A gentle knock fills the room, slowly waking Brandon, Kaito, and Nozomi from their restful slumber. The door to their room opens slightly, and Irithel pokes her head into view.

"I'm sorry for waking everyone, but Gaia has summoned you. She would like to have a word with you before your departure." She says, opening the door fully.

Brandon sits up on the edge of the bed and stretches his arms above his head.

"Can't wait to see what this will be about." He says as he stands up from his bed.

The group follows Irithel to the main chamber room, where Gaia stands waiting for them. As they looked up at her, her height was still intimidating to Kaito and Nozomi.

"Good, you're here. Before I send you back to your home, Brandon, I have a proposition for you." Gaia states as she stares him down.

"I don't make deals with gods. Given my plans, it wouldn't be wise to work with one in any regard." He says bluntly.

"Trust me; you're going to want to agree to this. While I'm not certain how many artifacts you've collected, I know you only recently acquired Adam, meaning you've been blindly chasing rumors and legends to find any artifact you can. I imagine this hasn't been very effective, and the amount you've found is low, to say the least." She says.

"Is there a proposition coming, or are you just trying to say I'm lacking in my treasure-hunting skills," Brandon says bitterly.

"Let us handle the artifacts; my people could find them all for you with ease over time. Then, you can focus on the remaining trials and not worry about hunting down more artifacts. Once finished with them, come here to collect them. It'll say you YEARS of traveling and exploration. Your goal has been a far-off dream, and I could make it seem like the finish line is coming towards you instead of you running for it." She explains.

"I'm hearing nothing but what I would be getting from this. What about you? What is it that you want out of this?" He questions with caution in his voice.

"Simple, when you become God and bring whatever wrath you bring. I want my people and myself to be left alone. Do whatever you want to the other gods and people, but leave us how we are." She states, staring into his eyes.

The room falls silent as everyone begins to look at Brandon, awaiting his response. He slightly bites his bottom lips as he thinks about her words.

"Do you ever feel insignificant when things are going on with him?" Nozomi whispers to Kaito.

"Only every time I'm around him." He whispers back.

Brandon lets out a sigh before speaking again.

"Sounds fair enough to me, not that I had any intentions of harming anyone here. So far as I'm concerned, everyone here is a good person, and you've done nothing wrong to me. I have no reason to harm or change your way of life in the slightest. My issues are with God himself, not anyone below him." Brandon explains, looking around the room at the elves staring him down.

"Then it's a deal, oh, and one more thing. Irithel shall be accompanying you along your journey. She is not only a capable warrior who could assist in battle. In addition, she has a direct link to me as an elf, so if you ever need to contact me, you can." Gaia explains, looking toward Irithel.

"Ma'am, you're not serious, are you?" Irithel asks in disbelief.

"Very, you're still finishing up your schooling and training. So rather than spending your last year in the western tribe, spend it traveling with Brandon. It'll be a good experience for you." Gaia says, smiling at her.

"That and she wants you to keep an eye on us to ensure we don't break the agreement. So don't let her smile lie to you." Brandon quickly says, staring Gaia down.

"Well, that's enough of that. It's time we got you sent back home. Irithel, change into your normal clothes and get your things ready." Gaia demands, looking at Irithel.

Irithel looked down and had forgotten she'd only been wearing leaves at the time. Then, slightly embarrassed, she hastily leaves the room to prepare herself.

"While she takes care of things, I have a question for you Brandon," Gaia stated as her cold eyes stared him down.

Brandon stares directly into her eyes, awaiting her words.

"Do you know that you're the 4050th person to attempt to overthrow God? I knew every single one of them in some regard. Every single one of them died before they could complete their goal." She says with slight sorrow in her words.

Brandon subtly grits his teeth.

"I assume there's a reason for you telling me this, or was your goal to attempt and crush my drive to continue?" He bitterly questioned.

"Look, I'm telling you this because I'm ensuring you're prepared for what lies ahead. A god cannot directly intervene against you while you're attempting this. However, your kids, your family, your friends, anyone you care about, or anyone you know can be killed. They will do whatever they can to cause your demise, and Hell itself will follow you. That's not a joke, Lucifer might even come after you Brandon. Do you understand? You need to make sure you're ready to accept that you may get people killed just from being near them." She says sternly.

Brandon looks at Kaito and then at Nozomi. Before he could respond, Irthieal walks in dressed in her regular attire. A light grey, long-sleeved shirt clings to her body. Black pants cover her legs and have a small satchel on her left hip. A large metal bow is holstered over her body.

"Ready to go, ma'am," Irithel says, walking up next to Brandon.

