Astaroth was perambulating in front of her sister's cautious eyes, her wrath barely contained. Every monsters that were living in the Vampire Castle were avoiding the royal rooms the Lilith sisters had granted themselves, as rage-filled echoes occasionally escaped them.

"You are telling me that we negotiated with the succubi, rallied the spiders, challenged the vampires, and, most of all, that Morriluka DIED FOR NOTHING ?!"

"It was not for nothing…"

Astaroth shouted another anger-filled complaint to the sky, scaring their younger little sister who was awkwardly sitting on a pillow in the corner of the throne room.

"You were TOLD to keep AWAY from the HERO, and you AGREED." She pushed another war cry and punched a chair, reducing the piece of furniture into a mist. "…Why?"

"Because the single smallest deviation from true history is going to get this world destroyed in the blink of an eye." Lilith sighed. "I'm not doing it by pleasure, but so far, the White Rabbit never lied. Each and every one of our direct interventions created ripples that had dire consequences at best on the world around us, and we need it to keep standing. And the souls of people killed by chaosization or by those from other worlds won't be saved."

"So…" Astaroth finally sat down and sighed in despair. "Morriluka really died for nothing."

"I tell you once again, she did not. She has given us valuable information on the hero during her stay."

"And look to where that brought her. She's dead!" The red-haired succubus balled her fist in anger.

"Huuuh, I'm still alive you know. Morrigan-not Morriluka is still there."

The red haired succubus's gaze softened when she looked at her little sister. She walked and hugged her in a genuine display of affection that surprised both of her sisters.

"Sorry, I know… I'm glad you're still there… All three of us are still fine… It's just…" She moved back slightly. "Knowing that an alternate version of you has been murdered by those that pretended to be her friends not so long ago drives me insane…"

"I understand that." Lilith sighed once again. "But we cannot currently afford to interfere with the hero until he unlocks the ability to go back in the past. Thanks to Morriluka, we know he has to kill Ilias first to do so." She started smiling predatorily. "So we know when we're going to strike. At that point, most of his forces will be holding angels in the Snow Continent at bay, and, with a little luck, Black Alice will also be forced into the fray. The only real danger in his party is Micaela, who will be targeted by both groups anyway. The only remaining loose ends are the twins, who are too much in the dark to interfere anyway, and the White Rabbit, who's too unreliable."

Lilith's words were having the expected effect on her sister, and Astaroth calmed down herself a little, allowing her to continue.

"Once we're in, we'll have no difficulty sweeping the hero from his feet and start a new adventure with us at his side. Or, more appropriately, all over him… We'll be able to control every one of his choices." She punctuated her sentence with a lacivious whisper. "We'll be afford to get payback on his partners, again and again, and much, much more..."

"You calculated this…" Astaroth chuckled dryly. "You planned everything while I kept raving, ranting, raging at them. I don't know what we would do without you."

"Let's not ask ourselves." The three sisters huddled together for a hug. "Rather, how about a small meal? I'm getting peckish, and the succubi have brought in a few men as tribute…"

"They won't respect it. They definitively won't."

Micaela was massaging her temples. She would never have expected her dealings with Lilith to be the highlight of the day, and yet… She now had to find a way to pull Luka and Tamamo out of their nihilistic trance. The former no longer had any of the heroic willpower associated with a hero, and the second was almost catatonic with rage.

She was just done reporting the result of her negotiations to the queens and lords in the castle. They had attentively listened to her, but it was clear all of them were at a loss as to what they were going to do next. As much as the hero might have felt relegated back to a puppet, but the fact remained that he was the one who always oriented everyone.

"I miss Mephisto's sass. As much as I was worried she would betray us, she might have been able to see through this mess and do… something."

Micaela sighed. "We should currently be travelling through Tartarus to get the blue orb to summon the Garuda Girl. But Luka has shown himself to be as open and responsive to the idea as a rabid wolf girl that needs a bath."

"And Tamamo?"

