"I greet you as your most loyal servant," the silver-haired girl said with a respectful bow, her crimson eyes glowing faintly beneath the chandelier's dying light.
The cathedral fell into a tense silence.
"Is that... a maid?" Cornê asked, squinting as he leaned toward Ashiq, bewildered.
"That's a maid, alright," Ashiq replied, his voice cautious. He glanced around nervously and noticed Kleano subtly edging behind Byron, his hands slightly trembling.
"She's not gonna turn back into a dragon and kill us, is she?" Kleano whispered, half-hiding behind Byron's towering frame.
Byron sighed and rolled his eyes. "If she was going to, she already would've. Relax."
"So we have servants now, huh?" Ishipho added, grinning wide like a kid discovering royalty. "This is kind of awesome."
Aiden didn't respond immediately. His eyes were fixed on the silver-haired maid, taking in every detail—her inhuman poise, her aura, the strange familiarity in the way she bowed. Something about her made his skin crawl, not with fear, but with weight.
"So… what do we do?" Adriaan asked, turning to Aiden for guidance.
Aiden gave a heavy sigh. "I have no idea."
As if on cue, the maid slowly straightened. "I, Head Maid Aisha Drakonia, will now guide you. Please follow me."
She turned and faced what looked like a plain marble wall.
"Huh? That's just a wall," Mans muttered, eyebrows furrowed.
Aisha's half-expressionless face twitched ever so slightly. There was a strange gravity in her gaze as she turned back. "So… your premonition was correct," she said quietly, locking eyes with Byron.
"My what?" Byron asked, perplexed.
Aiden stepped forward. "What do you mean? What premonition?"
Instead of answering, Aisha raised one delicate hand and snapped her fingers.
Click.
In a shimmer of golden light and stone grinding against stone, a giant arched doorway emerged where the blank wall had been.
"Please," she said again, turning toward the door, "I'll explain everything once we've arrived."
The group exchanged nervous glances but began following her into the corridor.
They stepped into a vast hallway bathed in light. Towering stained-glass windows flooded the corridor with rainbows, and gold-trimmed pillars lined the path like divine sentinels. The ceiling soared above like the inside of a cathedral dome, painted with battle scenes between angels and demons.
"Is this… real gold?" Lerenso asked, stopping to tap one of the gilded pillars.
"Come on, magpie," Cornê grumbled, tugging his cloak.
"Hey, lemme—gah! Fine!"
As they walked, Ashiq leaned toward Aiden and whispered, "Where do you think she's taking us?"
"I don't know. But based on what she said before, it's like she was expecting someone else—maybe… the original versions of us."
Byron frowned. "She looked at me weird when she said that. Like she knows me."
Aiden didn't respond. He was too lost in thought.
Before long, Aisha stopped at a massive set of ebony doors carved with the symbol of a dragon encircling a crown. With a low groan, the doors swung open, revealing a grand dining hall.
A long obsidian table stretched down the center, surrounded by high-backed chairs and candelabras casting soft, warm light across plates of polished silver.
"So… we're having dinner?" Aiden asked, more to himself than anyone else.
"Please take your seats," Aisha said. "You've all traveled far. Eat. I shall explain afterward."
Though hesitant, hunger gnawed at them all. They took their places.
Aisha snapped her fingers again. A hidden door opened, and several dark-haired maids with horns and slender tails entered in silent procession, carrying trays of steaming dishes—roast meats, glowing fruits, unfamiliar spices, and bread that shimmered faintly with enchantment.
The heavenly aroma melted away all suspicion. One by one, they started eating.
"Holy shit," Mans said between mouthfuls, "this is amazing."
"This meat tastes like lightning and honey," Ishipho mumbled, eyes wide.
As their bellies filled, the atmosphere relaxed. The lingering tension from earlier gave way to tired sighs and satisfied silence. Once the table was cleared, Aisha stood once more.
"Now that your bodies have been nourished," she said, "allow me to nourish your minds—with the truth."
Her words cut through the air like a blade. Every eye locked onto her.
"You have awakened into bodies unfamiliar to you," she began. "But make no mistake—your souls were always meant to inhabit them."
Confused glances passed around the table.
"To explain fully… I must begin at the very beginning."
The History of Etheria
"Long ago," Aisha began, "the three continents of Etheria were in chaos. Endless wars ravaged the lands. In time, the corruption and hatred reached even the underworld, where demons began to rise, pouring from hell like a flood."
She walked slowly behind their chairs as she spoke, her voice steady and cold.
"For centuries they plagued the world. Then, a being emerged—one so powerful that even the lords of hell bowed before him."
A swirling magic circle appeared in the air beside her. In its center, an image formed: a horned figure cloaked in darkness, eyes glowing like dying stars.
"Luciferus. The Avatar of Sin. The Demon King."
Whispers spread through the room. Aiden clenched his fists.
"Though he banished the demon horde back to hell, he remained. Alone. Feared. Misunderstood. No one dared approach him… except the dragons."
Another image appeared—this time, a great silver dragon coiling around a black obelisk.
"One dragon dared speak to him. And in time, the Demon King gained their trust. He showed no malice toward the world, yet his power instilled fear in every race—humans, elves, beasts, even the gods."
Aisha paused.
"In time, others joined him—beings of immense power and tragic pasts. Eight of them. And they became known as the Demon Dukes."
She looked directly at the group.
"That… is who you are. The reincarnated souls of Luciferus and his dukes."
Everyone stared in stunned silence.
"…That's impossible," Lerenso whispered.
"Five hundred years ago, your souls began to wither," Aisha said, "torn by time, war, and magic. To preserve yourselves, you split your souls—half remained sealed in your bodies here… and the other half? Reincarnated, scattered across countless worlds."
"You mean… our old lives were just fragments?" Kleano asked, eyes wide.
"Fragments of the whole," Aisha confirmed. "Now, the pieces have returned—and so have you."
Aiden exhaled slowly. Something about her words… felt right. He had designed this world, these characters. But how could fiction have become truth?
"How do we know you're not lying?" Cornê asked.
Aisha extended her hand. Dark symbols flared across her wrist, ancient and glowing.
"I am bound by contract to the house of the Demon King. If I speak falsehood to my lord… I die."
No one had a response to that.
"What now?" Byron asked after a long pause. "If we're… them… then what does that mean for the world?"
Aisha looked up at him, and for the first time, a real emotion flickered in her eyes.
"It means Etheria has remembered its greatest fear. And soon, the world will remember why."