(Tycho POV)

Something ominous is brewing in the countryside. Something vile, that If left unchecked, will fall kingdoms, will blaze cities and tear them asunder, feast upon villagers, and cause the very world to wither and die. No mortal has a chance to stand to its power. Nothing has the strength to fight back, not even the gods. Only the otherworldly heroes have a chance against this monster. It has already gathered its army and is concocting something mischievous under the cloak of light. It slowly manipulates those it encounters, slowly forcing innocents against each other. It enslaves any who bow to it and slaughters any who dare oppose. Kings have already fallen for the trap of wealth and power that it offers, and their kingdoms are soon to be forfeit. This monster of unspeakable actions, not once did I think it was more human than the ones that exaggerated and falsified his acts.

He might have a strong point, but to kill people just to resurrect them, it still ran shivers down my spine. I knew the demon lord was a powerful foe, but never did I think he could beat us all in an instant. He might have used a cheap trick, but it was our inability to realize it in time. An illusion of a higher tier than what I could detect, impossible. What kind of demon were we up against? I heard that demons could only use up to tier 19 spells, so how could that demon cast something higher? I could detect anything under tier 24, so he had to use something even better than that! Just what did I get signed up for? The holy sword I was given was supposed to slice through everything without force, but it shattered upon impact with his armor! Even the holy daggers had no effect on his actual flesh, they shattered upon touch all the same.

We can’t beat him with magic, as he has shown to use top tier spells. We can’t use brute force, as he was able to stop several strikes head-on. We can’t use holy damage, as he took a direct hit and was left standing without a trace of injury. We couldn’t even outsmart him, as he just toyed with us until he got bored. A true monster. He played with us like we were children! I’d need to team up with the other heroes, then together, we could stand a chance at tearing him down. I specialize in melee combat, so with a defense hero, magic hero, and a support hero, we could stand the slightest chance against him. It won’t be easy though, his power is real, and more so than our own. Who knows what he did to obtain such power, and how long it has taken him. For all we know, he could be eternal and all-powerful.

For merely playing a game for the first time, this is all way over my head. I just wanted to relax for the night, but instead, I have to deal with the end-game boss? He’s supposed to be the last enemy fought, why did we have to challenge him on a whim? Sure, it was a great opportunity, with all the other adventurers nearby, we could have whittled him down and slain him, but he overpowered my godly blessing and teleported me against my will. I was blessed by each of the new gods, so how come he could overpower their blessings? Two possibilities, the blessings weren’t actually all that powerful, or he was stronger than the gods themselves. I pray for the former, as the latter just makes this entire adventure pointless.

I doubt his power exceeded that of the gods, old or new. The new gods tend to be more non-combatant focused, so their strength in fighting isn’t that grand. But the old gods, they were said to have unparalleled might, and they ruled over the strongest and most powerful combatant domains. The gods of each element, and each weapon, along with the god of war and the god of magic. Even the goddess of healing would have more strength than that demon, surely the old gods would care enough about the world to not let it go to ruin? Surely? Even if they didn’t, I still need to increase my strength. If I, the hero, couldn’t even touch the demon lord, but in return, he killed me and my party, that just screams to the world that I’m weaker, even the world system said it that day.

[Human Hero Tycho has been slain] [Human Hero Tycho has been resurrected]

The priests all got those messages, and word traveled quickly through the land. It might have been a single day, but people were starting to doubt me and the other heroes. “He beat the elf hero and killed the human hero, we’re all doomed!” they would say. The churches are on-guard for any demonic attacks, or cultist activity, as this victory has surely given them excitement and would cause a fight to break out. Everyone is on edge, waiting for news or something to happen. Reports show that thousands were leaving for the city that was taken from the Bandarainian empire and under the direct control of the demon lord. Apparently, it has equivalent or better magical protection than the capital, but nothing solid has been confirmed yet. Why would anyone want to go to a city under the rule of a demon lord?

“Tycho, are we actually going to do what that demon wanted?” Alona asked, her voice still shaken after the recent events.

“I don’t want to, and we honestly shouldn’t, but I can’t just break a promise I made.” I would be no better than the demons.

