Act.32 Black Label & Campari: : Hellscape of Eternity pt.3

13th September, Los Angeles, California, USA, 21:35 pm

The bustling lights of the city were everywhere the eye could see. Colours everywhere and the streets were bustling with people it could make anyone lost in the crowds if they didn't know the place well. It seemed mostly peaceful and relaxing despite no there being so many around. At best the weather was good and it was quite warm in these places, there were no clouds in the skies and the moon could be seen on the horizon.

It wasn't as noisy as it usually used to be due to many reasons. Thus the moderate noise was tolerable and the streets were wide enough to maintain one's private space intact. The glowing signs illuminated the path where a girl was walking in a hurried pace. One could say the city had a soul of it's own, it's very own body was the home of many who took residence in seeking pleasure or to hide from the world.

The girl moved closer to the window of a boutique lingerie shop and instantly froze in sheer terror upon witnessing what was reflected on the surface. She ignored all the fancy apparel and the lights and only focused on what she saw or rather couldn't believe she saw in the mirror-like panels nearby. Everything seemed so scary and foreign to the point where she considered it a dream or having gone insane from the pain she endured just moments ago. Surprisingly her body felt so light and full of energy as if nothing had even happened. There was no weight nor her receptors being invaded by jolts of surging pain. No headache or drowsiness were present.

Until her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Her heart beated faster and she felt rather faint when the visage reflected in the mirror panel greeted her with sheer puzzlement and anxiety struck her whole being as she moved her hand towards her cheek in trying to confirm what she saw was real.

The reflection revealed a young girl with sunflower blonde hair, tied in a high bun at the back with a black scrunchie. She was around 1,63m in height with a slim body that had some good curves and thin arms and legs. Fair skinned with light green eyes, she was quite pretty in the looks department but nothing extraordinary. The face was rather youthful and with thin eyebrows and attractive features that gave her a mature and confident appeal. The lips were glossy and thin and she had no scars to ruin her natural beauty. If anything had to be said she was quite sexy and charming but that wasn't the point here.

Her hairstyle was composed of a fringe parted to the right side where it was pushed behind her ear a with a long lock of straight hair reaching down to her shoulder. On the other side the tresses were clipped back and pulled by the scrunchie, save for a thin strand of hair in front of her exposed ear and another one that stood between her eyes as a part of her fringe. There were a few loose strands here and there.

She was clad in a black striped shirt with the collar opened to reveal her cleavage with a silver cross strapped on her delicate neck. On top of the shirt she wore a black dress coat with three buttons and pockets at the sides. A black miniskirt with a deep slit on the right side adorned her slender legs while matching platform shoes finished the entire look. She looked like an office lady or a manager and then she picked up the name tag on her neck.

"W-what... the hell? This can't be for real...", she stared at the reflection with fear festering from the inside. Her eyes widened and stilled. It was ludicrous, it was unbelievable and quite insane because when she saw the name tag with her picture chills ran down her spine and her blood froze.

When looking at her arms they were not black and had no blue diamonds on them. The same applied to her legs when she felt up her thighs to find the thin lines that marked the end of her artificial skin gloves and leggings to hide her black limbs. When she found no such thing she panicked because there was no way her appendages had changed or turned normal out of nowhere.

Wait... She did tear off her skin gloves and those for the legs. Point taken.

All colour washed off her face and she felt as if she was going to pass out from fright. None of this made any sense to her. From the way she looked to the way she was dressed and the place where she currently was not known to her. It was all so new and unfathomable that she started feeling up her face to convince herself it wasn't real. Yet, she lingered like that for a few minutes despite people throwing strange glances at her as if she was insane.

After another minute she regained some sense of direction and left the name tag. Several thoughts raced through her head and several more plagued her mind on what had happened. The last memory was still fresh; it had happened several minutes ago so she couldn't have forgotten it but she considered all of this an illusion or maybe she was dead already? How did this happen? Why did she suddenly grow up a few centimetres and why did her breasts feel heavier?

Not to mention why was the skirt clinging to her buttocks so goddamn tight? It was something she wouldn't have tried on usually.

To make sure it wasn't real she glanced at the tag once more. The name tag bore the name Asia Argento on it. There was no mistaking her own name.

Asia rustled through the pockets to find a smartphone and quickly scrolled through the contact list. There were only unfamiliar names and it showed entries like mother and father. The time wasn't right either as it was night and the timezone seemed odd. To check further she swept through the phone's gallery and began scrolling through the pictures where she found none that were familiar to her. Birthday pictures, ones with family and siblings that weren't her's. Some were at a night club which further made her understand this wasn't her life at all.

The swimsuit pictures made her envious and she did consider for a second how sexy she was and that round bouncy ass she had but brushed off those thoughts as fast as they came to her.

"Oh, my God. I look so hot in a micro bikini! Maybe i should try it sometime... No, stop it! Stupid, stupid, stupid! We don't have time for this bullshit."

And when she went further through the folders she noticed something odd - who the hell was the busty brunette bombshell with the uniform?! For a moment she swore it had to be Issei who somehow turned into a girl but then her lips parted ways when she noticed the busty ash blonde beauty next to her.

It wasn't only a female Issei she saw in there but a female that resembled the albino Traveler as well. They were like models but not quite as monstrous as Rias or Akeno in size. Why were they so good looking and smoking hot as girls?! And why was there a picture of the two girls making out in the dressing room?!

Asia couldn't believe it out of shock. With her palm planted on her forehead her vision darkened from all of this stimulation as she tried to make sense of it despite her hazy memories slowly resurfacing. Not only that; her head was packed with memories that she had never experienced even once in her entire life.

To further check her theory she called out her Gear.

"Twilight Healing."

Nothing happened.

This was unbelievable!

She tried something else to further test her grounds.

"Aisa! Can you hear me?! Where are we and what is this place?!", she thought filled with hope despite letting out a weary sigh. "What's happening? I can't use my Gear and there's something wrong with my limbs!"

To her horror she realized there was no answer. There was no voice in her head that would comfort her nor was there any sign of a response coming up. She gulped down in anxiety to what was going to happen. She didn't know where she was because she didn't have any 3G connection on her phone so she wasn't able to check the weather or use Google Maps to confirm her location. Plus the phone was nearly out of battery so even a call was useless. Besides, who would she call when none of the contacts were familiar? She'd only risk being called crazy or deranged if she tried that course of action.

The blonde girl leaned on the wall and tried to catch her breath. She was stranded in some unknown place, there was no connection to her Gear or her Gift and she looked entirely different from head to toe. It was scary. After that she clutched her chest to try and steady her racing heart that seemed as if it could burst any moment now.

Then she exhaled and looked around.

"You feeling alright, lady? You don't seem really well. Want me to call someone you know to get you home?", a bespectacled African man called out to her after he noticed her state. He spoke with a Haitian accent and his arms were covered with tattoos when she looked at the unbuttoned sleeves of his shirt. He looked like your usual office worker and was bald but had a wonderful beard to compensate for it.

He seemed to be in his early forties at best if his greying beard was any indication of it.

Asia wasn't responding to him. She knelt down and her back pressed on the wall near the mirror, staring at her feet. She wasn't moving. She wasn't blinking.

"…Hey, miss... Argento?", he tried again after reading her name on the tag. He seemed concerned about her and slunked his dress coat over his shoulder and extended his hand towards the puzzled girl. "It's a big city so getting lost in it is easy. Are you new around here or you just didn't feel well? Can i call anyone you know to get you back home or at the place you're staying?"

Asia stood up and shook her head. She had to keep it together. Checking through her pockets again she found a laminated business card with the words Nightclub LUX printed on it. She skimmed through the phone numbers and the address and finally noticed she was in Los Angeles. That was a start. She wasn't on some other planet at the very least which was reassuring.

If she caught a flight back to Tokyo she could arrive with the bullet train and get back to the house but would have had a ton of explaining to do and highly doubted they would believe her. At worst she could get killed per their agreement and she was certain she was not a traitor or one of the enemies.

It frightened her. She had to teleport as soon as possible or things could turn for the worse.

To dissuade any suspicion she answered the Haitian's insistent offer to help with the first thing that came to mind. "Uhh... I'm okay. Just felt a bit dizzy and nauseous for a second there so i had to lean on for a moment. I can get back home safely so thank you for your concern.", she put up the best smile she could muster and thanked the man properly. The business card might be a hint so she showed it to him and asked questions.

"Do you know where can i find this place? I think there's someone i know there. It's probably my new workplace. It is my first day at work."

She lied of course. There was no way she could have known if she actually worked there or not. It was good enough for an excuse to search for something that could probably help her find the way back home.

"It's two blocks down the main street. Then you make a turn to the right and walk straight. You can't miss it.", the bald man helped her stand up and pointed towards the main street. He offered a warm smile and shaked hands after he exchanged words with her. "Just be careful on your way, miss. There are a ton of bad motherfuckers out there these days so watch out. I frequent the place when I'm off work so I might see you around? I'm friends with the boss, real good chap."

"We probably haven't bumped into each other so far. I'm new here so that's why.", Asia said suddenly. "Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it and thanks once again."

Even her very voice was entirely different. That wasn't the biggest problem but she was used to her own so this change she did not appreciate much. Unlike the improved height and assets...

She thanked the man and started walking in that direction. Luckily she had a knife in her inner pocket so she was ready to stab anyone who tried to attack her. So far she confirmed she was on Earth and precisely in the heart of Los Angeles despite the odd changes in everything.

"There are consequences for using that... Of course! How could i forget?! Did i fuck up reality and change everything? Oh, dear God! What have i done!", she was frazzled over the possible consequences of having used something she wasn't ready for yet.

The mere inkling of having changed the entire planet was a devastating notion. Everything she loved was not the same anymore. There was nothing she could cling to and recognise as her own so what if it was pointless?

Another possibility was always there. She had yet to master the full scope of her Gift so she realistically didn't know what she could not do with it nor the price for having such immense power. She was very perceptive and was already becoming certain of it as she walked. Many things she pondered upon like how would she live this way, the guilt of having changed everything, losing her sister because of it or possibly making sure that the others weren't born. Also she had no power and was nothing more than a defenseless girl with questionable mental health.

This paranoia made her constantly check the perimeter. She was shuffling around during her walk and looking around the place constantly. Her vigilance was raised to the highest point as her concentration was regained after she tried to stop thinking about the possibility of having altered everything on the planet.

She already crossed one block and was heading for the next. In this spot there were more pedestrians and other random people she did not know, everyone doing their own thing without minding the others. Life was just too fast nowadays that you couldn't get to enjoy it at your own pace since the hurried lifestyle demanded it. With every step she felt strange, drawn towards something despite her wish not to pay attention to it.

She mixed in with the crowd and started making her way towards the club at the next turn. However, she felt a pair of eyes peer at her. No, rather those eyes were peering through her very soul and she could feel them trying to find something in her that didn't feel right. She tried to ignore that and hurried the pace but then she felt not just one pair but more. And the gazes were multiplying as she walked through the crowded spot, watching her with curiosity and something sinister she could sense in the very air of this city. For some reason there was an odd sensation that alarmed her the more she walked and reached the turn.

There was a line in front of the nightclub as far as she could see. Asia began looking at the entrance and carefully moved closer. Just when she was getting agitated did she notice something peculiar. A few meters away she saw a very familiar female with wonderful blonde hair styled in two elegant drills that cascaded down her back.

Despite her reservations Asia could not help but feel elated at this occurrence. Despite the chances of everything being changed she rushed towards the girl, knowing well it might not be the one she called a friend but at this point she merely wanted to see a familiar face to know she hadn't accidentally erased them from existence. With hurried steps she approached her from behind and tapped her shoulder to get her attention and turn around.

"Ravel, thank goodness. I was so scared but seeing you here is a godsend. All the weird things I've had to experience now... but you probably felt that too, right?", Asia chimed in with hope filling her eyes. At least one thing must have been a constant so she was hoping that constant would have been Ravel in front of her. She was sure she found the right person.

"Do you need me for something?", the voice that answered her call was wrong... It was a pitch higher than usually and had an odd squeaky vibe to it than she remembered. "Who are you and how do you know my name? I've never seen you before."

The girl turned around and it was that moment that shattered Asia's hopes. No, it completely exceeded her expectations.

