures crossing the portal all had hideous forms, unlike every living being anyone has ever seen. Some had tentacles with thousands of eyes. Others were just like a combination of so many different animals mixed together.

What were they? And most importantly, what were they doing here?

* * *

With seemingly no one could stop the incoming horde of monsters coming to Astora, three figures appeared in space, standing between the monsters and the world behind them.

“We are too late!” said the woman in red.

“He has broken the rule first. That means we too can openly intervene now.” The man in a bartender costume wearing a mask spoke in a monotone voice. It seemed that even in this situation, he was not fazed at all by the countless monsters charging at him.

“Then we can do whatever we want, right?” asked Cronos as he checked his hand watch. “Just in time!”

“I leave the punk on earth to you two. Go! I will hold the fort here.” Said the bartender.

“Oi oi, is this not too much for you?” asked Madame Rouge.

“I will be fine. Just go!” insisted the bartender.

“But…”

“He already gave his orders. Let’s go, Madame Rouge!” Cronos took the woman’s hands and opened his watch again before throwing a glance back at the man. “Please don’t be late for our drink, Master!”

“….” The bartender did not answer in words but somehow, Cronos already knew him too well to even need to hear his reply. In an eye flash, the other two were already gone, leaving him by himself in this cold, dark place.

Facing the horde of monsters and a gigantic looming shadow lurking behind the portal, the bartender prepared himself.

“Show me a great battle, Great Old One Cthulu!”

* * *

“Magnus?” uttered Alastor upon the terrifying realization. Only one person could stripe him of all the demon lords’ powers.

‘You are a fool, Alastor. Much like your father. But don’t worry! I will let you join him soon.’ A voice echoed in his mind. ‘Become the tool for my resurrection!’

The sword plunged even deeper, piercing his chest to the other side. The pain caused by a Soul weapon reached even to the soul of the victims themselves, engraving it deep never to be forgotten. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around the agonizing boy. A warm feeling and this soothing hymn he was hearing the entire time, he has heard it before…long long ago, on the day of his birth.

“Be obedient, my child!” Stella spoke in a soft voice.

Drawing her lips closer to his ear, the doll whispered as she reached her hand to his chest, caressing the dark crystal embedded there.

“You will do that for your mother, won’t you dear?”