Nature smiled with a divine glow.


    "I understand well that my appearance is shocking to all of you."


    With a smile less warm, she looked at Orion.


    "Yet, there is no time neither for I nor for you to lose time anymore."


    She crossed her arms, and stuck her back against the wall.


    "I am in a terrible predicament where this world as a whole could be turned into corrupt lands."


    "If it were only Triazils, I would''ve simply watched as this would be a trial for the individuals living on it, yet, this corrupted power is more terrifying than I gave it credit originally."


    Everyone listened quietly.


    "I''ve wasted too much time trying to seal Blanc''s loss of control. Ultimately, it came to this... losing one of my most trusted ally."


    The frown on her face wasn''t pretty. Anyone could see the pain in her eyes, as she thought about Tetra.


    "I will briefly explain why this whole ordeal is painful for me to deal with, and why Blanc''s wish to save Frey will never be possible."


    Orion opened his mouth in shock.


    "Even with Tetra''s Remnant power?"


    She nodded.


    "Originally, Blanc was the only Remnant on this earth. I brought him to life, to represent me. The power gifted to him was supposed to help me find other potential entities able to convey the rules I created for this world."


    "Power, Culture, Language, Space, Time, Fate, Destiny, Life, Death... I could recite them all, even the ones you are not aware of."


    With a faint smile, she basically told Orion that the amount of Remnant he had found was but the tip of the iceberg.


    "After the event that transpired with those invaders from another world, I settled with the daughters and sons of the Valkyries. With the expectation that they would develop into the pillars of this continent, I stopped influencing them."


    "But, I made a mistake. I forgot about Blanc, who turned his fundamental power into something dreadful. Instead of seeing the world as pure, he began to taint it."


    "In essence, I do not blame him..."


    A genuine expression of sorrow formed on her face.


    "But never mind what I think. The instant I noticed his schemes, I sealed his corrupted power. With less potential to cause trouble, I hoped he would give up."


    Shaking her head, she sighed.


    "Not only did it not work, but he managed to become even stronger. As a system, it was impossible for me to influence the world any more than this."


    "By a grace that I do not comprehend even to this day, a human Hero happened to grace our land."


    "Noah."


    Olivia muttered.


    "Yes. Noah. He was as mysterious as he appeared to be. Where he came from, what his goals were, I had no idea. All I know is that he relentlessly pursued Miasma and protected the people without asking anything in return."


    Orion frowned.


    "Even you, Nature, do not know a thing about Noah? How is that possible?"


    Nature, possessing Henrietta, closed her eyes.


    "I do not know, and there is no way to know either. I have made contact with Henrietta and Tetra at this point, doing whatever I could to support his fights."


    "That''s how Henrietta learned about the reality of the world."


    A dark veil covered her face.


    "It is unbearably difficult to change the events written in the book of destiny. Rewind the world''s timer as much as you want, it is near impossible to do so."


    "And it doesn''t affect you, am I right?"


    The dark veil disappeared, before her warm smile returned.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "I am but a system. This consciousness was only developed after refining my thought process. Since I do not exist on the mortal plane, I am not affected."


    "If I had to compare, it is the same as your realm. Unaffected by the world''s timer, yet still living in the present."


    Orion thought about Horizon, before nodding.


    "I see."


    Satisfied with the explanation, Nature walked away from the wall.


    "I cannot stay much longer, or Henrietta''s soul will suffer from my presence."


    Stopping in front of Orion, she whispered to him.


    "Your fate is sealed. Even thought I would have preferred it otherwise, with Tetra gone, there is no more turning back."


    Feeling the pain in her voice, Orion nodded.


    "I am fine with that. Miasma needs to be stopped either way."


    The two looked into each other''s eyes, before Nature turned to Olivia.


    "Young demon, I have something to tell you before leaving."


    "Heh?!"


    Being called out suddenly, she jumped.


    "You''ve asked if I would think your magic would be against the rules of this world."


    "Y-Yes."


    "If it exists, it isn''t. If I had to be upset at someone, it would be toward your lamia friend."


    Hearing Deveralna coming out of her mouth, the girls suddenly frowned.


    "What has she done?"


    Amelia asked.


    "She pulled a mystical existence from another world into ours. With an entity as powerful as this one, I hope she controls it to perfection. Either way, I''m not planning on punishing her nor you."


    "Losing precious help against Miasma would be foolish."


    With a smile, she turned to Orion. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and closed her eyes.


    "Take care of Miasma for me."


    One last time, she whispered into his ears. With a grim face, she said.


    "I leave Tetra in your hands."


    The crest behind her back disappeared, as Henrietta slumped into his arms like a doll having its strings cut.