The moment she turned around Asia's eyes widened in disbelief. The girl in front of her was standing at 1,57m tall with a body that exuded nothing but sensual femininity and allure. A sexy slim body with slender legs and a thin waist with all the curves in the right places being abundant. She had a mature appeal with a bombshell body like that of a super model, the thickness of her hips contrasted nicely with her delicate legs and her frame was very balanced and symmetrical. The rear was so shapely and so round you could bounce off a quarter on it unlike the girl she knew so well.

The face seemed sharper and mature in comparison to Ravel despite sharing the exact same structure and symmetry but far more elegant and the vibe was completely different. Light blue eyes contrasted with the usual darker ones she remembered. The face was delicate and extremely beautiful but with minimal differences to the point where one couldn't exactly tell the difference. It was more or less the exact same face she knew. The hairstyle was the same but the drills were longer and bigger with more volume to them, reaching slightly past her shoulders and the fringe had some small changes but it was otherwise the same.

One difference was the thin eyebrows in comparison to the thicker and bushy ones Ravel had.

The biggest difference was unveiled before her eyes when the blonde girl swayed her hips and placed her arms underneath her chest. The greatest difference lied there. The black satin dress with a wide slit barely hid the deep cleavage that shattered her world. It was wide enough to frame her chest in the best way to seduce anyone who gawked at her. It was unbelievable, it was hard to accept but she was a monster!

The bounce that her breasts produced was unparalleled as she instantly guessed correctly her size surpassed Rias by a small margin but it was evident. This girl sported a pair of monster tits that measured at 100cm! Ravel didn't have such wonderful and huge fun bags that surpassed Rias!

The height, the three sizes and everything else was bigger. This was Ravel but at the same time it had not been the one she knew. She was practically staring at a Ravel who could defeat Rias and Akeno in sheer sex appeal and eroticism by the mere shapes of her salivating body.

"…Hello? What do you want from us? Did you mistake us for some of your friends?", another voice said slowly as the girl next to Ravel turned to her.

Asia looked at her with stilled eyes of shock and instantly made the comparison in her head.

She was standing at 1,69m tall and seemed totally different but with some resemblance that could not be missed. This girl had a great body that was soft and extremely curvy, plump and juicy with generous hips and strong legs that drew attention to them. Shapely at the important bits but thinner and elegant as a whole she was with creamy thighs and an overall thicker body structure than the one she was compared to.

Those lean shoulders and that extremely sensual appearance were like those of a delicate flower with the thorns removed. That body was like sculpted by the gods and was nothing else but the very epitome of feminine charm. A supermodel body that rivaled that of this Ravel like a goddess.

The revealing dress, composed of rhinestones and lightweight metal particles generously exposed her wonderful breasts that were 102cm, poking out of the deep v-neck that could barely hold them from slipping out and snapping the thin shoulder straps. She was an even bigger monster than this Ravel and matched Akeno in size. Just seeing those two pairs of monster tits made her hate this place even more.

Not only was she bigger than the blonde girl but she was completely different...

Her hair was long and styled neatly with no jutting hairs like a lion's mane. The hairstyle was different, smoother and straight with flat bangs and being more refined than expected. Instead of the usual deep red mane she sported a vibrant, gradient red hair that had a tint of magenta to it aside from being naturally straight. The bangs framed her soft face at the sides with two long curly tresses hiding her ears as they dangled freely past her neck. The neat fringe fell freely on her forehead and the side bangs were styled to cover her cheeks and temples with a water lilly ribbon wrapped in one of the tresses.

The face was softer and rounder with beautiful features that only portrayed gentleness and innocence. Not a single blemish was on her skin. It was the face of a beautiful princess if one had to describe it. It had a different kind of beauty in comparison to the one she was thinking of. It was different for sure. The eyes were a deep reddish-magenta colour with long eyelashes and well kept eyebrows framed them.

Asia was confused because this girl reminded her vaguely of Rias but they were really different after looking past the superficial similarities that couldn't be enough to actually mistake them for the same person. The difference in looks, the difference in body shape and vibe set them apart. She was shorter but with bigger assets as a compensation for that. One had a beauty that seemed aggressive and wild while the other felt like a gentle flower from a rare breed.

Asia was ready to answer… but something made her pause. Her mouth suddenly closed as she stepped back and hesitated to continue. These were not Rias and Ravel. They might have had some similarities but they felt nothing alike in her mind and she knew it...

This wasn't her world at all. This wasn't the main dimension where it all started. No, this was somewhere else and likely a different reality that explained it all. Asia had the realisation of inhabiting the body of another Asia who was too different to be called the same. This practically confirmed it. She wasn't sure if those two were demonic entities in the first place and had no way to confirm.

The big breasted Ravel's light blue eyes peered at Asia's with a cold quizzical stare that felt exactly like ice. It was icy and void of any sentiment to the point of saying Sona had more life in her than this pair of watery coloured orbs that froze her in place with her piercing gaze.

Ravel instinctively placed her hand on her shoulder to ask her but Asia noted the ice cold touch was like that of a corpse. It was akin to the Siberian tundra in the lack of warmth within that hand.

"...Hey?! Can't you speak? The hell is wrong with this chick?", Ravel shrugged after removing her hand from the girl. Her mannerisms and manner of speech was different as much as her voice. Dispassionately she made a displeased grimace and turned to the other girl. "She's as annoying as you are, Aria-Stella. People can't keep their hands to themselves these days."

The red haired one glomped into Ravel and pressed her massive tits on her's. The squish of two pairs of monster tits was quite the sight but it was interrupted by the taller Ravel pushing Aria-Stella to get away from her. "Oh, come on. Don't be such a bitch. The girl probably got mixed up so cut her some slack. And you know I can't keep my hands away from you~"

Asia stepped away further. Something in her eye felt wrong. A second pupil manifested in her left eye and she had to cover it up. With her other eye she spotted strange black veins and flower petals and thorns growing from Aria-Stella's skin in the same vein as an Alraune. She was partially perceiving what was hidden under the surface. Ravel's form was glowing with a sinister white light and a Chaos halo was the next thing she saw after the eyes were completely white with the mark of Chaos forming within them.

Wherever she looked she saw their gazes directed at her very being. She was seeing Demons behind the human visage in every direction her green eyes darted to until she couldn't feel safe anymore.

"Forget about her. I'm going to tell your sisters about this. I can't believe my brother married such a nuisance like you.", Ravel spoke up and started bickering with Aria-Stella. "I should have opposed to mother allowing it. You're so infuriating! Now people are going to stare at us because of your bullshit. Can't go to a club without you making things awkward for me. Why did i agree to this in the first place?"

The ginger bombshell brushed her off and merely slapped her tits hard enough to make a sound. The coy look on her face made it know that she enjoyed it. "It's not my fault so we don't have to fight here. You love my company so you couldn't refuse. We're in this together. It's all in the contract and it's obvious you want to make out with me. Don't act like you don't wanna."

Everything was turning distant. The bickering between the two girls was being muffled and the sound distorting as Asia's vision darkened. Something had awakened the body's dormant power if the duplex pupils were any indication. No longer could she hear their banter as complete darkness shrouded her eyes till nothing remained to be seen.*

In the darkness she thought about many things. What was she going to do now? How would she live with herself when she didn't wish to cause such a large scale incident. Her power she realized was beyond her scope of imagination and she had to learn everything to restrain it.

Just now she accepted how insignificant everything else seemed and how easy it was for her to do as she pleased. Such thoughts she banished when her eyes were blinded by the brightness of a flame.

"...ia... Can you...ar...me? Asia..."

She didn't know what was happening but the booming noise became stronger.

"Are you okay? Hey? Talk, girl."

"Asia! Damn it, girl. You scared me right there.", a familiar voice snapped her out of it with it's annoying snobby sounding pitch. The burning sensation of a slap rocked her hard enough to regain consciousness.

"...huh? What's wrong? Don't hurt me...", Asia responded when she opened her eyes and everything was back to normal. The familiar scenery of the house was in front of her, the windows were cracked but everything else seemed fine. Throwing a gawk at the sofa she saw Rossweisse still sleeping while Wilhelmina tended to her.

"You scared me. You were staring blankly for three minutes. Thought you might have suffered a stroke or brain damage.", Xuelan hugged her in a warm embrace and kept on with her explanation. "We got the boys as expected and it seems that the girl was retrieved safely as well... mostly safe."

The Rook pointed towards Aslatiel who was sitting next to Sayaka while Riser left the M&M duo on the arm chairs and was inspecting the house. They were still knocked out. It seemed they had brought everyone under the same roof and the windows were being repaired from the inside.

Asia pinched herself to check if everything was alright and felt the presence of her own Gear pulsing within her. Her limbs were black just like before and she took a mirror to confirm her appearance was the same as she was born. She could almost cry from joy because she had safely returned. Xuelan didn't let go of her, however.

"It seems they haven't noticed my disappearance... How did i get here and my clothes seem fine?", she exhaled in relaxation that she wasn't caught. "Doesn't matter. It's obvious because i had help. Still... just to make sure..."

"We all need some rest but we made it out safely. Now we have to wait but for this one i cannot!", Ravel chimed in after she finished manipulating the memories of the two boys.

She was then hugged by Ravel from behind so both girls embraced her in a tight squish. That warmth from Ravel was nothing less than a furnace that reminded her this was her home. "Now we just have to wait for our companion to return. I hope we didn't take long, Asia.", the Phenex muttered under her breath but her eyes were focused on scanning everything in the vicinity.

In contrast to the words she said her face was locked in a doubtful expression and she was searching for anything to confirm her suspicion.

"You didn't... I'm alright. How are the others doing?"

Wilhelmina took some blankets and passed them around. Her expression was one of worry and she seemed quite sullen, awaiting the return of the Red Dragon to be at her side.

"Come on... you promised you'd get back home...", she stared at the windows in anticipation while holding her phone in case she received a message. That's what she was hoping for because it was no lie she held genuine care for him despite his cold attitude towards her most of the time.

"He'll be back. Just be patient, Mina. He might be an ass but he keeps his word even if he delays it.", Aslatiel guessed correctly what the blonde vampire was thinking so he reassured her.

Riser then stepped forward and said something that disturbed Asia's perceived tranquility. "I hope you don't mind but we happened to pick up our family along the way so they would stay here for now. Come on in, auntie."

From the kitchen stepped the two Naberius sisters and presented themselves before everyone who was awake. Rosabelle and Rayet walked in the living room together and the first thing they did was notice Asia. In reality they had been watching for any suspicious behaviour but they didn't find anything as of yet because Asia had moved in moments before they entered the house.

There was great surprise and astonishment upon the reveal of their faces to those who didn't know them. One word would summarise it perfectly. It was excitement. Rosabelle decided to speak up first and took a seat while her sister sat on her lap.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Twilight Maiden. We have heard plenty about you so we hope you don't mind us intruding upon this domain of yours for the time being. We are curious so we had to confirm it for ourselves."

Rayet made a serene smile while Rosabelle winked but Asia only nodded in agreement. The former nun wasn't stupid as to miss out what they implied with that specific wording.

"It's no problem at all. But don't stare too much otherwise you might find me quite the pleasant individual. I hope your curiosity does not get out of control since I'm privy about my life."

Great. This was one thing she did not anticipate to happen so soon but she was prepared more or less.

This was the world she was born in. Except it had also changed in ways she hadn't yet come to experience.

XXX

20th September, San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital, Rome, Italy, 14:25 pm

The room was quite spacious and comfortable, modern and coloured with pleasant pastel colours that did not intrude upon the eye. There were some white panels but the balance between the usual white and the pastel peach was a pleasure to stare at. The windows were locked but the rays of the sun could find their ways inside and remind the patients that it had been day. Overall, it was quite a modern hospital and it wasn't that far from the Vatican city unlike the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital that was not as close as this one. It was still one of the biggest medical facilities in Central Italy so reaching it was no problem.

The hospital was located behind the Lateran Obelisk, the tallest ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world and was the tallest one in Italy. It was in the square next to the hospital alongside the infamous Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran so it was a big tourist attraction for people all over the world to gather to. At this time of day the square was full with people, walking around the various attractions at the center. Some wore masks and other stuff, some quite didn't follow that prescription.

But that couldn't exactly be seen as the patient herself was lying on the bed, strapped to an IV drip and had her vitals monitored at all times. She was tucked in warm blankets and was sleeping soundly for many days now. Her untied chestnut hair was left to flow loosely, covering the pillow with it's large volumes of tresses. She was dressed in a simple white pajamas and had a few medical patches and gauze pads on her face and arms. Her condition was stable and she was recovering well but the wounds sustained were still in the process of healing. It was a whole week already since she was sleeping and hadn't woken up yet.

