"And...everything is perfect." the voice of a maiden rang as she was checking meticulously the clothing of a young boy for any shrivelled trace in front of a huge mirror.

"It seems a bit...tight." Said the boy, feeling uncomfortable by the attire he was wearing. It was a noble outfit his parents have given to him, made by the best tailor of the city. Upon receiving a letter from the royal palace, these two doting parents have rushed and spent a fortune just for this garb.

"And you have to endure it, young master! You are going to see the king after all. Not many have that honour so you must take advantage of this opportunity, make a good and lasting impression!" the maid spoke while she did a final check from behind. "You have undergone all those trainings, studied night and days just for this moment. You should be proud of yourself. Smile, young master!"

Indeed it was strange. Normally, if someone received an invitation of the king to be among his closest retainers, anyone would be so delighted, if not screaming out of joy. It was the chance of a lifetime to be able to serve the king. Promises of richness and fame were certain and assured for such individuals. Yet, why did the boy have that face of fretfulness? Why could he not be happy about it? Perhaps, it was due to the recent announcement of a war between the newly formed Valhalla and his country. Why would war continue to exist? The boy wondered. It was something he never got to understand. It might be perhaps because he was too young to grasp the rules and politics of the world. Or perchance, it might simply be for the best that such an innocent boy was spared from that absurd madness of men's greed.

The fact that he was invited to the palace to join the royal guards was certainly for this very same reason and not just because of his headmaster's recommendation. They were looking for people with power to recruit for the war. That much was obvious. But it was the verity of going to war against Valhalla that spouted doubts in the boy's mind about his own country, especially after what he heard from the recent declaration of their Empress. Following Morrigan's proclamation, it has led to some pretty chaotic situations in Ceadric where a large number of its people, numbered in thousands, has fled to Valhalla. They were most likely demons, either slaves or having lived in secluded areas, hiding until now. This caused a heavy tension in cities across the country accompanied by a wave of 'witch-hunts' in search for those demons in hiding.

Unfortunately, not all of the demons have managed to reach the borders with the leftovers being killed or captured by the army, or worst by a group of religious fanatics claiming to be messengers of Gods. Your neighbour might be a demon. Your friend might be a demon. Even your husband or wife might be one. Just how many have died, demons or not, because of those accusations? Needless to say, King Charles was forced to dispatch the army to stop those dangerous heretics from burning people alive by stationing soldiers in almost every street. And that was how a country fell into total disarray overnight. Fortunately, things have been calmed down a bit thanks to Charles' efforts but still, a feeling of doubt, of scepticism has been spread among the people, dominating this heavy atmosphere.

"Tasha...why didn't you leave?" the boy asked.

"I told you many time already, young master. My place is by your side. There is no need for me to go anywhere else." The maid smiled at her master.

"But you will be able to live freely over there. Our city has gone mad ever since Empress Morrigan's declaration of neutrality toward the demons. You are not safe here."

"If I want to live in freedom, I would have left a long time ago. And those heretics don't scare me." The maid declared. "Besides, who would take care of you when I am gone?"

"But..."

"Young master, do you remember the day we first met?" The boy nodded in agreement, leaving the maid to continue. "That day, I was on the verge of death, drown in despair wondering what did I do to deserve it...But you, you saved me. You gave me purpose, a reason to live on. You are my light. The only reason I am standing here is thanks to you, young master. And I am grateful to you for that."

"Tasha..." the boy smiled with tears in his eyes.

"Why are you the one crying? Honestly, what would you do when I am gone? Hihi!" the brown haired maiden grinned.

"I promise I will make you happy, Tasha." The young man wept as he turned back and embraced the girl tight, burying his face in her chest.

That was quite a sneaky but innocent attack from him. It made the girl wanting to jump around and scream in joy but fortunately she has managed to keep everything under control. Putting her hands around his small head and caressing his back, the maid spoke gently. "I already am, young master. By the way, aren't we forgetting something? You have to go now before it's too late."

"...Do I have to?" the boy uttered with displease in his voice. He had a good reason though: it felt simply too complacent, resting his head on her.

"You don't want to keep the king waiting. The carriage is already outside."

"Alright, I will go now." Finally taking all his will to leave this pleasant place, the boy walked to the door.

"Have a nice day, young master Edward!" the maid bowed to her master as he left the house.

With the boy gone, it was time for her to resume her daily duties: doing all the chores in this mansion from top to bottom. But first, she needed to go make a round in the market to purchase food for dinner. It used to be one of her favourite moments to go out and pick the best ingredients in order to cook the best meal for her master and the rest of the household. But nowadays, things were getting a bit more dangerous with all these demon-hunting orchestrated by the heretics. Even more troubling, her identity of being a demon was widely known in the district, making each trip outside even more treacherous. The lords of the house, including Edward and his parents, have asked Tasha to stay inside during these times but the girl has refused to let this situation getting on way with her duties. She reassured them that she would be more careful without letting anyone finding out who she was. And so since then, every time Tasha went out, she needed to wear a cloak while concealing her face with a hood. Perhaps it was her astir, naive nature that pushed her to turn down that offer. One must wonder if the girl was even aware of the danger out there, for people learnt only by making mistakes. However, sometimes there were mistakes that would not give us a second chance at redemption, mistakes that would have consequences beyond repair, like ones that could cost us our lives.