"Well then, it's time we get you on your way. All of you stand close together now." Gaia said, gesturing for Katio and Nozomi to move closer to Brandon.

Once together, Gaia holds up her left hand and points her palm at them.

"Remember what I said Brandon, to be God, one must think of and know of every possible thing in life. You cannot accomplish what you want by simply forcing your way through things." She says.

Before he could respond, the ground beneath them begins to glow a bright white. A circle forms around them and gusts of wind begin to push upwards from the floor. Their bodies begin disappearing as the seconds pass and soon they're gone. Within seconds they were standing just outside the doors to Mirabell's castle.

"I wished we could've traveled this fast the first time, it took forever by cart," Nozomi said, slightly complaining.

Without speaking, Brandon opens the doors and starts walking away from them. With haste, he runs upstairs and down the halls to his room. The group looks at each other in confusion, before Nozomi begins showing Irithel around the castle. Katio begins to explore the castle alone, looking for somewhere to train.

"Adam, open the portal. I need to go back to the library." Brandon orders.

"Sure, but may I ask why?" Adam questions.

"I need to continue my preparations for the trials," Brandon said, getting slightly impatient.

Within seconds, Adam opens the portal for Brandon and he practically runs inside it. Adam follows quickly behind him and in a second they're standing inside the library once again.

"Anything, in particular, you're after in here?" Adam questions.

"Everything, I need to learn everything this place has to offer. I'll start with one book and move on to the next until I've read it all." Brandon says, reaching for the first book closest to him.

"Well, that's one way to do it," Adam says as he begins to stack some books on the table for Brandon.

With determined eyes, Brandon begins hastily reading the book.

Kaito eventually makes his way outside to the back courtyard. A single cherry blossom tree stands proudly at the center with two gravestones beneath it. Kaito walks up to the graves and kneels before them. One is a small wooden cross, which had been broken in the past and was being held together by some rope. The other was a stone cross gravestone. He says a small prayer and stands up from them.

"You do that for every unknown grave you come across?" A woman's voice questions him.

Kaito hastily turns around, slightly scared. Mirabelle was standing behind him, holding two small bouquets of yellow flowers.

"I'm sorry, I meant no disrespect. I just feel the need to pray when I see a gravestone." He explains, stepping out of her way.

She kneels and places a bouquet in front of each grave and gives each a gentle kiss on top.

"I didn't mean to scare you and I think what you did was sweet. Most people these days ignore graves simply because it's no one they know. What are you praying for when you do it?" She questions, her voice straining as she tries to hold her tears back.

"Their safety I suppose, God won't look out for them, so I'm praying someone else is. If you don't mind me asking, who do these graves belong to?" He questions.

A few tears roll gently down her cheeks and she quickly wipes them off. She slowly takes a breath to prepare her words.

"The wooden cross is for my first son, Leon, Brandon's older brother. He was barely eleven years old when he passed away. The other is for Brandon's wife, Gwen, who was murdered shortly after their wedding. They're the reason he's so distant now and hellbent on killing God. He's smiling on the outside daily, but I don't recall the last time he gave a genuine smile and was happy." She says, trying to hold back more tears.

"My entire village was destroyed by a demon, Nozomi watched our parents get mutilated by it. We're the only two who survived, that day was the starting point for my hatred toward God. I relate with Brandon to some degree on his views, but honestly, it's because of him that I've been able to experience happiness again. I know I struggle to show my emotions properly, most people only see my anger, but my time spent with him and my sister as we traveled and trained has been some of the happiest moments in my life." He says, resting his hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

She takes a deep breath and wipes away the last few tears on her face.

"Well then, I don't know about you but after all this crying I could really go for some cookies. Let's go see if there are any in the kitchen." She says turning away from the graves.

Kaito smiles and nods at her in agreeance, following her back inside.

"There has to be a way to control my powers so I don't end up in another coma," Brandon says throwing a book at a nearby wall.

"As far as I know, there is no shortcut or easy way Brandon. It takes most Gods hundreds to thousands of years to perfect their powers. Their bodies are also suited towards that type of power, I cannot think of any true way to perfect your ability to use it. At most, a few minutes here and there with plenty of rest in between uses." Adam explains, picking up the book Brandon threw.

"That's not good enough, there might be a fight where I need it for hours. I'm never going last on the playing field with nothing but gods in my current state." He groans, biting his lip.

Suddenly the library doors blow off their hinges flying towards them. Brandon holds his hand up and explodes the door with his magic, wooden splitters decorate the floor. The second door goes through Adam and slams into a bookshelf causing dozens of books to fall toward the floor.