The bright illumination of the neon lamps cast a shadow over the edge of the bed and the sound of medical equipment and the IV drip felt quite unpleasant and annoying. Just like the drops of liquid falling into the tube that somehow felt akin to the strike of a hammer towards her ears.

In the darkness of her mind she was slumbering, dreaming of the days of the past as various locations emerged as images. The old house that she used to live in. The playground and the swings she enjoyed playing at with other kids. The place she dreamed of was the house next door, precisely the attic where she sat on a chair and was writing her homework with someone next to her.

She hummed softly as the sun glistened through the window and it was already time for the sun to set down and mark the beginning of the night. The orange-reddish hues of the sunset sky were beautiful and so tranquil to the point where she did not wish to leave as the time for departure was drawing near. There she remembered the summer of fifth grade she spent before having to move back to Italy where her mother Avrora Angelini awaited for her. It was a memory she remembered fondly as she was writing down her literature assignments, reading the classic tales of her father's country.

Everything was silent as she diligently penned down her sentences in such an atrocious handwriting that it would have made any hieroglyphics expert sweat over them due to how ugly it was. It held no beauty and was hard to decipher unless it was her...at times she too struggled reading what she wrote but the letters this time were out of place and distorted. They were odd and for some reason they were not ink but rather a deep crimson hue that she did not question.

She kept writing but the sound of something heavy struck her ears and made her look around. In front of her on the other chair was a boy whose face she could not see clearly, stained with the same red hue that was coming from her own pen.

She left the pen and leaned forward to see what was wrong but her legs froze the second she touched the unfamiliar boy who raised his head. Pale faced as death, he revealed black lips on the chalky face and white worms wiggled through the cracked skin. His eyes were empty and only black pits beheld her as he grabbed her arm and leaned closer towards her face.

She tried to move away but his grip on her neck was strong and prevented her from moving an inch. His lips split open to the sides and he hummed an old tune that she remembered vaguely. Her heart felt like it was going to burst and she was struggling to breathe from fear. The boy touched her face and whispered something barely audible that made her shiver. The scenery was breaking down and what surrounded her was the burning city of Rome where she was standing in front of.

His body sagged as his elbows rested against his knees. And still he stared at the skies where black titans were raining towards the ground. Here she was chased by the pale faced boy whose body resembled that of a canine with green spots and a murky human visage with needle thin teeth. She tried to run but he pounced on her and stared into her eyes before he screamed out of nowhere.

Her eyes were wide open as she fastidiously skimmed through the entire room in terror of what she had witnessed. Her heart was beating fast, she nearly wet herself and violently shook from her nightmare. The brightness irritated her eyes and forced her to cover them with her free arm as she clenched her teeth. The panic she experienced was brief in it's duration.

She exhaled in and out to steady her heart rate and looked around in confusion. It was a hospital room as far she could see but how or who moved her to this place she wasn't sure since the last thing she remembered was the seconds before the Annihilation Maker was unironically annihilated.

Patient Irina Shidou had woken up after an entire week of rest.

"I'm alive... Oh dear... I'm alive... I'm alive. It worked...", Irina muttered to herself with a giddy expression when she moved her arm only to notice the needle stuck in her left wrist. It did hurt in multiple places but she was alive and could move rather well. With enough rest she could return to duty soon but there were several procedures more to go through first.

First, she had to go through psychological testing from at least three different sources and a consensus to be reached by two on her condition. Then a psychiatric evaluation was mandated, physical rehabilitation and after a set period of time could she return to active duty. In her case she had to undergo another trial to confirm her overall integrity was not compromised due to her being a Natural-born Summoner. That simply implied she had to be tested in case something had nested in her as a host and endangered her life.

The protocol was very strict and was conducted as soon as any Executor had been discharged. It applied to those whose contracts had expired or were released and they too underwent the same procedure for their own safety.

Freed Sellzen had gone through the protocol and was thoroughly examined but before he could be put in rehabilitation he somehow managed to escape and his rampage cost six lives on the day he slipped out of the testing center. It had been very well guarded but the mad Executor was truly a prodigy even when he had gone insane.

Irina analysed her surroundings and found the red bangle bracelet on her wrist had been there still. Blood Excalibur had not parted ways with her and remained in it's dormant form without having attacked anyone to protect her. The bed next to her was occupied by Xenovia who was still sleeping as a baby with such a serene expression that it made her hesitate to try and wake her up.

Within the next minute the nurse came to change her IV drip and removed the needle from her arm. Her vitals were stable and there was a surprise she had been notified of when the nurse told her she had visitors.

Irina was glad to hear that and patiently waited until the door was opened. Luciano entered the room with a fruit basket and some treats for the girls and on his mark the rest followed him. Lucina Vincente came afterwards and she was followed by Linda Sellzen.

Alas, the greatest surprise for her was when the door creaked and a few familiar faces entered her vision. Teodoro Legrenzi stepped forward, Ewald Cristaldi was right behind him and the last one was none other than Francesca Bianchi who carried two bouquets of white roses for them.

"How are our brave girls doing today?", the first to congratulate was Luciano Alba who left the fruit basket on the table. He looked fine despite being discharged from the hospital a few days earlier than them and smiled at them with warmth.

Irina's fingers twitched. Confusion, fear and paranoia marked her face in a conflicted grimace that displayed her disbelief and outright shock. Her lips quivered and twitched uncontrollably at the sight of her friends who should not be here. Everything in her was about to break down in tears, emotions she forced down her mind to prevent them from showing on the surface.

This wasn't real and she saw them die. She saw Teodoro sacrifice himself for her, Ewald died under the weight of a stray boulder and Francesca went down by taking several thralls with her in a final stand.

"She just woke up today. Don't expect her to rush into your arms right off the bat. Instead that's what I'll do.", Francesca chided him and then did as she intended from the start.

Francesca rushed to her side and hugged her rather affectionately despite the girl's lack of reaction. The older girl was smothering her in the hug and Irina had to pat her to make her loosen her grip.

Irina sighed. "Fran... I'm so glad to see you... I can't believe it. I thought you...", she was on the verge of tearing up and bawling her eyes out, sighing and shaking from so many emotions overloading her system. She still could not believe it was possible and it shouldn't have been because neither of them had any specific skills that let them rise from the dead. That she was certain of.

Francesca patted her head and answered. "You thought i was dead? Please! I got lucky and was saved afterwards when one of the Angels resuscitated me. It was really scary, you know? I'm pretty much alive and I don't remember dying. The stress must have gotten to you.", she elaborated without dropping the smile from her face. As if her sacrifice was not important or how she was standing right in front of them.

Or rather, she didn't remember that ever happening?

"Her head is still messed up. But that's why she's Shidou.", Teodoro muttered with his scowl returning. "But it can't be denied you made a goddamn Miracle happen. I'm sure your father have been proud. Just get some rest and relax.", his scowl did soften but it didn't mean he really liked her company. Still, he expressed his honest feelings and raised his thumb in recognition of her deeds.

"Teo, don't let your foul mouth get the best of you. She's in a tight spot so we should wait for her to be discharged. Then we shall celebrate.", Ewald spoke up to reign in the blonde boy and expressed heartfelt gratitude towards Irina. "It was a close call but we won. Things are going to change but that's how life is. Right, Luciano?"

Saint Lucca of Sicily only nodded down before he gave Linda Sellzen an odd look. He was yet to receive his new prosthetic arm to replace the previous one but he was not to engage in anything stressful or physically demanding.

He had yet to recover and needed six months at minimum but the situation didn't allow him. "Yes, it does. And to tell you the truth, my contract has been terminated by Griselda so I'm not an Executor anymore. Same case with Linda."

Irina's brows perched upon hearing that. "What do you mean terminated? What are you going to do then?"

Linda chose to step in and speak on his behalf. The mature girl spoke delicately but with conviction. "What he said is true. Griselda didn't want us to fight anymore so she told us to live. As the hope of humanity if you can trust her words. But we will have our contracts renewed and... There's another change too.", her face fluttered when she mentioned that last bit. A blush spread on her cheeks and she held Luciano's hand for comfort.

"They're going to get engaged. Simple as that.", Lucina Vincente answered before the rest could. The coy look on her face was teasing and she tapped Linda's back to encourage her. "I believe it's an excellent choice but I don't think they should return to active duty. But who am i to stop them? Still, it's wonderful news and i wish you happiness and prosperity as a family."

Irina tried to smile. "I'm truly happy for you but if that happens will Ewald become the leader of the Last Battalion? Or maybe Francesca?", she cared about him like an older brother and they were pretty close. She did like him in other ways too.

She liked Linda and found the engagement an overdue procedure since it was only natural for them to finally make that move. Still, it did piss her off a bit because she was going to lose another important man in her life but she lamented it had been bound to happen.

"If Lucca bails then it's going to fall on my shoulders anyways. I could do that but honestly i find the battlefield the place i belong the most. The civil contracts don't bind us from having a family but you know it can get messy if they target your kids.", the second in command replied with a bit of frustration in his voice. "It's not for me, honestly. Maybe in the next few years but my duty is important. And congratulations on being recognised as a Heavenly Summoner. Just like your father. Our mentor would be proud of you, Irina."

"Ewald is right. Besides, it would do no good for anyone to marry you. And not bad, you're becoming slightly more respectable in my eyes so that's a first.", Teodoro did not miss the chance to bite at her and praise her at the same time.

"Ain't you a sunshine? Thanks, Teo.", Irina said and then suddenly stopped talking. She picked up the mirror from the fruit basket and took a deep gaze into the reflection to inspect her face. She noticed how her eyes were violet with both a celestial and demonic seal residing within their pupils as the sclera were surrounded by white and black rings.

She had become the seventh Heavenly Summoner, the Divine Vessel.

Her eyes that were of a normal hue had turned violet and changed to denote her status as no human had such an eye colour naturally. This was proof that what she did was real and her choice had been accepted by both sides. She focused hard enough by squinting till her eye colour changed back to the one she had been born with.

Xenovia couldn't alter her amber eyes because of her bonding with Durandal that was reflected in her hair and eyes but luckily she could. She did once remember that her companion had blue eyes and black hair in the past.

Everything was so odd. The people she saw die were alive and standing before her eyes. They didn't remember anything of their deaths and on top of it she seemed insane to them and her memory was assumed to have been damaged. There were some bandages on her head but she clearly remembered she had not sustained any head injuries. There was a faint memory of a face that she couldn't exactly remember but before she had passed out they were safely brought to the ground and slept over the aftermath.

The chestnut haired girl propped herself on her elbows and twisted to the right to plant her legs onto the slippers she slid on. She intended to go to the bathroom and wash her face. "I need to use the bathroom. Can you wait for me a little bit?", she cheerfully said with a feigned smile on her face. Deep inside she felt like she was going insane. Nobody seemed to believe her and she was mentally worn out.

"Want me to call a nurse or help you get there?", Francesca offered with an extended hand.

Something sad swept over Irina. "I can go there myself so don't worry. Why don't you check on Xenovia while i finish my business? I really need to go there or I'm going to burst!", raising her voice to seem spirited she made the excuse on the spot and grabbed the jacket from the hanger, placed it on her back and went for the door.

Of course nobody would have tried to deny her when such a case had been presented.

The first thing she did was close the door, look around the perimeter and straight up go down the corridor. She had no intention to go to the bathroom as she zipped the jacket and increased the pace. There were people being brought in towards the crisis wing so nobody paid her enough attention as to ask her where she was going.

"I gotta get out. This isn't normal. This isn't real, it's insane!", she rushed towards the stairs and used Blood Excalibur in it's Transparency form to turn invisible. The bangle had turned into a small knife for easy carry after she crossed the stairs and avoided bumping into anyone.

The never ending influx of patients was a great cover for her as she walked out of the hospital without any problems. She had to see with her own eyes the state of what remained after half the city was destroyed. The number of corpses and buildings demolished would have been tremendous and innumerable. To do that she chose to run towards the Archbasilica on the square where she saw so many people...

The air was fresh and it was sunny. The number of people was quite aplenty even if she spotted masks being worn extensively. As far as she could see there was no sign of destruction or any chaos. She expected there to so much blood and corpses that one couldn't even begin to describe it. She saw people, people, and more people. Alive and well, having fun, walking around as if nothing had ever happened. Reverting all this damage might have been easy but having the entire city under lockdown to do it wouldn't have been a quick task to handle. Not to mention the smoke, the rubble and fires were seen from the skies so anyone else in the world would have known by now but it didn't seem like that.