Our new journey started, our focus still set on previous goals, but also with the intent to find the so-called truth of the churches. This could be a ploy to distract us, but with his raw power alone, that wasn’t needed if he was planning on killing us. Perhaps he was right? Maybe the churches were lying to the public about the villainy of the demons? But what then? I doubt anyone would be convinced of that fact, especially when a hero that had died by the demon lord’s hand is spouting such nonsense. If nothing else, it would help open me and my friend’s eyes to the truth behind this world. We couldn’t do much about it, but we would at least be able to acknowledge the wrongs that need to be righted.

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(Neb'ila POV)

After the whole stunt with the moon, the gods have all been worried about what that demon might do next. The old gods are furious and want to wipe him out of existence, but have refrained so far to collect information and knowledge on him to find weaknesses. The god of fire, Ignis, was especially enraged after his domain was stolen by said demon. He was now reduced to a god remnant, and if he doesn’t reclaim his domain in ten years, he will be stripped of all god aspects and cast upon the world as a mortal. We have tried everything in our power to prevent him from going down and attacking the demon, but his anger is getting harder and harder to contain. The recent events didn't help to calm him either, with Ashen using his god status to invoke a blessing directly.

It was wrong for a god to directly bless a mortal, excluding a grand archbishop or a grand archpriest. Then those blessed would give weaker blessings fit for the mortals. This was how things were done, I never questioned the reasoning behind it, just followed along. He already broke several rules for gods, more precisely, six out of ten. The first was to reach god status without reaching demigod status before. The second was creating a newfound religion without a proper domain. The third was evoking a world-changing event to pass without majority approval from the other gods. The fourth was creating and/or becoming a ruler of a country. The fifth was directly blessing a mortal. The sixth was altering a race without majority approval from the other gods.

To think he would break the most important rules and in record time no less. The four other major rules were even more severe. The seventh was changing a fundamental law of magic. The eighth was altering the world system without the overwhelming majority approval of the other gods. The ninth was creating a hero without the overwhelming majority approval of the other gods. And last but not least. The tenth was killing other gods. The worst part was the likelihood of him breaking those rules, it was bound to happen. With the current situation with Ignis, Ashen was destined to kill him. With the new moon, a new rule of magic could throw balance out of the window, and break the seventh rule. The ninth was also highly likely since he already had a kingdom and could use a hero to unify the demons. Only the eighth rule seemed unlikely, at least for the time being.

The other gods, old and new, all want to put an end to this threat and disgrace to the gods. He broke rules he was unaware of, but still broke them. In my opinion, it wasn't exactly fair, but I had little say in the matter. If discussions continue the way they are now, then the gods will attack Ashen in 3 months' time. For mortals, that is a long time to prepare when notified, but for gods, it would seem like minutes. Gods love long, near indefinitely, so our sense of time flows differently than the mortals. I don't want to fight Ashen, some, if not all, of the new gods, agree, but the old gods all want to put an end to his transgressions. Puppet Master might say something to them, but we can't count on it, as she rarely interrupts the affairs of us gods. Her power is absolute, not even the old gods would date to desecrate her wishes.

She was the one to empower the old gods, so none could fathom the depths of her own power, nor the faint idea of betraying her wishes. The old gods could never estimate her power, being denizens of this world, they knew not of the power of a level 1000 being, which I suspected her to be. Although, I doubt she was a player from Sugarea, as nothing about her seems like it was from a game at all. A soft sense of sorrow slowly creeps out from her at all times, one unmatched by any magical effect or any kind of enchantment or skill. It was genuine sorrow, like a permanent state of mind, always depressing her mood. I know not of any specific details, but at the very least, I knew she mourned something or someone.

Maybe her lover died? Or her son or daughter? Her father or mother? A brother or sister? A dear friend? Any option could be the case or no option for that matter. Honestly, that knowledge was beyond me, as I didn’t have the power, nor the right, to know. I might be a human from earth, and got sucked up into this strange world on a whim, but I could tell she knew what she was doing, we all did. Sure, at times I still miss my home, I spent my childhood on earth after all, and nothing can truly replace those memories. My friends and family, not to mention my simple life, was more than enough for me. But now, I was a god in a world where I cannot directly intervene to prevent the pain and misery that fills its lands.