    Since she was already in Orion''s arms, he caught her effortlessly. Picking her up, he placed Henrietta on the bed.


    ''What did Nature mean by that?''


    The only option he could think of was to avenge her death.


    There was a lot to process, yet, Orion shook his head.


    "There''s no time to think about this."


    He looked at Henrietta, before placing his right hand over her face. Seconds later, she opened her eyes.


    "Once you''re feeling alright, we''ll return to Horizon."


    She sat on the bed, holding her head.


    "Sure. Give me a minute."


    After nodding, Orion walked to the door. He opened it, and with his back turned to everyone, he spoke.


    "Join me outside once ready."


    He closed the door, and walked alone into the empty castle.


    "..."


    Amelia stared at the door for a moment, before turning to her mother.


    "Mom, what was that at the end?"


    "We''re going to lose more than we thought, is what she said."


    With a pained expression, she hid her face between her hands.


    Concerned, the women quietly prepared themselves, before leaving the room in turn.


    ...


    "Olivia..."


    In one of the corridors inside the castle, a woman''s voice called out to the ruler of Noctelagia.


    "Saffira?"


    The humanoid kelpie walked toward her friend, and stopped next to her. The two began to walk together, followed by the twenty-seven maids, who were making hard faces.


    "How was he?"


    "Tired. I''ve managed to talk to it before he fell asleep. The corruption might have exhausted him past his limits."


    "That is good to hear."


    The two were talking about the gigantic creature.


    "So, what is the plan?"


    Suddenly, Saffira asked her this question.


    "I''ve seen Orion at the entrance of the castle. From the look on his face, I figured something is about to happen."


    "..."


    Olivia nodded.


    "We''re going to fight Miasma... Or so I thought."


    Inside her, she knew that Orion wasn''t planning to take her with him.


    "Most of us are far too weak to fight alongside him. If I had to guess, Orion, Amelia, Karteira, and Henrietta will go. Alongside Elliott too."


    "Since he explained the situation to us, he won''t have time to see the others. Deveralna and May are probably oblivious to the whole situation."


    They approached the main hall.


    "Alright. In that case, I will return into the sea with the kelpies."


    "Thank you for your help, Saffira. If not for you, the city would be a terrible mess."


    "We''re friends. It was nothing."


    Olivia smiled warmly at her.


    "Well then."


    Saffira waved while turning around, leaving the castle. Olivia watched as Saffira exchanged a few words with Orion, before heading toward the sea.


    "I suppose I''ll have a chat with the others."


    Moments later, she opened the door too.


    ~


    A long sigh escaped a silver haired man''s mouth.


    "That''s the end for us too, isn''t it?"


    Reon looked at the screen in front of him, recalling the words Nature spoke to his son.


    "There''s nothing we can do either besides watch the end of his journey."


    Next to him, a crimson haired woman snuggled to his shoulder.


    "We should''ve died a long time ago, so I consider myself lucky to die alongside Orion."


    Orianne smiled, freed of her usual concerns.


    "I wish we could''ve done more for him. Now that we have been confirmed that his fate is sealed, there''s this faint feeling of conflict inside me."


    "On one side, I want him to keep fighting, to create his own path instead of following one written for him."


    Leaning backward, Reon looked at the wooden ceiling of his recreated house.


    "The other part wants this to end. He has suffered enough. We, as a family, have been through too much suffering. I don''t believe our struggle to have been meaningless, but the reality is there."


    Nodding, Orianne straightened, her eyes locked on her son, who appeared deep in thoughts.


    "You''re right. We had no idea that Miasma was the one trying to end our lives, the previous Hero failed to kill him, and Orion will meet the same end."


    "What we can hope for is that Orion and Miasma mutually kill each other. That way, his death wouldn''t be meaningless."


    Reon frowned.


    "I''ll never consider someone who sacrificed himself as a Hero. Do you imagine the pain and agony of those who will stay behind? This will be a tragedy for this family."


    The two stared in space for a moment, picturing Orion''s lovers and friends.


    "And Stella? Have you thought about her? Amelia is also very unstable. Without Orion, I fear her mind will shut down."


    "Karteira isn''t far better. She will probably revert to her former self."


    "Reon, stop."


    Orianne placed a finger on his lips.


    "Don''t torture yourself with those thoughts. We won''t be there to watch over their future."


    "Right..."


    Even though they wished for a happy ending, everything led to the opposite. The path ahead was a dead end.


    Yet, until the very end, they wished to be proven wrong.


    As they watched over Orion, who returned to Horizon with Amelia, Henrietta, Olivia, and her maids, the ending came in sight.


    With the fate of the entire world in stake, and Orion''s own future placed as a chip, the final confrontation was near.