After everything, Lucillus crashed to the ground in front of Sandalphon, his body ravaged with wounds, his skin cracking, and his wings fading. He lay there, motionless, as if unconscious, but Sandalphon could still sense his faint life force.
"Did we… did we do it?" Io asked, uncertain as she watched him.
Sandalphon, seeing that he was still alive, wasted no time. She flew over to Gran and the others. "Nice attack, everyone," she said, acknowledging their efforts.
"Sandalphon, are you okay?" Rackam asked, concerned.
"I'm fine. It'll take more than that to bring me down, but we should return to Lyria for now."
The others agreed, and they flew down to regroup with Lyria and the rest.
"How about it, Lyria? Can you sense Rei yet?" Gran asked quickly.
"No, I'm sorry… I still can't feel him," Lyria replied, disappointment heavy in her voice.
"Don't be too down, Lyria. It just means we need to keep fighting!" Vyrn encouraged her.
"Yeah, we can still keep going," Katalina added confidently.
"And two of us are still ready to fight," Halluel chimed in, slinging an arm around her sister Malluel.
While they discussed their next move, Lucillus lay on the ground, his eyes closed, his body badly battered. He'd been fighting non-stop for 534 hours, and his energy was depleting fast. If this continued, he would fall before his plans even began.
"There's… too much irregularity…" he muttered, moving his hand to see the cracks forming across his skin. His thoughts churned, trying to pinpoint when everything had started going wrong. His original plan had seemed perfect: reincarnate himself to escape the dimension that had trapped him, then recreate the world according to his vision.
"No… everything went wrong the moment I created that personality."
To avoid dealing with mortals directly, he had created a secondary personality. But unexpectedly, that personality began to develop emotions and, over time, grew attached to mortal feelings. Eventually, it transformed into someone entirely different: Rei.
"Don't screw with me!" Lucillus clenched his fists, purple aura seeping from the cracks in his skin.
He forced himself to stand, his gaze piercing as he locked onto Gran and his companions.
"He's standing up!" Sandalphon alerted the others.
Everyone turned to Lucillus, quickly readying themselves to face him once more. The fight was far from over.
As Lucillus's aura grew stronger, the air itself seemed to tremble under the sheer pressure of his unleashed power. The dark purple energy wrapped around him like a raging storm, coiling tighter and brighter, until his form became obscured in the blinding brilliance.
The aura expanded even further, growing so intense that everyone was forced to shield their eyes. It was as if the very fabric of reality around him was bending to contain the power he was pouring out. The light continued to intensify, spreading until it covered the entire battlefield in an almost unbearable glare.
And then—BOOM!—the aura exploded outward, sending shockwaves in every direction. The ground cracked and fissured, and a gust of raw energy surged through the air, nearly knocking everyone off their feet.
Everyone looked back at Lucillus, and their eyes widened with shock. His entire body was now cloaked in a deep purple aura, so dense and powerful that his features were completely obscured. Only a vague silhouette of his form remained visible within the dark energy. His twelve wings, once gleaming with a dark light, were now engulfed in the same purple aura, shifting and rippling like flames that devoured the darkness itself.
he had become a figure shrouded in overwhelming power, his very presence radiating an aura that seemed to distort the space around him.
"This pressure...!" Katalina exclaimed, her voice filled with shock.
"He's completely different from before! Lucillus is using every bit of his power now!" Sandalphon said, eyes locked on Lucillus's transformed form.
Suddenly, Lyria gasped. "Wait—I can feel Rei!"
"What!? Then let's go, Orchid!" Lyria² urged, quickly signaling to Orchid, who immediately stepped closer.
"Go for it. We'll handle Lucillus," Gran assured her, standing firm with the others.
With a nod, the three of them linked hands, channeling their strength together.
Both Lyria's crystal began to glow intensely, and Orchid's long white hair gradually shifted to a deep purple. Without speaking, they focused their energy, pouring their combined power into Lyria to strengthen her connection to Rei. The air around them began to shimmer, and a purple light emerged in the center of their circle, expanding until it enveloped them completely.
