An explanation for all previous readers:

I have decided to restart Impossible Answer, this time from far further along in Paradox. I made a poor decision starting the story from the beginning of paradox. The changes don't really appear until part 3, and I didn't want to just retell the story until we got there. For those who haven't read the first twelve chapters of the original fic, don't worry. You won't be lost.

A quick word of warning. If you've never played Paradox, I'd advise against reading this. I'll try to explain things without making it obnoxious, but knowing some of the lore will make the reading experience a lot better.

If you wish to read the original fic (Plus a few drafts for future chapters), you can ask for it in the fanfiction discord or find it on my Pastebin.

Thanks, and I hope you enjoy it and this new fic.

He had always wanted to see his mother again. Her death had scarred him for years. His father had left him half a year before her passing, and he had spent the last three months looking for him. He succeeded, but he could barely say a word to him before he was gone.

Lucifina patted him on the head. "What's on your mind, Luka?" She asked. "You look worried! Do you want a hug from Mommy?"

"No, I'm fine." Luka gently took her hand off of him. "Where's your sister? She's coming with us to the temple."

"She's with Ilias!" Lucifina pulled her son by the wrist. "We'll all go together, like one big family!"

"Sure…" The young man didn't feel entirely comfortable around his 'mother'. She did look just like her, and according to Ilias, she had the same soul. But her personality was just so different…

Alice thought it was due to her being in a child's body. The age of the body affects the mind, as her mentor, Tamamo, once said. Luka wondered if the same applied to Ilias and Alice, who had both been sealed into young bodies. "Alice and Sonya are waiting for us outside. We better hurry."

Lucifina couldn't agree more. She lifted her son into the air and started to fly through the halls of the Pocket Castle, a gift given to the hero by Alice. Inside all the companions he had made over his adventure resided, some more peacefully than others. He had even taken in some Apoptosis, odd creatures he had discovered in the depths of the Tartarus.

Ilias was being spoon-fed by Eden, the Third Seraph. She immediately spat it out as soon as she saw Luka, who thankfully didn't see anything. "Luka." She called. "Is it time to go already?"

The hero nodded as his mother let him down. "Everyone's waiting for us."

We're finally at the temple… Ilias had her doubts, but seeing her family around her like this subdued most of them. It felt just like old times, when she ignored all the unwanted monsters roaming about her church, that is. At first, she couldn't stand to look at them, but nowadays…

Luka led them outside. They passed dozens of companions: Heinrich, the Hero of Legend. Alicetroemeria, Heinrich's companion, and also the eighth Monster Lord. Hild, a robot they found in an odd laboratory, and, of course, Promestein, who had still not given up on trying to experiment on Luka.

Chrome was beside her. "Take us with you today!" She requested, quite loudly. "I have so many things to try out!"

"And I must be there to collect your corpse should you fall in battle," Promestein reminded, though Luka couldn't remember ever agreeing to her idea.

"Not today. We expect a big fight." Luka explained. "Only our strongest members can come along safely."

The pair of them pouted like children for a while, even though they were easily at least ten times older than Luka himself. Promestein especially. They found her in the Second Tartarus they ever explored, where she had been residing for almost five hundred years. Somehow, she had retained her sanity… for the most part.

The Heavenly Bandits were next on the list of people wanting to join them, but they were easily refused. No way was Luka going to bring five children into battle with him (Even though he had done it before, many times in fact.) Don Dahlia had been watching over them recently, but even still, he couldn't risk it. Besides, keeping the party small was the norm.

Sonya was waiting by the door. "Took you guys long enough," She smiled. Her trusty club and staff were both still in decent condition, shockingly. Luka didn't think they were top-of-the-line items, especially considering Lazarus was the one who bought them for her. "Alice! We're going!"

The Monster Lord was busy having more than her fair share of the castle's food. "Oh, right." She put the food down and slithered over. They left the castle the same way they came in—The front gate. Luka still didn't quite understand the magic of it all, but it worked. Once he stepped past the gate, he was back outside, in Snow Heaven.