"Completely out of there too. The best we managed for now is to keep them away from each other so that they don't mutually feed their mutual hatred for the outside world." She grimaced. "Normally, Alma Elma would already have stepped in to alleviate one or the other's mood, but she also entered a depressive state after the kitsune told her she was useless. Right now, she's isolated in her chamber alone, which is the largest red flag for a succubus. So far, the only positive thing that happened for those last few days was the return of Ilias in our fold."

"Positive…"

"Let's not start a debate on the matter. Also, since she originally came from another dimension, let's keep Luka away from her until we're sure he's out of his current mindset. And I'll be honest, at that point, I don't know what would get him to change."

"I do."

Everybody turned to see the small goddess Ilias standing at the entrance of the room.

"You could have invited me to this reunion. Even if I'm no longer a goddess…"

"We considered letting you train for your safety a priority." The Grand Noah queen bowed, followed by everyone else. "We apologize for the offense."

"It's fine, it's fine…" She sat on the chair offered to her. "But as I said, there's someone in the castle who could move him… If he finds the right words that is."

"I know who you're talking about, and I'm worried that he might just get beheaded."

"Oh, he knows the risk and he's fine with it."

Ilias sounded a little too dismissive to everyone's taste.

Luka was sulking on his bed, sitting in fetal position when he heard someone knock on the door. He barely mumbled a coherent answer before the newcomer entered. From afar, the man looked quite like Luka: Purple hair, blue eyes, a small build covered by a leather armor and a red cape… The only difference was that his face looked slightly more square and adult, and even confirming that required an additional examination to be sure. Before he could close the door, a bundle of purple and white tentacles wearing a red sweater also made its way into Luka's room to stare closely at the hero with its red eyes.

"Greetings, Luka, I learnt about your latest battle…"

"Please go back to your own world before it gets destroyed. We already dealt enough damages as is." The hero's voice was a pathetic whisper.

Heinrich laughed innocently. "I think it will have to wait a little longer. There's a bigger issue at hand than a small war with a sociopathic Monster Lord."

"Yes. And we can stop making it worse if we stop travelling to other worlds." He looked down, his voice muffled by his knees. "Not that it would be better anyway. At least if all the worlds were destroyed, we'd be sure that all those that screwed it will also die."

"Do you really think destroying your enemy is more important than protecting your friends?"

"But I can't protect my friends!" Luka exploded in anger, before calming himself, ashamed for his outburst in front of his idol.

"And truth be told…" Heinrich's expression became somber. "Me neither… But it won't prevent me from trying."

"…You know your closest friend is Black Alice herself, right? Your archenemy?"

Heinrich nodded, smiling. "Riiiight, and several Ilias are running around, and you're my great grandchild."

Luka raised an eyebrow, wondering if he was not mocking him. He really couldn't tell.

"But in any case, it won't change who I am and my goal. I will do my best. And if I saved someone, a single life, made a person happier by the end of the day, then it's already a victory. I can't let my hatred of my enemy take over that goal." He then looked at the hero. "And when I learned about what happened and how much you look up to me, I'm surprised you did give in to that hatred."

Luka sighed. "Sorry to be a disappointment… But after seeing one too many of my friend die, I just stopped caring."

"Kyu. Kyu."

Nuruko poked Luka in the head with a tentacle while frowning at him.

"What?"

"Kyu!" She slapped him with a tentacle. The unexpected attack only left a small mark on Luka's cheek, but it was enough to make him yelp in surprise.

"What was that for?"

"She's mad at you because she thinks you're ungrateful."

"Wait, you can communicate with her?"

Heinrich chuckled. "No, I just learned how to read her in our spare time in the castle. She was quite sad when Sonya died, and spent most of her time in my and Hild's company. She was happy to come help you when she was needed."

Luka sighed and petted the Spirit of Chaos. "Sorry for letting you down. But I just can't carry through any longer. I did try to get on the road again, but I just can't."

"Kyu?" The monster tilted her head.

"Why?"

"Because I keep making the situation worse! People that accompanied me since forever, people that count on me died…"

"Luka…" Heinrich rested a sympathetic hand on the hero's shoulder. "I could give you the usual hero's speech and tell you that with the title of hero come duties and the expectation of the population, and that as such we must act accordingly." The hero from the past sighed and leaned back against the wall. "But in reality, during my adventures, I saw all the equipment abandoned by other heroes who just stopped and disappeared in the nature just like that. And at that moment, I asked myself why I just couldn't do the same. A hero can be selfish, right?" He chuckled awkwardly once again.