"That was probably the smartest thing you've ever said, human. You're right, you won't last in this game against us gods. You should give up while you have the chance to keep your life." A deep, robust voice states.

Brandon quickly stands from his chair and draws his sword. Adam returns to the sword and the gemstone glows brightly. A man, standing over seven feet tall walks into the library. He cracks his neck and looks down on Brandon as if he was merely a bug in the way. The man's hair was snow white and his eyes were icy blue. The man merely standing was causing the ground to tremble and crack beneath his feet. He wears a black two-piece suit with a red tie.

"You're nothing but a pest compared to us gods, it's a disgrace I even have to look at you. And it pisses me off that one of your kind is standing here in a place of godhood." The man says, his voice alone making Brandon quiver.

Brandon readies his sword and begins showing his power. The room begins to shake, books falling from their shelves, and the ground cracks beneath his feet.

"How cute, is this all the power you have?" The man questions while letting out a yawn.

Before Brandon could attack, the man grabs him by his throat and runs him through the wall of the library. Within a mere second, they were standing outside the library, the man holding Brandon up in the sky. Brandon grits his teeth, his hands grasping at the man's tightly clutched hand.

"Listen here pest, I'm the third strongest entity in existence and the other two haven't been seen for eons. Which makes me the strongest being around, so you listen very carefully to what I have to say. Give up on replacing God now while I'm being nice. If you continue down this path, I promise you, you will not like what your future holds for you." He says, tightening his grip on Brandon's throat.

The man turns and throws Brandon back into the library and he goes through the portal. Once through the portal, Brandon smashes into one of the walls in his bedroom. With haste, he stands up and holds out his hand. Suddenly half a dozen books teleport into his room. The man snaps his fingers and the library blows up, practically turning to dust with all its valuable items. The portal slowly goes dim and disappears in Brandon's room.

"Smart thinking, it might not be much but something is better than nothing. I didn't even see you mark the books." Adam says impressed as he picks the books up.

"When he grabbed me, right before we went through the wall, I marked what I could. But forget the books, do you know who the hell that was?" Brandon questions, slowly sitting on his bed in pain.

"That was Adur, god of war and the second entity God created. He's not wrong either, he is technically the strongest entity still around. The other two he mentioned are God himself, who hasn't been seen by anyone besides Zion, and the other is God's first creation. And with him involved, our endeavors just got significantly more complicated.

"Figures, he probably detected us when we were training and waited for us to come back. Anyway, can go back later? Could you make another portal? Brandon questions as he grabs one of the books.

"There would be no point, from what I can tell, the library simply doesn't exist anymore. My guess is Audur destroyed it to hamper your progress. One of the many ways a god can intervene on this journey. I suggest you learn what you can from the books we do have and prepare yourself for our next move" Adam explains as he slowly begins to become more transparent.

"What exactly is the next move you suggest?" Brandon questions as he opens the book.

"Retrieve the Eve gemstone, combine us and your training and you'll be strong enough to start attempting the trials. Since Gaia and her people are finding the artifacts we needn't worry ourselves with anymore besides Eve." Adam states as he slowly goes back into Brandon's sword.

Brandon bites his lip in frustration.

"Dammit, I knew there was a power gap between myself and the other gods. I didn't expect it to be so grand, how the hell can I do this?" He questions under his breath to himself as he turns a page.

The sun slowly retreats beyond the horizon, blanketing the sky in a deep tangerine color. The city begins to quiet down from its daily commotion as people turn in for the coming night. Mistwick's castle stands proudly atop its hill overlooking the city, some of its windows dimly lit. Inside the castle, everyone was sitting in the grand dining hall awaiting dinner. Multiple golden chandeliers hang from the ceiling by broad steel chains. Their candles are illuminating nearly every inch of the dining hall. Brandon sits between Mirabelle and Syllia with Kaito and Nozomi sitting side by side directly across from him. One of the maids pours wine into Brandon's cup, along with Mirabell's and Syllia's.

"Leave the bottle, please," Brandon says to the maid.

She sets the bottle next to his cup and gives a slight bow before walking away.

"Did you turn into a lush since we last saw you? You never drink more than a glass or two." Mirabelle says teasingly as she taps his shoulder.

Without acknowledging her, he hastily downs his entire glass of wine and pours another, filling it to the brim. Syllia begins looking at him with concern.

"I figured after everything that has happened lately, I could use the relaxation." He says, taking a swing from his glass.

"You've been through a lot before, you've never turned towards drinking to relax. What happened when you went back to the archives? Syllia questions.