To be considered a god, and to have expectations accordingly, but being restricted in what I can and can not do is simply annoying at times and downright infuriating sometimes. Being from earth, I know what god was supposed to do, or at least what he could do. Creation, life, destruction, rebirth, miracles, blessings, answer prayers, stuff like that. But so far, I’ve done almost none of that. Nothing I thought would happen, had happened. I’ve bestowed my blessing of teleportation onto two priests, two! Even for the other new gods, that number was very low. In terms of blessings bestowed, I was more or less dead last. Ashen being actually last, but his presence as a god was minimal at best, and as such, his placement was ignored.

To think that I spent hundreds upon hundreds of years in this world, just living as a god, and have only gotten this far, while Ashen has been in this world for five months, if his words are to be believed, and has already surpassed most of the old gods. Some of the old gods still hold feats greater than what even Ashen holds under his belt, but given time, he will surpass all of the old gods just as easily as he did the new gods. The new gods are from earth, much like he was, so I doubt he would engage in unnecessary conflict with us, resulting in our deaths. Hopefully, that demon in the flesh retains some semblance of morality, even if his actions didn’t show it. I know he is up to something, but with his guild base made the way it is, I don’t know what.

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Once more, in the small village of Donnade, in the Faerie’s Twilight forest, it’s people find themselves holding another important discussion. Most men are still shouting about the great forest dragon that assaulted the village, while the more rational score of men tried to piece the details together into a comprehensible picture. This very discussion, which was more of an all-out shouting contest, had been held countless times in the many days since the wildfire. The village elder tried his best to settle the debate, but pleasing every man was next to impossible. They were still rebuilding parts and pieces of the town from the devastation that befell it, and until construction finished, the memories would forever be fresh in their minds.

“My children,” the elder addressed the riot-like crowd of villagers arguing back and forth, who stopped for his words, “we need not fight amongst ourselves any longer. We all have differing views on what to do, but it isn’t the time to display hostility for our differing thoughts. We know the dragon and the fire played a large role in the chaos of that day, but we need not forget the details.” The elder paused for a moment, sipping water from a wooden cup.

The crowd slowly showed signs of peace, and the elder continued. “First came the fire, choking our mana and breath, but then came the great dragon. The dragon did not breathe fire or slash anyone with claws, merely landing for a brief rest before taking off again, it’s wings extinguishing much of the fire for us. The dragon could still be responsible for the fire, but I doubt that it would extinguish the flames so quickly.” The elder paused for another moment, letting his words sink in, allowing for the village’s hostility to fade faster. “But the dragon is beyond our worries now, its whereabouts are long lost to the outside world, and it likely saw us as nothing more than a colony of critters, not worthy of its recall.” His words had two effects, making the village feel safe, and making the villagers feel blindsided.

The elder continued his speech, the villagers patiently waiting for every word like they were plated with gold and covered with diamonds. “It is foolish to think that a dragon never mentioned in the history of our village, would bother itself with us, even for fun or curiosity. It might have landed because it saw something else, but we will never know. For now, we must focus on ourselves, and release the outsiders of our aggression. We have no use for violence, our forefathers would look pitifully upon us should we repeat their foolish mistakes in the name of vengeance. To honor our ancestors, we must stay true to our own nature, forgive and forget the forest dragon that visited us, and move on with our lives. For our ancients.” The crowd echoed his last three words, a tradition that was never forgotten.

The villagers’ minds were calmed and appeased, the elder’s words quenched any existing aggression that could have been held in any of their hearts, save a single boy. An orphan boy, not even related to those of the village. Only the elder and his son knew that he was an outsider, but to the rest of the village, he is just a quiet, strange little boy. His excellent adaptability is almost unheard of for the village’s history, but his strength far exceeded just that. The elder and his son believe the boy to be a prodigy, a myth in the making, but only the future can possibly open their eyes to the truth of their thoughts. The boy will only stay in the village a little longer, just until he learns everything he can about the gods, demons, and the puppeteer of the world.

