Something awoke. Something opened its eyes. Did it even have eyes? It did not know.

"Wh-Who am I?" The... thing asked.

"You are going to be... the Hero Luka." The red-haired girl explained. Is that what a girl looked like? Is that what red looked like? It did not know. "Well, a copy of him, anyway."

"Who is that? Who are you? Where am I?" It asked. It wondered how it could speak at all.

"So many questions. Though I do not blame you for your curiosity. That's a trait I quite like."The lab-coat-wearing girl said. "Stand still for a second. I'm placing the genes of the hero in you. You should get his memories, combat experience, some of his personality, et cetera," She said.

"What? What are you doing!? Stop, stop this!" The thing shouted. Promestein said nothing as the process went underway. After a few minutes, it was done.

"There. Now, rise, other Luka," Promestein said. "Do you know who you are now?"

"I... I am... a doppel. A clone of the hero" The Doppel said. "I serve Ilias and her subordinates. I must do as she says. I must defeat the hero, then use his genes to create an army for her."She said.

"Good, good. Looks like it all went well. Here's a sword. Unfortunately, we had no spare Angel Halos lying around, so this will have to do. Remember, the hero is very weak to pleasure, so use that. Of course, it's more effective to be in your female form when you do that, though I don't know his preferences," Promestein said.

"Understood. I'll defeat the hero, rape him, and create an army for Lord Ilias," The Doppel said.

"Very good. Go get ready. Oh, don't forget these. There's a copy of his clothes," Promestein said.

"Why?" The Doppel tilted her head in confusion as she put on the clothes. "Well, Black Alice said it would complete the set. Also, all the other clothes we have aren't quite your size," Promestein explained. "Done? Good. Now go"

The slave did as she was told.

...That dream again.

Doppel Luka awoke. She stared at the rocky ceiling above her for a few moments.

Maybe coming here wasn't such a good idea after all.

She got off the uncomfortable stone she had slept on and stood up. The Doppel went over to the campfire she had made the night before.

From the temperature and the length of the night, I'd say this world is entering winter. That'll be annoying.

She picked up the pot she had cooked with and packed it into her bag. Her sword was currently lying on the ground. It had seen some use not long ago. Unsurprisingly, a few monsters tried to pin the girl down. They stood no chance. She cleaned her weapon and picked it up. Then she went to the entrance of the cave and sat on a rock nearby. She looked over the landscape.

Well, it is pretty. Yamatai was always a nice place.

Doppel Luka continued to observe the nature of the region. She looked at the lush trees and grass, the dirt paths carved out for travellers and traders, and the wide, flowing rivers that cut through the ground. She stopped once she noticed something strange.

Is that... a crater?

She looked at the physical evidence of previous battles. Once she began to look for them, she noticed them everywhere. The bumps in the land, which were covered up with grass, were all caused by spells and swords. Fighting had clearly happened here long ago. Angels and Monsters fought, and the landscape took the hits. She noticed there were fewer animals around, fewer humans, fewer monsters, and fewer of everything.

All the killing, all the brutality—it just hurt everyone. She knew this. She wanted to stop it. Not to be a hero like her idiotic original, but mostly just so she could prove herself better than him. He was too much of a coward to actually kill the wrongdoers. He's seen them rape and eat people in front of his eyes, laughing all the while, and he still believes they have good in them.

What an idiot. Coexistence was a fluke. It's only happening back home because of the hero's fear. When word breaks out that Luka's gone, I'm sure monsters or angels will go right back to slaughtering each other.

No, that Monster Lord of his would probably stop that. And I'm sure aunt—The seraph Micaela wouldn't want that either. She is the leader of all angels now, after all. However, not everyone accepted her.

The Doppel believed herself better than the real Hero Luka, even though he defeated her. He was just a naive fool. She was the one who would make the hard decisions for the greater good. If she could just prove it, she would be recognized by the world. She would be loved like he was. That is what she really wanted.

Doppel Luka decided it was time to get back on the road. She didn't want to go straight to Luka as that annoying little Kitsune did. Instead, she opted to explore this new world. San Ilia seemed like a good place to start, and she had already seen Yamtai.

And I saw those posters too. Seems he's already made quite the name for himself.

Doppel Luka thought about her original for a moment but moved on quickly. San Ilia was a long walk; she had better start as soon as possible.

"There it is. Sabasa," Tamamo said. The walk from the border of Natalia to the city had been a long one. She was fairly tired, but she pressed on. The hot air of Sabasa did her no good either. For the first time in her life, she cursed her fluffy tails. They were insulating the heat even further, making her even warmer. The fur around her body also had the same effect. In her heart, she knew. Sabasa was no place for a kitsune.

