Two months had passed since that memorable fight between Dora and Iris. Many events had happened throughout Candace's training and many changes had occurred between the different people.
Mercy had found a new purpose in life, to take away her brother's status as a holy knight by herself.
Freya had learned to focus more on her own abilities, but above all to recognize the people around her.
Zuri became more confident and could now speak openly to Freya and Solaria. She didn't change much, since she never felt the need, since for her, despite the revelations about his nature, Dora was still Dora.
Solaria hasn't changed her goals much, but life alongside her new friends, like a new family, has been a whole good experience for her.
Concerning her brother and Gersey, both were at first very afraid of Dora, knowing his nature for one and the strange properties of his mind for the other.
But after many experiences together, futile afternoons between boys, playtime, and more, the ice began to break.
Dora no longer seemed like a monster but like a very unique friend.
Only Cid, more focused on his training, went from time to time to raid alongside other teams, missing the time to build bonds with them.
It had been a long journey for them, alongside formidable beings like Candace, Eryl, Elizabeth, and Midgard.
Every day was not devoted to fighting, they celebrated, walked, shared hobbies, and challenged each other on anything... To resume the journey, they led a normal life, a life to which they were not used to it, and they had acquired much more than power.
Across the kingdom, reports of Rifts had diminished considerably, good information for those unaware of the impending cataclysm.
The group was relaxing in a public bath in a southern region of the kingdom.
Elizabeth was washing Candace's hair, Mercy was doing the same for Iris, and the others were relaxing in the water.
"Ouch... it stings." Iris giggled as Mercy passed her hand over some scars on her neck.
"That will teach ya to refuse to be healed after fightin'."
"You can't understand... It's a privilege to be hurt."
"Yeah, yeah... You masochist." Mercy sighed while Iris laughed.
They enjoyed their time, chatting casually, often teasing each other.
In this wonderful picture, Midgard was a little apart.
Sitting in the water, she watched the sky melancholically.
"What's in your mind, Miss Midgard?" Eryl asked, sitting down next to her.
"Hm? What? I'm not even allowed to think?"
"Oh no, but your wisdom is always so fascinating, why not share it with us?"
She offered to clean her hand, but Midgard stood up and traced her way to the edge.
"Just ignore me, is that so hard? It's a beautiful night so enjoy it to the fullest and leave me alone."
"Come on, can't you have a little fun if Sir Anesidora isn't around?"
Midgard reached the border of the water and sat on a rock.
She gave a thoughtful gaze to everyone and looked at the moon, more shining than ever.
"I could ask you the same question, have you ever considered what will happen after the Twilight of Gods?"
They looked at each other, a little surprised by the question.
Candace nodded.
"Really? Is that what bothered you? I thought it was something a little less cliché."
"Cliché? How ironic, is there anything else to consider? You seem to have forgotten that the purpose of this journey was to fully awaken the Avatar of Greed, for this specific day, but can you say that it goes well?"
Solaria, with a worried expression, looked at Eryl.
"Wait... He's still not ready?"
"I wouldn't say that, the good thing about him is that he's very secretive about his abilities... that's also a problem, but still, remember that he has yet to use his strongest form, so I am more confident of the fateful day."
Midgard rolled her eyes and stared at Elizabeth.
"You, the legend of this century, what is your role here?"
Elizabeth looked at her with a bit of confusion and glanced at Iris.
"Well... I don't think I'll have what it takes to deal with the Twilight of the Gods, but for now, I'm just some sort of insurance, making sure Greed is under control if he goes berserk... or hit Dora and Iris when they go ballistic."
She clenched her fist and showed her biceps, looking satisfied, but far from impressing Midgard.
"Could you pull that against Gluttony or Pride?"
After these words, Elizabeth flinched and slowly lowered her head.
"See? That's what I mean, of course, Dora is strong, incredibly strong, we wouldn't have reached this level of perfection so quickly without you, Sloth, but given that the Queen herself is afraid, we can't be satisfied with that, by being stronger than average... We need more... If only we had more time."
She bites her finger, looking annoyed. Everyone looked thoughtful, as reality had hit them once again.
Dora was indeed infinitely stronger than before, even that was an understatement, but the only thing they could use to gauge his level was the almighty Queen, and although he was a genius, the three people who knew the Queen personally were not impressed by him.
"What's the point?" Zuri's voice rang out.
All eyes turned to her, so she continued.