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(Ashen POV)

Although I knew what I said, and knew I couldn’t take it back, even with magic, with good faith, I was left with the act of making an heir. If I knew that magical creatures could procreate with mana alone, the night would have gone very different, and very disappointing for one small demon. Xylith told me this after the job was done, and a small lightbulb flashed in and out of existence in my mind, the thought of realization nagged my brain. I could have guessed that magical creatures could procreate that way, but my mind was already sufficiently drained, even if it truly wasn’t, not even the slightest. There was technically a way to change the past, but my memories wouldn’t change, so this reality was the one I was stuck in, and in five months or so, my child will be upon this world.

My brother slapped me on the back when I told him the news, hard enough to break the average person’s spine, but I withstood his mighty assault. He managed to take the news better than I had thought possible, he almost seemed too happy for me. My suspicion was thoroughly raised, but no evidence of falsehoods in his words made themselves present to me. Xylith spent the day in our room, as we’ve come to call my bedroom, likely doing something related to our child. I didn’t think much of it, as I would see her later today, so I continued on with my day like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. I had little to do but wait for the people that I requested help from to do as I asked, and for the word to reach me about their progress, or if something else popped up.

It’s been some time since I bothered with inventory management, so I could eventually get to that. My ring of pocket dimension did keep most of my belongings strictly kept, so there wasn’t much to fix. I do remember some other tasks that I have piled up, and I still need to complete them. For instance, I said I’d get to crafting some high end, for this world’s standards, armor and equipment, and then use it for whatever needs appear. Wait, if I remember correctly, we had a blacksmith in the castle, didn’t we? What was his name? Aaron? Arin? Aydren? Arydal? Arbon? Abaron? Aralon? Wait, I think it was Abaron, Abaron the unslept blacksmith. Yeah, that would be him, but I feel like there was another person I was thinking about, but who?

Charal! The sleeping miner! Of course! How could my memory fail me so much when it came to two level 900 NPCs?

Their strength, although weaker than the four level 950 NPCs for obvious reasons, was still exceptional compared to the rest of the guild’s NPCs. In all honesty, having them reserved for non-combatant tasks was a waste, even more so when they actually had great equipment and abilities. Now that I think about it, even the simple castle guards are stronger than the Star-Mates, at least level wise, as the Star-Mates’ equipment and skills are far better than the guards. Level didn’t mean everything in combat, but being 50 levels higher than your opponent came with advantages. The Star-Mates could win against the guards in one on one fights, and even group matches, but it wasn’t easy for them. I still feel like we should have put more effort into the power of the Star-Mates rather than the simple guards.

The more I think about it, the more I get absorbed into the lore of the NPCs, and the more I want to personally meet each and every one of them and get to know them on a personal level. I already started with a few of the NPCs, but I still have the majority of the NPCs to talk to. If I tried my hardest, I could spend a day with each NPC, and although that would help with getting to establish a connection with them, it would take three years, and I didn’t have that amount of free time available. I wouldn’t mind doing it, but the sheer time I would need access to would be unreasonable considering the current state of my affairs. I barely had time to myself as of late, always stuck doing something for or with someone else. I need time to relax eventually, even just the pleasant notifications of the world system were enough for now.

[Titles Gained: Centurian, Ancient, Elder, Sharon of the World Chassis, Centurian Demon, Centurian Demon Lord, Ancient Demon, Ancient Demon Lord, Elder Demon, Elder Demon Lord, Demon Sharon of the World Chassis, Survivor, Immortal Demon lord, Nemesis of the Gods, Cursed God, Commandment Breaker, Marked by Fate][Awarding 2925 Attribute and Skill Points]

[Gnome Hero Larrendel has been Awoken]

[Goblin Hero Guhhaduvorul had been Summoned]

[Fairy Hero Famillia has been Summoned]

[Ogre Hero Greunfall has been Summoned]

[Centaur Hero Abbdullon has been Summoned]

[Lizardman Hero Skai’Zen has been Summoned]

[Ability to Create Demon Hero Unlocked]

[Ability to Create Undead Hero Unlocked]