"Simply asking myself this question nearly lead me into an existential crisis… Until I met a travelling kitsune in Grand Noah who told me it's okay for noble goals to have a selfish motivation: Simply desiring for the gratitude of others, the perspective of spending time with your closed ones…"

"I already heard that one before."

"Then maybe you should listen and follow it. Did you ever take time to consider what has really been keeping you on the road for so long? …It looks like you've got food for thoughts, so I'll leave you for now." Heinrich opened the door leading him outside of Luka's room. "Just accept that you may want to selfishly protect your friends. There's nothing worse than someone motivated by spite and hatred, no matter how just he thinks himself of."

He left, Nuruko at first stepped off the bed to follow him, but stopped herself and looked at the hero. He no longer was bent over himself, but his eyes were empty, unfocused. Nuruko got back and briefly hugged him before leaving.

Of course, Luka knew exactly what kept him going: Initially, it was his desire to find and reunite his father, then to save the world. But as time progressed, it was clear that he couldn't fulfill either of his goals, and the invaders from those two other worlds were bringing their own war as a threat that kept looming over his head... And he was afraid that he could be forced to rely on them.

In the meantime, he accumulated companions. Humans, monsters, angels… old acquaintances, lords of this world, repenting monsters or even some assailant that had decided to join him just because they could, he welcomed them all. He enjoyed their gratitude, and, in the case of monsters, particularly when it took a physical turn. It was indeed what kept him going for so long…

Well, it no longer mattered anyway. The world was doomed, he was facing an impossible to destroy threat, he could as well just let go of everything.

Tamamo was slowly rocking on a chair in her Pocket Castle room, one of her hand filled with a cup of tea she was periodically taking sips from. Her mind was thrown into disarray following the latest events: Discovering by herself the lineage of the twins had done a number on her, particularly after seeing their "mother" die.

What lead the Sixteenth in a world to marry and decide to have children with Luka? Granted, the hero was quite a tasty morsel with a lot of potential, but he hadn't even chosen her to accompany him... Maybe with a few additional years of training, he would even have been able to answer the conditions to marry the Monster Lord. And they came from the true history, so was it her destiny? Did she also educate her in that world? Did her other self had a hand into their education? Those questions were mixed with those that asked for a faster answer: Why did they come here? Do they know about the hand they had in her demise? Do they even care? Neither of them seemed terribly reliable…

And the weight of her own failure was still heavy on her own shoulders. She had failed the Dark Goddess because another version of her succeeded. Did that other her even cared? No, of course not... She hated that other Tamamo No Mae because she was what Tamamo used to be. A dark reflexion of a past she wanted to forget, to take distance from.

The anger born from Alice's death was now also mixing with the confusion of what to do next, as well as the frustration of missing the opportunity to talk to the infamous twins. Her confusion was comparable to the one she felt during Black Alice's reign of terror and its end. She had difficulties sleeping, as her nightmares were filled with a broken Alice desperately crying for her as she was getting murdered, and meditating proved fruitless either. Her own indecision and powerlessness frustrated her further, leading to a vicious cycle of self loathing that needed an interruption fast.

Fortunately, the more pragmatic part of herself won over and she realized she would never get anything done by sulking, she stepped out of her room and almost bumped into Yao. Her lieutenant respectfully bowed.

"Granberia and Erubetie came here. They're discussing with the hero's Alma Elma in the Royal Room and wish to meet with you."

Tamamo sighed. She wondered why they did come. If the situation was urgent, they would have just sent a telepathic message. In any case, the distraction would be welcome…

…Until she remembered she viciously insulted the succubus queen in a fit of anger back at the Garuda Girl Shrine.

Mustering her courage, she entered. Alma Elma smiled at her, apparently having already forgotten her grievances, while Granberia and Erubetie both bowed respectfully, surprising her ever so slightly.

"Greetings, what's happening?"