"I mean, you said it would be the apocalypse, right? So what's the point of thinking about it? If we lose, it's over, if we win, then we absolutely have to make our dreams come true."
"... Little toad, you live in your own world."
Elizabeth thought for a moment and smiled.
"No, I think she's right, we don't have a choice, it's do or die, so what's the point of being depressed? We should instead think about what we'll do if we survive."
The others agreed and suddenly, the atmosphere was restored, to the great astonishment of Midgard who sighed.
"I will never understand the minds of humans."
"So how about it, the first thing you do after the Twilight of the Gods is learn to be more human?"
Midgard shook her head, very confused by Elizabeth's words, whose smile widened dangerously.
"... Alright, that's weird, I'm going out."
But as soon as she turned her back, her feet left the ground, under Elizabeth's powerful embrace.
"L-Let me go! You monster!... Free me!"
"It'll be so much fun! We'll do this together and with Eryl too!... Oh, and Miss Candace! It'll be like a school trip!"
She happily shook Midgard through the air, much to Candace and Eryl's amusement.
"Well... In that case... I'll focus on my dream of being a sub-avatar and a holy knight!" Mercy clenched her fists with determination.
She looked at her friends, wondering about their own plans.
Freya sighed and looked at the large fence that separated them from the men's bathroom.
"I suppose that would give me plenty of time to convince him to join my house, and after that, we'll see."
"Ku... you still haven't given up? Well, I'm this case, I'm also going to go on a trip, just me and him!"
Zuri pouted as glanced at Freya.
Strangely, the Duke's daughter gave her a sweet smile.
"That sounds like a great idea too, we'll take a trip away from the kingdom."
"I didn't mean..."
"Hm... I don't know if Mother will allow me to leave... But It's for the love of a Sin so she should be okay with it."
"Can we do this after our scholarship? I want to have a normal year at the academy, since he's not an E-rank anymore we should definitely be in the same class! It would be so much fun..."
They talked like this for a while, exchanging their most beautiful fantasies.
After a moment, Elizabeth also glanced at the fence, a mischievous smile on her lips.
"Come to think of it... it's always about him, about the Twilight of the Gods, about our dreams, it doesn't seem right. Girls, look since we're in the South... I had an idea."
She turned to Midgard who was rubbing her hips angrily.
The latter noticed her look and jumped.
"Don't you dare..."
"Haha, calm down, I was just thinking... You share all of Dora's power, right?"
Midgard frowned and narrowed her eyes.
Later that night, Dora was in the living room with Moonra, Gersey, and the council members, playing cards.
Maxim and Lisa groaned, losing over and over again while Dora mocked them with a smirk.
"It's so strange that you always get the best set... aren't you cheating? With your creation magic?" Lisa suspected the young man who was shaking his head.
(Hehe... No creation magic... But a little illusion that doesn't emit any energy.)
He triumphantly crossed his arms, when suddenly...
"Traitor!" A powerful headbutt to the back startled him.
"What... UUH?!" he shouted when he saw the source of the blow.
"Ouch... my head..." Wendy rubbed her forehead.
Dora froze in place, his eyes fixed on the young girl standing in front of him. It was his little sister, the same one he hadn't laid eyes on for months. His heart pounded in his chest as he slowly approached her, his mind racing with questions. Was it really her?
As he reached out to touch her face, he felt a mix of fear and disbelief. He held her gently as if to confirm that she was real.
"W-Wendy?! What... What are you doing here?!"
"Uh? We... you... Uh... they..." She lowered her head, wiggling her fingers before flinching and jumping to his neck. "No, you're a traitor! The school is horrible! It's your fault!"
Lisa, Sunnah, and Maxim watched the scene in silence, with several questions in mind.
"Wait! What... Let's go over there... What are you doing here?!"
"Oh? Is it bad to see how our little boy is doing?"
Dora's mother walked through the door, accompanied by Candace's group, the latter having a terrible smile.
"Oh my god."
A little later, everyone was sitting around a table.
Several dishes were on the table and everyone was having a good time, except for one person.
Dora's mother and Wendy were next to him.
Filled with emotion, the mother did not let go of her son, who had become paler than Zuri. She held against his arms while Wendy lay on his thighs.
"I was so surprised when I saw Elizabeth at the door, to think you were nearby and was sad not to see us... We have a lot to catch on!"
Dora looked at Elizabeth in disbelief, but not with a look of anger, rather with incomprehension and despair.
(... Why?)
