Previously, with Atlas and the group...

[Atlas Pov]

"How have you been Vera! It's been- Too long! You should greet a guest properly!" A man with black wings had descended into the castle and started to attack Ms Vera, I quickly put Atelie on the chair to Hanako and ordered her to rush back into the room that 'Mother' was in... Though she had the appearance of an old lady, she was definitely powerful so she was the best person for Atelie to be with in this current situation.

"Run!" I haven't heard Ms Vera shout like that before... This man is definitely dangerous so I don't think any of us besides Ms Vera could do anything.

"Hey! Hey! I won't let anyone escape right now!~" A projectile!? I won't be able to make it since my body hasn't fully recovered!

"Urgh!" Diana! She blocked the shot with her body! Shit! Some of her ribs were blown off!

"Tch~ I let two of them escape... I'll just find them later! One down for now!" This bastard... He looks like he's having fun!

"Archer bring Diana to me, I can do something!" I talked to Archer via telepathy and he slowly moved to Diana to bring her to me... I could see that Archer was clearly shaking... I don't think he has experienced fear so he doesn't know what's happening to himself.

"Archer... Its fine! Leave it to your Big Brother!" I need to calm him down and reassure him... I don't want him to panic.

"Okay!" Good, he still seems pretty shaken up but... he seems to have hardened his resolve.

"Hopefully this works!" I read a bit of the notes from Fable and the first chapter was on how to restore other skeletons broken bones, I had already achieved being able to manipulate my bones to an extent but I couldn't influence Faith, Archer or Diana's in any way... It was impossible since we didn't have Vel Cores so now is the time!

"Archer! Retreat with Diana after this! Hanako should come here soon so go with her! Make sure to protect Lady Atelie!." It took some of my energy but Diana's ribs were slowly growing back, I'm glad I can manipulate and share my bones with others... I need to hurry up and support Ms Vera soon!

"Okay! I'll do my best Brother Atlas!" I wish Fable was still here... he would've came to support Ms Vera quickly.

"So Vera! How's Savien been doing? He must've been busy with so much paper work! I hope he hasn't gotten soft ever since he retreated from the frontlines!"

"..."

"Hey! I'm talking to you so you should respond HAHA!"

"Why're you attacking us so suddenly... I thought we were comrades."

"Hoh~ Didn't Savien tell you..."

"What!?... I don't understand..."

"Man all of you are so-"

"Ms Vera! Sorry for the wait!" That took longer than expected but I was able to repair Diana's broken ribs and get them to safety... Hanako came back in time to help me evacuate Archer and Diana since she was able to speed through the castle, Master Savien should've arrived now but he isn't here yet... this must've been a joint attack with another person on par with Savien's power.

"Hoh~ Interesting! Wait- Where'd that armor come from!" I instructed Hanako to grab one of the Vel Cores that Fable left me, absorbing it... I was able to move now.

"Atlas Don't do anything rash! This man isn't the type of enemy your supposed to face yet!" It doesn't matter... No one's here to support you, Master Savien isn't here as well so if I leave you... you won't stand a chance!

I didn't notice at the time but... I was shaking tremendously at the sight of the man, his aura oozed murderous killing intent... it was a contrast to his innocent-looking smile.

"Ah~ To let so many escape... I might be punished but that could be good too~" Why is almost everyone that looks normal, the most weirdest people here

"A little skeleton wants to play with the adults huh... Ah! I know~ Here you can play with one of my children!" The man opened up a portal which a grotesque rotting skeleton corpse came out of, an eyeball was hanging out of its sockets while flies orbited around it... if I was still human, I'd vomit on the spot but all I felt was disgust.

"Now~ Now~ Be nice to each other okay?" The monster sprinted to me at full speed as he left the dark-winged man's side, so this is how its supposed to be... Ms Vera will fight that man while I try to defeat this monster.

"Careful~ He's quite strong so don't die~" Keuk! This monster's swing... it's wielding such a giant sword yet it's using it like its a twig, I need to plan- my bone armor can withstand the blade but not the force... I need a way to restrict it's movements.

"GRAWR!" Its hard to dodge its attack since its making the floor crumble, this floor will be completely gone at this rate.

I could use magic but I could only use it at 70% for a few times before I collapse of Mana Exhaustion, fire-water-earth... That's the magic I currently use now... Ms Vera and I will both die if this keeps up any longer, we need to escape-

"Hey I told you to be careful... Not only of my beautiful child but myself included!" When did- he get here... He pierced my armor- I won't be able to shake him off...

"You seemed quite deep in thought while playing with my child... That's kind of disrespectful ya know?" This bastard... His face looks so smug, he's a total weirdo.

"Atlas!" Ahh... I can hear Ms Vera's voice-

"Hm?" I need an explosion- Water and Fire Magic! I'll create a smokescreen!

"AHHH!" I'll pull it off! Right here and now!

"Wow! That was quite the show~ I didn't think he'd escape while create a big plume of smoke... though dear Vera came in to save him before I subdue him completely~ Ah! I didn't remember seeing a hole here before, he must've blown a hole there with the explosion so that he and Vera could escape..."

"I wonder why Savien didn't tell them yet... No matter I'll just do as I've been told and carry it out flawlessly!"

"I'd love to know his name but there's no way I could listen into their telepathic communication, I'll find him later and give him a nice treat after all of this is over. I wonder if he likes sweets... It'd be nice to have a nice tea party after all this is over!"

[Note that while in battle, Atlas communicates with his comrades via telepathy]

"I guess I should go find the rest now~ or else 'She' might get cranky~"

"I might have gone a bit too rough but... at least the place looks somewhat destroyed, the plan can smoothly operate from here."

[Savien Pov]

30 minutes prior to the sudden attack...

"Hm... I wonder if this artifact would come in handy in the future, I think Atlas would find this useful since he's crafty. I wonder if I should get my dear daughter a necklace~ Hehe..."

I was in one of the special basements that housed artifacts that I have collected over the years, they could have multiple uses or abilities but it all depended on the user... I was picking a few to gift to my soon-to-be caretakers and as well as for my daughter.

"Ah maybe I should do it in order first... Archer, Diana, Faith, Atlas then last of all Atelie!" I do remember from Vera's daily reports that Archer wishes to be an archer so I should get him to help with sight.

Let's see here- Ah! A magical cloak! If the user channels magic into it, the user will be enveloped in a big sphere which can be used as a giant cloaking device while also allowing the user to zoom in to see his target clearly... The artifact doesn't take up too much mana and while it doesn't erase the user's presence, it'll definitely be useful to hide from powerful enemies.

Archer should also have Bracers of Accuracy to steady his arms in any situation, it'll serve as good protection against any enemies if they do get within range.

