Golden hands picked up the ashes from the burnt and singed ground. Soon, tears fell into these delicate hands.

“We’re too late… Sniff….. Father…..”

Marigold wept, and a green hand touched her shoulder.

“We won’t have been able to anticipate their meeting anyway. We were blocked off for our safety.” Calla Lily told her.

Edelweiss went by her side. “All we can do is move forward and try to stop him before it’s truly over.”

Don nodded, his body significantly have changed and increased in size as well over the last few years.

“You’re not the only one who lost someone, Mari. This…. This much carnage isn’t like him.” He went to kneel by her side.

“I lost my brother too. I started losing him since that day and now he’s completely gone.”

Over their time in Freja’s protection, they shared the truth. Everything. They lived their days sharing their agonies and suffering, training themselves for the day they can fight back.

Marigold nodded, wiping her tears away. “You’re right….. Many of us lost someone. Many Magecians lost someone ever since the Rift. The Darkness took them away from us.”

“We should focus on stopping the Darkness from taking more.”

Wings sprouted on her back as she wore a look of defiance to this Darkness.

—————————————-

With the sounds of flapping wings overhead, the trio of Lovushka, Rabuka and Volken had traveled to the Edge. This was where the Rapier Lunis had sensed Ronin.

This weapon had the same targeting power as Lachesis, but hers was more powerful. This was a blow to Volken’s pride that a child had almost the same Mage Focus yet was superior to him.

But even that child was less superior to a supposedly ‘human’ Lovushka.

Volken watched him with great interest. As far as they knew, he was not Daemonized by Maellan. He may not even have a clue who Maellan was.

Maellan would be another problem to take care of, but he was just a small fry compared to Ronin. And with Lovushka’s skills, they actually have a chance to defeat that rat that became a beast.

Rabuka meanwhile envied how calm Lovushka was with everything. He does not regard anything with the view of superiority or inferiority, and she could feel that even his fight with Ronin…..

Was for the sake of fun, not personal feelings.

And for her, everything was about her desire to be higher. She wanted to be the top compared to Calla Lily. She wanted to be the one and only in Pavone’s heart.

If only she had the same lackadaisical disposition as the ‘Queen Lovushka’….. She would not feel the urge to scream all the time. Sometimes literally.

“He’s in the Abyss, hmm.” Lovushka smiled. “Interesting…..”

They looked down below at the large pit beneath them.

Volken asked. “Should we go? We have Griffons to take us there.”

Lovushka smiled. “No. We shouldn’t until they arrive.”

“They? Who?” Rabuka asked.

“The Abyss is Ronin’s domain. Every creature will come to his aid and support him. The three of us alone stand no chance.” Lovushka explained, looking up to the sky.

They followed his line of sight. On the remaining blue sky surrounding the rift….

Dark clouds started to gather, as if it would rain.

The two wondered who they were waiting for. Lovushka seemed to read their mind and said:

“Who else could stand a chance against Darkness but the supposed forces of Light? We are just the vultures that will steal the kill from them. They will serve as our shield until we get to Ronin and steal his throne.”

Volken frowned. “But there’s no point. We can’t consume Flame like him…..”

“Who told you that? You have been a part of the Lord of Darkness ever since you became Daemons. You consumed Flame, the Greatest Flame, and that turned your skin Obsidian.”

Their eyes widened. Right, the Baptismal of Grounds was the Greatest Flame he was talking about. The Flame of Fausforus, the Lord of Darkness who spilled his blood for this pillar.

Therefore, they could consume more of his Flame. They just need to take it from his incarnation first, and then….

They can be Lords of Darkness themselves.

———————————-

A child huddled close to his mother from the incoming rain in Scirocco.

“Mother…. the kind prince told us to stay here. But…. will we really be safe?” The young boy asked.

The mother was Joyful Salope, who embraced him and stroked his hair in reassurance. “It’s alright, child. If we put our faith in the gods, they will defeat the Darkness soon.”

“But can’t they do it sooner? I feel like the gods can’t hear us at all, Mother.” The boy Filsen frowned. “We prayed and prayed, and yet nothing happens.”

“Put your faith in them, Filsen. Never withdraw to fear.” She told him…..

