Seren moved through the forest with ease. The muted light filtering through the forest cast shifting patterns on his face.

  Behind him, the rest of the group followed, but the usual camaraderie was absent.

  Finn wasn’t joking to break the tension, keeping his head down. Emme wasn’t being mischievous and was uncharacteristically subdued, while Elise seemed lost in thought, staring blankly as she walked.

  Only Susie showed a glimmer of something resembling happiness, though it was tempered by a deep and lingering guilt. She couldn’t shake the thought that had she stood her ground and dealt with the situation herself, Seren wouldn’t have had to act the way he had.

  They were children, after all, still inexperienced in the ways of the world. In their hearts, they believed that sparing someone, if given the chance, was the right thing to do. The idea of taking a life, even that of someone who deserved it, was foreign to them. Seren’s cold, calculated act of killing a man who was destined to rot in a cell had shaken something fundamental in each of them.

  Even though they all understood the logic of his decision—none of them would mourn the loss of a criminal who had inflicted pain on others but it still felt... wrong.

  “Kai, what section are we in?” Seren suddenly broke the silence, his voice cutting through the heavy tension.

  “Huh? O-oh, we’re in section 19 right now. Section 24 is on the northeast side,” Kai replied, his tone seeming hesitant.

  Seren nodded silently. He acted casual and relaxed as though nothing had happened. Noticing the others’ hesitant glances and the discomfort in the group, he had a thought.

  He had morality, in the sense that he understood it. But he had no intention of upholding it. In the end, when his mission was complete, they would all die anyway.

  A foreign voice suddenly echoed in Seren’s mind.

  The voice was calm yet heavy with emotion.

  Seren’s gaze unfocused as he turned inward, drawn deep into the recesses of his mind.

  In his mind, he stood in an endless, pitch-black expanse. The space was still, eerily quiet, stretching infinitely in all directions.

  Then, the darkness rippled. Grey smoke began to rise, curling and twisting as it formed four violent whirlpools. The maelstroms spun furiously for only a few moments before dissipating just as abruptly, leaving behind four distinct figures in their place.

  “Finally! I’m back alive!”

  A voice suddenly rang out in joy.

  The speaker was peculiar—he had no head. Instead, in place of a head sat a cage, and within it, an owl watched from behind black, unreadable eyes.

  “Shut your mouth, Enki, or I will kill you.”

  A second voice cut through the air. The speaker lounged on a grand, royal bed, her charcoal skin glistening under the golden accessories that adorned her body. A thin veil obscured her face, but her crimson eyes burned through it, fixed on Enki with a chilling intensity.

  “Oh? My bad! I didn’t realize you were to kill someone in an .”

  Enki taunted her, his exaggerated voice only making his words more infuriating. The owl inside the cage tilted its head.

  “Enki. Suratha. Conduct yourselves in front of Seren.”

  The authoritative command came from the third figure, a regal man seated atop a shattered throne. His royal robe hung loosely over his frame, exposing part of his chest. His presence alone silenced the tension between the two.

  Enki gave a prideful snuff, dismissing Suratha’s glare, while she sneered but said nothing more.

  Among the four figures, each exuded something distinct—except for one.

  The fourth figure stood directly in front of Seren. Unlike the others, he appeared unremarkable at first glance, a simple man dressed in a white tunic, his medium-length hair and beard neatly kept. Yet, as Seren looked at him, something radiated from his presence—peace, love, and joy—though even those words felt insufficient to capture the essence of what he was.

  Pascharis.

  “Killing will not lead you to your goal, Seren,” Pascharis said, his voice firm yet gentle.

  “And why do you say that?” Seren asked, in a respectful but amused voice. “I have succeeded in my past lives countless times so why would it be any different this time as well?”

  Pascharis met his gaze without hesitation. “Because it does not please And it will not save you.”

  Enki, now sprawled lazily on the floor, spoke with a smug drawl. “What does it matter if it pleases ‘Him’ or not? Our only duty is to complete the mission. In the end, our soul will be saved regardless. I’m sure after dying so many times, you should have realized that unlike normal people, our soul is shattered beyond repair. The only reason we’re able to exist is because of Him”

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  Seren nodded. “Enki is right. We can't exist without Him. His word is our sole purpose.” His gaze swept over the four figures before him. “All of you were once me. You were my past selves before I evolved into who I am now. So, more than anyone, you should understand how I feel. We don’t ask, we have faith and obey”

  All the four figures in mind were once his past personalities in one of his previous lives. Although he had been with many personalities in the past, only these 4 were the ones that survived the wall of time. They could be considered Seren’s advisors who guide him to make the best possible decision to achieve his goals because at the end of the day, all of them are one person.

  “Yeah, well, I don’t wanna literally become the past,” Enki grumbled. “Do you have any idea how dreadful it is when you don’t meditate for prolonged period of time? We start fading away!”

  “Yes, Seren,” Suratha added, her voice laced with displeasure as she examined her hand, now semi-transparent. “Your neglect is leading to our slow deterioration. Currently, all four of us could only be considered as your imaginary friends. If you don't meditate or talk to us regularly, we will eventually disappear”

  Seated upon his ruined throne, Archelaus studied Seren. His voice then rang out, deep and regal, “Has something been on your mind?”

  Seren sighed, raking a hand through his hair, exhaustion evident in his expression. “There’s too much I don’t know about this world. I feel restricted in my actions.”

  Enki, the sharpest of them all, exhaled through his nonexistent mouth. “From what I’ve seen about this world—or more specifically, this village—there’s something about it. There’s no prominent religion here. There isn’t even a proper library that talks about in detail about the outside world. We know there are multiple Gods in this place, each of them probably having millions of followers but how come there is no information about any religion or God in this place”.