"Alright Archer's is decided so now Diana's" Vera's report mentioned her practicing close-quarter-combat, so I guess something that won't restrict her movements and actually increases her speed.

If its something that will allow for better movement then the Bracelets and Anklets of Reth would suit Diana, they will allow the user to move faster than normal in exchange for mana and won't restrict the user in any way since they're light. They consume more mana than the magical eyeglass but I don't think Diana will pursue a more magic-based fighting style so its alright just to have a good mana capacity.

"On to the next one which is Faith's" I guess I'll be able to finish before night falls, I need to do more work after this.

Faith wants to be a mage so something to help with mana efficiency and capacity, maybe a grimoire would be good... or a magical catalyst to channel her magic into more powerful attacks. A mage can have a variety of tools to keep up with battle or research purposes, maybe it'd be best to give Faith both a grimoire and a magical catalyst... Oh! I'll give her an eyeglass too that allows the user to see any magical residue from spells or sense magic cloaking, its the perfect counter to Archer's magical cloak.

"Hm... Atlas's items might need more consideration than I thought so I guess I'll do my dear daughter's first!" I would be a bad father if I hadn't thought of what kind of magical items to give my own sweet daughter, I have already prepared it beforehand but I must review it again to make sure!

The first on the list will be a magical pacifier! If she sucks on it while someone channels their mana into it, Atelie will be able to get energy without actually drinking or eating! Its a genius invention but most people avoided it since it looked embarrassing to use which is fool's thinking, this'll definitely save my daughter's life in the coming years if food becomes a problem.

The next item would be a set of pure white clothes that never get dirty! With this, the hassle of washing or changing clothes are thrown out the window... Originally it absorbed the mana who ever wore it but thanks to my genius, I have modified it to absorb the surrounding mana instead of the user's mana. The clothes are also stretchable so it'll take a while for my sweet baby daughter to outgrow them.

Alright! The last item... A necklace bearing a black jewel, I haven't found out what kind of jewel it is but its beauty is the pinnacle of all jewels that I've ever seen. It has no other value other than its beauty... Its not a magic item but it used to be Aerilyn's, she's had it with her for as long as I can remember. Before she died, she told me to give this to Atelie no matter what when the time was right.

"Just looking at it... I hope Aerilyn's spirit will protect and watch over Atelie."

I put the necklace away into Atelie's box and now the final person... Atlas, his thought process is unlike any skeleton I've ever seen... his quick-thinking and respect he has gain within his group including me makes for him as the perfect Head Caretaker of daughter. What items fit him the most will be difficult to give... I need to choose carefully as it will be used for various occasions.

"I don't want them to be carrying heavy stuff during the journey so... a magical ring of storing that can store items as big as 5 meters, the only limit would be it is only restricted to non-living things." There isn't a limit to what you can store but you will need to remember what you placed inside so that you can take it back, Atlas will definitely like this... I can imagine his hands shaking as he accepts it... fufu~ I'm such a great person aren't I.

"I wonder what weapon he'd like... Vera herself wasn't sure on what weapon he'd choose since he could manipulate his bones to a blade already." This was the first time my head has spun this much just thinking of the suitable weapon for someone... I concluded that Atlas will not be gifted a weapon or a magical weapon.

"I guess magical items or artifacts that would help to make the journey easier would suffice." A journal that won't be destroyed too easily would be nice, he'd be able to keep track and write down important discoveries or something like a diary.

"Wha- I didn't think this was still here... I thought I lost it about a few decades ago." What I had found was quite the artifact, though it ate away at the user's mana... the user could teleport anywhere that had the marking of the user's choosing. It was called the Amulet of the Ancient Revenant, even if I were to use it at full mana capacity... I'd only be able to use it five times.

"Atlas's mana capacity rivals a high-class mage in the standard Demon King's army, he mentioned he kept using up all his mana during his time when he got trapped in some weird dimension." Though it was about three hours here, it passed 6 months for Atlas. It has been about a week and a half since he became fully conscious so this much progress is normal especially with our assistance.

If he were to train directly under me, he'd be able to reach higher heights... his potential is too great to be wasted. Its a pity there is not much time left before the escape plan goes into full action. I heard that the Dwarven Continent is quite open to non-dwarven kind, so though it is not necessary to hide their identity, they should all have cloaks to hide their faces.

Telepathy is a good way to communicate with each other so it'd be a problem if someone were to breech into their communications via mind reading, Atlas will be given the ring of Anti-mind to prevent all mind magic or illusions to affect him and the others.

"I wonder what else do I need to give... the rest of the artifacts are too difficult to use and require a more in-depth knowledge on how to use them properly." I guess I could give them all a lucky talisman charm, I'll give them something high-grade... the bloodstone talisman which also masks one's scent from monsters and people.

If I were to explain this to Atlas and the group, I don't think they'd understand so I guess I should write down some easy-to-understand instructions... I wonder if I should request custom-made armor from a dear-old friend. I haven't heard from him in a while but I bet his skills haven't gotten rusty, I guess I might as well give Atlas his address as well as an insignia so that he knows its me.

"I see that you've been quite busy Savien..." What the-

"Lilith! You surprised me... I didn't expect you to arrive so soon." This must mean the Behtman Angel faction broke through the border, we need to enact the escape plan right now.

"You say that but you've been preparing already... I apologize about the castle, Jozo needs to wreck it so that nothing can be used to those Behtman bastards" Uwah~ I do remember agreeing that I need to totally destroy the castle...

"Hah~ I was just finishing my final preparations so just don't hurt my caretakers for my daughter." Jozo always goes a bit extreme, I haven't even informed Vera about this... she might figure it out by herself.

I could hear the rumbles from above-ground, it must be Jozo breaking my barrier and destroying my roof... I need to tell Vera so that she can evacuate the rest of the skeletons and get the necessary equipment plus what Fable gave to Atlas and the others.

"Master Savien! Why is Lord Jozo here and attacking us!?" Ah speaking of telling Vera, I guess Jozo started attacking them hah~

"Vera this is part of the escape plan, we need to totally destroy the whole place since the border got taken over by the Behtman Angel faction... take all of Atlas and the group's belongings, evacuate the other skeletons too if they have any trouble escaping."

"Wait so does that mean Fable-" Unfortunately the place that Fable was sent to was the border near the Human Continent and Demon Continent, he could still be alive and fighting with the remainder of the forces that are alive.

"That doesn't matter right now... just do what I told you to do." I told Fable to get out of the castle's barrier in order for him to use a teleporting scroll to get to the battle quicker, I hope he arrived at the right time to help our comrades."

"Understood... I'd just like to ask why Lord Jozo injured Atlas a tad bit much." Tch- I'll need to heal Atlas myself if its that bad, Lilith... you should know how to control Jozo a bit more!

