"I have seen the worst of mortalkind. The divine are no less depraved than those they deem corrupt."
Atop a sea of corpses, the distant cries of armies and raining stars were deafening. A red-eyed man raised his sword. Everyone was to witness this moment, witness the moment he would sunder the sky. His ink-black hair flailed as divinity erupted; he clenched the sword.
"Therefore…" Hilos murmured, sweeping his blade across the sky, tearing the fabric of reality as he cleaved forth the void—I will end it all.
The heavens had been torn apart a second time; dawn's crimson clouds were sucked toward the void, crying thunder as red lightning coursed through the sky.
"—YOU WANT TO USURP ME!?"
The massive demon god Isth, in his majestic dragonoid form, blasted through the man's army. His breath split the earth, leaving nothing but molten seas as his demonic underlings pushed forth.
"I WOULD'VE SPARED YOUR KIN; GRANTING YOU A FORM OF MY OWN—FOOLS!"
The Supreme Celestial Angel Eterisa and her angels soared through the atmosphere to contain the void's growth, unable to make it collapse. At her wits' end, Eterisa's light illuminated the world.
"Lethren can no longer be saved," she whispered under her breath.
She raised her blade, ready to cleave the world in half—
"Uuh…" she gasped, golden blood gushing out of her mouth.
Divine blades pierced her body; she recognized them all. Except for one. A simple, ashy blade pulsing with blue mana. It stunned her; the flames of entropy engulfed her divinity.
Before she realized, Hilos the Void Sovereign and Isth the Demon God had equally been betrayed by their kin; they had conspired their downfall with an Outsider. Alester the Ashen Machina.
Isth's massive snake-like body lay flat atop the lands as Hilos' theatric laughter echoed throughout the void.
"Ignol, you bastard… Hahahaha… Well done…" he uttered his final words.
The ashy blades cracked. Reality shattered like a mirror, dragging them beyond to a world beyond this one—the mirrored realm.
..
—Present Day: Ilifelen calendar, year 5212, Enoh, 17th.
In the ruins in the forest of Lidande, Hilos sat bored on his throne. There was nothing to do. All he did since he'd awoken was to watch his subordinates build and set up a false sky.
Ignol, the Dark Armor, his form now more human, had come to report. "My Liege, this is what we've found out about the current world—as you've suspected, it is the Lethren we know," he stated, continuing as Hilos listened with a bored expression.
He couldn't leave the ruins, his subordinates wouldn't allow him to do anything to repent for their sins, and the bastard Machina Alester hasn't visited since.
Tsk… what does he intend to keep me locked up in this place? Hilos contemplated.
"Also, mortals have pushed deeper into the ruins for the past few days. Our men and magibeasts have taken care of them and—"
Hilos raised an eyebrow. "Mortals? Days? Why is this the first time I've heard of it?" he questioned.
Ignol paused, stating, "It was nothing of importance, my Liege—"
"Hahahaha… in that case…" Hilos flashed a wicked smile. "Connect the chambers—if they arrive at your feet and prove themselves to you—I'll grant them an audience."
"…" Ignol silently bowed his head and knelt on one knee. "As you wish, my Liege."
…
..
It was a cold night as usual. It was beautiful, stars stretched across the sky. Stars streaked the sky, but piercing through the clouds, a pink amethyst meteorite emerged.
In the high altitudes, Amethely finally descended as she was reaching her destination. She'd packed the stuff she'd need, and of course, the baked goods.
Looking forward to seeing him again after a few days, scenarios played inside her head. In one of which she masterfully comforts him, stroking his hair as she buries him in her bosom.
Mmngh~ I just want to hug him… but, would he be surprised to see me? She wondered.
But just as the thought crossed her mind, she assumed he'd probably been told by Rigeld. Thus, excluding the thought of surprising him.
Just like that, she'd arrived after, and looking at the time, it was just 9 PM, thus making it unlikely for him to be in bed.