And it was freezing. The air was crisp with frost, chilling them all to the bone. Even Lucifina was shivering. Each of them cast spells on themselves to provide heat to their bodies—All except for Luka and Sonya, the only humans in the group. Or at least I thought I was. Half-angel, half-human… Now Sonya's the only normal one in our party.

Ilias cast a spell on both of them, giving them the same comfort the rest of them had. Luka was grateful. They lacked the proper equipment to conquer Snow Heaven ever since they set foot there, largely due to the fact that it was so few in demand. The only cold areas of the world were the ice caps south of the Ilias Continent and a few mountain ranges across Sentora.

Lucifina flew far ahead of them, scouting it out on her own. The temple was not at all how she remembered it. It was a total ruin, from top to bottom. Nature and time had clearly taken their toll. Most of its proud archways had collapsed into mere piles of rubble, but the Second Seraph still saw a certain beauty in it. "Pretty…"

Micaela flew up to join her sister. "Sister, you should be more careful. The Apoptosis around here are powerful. In our weakened states, we will need to work together."

The Daystar couldn't agree more. She swooped down on a blue-haired angel in the distance, made disgusting by the Apoptosis effect. The Sword of Heaven assisted her in taking down the abomination, in the name of Ilias.

Said goddess approached soon after, pleased with the sight. The Apoptosis was still alive, but completely incapacitated. There were dozens more like her around the area, just as there were for every Apoptosis they had found.

Sylph suddenly felt a shiver run down her spine. I don't like this place, Luka! Be careful!

Luka couldn't agree more. There was something eerie about these ruins. Not that he hadn't seen such destruction before; The First Tartarus, the crumbling tower in the Third Tartarus. Really, going down them only made his outlook bleaker and bleaker. Still, he had to hold onto hope. He was fated to save the universe… That's what everyone told him, at least.

Doubting yourself will only lead to your undoing, Undine said in his mind. All of the spirits communicated to him in that way. That was simply the nature of their contract.

Don't worry about me. I'll be fine, Luka steeled himself. Still, that lingering doubt remained.

A few more Apoptosis tried their luck with them—All failed. Almost every single fight was six versus one, so they didn't stand much chance in the first place. Getting to the end of the ruins didn't take long after that.

"Slow down you guys!" White Rabbit said, appearing before them, out of breath. "I still need to explain everything!"

Luka had grown tired of the rabbit's irritating habits recently, but he did a good job of hiding it, unlike Ilias. "What is it now?" She asked, crossing her arms. "Haven't you already done enough talking?"

"This is really important!" She said. "Like, really really important!"

"Go on then," Alice said, putting her rapier away. A younger her, fresh after her sealing, probably would've tried to jump the rabbit for what she had done. But nowadays, she knew it was futile. White Rabbit was not normal, not of this world, or any for that matter. She was a constant—Either the Goddess or the Spirit of Time, according to Promestein.

"We have a lot to go over, so I'll explain on the way." White Rabbit said, stepping over the rubble. Luka and the others trailed along closely. "It all started a long, long time ago when the worlds were but one…"

The experiment did not go as planned. Not at all.

Years they had spent decades setting it up—Inventing new equipment, improving their computers, creating all new formulae, all just to pull off one single experiment—To summon the Hero Heinrich's spirit. He was the stuff of legends, no, he was the legend. From there, they could even potentially bring him back to life for real…

"Cut the power!" One of the others shouted. The man couldn't tell who. His mind was still occupied with the scene unfolding before him. Tentacles slithered out of the girl's skirt, her smile growing ever wider. He recognised her. How could he not? She was in all the picture books. The Monster Lord Heinrich defeated—Alipheese the Eight, or more famously, Black Alice.

His life was over before he knew it. Everything was gone in an instant. Darkness, all-consuming, all there ever was, and all there ever will be.