The amount of people disturbed her. Same as when the battle had been waged she didn't see anyone except the thralls and the city had somehow turned into a ghost town. Moving millions in the the blink of an eye was hard for her to imagine but none of this made any sense! This was not what she was expecting. This wouldn't be normal or remotely true if compared to the apocalyptic scenery she had been thrust into. The square was... fine.

She, however, was not fine anymore.

She was turning dizzy from all the noise surrounding her. The people passed her by and kept blabbing random information. Small talk and quarrels she heard in some places. The heart was beating really fast and blood rushed to her head. Before her eyes it darkened from the sensory overload and her panicked state was elevated. So many questions she had about what had really happened during the one week she was asleep. Who caused this? How did it happen? Why did she have such uncomfortable lingerie?

In panic she ran, huffing and puffing air like mad. The slippers weren't suitable for such an activity but she did not think much about it. Fear drove her to hide near the basilica as she made her way towards the back and glued herself to one of it's vast walls. Everything was wrong. Everything was so wrong she couldn't begin to describe from the way the city looked to the appearance of her deceased friends. It was all too much of a shock for her to bear as she clutched her knees and struggled to catch her breath. The invisibility was turned off because of her lack of focus.

"...this...this is insane... Did... No, it can't be...", the girl's fingers were pressed on her forehead as an epiphany was born in her mind. It felt too real to deny what lurked in her head as she wheezed under emotional duress. Maybe the genuine cause of this was the sole wish she had to put an end to the violence.

That spell she used tampered with Raziel's World Breaker and the distortions must have affected it to the point where the world was altered. She could have caused all of this and she might have been the only one to remember how things used to be.

That possibility made her unable to stand up. That responsibility weighted on her shoulders like a boulder she had to hold or lest it would fall. There was no choice. There was no going back to how things were. Nobody would remember what she did or the world before her wish. She had used a Sorcery and something had happened during that moment when the light enveloped the world.

She was about to cry. How could this happen?!

Lowering her head to rest on her knees she closed her eyes and covered her ears like a child hiding from the monsters underneath the bed. She was going insane, she was going insane was the single sentence that she repeated as she cried out in anguish.

"Irina. Listen to me.", a hand was placed on her head while the familiar voice gained her attention. Luciano knew her well and tailed after her as he knew where she could have gone to. His single arm patted her head as he leaned towards her and whispered. "It's all real that even if i try to deny it there's no changing it back."

The girl gleamed at his face with tears strolling on her cheeks. She had no strength to fight back or run from him. He made her listen as he soothed her pain with a hug. He kept his voice low so only she could hear him.

"The world is the same yet not at the same time. I saw them die with my own eyes. They can't be real but here they are and i didn't find anything odd with them. Can you tell me what year it is now?"

"Well…?", Irina was puzzled and bothered by such a stupid question. Her expression changed to something a little more stern. "It's been a week at best. It's still 2015 so what bullshit are you telling me? That i was actually in a coma for years when i still look the same?!"

Luciano frowned. "That's precisely the point. Only a week has passed and we haven't aged at all. It's as if the world had gone on without us and the year has changed despite it feeling like yesterday. Do you know what i mean?"

Irina said nothing for a while. She tapped her fingers repeatedly as she thought about something to herself. "How can it turn out like this? They're dead, i know it. But i saw nothing wrong in them except that they don't remember and everything seems fine to everyone else. Nobody noticed something was off about all of this."

"It should have been 2015 but something happened. We didn't travel in time or to another reality.", Luciano muttered as he rolled his fingers against his temples. "That was a week ago and when i woke up i experienced the same as you. Six years. That's the time that the calendar was moved up and the world followed. We would be much older but we are the same. Today is the 20th of September, 2021."

"…What the hell?", Irina chose to ask in a dangerous voice. It was hard to believe.

"I don't think it was solely you who changed the world. Something happened in those six years that we should have lived through. I checked our information and the birth certificates were changed. It's like we were born six years later than we really were... But we're lacking those memories worth so many years. I think a temporal paradox happened and the world was reset and reloaded but with that gap of six years being inserted somewhere in the timeline."

"That doesn't explain why we are the only ones who remember.", Irina tried to understand it. "It seems I'm not insane yet because i soon will be!"

"You're not insane. Neither am i.", Luciano sighed with his grimace turning hopeful. "This has happened before many times but the knowledge of it has never reached anyone else aside from those who could perceive it or were not affected. History has been corrected as it should have been with this alternation. We may be few but I'm certain Xenovia knows it as well. Same for father Shidou."

Irina gave him a blunt look. She waited for him to take back that joke but nothing further followed after that look. He really meant it. Before she would have asked he cut her off and finished what he wanted to convey.

"Your father is alive. He and Paladin Strada were the ones to save me from Kokabiel's trap.", the auburn haired man spat out the truth with no hesitation. He had to convince her that she was perfectly fine and pointed at the scale medallion on her neck. "That medallion is from him. Remember the gun i gave you in the book? It's a gift from Rudgar. They've been fighting this fight ever since the night you lost your memory of the time when your childhood friend's family was murdered. You were there but that memory was torn from you. Touji Shidou and Strada are alive. They showed me the truth."

Irina breathed deeply and tried to keep her emotions in check. Her face was as neutral as possible. "I want to know everything. All of it from the start to the finish.", she demanded heatedly.

"Irina, we have to keep pretending everything is fine because if they catch a whiff of any of this we can say goodbye to our world. Even now there is a chance one of Them could hear us so we have to do this fast.

"You're not answering any of my questions.", she tried to return to the subject at hand. "Who are they? I take it can't see my father because of it but it's not fair... Are you implying anyone could be an enemy? Even our friends who are supposed to be dead?"

"I know enough to tell you to keep your eyes on the prize and keep your head in the game.", Luciano answered with a small shrug. "I don't know who or what they are but they are watching us. Don't trust anyone. Not even me. There must be a reason why you survived that night and we have to find out. That's our duty in this world that only we remember. But hey, it saved us some years on waiting for shows or games we wanted to play. We can just take a few months to watch all of it or check what we can play. Apparently 2020 sucked real bad but this one seems interesting. I did want to play some of those new ones right off the bat."

There were others. Irina thought she and him were the only ones. Someone else was investigating that night and the short gap of time she didn't remember. Her father was alive and she had the inkling she couldn't tell anyone about this or risk getting sent to an asylum.

"What do we do? Where are we going, Luciano?", Irina brushed a few locks of hair out of her face. She looked away and thought further to herself. She wasn't over the shock yet. There was something odd at play and she had to be ready. However, deep down she knew her father was alive and this only confirmed it.

"You remember that riddle you left before you moved to Italy, right? The one with the fancy wording.", the auburn haired man lifted his stump as if it were some hint with a dead serious expression plastered on his face. There was no expectation in his sharp gaze that Irina would have remembered.

"You mean that stupid wordplay? It's what my dad told me to write down." she replied in a cold and distant voice. She had already dismissed it as something bothersome. An epiphany did occur to her after a few seconds to have the idea brew in her thick head. "There is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. I actually get it. Luciano, tell me where are we going then?"

There was a smile on her face finally. There was hope and a her reddened eyes shone with a glint of life afterwards. It was a code of sorts. A cipher with a personal meaning that she was taught about since little.

From the first moment she began to perceive the full scope of the world and was able to see the beings who could not be seen with the naked eye. Even at this moment she was seeing the layers of multiple realities and various beings crossing the road, some staring at her. Some ignoring her and some wanting to hurt her badly but not able to touch her. It's what scared her the most when she scrutinized her deceased friends. There was something mixed in with them that should not be there in the first place.

She had opened herself to every fold of reality upon calling for aid in her time of need. Her call awoke the Guardians of both Celestial and Infernal Gates but it likely broke the slumber of many others. Irina had become the Watcher of Light and Darkness or as she liked to say her strongest self. Ultimate Irina as foolish as it sounded.

"We are going nowhere, sister.", Luciano retorted with a sharp tone and an even sharper gaze. The smirk on his face was anything but subtle as he lifted her up and helped her stand. She had understood what he was trying to tell her with all the clues she had been receiving these months.

"It's all going to be okay but beware. They're watching us. They are always watching us."

XXX

14th September, Mindanao Island group, Philippines Archipelago, 16:04 pm

It was a very peaceful afternoon despite the rainy weather outside of the gigantic dome that covered a part of the island. This piece of land, this remote island was one of the 5000 uninhabited islands out of 7641 that comprised the Philippines. It had been chosen due to it's location and lack of population to become a sanctuary of sorts on Earth where various entities roamed freely within the segmented dome complex that spanned a few kilometres on the soil. Plexiglass and reinforced steel marked the top where the clouds could be seen as it was raining.

It was invisible to the naked eye. Shielded from any radars and it bounced off any wave from it's surface while masking the heat signature. It diverted ships away from getting near it by the use of the terrain to keep it far from curious eyes. It had standed tall for at least two centuries without any notice or major disturbances happening that could have compromised it's position.

It was a home. It was a temporary stopgap from all the fighting and strife where lost or abandoned, rejected and shunned entities flocked to in search for a place to belong. Among it's numerous residents it had been called the Sanctuary of Solitude in likeness to the very island itself. Devoid of any intelligent life to roam on it's untainted soil but marked with human bones that were left during the revolutions. Therefore it was lonely and empty when the initial skeleton of the complex had been crafted two centuries ago until it started to expand and grow with each new resident moving in.

In one of the smaller complexes was a beautiful garden underneath it's transparent dome where exotic flowers and fruits were being grown in straight rows while more than 80 bee houses of the newest design were sprawled at a distance from each other under the leaves of the trees that were growing there. This entire section was where the beehives were being kept and tended to when the weather was bad and the bees could not be let loose to fly around the island. Precisely for that reason there were no electronics installed and radio waves were blocked because it confused the wonderful insects and hampered their ability to calculate, navigate and coordinate plus it annoyed them a lot.

Walking amongst the bee houses was a man clad in a white beekeeper uniform with a honeycomb pattern mask to protect his face from the flying insects. As an experienced beekeeper he wore no gloves on his hands and only rubbed the leaves of a specific plant on his palms as it relaxed the bees. He held a smoke expulsion fan in one hand while the other was occupied by a sturdy wooden box that held brand new wax plates for the bees. A white cloth covered the opening of the box and two metal prongs were resting on it.

He was enjoying the peace and tending to his hives as he kept complete silence and was working on the first house he picked. The cloth was placed on the entrance of the house first. Changing the wax plates, using the smoke to relax the bees and extract the honey was one of his usual hobbies as he used the prongs to unseal the top after removing the hood. The feeder he took off and removed each wooden bars to exhale some smoke and calm them. It was a very delicate moment so he was careful while taking out the honey and placing new frames in the empty slots. Using a brush he pushed away the bees onto the cloth and shook the frame before placing it in the box.

In a few minutes he finished his work with this specific hive and moved onto the next one. By the looks of it he had a lot of experience and felt at peace amongst the flowers. His concentration was remarkable as he completely ignored the guest that entered his garden and was heading towards him.

"I bring news, my l-

The messenger was stilled by the gesture of the man in the white outfit. He didn't have to turn around to make it clear he didn't enjoy such loud noise in his garden and wagged a finger to gesticulate to keep silence while he worked. He rose up and closed the bee house, turning around and made a gesture to his guest to stay where he was and not to approach carelessly or he would suffer a lot of bee stings which were anything but pleasant.

By all means he seemed a little pestered but left his tools and stepped on the white marble tiles that were used as pavement to walk upon. He was rather tall and well built and his strong frame inspired respect and awe. The first thing he said to his worrisome guest was full of annoyance and frustration.

"How many times have i said no cellphones in here? And no bright colour clothes since you're distracting them and they would assume you for a flower. You don't want to be stung to death, do you?"

The messenger respectfully left his phone in the nearby aluminium box that was designed for such an occasion and took one of the work tops to cover his orange shirt and then he knelt and bowed. That one was the Shadow Demon that had been a part of the Venetian Mask Legion, having successfully escaped from the debacle against the Pendragon siblings. He still had his host body, thankfully, so communication was much easier.