Haah. So warm. Need shelter.

"Halt. State your business," One of the guards said.

"I'm here to visit the city, nothing more, nothing less," Tamamo responded.

"You are a kitsune, are you not? We need to know your name before we allow you entry."

"My name is Natsumi," Tamamo said.

"Uh-huh, where and when were you born? How many tails do you have? And do you swear to follow the city's rules and regulations?"

"I was born on Hellgondo twenty-two years ago. I have six tails, and I swear to follow the rules." The Kitsune said. The guard nodded as he wrote the information down. He then began to count her tails before speaking once more.

"Impressive. I hear six tails are hard to get at such a young age." The guard said. "Well, everything looks fine to me. You may enter."

My poor, poor tails. It's bad for them to be scrunched together like that, but they wouldn't let me if they saw I had nine. From a glance, at least, anyone would think there are only six.

"Thank you," Tamamo said as she walked through the gate. Unfortunately for her, the air was even hotter on the inside of the city. The walls of the castle further insulated the heat, and the many fires for cooking did her no good. Tamamo was sweating badly and looked for somewhere to cool down. Throughout her search, she heard whispers of the Hero Luka and his bravery. His victory over Kanon has become a well-known fact now. Tamamo could not be bothered to look for him right now, though, as something else was bothering her far too much.

Damn. I really should've worn something lighter.

As Tamamo struggled down the street, she noticed she had reached the city's centre. Her eyes widened at the sight of a majestic fountain sparkling in the sunlight. The sound of flowing water was a welcome melody to her weary ears. Not bothering to think twice, she decided to take a refreshing plunge into the fountain.

Ahhhhh, that's nice...

Tamamo felt herself cool down in the water. She felt all the stress that had accumulated since the recent release. She had to shield her eyes from the scorching sun, but other than that, it was pure bliss.

I should go ask around for Luka but... I think I'll stay here a little longer...

Tamamo relaxed further in the water of the fountain.

"...Tamamo?" A familiar voice said.

Luka's attempts at slumber were interrupted by his feelings of guilt. The bed he slept in was the most comfortable one he's had in a while.

Not as comfortable as me and Alice's bed, but... Still, it's making me want to just go back to sleep for a while longer.

Luka pushed through the temptation of further rest. He had a lot of work to do today. Thanks to the king's hospitality, he could expect a real breakfast. He had gotten used to eating food cooked on the road thanks to him constantly having to sate a certain Lamia's appetite, but he always preferred food cooked in a proper kitchen.

Thankfully, the king had the chefs do just that. Luka got dressed in his freshly washed clothes, also courtesy of the king, and took the newly cleaned Angel Halo from its rack.

I'll have to thank Sabasa later. Though he did say it was the least he could do for the one who slayed Kanon.

Luka thought of what he did today. The king had organised for him to be given a new set of armour, which would be custom-made for his size. The hero initially attempted to deny the gift, but the king was quite forceful. Luka eventually gave up and accepted the reward. The armour would be made of a material called rainbow crystal, which was said to be one of the strongest ones around.

It was also meant to be fairly light, and Luka asked for a smaller set in the first place. Shoulderguards, a chest piece, gauntlets, and leggings. Anything else would be too much for the hero's taste. His fighting style was speed and power. It's what suited his small stature best.

So, in the meantime, Luka decided he would look around for something else to do. Sabasa was a large city, and he was sure there was something for a hero to do.

Maybe I could go back to Narfolk? I'd like to see how Seth is doing now. Though I don't really expect him to have changed much.

Luka's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of fighting.

"En guard!" A male shouted.

"Take this!" Another said.

"No! Widen your stance! Lower your centre of gravity! Aren't you meant to be a soldier!?" A man with a deeper and more gravelly voice said.

Oh, are they training?

Luka walked over to the room. Multiple guards were sparring with each other. A man in the back stood above them. He was easily over six feet tall and wore a heavy set of armour.

He looks like the instructor. This reminds me of what Granberia did in Grangold. Now they have the most well-trained human military in the world!

Hmm, I was looking for something to do. I don't think they'd be able to teach me much, though.

"Who are you?" The older man said. The guards, who were not busy fighting, turned to look at the intruder.

"Oh, I'm Luka."

"...And? Who are you? I didn't ask for your name, boy."The instructor said. "Wait... I think I do recognise you... You're the one the king spoke to, right?" He asked. Luka nodded.