Black Alice flew, further and faster than she ever had before. The ground beneath her crashed and crumbled. Her new power burst out of every pore, engulfing all that surrounded her. There was nothing, nothing that could stop her now. Heinrich had failed. Ilias had failed. Luka had failed. All of them were pathetic, nothing, nobody, worthless pathetic people. She was the winner, and here was her reward.

The look from above was truly magnificent. The Earth's new scar tore deep into its crust, tearing into the side of Hellgondo and then some, reaching all the way down to the centre of Sentora. She could destroy it all if she wanted to. She could do whatever she wanted to, whenever she wanted to. The universe was her plaything, and she was only just getting started.

"Her power came from an oversight no one could've foreseen. Moments before she took her last breath, the experiment the scientists were conducting summoned her instead of the Hero Heinrich, thanks to her blood staining his sword." White Rabbit explained. "The damage was catastrophic."

"Did she ever come back?" Sonya asked. "And what world did she do that to…?"

"In this very world, the first world to stem from the original. You know the event as the Great Disaster. The damage has long since abated, for the most part, but you can still see signs of it here and there, in all the Tartarus' and especially in Remina, where the experiment was conducted. Black Alice hasn't been seen since. Even I have lost track of her recently. She is biding her time, waiting for something… Or someone."

White Rabbit's eyes rested on Luka for but the briefest of moments, but it was enough for him to notice.

Alice did her best to understand it. "So we're just an offshoot of the first world…? Then why are all the other-worlders so interested in us?"

"Your world is even more significant than even the first. This is the one from which all the other worlds stemmed. If this world should be covered in darkness or in light, then it will have a lasting impact on everything. They all want control over this world, and they will stop at nothing to gain it."

"Then we have to protect it," Sonya declared. "They've already hurt so many people. The harpies, Meia, Sara. Not to mention the other members of royalty and their people."

White Rabbit frowned. She didn't have the heart to say it—They'd discover the truth soon enough anyway. "Good luck," She said. "I'll be watching!"

And with that, she was gone. The end of the ruins wasn't far now. Ilias led them forth, careful to step over the thorny branches and the slippery mud. "The tremors are only getting worse," She said. "Someone powerful is up ahead… In fact…"

It didn't take them long to see the person Ilias was talking about it. It was her, another version of her, this world's Ilias. Luka had seen her before, just when he had started his journey. Chaos, as he now knew it, was corroding her and distorting her form. It had only gotten worse over time.

Now she was barely recognisable. "I-Ilias…" Luka walked closer, only to be held back by Sonya, fearing what might happen if he stepped over the corrupted ground. "What happened to you…?"

White Rabbit reappeared, hopping out of the rubble. "When Black Alice was resurrected, the damage was so brutal that Heaven itself was struck down! That's where this continent came from."

"Shut it, annoying rabbit." Ilias snapped her finger, turning the purple-haired rabbit monster into a pile of ash in an instant. Lightning had always been Ilias' favourite weapon. "But yes. That is what happened. It would not have happened had the Hero and the Monster Lord made sure to finish her off after defeating her, but alas…"

"Since you already know about Black Alice's resurrection, I'll simply cut to the chase. Chaos is attempting to restore order to the worlds, to bring them all in line with the original, which means that I must die, just as it happened there. Our world is already out of sync with True History, and chaos means to correct it. I've been holding it back ever since Heaven fell." Ilias explained.

"To bring down Heaven itself… Black Alice has grown too powerful…" The smaller Ilias said. Even in my prime, with Alipheese's power… I might not be able to beat her… "When you die, will the chaos stop?"

Ilias shook her head. "It will lessen. But as of right now, I am the only one strong enough to hold it back. But I am running out of power. You must… find someone to replace me…"

Luka could tell she was weakening, and fast. Just before he could take any action, a trio of monsters he recognised flew down behind Ilias, one of them striking her in the back with a wave of sharp wind. Lilith stepped back from the goddess afterwards, not looking as proud of her actions as he would've expected.