"Forgive me for my rudeness, my Lord. I wanted to relay the report as soon as possible so i forgot about the rules.", he said with fear of what might happen to him. His tone was respectful and polite but laced with fright from the possible consequences of what he was sent to relay to his leader.

After all, he was a lowly goon who was replaceable and he did knew better than to try and act mighty in front of the presence that commanded his loyalty and respect.

The man took off his headgear to reveal wonderful locks of brown hair that cascaded down his back as he scratched his eyebrow and his deep violet eye peered at the lesser Demon. There was a scar that ran deep on his neck and ended at his left cheek that was hidden by his tresses. A scar that never healed properly as it was dealt by Archangel Raguel's Deus Magna so many centuries ago. It didn't ruin his inhuman beauty but it did act as a reminder of old mistakes from forgotten times.

In front of the guest the owner of the garden gestured for him to be at ease. He was none other than the Lord of Flies. Shalba Belzeebub, one of the true seven Lords of Darkness.

Shalba crossed the distance in no time and commanded his soldier to rise up and talk properly. "At ease, my friend. I assume you're here to report on our attack on the Vatican, correct? Let us have a walk and talk, shall we?", he addressed him in a friendly manner and patted his shoulder as he would an old companion. His tone was pleasant and he did not portray any aggression towards the lesser Demon at all.

"Yes... I do fear it won't be to your liking.", he shrugged while looking at their surroundings. His eyes focused on the dome ceiling and the thunderclouds forming. "Should i start with the bad news or the surprising ones?"

"Start with the bad stuff. I don't mind if it didn't happen as it was supposed to.", he said as soon as removed the white uniform and had the shadows swirl around his body to clad him in regal attire. Nothing disturbed him as his disinterested expression revealed nothing of what was going through his head. No anticipation, no anxiety. Not even a single worry as if he was completely detached from all around him.

The shadow Demon hesitated at first but after being urged with the twitch of an eyebrow he began to speak, trying to present it in the best way possible. "The Pendragon siblings alongside Kuroka obstructed our path. They are alive and have betrayed us. The little urchin killed a few and Johnny lost a few fingers. We failed to reach the destination... And Heracles... he died.", Unlike his leader he felt extreme guilt in having ran away and leaving behind Costadinos to rot after they took plenty of damage and lost a few. "We couldn't retrieve the body as he sacrificed himself to get us out... And we lost our Empusa but we retrieved her body..."

Shalba Belzeebub didn't react so bad to hearing that. "Costandinos is a foolish human with serious dependencies. He was quite the simple-minded fellow but it's a loss, indeed. I'm glad you came back safe and without much loses. Even if you didn't reach the destination it was still within expectations. Merely reaching as close as possible was enough. Shall we mourn the deceased together?"

After a few more seconds he thought on the last bit of information. "Damn it. She was my favourite Empusa! I even raised her myself... Patch her body and we'll leave the rest to the Puppeteer and dunk her into a pool filled with the waters of the Sea of Blood. That should do the trick."

"What about the siblings? That means Vali Lucifer is either a traitor or he was deposed?", the demon asked while turning to walk further down the marble path. He was careful not to infuriate the violet eyed monstrosity and always moved carefully. It didn't matter that he was treated properly, he didn't take things at face value around them.

"Despite being quite the solid group there are always self-serving ingrates who are only in for their own benefit. They are not of any concern because i already knew and this march was a test as well to lure them out. To confirm their ambitions and it was precisely what i wanted to see alongside the main goals.", Shalba added while crossing his arms before his chest.

The way he spoke showed nothing but a calculating mind that had anticipated this a long time ago and in fact felt bored from how predictable the outcome was. "I've already arranged replacements for them and this would make things more exciting. It's as I have prepared. Still, if you see them feel free to execute them but not at the cost of your own life."

Shalba was not as horrid as most painted him out to be. He rewarded loyalty with loyalty. He valued the strong and cared enough to allocate resources properly into preserving his own people but he also liked to play the game. He was deceptive, malicious and cruel when he wanted to be. He could deceive as much as he could uplift. It all depended on his own merit and goals and if they aligned with someone else's he would take advantage. Nothing but business and cold precision were the words to describe him. There was enough to him to be able to grieve and mourn for his fallen soldiers.

"I'll keep that in mind, my lord.", the creature answered cordially with respect for the words he had been graced with. Things didn't seem so bleak. He chose to continue on with his report. "Cao Cao and Jean aborted the mission and fled back. They reported that they have fought Vali Lucifer and that he is a traitor with certainty."

Shalba didn't say anything, he simply nodded down with a calm expression and made a look that was mixed. There was either indifference or a cold fury but neither could exactly be pinpointed as the sole cause for his expression. The way he took things was inhuman, cold and austere as if he was devoid of any sentiment.

"The human part in the White Dragon Emperor is a liability. The flesh is weak and the mind is easily corrupted since he is driven solely by revenge against the old beard. To discard his attempts to get closer means another offer had been made that suits his needs better.", the Lord of Flies commented while analysing every possible scenario and how to win with the least amount of effort. "His actions are predictable and driven by emotion so we'll strike where it hurts the most. Dangle what they want the most and they might bite on it."

He didn't know whether it was a man or a woman behind the armor as it was the habit of the White Dragon Emperor to always wear the Scale Mail on every meeting and being privy about their human side. It didn't matter at all since Shalba had prepared countermeasures and several plans in motion in case the unavoidable circumstances of betrayal were to happen. It's why Vali hadn't been given any solid information nor was she trusted.

"I see. But what about Cao Cao and Jean?", the messenger said.

"I saw them myself so i know. They know what would happen if they betray us or try to run.", Shalba yawned in boredom. "Jin Wei Yao has nowhere to live. His mother and siblings live here in the apartment complex and contribute like everyone else but if you were to kick them out they would starve. As long as his family is safe, well fed and has a roof over their heads he would behave. It's a pretty good business offer in return for his services. Leticia Babineaux is one of my first recruits and as the former leader of her team she owes me a lot."

There were failsafes of other kinds prepared just for cases like these. Shalba trusted not them as people, he trusted in their desires and willingness to do anything to achieve them. As long as they were loyal and respectful he would support them and their families with a good life and financial security. It was in the contract and it was upheld. The failure to reach the designated spot didn't worry him since it was a test at best for them. To see if they would betray that generosity out of conscience or they would pull through no matter what.

"Then for some surprising news...", he mentioned while examining his surroundings. "The Annihilation Maker actually held a fragment of the Beast. But i do not know much about it or if Georg Tanner and the boy have returned. It did quite a lot of damage from what i could tell and it devastated half the city at least. I fear the two have been killed or detained."

"…Tanner is a bastard but the loss of such a handy tool must be substituted. We can always try again in the next years when we find the host or use the several alternatives we have. I never let myself be unprepared and out of cards to play.", Shalba relented and accepted the possible loss with a light hand. He knew how to play the long game and was willing to take a hit when he had to. "I'm aware because someone invoked the power of Belzeebub to stop it. It means a new Heavenly Summoner has been born so it's just ripe for the taking. Having such an asset far outweighs the loss of a Longinus Gear by a large margin."

But getting rid of Georg Tanner was a blessing in disguise because he couldn't be trusted and he was a liability. Leonardo was just another bag of meat who was easily manipulated. All these were merely matters of a lesser importance in the long game. Acquiring a Natural-born Summoner who was recognised as one of the seven Heavenly Summoners was far greater due to the power they held. Especially one who could unite the two sides of the coin and use a power similar to that of the Forbidden Child.

There was enough Dimension Lost mist stored in canisters and there were other beings who could substitute Leonardo's Annihilation Maker. To be exact, it was both a blessing and a curse in having to deal with them. So it was nothing more than cutting losses and expecting a different result as the vile entity anticipated.

"Katerea returned. She's in need of rest to replenish her strength. But the attack on the Underworld was successful and we didn't lose a lot of our forces. Serafall Sitri has been wounded and humiliated so the message has been delivered."

"Katerea and her foolish endeavours. In my honest opinion i consider her retarded.", Shalba snarled back. He never enjoyed having to deal with the Leviathan's ridiculous antics and vision of the future. But he did respect her for her might and willingness to go against everything to uphold her principles. If only they weren't so bizarre he might have praised her for her tenacity and good natured disposition.

"Oh, excellent work. That might piss off the red haired fuck. I still hate him for killing my first wife and child unprovoked. I never went after his family but he struck first when he killed them because they were in his way."

"…I'm sorry to hear that...", was what the usually cowardly demon said. He offered his condolences in a low and hissing voice because that was the way he sounded usually. Black ichor spilled out of his mouth as he tried to hide his lips. It was because he was hollowing out the host body and would have needed a new one soon. "That reminds me to notify you about your children, if i may?"

Shalba Belzeebub's eyes glistened when he heard about his children. He was a proud father of three, deeply involved in their lives and was a really doting parent. Perhaps too doting. "Tell me about the eldest first."

The living shadow murmured. "The oldest has prepared to fuck up Gamigin and his business circle. They have a bone to pick for what he pulled off in those stupid games they call entertainment. His penthouse on the Carribbean islands has been set ablaze."

"Nice one. My kid's done it!", the father formed a wicked smile of satisfaction. He said it with such assurance that his child was as wonderful as the mother. A worthy heir he considered his firstborn after the loss of his first son and wife. "If only Lady Flauros would see this I'm certain she would be overjoyed. That motherfucker did sweet Ilona dirty. Tell me about my second child and the third!"

The loyal shadow began to tell him all about what the second and third one were up to in the Underworld. As usual he spoke with enthusiasm about the three because they treated him with respect unlike many others. The dark lord was very pleased to know they were safe during the capital siege and clapped with a joyous grimace.

His children were actually living in the Underworld all this time under the noses of his enemies, hidden in plain sight because they were not from a Pillar family and posed as ordinary citizens of that wretched realm. He didn't care as much for the so-called pure lineage because he knew the true history and was one of those who fought against the charade as it demeaned their existence, pride and dignity in exchange for being presented more favourably due to the enforced new history of the new rulers. Shalba was a deceiver but he insisted on what was true and proper when it came to the true nature of his kind.

When it was useful to him, of course.

After a while the shadow's skin cracked under the pressure of it's true form degrading the body. It's inner black mass was leaking out and the body was beginning to turn numb and flakey. It was a natural occurrence because he always picked mentally weak vessels to use since they didn't put up much of a fight.

It had more to say but it was Shalba who silenced him. He put his hand on it's shoulder and offered some encouragement. "It's going to be okay. I know you were to report about the addition of Loki or that Nidhoggr has returned but that can wait. Go take some time to stabilise or pick yourself a new host.", with a light hand he dismissed him without having to hear the rest of the report.

He elaborated further on what he already knew so all this time he just wanted someone to indulge him with conversation. But gaining additional details was not so bad and having a casual stroll was the best.

"I already know about Indra having recruited the Trickster but I don't trust either of them. Especially the God of Thunder because a being like him would never truly unite with absolutely evil beings like us. He's plotting something. And Crom Cruach would have turned against us sooner or later because there cannot be two tigers in the same mountain. His ambitions do not have any room for partnership since if he gained enough power and influence he was going to try and decimate us or make us his own sacrifices."

"You mean you sent him to die? To save all of us from his possible tyrannical rule?", the flaking Shadow Demon asked with narrowed eye sockets that dripped demonic taint. Of course he doubted his leader on having such noble intentions.

The long haired man raised his shoulders and shrugged. He offered a charming smile and retorted back. "What's so wrong about a bit of enlightened self-interest, my friend? He did the job he was tasked with and got screwed over. That saves us the effort in getting rid of him while he was planning to do the same at some point. He just got done in faster than expected but he'll be back so we have to be ready. Same for Loki and Indra."

He was serious. He fully intended to kill him or be killed in trying it. There were no further words between them for a few minutes. Crom was a god who would not serve nor negotiate under the leadership of the various entities that lived in the Fortress of Solitude. A malicious and bloody god who only demanded sacrifices for his rather simple services, so egoistical and unwilling to share unless he was the one to reign on top.

Nidhoggr could be reasoned with. The demonic gods Adramelech, Moloch or Pazuzu who were behind the Veil could be reasoned with and enjoyed negotiations if placated properly. Lamashtu as well if Pazuzu wasn't brought up in a conversation. Even the Dark Angel Mastema was an amicable fellow.

Crom Cruach was anything else but amicable.