As the girl strolled down the streets of Ceadric, or whatever that was left of it after the catastrophes, she turned her head around watching the surrounding, carefully observing where she treaded. Rubbles were laying everywhere as re-constructions were underway. One thing Tasha has noticed was the increasing presence of dwarves in the city. These short statures came from a certain trading group called Dor, if she remembered correctly after hearing it faintly during a dinner conversation. From assisting in the constructions to selling supplies at low cost, these strangers took care of everything for Ceadric. Even the market Tasha was on her way to was only a temporary one that belonged to the Trading Company of Dor.

"Thank the Gods they are here for us! What would we do without them at this dire moment?" the girl wondered out loud.

The market was still a long way ahead. It would normally take too much time for her to go there in time for the opening of the new supplies. If she came too late, things might either have run out or the leftovers would be of bad quality compared to the new ones. However, that would not be a problem for our lovely maid. Having lived here for years, she knew every corner of the street like her hand. There was another shortcut, unknown to many: a rather dark and small alley that was intact even after the devastation. And so, the woman decided to trespass into this alley, unaware of the danger following her.

Damp and lurid, this place was among the favourite spots of the low lives of Cedra, including the rats which were wandering around, scavenging whatever people threw away. But Tasha has had her fair shares of woes in her life, moulding her into a rather independent woman, at least from a mental point of view. Yet, it could be said that she was not the brightest woman for taking this route.

Half way in the alley, Tasha could hear footsteps coming toward her from a small corner of the alley. A figure wearing a brown robe walked out of the corner, hiding their face under the hood. Standing in the middle of the path, the figure blocked Tasha's way.

"Uhm...hello?" the girl called out to the man in robe, slightly taken back a bit from his sudden appearance.

Slowly removing his hood, the man revealed his tattooed bald face with scriptures imprinted all over his face.

"All demons must be purged." He pulled out a plain knife. "Give your life to the Lord! Let him deliver your tainted soul to the deepest hell! For it's your only chance at salvation!" The man quickly walked toward Tasha with the knife in his hand.

This was one of the heretics who have recently appeared all over Ceadric. No one knew where they came from or how exactly it started in the first place. But one thing was sure: these people were fanatics, prepared to do anything in the name of their so called deity, from killing an innocent child to bath in the blood of their proclaimed enemies, the demons.

The girl was too ignorant of her own situation. Fearing the worst, she quickly turned back, only to run into another heretic coming toward her from behind. Now, she was trapped with all her paths blocked by them. Rushing toward her and catching both the girl's hands she struggled violently with everything she has to no avail, the heretic held her from behind as the other one slowly approached with the knife hanging in his hand.

"Please!! I didn't do anything to you. Just let me go!" the girl cried out loud in fear.

"For demons, living in itself is a sin." The man proclaimed. "Do not struggle! Your resistance will only show your guilt even more!"

"Hehe, this one is definitely a sinner alright. Daring taking the form of such an inviting woman to charm innocent folk into depravity? Is that how you manage to find yourself serving that noble brat? By spreading your legs to him every night? I can already imagine all kinds of immoral acts you two have committed. Hehehehe!" The fanatic holding the girl started to grope Tasha in various places, making her shrieking in terror.

"Please stop!" the maiden broke down in tears, begging for the man to stop.

"Halt, brother! You can't let this demoness defile the purity of your soul." The tattooed man spoke.

"Oh..Oh yes! I almost fell to her tricks. What a devious demon, trying to charm me! So what do we do with her?"

"Bring her back to the slaughter house! The Gods will be most pleased with the sacrifice this time."

"I see... the full moon is tomorrow, isn't it?"

"Correct! She will pay for her crimes when the time comes. But not now. Killing her right now would only dirty further the streets of our beloved city. Everything has its moment, brother."

"No...I have to get back to him. Don't take me!!!"

"Shut up, bitch!" the man violently punched the maid in her stomach, knocking her out unconscious. "At least she is silent now".

"Then let us go back immediately! So many other sinners await."

Putting the girl on his shoulder, the two heretics left the scene in haste, not knowing that their actions have been witnessed by not just one, but two different parties hiding in the roofs. The funny thing was one party only saw Tasha and the two heretics while the other party, consisting of only one person, saw everything, including the first group sneaking on the roof on the other side of the alley.

.....

"Milady, why didn't we help her? She is just an innocent girl." Said a young woman to another one. The two together was the first party that witnessed what just happened to poor Tasha.

"As much as I want to, saving her might destroy the only lead we have on these heretics. We will wait for the full moon when they all gather in one place to destroy them once and for all." Said the second woman, clenching her fist to control her urge.

"To think we stumble across something like this the first day we are sent here....It has just been a few days since Morrigan's declaration and things already went to shit in this place."

"It shows how insecure and depraved humans are. We would rather inflict pain upon others just so we can feel better about ourselves. This makes me sick!"