"Hehe~ Sorry for Jozo... He's rough but he gets the job done." Guess I can't complain, I've already moved most of my documents to the main castle at the Demon Capital... I guess I'll just move all this now to a safe place and wait until Jozo totally destroys my castle.

"Lilith mind helping me with this stuff using telepathy." Lilith's abilities are as convenient as always, opening up a portal through space and telepathy to move objects with her mind... Well at least she's helping out now.

"Sure~ Its all of this stuff right?" Lilith began moving all of Atlas and the group's gifts into a portal which I presume led to a safe location, I personally will handle my daughter's belongings.

"Is his Majesty doing alright at the capital? He must be quite busy with all the paperwork and improving his tactics..." Normally the Demon King would write letters to all his generals which included me, I guess there isn't much time to write them since the Behtman Angel Faction has gotten more ground against us.

"He's even busier than during the Annual Demon Festival, he needs to continuously reassure the people while managing the army's morale...Azoth has been trying to help his majesty but it seems he'd only slow him down." I see... Azoth must've been worried, he should focus more on helping the army's morale since he is the one of the 7 Demon Generals.

"I see that you've got a promising caretaker for your daughter, his Vel Core must be very strong... what's the colour of it? I'm surprised that he took a blow from Jozo and survived." Hm... Should I tell her the truth? A completely Black Vel Core and on top of that is the potential to become a Lich if properly taught Necromancy, his majesty would definitely take Atlas and make him into a warrior that would turn the tides of the war.

"The group Atlas will be travelling with all have green Vel Cores, they seem to be attuned to nature so most probably why they have the same colour." If his majesty were to take Atlas, Atelie will be less safe. Luckily, Atlas conceals his Black Vel Core with bone manipulation. No... why would I think of lying, this is not like me.

"I see... That's a very good Vel Core colour, I hope your daughter can be raised without the horrors of this long war." I hope for that too Lilith even if I don't get to raise her myself... i'd be happy if she could have that blissful kind of life.

"You still haven't answered my question though I asked about Atlas not the group..." Yeah- I shouldn't lie no matter what, I'll tell her the truth.

"Black... His Vel Core is Black... He also has the potential to be a Lich." I don't what she'll do now, its a once and a lifetime to have a supreme soldier that could change the balance of this war.

"Hm~ That's pretty good, no wonder you tried to avoid the topic subtly." Geh- She noticed huh... Wait- She seems pretty calm about it.

"His Majesty is telling me that he's happy for you to have such a strong caretaker that will protect your daughter, he's also quite surprised that you didn't hide it." Ah! He definitely knew that Atlas had a Black Vel Core once he formed it.

"Does his Majesty not wish to take Atlas and train him personally? I was sure that with that kind of potential, Atlas would be able to turn the tides of the war even if ever so slightly..."

"His Majesty asks you... did you forget the reason that you even enlisted into the Divine Demon Faction?" No... I remember clearly...

[Before Savien enlisted to the Faction, he was called to the Demon King's throne room...]

"You are quite the capable necromancer... not even my best necromancers that I have trained personally can match your skillfulness when it comes to skeletons."

"Thank you, your Majesty..."

"Though I don't question your resolve to join... what made you join so suddenly? I remember sending you multiple invitations but you politely declined."

"My wife was murdered by those Behtman bastards..."

"I see... my apologies for making you mention that."

"Its fine your Majesty, you need not to apologize to a lowly demon as myself."

"I heard that you have your daughter still, are you sure you want to risk your daughter being captured by the enemy?"

"Your Majesty please take no offence but- Even if you yourself were to attack my daughter I would stop at nothing to protect her, I'd betray you all just for the safety of my daughter..."

"Insolent bastard! How dare you-"

"WAHAHAHAH! Sorry~ Sorry~ I just couldn't help but laugh... Azoth calm down, let him be!"

"Your pretty bold to say that but I can tell... your serious and I like that. I won't interfere with any protection concerning your daughter so I hope you serve me loyally!"

"Thank you... Your Majesty."

[Back to the present...]

"Now that I think about it... I was pretty darn bold." I don't think I'd have the guts to pull that off again since Azoth personally went to me and gave me a lecture of a lifetime.

"His Majesty will keep his promise so you better keep yours..." I shouldn't disappoint his Majesty any longer, I'll put even more effort to the war.

"Do you think my daughter can truly live peacefully?" It was a sudden thought but Its been stuck in my mind for a while... this horrible war, the death of my wife and comrades.

"You sacrificed hundreds and thousands of souls, just to summon protectors for your daughter... You gave him the instructions and from what you written in your reports... he is a very clever and cunning skeleton. Don't doubt your judgement Savien... is what his Majesty says." His Majesty is right, I shouldn't doubt my decisions... I won't fail protecting my daughter.

"Most of your servants and items you need are all here... I took the time to gather them here as well." Oh Lilith must've been doing that while conveying his Majesty's messages.

"Uwah! Master Savien!- the castle its- being destroyed!" Oh its the skeleton chefs, I'm glad they got out safely.

"Yes I know... This is part of the escape plan so don't worry about it!" I guess we'll have to wait for 'Mother' and Atlas's group.

"Will Lady Atelie, Atlas and the rest be safe?" Hoh~ All the skeleton staff seemed to have gotten attached to Atlas and the group, they're more excessively worried for them than I thought.

"Don't worry they'll all be fine!~" I guess I should set up the carriages before they're here so we can move more efficiently, Jozo should be done in a while so let's do this quickly.

"All of you move these boxes! We need to start moving soon so stop slacking!"

"Lilith could you bring out the carriages please... maybe six of them would suffice." Lilith instantly opened up a few portals which luxurious carriages came out of, these carriages would cost around 100,000 gold coins but its all provided his majesty himself.

"Want some tea while we wait?" Oh how considerate of her~ I'll gladly take up on that offer.

"What kind of tea do you have? Is it Revt Tea?"

[Revt Tea is the equivalent of Black tea in this world]

"Yup~ I also have some sweets stored too so let's relax for a bit... I know you've probably been stressing out a lot~"

"Thanks Lilith..." Lilith and I sat down for a bit while we caught up on each other's lives, it was for a short time but these times always makes me feel at peace and I wish my daughter can always live in this kind of serenity.

[Atlas Pov]

"Urgh- What happened..." Wait! I'm back in this place... 'Mother' called it the Vel Core Realm, its supposed to be my consciousness reformed into a place.

"Ah- There's the tree that I was resting on before, I bet Hanako is there sleeping since she's in the real world right now." As I approached the tree, I could see Hanako sleeping on a pile of pink leaves... It looked kind of comfy.