"Oh you know, just a casual encounter with the strongest god heaven has to offer. I was like a child, weak and helpless. He wanted to remind me of my lacking of power and boy did he succeed. He made it very clear that if I don't stop, he's going to make sure my life is worse than Hell itself." Brandon explains as he begins downing the rest of his glass.

He goes to pour another glass, but stops and stares at the bottle. Shrugging his shoulders, he simply takes a swig from the bottle. As he does, the maids walk in carrying trays with multiple dishes. As they begin setting the table, Brandon gestures the bottle toward one of them and she nods at him. Within a couple of minutes, the table was covered in a vast ray of dishes that practically sparkled in the light. Kaito and Nozomi's eyes brighten as they fill their plates with a little bit of everything. One of the maids returns with another bottle of wine and hands it to Brandon, then makes her way out of the room.

"It's been a long time since we've gotten to eat dinner as a family, I've missed this," Syllia says, taking a bite of fish.

"I agree and having guests for dinner is a treat as well. Speaking of guests, where is Irithel?" Mirabelle questions as she takes a bite out of a roll.

"She turned in early for the night. She says this is the most exciting and overwhelming thing to happen to her so she needed some sleep." Nozomi explains.

Brandon takes several swigs from the bottle and slams it onto the table.

"Never mind that, I pity her. She might be excited about the adventure, but she was ordered to go with us. This isn't going to be a vacation, each step we take may be our last on this journey. This is why I'm going to ask you both, one last time. Are you sure you want to stick around? I'm on the fast track now thanks to Adam and because of that, it's only going to get more dangerous from here on out." Brandon says, making sure not to slur.

Kaito and Nozomi stop eating and glance at each other before looking back at Brandon.

"I don't care how dangerous it gets, that just means I'll get plenty of opportunities to get stronger. I told you I'm sticking around to get stronger so I can kill that demon. I've already got a taste of the power I can process thanks to the training we did with Adam. I'm not backing out now." Kaito determinedly states.

Brandon glances over toward Nozomi, awaiting her response.

"I'm not going anywhere, I appreciate the concern but I say we can handle whatever happens long as we stick together," Nozomi says.

"Then I suppose it's settled, tomorrow we're setting out for the Eve gemstone. Adam said that she was last located in Asna, the land of vampires."

"Hold on, Asna left the council board fifty years ago. Since then its become a lawless nation with its primary goal being slavery as of late. The council has branded the nation as a terrorist country, therefore anyone remotely related to those who lead the council nations cannot interact in any way with it. Even if you don't like it, you're royalty, if the council was to find out you were there, it would have them targeting Mistwick." Mirabelle interjects with disapproval.

"Relax, I'll be sure to keep a low profile while we're there. If we're lucky, we won't even be there long. I'll wear my cloak and hide my face the entire time. Everything will work out perfectly fine, you don't need to worry mom." Brandon says, resting his hand on her shoulder.

With the plan set, everyone finishes dinner before departing for their rooms for the night. Syllia sits on the edge of a grand master bed, brushing Mirabelle's hair.

"You were rather quiet at dinner, usually you try to talk him out of these things. What changed for tonight?" Mirabelle questions.

"I think my mind has finally accepted that there is nothing I can do to stop him. I feel like we've failed him in that regard, at least one of us should be able to get through to him. Push past his anger and hatred and speak to his heart. At least before he was blindly chasing artifacts for all these years, but now that he has Adam, I feel like the future he's been pushing for is finally set in stone to some degree." Syllia says gently pulling the brush through Mirabelle's hair.

"At one point parents have to accept that they can only watch from the sidelines as their child purses the path they desire. I just wish ours didn't pick such a stupidly dangerous route that almost guarantees defeat." Mirabelle says with her lip slightly quivering.

"You know, it feels like it was just last week we were playing with him in the bath or baking cookies as a family. Now we're lucky to even see him once a year sometimes." Syllia says as her voice begins to break slightly.

Suddenly Mirabelle could feel the brush stop and drops of water gently hitting the back of her neck. She turns to see Syllia quietly sobbing to herself. She grabs Syllia and pulls her in for a hug, wrapping her arms around her gently.

"Don't cry love, think about all the difficult things we've endured as a family. This family is strong and unbreakable, no matter what comes our way, we can handle it. It's like Nozomi said, we'll handle things together. We might not see him as we want, but we'll keep being here every day for him and help however we can. I'm certain that no matter how hard this path gets for him, he won't fail. Besides, you know he's too hard-headed and stubborn to die." Mirabelle says letting out a slight chuckle.

Syllia can't help but giggle a bit with her and smile. Mirabelle wipes away the tears on Syllia's face and kisses her on the lips. The two get ready for bed, preparing themselves mentally for the departure tomorrow.