"I understand, my lord. Also Belial has requested your presence to witness the results of the experiment. He strictly instructed me to divulge the day of return was today so they do not wish for you to miss it."

"Fine then. At times it's really hard being a supreme ruler of darkness but nothing can be done. At least it should be interesting and we've bet some chips on this one." he said and meant it. Brushing off Belial's ridiculous demands was an everyday occurrence so he was used to pacifying the Angel of Darkness on a regular basis. It wasn't as nosey as dealing with Katerea or losing on poker to Creuserey.

Shalba then vanished into thin air and left the messenger demon to carry out it's necessities. It was such good luck he had been in a wonderful mood or things might not have sailed so smoothly.

XXX

On one of the tables in the ceremonial room were a man and woman locked in a heated game of chess. The dark room was illuminated by torches of hellfire while everything else was coloured black. Glossy black marble and ancient murals marked the entire throne room where no electronics worked. It was oval in shape and vast with a simple design that portrayed the ancient beauty of architectural wonder with several concentric circles of white marble located in the very center of the room.

"I expected you to be against this entirely.", Diehauser Belial moved his Rook to take out a Pawn from the opposite side of the board. He was enjoying the game as he was winning against Cleria Belial who seemed rather peeved at her third loss.

"Not really. I don't mind if the false land of pretenders burns completely. Our rule is in Hell so of course I don't care if they burned our pitiful domain. We made sure to make everyone think we are dead.", Cleria grumbled and made her move by using the Knight to sweep a Pawn of his own. She hated losing against her cousin and most of all she hated having to play as a team. She resembled the male quite a lot but with a strong feminine appeal and a curvy body.

"There's no stopping you, i guess. We do not need the recognition of filth to know who we are. I still think your odd partnership with that human was a great mistake.", Diehauser quirked a brow after moving his next piece on the offense. His tone was blunt and stripped of affection. He did intend to chide her plenty. "A worthless smear of flesh. That's all he was and will be. That so called love was an illusion and you knew it. He wanted to use you but i was much faster in ripping his soul out."

"I won't promise to listen always but you can be quite the prick.", shee went back to a coquettish tone. Her moves weren't the best but she was handling herself pretty well. When remembering that priest it made her stomach churn in pain over realising the death trap she had fallen into. To suppress that feeling of shame she tried to focus on the game at hand. "It's not as bad as Euclid's idiotic affection towards that piece of shit Grayfia. But family is family, i suppose. A pitiful shadow of their former glory. "

"Point taken. I suppose the message was delivered. ", Diehauser examined her for a moment. He didn't say anything as he thought to himself, his eyes searching through hers for something. He must have found it because he eventually nodded and went back to his chess pieces.

"When is Shalba going to arrive? We're expecting a visit any minute now. Why is he so goddamn slow...", the younger Belial rolled her eyes in annoyance when she moved her Knight further into her cousin's territory. "If anything you don't have to entertain those cretins anymore with those silly Rating Games."

"We do what we have to do. Even if it means beating the shit out of pathetic excuses to entertain even bigger losers.", he explained. "But it was fun while it lasted. And here i am wondering when would Belphegor grow a spine and claim her rightful place as one of the seven. Mammon should rise too and Satan the Accuser is already present and neutral."

"Tell me about it. She's wasting her time in partaking in childish games when she could be far more than that.", Shalba interjected as soon as he appeared between the two cousins and took Diehauser's Queen and blitzed through Cleria's territory. With a swift maneuver he executed a checkmate and disrupted their leisurely game. "You should learn how to play, Cleria. Negotiations and chess are not so different, after all."

"You should learn not to dawdle as well.", the female sneered and made a feral grin that revealed her sharp teeth. She didn't mind that their game was disrupted, she actually minded that even Shalba beat her at chess with a single move after Diehauser was already pushing her towards defeat. Leaving the board she walked towards the white marble rings and with a twitch of her fingers ignited the rest of the torches.

More light was cast on the black throne where something twitched. There was a cold breeze that came out of nowhere since the room had no windows or specific ventilation hatches. Such a breeze put out the flames like a blown out candle to cast darkness everywhere. Within the dark premises a sinister silhouette moved and the entire table was rearranged. All the pieces on the board were mixed up and lined in a different pattern that used different rules to play.

Cleria easily ignited her hands with a violet tinted flame that belonged to her actual form, shedding some light in the vast room as she walked towards the throne. There was no notice about how the results of the experiment would have manifested, only that it would be today that it would be unveiled for their eyes to witness a most curious event. It had been nearly ten years already since his departure from this world. The distortions and the thin gap that was left by the use of a Sorcery as the world changed entirely allowed for it to happen.

Cleria came closer to the throne to inspect it and leaned over to actually sit on the symbol of power as she rightfully belonged upon. For some reason the torches could not be lit again as if something was preventing them from combusting. There was plenty of oxygen so it should work but it didn't.

A pair of hands wrapped themselves over her waist as she sat on the cushions where she felt the throne was occupied by someone. His cold touch sparked alarm within her mind but she wasn't able to move an inch. She was stuck on the ruler's throne as the hands moved and rubbed her cheek in a way that was usually done by a grandfather towards his grandchildren.

When Cleria's hand was raised she was able to finally see who had made their way onto her favourite chair. A youthful face with a styled beard looked at her as he rubbed her cheek again with affection. His attire was ancient and woven from the very darkness of the pits itself, like a shroud it garbed him from head to toe as the man finally spoke with a deep voice that carried charisma and undeniable power.

"One day you might have your own throne, dear Cleria. Until then you have to prove yourself and it has been quite awhile, hasn't it?"

The torches were lit anew to illuminate the dark throne room with their blazing flames that distorted the very space and time confined in the walls.

The man sitting on the throne revealed his face that had not aged a single moment since two billion years ago, marking him as the oldest in the entire complex. He was as old as the stars and one would have said he had seen it all but he always wanted to see where it could lead him to as an eternal observer. Silverish blonde hair glistened, a pair of immaculate ocean blue eyes as vast as the primordial ocean locked on Diehauser and Shalba with fondness.

"It has been ten years but it feels like the blink of an eye, son of the First of the Fallen. We welcome your return.", Shalba was the first to answer the call with a courteous tone that he had reserved for his equals. He did not bow as there was no need to do so. They stood on the same grounds so any excessive courtesy would have been nothing more than mere pleasantries.

"You seem to be doing fine, Shalba. How's that little Cambion of mine doing?", he shrugged while tucking his hand within the shroud to search for something stored within it. His shadow behind him revealed twelve majestic feathered wings that were not visible by the naked eye but their silhouette could be seen when light fell on them in the form of shades.

The wings unfurled and light returned to the room.

Rizevim Lucifer had finally returned to the main dimension after ten years of traveling between different realities, close and far away. The Son of the Devil himself stretched his fingers to feel the breeze and warmth of the flames he had missed for so long. He sat on his throne like the monarch he was with Cleria acting as his pet of sorts in that very moment. He was unchanged as he looked no older than twenty five with an appearance that would have made anyone think Vali Lucifer was his twin sister and not his granddaughter.

Rizevim would have been likened to a male Vali if anyone else knew their relation. He could have easily posed as the White Dragon Emperor because everyone was led to believe the host had been male when in fact it was a sexy girl behind the Scale Mail.

He expected an answer from his peers as he propped his chin on his palm and petted Cleria like a domestic cat. Despite the seemingly human visage the thing hiding behind it was anything but beautiful.

"Quite rebellious and traitorous, i would say." Diehauser commented before Shalba would have. He paid his proper respect to the oldest of their kind, bowing down to placate his presence with loyalty and dedication. "Welcome back, old friend. Your absence has been missed most dearly."

"Thank you, my boy. You could help me catch up to what has transpired during my absence but i believe you are far more interested in the various travels through different realities i had.", he said with finality. There was genuine respect in his voice and he truly wished to share of his long, arduous path. "Most curious sights i had witnessed during my journey. Three worlds are at our command. But the most interesting gift i bring would surely be to your liking."

"Some awesome doomsday weapon, Grandpa Rizzle? Or an army for me to command?", Cleria enthusiastically questioned him with an expectant look in her gray eyes. The prospect of gaining what she had desired was emanating from her face like a child who couldn't wait to see their Christmas presents. As a matter of fact, Cleria Belial had always been rather temperamental and easily excitable but prone to boredom just as much.

"…You could say that.", he left her to ponder upon his words.

The gray haired Belial was quite interested in his wording. Three entire realities were in their grasp. He was curious to see if there were any versions of himself that had ascended to the power he held or rather if they had been left alive, that is. That gave him so many ideas that he could implement into their plans so he had to test the waters first.

"We could use some new muscle since we had a group of traitorous kin bail and obstruct us. Your kid's cronnies bailed on us and we need replacements for them. Something a bit more reliable, don't you think?", Diehauser murmured under his breath. He never fancied the group Vali had gathered aside from Diodora whom he found ambitious and entertaining. But more so because they had the shared goal of kicking Ajuka Astaroth's stupid ass from his high and mighty throne.

"Yes, i understand. I truly believe this would fit the criteria mentioned.", the ancient Demon said with a grim voice. His expression only revealed a certainty in his selection when he opened up a fluctuating portal behind his throne.

It was wide and unstable due to the nature of this place. Fluctuations within it's shape and form were dilating time as the space widened further and a door to the Abyss had been opened. Malevolent, archaic and brimming with power. The door opened violently and blew out all the torches as the breath of death came rushing in. In darkness they were cast aside, in hopelessness they had endured and survived for this very day.

The door closed as soon as it had appeared and vanished from sight. But the deathly presence filled the room and lurked in the shadows.

"You know, having to light up all of these torches again and again is getting kinda repetitive.", Cleria mumbled with a bit of frustration. It was really getting annoying. The girl jumped out of her grandpa Rizzle's lap and walked towards her cousin because he pissed her off. As much as she fancied the old man who looked young his antics were nothing but pestering her mind.

The younger Belial bumped into something after she made three steps. She swore loudly with insults and curses and stomped with her foot. That was way too much of a nuisance.

But when she was going to light up the torches again someone else clapped and the infernal fires were rekindled.

In the center of the hall were six veiled beings in drapes made of a fabric that was in the likeness of the cosmos. Behind the veils were glowing eyes that were nothing but a vast abyss of white where no distinction between pupil and sclera could be made. When Rizevim left the throne he went before them as they bowed down in acknowledging their master and saviour, humbly prostrating themselves at the mercy of Shalba and Diehauser.

"These are my best choices.", the youthful son of the Devil presented them with a light wave of his hand and gestured for them to stop bowing. His own shadow leaked the same deathly presence of terror creeping up where his steps touched the immaculate marble, cracking it by sheer pressure. "Each one i had saved and found. They have been my companions among many for these ten years that were nothing but a blink of an eye. I hope you shall see to their integration here on Earth."

Cleria could only stare at him dumbfounded.

The protective veils were lifted to reveal their identities to their hosts. As soon as the drapes fell did the surprise grow into excitement.

The first one was the Blackheart King.

His eyes were clear blue with white concentric rings of Chaos forming around the pupils. His face was marred by a few scars on his cheek and eyebrow but he was quite fine looking. He wore a snow white coat with multiple pockets and over the simple ensemble he had picked for this occasion. The white fur collar was opened to reveal black veins bulging from his neck and chest while his hair was cut short and he had lit up a cigar.

He was none other than an Arthur Pendragon from another reality who had witnessed the end of his world and was cast into the edge of the Abyss after struggling to live in a shattered world where the laws had been distorted. He was the sole human survivor of his world and he had somehow managed to endure long enough to live by becoming an Outer God.

His hand was held by a woman who should have been his sister Fay if she wasn't older. That was another survivor who had lost her brother and everyone else, having become an Outer God after her entire identity and existence were erased and stitched together. She looked exactly like how Fay would when using her Fenris Wolf Priestess invocation. The older looking girl was clad in a revealing dress with her entire arms and shoulders blackened and glistening with what appeared to be stars embedded into the flesh. Her pure white eyes were vast windows to her own ruined form where one could see the tiresome existence she had led.

The Abyssal Princess was her name.

And ironically she was the lover of the Blackheart King...

The familiar face of Kuroka was seen on the left. She was the Dreamer, a being who was sacrificed to put the world into eternal slumber instead of facing death before the Beast of the End. The Apocalypse Dragon swallowed her world and she had forced herself to harness the power of Chaos to drift across the dreams of whatever had survived the final war. She was not an Outer God like the two but she did kill Sirzechs Gremory in her world but failed to avert the end times. This version had become a Chaos Demon.