But in truth, she was unsure.

They were starving, thirsty, and lacked sleep. There had been no help so far from either the gods or the Nobles they passed by, because everyone was suffering on their own too.

Everyone needed to fend for themselves, and this was especially true for the Commoners.

Would they really keep on surviving if they put their fate in the gods?

The gods overhead really could not hear their prayers. They were instead focused on preparing for battle and discussing strategy. Not once did the Commoners came to their mind as motivation.

It was a fight for power. They were losing their powers as people lost faith, so they needed to gain it back.

“Continue bringing storms, Demetri.” Vesuvius told his fellow god as he mounted his own large blue Hounds.

On his side was his brother, the God of Peace, Pallas. “Seelie, you should prepare to heal us for injuriies.”

The Goddess Seelie was also in the same tired and overused state as the humans. She was the one who exerted the most effort ever since this rise of Darkness.

She had healed her fellow gods, dispersed her healing power to her priests, and used even more to quicken the healing of Nobles who had only now regained their powers.

She was completely weakened and her cheeks were shrunken, but she still nodded. “You can count on me. But what about the Champion of Aurion…”

“He’s no Champion. He’s just a Fool. If he gets caught in the battle, let him be.” Pallas said. “Perhaps it would even be better….”

“If we kill him before the Lord of Darkness consumes him.”

—————————————————————–

Ronin took the knife, and suddenly, memories surged upon him.

He and Min Cheng had escaped that night. Min Cheng had tried to get him out of jail, but…..

The authorities had managed to catch up, and there were guns ready to shoot at the both of them.

“T-they’ll kill me, gege… They’ll see me as a traitor.” Min Cheng clutched on his sleeves. “I don’t want to die!”

Nelson Ou tried to calm him down. “We just need to keep running! Come on—”

He then noticed Min Cheng take out something from his pocket.

“What is that?” He faltered from running as he saw it.

“I…. This is just for emergency cases. But it won’t do much against a gun….. Gege…..” Min Cheng gritted his teeth.

Then, he faced Ronin. “I’m sorry, gege. They’ll kill us both. I’m a coward, and I can’t die.”

And then…..

Darkness.

“You were afraid to die with me.” Ronin said coldly as he did.

Cermin was dumbstruck ever since he saw the knife. His body started shaking, and tears had fallen from his eyes.

“How did that get here… How…..”

“You were afraid to die, that’s why you did it.” Ronin chuckled bitterly, “Of course….. Min Cheng the coward never changes.”

His eyes widened as he heard his real name be spoken by his ‘friend’.

“I…. Who are you….”

Ronin only approached him, walking like a phantom as he did. He wanted to feel pain, to feel anger, to feel immense gratification from being given the chance to kill him the same way as he did.

This was perfect karma!

But in the end, as he held the blade…..

He only felt numb, doing what he was meant to do.

Serving his role as the vengeful villain. They have reached the End now.

“Ah-Cheng…… I wonder…. Did you really consider me as a friend? Or was it because you have no one else that you valued our friendship?”

He had no emotion when he asked that, only seeking answers.

“No, you can’t be… All this time, you’re… You’re…”

Ronin heard a voice in his head. It was Espinella.

(Everyone is coming, my Lord. The gods, the traitors, the four girls….. Everyone. They had come to seek you as their enemy.)

(This person is your enemy too. In whatever form, he had always been your foe.)

Ronin did not respond. He turned to see Kai just watching everything intently in silence.

“Ou….” Cermin wept and wept. “Ou, I’m so happy that you’re here! You don’t know how much I…. I regret that night… I shouldn’t have been a coward and stayed with you in the end….. Gege, I missed you—”

But as soon as Ronin took a step forward, Cermin took a step back.

At this, Ronin made an empty, villainous smile.

“So you say, but you fear me. You have no faith that I won’t hurt you. Because you know who I am.”

STAB!

He embraced him closely, as he let the knife pierce his flesh. As he did, the childish promise rang on his ear.

“I am your friend. I will always want you around, gege.”

He whispered another solemn promise on Cermin’s ear.

“I am your enemy. I will always want you gone, Ah-Cheng.”