What. What? What! What just happened? All that happened literally overnight, and I am just seeing these messages now. The words seeped into my brain, or whatever, but the knowledge didn’t click in my head. A bunch of titles, then a bunch of heroes? Wait, what were these titles? Sharon of the World Chassis? Demon Sharon of the World Chassis? Nemesis of the Gods? Commandment Breaker? Wait, Marked by Fate? What the hell were those titles? Did that say 2925 points? For doing nothing? Does the world wish me to grow stronger and more defiant? Do the gods truly wish to grant me such power so freely? Or maybe it’s beyond them? Too much information for me at the moment. I would have to sigh a thousand times to reclaim my lost cognitive condition. Might as well start the journey, “Sigh”. A journey of a thousand sighs starts with just one inhale, or so a wise man once said.

Thinking about it, why do I only get certain titles when my attention or memory is brought to something new. For instance, I got a bunch of titles when I looked at the different spell sections, and even more from actions I've committed in the past. I've killed dragons before, but only after I did it in this world did it count. I should have instantly unlocked all the titles from my spells, not after I confirm that I have the spells still. It's like my character got re-uploaded into another game, and only by confirming that my previous abilities went unchanged, do I get the proper titles. It would explain a few things, but more questions would arise. Before my mind departs from overthinking, I must first let the mental dust settle.

Alright, I believe that I have some important issues to attend to. My top priority was on the heroes. Six new heroes, and the potential for two more, was something that couldn't be overlooked. it was more than likely that some heroes would be sought out and protected, as they would have the greatest chance at beating me, but I doubt that the ogre hero or the gnome hero could survive long at, presumably, level one. The fairy hero was something that I would love to meet, or just any fairy in this world really, as I've yet to see one so far. Goblins as well, but I doubt they were loved more than any of the beastmen races. Speaking of, how come they didn't get any heroes? Unless the centaur, ogre, and lizardman heroes counted, but those seemed like more independent and defined races.

Another thing to note is the similarity between the demons and beastmen. They are remarkably similar from certain standpoints and opposite in others. I’ve noticed that the demons before their famine was ended, had all been grouped together into a general term, demons. But before, they were all very distinct and separate races, each with their own cultures, traditions, and so on. The beastmen seem to be much like the demons in this case, without the famine presumably, and mostly just regarding the fact that, although there were many different races, they were all grouped together and called beastmen. Which in all fairness is the equivalent of grouping humans, elves, dwarves, and other similar races and just calling them the humans? It was insulting at least, disrespectful for sure, and downright enraging at most. Although I’m unsure about the use of the term, it could have been used as a slur, much like how the word demon had become synonymous with evil or bad.

It tore my heart to think about the mistreatment of millions, if not billions of people, just because people carried false and flawed ideologies into a completely different culture and environment. If there was anyone to blame for the pain and misery caused in the world, it would be the same people praised for ridding it, the heroes. It was almost funny how the people are seen as pillars of good and justice only exist to fight the evil that they have brought upon the world, it was like a clown at a child's birthday party kind of funny, being mostly disliked with few gagging with vomit from how horrid it truly was. Or maybe I'm just overthinking this whole thing, or maybe the heroes had some shred of legitimacy, but one fact remains, clowns suck.

I was almost expecting a title for thinking that, something along the lines of [Clown Hater]. I truly didn't like them, so it was worth a shot to see if I could get a few more points from it. Points huh? I've amassed so many in such a short amount of time, to the point where it barely phases me. If I didn't know how many points the average farmer had, I'd assume they were far stronger die to titles and just the world system in general. Which also makes me think, how come the people of this world use the system so sparsely? It's like they pretend it's not there, but I have sufficient evidence to prove that they acknowledge its existence. Maybe they cannot use it so freely? Or it’s something that they just don’t need to use often? Or maybe they only use it in private? Possible answers, but I didn’t know for sure. I bet there are two people that know.

Vron, do you know why the common people of this world use the world system so sparsely? I telepathically pinged him, and in a moment he responded.

There are multiple reasons behind the underuse of such a useful application. The first is a level requirement, of which, only level 60 beings and higher can utilize the interface directly. The second is cost and tradition, as using it not only is a more recent occurrence, only originating two thousand years ago but a costly affair too, as the use of the world system drains mental energy quite quickly. The third and most dominant reason, other than the level restriction, is the vulnerability, as anyone with certain skills can read your screen, and subsequently know your strengths and weaknesses. Vron’s words were more than enough to turn the gears of thought in my head once more.