He would likely be out with his party members, have a meal or something. With such passing thoughts, Amethely finally landed a bit further away from the town, but she was immediately approached by armed guards.
"Reveal yourself," a powerful-looking guard said.
From their perspective, they were on a patrol, and a meteorite crashed close by. Thinking it was likely a beast or something similar, they didn't falter and headed there right away, only to see a hooded individual.
"Apologies," Amethely replied as she removed the hood.
Her silky silver-gray hair essentially shone in a warm purple, her pink-amethyst eyes elegantly met theirs.
"My name is Amethely Ilis. I did not mean to cause trouble," she added. "I thought it to be… less conspicuous if I landed a little further away from the town."
"…" The guard frowned; he clearly recognized her face, features, and even her dress-like robe under the cloak. "And impersonating The Saint is a crime punishable by divine judgment," he said.
Amethely blinked. "Impersonation?" she asked, confused.
Just like that, they were ready to detain her. She couldn't even reach into the void storage to show them her family emblem. They were already on guard; thus, instead of a fight breaking out, she quietly got detained and was escorted to the guard post.
Mother, Father, your daughter was detained for the first time… I knew it. Was it because I did something naughty…? Unngh… I just miss Al. Is that so bad?
But despite those thoughts crossing her mind, she seemed more intrigued than anything. And like the elegant and warm saint-like behavior she exuded caused doubt to gnaw at the guards, but protocol was protocol.
..
Meanwhile, as Amethely was in for questioning, Alum and his companions had a late-night dinner in the dining hall. Besides Sarah and Lyn, he also got to know Dalen and Keelen, the former blond and the latter silver-haired.
"What a surprise, to think you already ran into Sarah," Turen said, laughing as he downed a beer. "Phew…" he exhaled, putting the glass down.
"We're as surprised. To think you know this perverted woman," Luna stated, gracefully eating her food.
"Aww~ You're so cold, Selene—hic," Sarah groaned, the hiccups followed as she'd chugged the alcohol down. "Isn't that right, Lyn?" she nudged her friend.
Lyn ignored her. "Again, I'm very sorry, Selene, Ailz. She's—"
"Ouch!?" Sarah exclaimed, holding her head.
Keelen had chopped her. "Seriously…" he said. "Again, we're sorry for the trouble—I didn't think she'd sexually harass you, Ms. Selene."
"Urk… Keelen, why'd you hit me…?" Sarah asked, her eyes teary as she clenched his sleeve. "You're so mean…"
Keelen sighed, and a deadpan look was plastered on his face. Dalen then chuckled softly.
"She really does have a foul mouth—wasting her good looks."
"Aww, you're so sweet, Dalen. I'm pretty~… Huh—wait what!?"
"Pffts…" Lyn giggled.
Luna sighed. "It's fine, she's treating us and… if another foul word escapes her lips, I'll personally work her to the bones," the princess declared.
"Waaaah!? Keelen, that little girl's scaryyyy~."
Keelen smiled. "Ms. Selene… Sarah might be like this, but I'll leave her in your care when the time comes."
"Wwaaaahhhh!? Lyyyn, Keelen's a bully," she whined, hugging the green-haired elf.
"Don't worry, I'll make you lunch when the time comes," Lyn replied, her smile dazzling.
Blinded by the light, she turned to the darkness named Dalen. "Dalen…" she mustered to say his name meekly.
"I'm sorry you're such an idiot," he bluntly told her as he took a sip of his liquor.
At that moment, the already drunk Sarah flailed, causing the whole dining hall to burst into laughter after having unwillingly heard the situation.
"They're always so lively, aren't they?" Nuli said, leaning her head on Turen's shoulder.
"Well… Sarah's always been a troublemaker, hahaha," Turen replied.
Nuli fed him a bite. "As for…" she paused, glancing at Jua and Jan in the corner.
Jan whimpered, his tail swaying back and forth while he hugged his girlfriend—he was dead drunk. "Geez… you're so… cute like this," Jua murmured, patting his back.