Blood spilled out from Ilias' back. "N-No… I…"

The ground shook even harder as Ilias fell, slowly fading into pure holy energy. The Lilith Sisters, to their credit, did not look proud. "We did what had to be done," Lilith said, her lengthy violet hair blowing softly in the wind. "She said it herself. She dies around this time in True History."

Suddenly another group arrived, slowly descending from the sky. Luka recognised them too—They were the Three Seraphim. Zion spoke first. "You idiots! Now look at what you've done!"

The chaos spread rapidly, shaking the ground harder and harder as it grew. Nuruko kyu'd quietly from inside the Pocket Castle as the two groups started shouting at each other.

Luka, over his long time quelling the fights between Ilias and Alice, had actually become quite proficient as a middleman in an argument. He didn't want to step on the purple goo which clearly had something to do with chaos, seeing as it was all over the Tartarus', so instead he stood one step away from it.

"S-Stop this! We need to deal with the chaos before things get out of hand!" He shouted, trying to reason with them. Yet neither side would listen. Morrigan finally had enough of discussing their issues verbally and instead started dealing with things in a more practical manner. She flew towards Zion, grabbing her by the hair and pummelling her into the ground.

Lilith and Astaroth wanted to avoid a fight at first, but now… It didn't take long for Eden and Gnosis to get the message either. Before long both sides were fighting each other with all their might, which was worryingly equal. Luka continued to try and stop them, but he couldn't risk stepping on the chaos.

"We should run!" Sonya suggested, trying to back up from the encroaching chaos. It was spreading quicker and quicker as time went on. "Promestein might have a way to stop it! Or maybe Hild!"

Ilias felt powerless. I'm not strong enough to hold this chaos back, not yet. Then who is!? Eden has been weakened from using all of her power, and Lucifina and Micaela are too… Maybe if we all worked together, alongside Luka, we could stop it for a bit…

Nuruko forced her way out of the Pocket Castle, kyuing as loudly as ever. Only Sonya and a few select others could understand what she was saying. "Kyu!" She ran towards the chaos, touching it with her tentacles.

Luka pulled her back. "Nuruko! Don't touch that, it's dangerous! …What the…?"

The chaos was repelled, pushed back a few metres from where she touched it. The ground below was perfectly safe to touch, the same grey stone brick as the rest of the temple. "How did you…?"

"I don't know either, but she can do it," Alice patted Nuruko on the back. "Go on, stop it before it spreads too far. Just be careful."

"Kyu!" Nuruko made swift progress, cleansing the ruins of the rampant chaos. Still, the two groups never stopped fighting. Gnosis' mechanical body shifted and spun as she danced around Astaroth, cutting deep into her body. The succubus soon returned to favour, punching the robotic angel clean in the face.

Zion and Morrigan had somehow both been grounded, now fighting in the rubble. Lilith and Eden had a more refined battle, preferring ranged magic over physical combat. Luka could only wait and watch as they fought.

Nuruko was already done containing most of the chaos by the time the fight had died down. She couldn't seem to quite get rid of all of it, but at least it wasn't spreading now. Ilias suggested that it was more like she was condensing and containing it, rather than destroying it. She'd have to check with Promestein to be sure.

"You ugly, disfigured angel! Stay down!" Morrigan shouted, dragging Zion's face against the stone. The angel fired blast after blast of divine energy at the succubus, burning her skin upon contact. Luka noticed they were fairly close and decided now was as good a time as any to intervene.

Sonya tackled Morrigan and kept her down, with Alice and Nuruko both helping to restrain her. Zion was already airborne by the time Luka got close enough to grab her, but an arrow from Ilias soon grounded her, and she too was restrained.

Thank Ilias they're tired. Even now it would be difficult for us to restrain both of them at once.

"Unhand me!" Zion shouted, desperately trying to break free from Luka and Ilias' grasp. They had no rope on hand to tie her hands together with, nor would it be likely to hold in the first place, so for now they had no choice but to keep her down manually.

Sonya let Alice and Nuruko keep Morrigan restrained. Instead, she focused on keeping the others at bay, who only now had seen what happened, but still being preoccupied with fighting each other, they had no chance to intervene.