"Hmm. Very well. If the king is willing to meet with you, then you must be worth more than your appearance would suggest. Say, is that a sword?"

Luka nodded. The instructor looked the hero up and down for a moment before continuing.

"I guess we might as well see what you can do, pipsqueak. Try not to lose an arm, alright?" He said. The other guards laughed, and Luka wore a frown.

Hmph. I think you're the only one in danger here. I'll show you what I can do.

Luka walked onto the floor for the battle in the room. The instructor smiled and grabbed a large spear.

"Alright. Whoever crosses that line" He pointed at a line five metres behind Luka and to another five metres behind him. Only a single metre separated the two combatants. "Loses. Or if you surrender, obviously," The instructor explained. "Ready?"

Luka said nothing. After another second of thought, he nodded. As soon as the battle started, the man struck at the hero. Instead of thrusting his spear at Luka, he swiped at him. Luka stopped this attack with his hand. The blade cut into his palm, but he did not look worried. The man pulled the spear back and entered a new stance. Luka took this time to enter a serene state with no assistance from the spirit of water.

It's so clear... He's going to try to stab me with the spear. Right... now.

Luka elegantly dogged the attack. He swayed past it and immediately retaliated. He readied Angel Halo, held back enough so as not to seriously hurt him, and slashed at the middle-aged man. The attack flung the man far back. He hit straight into a wall. This, of course, meant he went way past the line. The battle was over in seconds. Luka walked over to the instructor to make sure he was okay. He appeared to be unconscious. Luka sat him in a nearby chair, dusted him off, and left him there.

"Woah!" A guard said. "How'd you do that!?" Another one said.

Luka shrugged. "I can show you if you want."

"Of course!" The two responded. The others in the room also looked eager to be taught.

Well, I don't mind. I'm the one always being taught by others, so this will be a nice change of pace.

"Alright, first off..."

Luka spent the next few hours explaining exactly how to properly dodge an attack, how to enter a Serene Mind, how to predict an attack and more. Afterwards, he suspected they had only understood about a tenth of what he attempted to teach.

Damn, I'm not really that good at this... If only Tamamo were here. Or Granberia. They could teach me how to teach properly.

"Okay, that's all for today. I can come back later if you want me to," Luka said.

"Well, it was just about time for us to wrap things up anyway. Also, Sir Luka," The guard said. "I'm not a 'Sir'. I'm not a knight," Luka explained.

"Oh, well then. What should I call you?"

"I'm a hero," Luka said.

"Hero Luka? Has a nice ring to it. Anyway, I was going to ask, are you the one who liberated Narfolk? The one who sealed Morrigan, the one who's been contracting with the four great spirits, and the rumoured slayer of Kanon?"

"...I am."

"Hah! Told you!" The guard said. The other handed him a bag of gold and sighed. Luka decided it was time to move on. He left the room and walked further down the hall. He heard certain 'noises' coming out of the rooms he walked by. It seems monsters were quite welcome in the castle. Luka, deciding he needed some fresh air, stepped out of the castle.

He walked down the main street of Sabasa. The city was bustling with activity. It brought a smile to his face to see monsters and humans coexist. However, in this city, there were a lot more humans. As he walked, he overheard a group of women conversing near him.

"I'm telling you! All those damn monsters are stealing all the good men!" An older woman said.

"Exactly! Why are we letting them in here in the first place?"A younger one said.

"I say we start a protest," A girl suggested. The others quickly agreed.

That's a problem we could never really solve. For now, there are enough men for everyone, but once the monster population grows, it could become a real problem. The rumours about monster's sexual superiority don't help either, not that those rumours are unfounded...

Luka realised that he was thinking about his and Alice's more intimate relationship in the middle of the street, and immediately shook off the thoughts.

Anyway, humans still reproduce faster than monsters and angels, so it should be okay. Besides, polygamy has become widely accepted. In fact, I've had a few people (Alma Elma) suggest I should also try it out. Of course, Alice would never let that happen. Besides, she is more than enough for me.

And even if both me and her did want to try it, I don't think I could handle the extra attention...

Luka shook off the thoughts yet again and looked up. He saw a marvellous fountain made of stone. It was in the direct centre of the kingdom and had a human sculpture on it. From its hand, water came out. It dropped into a small pool at the base of the fountain.

Wow. Even now, a thousand years in the past, art is still here. I wonder who made this piece.

Luka walked closer to the fountain and looked at the plaque. Before he could read it, he noticed an anomaly in the fountain.