  He shifted his gaze to the others, his tone growing uneasy. “It’s like we’re being… isolated.”

  Silence.

  The implications were not lost on them. Isolation was dangerous. Without proper knowledge of their surroundings, they wouldn’t even know what traps lay in wait until they had already stepped into them.

  Seren let out another sigh, the weight on his shoulders pressing heavier. “That’s why I’ve been keeping my actions to a minimum. There’s something—or someone—protecting me from being directly targeted by the religious factions. If I act too recklessly, I might lose that protection, and I have no way of knowing what happens after that.”

  Suratha chuckled darkly. “True. Under normal circumstances, you would have already extorted and slaughtered half the people in this village. Honestly, I still get chills remembering how you spared that brat who tried to rob you.”

  Archelaus leaned forward slightly, his fingers tapping the armrest of his ruined throne. “Seren, you should be fine acting freely—at least within this village.”

  Enki gave an exaggerated bow, mocking his dignified tone. “Oh, pray tell, your what great wisdom do you bestow upon us?”

  Archelaus ignored him. “The priest who visited you that night knew who you were. He knew your identity, your purpose but he made no move to harm you. That alone tells us something important: they can reach you, but they can’t directly touch you. Their influence is limited to the environment around you. That would explain why no religious doctrine is allowed to exist in this village. To isolate you”

  Seren fell silent, digesting this new revelation. It was a plausible theory. After all, God wouldn’t have sent him into a lion’s den without some form of protection at least.

  The more he thought, the more Seren became convinced that this had to be the case.

  A slow, sinister grin crept onto his face. “If that’s true… then that means… I can do whatever I want”

  The moment the realization dawned on him, the air in his mindscape shifted.

  Enki’s breath hitched in excitement. Suratha’s lips curled into a knowing smirk. Archelaus’s regal posture remained unchanged, but his eyes gleamed with determination.

  The four of them giggled—quiet at first, then growing louder, their laughter crackling with barely contained wicked glee.

  Only Pascharis remained still, his expression shadowed with concern.

  Before anyone could respond, Suratha suddenly turned her piercing crimson gaze to Seren. “By the way, have you chosen the Fallens yet?” she asked, her tone almost casual yet tinged with curiosity. “God told you to choose, didn't He?”

  The air shifted slightly as all eyes turned to Seren.

  He exhaled, crossing his arms. “Since God never gave me any requirements for choosing the Fallens beyond ensuring there are at least seven—including myself—I decided to nurture them myself.”

  Archelaus tilted his head, intrigued. Suratha, resting her chin on her palm, smirked slightly.

  “And?” she prodded.

  Seren’s gaze darkened, yet there was a gleam of something almost resembling amusement. “Lorien, Susie, Elise, and Kai... they have potential.” He paused for a moment before adding, “They will do.”

  Pascharis, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, his voice carrying an unmistakable note of concern. “And how do you plan to nurture them, Seren?”

  Seren turned to look at him and saw the worry in his face. He smiled. “I know what you’re thinking, Pascharis.” His voice was oddly light. “Don’t worry, I won’t be too harsh on them.”

  Pascharis didn’t respond immediately, but his eyes searched Seren’s expression, looking for something—perhaps reassurance.

  Then, unexpectedly, Enki sat up, his curiosity piqued. “Now that we’re on this topic, Seren, have you ever actually asked God or one of His angels what a ‘Fallen’ really is? I mean, is it a title? A power-up? What are we supposed to be?”

  The mood in the abyss shifted. Seren’s expression, once relaxed, turned unreadable. His voice, when he spoke, was quieter, more serious.

  “I did ask.”

  The others leaned in slightly, waiting for his answer.

  “The angel told me this: ‘The Fallens are the ones who fell before the world did.’”

  Silence followed. The words carried weight—dense, philosophical, and layered with meaning, yet offering no clear answers.

  Enki narrowed his eyes, contemplating the phrase. Suratha let out a soft chuckle, as though she found the mystery amusing. Archelaus remained impassive, unreadable.

  Pascharis, however, looked even more concerned than before.

  Seren let them sit with the words for a moment before moving on. “Regardless of what it means, I will make sure that when the time comes, they will be ready.”

  Then Seren’s head suddenly snapped up. “I have to go. We’ll talk later.”

  “Make sure you meditate this time!” Enki shouted as Seren’s form began fading from the mindscape. “Or I swear I’ll start singing lullabies just to annoy you—”

  Suratha’s kick sent Enki flying across the void, his enraged yells echoing.

  “Shut up! Don’t ever think of singing that again! It makes my ears bleed!”

  …

  Seren blinked as his consciousness returned to the physical world. He pushed aside a tangle of leaves and stepped forward, emerging onto the edge of a cliff.

  Below him stretched a vast landscape of giant holes in the earth, each carved deep into the ground. Towering tree trunks jutted out from the cratered walls, their gnarled roots vanishing into the abyss. They could vaguely see hundreds of shadows moving in the depths, darkness swallowing the lower reaches of the terrain.

  It was a scene straight out of a fantasy.

  “Wowww! Is this where we’ll be hunting the gloom crawlers?” Emme’s eyes sparkled with excitement, her wonder uncontained.

  Other than Kai and Lorien who already somewhat had knowledge of this place, everyone watched in similar awe and wonder at the sheer scale of their surroundings.

  Seren saw their mesmerized expressions and thought,

  For now.

  But not forever.