Moments later, the light grew brighter, and with a final surge, the three of them vanished from sight, leaving the others behind to face Lucillus.
-----
Rei stirred as soft morning light filtered through the window, casting gentle patterns across his room. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking against the daylight that seemed far too bright after the dream he'd just had. It was the same one—again. A dream about a mysterious girl with flowing blonde hair and another girl with strikingly long blue hair. Their faces were vivid, as if he had known them, yet they felt like strangers. But there was something about them—a warmth, an unspoken connection, and a place, somewhere distant, where they'd all been together.
He sat up while rubbing his eyes trying to shake off the lingering images. These dreams had been haunting him for nearly a year now, repeating every few nights with uncanny consistency. They felt like memories rather than dreams, a whisper of a past he couldn't quite remember, but one that called to him all the same.
It was strange. No matter how much he told himself it was nothing, just fleeting visions of his mind, he couldn't escape the feeling that these dreams meant something—something he couldn't ignore.
But Rei decided to brush it off. Every time he tried to dwell on these dreams, he ended up with a splitting headache. When he told his family, his parents had taken him to the hospital, but the doctors found nothing unusual. His sister, worried, had suggested he was just overworking himself with studying, urging him to relax. Yet, when he brought it up to Ferry and Tiamat, they'd exchanged a glance—both looking startled before they simply told him to ignore it, for now.
It was almost as if they knew something but weren't ready to tell him. Or maybe he was just reading too much into it.
"Oh well… it's not like I can do anything about it," he muttered, shaking his head. "Besides, graduation's just around the corner—I need to focus on that."
With that, he moved on to his usual routine: waking up his sister with her teasing him, having breakfast together, then heading off to school with Ferry and Tiamat. The three of them had only grown closer over the past year. They'd been good friends for a long time, but now it was like their bond had deepened even further.
"Are you two really fine walking like that?" Rei asked, chuckling as both Ferry and Tiamat clung to his arms as they strolled.
*Ring~* "Nope~" they replied in unison, flashing identical smiles.
"Alright then," Rei laughed. "By the way, have you two figured out where you're planning to go for college?"
They looked thoughtful for a moment before Ferry chimed in, "We're going wherever you're going."
"What? You can't just follow me around like that! Your future matters, you know? If you miss me that much, we'll still see each other. I'll even rent us an apartment someday."
"Ring~" Tiamat shook her head.
"No, really. This is your future—you need to decide for yourselves," Rei insisted, slightly exasperated but still smiling.
Ferry laughed, "We'll think about it later, don't worry, Rei." The three of them shared a grin, continuing their walk to school.
Suddenly, both Ferry and Tiamat stopped in their tracks, pulling Rei to a halt as well.
"Huh? What's up?" Rei asked, looking at them curiously.
Ferry's expression turned serious. "This feeling… Tiamat, you feel it too, right?"
Tiamat nodded, her face mirroring Ferry's concern.
Meanwhile, on the school campus, Rosetta was seated at her desk in the teacher's lounge, sorting through a pile of student exams. It was routine work by now, and strangely enough, she'd come to enjoy playing the role of a teacher. With the hazy memories from her dreams, it almost felt like she was meant for this.
Yet, there was one downside. Her male colleagues constantly pestered her with invitations—asking her to go out or join them for coffee. By now, she'd become a master at ignoring them completely.
Then she felt it—the same sensation that struck Ferry and Tiamat. Her eyes widened, and a small smile spread across her face.
"It's finally time," she whispered to herself, rising from her chair.
Without hesitation, she left the room and made her way up to the school's rooftop.
As Ferry and Tiamat kept a firm grip on Rei, pulling him along, he looked around, confused. "Where are we going? We've already passed our classroom," he pointed out, his tone puzzled.
But neither Ferry nor Tiamat answered, guiding him up the stairs to the rooftop, their usual hangout spot during breaks.