...Haah. Great. Now I'm hallucinating. I mean, what the hell would Tamamo be doing floating in a fountain in the middle of Sabasa in a whole other world from our own? It's ridiculous.

Luka rubbed his eyes and looked again.

...It can't be true, can it?

"...Tamamo?" Luka said. The Kitsune looked up from the water.

It... It really is her. Tamamo is... how?

"Luka!" Tamamo said as she hopped out of the fountain.

"You really are here!" Tamamo jumped towards the hero, tackling him to the ground. Luka did nothing as the ancestor hugged him.

"You're okay," She said. Her face was buried in his shirt. Luka, after a few moments of confusion and shock, returned the hug.

"H-How? How did you get here, Tamamo?" Luka asked. He also noticed that his clothes were getting wet from Tamamo's damp clothes but ignored it. After almost a minute of silence, Luka noticed Tamamo was not answering. He could hear a small sobbing noise.

"Are you crying?" Luka asked. Tamamo still did not answer. The hero noticed that they were now getting unwanted attention. The people walking around looked at the odd sight, and Luka decided to move indoors. He picked up Tamamo, who was nearly his height, and proceeded to walk all the way back to the guest room in the castle. He did his best to ignore the awkward glances in his direction. He put Tamamo on the bed, and she let go of him.

"So... do you want to talk?" Luka asked, again. This time, he got an answer.

"We were all so worried," She said. "It's been almost a month now since you disappeared. Do you know how much work I had to do in that time? I had to comfort both Alice and Neris, rule my own race, continue educating both of your children, deal with any issues with coexistence that needed a more diplomatic hand, and I also had to research a way to travel between worlds!" Tamamo shouted.

"Oh... Uh, Sorry?" Luka said. "I didn't exactly ask to be sent to another world, though, you know?"

"I know. I'm just tired. Now, I couldn't bring anything with me, so we'll have to use that Makina of yours," Tamamo explained. "Also, Doppel Luka came with me."

"Huh? Oh, I remember her. How did she do that? And how did you get here in the first place?" Luka asked. "Black Alice didn't come back, did she?" Tamamo scowled upon hearing the name.

"Don't even remind me of her. Anyway, I used a spell called projection. It's unique to the kitsune race in that only I can do it. If there was another nine-tailed fox, they might be able to do it too, but I'm the one and only, for now. The spell works by projecting my spirit to where I want."

"Unfortunately, I don't have the same power that I used to. I had Alice and the others assist me with that, and I unsealed myself. Combined with some Makina to calculate your exact position, which used information from your watch, we were clearly successful. But, just before the spell finished, your Doppel appeared and made contact with me. This caused her to join in on the spell. Now, we didn't have the power to teleport two people at once, and actually, it shouldn't have worked at all."

"My theory is that the Doppel's power was also added to the spell, giving us just enough power to make it here. The spell compensated by keeping me in my sealed form. Doppel Luka was lucky enough to keep her form... Also, we were teleported to Yamatai, not Sabasa. It took me a while to get here," Tamamo explained. After the long explanation, she collapsed onto the bed. "So, what have you been up to besides killing my sister?"

"Oh... Sorry about that. She attac-"

"It's alright, I'm joking. The world is a far better place without her. I'm surprised though; I didn't think you'd kill anyone, even Ilias," Tamamo said.

"...She did it herself," Luka said. "I'm not sure if I really wanted to kill her or not. But she was sealed, so maybe I didn't really want to. Anyway, afterwards, me and Omori found her. We were talking about what we should do, but she suddenly decided to use Aztec Rose on us. This paralysed Omori. Kanon died from using it," Luka explained.

"I see. Seems like something she would do. She probably assumed you two would kill her and just thought that she might as well take one of you with her. Also, who is this Omori?" Tamamo asked.

"She's a Scylla from the Western Sea. She lived in a village in the North of Safina and stayed there most of her life. She didn't know her parents, apparently. Her mother abandoned her when she was young. Of course, she had no idea who her father was."

"After I contracted with Gnome, I visited the village. While there, I... I had to fight my mother," Luka said. "She... nearly beat me, but then left before finishing the battle. I took the chance to help anyone who was still alive. I found Omori in the rubble, and after that, she eventually decided to join me. We travelled together until we reached Vrimor." Luka explained.

"Amazing. Few have fought the Daystar and survived. I'm sure it must have been tough to fight your mother, Luka. How is this girl now?"

"Omori? She's getting physical therapy in a village near Vrimor. For now, she will recover. The doctor said she'll be able to use all her tentacles again in a few years," He said. Tamamo nodded.