Thank you, Vron.

Of course, Father. As the telepathy ended, I was left to think more about the nature of the world’s anomalies.

A few things that had nagged me since my arrival into this world still continue to pester me with the lure of their answers. The first question, how did I come to this world? I fell asleep, but that’s all I know. From the world’s perspective, I just emerged from the castle, which existed before any record said otherwise, meaning that the castle has been here for thousands of years, if not longer. So the question piques my interest, and whenever I find the answer to it, it will feel as though an unreachable itch had been scratched, or so I hope. The second question wasn’t as heavy of a nuisance as the first, why was I brought here? I remember something about a legend, or a myth, or a story, or something about a dragon and a demon restoring balance back to the world, but that entire thing sounded off to me.

If whoever, or whatever, summoned me here to fulfill that purpose, then they likely didn’t know that the chances of me doing any such thing was next to none. So with that being the case, four possibilities remain. I wasn’t brought here for that purpose. I wasn’t brought here by someone or something that knows me. I wasn’t brought here willingly. Or I wasn’t brought here as the means to an end. Each answer sounded off from what I know about this world, and the existence of certain entities proves much about the chances of my transportation to this world being a mere coincidence. If I had to place my bet on one person, that I am aware of at the very least, it would be that weird Puppet Master lady. Her strange words, complemented well by her strange appearance and voice, did wonders for someone wondering if she was anything more than a loon.

She lived in a plane that looks like a unicorn did its business for decades, and she didn’t even seem to be startled by my presence one bit like she was expecting me. Thinking about it more seriously, she seemed to be hiding something too. I couldn’t tell what, but she definitely was hiding something, and it likely had something regarding me, Aeyrs, or the guild. I could tell she tried to force herself as well, trying to act differently from how she actually was, like she was a spy. From the brief encounters we had, she just felt like she wasn’t someone I could trust easily, but she also had this air of intimacy. Like she was an acquaintance, or a friend almost. A gentle smile was nearly permanently attached to her face, and it held mostly true joy, with a hint of sadness. It is beyond me to determine anything further, as my memories of the past few months aren’t the greatest, mostly due to me constantly jumbling my plans and actions, never really giving myself time to think over the events that unfolded.

I was brought out of my thoughts by a passing maid. “Good morning, Lord.” She spoke softly and kindly, her voice gentle and very kind.

I went through my mental encyclopedia for the name of this maid and found it in no time. “And good morning to you too, Marie.” She bowed once and continued walking, this same instance has happened plenty of times before with many of the maids and butlers, so I became accustomed to its occurrence.

That brings my mind to think, the maids and butlers are all level 100, pretty shabby for NPCs in Sugarea, but pretty strong for this world, being at least gold or platinum ranked adventurers without any combat experience, and going purely off level alone. Much like the strong demon leaders and lord, there are a select few adventurers that possess great power. The guild rankings weren’t for show, they held meaning, and the weight between being silver and gold was small but considerable. Increasing your rank wasn’t easy, as it became exponentially harder to get to the next level, and thus, those at the top were well known for their innumerable measures of strength and power. The top two ranks, white pearl, and black pearl held less than a hundred people in total, and their power was assumed to be around level 190-240, nearly on par with Xylith before training with Premium.

The black pearl rank was somewhat concerning to me, as their power wasn’t limited by their level. Some reports from Misfortune made me believe otherwise, as they were supposedly witnessed using magic of tier 22, an actual threat to the maids and butlers, and still dangerous to the guards and the Star-Mates. If their ability to cast magic better than some players in Sugarea was real, then they had the smallest sliver of a chance to face me in combat and end my life, though that chance was more of an impossibility than the chance that the universe would suddenly make a clone of me, with the sole difference being him as a clown. The event wasn’t likely enough to concern me, but I still will keep caution if I do engage with them, either domestically or in combat.