"I guess I'll have to wait until I gain consciousness, I don't think I'll wake Hanako too since she might be doing something important." Hah~ Its been a while since I had some time to myself... wait, I'm not dead am I? I remember my Vel Core almost being pierced but I now always had it in a dense bone ball that was much stronger than my other bones.

I wonder If Atelie is safe... Archer, Diana and Faith... they should all be fine since I helped them to escape quicker, even if I delayed that black-winged person for a few seconds... that would be a good amount of time for them to get away. I didn't notice at the time but I slowly always thought of them whenever there was danger... I was thinking of their safety especially Atelie.

"I wonder if I can change anything about this place." It is technically my consciousness right? Or is this place not actually like my mind... Argh I'm getting confused thinking about it!

That black-winged man attacked us so that means the escape plan will be carried out earlier than expected... I had written to Master Savien about Ciara and how we struck a deal on getting us to the Dwarven Continent since the Behtman Angel Faction will soon be gaining control over most of the ports in the Demon Continent, I was surprised that Master Savien agreed that easily... when I asked him directly why he accepted he simply said.

"Its because you find 'Ciara' trustworthy, I trust your ability to differentiate enemy and ally... You seem to be very fluent in talking already so I don't think you made any misunderstanding on your terms with her." Master Savien had put in a lot of trust within how I want to enact the escape plan, it makes me feel less like a servant but more as a trusted comrade.

Speaking of that, I wonder if Ciara's master is on his way to the port I mentioned to Ciara... it'd be nice timing if he's already there waiting. I still yet have to judge him if he's safe to travel with and won't backstab us or turn us in to the Behtman Angel Faction, I'm glad that he'd even agree in the first place out of his own will.

"I guess I should brush up on my languages so that Ciara's master can understand me clearly." Hm... I suddenly feel a chilly wind passing through my body, I just realized that weird skeleton in that pitch-black dimension has never appeared recently... I guess that's a good thing though, he seems to be trapped there so its good that he can't chase me or something.

[Oh you done messed up there Atlas by saying that...]

"You really thought that inferior Necromancer could easily destroy my magic on you..." The place suddenly got darker and the grass started to wilt, how did he-

"Keuk!" My neck! Its the same as before... I feel so much pain when he grabs it!

"So this is your Vel Core Realm... Impressive that you've achieved it in a few days..." The weird skeleton was in front of me again, he observed his surroundings and looked scornful as if it was the most disgusting thing he's ever seen.

"Not to my liking... Of course I'd expect this from a non-blac-" The weird skeleton stopped mid-sentence and stared where my Vel Core was, I always had it covered with bones so that people wouldn't see.

"Show me your Vel Core now!" Agh! His grip its tightening- I might die!

"Do it before I kill this pitiful banshee woman!" Shit! I'll do it! I quickly unwrapped my bone coverings and it revealed my Black Vel Core, it was like all light was absorbed into it... its like staring into a void.

"Ha- GAHAHAH!" What the hell- The weird skeleton started to burst into laughter at the sight of my Vel Core, he released his grip on my neckbone and I fell onto the ground.

"To think another Lich was being born and with a Black Vel Core!?" The weird skeleton laughed maniacally as he tore into his on clothes essentially ripping them apart, as more of his cloak came off... I saw the Black Vel Core within his ribcage. He's definitely one of the Ancient Lichs from the Dark Ages.

"What a monumental occasion! I will allow it! You will live! You may ask three questions that I will answer to the best of my knowledge!" The Weird Skeleton sat on a throne made out of what appeared to be a pure black solid, why did he have a change of heart... so I guess I do have privileges when having a Black Vel Core.

"Hurry up... I do not like waiting..." I should think about it carefully... What do I want to ask? Who is he? Is he an ally or enemy? What am I? He doesn't seem to know that I come from another world... or does he?

"I said hurry up!" Shit, I wish I had more time to think of what I want to ask.

"What exactly am I? You said I was a Lich with a Black Vel Core..." I want to be as clear as possible so that he won't just give me some vague answer and leave me in the dark.

"You're very existence is lucky, you are a Lich with a Black Vel Core... meaning you have an extreme amount of potential but it is up to you if you wish to become stronger." Tch- I already know that but-

"Next question!" This guy won't give me time to think, Uh- What next...

"Are you my enemy or ally?" Shit I sound so stupid, this guy tried to kill me and made me kneel down before him.

"Hm... You seem to be getting cocky if your asking these sort of questions!" No! I just want to know my standing with you.

"I just want to know if you see me as an enemy..."

"I was thinking you were sent by 'him' so I took a more aggressive approach but it seems to be your a 'newborn'... Since you freed me, I won't kill you but if you get in my way in the future... I will erase you from existence." Who's him? What did he mean by newborn? As in a new Lich or a Black Vel Core? I can sense that he's getting angrier, I need to ask the next question.

"I-" Before I could speak the weird skeleton stood up from his throne as it disappeared before my eyes, he gently placed his hand on my head.

"Choose your next words carefully... my mood's turned sour from spending time in this place... I want to get out soon." My body! It won't stop shaking... I need to-

"Atlas!" Hanako? She jumped in and took that weird skeleton's hand off my head. She's going to get herself killed!

"Don't hurt her please!" I tried to get in between her and the weird skeleton but when I looked up, the weird skeleton's eyes glowed brightly.

"My final question is who are you!?" I blurted it out while I was trying to protect Hanako, the weird skeleton stopped and opened up a portal... is he exiting my Vel Core Realm?

"I am an Apostle of the Calamity Deity, Midas!" What- His name is the same as the... The one who was foolish and greedy asking to be able to turn everything he touched to be of gold? That's the first thing that came to my mind, Midas backed away from us as I was spacing out.

"Since I have answered all your questions... I will be going now. I hope fate allows us to meet again, Atlas..." With that, Midas entered a portal he created and he vanished. My whole body was still shaking, I hadn't noticed that Hanako as well though she stood up for me was more terrified than I was.

"Hanako! Are you alright? Thank you for jumping in for me but don't ever do that again!" I quickly hugged her and brought her to the pile of leaves she was in, her body felt deathly cold... she was shivering, I could hear her teeth chatter as I gathered more leaves to keep her warm.

"Hanako! I'm here! That guy's gone, you don't have to be scared..." I hugged her again, putting her head on the most comfortable spot I could which was my ribcage... it was the only thing that could properly support her head without making her feel uncomfortable.

She started to tear up... which turned into a waterfall of tears, seeing her cry for some reason made me calm down and pull myself together.

"Everything's fine... You woke up here so what's happening in the real world?" I managed to calm Hanako down and she clung onto me while we talked... I feel like she still is scared but she feels some sort of peace while with me.

"I was able to take all of them to safety...'Mother' led us to where Lord Savien and a woman named Lilith were... The black-winged guy who attacked us was part of the escape plan, his name is Lord Jozo... Lady Lilith apologized for his rude behavior to you." I see... No wonder Master Savien wasn't coming to help... I wish he'd inform us about this sooner.