"And who else did you fight?" She asked.

"Well, other than them... You," Luka said. "In a city called Gelon."

"Gelon? Oh, right. I remember that kingdom. I'm sorry you had to see that. How did you fare?"

"I had no spirits with me at the time, so I didn't do too well. In fact, if Kanon hadn't shown up, you might've beaten me." Luka explained.

"I see. I assume you saw... what I used to be. I'm different now. I never want to be like that again. I was a vicious, cruel bitch," Tamamo explained.

"I raped, killed, violated, or enslaved anyone I deemed an enemy. Hell, sometimes I just did it because I felt like it. Back then, I didn't even really view the beings below me as people. I didn't understand them, Luka. To me, they were just so far beneath me... Well, you get the picture. I offer no excuses, only that I deeply regret what I did. It still haunts me to this day." Tamamo said.

"I know. It's okay, Tamamo. You're nothing like that now," Luka said. After a few moments of awkward silence, Tamamo spoke.

"You're the first person I've ever told about that," She said.

"Really?" Luka asked. Tamamo nodded. She smiled before moving on. For a while longer, the two continued discussing what they had done in the last month. After some more conversation, they moved over to a table in the room. Luka got some food and drinks for them both. By the time they were finished talking, it was evening.

"—And then Neris finally went to sleep," Tamamo said as she took a sip of some wine. She laughed a bit after. "Oh, you should have seen the relief on Alice's face! It was hilarious. I thought we'd have to get her a plushie of you to finally get her to stop." Luka smiled. He was more than glad to hear his daughter was okay. "How long have we been talking?" Tamamo asked.

"Looks like... around nine o'clock to me," Luka responded.

"Alright. Well then, that's enough about the past. Let's talk about what's next," Tamamo suggested. "You said you want to end the war, right? Who better than me to help you with that? I'm still pretty tough, so I should be able to help in a fight. But more importantly, I know this war inside and out. I lived through it, after all. The only issue is, from what you've told me, the war should've ended three weeks ago." She explained.

"But, how is that possible?" Luka asked. "I'm not sure, but I think you might have changed things. Ilias should've told Alipheese her offer. The one that won her the war. The offer that Alipheese must either surrender and seal herself and her children or Ilias would destroy the world. If your arrival changed things... Then maybe... She thinks you are the alternative," She said.

"I know Ilias well. She wants to use you to end the war for her. You've delayed her plan long enough now. And you showing your power by killing Kanon has probably only reinforced her belief. She knows you and her together can defeat Alipheese, and win the war"

"I never thought about it like that..." Luka said. "But why does she think I'd ever join her?"

"Well, it wouldn't be an offer, Luka. You'd be forced to join her. She'd give you either immense pleasure or immense pain until you submitted. She's good at it, too. Few would last long against her techniques. I've always hated her, but I cannot deny she is truly a god." Tamamo explained.

"Then, how do we end the war? Do you have any ideas?" Luka asked.

"...I don't know. Is there a way in which neither Ilias nor Alipheese win, besides the whole sealing plan? It's not like we can just kill them all..." Tamamo said.

"...? Yeah, we're not going to kill them all. Right?"

"..Hm? Oh, of course not. I'd... never do that or think of doing that... Anyway, the key to ending the war..."

...Tamamo? She doesn't actually just want to kill everyone, does she?

"Well, I suppose getting rid of the figureheads could work, or just sustainably weaken both sides. If we kill—Seal let's say... Two more ancestors, and one of the seraphs, not Eden, we should be able to at least stop the fighting," Tamamo explained. "That will, of course, be very difficult. You were lucky when you got rid of Kanon. If she had backup from a few high-ranking alraunes, you might have been in trouble."

"It's a good thing she hates her own kind. Now that I'm here, we should be able to overpower any ancestor we may encounter, even Saja. You did well to contract with the spirits. With all of our power combined, only Alipheese and Ilias would be strong enough to stop us!" Tamamo said.

"Other than them, if we had to battle against Lucifina and Micaela at the same time, it wouldn't be much of a fight. It took three ancestors just to match them, and sometimes even they weren't enough. The same can be said for my sisters. If they did team us against us, we could also be in some real trouble."

"So then. You think we should start going after them one by one?" Luka asked.

"Not necessarily. There's somebody we should get on our side first. You know her well, actually. I know for a fact she was alive at this time. And she shouldn't be too hard to find. She'll be a great help." Tamamo said.

"Who?" The Hero asked.

"Promestein, the one who gave humans fire."