Today is the day I confront Athen, sitting on the couch in Deliah's house. There are electricity sparking between our eyes.

  Kratos walked in and set up some tea, he took one gnce at us and nodded, "I'll leave it up to you two."

  He went upstairs.

  "Charlotte... where did I fail in raising you?", she sighed.

  "I don't know, left me with motherfucking Satan?!", I shot back.

  "I was also keeping an eye on you!! How did that fucking woman influence you so much?!", now she broke into full-on yelling.

  "She indulges in my needs! Between someone who says no to almost anything, and someone who pampers me. Who would a child choose?", I hit her with logic.

  "Urgh!! I should've taken you away—"

  I grabbed her throat, staring at her intently with my Eyes of Judgement, "Don't you dare say things like that."

  I've seen my future self, Sincir, what she had become. She was raised with love and was joyful, that is why she broke.

  Suffering builds character, isn't that what people say nowadays?

  I cheated, and memories I haven't had for fifteen years, that amount of suffering made me who I am.

  The Silver Princess, the Argent Monarch of Humanity. I am the ruler of humanity, she who breaks the past.

  "You are the Gem Holder of Zagreus, the rightful inheritor of Olympus and all of Greece. Regrets isn't something you should have.", I snapped her neck, "If you are his owner... think about what you have done."

  I let go of my hand, her lifeless body fell onto the floor. From underneath, a pool of blood formed and thin bloody hands reached out, dragging her down into the underworld.

  Hah...

  Should I turn Greece into a monarchy? That would be a fitting torment for Athen. Let's shelf that idea for now.

  I grabbed the tea and drank it, it's sweet.

  This is life...

  Not exciting enough for me, at all. I want actions, I want to destabilize a country, and I want to test out the literal Sword of Heroes!!

  I look at the pool of blood still lingering...

  Should I?

  I took a step—

  And I fell into it.

  I quickly summon Quirinus and Marmyadose to my left and right hands. Justice Mist formed a pair of wings behind my back, decelerating my fall.

  I see a barren wastend of ashen soil, under a sky of red. I see a red river of magma and souls flowing in the distance.

  What's below me is an arena.

  I nded, interrupting a match... well, no pce like Hell to test out a sword.

  "Come at me!!", I stare at the two Demons cd in gdiator armor.

  Then I dashed toward them, thrusting my nce into one of them. Then using it as an anchor to spin around, picking up some speed, then slicing the other one with my sword.

  Letting go of the nce, I switch my holding stance, wielding the sword with two hands.

  In a split second, I cut off the head of a Demon, cleaving cleanly through the metal.

  It was too fast for them to react, despite being warriors. The Demons around me bear their fangs, call for my head... don't they know who I am?

  I picked up Quirinus from the headless corpse, pointing it at the spectators with a confident smile.

  "Come at me, if you dare."

  For now, I'll only be using martial arts. The Demons lept out of their seat, coming straight at me—

  Oh? One of the eight sapphires on the hilt glowed.

  Ah, right. Marmyadose has eight Conditions. One is activated right now.

  'Against Many, You shall be Immovable.', the sword whispered to me.

  The first Demon came at me, it looked like a burly man with a boar head. I sliced it apart with my sword in one strike.

  Then came the tide of Demons, all rushing at me.

  I proceeded to sughter them one by one, sparing none. And before long, everywhere around me was filled with Demon corpses. The light of the Sapphire vanished, signaling the end of the battle.

  What are Demons, exactly? They live in the mantle yer of Earth, specifically above the Athenosphere. Comprise of mostly Silica and Carbon, mixed in with Magic and Imprints.

  This is something the World made behind The Pale Court's back from my understanding.

  Not my problem... where is Athen, anyway?

  This should be the Greek Underworld. Aside from the flowing va, there was no garden or temple.

  I should've kept one Demon alive to ask for direction...

  Well, the test for Marmyadose was good. I wonder if there will be a situation where all the Conditions are activated.

  A battle against many, against the impossible, against the enemy of mankind, fighting to protect humanity, for my own honor, for a selfless reason, to protect the World, and for the future.

  Between Quirinus and Marmyadose, Quirinus is definitely easier to use and fits my fighting style more. Marmyadose is always heavy, something about carrying the weight of responsibility.

  It's pretty boring and hot in Hell, I'm actually sweating despite Ambition protecting me from the heat.

  I should really get out of here.

  Channeling Quirinus with the boiling steam of Delusion, I sliced the air. A crack in reality opened and I stepped inside—

  "??????????H?????e?????l??????l??????o???????~????????"??????

  I entered the other side, back in front of my house in Greece.

  Who the fuck was that?

  I swear I saw someone with a short wolf cut, but her hair was a shade of purple. Half of her face was cracked... don't tell me the Fragment of the Universe was still alive somewhere...

  And it certainly wasn't Sincir...

  =0=0=

  Siberia Tundra, Russia.

  The girl in white and gold stares at a white feather with a golden aura, floating in the air, with interest. Her deep blue hair, flowed like fme in the wind. Golden eyes dispying no emotion flickered briefly.

  They swiped their finger down, opening a void before the feather. Then they reached their hand in... taking out an ominous iridescent bck crystal - The Fragment of the Universe.

  "I am Lughz Dustur the Enigma Code, by the command of my Core. From the secrets of Light, I grant Purpose from the Tempte of Life."

  The crystal floats in the air, humming an eerie sound.

  "I grant you three Attributes from this existence, for your continuance. The Form of Equilibrium, the Might of Decimation, and the Mind of Erudition."

  White tendrils of light came out from the crystal, then ten golden rings surrounded it. It pulses with power, bending space and time around it. What The Enigma Code was doing was nothing short of creating an Eldritch God.

  A body formed in a feminine shape, a body of pure white and grace. Two slender arms grew out, two ample legs came, all covered with golden lines. Then six pairs of wings unfold from the back, letting majestic feathers loose as they congratute the monster's birth.

  The head was a beautiful girl—

  Crack—!!

  Its face shattered, purple cracks - as if peering into the universe itself - spread across its entire body. The Enigma Code tried to intervene in an instant, wrapping the being in golden armor— sharing a piece of themselves.

  Armor cracks here and there in the armor, and the Fragment of the Universe writhes, twitching in pain. Its face was sealed by a helmet, yet its muffled scream, like the wails of a Star, sent shockwaves across the snowy ndscape.

  "The result is not as intended.", The Enigma Code stares up at the sky, "How do you feel about that, Universal Matrix?"

  At that moment, the monster swiped its golden-cd cws at The Enigma Code. Yet its cws were still as if stuck on something.

  "So it failed, none of the Attributes I called out upon came.", they calmly stated, "This combination of Attributes... hmm, it is pretty dangerous. Entropy, Judgement, Retribution, and... huh, Void."

  Ignoring the onsught of the Fragment of the Universe, The Enigma Code caressed the mask covering its face.

  "I shall give you a name, Child of the Universe. Born from a fragment of The Original One, trapped in an endless cycle of defeat after defeat. I shall respect you, honor you, and I shall name you..."

  To'eva