The black six, that was their name, the six strongest adventurers in the entire world, at least out of all of those that are documented. Surely I would be classified as a black pearl ranked adventurer, but due to guild rules, I was placed as a copper rank, but the guild likely considers me as one. They obviously can’t ignore my existence, as I am the demon lord, and I made myself known as an adventurer too. My little display at the adventurer’s guild might have done a little more bad than good, as I likely brought my attention to the entire guild’s adventurers, including the white and black pearls. My action had a few reasons behind it, but only time will tell if those reasons were fully utilized and if the fruits of my labor will blossom. Speaking of blossom, I wonder what Lavender and the Star-Mates are up to?

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(Lavender POV)

After last night’s party, the seven of us decided to rest thoroughly before returning to our duties. We might not have proper jobs, but that won’t stop us from helping our lords to the best of our abilities. I was supposed to help Lady Planthra with her studies of the vegetation outside the castle walls today, and as such, I was the first to wake. With all but Ember still sleeping I prepared myself to leave our sleeping quarters. Ember was reading her book as normal, which I always felt was more of a habit than actually necessary, as the content of the book didn’t change, but more information was written each day, always leaving her with new pages to read. If I remember correctly, the book had around 17,000 pages, but its exact amount was unknown to me. It’s contents are mostly magical studies and explanations, with some non-magical topics rarely showing up.

She spotted my movement and shot a wave of her hand as a greeting. “Morning Lavvy.” She said, quietly but with a kind tone.

I waved back with a small smile. “Morning Embby, new chapter?” She nodded her head as she flipped to the next page.

She was about to say something when the book’s words caught her tongue. “Hey, Lavvy, I got a question.” I continued with my preparations as I answered her.

“Yes?” She blinked and rubbed her eyes softly for a few seconds before responding.

“Do you know what a Yuveareal-Endothammusory Anthology is?” My mind worked overtime to find a match but failed.

“No, I’m afraid not. What does your book say about it?” I don’t know why she would ask me about it when she had her book right in front of her.

She took a few seconds to scan the page but the look on her face told me that it wasn’t revealing anything. “It’s, It’s not clear. It says something about flowers, ancient energy, a demon, a sacrifice, and emotion, but none of it is exactly understandable.” It didn’t take much thought to link the ancient energy to some kind of magic, a demon to Lord Ashen, and flowers to me and or Planthra, but the sacrifice and emotion were still unclear.

“I believe you should report this to Lord Aeyrs when you finish reading the entirety of the new pages. This could be important, and It’s best to let our lords know of your findings.” She nodded, and after another minute, I was ready to leave.

She nodded in understanding and smiled. “Love you Lavvy, have fun with Planthra,” I responded in the same manner.

Smiling and speaking in a pleasant voice, I spoke her same words with few changes. “Love you too Embby, have fun reading.” Although my mind still wanted to focus on the topic in her book, I had my tasks to focus on before that opportunity.

Leaving our room, I walked down the big halls of the castle, and eventually found myself in front of Planthra’s private quarters, and I knocked on it with a short pronounced pattern. After six knocks, the door opened and Planthra started to walk out with a large satchel filled with books, vials, investigation instruments, and other researching equipment. I followed her for three minutes outside, and once outside the castle, I could immediately realize why she wanted my help. The course rock that made up the mountain somehow allowed for flourishing magical vegetation to sprout, and in much better condition than I’ve seen before. My knowledge of earth magic was more than enough for me to understand the situation, as the very ground beneath us seemed like it had an entire forest packed into every blade of grass, let alone the actual magical plants.

“I take it you know why I want your help in examining these magical plants.” I nodded, and she continued. “Good, we should start with some basic measurements, and move onto the more advanced ones once we have sufficient information at hand.” She started to unload her satchel onto the flat grass-covered stone, and we started to run tests on the plants to find out all we could.

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The world has faced several calamities in the past, yet survived every time. From great threats to horrible calamities, the world has managed to pull through every time. Though not without signs of conflict, as each calamity has left its mark on the world and its denizens. From the great wars fought between the demons and the allied kingdoms to the planar wars, fate hasn’t exactly been kind or cruel to the world of Mikarea but imposed changes instead. Change isn’t always bad, but rather an indicator of the state of the world. The wars with the demons were fought for thousands of years, but no clear victor was decided, and both sides flourished and suffered all the same. The planar wars helped forge bonds between the kingdoms and races of the world, and helped increase the power and influence the planes had on the world’s denizens.