"That makes-" My body started to dissipate, it was like how I first came here and went back.

"Hanako don't worry that Midas person is gone... he doesn't see us as an enemy, I promise I'll protect you from those kind of monsters... Don't be scared! I'll make sure to summon you as soon as I wake up." I made one final reassuring talk to Hanako, she was clearly still shaken up by just now... I can't just leave without reassuring her.

"Br- broth- Brother Atlas!" I finally gained consciousness, I wonder where am I... Hanako said we moved to somewhere safe.

"Atlas, are you alright?" Ah- Master Savien, he seems to be unscathed... so what Hanako told me was accurate.

"Yes... has everyone safely evacuated?" From what I could see, Atelie, Ms Vera, Faith who was still on a bed, Archer, Diana and the rest of the skeleton staff is here... I could see that the castle was still being destroyed.

"Mhm yes they have... I even have all of Fable's stuff that he gave you." I saw the multiple books and boxes along with some armor, tools and weapons.

"I see... Thank goodness..." My ribs seemed to have been repaired, my Vel Core is also intact which is great.

"Jozo should be finished soon, you should organize on what to bring with you... I can teleport you near the port so that you don't have any difficulty reaching there." I see, I guess we should.

"Ah Atlas... I gave you guys some stuff, its in those boxes. Their all labelled so just carefully take them." Hoh~ What kind of stuff did he give us... It must be stuff to help us for the escape plan. It makes me kind of excited that I can see the magical items that I've read from books, I wonder if there's some really cool ones.

When I opened my box that Master Savien gifted me, I saw an empty journal... two rings and an amulet. It was much less spectacular than I expected... Oh! There must be some cool magic within these rings!

"Uwah! Archer turned invisible!" Diana was making a commotion when Archer put on a cloak that Master Savien got him, ahh~ that looks much cooler than what I got. Archer also acquired bracers while Diana got Bracelets and Anklets... they seem to be pretty cool, I wonder what's inside Faith's box?

"Be careful with those... You should clean them often as to make them last long."

"Brother Atlas! Faith woke up!" Oh! Maybe the constant movement woke her up... I hope she's fully recovered or at least be able to move.

"Faith you alright?" I immediately went to her as she got up from her bed, I summoned Hanako to carry Faith's box... Hanako used telepathy to tell me she has calmed down from just now, I hope she really is because I don't want her to think too much about it.

"Brother Atlas... What happened... Why're we all outside here."

"We're executing the escape plan, be prepared... Master Savien gave you this.." I passed her the box while she looked around the area, she must be a bit confused still.

"Ahh! I'm sorry... You guys should've woke me up earlier." I don't think that'd be possible... You needed to recover your mana.

"Let's see what's in your box Sister Faith!" Diana and Archer were more excited to open Faith's box than Faith herself.

"Its an orb, eyeglass... and a grimoire!" Uwah! She got the coolest looking items... I was familiar with magical catalyst like orbs and even a grimoire, I wasn't sure about the eyeglass but there were instructions which was in our respective boxes.

"I guess you got what you wanted Faith!" It was during that time when we were stuck in that weird dimension, Faith mentioned she wanted a grimoire and some magical items... Lucky her!

"Mhm!" Faith seemed quite happy with what she got as she tightly hugged the large grimoire, I wonder what all our items do... I guess we should read the instructions given to us.

"Hmm... So I got the Amulet of the Ancient Revenant, Bloodstone talisman, Ring of Anti-mind and finally a Ring of Storing. This is pretty useful when concerning our journey." I can use teleporting magic but uses a lot of my mana, that won't be a problem if I just expand my mana capacity to even greater heights. I also need to come up with a good mark for my teleportation waypoints, I'll be able to teleport anywhere as long as I mark something with it.

The Bloodstone Talisman will be good for covering our smell and mana tracks from any pursuers, Ring of Anti-mind... and the Ring of Storing, Its a common trope to have like a magic bag that can store endless amounts of items so I was hoping for that case but I guess this is more realistic. The Ring of Storing is only limited by size and memory since you need to remember what you put there to take it out, well at least we don't need to carry lots of small items during our journey.

Eh- Wait what does this say... Head Caretaker... No no... Master Savien must've made a mistake, I don't think I have a- I remembered Fable's letter which said I had qualities of a great leader... I'm not fit to be a leader for them, I don't think I can lead-

"Fufu~ So how's my gifts are you all in awe of how cool they are!?" Savien was organizing multiple carriages that were for his servants and extra stuff he could bring, he finally came over here to check on us and Atelie who was personally being cared by 'Mother'.

"Its certainly useful for our journey Master Savien, we assure you that we'll protect Lady Atelie." I think I gave too much of a serious response, its only recently that I got reincarnated here.

"Heh~ No problem Atlas! After all... you are the Head Caretaker of Atelie starting from now!" Ahh- It wasn't a mistake... So I guess I'm the leader of the group now. Now that I think about it... I guess it makes sense since I do have the most foresight and thought process out of the group. Wait... why would we be needed if some other skeleton servant of Master Savien's like Ms vera could single-handily take care of Atelie.

"Master Savien... May I ask you something?" I can't do anything about it but I just need to know why we were chosen in the first place instead of some other loyal powerful servant.

"I know this is weird to ask now- Why didn't you just pick a loyal powerful servant like Ms Vera to take care of Atelie?" I'll just ask him directly, no beating around the bush.

"Ah- I was wondering if you were going to ask that sooner or later... I guess I should tell you." Master Savien scratched his head as he sat down on the ground, he was still slightly taller than me as I was still a 1 metre tall skeleton... He's pretty tall too, a rough estimate of 2.10 metres. Its insane how tall he is, Ms Vera is just slightly shorter than Master Savien.

"Well the real reason would be-" I felt a similar pressure to what I felt when facing Midas, it was more comforting but I felt it... someone's coming!

"To think I would find two generals of the Divine Demon Faction, Lady Luck must be on my side today." White wings, it was similar to that of the 'Jozo' guy but it was definitely more angelic.

I was more stunned by how pretty the woman who was before me than the fact that she was an enemy, I guess this must be part of a power she has.

"Damnit! Lilith! Get the portals open now!" Shit! I lost myself for a second! Now's not the time to be bewitched by some pretty lady, why didn't Hanako react when this lady came here!

"You-" Shit- Master Savien was holding onto me tightly so why!? Did she use some telekinesis similar to Hanako.

"Atlas!" I was pulled in a good 200 metres, what should I do in this situation-

"You will be questioned here... there won't be any interferences here so rest easy young skeleton." What's with people and weird dimensional places... I'm in a pure white room, its similar to where I first met with Hanako.