Erubetie shrugged, in a strange movement that echoed through her whole viscous body. "I have no idea, Alma Elma asked us to come here as soon as we were free."

Tamamo raised an eyebrow. The succubus queen leaned on the table.

"I found a way to get back at the Lilith Sisters, and how to get sure they'll be out of our hair until the situation calms down.

Tamamo sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry that I said that you were useless. I did not really think it, and was just beyond angry."

Alma Elma smiled. "Oooh, don't worry. This is only my duty as the Succubus Queen to deal with my most unruly subjects." Her smile turned evil. "I have something else in mind for you… Ufufufu…"

The kitsune wasn't reassured one bit by that last laugh, but she decided to ignore it for now. Maybe she'd move on as fast as she usually did and just forget it.

"Fine, tell me more about your plan."

"Well, it's slightly complex, so I hope you will follow."

Alma spent the better time of the next hour giving a detailed layout of her plan. As time passed, her fellow Heavenly Knights were more and more impressed by how the apparently whimsical and unreliable Succubus Queen had managed to be so thorough, even if the plan itself sounded questionable at best.

"…Wow…" Granberia was wide-eyed. "You really took the time to think this through, didn't you?"

"I must say I'm also surprised, and I certainly wouldn't have thought of it, but… I don't fully approve your plan. It's extremely risky for those involved, and there are many factors that are out of control. And that's not counting the preparations needed."

"But that's part of the point. They expect you or Micaela to come with one of your usual crafty plan. They won't expect something straight out of the mind of the succubus queen."

Erubetie nodded. "Ironically, I agree. And this is in spite of the role I end up with."

"Well in that case, we'll see with the participants later to be sure they'll be fine with it. First, we'll have to pull Luka out of his nihilism, get on the hunt for the six orbs, and maybe look for a way to finally contact those twins."

"About that… I'm sorry to interrupt but…"

Micaela showed up with a large map of Ilias Continent in her hand. A spot in the forest not far from Iliasburg was marked with a cross, with a Rabbit's head and a strange symbol just on the side that looked like an altered version of the Monster Lord's crest.

"Well that's convenient. When did you get it?"

"I don't even know." Micaela frowned and ground her teeth in frustration. "That damned White Rabbit planted it on me without even me noticing!"

"We can as well check." Tamamo shrugged and clacked her fan open with a small smile. "Who's coming?"

Neris slashed a tree several times in a perfectly flowing attack, scattering huge chunks of its trunk before it could fall. She knew they had to be discreet, but she was furious after the events at the shrine: The White Rabbit exposed way too much about them openly to that succubitch and to Luka's aunt. Nero had teleported back to their small camp, but she had decided to go back there on foot. Actually tracking her wouldn't have been complicated for anybody who wanted: There was a trail of destroyed vegetation and wounded monsters on a path that started in the middle of Gold's desert, continued all the way to Mt Horai at the north of Yamatai, changed direction to go to Magistea Village, before reaching the southernmost point of Ilias Continent itself. Only the monsters between that point and their little hideout had been spared.

Her voyage only took her five hours.

She sighed after having reduced yet another tree into a fine dust. Now she felt finally relaxed enough to join Nero back at the encampment.

None of the people who heard about the Seventeenth could imagine her current abodes: A large tent she shared with her brother, a few crates of equipment and food scattered about, an out-of-place teddy bear, and a small table upon which a communication orb was lying.

Nero repositioned his glasses upon seeing his sister return.

"Are you fine now?"

"If by fine you mean absolutely furious after that White Rabbit, yes I'm fine! There's no way that whore is going to respect the contract, and yet that thing's only out for us specifically!"

"She's an unexpected issue, true… And we never considered she would actually take a proactive role in this, yet she stepped in to mediate a conflict for the sake of preventing the spread of chaosization."

"I'm calling bullshit. And that old hag Micaela who just took it like that! Why didn't you take things into your hands and beheaded that purple haired semen guzzler once and for all?!"

"Because it would have left me open to the White Rabbit's attacks. Micaela wouldn't have stepped in as she's cautious, and a little too willing to listen to that monster."

