"The Timeline Gods… have descendants…?"
"I know it sounds hard to believe but that is what the individuals I spoke of earlier said when they revealed themselves to the gods. Of course, we can only speculate and decide for ourselves if what they said was true since the Timeline Gods also cannot exist in the same material world as us and explain to us if it's true or false. From what I heard through hearsay, they were an entire tribe that could use their souls to read the Dark Scroll in its entirety before it vanished. Souls are capable of many things besides giving us our own unique identities."
"Do the gods know where they are?"
"No, they vanished and took the Dark Scroll with them after someone attempted to steal it. They were powerless to protect it but did not trust the gods enough to leave it in the divine realm's hands. As a result of their carelessness and powerlessness, a piece of the scroll was taken and is still out there while the scroll itself vanished with the tribe. Without the Dark Scroll, we cannot find out what we need in order to save the World Tree. And due to this…" her eyes turned to Rafaela, "We also cannot allow Rafaela to leave when the Elf Mother is on the verge of death."
They had two options to ensure the World Tree's survival—one of which had a small chance of success. The easiest option was right in front of them; therefore, they'll take it by any means.
"However," those who lowered their heads earlier with sulky expressions looked up with a renewed light, "The seed within Rafaela is currently unstable so there is no telling if she will still be able to inherit the Elven Mother's soul even after going through the angel creation ritual a second time. If it's a failure then Rafaela will be free to leave."
She is basically a prisoner, one of them whispered. Their master couldn't deny that at all, merely nodding in silence.
"Remember that you serve a greater purpose, Rafaela." She said with her gaze still fixed on Rafaela, "It's a purpose that even transcends a mortal's free will."
"…I understand…" Rafaela said with a small voice, her eyes drawn down to the helmet in her lap.
"...Master, you said something about a deal you made with the Archangels earlier. What was the deal about?"
At being called out, the speaker's master looked down as she clasped her hands together as if in thought.
"The original plan was to have her continue serving me in punishment for breaking a divine law. The archangels will be happy with that alone and her actions won't be reported to the divine realm—"
"That's crazy! She just wanted to be free!" one of the girls sprang up in protest.
"That's right! I would've done the same if I found out my entire life was a lie that was planted inside my head!" another jumped up.
"I still feel like going through with it… I don't want to be an angel anymore…"
There were more voices, each of them either in support of Rafaela or expressing their anger and frustration at the gods for tricking them like this. Rafaela bit her lips and lowered her head even further.
"Please calm down, everyone." Flustered, their master raised her voice while gesturing with her hands for them to sit back down.
"Now then…" she spoke again after everyone calmed down, "The deal is one that I and Yvernus will carry out together. If the ritual fails to repair Rafaela's seed, the two of us will take it upon ourselves to seek out the Dark Scroll and the descendants of the Timeline Gods. We don't know if the World Tree will survive another century so we want to do the ritual as soon as possible. Some of the other disciples will be joining us."
"Eh, what's going to happen to us…?"
"I told you already that you are free to leave if you loathe me for keeping the truth from you. I'm uncertain if I'll ever return to serve the Sky God again if Yvernus and I find nothing that could help. With this in mind, I think it's best if all of you go out there and find a way to live on your own. I know not all of you will like living on this world so I will arrange transport for you to go to other worlds within the three mortal realms."
All of them looked at each other, troubled expressions clouding their faces.
"I also grant you permission to use the magic mirror to go to my shadow world and you may take the treasure that I've accumulated there. All of you can live like princesses with your families with the amount of gold I've collected."
"…What about the homunculi girls?" the angel who asked looked to the corner of the room where a dead-eyed black-haired girl stood. She almost looked like a porcelain doll with her pale white skin, sharp blue eyes and long straight black hair. She was wearing a maid uniform but can do next to nothing that a maid should be capable of.
"They will accompany me on this journey. I can't abandon my life's research when I haven't even achieved my goals yet. Plus, they are all very powerful so they'll be useful as my own combat force."
She paused for a second before continuing: "I want you all to know that I love all of you. You aren't just mere servants to me. I did not lie to any of you, I was merely instructed to give you a new identity and let you figure out what kind of person you want to become while serving the Sky God, Lord Cuciel." She looked at one of the girls nearest to her, "Isana, you were a noble's heir. Your father was hated by the family's entire fiefdom and all of you were slaughtered by the citizens. You died by blunt force trauma to the head."
The girl named Isana trembled at hearing that.
Their master looked towards another, "Kacinene, your family was on a trip to a foreign country one day. Little did any of you know that that country had a lot of places that was best left avoided by tourists. You wandered into one of those places because your little brother ran off. You found him being chased by a gang, possibly having witnessed a crime that they didn't want getting leaked. You told your brother to run and said that you'd keep them busy while he runs off to find the knights. But you reached a dead end just a little while after promising your brother that you'd see him again. Your ears were cut off. Your face was ripped off. Your lower body was violated after it was torn off the rest of your body and your top half kept alive by magic."
Kacinene trembled as well.
"None of you died honorably or naturally. It was simply murder, accidents or suicide… Whether it's coincidence or fate that brought you all together, I simply don't know." several gulps resounded, "I don't think I need to continue any further to let you know that your past and its end was nothing pleasant to look at. Looking at it from another perspective, wouldn't you all agree that it's a good thing you can't remember the way you died? Even if you hate the gods and your own master for making you into something you did not want to become, I want you to understand that we did not intend to control who you are or what you think. We allowed you to create your own identity with the names we gave you. Sometimes the things that happen to us can turn out to be a good thing."
She looked at Rafaela.
"Rafaela. Your body will save the divine realm and the nine realms. Even if you hate me, Yvernus or even the gods, you cannot deny that we did what we had to do to ensure the survival of the realms."
"…." Rafaela's mouth opened and closed while her gaze was still fixated on the helmet. "I—"
Just when she tried to say something, one of the homunculi clones came up to the dining room doorway and spoke:
"There is someone at the front door requesting entry, Mother."
◊◊
A skeleton stood before the master and her many angels, its bony frame covered in exquisite robes that only kings would possess. Despite its eerie appearance, it bowed gracefully, its movements surprisingly smooth.
Two large cloths were floating by his sides. Judging by the shapes ofthe cloths, the cloths weren't simply by his side for no reason.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Madam," the skeleton said, its hollow voice echoing slightly. It glanced around the hall, its eye sockets glowing faintly with an unnatural light. "I've heard stories that the Sky God collects beautiful angel girls, and my eyes tell me that those rumors did not lie at all. Of course, their master is the most beautiful in my eyes, kekeke."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, Undead," The master replied coldly, her eyes narrowing. "If you do not state your purpose for coming here, then I will have you thrown out of the castle."
"Oh dear, what an impatient dame," the skeleton said with a cackle. "Well, you see, I heard another rumor—that the master of this castle is the best alchemist in all the nine realms—which would mean the master of the castle is also capable of creating humanoid homunculi down to their very cells using the very art of creation magic! Using your expertise, I would like to request something of you, Madam."
He lifted one of the blankets that was floating next to him. A head appeared, that of a young man with ashen white hair. The girls standing around the hall gasped in unison, their eyes widening with curiosity and admiration.
"So handsome," several of them murmured, their cheeks flushing as they took in the man's rugged features and rough-looking stubble.
"Arnold…?" Rafaela, who had been standing at the very back of the crowd, stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the man's face. She looked at him blankly, her mind struggling to process the sight before her. "Is it really you?"
The skeleton chuckled softly. "It seems I have brought a surprise. Madam, I hope you will consider my request, for it appears I have already piqued the interest of your lovely servants."