The other three were not as surprising as the first ones. Among them was the Living Flame, an Outer God that once used to be Archangel Gabriel who had been fallen from grace and tried to supplant Metatron. She had become a martyr to save her world but it had been devoured by several other realities, becoming a wasteland where she ruled as a Lord of Darkness until the world ended.

The fifth one hugged Rivezim and made herself known. She was once Serafall Sitri who killed all her peers to become the sole ruler of the Underworld after her sister had been murdered by Ajuka Astaroth. This one was blindfolded and her hair was loose, having her entire body clad in a white dress that hid the insidious eyes scattered all over her frame and her limbs were replaced by ones made entirely of demonic taint. She had pale skin as death and black lips after she devoured the All-Seeing Eyes of Argus so she had to be bound.

And she was Rizevim's dance partner and had some wicked moves both in bed and on the dancefloor.

The final one was the Terror of the Stars.

The most horrendous creature who had died and died all over again and again in fighting against the entire world. She was cursed to repeat everything in a cycle as she lived and died, returning to the start to try again. One could liken her to a regressor who went back in time upon death in an neverending cycle of repetition. That had been the the case until Rizevim broke her shackles and she no longer had to repeat her life. For 1947 regressions she had lived and reached the end of her world.

The Terror of the Stars intimidated the others by her mere presence as one who retained her memories internally. The rest had to store their identity and memories by separating them into containers as they were nothing more than eldritch abominations with no name. Thus they had no identity, concept of self and were nothing more than the echoes of dead worlds that still tried to linger on as shades of the past.

The Living Flame in particular looked at her with sad eyes as she had once been her friend and she was the cause that transformed her into an Outer God at the end of the 1947th regression.

The last Outer God looked at Diehauser with empty eyes that told a story so long it would take years to complete in it's entirety. The veil she kept on her head revealed a doll-like face with light green eyes that sported red sclera and a palid skin tone. Her body was quite decently shaped but nothing overly curvaceous. Her arms had black thorn and centidepe tattoos spiralling across her flesh in curious patterns. The neck was covered in the same pattern as some of the centipede tattoos nearly reached the edges of her cheeks. And a Chaos sigil was resting between her moderately sized breasts.

The Terror of the Stars bore the same face as Asia Argento.

Shalba was pleased, puzzled and intrigued by these choices and wondered why did the old bag of bones not bring a White Dragon Emperor or two with him. He would have pressed the issue but decided to leave it for another time as a plan was brewing in his head. It went without a doubt that he was thinking of ways to ensure these things would not turn against them. Not because he couldn't defeat them, maybe he would struggle with the Living Flame and the Terror of the Stars, but he always planned and prepared.

"Impressive. But no one told us where the easy part begins.", Diehauser addressed the oldest one. He too scrutinized all six of them and found them rather underwhelming on first glance. He surmised they were weakened because they had to travel a long way through so many realities and couldn't quite exist here. It didn't matter, they would have to do if they wanted a place here.

"There is no easy part in this. Giving up isn't the way that I'm wired, boy. It's time to start up the fires. Let's smoke out the liars.", Rizevim gave the command and began his march. The Serafall next to him held his hand and turned towards her fellow compatriots with a low pitch growl to behave properly while she snuggled into her Rizzle.

The Terror of the Stars followed suit and joined the Son of the Devil. The others soon joined her but walked behind them. Diehauser and Cleria took Rizevim's left side while Shalba proudly walked on the right while the company the old one had brought started marching as one. Perfectly aligned they were a force to be reckoned with. Each motion they made was synchronised down to the very sams mannerisms and demeanor.

"I can't wait to see what the future has in store.", the Terror of the Stars mumbled under her breath as she pulled down the veil over her face.

Rizevim offered a ghostly smile to her and retorted back with mischievous gawk that retained it's curiousity despite his advanced age. "The future is what we make of it. It is ours to change into what we see fit. Because we own the future."

There was fire in their eyes, there was ardor and craving to change the world in the way they saw fit. To restore it to what it was or what it had supposed to have been. Whether they would lose in the final war or emerging victorious meant little to them as long as someone would have remembered they once existed. To be remembered was the desire of every sentient being as their legacy to prevent the passage of time from erasing them.

It was especially important to the Outer God Asia who had forgotten, bled and cried so many times that she did not recall who she had once been or the friends she lost, killed and saved on repeat.

All of them lined up and began their march towards the dawn of a new era.

"Someday we're gonna change the world. We own the future."

XXX

13th September, 21 Cambridge Terrace, York Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland, 23:45 pm

Arthur Hale Mason was looking through an old photo book with cherished memories from his younger days as he watched the rain fall from his window. Rain wasn't an occurrence that happened quite often as the city was one of the driest places in the country. He was resting in the fourth bedroom on the second floor of his big house as it was a five bedroom complex with a big garden and backyard.

This was the house he lived in during his off time from work, a nice luxury two storey house that was way too big for a single person to live in alone. It was styled in a mix between the modern architectural wonders and the traditional old look that matched the city. There were many windows and the place was under superb maintenance where he sometimes brought guests.

The Irish man had reverted his own time to remove the injuries and pain he had sustained hours ago against Katerea Leviathan, fixing up his friends but fell asleep for several hours until he left the 7th Daze bar and got home. It didn't make him feel better when he leafed the pages of the album and slumped back in his chair. There was a tray with brandy on the side from which he sipped from time to time to soothe his throat after all the stress he had to endure.

Overexertion was not recommended since it did strain his heart but he tended to ignore it for the sake of his friends as they relied on him plenty. He touched the photos one by one to remember them properly by having the scenes play out before his very eyes in order to remind himself how he started and what he was afraid of becoming.

The barman landed on a photo taken at the Liffey lake where he held his wife Beatrice Fairchild, two young ones at the tender age of 22 and a time when he had felt truly happy. That day was the day he learned he would be a father to a baby girl and he fondly remembered it as the day he felt proud. His fingers traced the picture and he closed his eyes to relive the happiest moment of his life.

Memories.

So many memories that he had to seal behind a wall because he had lived through more than 100000 years and as many lifetimes as that during his time at the Other Side. He was one of two who had crossed alive there and returned as nobody else had before him and Chesare. It was impossible but he experienced so many lives in a loop, one after another where he died just as much and rise again for the cycle to continue. He was the oldest human being alive and had been nearly everything you could think of. Thus, he sealed all of those lifetimes and retraced back to his very first one to preserve who he was and keep his personality from changing.

He then moved through the pages and found the memory he was looking for. It was a picture he had taken when Beatrice gave birth to their beloved child. He touched the photo and allowed the memories to flood into his mind as he rested his back on the chair.

Beatrice held her baby, wrapped in a white cloth as the doctors handed the girl to the mother after many hours of labour. She cried tears of joy as she embraced her child closely to her chest and looked at the man who came closer to witness the miracle of life. The baby was huddled close to it's mother and cried out in a soft tone that made her try to calm it down.

"This is our child, Arthur. Isn't she beautiful? Would you like to hold her?", Beatrice offered a heartfelt smile while rocking the baby as she looked at him and expected an answer. There were many emotions displayed on her gentle face. Excitement, relief, happiness and affection were all mixed together in the gaze she returned between her husband and child.

Arthur held the baby and curiously stared at it, filled with so much feelings over her safe passage into this world. She was so tiny she could fit with ease in his hands as he protectively placed his palm over her head and tears formed on the edge of his eyes. This feeling was a first for him, it was not easy to describe in mere words so he caressed the baby's head and cheeks with a finger. It was the happiest day of his life.

"How should we name her? Have you picked a name or should we name her after my mother or yours?", Beatrice sauntered with a cheeky grin forming on her face while she tried to withhold her tears of happiness. Seeing the affection the father graced his daughter with made her emotional as that was their baby, their treasure in this world.

"I've been thinking about it.", he answered without hesitation. He had already thought of a beautiful name to grant her with but felt it might not have been to his wife's liking. Still, he did not falter in the face of such an important moment so she opened his mouth and calmly stated the name he had picked for her. A name he liked and wanted to give her as a combination of his mother's name and that of Beatrice.

"Aisa. We shall call our little girl Aisa."

The Irish gentleman left his brandy on the tray and leaned a bit forward to stare at the cold rain with a sense of melancholy swimming in those brown eyes. He gulped down the sip of brandy he drank with a heavy heart after he relived that memory through his use of time. It was a memory he had not sealed as it was a part of his very core, his personality and determination.

In the dark room he sat under the illumination of the night lamp, pondering on everything he had to do and thinking of today. The memories were a distraction from the cruel reality he had to live in but those could only do so much to take him away from the pain before he was brought back to the present when he felt a presence linger behind his back.

There was no sound. No signs of the door ever being opened or the window having been tampered with. The entire house was locked and strapped with insane security measures like the bar itself so it was practically nigh-impenetrable as far as defense was mentioned.

Arthur's hands tensed involuntarily when he realized what this presence was and what it had come to do. Solemn and melancholy he spoke up with a voice that held nothing but pure malice as he left the photo album on the tray and lit up a cigarette to soothe his nerves. "Wasn't today good enough for you? Or have you come here to bother me further than i already expected?", he spotted his cane sword nearby and would have reached out for it if he didn't steel his mind and forced the conversation.

No answer followed.

Instead it appeared before his eyes, crouching at him to peer into his brown eyes. No sound of steps or teleportation was evident on how it moved to face him. Rather, it merely was there already as it could not be sensed and reality seemed to fold around it. The black hood it always wore hid it's face if it even had one as the barman looked at the empty space that should have been a face. It was the shorter one that had appeared to disturb his peace.

"You did more than enough today. It was better than expected.", It's voice was hard to define aside from the dualistic echo it held that made it impossible to determine if it were a man or a woman. Or anything to be exact. It was nothing and yet it was everything. Such a being, if it could be said to be such, leaned further and allowed him to peer into the hood where a face had finally appeared. This time it spoke in a human manner.

Arthur was staring at the face of Beatrice.

"Why have you come for me, then? What more would you demand of me?", the Irishman questioned with a fake tone of tranquility but no matter how good at pretending he was the hints of fear were there. He did fear it but stood tall to show he would not be pushed around so easily. "The world has changed, it has been returned once again to how it was supposed to be. Phase two was completed with that so what have you come to ask of me?"

It swerved in an odd manner that couldn't be described as movement and was already at his left side, resting it's hands on the chair handles.

Wherever it appeared everything was distorted and twisting. "I am here to see you. You did as what was expected of you. You've been nurturing the Red Dragon and now the White Dragon is under your care. The use of a Sorcery occured just as expected and thanks to you the world has been prepared for Phase Three."

Everything had been coordinated with such precision. From Irina casting a Sorcery to defeat the Jabberwocky to the various conflicts that occurred during these days. The setup for the peace summit was one of them. The coordinated plans of the Khaos Brigade were simply handed down to them unknowingly. It was all a piece of the big picture that wasn't known to the world or even those who believed they steered the main reality in their vision. It was not.

And it was Arthur Hale Mason who had been partially responsible for the temporal paradox that fixed the world after Asia and Irina's efforts were coordinated to overlap and line together to make it a reality. Every distortion was planned and executed flawlessly.

"Then leave me. I wish nothing to do with any of you.", Arthur paused to take a breath, knowing how much was at stake but he couldn't do anything yet. "Everything has gone according to your vision. Let me do what I desire for once. Do not interfere with my private business. Or would you like to test how far i can go to throw your grand ambitions into the waste bin?", he spoke with gravitas and power that could not be denied nor underestimated. His threat was genuine as his eyes threw a challenging gaze at it, implying of what he could do to hurt them.

It was already sitting on the bed. The dualistic echo from it's abhorrent voice produced what could be said to be a light chuckle, mocking and teasing. "You know what the price for doing that would be. After all, you are the reason why we are here.", to drive it's point across it let him perceive it's face as it had become a perfect replica of his own. "It was you who brought me here, Timeless Swordsman. Do not forget who helped you escape from the Other Side and let you return back to reality.", it was now standing at his right side and where it's eyes were looking at was impossible to determine. If it were looking at anything, to be exact.

Arthur's expression darkened considerably, weighted down by the regret of the past and having taken that helping hand. After all, he was the one who brought Them here. To save himself from the loop and return he took that offer and returned but he brought it with him as the price. The talk he had with Asia and Aisa at the graveyard was the reminder of his decision and sacrifice but he was a caged bird just as the girl had spoken. A dog on a leash to their whims and incomprehensible desires.