Each moon’s creation was a calamity in and of themselves, but each left the world in a better state than before. Leaving behind different types of magic and allowing for more creatures to exist and thrive in the world. The world will continue to stand, be it with scars and wounds, or without, it stands as a testament of the overseer’s will. Their word is undenied, and the world itself bends to their every will, nothing happens that they do not wish for. A true god in every sense and their mind has developed a plan that no other could ever hope to imagine or begin to grasp. Their rule is undisputed, and their might outclasses all, for they are the very heart of the world, they are everything, and everything is them.

The days march forward, with no end in sight, none known to any but the overseer. Will their kindness to the mortals of Mikarea show itself before the world is doomed? Will those they summoned to the world find a way to prevent or defy their plans? Could the heroes possibly defy their orders, and become a beacon of defiance in this world’s scripted history, or will their fates be constricted to that of words on a page? Only two individuals could have a chance against the overseer, and a weapon, a weapon made for one specific purpose. Could the overseer’s few feelings be used against them? Could their heart be used to help the world that they built, or will it be used to plunge that same world into the endless void of despair and chaos? Time isn’t so gracious to grant this knowledge yet, for even the overseer has no clue.

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(Melida Sten POV)

I have failed the god-forsaken country again, and now the new king has had enough of my failures. Not even a day after he became the king, little over a dozen minutes in fact, did he declare war on the Demonican kingdom. The same kingdom that has most, if not all, of the demons as its citizens, and the demon lord as it's king. The demon lord Ashen Fur, a horrific monster that I was summoned here to slay, but now I doubt that I have the ability to, but that isn’t what I should think of right now, as I have more important matters to attend to. The new king just issued a new order for me, and I hated it even more than the previous one to wage war with the Britgar Holy Kingdom, and kill its men. The order to kill the demon lord.

I tried to dispute the order, saying that my previous battle with him ended in a completely one-sided fight. But the king yelled for me to cease my speaking unless I felt like accompanying him in bed, and said that I had to dawn the country’s greatest anti-demon equipment. With the armor and sword that could potentially slay even the most powerful of demons. I doubted that though, as Ashen was not a demon, nor was he even remotely close to the power that this world has seen before. If what I know about the new gods is accurate, then they aren’t even a threat to him. And I doubted the old gods were either, as a level 1000 being isn’t something so easily defeated. I hoped that he was in his true demon form, for if he wasn’t, then there is not a single soul in existence that could have a shred of hope in challenging him.

I couldn’t refuse my orders, not with the curse that they placed onto me. The curse kept me from defying any orders from the elven royalty, and as such, I was forced to participate in a war that I didn’t believe in, and now I was forced to fight a god that even the gods of this world would consider a god. I’m not even sure if the king has a brain, or if he is just acting off of pure anger or hatred, but I can’t defy him, and I can’t kill him either, truly a horrific situation I have been placed into. The human hero was helped from the start, and I’m sure that the dwarf and orc heroes didn’t have it this rough from their arrival, so why did my existence have to be exploited? Was it because I’m an elf? A woman? Or is it just fate toying with me? Was there something I did to anger the gods?

Could it be Ashen? Could it be him who made this happen? Did he want to make me suffer? No. He doesn’t know me, and I don’t know him, so it seems highly unlikely, no, impossible. He has no reason to torture me so, and it doesn’t seem like he is that kind of person, nor is he exactly aware of the situation in entirety. In addition to the declaration of war, it seems to be not his fault. I can pray and hope that he or the demon hero can save me, even if my pride, name, and reputation are ripped up into nothingness. I’d rather be freed by the literal incarnation of the devil than to be imprisoned by a king with no sense of reason or any sign of intelligence. It was better than what I had back on my home planet, so I wouldn’t care if it were to occur. I pray to you, Ashen. Please, set me free of this wretched path that has been carved in fate, and allow me to be a slave no longer.