"Questioning? Its kind of rude to be not introducing yourself first..." Its fine... I'll remain calm and figure a way out of here, just have to stay calm.

"Excuse me... I am the Prophet of Truth, Maho, you seemed different from the others so I wanted to talk to you privately... Don't lie to me about anything... just tell me everything and you won't be harmed." This lady seems more well-mannered than I thought besides how she pulled me here in the first place.

"May I ask who you are?" Prophet of Truth... Maho, I guess this'll be tricky...

[Savien Pov]

"Shit!" I can't believe I allowed that bitch to snatch Atlas... Accursed White Dome of Truth! Maho sealed herself in almost nigh-indestructible dome with Atlas, those inside can't resist her charm and tell her everything they know once she asks them.

"Savien what happened!" Lilith... we need to move the carriages quick!

"An ambush! There's soldiers probably coming if this woman is here! Move the carriages first! I need to break this dome to get my daughter's caretaker!" I need Jozo, in terms of brute power... he's the only who can break the dome!

"Call Jozo back! I need his strength! Everyone get your stuff ready! Keep Atelie safe! Go! Go-!" Its been a while since I last screamed like this, Lilith should have informed Jozo by now to get here.

"Master Savien! Soldiers coming from the direction of the west!" Shit they're here faster than expected!

"Vera! We'll deal with them, we need to protect everyone and wait for Jozo to get here!" Its a good three kilometers from my castle, even at top speed... Jozo would take around four minutes to get here and that's after he finishes demolishing my castle which will take another five minutes or so!

"Shit how can there be so many!" As I used spatial awareness, I could see multiple soldiers closing in... hundreds no! Thousands were coming! We don't have a good close-combat fighter, Vera and I's mana combined might last but we can't let any of them close in and surround us.

"Master Savien we'll help too!" Diana! Archer! Faith! Alright, they maybe inexperienced but this will be a good opportunity for them to learn!

"Charge!" From the south and east too!? Fine! Let's do this.

"Keep your distance! Aim for the mages!" Tch! Aiming for me already!

"Uwoh!" Hm!? Diana's managing better than I thought, she's been sparring with Fable so her close-combat skills have improved greatly!

"Faith make a tower, I'll shoot from there!" Hoh! Their coordination! Faith uses her earth magic to make a structurally defensive tower allowing Archer to get the height advantage and shoot enemies! I'm proud of all of you! I'm so proud!

"You youngsters are too loud... You'll wake up Lady Atelie!" 'Mother'! Thank goodness I have her protecting Atelie right now!

"Black Bone Arts! Skeleton Army!" With this, we can cover our flanks! This is about 2000 skeletons with a normal skill-level but it'll be enough to take care of these Behtman bastards!

"Lilith did you get all the carriages!" Where's Jozo!? We need to break Atlas out and teleport the group somewhere safe!

"Yeah!- Ack- Savien! Jozo's been ambushed as well! He won't be able to come here for a while!" Tch! I didn't expect them to travel here this fast! It should've been only an hour since they took over the battlefield at the border!

"Is this why you came earlier than expected!" It explains why I thought they came way too early... His Majesty must've made a back-up plan for this.

"We can't hold out against this many! We'll exhaust our mana!" I know! Urgh- If I had known- I wouldn't have sent Fable yet and let him stay for a bit more!

"I see... So this is where the Chosen is, it's the time of a new hope! Indeed... It has been a while since such potential has been here... I must help..." What the- Wait that's-

[Atlas Pov]

"So who are you?" The pressure is insane, she is indeed pretty but there's something that's making me want to tell her anything she asks.

"I'm Atlas..." I'll keep it as bare as I can, I'll find a way to distract her then I'll find an opportunity to escape.

"Are you part of the Divine Demon Faction?" Originally, I was planning to stay neutral as much as possible but there's no denying it... I am part of the Divine Demon Faction.

"Hm..." I wonder if there's some punishment when I don't tell the truth, I guess I'll try my luck and ask her.

"Is ther-"

"You don't seem that scared of me despite being part of the Divine Demon Faction... Do you not know of me? I am your enemy am I not?" In all honesty... You are the Divine Demon's enemy, not mine since I have no history with any of the two factions.

"I don't see you as an enemy..." I'm not betraying Master Savien, this is part of the plan to escape.

"Hm..." Seems like she's surprised that I'm telling the truth.

"Do you want to join the Behtman Angel Faction?" I never said anything about joining as I said I originally wanted to stay neutral.

"No... I never said such a thing." Maho's face look more confused as while she looked at me, I was tying to trick her to releasing me.

"Do you really want to know what I am? I can tell... you suspect me of not being what I say I am despite your magic saying I'm telling the truth..." This was all a big gamble if I get this correct, I can use this to my advantage to scare her.

"How- How did you know... I made sure to-" Score! Let's go... I'll just continue with this... I need to scare her more.

"You should release me now before I get bored, I rather you willingly let me go than just me breaking out by force..." Come on! Just say yes and we both don't need to deal with each other!

"You take a Prophet of the Behtman Angel too lightly... what makes you think I'll let you go! I detected your lie! You can't break out of here as easily as you say!" Urgh~ Alright I'll try to risk it once more!

"My Race has achieved weapons that can wipe off entire kingdoms with an utter of a word, kingdoms will be reduced to rubble... many will be homeless! Innocents will be massacred, children will die! I do not underestimate you... I tell you nothing but the truth."

When I meant race... of course it was the humans on earth, I mentioned the nuclear bombs which is true since they can wipe off cities with a single order, millions died at the mercy of it and left people home. I just phrased it in a way as if I was some sort of higher being and she was actually at my mercy.

"It can't be... your telling the truth... you-" Yes! Yay! Alright! I'm glad that worked so hopefully she releases me now~

"Are you one of the Ancient Lichs... that should explain why all you tell is the truth!" Shit... I can't say I am... If I remember, Midas said he was the Apostle of the God of Calamity... So technically humans on earth are similar since we can cause mass destruction!

"We are equal in destructive power..." Maho seemed quite shaken now, I'll just tell her to release me and we can be over this.

"If your so confident, why don't you just break out now? Can you kill me yourself if your so powerful as you say!?" Shit! she's got me there, anything I say will be a lie and she'll know instantly... What should I-

"Maho... old friend... I see that we meet again..." A skeleton! Is that a dragon too- Woah! This guy's huge... He doesn't seem to be a part of Master Savien's skeleton servants so who-

"Skeleton King! Damn you!" I suddenly felt a wave of hostility from Maho, her eyes widened and I can tell she was about to attack.

"Unfortunately... I shan't let you harm this child... It is my duty to protect him." I don't know how things led to this but its in my favor so I'll go with the flow.