Ilias cast a binding spell on Zion's hands. "This should keep her down for a bit. I'll put it on Morrigan as well."

Luka rose, letting the seraph flail around on the ground, still trying to break free. "Lilith! Eden! We need to talk!"He shouted.

The two were still fighting each other, but Lilith at least did hear him, given that she gave him a quick glance. Now all he had to do was wait.

It didn't take long after that. "Wait," Lilith said, swerving around one of Eden's jabs. "Your ally has been restrained. As has mine. We should see what the Hero Luka wants."

Eden wanted to do nothing more than behead the vile succubus before her right now and be done with it, but she couldn't just leave Zion behind. Goddess Ilias trusted her to keep her two fellow seraphs safe, and that is exactly what she would do.

Luka felt their presence imposing. Lilith smiled as she got closer. "You've tied my little sister down. Don't worry," Her smile grew. "She's into that."

"W-We need to talk…" The hero was suddenly unsure. What should he even say? "...Uh, we…"

An idea hit Lilith; Morrigan had been captured, which might not truly be a bad thing… If she can turn things around, that is. Instead of being a hostage, Morrigan could pass as a companion instead. She could relay information to Lilith and Astaroth and also buy the hero's trust by working alongside him. It's a better plan than attacking them and freeing Morrigan forcefully, at least.

"—Very impressive, Hero." Lilith started. "You're power is as great as we had hoped. Seeing as you've already beaten Morrigan, why not keep her as a companion? That is how you normally do it, yes?"

"Well, I guess…" Luka shook his head. "But that's not important right now. We need to talk about what you guys did to Ilias! How are we going to deal with this chaos?"

Lilith nodded. "We too fear Chaos. But this Ilias had to die. You did a good job in containing the aftermath…" The eldest of the Lilith Sisters, and their namesake, bowed before the hero. "We are truly sorry for endangering you and this world. We didn't expect the chaos to spread so quickly."

Ilias scoffed. They're really sucking up to him, aren't they? They want him on their side badly…

Eden watched Zion fumble around dejectedly. "Ilias will be most disappointed… Hero, we must apologise as well. We did not arrive in time to protect Ilias… And just as you defeated that blue-haired monster and have now taken her into your… care, you may do the same with Zion. Treat her with respect. Of course, she'll be free to leave and return as she wishes, I assume?"

"Well, I never actually said I'd taken either of them in—"

"Perfect. We must go before those Apoptosis show up again. Cross World Contact is to be kept to a minimum, after all…" I just hope that doesn't mean Zion and Morrigan's presence won't only make things worse, Eden thought. "Good luck to you, Hero Luka. I hope you make the right choice when the time comes."

Eden teleported away, along with Gnosis. Lilith was glad to be rid of them. "We must depart as well," She said, sounding almost sad. "Astaroth. Come, we have much to do."

The red-haired succubus smiled at Luka as they flew off. Once they were all gone, the hero turned back to his companions, new and old. Ilias didn't like it, not one bit. "We can keep Zion," She said. "But Morrigan has got to go. She's insane!"

Alice slithered next to the succubus, helping her up. She was still in her holy binds, much to her annoyance. "Oh shut up you little goddess!" Morrigan shouted. "You think I want to be here?"

"It's not so bad," Alice said. "Just help us out every now and then and you'll be treated well."

Zion started laughing at the succubus. "You're sisters looked so happy to be rid of you!" She pointed out. "I'm sure they'll be having a feast without you now!"

"Why are there so many angels here!? And you, shut up! I was going to beat you, everybody knows it! You're weak!" Morrigan snapped back.

Luka could see the issues already. It was just like Ilias and Alice, all over again. And these two were even worse. At least the Monster Lord and Goddess had started to tolerate each other, though even now they didn't think much of one another. Hopefully, he could even get Zion and Morrigan to work together…

"Damn succubus! Ilias will smite you and all your vile sisters!"

"Puritan angel! None of you will be left standing after we're done with you!"

Or not…