(It was with good intentions.)
They exchanged without a word, only with glances, Elizabeth looking away in embarrassment.
"Hm, it's very nice to have you with us, Mrs.Carper, I'm sure you missed your son very much," Candace said with the most terrible smile she could muster.
Dora's mother patted his head and nodded to the dean.
"Can you tell? It was very hard at the beginning, our neighbors often helped us with certain tasks but I felt like a part of me was being taken away... You should have written a letter from time to time."
"... I texted you every day... I sent you a phone."
"I don't know how to use these things, dear, Wendy uses it to play games, but we didn't receive any message."
Dora's eyes shifted to his sister on his lap who was biting into a melon and pretending she hadn't heard anything.
"Ah, so he texts you? Every day? Um, I wonder what kind of messages he sent you after Thomas."
"D-Dean!" Dora jumped, dropping his sister's melon but saving it from the ground thanks to his magic.
Everyone looked at him in surprise and little by little they realized.
This, right there, was his only weakness.
"Hm? What's wrong? Who is Thomas?" his mother asked curiously.
Candace laughed and stretched her shoulders.
"Oh nothing ma'am, just a code for saying that... Hmmm, my shoulders are so stiff."
Dora's jaw dropped to the floor, his mother nodded and let go of her son.
"Oh, I forgot, she's your teacher, right? Go ahead and help her."
Dora looked at her, his eyes were so white that you could no longer see his irises.
He stood up, under the many stares fixed on him, and walked behind Candace then began to massage her shoulders.
"There, don't forget my feet afterward, I've walked so much, it's very bad... for my AGE."
"Oh my, I'm counting on you for that, my dear, Madam Candace really worked hard to get us here."
As he worked on this task, he felt an evil aura growing around him.
He looked up and saw with fear the eyes of everyone present.
(It's over.) he thought.
Solaria and Freya sat next to his mother with mischievous eyes.
"It's so nice to have you here, Mrs. Carper, I've always wondered what kind of parent could have raised such a wonderful child," Freya asked, serving her some wine.
"Oh? You're flattering me, I'm not someone special, the real hero is him. He sends so much money that I don't even have to go to the market anymore and Wendy can go to school."
"My God, what a great son... You must be proud of what he's doing."
Dora began to shake and sweat profusely.
Wendy frowned and finished her juice before noticing Zuri.
"... the ghost girl from last week's movie!"
"GEH?!"
Her mother put a cookie in her mouth.
"Wendy, don't talk to a girl like that."
"Buch... nom... she looks like the princess of the underworld, in Tale of the Seven Princesses, look Dora, remember?"
Dora shook even more and massaged Candace faster.
"Tale of Seven Princesses... isn't that an anime series for little girls?" Mercy asked.
Dora's face managed to become even paler, and his grip on Candace's shoulders severely weakened.
Candace noticed it and chuckled in surprise.
"No way... Hey, little Wendy, are you watching that show with Dora?"
"UH?!"
All eyes turned to the little girl whose mother was starting to sweat with worry.
"Hm?... No, Dora hates princess stories, it's just my thing."
"Tch…" the dean grumbled.
"Ever since the Moon Princess married the Earth Prince, Dora has hated him because he was bad with her."
A cry of despair echoed through the night.
Dora was crouching in the corner, next to him, his mother and Midgard comforting him.
"Please don't get angry, she really missed you."
"Yes, little t... little hero, and if it makes you feel any better, she's trying to hide this secret... by revealing all your other secrets."
"She's what?!"
In the middle of the room, Wendy sat on Elizabeth's lap. Everyone surrounded them with pieces of paper.
"And then he tied his hair over his face to look like a beard and pretended to be my father."
"It's hilarious!" Moonra burst out.
"So that my friends would stop making fun of me because we don't have a father."
"Ah…"
Solaria gave him an angry gaze and turned back to Wendy.
"... T-Tell us more about the kind of girl he likes, you said it was a girl named.... the girl in this story... Suggy... Sugar?"
"Uh? No! Sugar Dandy is not a story, it was the name of a man when Dora dressed up as a girl to accompany me to the Sisters' Parade. A mean man called... Sugar Dandy?... harassed us, so Dora refused to go there anymore... But he still came the next year disguised as an older woman, but this time the little boys kept bothering him, so he swore to never go back there again."
They looked at each other and glanced at Dora who was already half dead.
They spent a wonderful night, enjoying themselves, laughing, and making fun.