"You always intervened during critical moments and even now! I'll kill you!" Uwah! Her face is getting warped! She's even scarier than Savien when he displayed his bloodlust.

"I don't have time to deal with you now Maho, we'll leave it at here... We shall settle this dispute on a later time." I don't know how but we teleported out of that white space into a dark large cave... All I know is that I finally got out of that situation and unto another one, I don't know who this skeleton is but he helped me get out.

"Um- Thank you for saving me but-"

"No need for the gratitude young one, please... follow me. There is something we must discuss about urgently." I was cut off mid-sentence and followed the skeleton through a cave passage, I could've escaped as he didn't seem to be restricting me but if he didn't want me to go he'd have forcefully taken me... even worse probably kill me if that was his intention.

"What about the others... I appreciate that you got me out of that situations but I'd like to get back to where I was..." The skeleton kept quiet as I kept pressing him with questions, it got more progressively annoying as it went on but he still hadn't answered any of my questions.

"We've arrived... we may talk here safely without any disturbances." We reached as to what seemed like a dead-end but the skeleton chanted some magic to what activated a secret door to a whole different place which was a never-ending library.

"I shall answer your questions after you answer mine so please... make yourself comfortable." Two chairs appeared from the distance and we both sat down, I'm not even phased by things like this anymore since what's been happening the whole time has been weird.

"First of all... Your not from this world are you?" What the- Starting with such a question, I can't help but feel tense now.

"I felt a change within the Mana Field of this world, Your Soul is from a place not from here... I'm not talking about your Black Vel Core young one..." He definitely knows... Its not a mistake like with Maho, I was only being vague but he knows... that I'm from a completely different place.

"Yeah I'm not from here.." I guess I have no choice but to tell him the truth, he seems like he wants to help me so I guess I'll just tell him.

"I see... How interesting... This is not the first I've encountered souls like you..." I told him how I came here and what I've been experiencing.

"So you've met other-worlders like me?" Its possible from that dimension where scriptures from multiple people were found, it was from different times that they wrote it and at one point have been there.

"Yes... All were as confused as you are but they seemed to have adapted to this world and few have made a great impact to this world." I see... Well I already knew that since I met Ciara but its nice for another person's confirmation.

"Sorry but... my comrades are probably fighting where we previously were right? I don't want to keep them waiting." It would've been more problematic since that Maho lady can focus on Master Savien and the rest.

"Don't fret... I've teleported the Prophet of Truth to a very far location and I've sent my Skeleton Dragon to dispatch of the Behtman Soldiers." Uwah so those Skeleton Dragons were the real deal, I wonder... If he's that powerful, is he also a lich with a Black Vel Core?

"I bet you're wondering if I'm also a Black Vel Core Lich... I am a Lich but as for my Vel Core..." Uwoh! He knew what I was thinking... Oh! He's taking off his armor... I wonder what his armor is made up of- No! No! Let's see how his Vel Core looks like~

"I am the exact opposite of the Ancient Lichs, I have a pure White Vel Core... I can purify corrupted Vel Cores and I don't absorb other Vel Cores... I share my power with other Vel Cores..." The purity of his Vel Core, I was experiencing a feeling similar to when Maho, the Prophet of Truth, first appeared before me but this was more... sincere... I could feel the warmth of his Vel Core.

"Your existence is very rare, you've probably heard from Savien or Vera... Its amazing that you're able to think freely with the influence of a completely Black Vel Core." Does this guy know Master Savien and Ms Vera personally?

"Are you part of the Divine Demon Faction? It seems like you'd be siding with the Divine Demon Faction..." The skeleton chuckled and showed a mark on his skull as he removed his cloak which covered part of his skull.

[Note: I drew this myself after I drew the volume cover, I felt like I wanted something like the Brand Of Sacrifice in Berserk but it was pretty hard to come up with a design that made me satisfied]

"I am not part of the Divine Demon Faction but you could say that I am more of an ally, I move according to what my God tells me. This marks signalizes the Skeleton God." Skeleton God? I don't remember reading that in any of the books that Fable gave me so is it some sort of thing or an actual god... I guess it'd be like the literal meaning.

"So you saved me based on what the Skeleton God tells you?" I'd like to ask that god myself if he was the reason I was reincarnated into a skeleton in the first place.

"That is correct..." I guess I shouldn't ask about that anymore, I feel like I'll get even more confused as he explains it more.

"Is there any way to communicate with the Skeleton God? It'd be nice to ask him a few things personally..."

"Unfortunately, It does not work like that... you need to be a firm believer in the Skeleton God's way...." Hm... This Skeleton God... I wonder if he knows about the apostles...

"So uh do you know about like the apostles? Like for example M-" I was thinking of saying Midas but my mouth was shut tight, the more I tried to force it out- The more my whole body would shake as if trembling with fear if I do mention his name.

"Atlas here look?" When I looked over to the skeleton, he had a board that said, 'Are you talking of any the Apostles of Calamity or Famine?' I nodded slowly and didn't mention the name 'Midas' since there seemed to be some magic seal to prevent me from saying his name.

"Those Ancient Lichs restrict people from saying their name but you can write them down, I've written the names of those that I've encountered so far... just point to which one you met..." In the list I saw three names, one of which was Midas, the Apostle of Calamity.

"I see... He's a dangerous one, He must've been in a extremely good mood because he got out..." I explained my encounters with Midas and it seemed to worry the Skeleton in front of me.

"Did the Skeleton God give the apostles those kind of powers?" If it is like that, I won't trust the Skeleton God.

"No... He tried to convince them before they converted into an apostle since he does have control over the skeleton vessels but... It seems like the Skeleton God has gotten weaker through the years... Not many necromancers or skeletons believe and even worse do not know of him." I see... No wonder I've never seen him in any of the books that Fable gave me.

"It's been about 15 minutes... my skeleton servants and your comrades should be done with the Behtman soldiers so I'll be able to send you back safely." The skeleton stood up from a chair and headed to a platform amongst the huge library.

"Could I know your name? You know mine but it'd be rude of me to not know the name of my savior..." I quickly caught up to him as the steps were larger than a normal one.

"Zanos... Nothing more..." Zanos huh... That actually sounds kind of cool! I wonder what it stands for in this world!

"One more thing..." I felt like though I didn't ask a lot of questions, if I asked more questions Zanos would get annoyed.

"Is it possible if I can join the Skeleton God as in the belief, It's to pay you and him for saving my life..." I never had a religion back on earth but it sounds like this Skeleton God is a good person.

"It is... If you are really serious about it, take this book... It contains what you need to become a believer of the Skeleton God, it was written when he could still clearly convey his messages to me." Zanos passed me a small book with a leather cover, I guess I'll read it once I regroup with the rest.