Turen grinned. "I was so surprised and couldn't help but tease him after seeing that for the first time, hahahaha!"
"You bully, I pitied him at that time. But our party got closer after that," Nuli said, recalling the nostalgic memories from five years ago.
Then, silently finishing his meal, Alum stood up. "I'll head back to my room," he said.
The others waved him goodnight, Luna nodded, then ordered more food.
..
Alone on the balcony, Alum looked at the stars. His expression was listless, introspective. With a flick of his thumb, a candy landed in his mouth.
During the past few days, he hasn't had proper rest. The wear was getting to him. A piece of his psychic core had returned, draining most of his energy, yet it failed to fix itself.
Nevertheless, he didn't care if those abilities returned or not—but then, it would be a pity not to see Sinister or Monochrome again… he thought.
They'd been his companions for years. One stored all his rage, dampening his pain. The other was his rational encyclopedia. Even though they'd been assimilated back into him, they were separate beings for so long that they might as well be considered separate entities from him.
I wonder what they'll think of me now.
As his thoughts drifted in many directions, he saw a cloaked figure in the distance. Their long silver-gray hair made him wonder about Amethely.
Maybe a present? He pondered. In that case, what? She likes flowers, magitech, and reading. Like any ordinary girl, what would make her happy?
Thinking such thoughts, the cloaked figure finally passed; they looked up for a brief moment. His sapphire eyes met hers, then she continued to walk toward the entrance to Featherwhale.
"…"
Alum's eyes narrowed. Her eyes were those of Amethely's—rather, her face, her stature, her hair. The girl who, after stopping, walked a few steps, stopped again. This time, confused as she peered into his eyes.
"Al?" the girl voiced.
Alum rubbed his eyes. Then sighed.
I see… I must miss her so much I'm hallucinating… I really need to rest, he thought, about to leave the balcony.
"Pardon me… I apologize for offending you by calling you in such a friendly manner, I… am looking for someone, do you happen to see a man that looks just like you?"
Alum paused—her voice was soothing to him, but it was oddly real—huh…? His gaze flung back towards her.
"Ame?"
Hearing her name, Amethely's eyes widen, she blinked—a meltingly adorable smile shone, teeth out, head tilted, eyes closed, followed by a wave.
"So you are that lovely man! Al, I came to see you!" she declared.
Without hesitation, he jumped off the balcony. As soon as he landed, he braced himself as she'd already stepped toward him. With open arms, he caught her in his embrace.
"I'm sorry you ended up with such a clingy girl," Amethely apologized, not even trying to step back as she just nuzzled deeper into the embrace. "I love you…"
"I don't mind you being clingy. You still fulfill all your duties, right? Who's to judge you for a little indulgence?"
Amethely stepped back and looked him in the eyes.
"…Hehe, thanks."
Alum rested his palm on her cheek. It was soft, a little damped from the cold night, but warm. Amethely tilted her head, leaning into the touch, placing her palm over his.
Leaning in, Alum kissed her forehead. "I miss you too," he whispered as he leaned his forehead on hers.
"Anything… more?" Amethely voiced, her demeanor shy.
"Of course there's more—I love you too."
"Hmmgh… would you have said it if I didn't… ask?"
"Probably not," Alum chuckled. "Just kidding," he added.
"Meanie," Amethely pouts.
Alum softly laughed. The moment his guard was down, he felt a soft peck on his lips. Amethely then stepped back, leaned forward with her hands behind her back, looking up teasingly.
"Payback," she said.
"Don't you mean reward?" Alum fired back.
"…Al, do you like kisses?" she shyly asked.
"Don't you?"
Amethely tacked him; no force was applied. "Meanie… I-I like yours," she stammered.
Prematurely ascending, Alum hugged her tight before his feet were about to leave the ground.
"I like yours too."
"…"
It's always like this… you're the one whose supposed to be in my bosom! Amethely exclaimed in her mind, but couldn't resist nuzzling his chest.
The passerby looked at the two with affectionate eyes, not realizing one of them was their saint.