Candace and Freya took full advantage of this opportunity to take some long-awaited revenge.
Mercy, Zuri, and Sunnah bonded with Wendy to learn more about Dora's past.
Solaria bombarded the latter's mother with questions to find out all his preferences.
Candace and Iris used both to force Dora to do anything for them, from massages to feeding.
The poor boy, at the bottom of the hole, still owed his salvation to his sister who, annoyed at seeing so many people around her brother, claimed her right of ownership over him and obliged them to render him the same services.
The game was reversed, then again when she remembered that Dora was the reason she went to school, she did the opposite, and again and again.
Everyone laughed and had a good time, there were no royalty, no nobles, no Avatars, no peasants, just people having fun together.
They concluded the evening with a photo with all of them, everyone, Dora and his family, the nobles, Midgard, Elizabeth, Eryl, the council members, and Candace.
With Wendy at the center, the image forever froze the memory of the most beautiful day, not just another day, but his dream, because Dora did not remember that this moment was exactly the dream he had long wished for.
A few hours later, while everyone was sleeping, Midgard was sitting outside, looking at the moon.
She occasionally glanced at the photo they had taken, looking at herself.
"So even I can smile like that?... How ridiculous."
"Good, that will teach you to betray me." Dora appeared behind her.
She glanced at him and tapped the place next to her, to invite him to sit next to her.
Dora did so and both looked at the beautiful moon.
"I betrayed you? Please, I'm in a rough situation because you forced me to stay outside, take this as my revenge."
"It was way too much... I will never recover from something like this, and I didn't know they would stay for longer."
"Hm? You talk like this but your eyes don't seem bothered at all."
He looked back at her with a smile and then back at the moon.
"You neither, you complain a lot, but aren't you clinging to this picture too much? You look like Wendy with a new toy."
"Ah, great comparison, fitting a wonderful big sister."
She chuckled, while Dora rolled his eyes in annoyance.
They remained silent for a while, bathing in the moonlight, when Midgard looked at the picture again.
"It wouldn't be so bad after all..."
"Hm?"
"I mean, being human, I never thought it would be so... Special... Tell me, have you ever wondered what you would do once this is over?"
"What will be over?"
"This whole story, the Twilight of Gods, the Queen... When you think about it, everything revolves around that day. If we lose, it's over, but if we win, what will happen? Are you gonna keep being a knight? Are you going to take the freedom you wished for? Or perhaps travel around the world? I wonder if Gluttony will allow this one on the other hand."
She looked at him for a moment, Dora kept looking at the moon and then at his hands.
"If we pass that day, won't that mean that the Rifts will be stronger again? I guess I could fulfill the grandma's wish and take care of raiding forever... I'll be immortal so I'll have the time... hm?" He suddenly flinched, with a surprised expression.
"Wait, maybe I could do that... If I use the Law, with greater creation magic, spiritual and healing, can't I make someone else immortal?"
"What?"
He jumped on his feet, a large smile on his lips.
"Yes! It's possible! I can... I can definitely do that!... Oh, maybe there are even soul stones with that ability? I must do it! I'll make everyone immortal!"
"My dear... you have the power of a god but the mindset of a human... I see that this part may have bothered you a lot."
"Bothered? That's an understatement, I was so desperate! Being immortal really sucks if I have to lose everyone... I was so annoyed by... Why are you laughing? Is it funny to you?"
Midgard laughed, hugging the picture close to her.
"Ah, Sorry... I wasn't laughing at you..."
"Yes, you were."
"No... it's just... I've never thought about that... I've also been bound to a frozen body for an eternity, and I know that I existed before, somewhere... But I've never based the value of my immortality on another being."
She looked at the picture again, with a melancholic smile.
"For people like us, having relationships is a big problem... I don't know about Gluttony, but in Sloth's case, for example, I know that she isn't that close to anyone. Elizabeth is the first person that I saw having a very special relationship with her, but except for her, an immortal should remain in solitude... So we would never suffer the worst pain."
She stared back at Dora who sat next to her.
"When I see this picture... I feel like this, right here, is the most dangerous thing humans have created... It's scary to think that just a few hours ago, something like this happened... Ah, humans' potential to create emotions is scary."
"You think so too? I do remember that I had the same fear in another world."
"... I understand a little more, why you would want to make them immortals. A future with you and me alone would be very lonely, don't you think?"
She leaned toward him and rested her head on his shoulder.