"Thank you... I'll make sure to take care of this." Zanos took me by the arm and carried me to a platform, there were some symbols carved into the platform.

"This will take you back to where you were, there's a person there with a much better ability suited for teleporting people... I wish you safe travels..." The platform glowed and I was back where I was, Master Savien and the group were putting some of the corpses into a hole as they had finished battling... Zanos's Skeleton Dragons were burning them and seemed like they were about to leave.

"Atlash!" The first person to come to me was Atelie, it seems like she's starting to walk more or less...'Mother' was right beside me with a faint smile.

"Hello Lady Atelie... sorry for not being with you for a while..." I took Atelie and held her gently, it feels like its been a while since I last held her... probably because of the stressful events that's been happening.

"Eh! Brother Atlas your back!' Faith, Archer and Diana came rushing in and soon I was surrounded by the skeleton staff as well.

They were going to move our stuff to a different location further from the castle so I quickly took my stuff and entered a portal.

"Atlas... You disappeared when that mysterious skeleton came in with a few Skeleton Dragons, what happened to you!?" The skeleton staff set up a large long table which was enough to allow everyone to sit down when we settled down for the night, we held a large dinner that the everyone sat in... we had Myaz Ramen and Beytik chicken which I personally cooked with the Skeleton Chefs. While we had that I explained to Master Savien, Lady Lilith who was a friend of Master Savien's and her subordinate who attacked me, Jozo.

"Its quite the surprise that you met Lord Zanos, he is the Skeleton King, he's not part of the Divine Demon Faction but he's an ally with his Majesty." Lady Lilith was explaining things to me about Zanos, it was quite amusing since she looked like a petite girl stuffing herself with the Myaz Ramen I made.

"Well there was a lot of things we discussed about so..." I told them how I met and talked with one of the Ancient Lichs, Lady Lilith was the most interested to hear this while Master Savien and Jozo were talking on plans about something else. I left out the parts where I told Zanos that I wasn't from this world but besides that... I told Lady Lilith everything.

"I see... Thank you Atlas... His Majesty is happy that you shared this with him..." Huh- Was the Demon King listening to me the whole time? Uwah- I have to be more careful from now on then... It seems like he can hear indirectly from Lady Lilith, no wonder she was listening so intently.

"Alright that's enough chit-chat... Its time to talk about the second part of the escape plan..." As soon as Lady Lilith said that, everyone except Master Savien, her and myself were put to sleep with a snap of her fingers.

"I'll also put a special barrier where no one can hear us... they won't be able to attack us either." Uwah again with the tense atmosphere... I totally forgot that both of them were demons, I could feel the insane pressure exuding from them.

"Tomorrow morning, Atlas and the group will begin their journey to the Dwarven Continent via an outside party that Atlas has made a deal with... The rest of us will teleport to the Demon Capital." Wait, if Lady Lilith has the ability to teleport herself and others to the Demon Capital why can't she just send Atelie and us to the Dwarven Continent?

"Um Lady Lilith... If you can teleport to the Demon Capital, can't you just teleport us to the Dwarven Continent?" I don't think they were that stupid to not consider that possibility so there must be a reason why we can't just do that, I mean unless they really didn't consider to do that.

"Lilith's teleportation ability only extends to the whole Demon Continent and it takes a lot of mana...." Master Savien just gave me a brief summary of Lady Lilith's abilities and I got my answer, I knew it wasn't that simple.

"I see... sorry please continue..." They gave me a map that marked out the best route to get to a nice peaceful patch of land on the Dwarven Capital, I'd do it but I also needed to meet up with Ciara to help her and set up that place... I told Master Savien how I needed to meet up with Ciara to ask her to help me with some other stuff, he approved with the only thing he told me was to be careful.

"Hah~ I guess that's settled, thanks for staying with us Atlas... I just needed you to understand the whole plan so nothing like today happens... I hate unexpected things to happen and I'm not prepared for it." Everyone was still asleep once our discussion was over, I guess its a good idea to rest before a journey... who knows, it might be a while before we get another break like this...

[The next morning...]

"Alright! Atlas... you are hereby the official Head Caretaker of my precious daughter, Atelie! I expect no failures in protecting my daughter!" Master Savien wanted to hold a small ceremony to appoint me my position of Head Caretaker, everyone was there and applauded when I was given a badge to put on my coat... it had the title engraved on a gold badge, pretty fancy.

"Make sure to stay safe alright? Don't do anything rash Archer and Diana... always listen to Atlas if the situation gets to dire!" Ms Vera gave us a small pep talk to prepare us... she's like our mother while Atelie's our youngest sibling... As I watched Ms Vera talking to the whole group, though I didn't have a heart... If I did, it'd be feeling warm over this wholesome scene.

"And Atlas..." Master Savien pulled me away from the rest to talk to me personally, I wonder what he needed to say?

"You asked me before we were attacked... Why I chose to have you guys as the caretakers instead of other skeletons, I didn't decide to do this... It was my wife Aerilyn, she told me to do this before she died... So I did it and I don't regret my decision." I could tell, Master Savien probably had a smile on his face as if somewhat grateful.

"Heh, then I won't disappoint you!" Master Savien and I had a small chuckle before heading back to the rest.

"Everyone ready?!" Lady Lilith had opened up the portals which led to the two respective locations." We had to go to Tisrey Port which Ciara and I had agreed on before we were transported back to the real world, the others had to go to the Demon Capital.

"I wonder if Atelie will finally give her dear dad a hug!~" Master Savien who normally couldn't hold Atelie since she'd start bawling her eyes out... I wasn't sure why but maybe Atelie sensed that she wouldn't be able to her own dad for a while and allowed Master Savien to hold her.

"UWOHHH!~ LILITH DID YOU SEE THAT!? SHE LET ME HOLD HER!" Master Savien was so loud that a normal human's eardrums would've exploded on the spot, I guess its good that Master Savien gets to have this before being separated with his own daughter.

"Yes~ Yes~ Come on let's go... Atlas take care alright?" Lady Lilith dragged Master Savien into the portal since he might actually just come with us, they finally disappeared along with Ms Vera and the rest of the skeleton staff.

"Take care of Lady Atelie..." 'Mother' was the last one to go and she handed Atelie over to me, Lady Atelie seemed quite sleepy after hugging her dad and fell asleep... I guess its good since it might be a long journey starting now.

"Come on Brother Atlas! Let's go!" Archer and Diana were ahead of us near to the portal, Faith waited as I said my farewells to 'Mother'. This whole thing is making me anxious but at the same time excited, from now on I'm a caretaker of Lady Atelie.

"Yeah... Let's go!" I entered the portal together with Faith, Archer and Diana... I held on tightly to Lady Atelie as we went through.

[To be continued!...]