"I am glad we can no longer call ourselves humans anymore."

"Tell me about it. That's the one and only thing I like about this body."

.....

The figure who has seen everything was wearing a black robe and hood to hide their body from head to toe without letting the light touching even an inch of their skin. The strange thing was, unlike the other two women, the figure didn't even try to hide. Instead, he was only floating on the roof right above the women. Yet, somehow, they could not feel his presence at all, as if nothing was there.

"Hum....what an interesting sight! A bunch of lawless heretics...I wonder how delectable they would taste like. Alas, they should be able to help me reach my quota.

But who are those two women? Based on what was just said, they might get disturb my plan...Hummmm....what should I do?"

The stranger contemplated out loud with himself. With two shining red dots which seemed to be his eyes, the figure spoke in an eerie voice or perhaps it would be more appropriate to say 'voices'. It was clear that whatever spoke those words was not human or any of the known races. Else how would you explain the many voices speaking one upon other at the same time each time the figure uttered a word?

All of the sudden, the figure reacted strangely as he began to hear a voice in his mind.

'How are things going at Cedra?'

'As you expected, your Reverence! Death!'

'I see...Then you should have no problem to reach the necessary quantity then. If possible, do take the most you can without raising any attention. The others in the Whispering Forest and Ragna are not so lucky in their search so you might want to make up for them. But keep your priority in staying undiscovered! At the very worst, the war in Oros and the incoming conflict between Valhalla and Ceadric should be able to provide us with some great expansions.'

'Of course, milord! Then should I take these two women? Considering their power, they would be a fine addition.'

As if being able to see through the eyes of his servants, the disembodied voice spoke in the stranger's mind.

'These two....no, don't touch them! They are related to Alastor. So far, our interests are still aligned. Furthermore, in the future, we might need his help so we can't afford to antagonize him until then.'

'As you command!'

'Besides, I don't want to...'

'Yes, milord?'

'...No, nothing. Resume your duty! We will wait for the day when the Celestia opens its gate. And when that time comes, the Reapers shall rise!'

* * *

In a buried facility below the demon lord's castle, a young boy and an expressionless girl were now inside a strange structure, somewhat futuristic and out of place compared to the giant cavern it was in.

"What is this place?" asked the girl.

"You don't know? I thought you would since this thing was created by Marcus." The boy assumed.

"My apologies. I am not installed with the full memories of the previous Stella so there might be data I am not aware about." The doll answered.

"Nah it's alright. But when Marcus also said the same thing in that memory...does that mean there are multiples Stella?" Alastor inquired.

"INDEED!" A mechanical female voice responded loudly in the doll's place, surprising both the couple. "This is the 1812th Stella made by my creator, doctor Marcus William. I see that you have brought yet another key and even the Heart. Well done, young demon lord!"

"You again! What are you talking about? 1812th Stella?" shouted Alastor.

"Correct! The 1812th Stella is made from the series SRP-X100, the latest and also the last model of the Stella Resurrection Project. Using the best technology it could be offered, the series SRP-X100 has reached the ultimate goal of recreating the perfect body, from the skin texture to the mana stream itself, allowing the subject to use magic with perfect compatibility. This success has led to a halt in all research on hardware and instead focused only on the software. Basically, we have the body. Now we need to recreate the mind." The intelligence spoke in a monotone voice.

"Does that mean there are 1811 Stella before her?" inquired the boy.

"Yes and no. In term of activated prototypes, yes there have been 1811 Stellas of different series being active in the past. In term of total production, no. To prepare for spares and replacement in case of a shortage or breakdown of the current model, in addition to the fact that each Stella needs a certain amount of time to be assembled, an automatic process was put in place and has been active for the last twenty years."

"So does that mean there are more than one Stella out there? How many? And where are they?"

"....That information is classified."

"You just told us what Stella is. Last time I was here, you weren't this talkative before." Alastor argued.

"This is the extent of what I am allowed to disclose in the presence of the Heart. All information concerning Tartarus, to have the full access and gain administrator's right, you need the Proof of Command." The voice replied.

"...You spoke of the Heart...what is this? I didn't bring anything here aside from this armour, which I suppose is one of the four keys."

"The Heart is standing next to you."

"You can't mean..." the boy uttered.

"Precisely! Stella number 1812 is the Heart of Tartarus."

"But what is the Heart actually? If the four keys are to open the way to Tartarus then what is the Heart for?"

"In the lack of presence of the Proof of Command, the only thing I can say is: the Heart allows the awakening mechanism of Tartarus."

"Then what is Tartarus? Are you talking about the nanomachines thing Vincent sealed away in the underground of Ragna?"

"......"

"So? What is this? Tell us!"

".....That information is classified."

"FUCK YOU!"

"I am an artificial intelligence residing in this computer. My lack of physical sexual organs denies me of all capabilities of performing the reproductive act you just mention. Therefore, I believe I cannot satisfy your primitive urges."

"......Just let me insert this key inside you!" Alastor grunted.

"Was that an attempt to court me? I am afraid you didn't understand the differences between us nor what I just said." The intelligence spoke.

"Please shut up!"