They remained silent for a while until Dora nodded.
"Actually, dying wouldn't be that bad for them, the universe has more to offer than it seems like."
"Hm?"
"After all, even dying is a great experience for the one who dies, did you know that the real power of this world could only be accessed by dying? Being immortal isn't an advantage, except for some beings that found a way to travel in this ocean while keeping their being."
"... What are you saying? Trying to play philosophical?"
"Play? Please, what do you call the time we both spent with them all? It was very hard, but in the end, we did it, we are now closer to the end than ever."
Midgard raised her head and slowly turned towards Dora.
The boy was looking at the moon, a smile on his lips.
"A dream? The future? Why worry about these things? Let those who are born to serve as a meal have them. To beings like us, that thing above... that's what really matters."
He looked at his finger and laughed.
"Am I so pathetic? A boy with a girl's face? A good brother? A good knight? What is that? We are none of that, don't they know that the wolf puts on a sheep mask when he's hungry? Why are they making fun of us so much? Don't they realize they've been playing our game all this time?"
The wind blew, as he turned towards Midgard who was retreating in disbelief.
"Don't you think so too, Player?"
His irises glowed a bright yellow.
"Y... You... You're... No..." She got up but slipped and fell. Kneeling, she looked back at the boy who stood up. "Impossible... it's impossible..."
"Hm? Why are you surprised? Are you still acting? You don't have to do it anymore, at this point, they won't interfere with us, because the day is coming and they have invested too much hope in us." He held out his hand, but Midgard remained on the ground, trembling.
"How? How??? We have never used polymerization, your percentage has not increased, how are you the one in control? How??"
"My, why are you still acting out? I told you they won't stop us, you don't have to play their game anymore... Or maybe you were serious this whole time?" His eyes narrowed and his smile widened.
He took a few steps back and stroked his face.
"Hmm, what a pleasure... we have never felt so alive... We have regained so much power and more memories... what a great situation."
He looked at Midgard who was shaking on the ground and walked towards her.
"Impressive, your acting is so great that you would really think you're surprised, but we don't understand... you're the one who found the perfect excuse, why are you surprised?"
"... Excuse?"
"Remember, you said we could only exist in our polymerization form... wasn't that a lie?"
"... What?"
He leaned toward her and lifted her chin with his finger.
"We recall telling you that we were all Greed, every persona, every Synergies, they are all us. We... are Greed, so powering them would always benefit us."
The moon hid behind dark clouds.
Midgard, in shock, stood up, staring blankly.
Next to her, the thing was contemplating its hairs.
"Hm, did you know that we used to have them another color?... Hm? Where are you going?"
Midgard was walking, expressionless, towards the building.
"What are you doing? Are you gonna play the one who woke up from a nightmare? It wouldn't be possible, this is only the beginning."
She reached the door, holding it with so little power that she couldn't even open it, much to Dora's amusement.
"If you really want to tell everything, are you also going to tell them our secret... That we're the one who killed our father?"
The wind blew stronger, Midgard, still unable to open the door, gritted her teeth furiously.
Dora chuckled and nodded with a mocking smile.
"You've known for too long now, we expected you to tell them today... But since you didn't, we figured you were just cooperating... But don't worry, even if you tell them the truth about us, they won't be able to stop us now, because they have no choice... Look around you, Player... Do you feel it? The change in wind? The floating energy that disappears? The thrill that runs through our soul?... It's already there."
He raised his gaze towards the sky as Midgard trembled behind him. The fading moonlight caught the attention of every living creature in the kingdom, while those gifted with the power of emissaries stopped their activities and gazed upward in amazement. At this moment, it was as if the universe had aligned to in a single being, with a single gaze above.
Familiar faces like a puppeteer, a berserk, a spearwoman, a mage, and a hero all looked in the same direction.
In the Royal Castle, in her garden, the Queen's eyes were also fixed on the sky, behind her, a man with long black hair stood next to a familiar little girl with long white hair and blue eyes wearing light armor.
Both looked at the sky in anguish.
"My Queen…"
"What is this..."
The Queen did not respond, focused on the formation that had just swallowed the moon.
She bit her lips and frowned.
"Of all places... it had to be here."
As the clouds gathered and swirled above the capital, their purple hue emitted an energy that spread throughout the surroundings. Midgard looked up at the sky in despair, while Dora stood tall with his arms wide open, ready to embrace everything the world had to offer.
"The Twilight of the Gods is here."
-1