"More like because she's a worn out grandma. She's supposed to be one of the wisest being, a veteran of a thousand years old war, but in one world or the other, she's an old useless hag."

Nero sighed. "Please don't speak about our parents like that."

"Oooh, I'm sorry if I learned to speak out my feelings contrary to you! Not everybody picked up from Erubetie! Hey, you remember what Tamamo told you? If there's a problem, talk about it! You may avoid building up decades of unjustified hatred that could have resulted in a slaughter!"

"I get your point, but right now you're just sounding like Tamamo when she ranted about the old times and how she had to chaperon her sisters." Nero smirked. "Remember that?"

Neris laughed. "You're right." The succubus-like yoma mimicked two large ears with her hands. "You'll never have to deal with the discovery of your lover after he got stolen by one of your sister who went on a binge! Also, don't suck anyone dry young girl! Alma Elma is not a good role model for you, I should talk with your mother about that!" She slowly breathed out. "I'm fine now, sorry, but the last day has been a catastrophe for our plans."

"I agree, and this is why we must contact home as soon as possible. I'll prepare the communication orb."

"Want me to check around one last time before we start? I don't want you to say I attracted eavesdropper afterwards…"

Nero shrugged. "I set several alarms around, and none have been triggered. Even the White Rabbit doesn't know we're here, or she would have already come for us otherwise."

Neris shrugged. "Whatever, just get started then…"

Nero started charging the energy required to open a communication channel through dimensions. However, he felt an anomaly in the flux around him and unconsciously projected the excess energy toward a large tree. Upon hitting its bark, the bolt was deviated straight to the sky before exploding. The tree disappeared and revealed four people standing on top of each other: Tamamo was supporting Alma Elma, who was herself holding up Micaela, herself supporting Ilias from one hand and wielding a large mirror shield diagonally from the other. The living column was looking sternly in the direction of the duo.

"Worn out, but not down for the count."

Ilias scoffed. "There is no doubt as to whom indeed raised those two."

The quartet disassembled and lined up in front of the twins. Neris looked at her brother with a hint of reproach in her eyes.

"Several alarms, huh?"

Tamamo opened her fan and started waving herself, concealing her expression to the duo. "I created those. I know how to go over them without triggering them."

Nero groaned. "Sorry, but you shouldn't stay here, you risk attracting the attention of the White Rabbit."

"Who do you think gave us your location? In one of the most aggravating way possible, I should mention."

The twins looked at each other again, which somehow made Tamamo sigh in exasperation.

"Look, we just really need to discuss with you. The White Rabbit has skipped a lot of details. We only know that you two come from the one world that defined the true history, so if you can start telling us more without having us chase you around the whole world for the umpteenth time, we would appreciate that."

"Ooor, we can instead…" Neris tried to materialize her oversized sword, smiling. However, she looked at her empty hand, and tried again. Tamamo showed her a blocking talisman. "Well, I guess I'll just go on and change for my true fo-."

Her sentence was interrupted by a slap of Tamamo's fan on her face. The attack itself was not violent but its echo was particularly violent in everyone's mind, and, most of all, neither her nor Nero had seen the kitsune move. She was just looking at Neris with glacial eyes, the lower part of her face concealed by her open fan.

"You. Disappoint. Me."

Her scolding tone reached straight for the primal part of their brain that was linked to their upbringing. A voice of wisdom that was to be followed in a world where you didn't know anything, and one you didn't want to be raised against you, as it was the last warning before imminent death.

Even Micaela was dumbfounded, frozen by the kitsune's words.

Wow. I think more people would turn out better if they had that Tamamo as a mother. Then again, they would probably have their own problems... I wonder how I would have ended up if she was mine? She looked at Ilias, who was shivering in fear, having difficulties to control her childish body. I wonder how she would.

Neris turned red faced and looked sheepishly at the ground. Nero kneeled reflexively.

"I apologize master. We have acted in a way opposite to every one of your lessons, and treated you and your friends in an inappropriate way."

Tamamo accusingly pointed her fan at Nero. "Then get up, and tell us everything. The true history. Who you exactly are. What happened where you come from. Why you're here. How you got here. Everything. Now."