Arthur paused and reminiscensed about the past for a moment. He was smoking to calm himself and portrayed an air of understanding despite the provocation being hurled at him. "I haven't forgotten about it, Earl. Not for a single day have i not regretted what i did and what i chose.", there was something cold and inhuman in his otherwise pleasant voice when he callously brushed it off. His grandfatherly gaze sharpened like that of a predator, he did not smile nor did he weep. He only revealed indifference about everything surrounding him.

"The world or your wife and daughter? To make that choice was the only way and your selfless sacrifice cost you the precious family you had.", It lamented on that choice it had presented to him, having forced him with no alternative or lest everything would have ceased to exist. It's mocking and playful tone was enough to know that it enjoyed tormenting him for the forced choices it dealt to him. "But look at how it turned out in the end? The Witch of the Void has returned once again and she will open the path for us. Just as intended. The Keys will be found sooner or later so your cooperation on nurturing the vessels is essential."

The Earl.

It was how it had been called as it dealt with various factions and groups but it was usually accompanied by the taller one unlike today. Be it when it visited Cardinal Giovanni and formed it's own group by adding Diodora Astaroth for it's plans or when it came to greet Asia Argento in the church over a month ago. Diodora's master and the hooded figure were one and the same.

It had always been the same one who caused these events.

And the Earl was the one who took the life of Beatrice Fairchild and her baby girl. Right before his eyes it killed her while the baby was sent back in time during the reign of Julius Caesar to separate daughter and father through time. They were dead because of that choice.

"Of course... As you wish.", Arthur bitterly took a sip from the brandy and lit up a new cigarette. In contrast to the good natured disposition he had his face was locked in a grim visage of callous and cruel indifference. Empty and soulless were his warm eyes as he looked at the ceiling and listened to the rain. "They are not ready yet so we need time. The first step of the Red One to incarnate through the boy has been successful as you can see. Sooner or later the true Juggernaut Drive would hollow him out as his life slips through his fingers even as we speak."

"Now we need to collect the three Twilight Healing sets to reconstitute the Keyhole. One has already been found so the other two would join it soon.", the Earl twirled it's bony finger from underneath the sleeve and drew in the air a facsimile of the Keys and the mechanism they were to be inserted in to open the Gate. "The Culling has just begun so finding where the Keys are hidden would only be a matter of time. But first, we need to find exactly in whom from the six families does it reside. My strike force has already destroyed three Longinus so more remain to follow the same fate."

Arthur looked at his feet and then at his unwelcome guest. He had been nurturing the vessels for Them while the Earl had assembled a strike force to destroy the twelve Longinus Gears to make the plan flow without any obstruction.

At this point he was really nervous and wasn't sure how to act because he was afraid. He worked for them as he was chained by them but he also worked against them in his own ways. Buying time and crafting plans to circumvent their actions was the atonement he sought as he nurtured Issei and his friends not to be sacrificed but to be able to destroy them. He had wagered everything on himself and the rest of the Apostles of the Apocalypse. Just because he was bound did not mean he could not fight back or break the chains.

He would not betray them even if he were to pay the ultimate price. He always had a trump card or two in his sleeve.

The Earl took cue of his reactions and elaborated further. "The one that had arrived here earlier than me orchestrated the theft of the Keys. Tricking the Demon into stealing it wasn't so hard after all. The Angel who had to do her part was the tricky aspect of it but they messed up and slowed us down. I still believe that trying to open the Gate with just two Keys was a foolish endeavour but the Demons at least cleaned up while Celestial saved reality from this botched attempt. I was a lesson not to be hasty so we will take our time gathering them properly."

"And I'll obviously fight on the last day of Armageddon to stop you.", Arthur interjected with venom lacing his words. It was a promise he would uphold. "As an Apostle of the Apocalypse i won't let you have your way so easily. Mark my words for it is not a threat but a fact."

The Earl swiftly took the chance and interrupted him with a finger raised before it's hood. "We'll see about that. You might have to make the same choices again so let's see how you would fare this time."

The look on Arthur's face grew grim and foreboding, machine-like and devoid of humanity as his expression turned sinister. Countless lifetimes of experience spoke instead of words as he had slayed Original Beings so messing up this plan wouldn't be so hard for him if he was not bound to them. "If you are done then leave. Don't call for me again.", the barman delivered that line with a perfect pitch and threw a threatening glare at this unwelcome guest.

"You are to join tonight's gathering. It is demanded so you cannot refuse or should I have your little ones experience something rather unpleasant?"

And then Arthur's seemingly calm expression was laced with hatred and cold fury that would have swallowed the entire house if he allowed himself to be swayed by his emotions. The cane sword appeared in his hand and was drawn, pointing at the Earl with a declaration that would spell certain death if such a thing happened to any of his close ones.

The power he was to unleash was monstrous as his eyes instantly turned fully black with his pupils remaining the same. His face was darkened by tapping into his Sephirot Binah as the very cosmos and stars could be seen to glimmer on the surface of his face that twisted in an abominable mask of the unknown.

"Come with me then. It was merely a test to see your resolve. That is if you want your wife and kid back.", the Earl replied dispassionately with it's dualistic voice that was everything and nothing at the same time.

There was a small gesture that showed subtle cues of uncertainty and genuine fear for it feared him because of what he could do. Retracting back it had the door opened with a thought and gesticulated for the older man to follow it.

The bar owner tried to calm himself as best as he could. His features were returning to normal as he left his cigarette and warped the coat in his hand. Silently he followed it and closed the door behind him.

They entered through a door that opened on the wall and began to thread on a dark corridor. Galaxies close and far away could be seen in the space beneath them as stars were glistening wherever they walked on the long path. There were no walls, only the scenery of the cosmos was illuminating the path that did not blend with the magnificent view of space unfolding before them. It was silent as no sound could travel during the passage to reach the intended destination. Even if it were to walk over entire star systems and gaze at the vast reaches of space as the dying light of stars had yet to be seen on the sky in this era.

Beatrice held his hand as they danced together under the crystal chandelier that shined with so many beautiful colours. She was clad in a white wedding dress and gentle music was being played as they shared the first dance of the night. She was so beautiful and charming, her dazzling smile was bright enough to light a fire in his cold heart and warm his soul.

Only a chilling, stone cold smile formed on his melancholy face. There was no warmth or emotion left in that face, a marble-like visage of the past replaced his usually relaxed expression.

The spotlight was theirs. He embraced her and held her in his arms as she leaned on his shoulder for a slow waltz. The scenery was their wedding in the halls they had picked for the date but no one was there. It was just them dancing under the stars at the terrace as the moon was shining. The stars could be seen and showed the way on that clear night sky with the full moon casting it's shadow over them.

No flashy moves or attempts to run away did he make, he only followed with complete obedience as he looked for something in the faraway stars. He followed in silence, engulfed by the stream of memories to remember his promise of a thousand lifetimes.

Beatrice was holding the baby Aisa as the Earl loomed over them and his hand was poking out of her chest. The dress she had was stained with her blood as she wheezed for air and tried to give her husband the baby to hold. Her arms were numb as the coldness of death gripped her very being and she was losing the spark of life as it began to leave her.

"Take her... Please... You had no choice...", blood dripped from her mouth as she spasmed. She didn't have the strength to hold her baby anymore. Her legs gave out and she slumped on the floor looking at him with tearful eyes. So serene and innocent were they that he could not forgive himself for the choice he made. "...b-but... live o-on... in the world you... will make for hh-he...r..."

Resignation was the sole word to describe him. His spirit was wavering and giving out under the pressure. There were so many emotions that cycled together underneath the surface. In his mind where he could not be observed he repeated the various conflicts of his past and present, viewing the memory of her death without wanting to see it again. He wanted to forget but he could not.

"... I love you...s-so... don't give up...", she said as she drew her final breath and life left cold body. The baby was taken from her mother's arms and held by the Earl as it ran it's finger over her tiny body and stepped away from the dead woman.

"The world will be spared. This would be the payment for your release but it's not yet over.", It vanished and left the crestfallen Arthur to weep while cradling Beatrice's corpse in his arms. His child had been taken from him, his wife died for him to exchange the world for her life. He lost everything on that day after he had kept losing over and over again. There was nothing more left to lose.

The end of the corridor was marked by the appearance of a door that was flung open. Inside it was a big room where similar hooded entities waited for the arrival of the Earl to start their gathering. This room was a Faraday Cage where no electronics or outside signals could reach as it was located between realities and was beyond the outer edge of the Dimensional Gap. It was located within the boundary between the Abyss and the Void where it had always been. Arthur stepped forward after the Earl entered and he closed his eyes as the door was shut.

The 7th Daze bar was opened for business. The enemies were closer than one would have expected them, separated by a thin layer of time and space that did not allow anyone to eavesdrop. They had their meetings here always and at this moment Chesare and Castor were sleeping in the rooms next door, alongside the rest. The scenery changed to the familiar one where all the guests were sitting on their chairs as the Earl offered an inviting hand to their host for this night. No one could be recognised since they all had the same appearance as that wretched abomination.

"Shall we begin Phase Three?", the fat one on the left side of the table raised it's voice. "Everything has been prepared by our generous host so let us offer a round of applause for the one whose time has stopped."

Clapping echoed in the room as Arthur became frazzled and stared at the vacant seat prepared for him. He didn't listen to what they were saying anymore since his focus was directed on the inside. His thoughts were lingering on the friends he had made and the struggle to fight for his world against those who wished to encroach upon it's sanctity.

The world was changed from the ashes of the old one. This had not been the first time it has happened nor would it be the last. He kept his hands behind his back, squeezing the indestructible cane sword with a grip that held the fate of the entire omni-multiverse. He was everything and nothing at the same time. Understanding and Deceit. An Angel and a Devil.

He did not look at them. It was raining. The room changed to reflect the outside world as it turned into a huge dinning hall in the Baroque style. Marble and gold was everywhere, dark drapes let the thunder and lightning outside be heard and seen. Arthur was standing in front of the window as he was bathed in the flash of lightning suddenly. His face was tired and devoid of feeling as he remained in the darkness. He was always in the dark, watching over everyone.

He looked behind his back and saw something the rest could not. Within the Throne Room deep into the heart of the Void was a girl clothed with her Void Dress. Her silverish-blonde hair was hidden by the semi-transparent veil with butterflies. The spinning gears and checkered marble floors above the gears were shifting as if telling him what he was doing was wrong. On the throne sat a girl who stared back at him with tears forming from the edges of her eyes as she motionlessly observed him, concealing nothing and stretched her hands towards him. Then she turned away as her sclera became black and denied his gaze from meeting her own. Blue butterflies floated around her and the ticking gears marked the beginning of the end.

Arthur was rendered silent as he considered his next actions carefully. He looked away in shame and closed his tired eyes to shut out the world from looking back at him. He could not bear to face her when blue hellfire wings like those of a butterfly stretched and cast a shadow over him.

"Please forgive me, everyone... Forgive me for everything...", he opened his eyes as a single tear fell on his gloved hand. He had to swallow his emotions and throw away his pride every time to keep the world from being one step closer to destruction. Unbeknownst to him one of the butterflies landed on his shoulder and rested near his face where a whisper only he could heard was exchanged.

"I can't ask for forgiveness. There is none to be given. Not for me, not for them. I'll find a way to break these chains and end them."

Another lightning strike brought light to his visage as he placed his iconic hat on his head. He pulled the brim of his hat to hide his eyes and it cast a shadow on his face.
He would end it all and prevent them from claiming everything. He made one final vow to himself he would keep or damned his soul be if he would stand idle and do their bidding.

There was still hope for him. He would not give up what little he had left.

"I'll show you all how the world has changed. You won't do as you please any longer. This is our world and you won't have it. If not me then they would put an end to this Apocalypse."

He looked at the vacant seat once more but he did not take it. He remained there and watched them begin the gathering. He remained in silence and leaned on the window as another flash occurred. He was the Timeless Swordsman and he would not allow any of them to interfere in his domain.

He would kill them all. One by one until he would have his daughter back.

That was a promise he would keep. That was a miracle he would make.

The rest was left to time to decide who would prevail in this eternal war.

And then when the flash died out a single tear could be seen to fall on the blue butterfly on his chest.

The rest was only deathly silence.

XXX