When they reached the rooftop, Rei blinked in surprise. Waiting there for them was Rosetta, her gaze steady, as if she'd anticipated their arrival all along.
"Welcome, my dear students," Rosetta greeted them with a warm smile, her eyes carrying a weight of unspoken knowledge.
"Huh? Teacher Rosetta? What are you doing here?" Rei asked, his confusion deepening as he looked from her to his friends.
In that moment, Ferry and Tiamat released their hold on Rei and stepped forward, positioning themselves on either side of Rosetta. Rei's confusion only grew as he observed the three of them, sensing something truly strange about their behavior.
The three exchanged a solemn glance. "It's finally time," Ferry said softly.
"To end this dream," Rosetta added, her gaze unwavering.
*Ring~* (To face the truth.) Tiamat's ended it.
Suddenly, the three of them began to glow, enveloped in a brilliant light that forced Rei to shield his eyes. The intensity of it was overwhelming, as if it held a power far beyond anything he'd ever sensed.
When the light finally faded, Rei opened his eyes—and his jaw dropped. What stood before him was nothing like the friends he knew.
Ferry's entire appearance had transformed; her clothing now changed, and ghostly figures hovered just above her shoulders, their silent eyes watching. Rosetta's hair was interwoven with blossoming vines, and a vibrant rose bloomed atop her head. As for Tiamat, three dragon heads now loomed behind her, their piercing gaze fixed intently on Rei.
"W-what's going on?" he stammered, walking back, his mind reeling from the surreal sight in front of him.
The three of them continued to watch Rei, their gazes intense but encouraging. Finally, Rosetta broke the silence. "Can you hear it, Rei?"
"Hear... hear what?" he replied, looking at each of them, his confusion evident.
"Listen closely," Ferry urged him, her voice calm yet filled with a sense of urgency.
Rei glanced around, unsure of what he was supposed to be listening for. All he could do was stare at them, feeling a mixture of shock and curiosity. Then, suddenly, he heard it—a faint whisper, like a voice drifting in from somewhere far away.
The voice was barely audible, as if echoing through layers of fog. But with each word, Rei felt a strange familiarity creeping in, like fragments of a dream he couldn't quite grasp. The whispers grew a little clearer, and with each one, images from his dreams began to surface in his mind.
A vision of a beautiful girl with blonde hair flashed before him, her face soft and kind. Then, another image—a girl with long blue hair, standing beside him with a gentle smile, as if they'd shared countless moments together. And then, more scenes followed, images of places he'd only ever seen in his dreams—vibrant landscapes, battles fought alongside friends, and a deep, unwavering sense of purpose.
The voices were calling his name now, clearer than before. His chest tightened, and he clutched his head as a dull ache began to pulse in his mind, each memory straining to come forward.
"Rei…" The voices seemed to echo louder, resonating deep within him, pulling him toward something—no, someone—he couldn't quite remember but felt he knew in his very soul.
"Looks like it's still not enough. You two, help me, please," Rosetta said urgently, her eyes focused on the task at hand.
Ferry and Tiamat nodded, quickly moving to surround Rei. They reached out, touching his arms and shoulders, channeling their energy into him.
"Focus on that voice, Rei! Ignore everything else and keep concentrating on the sound!" Ferry urged, her tone both quick and frantic.
Together, the three of them worked to help Rei break through the barriers set by Lucillus, flooding him with their combined power. With each surge of energy, the oppressive weight pressing on his consciousness began to lift.
"Rei…!" The call of his name echoed through the air, clear and urgent.
Suddenly, the world around them froze, the bustling noise of reality silenced.
"Rei."
Above them, something in the sky began to crack.
"Hear my voice!" The sound grew louder, filling Rei's ears, and the cracks in the sky multiplied, cascading like ripples across the surface of a pond.
"This voice…" Rei's heart raced as he started to recognize it.
"Lyria!!" he shouted, the name bursting from his lips.
"Waahhh!?" Rosetta, Ferry, and Tiamat were thrown back from the force of Rei's outburst, the sheer energy disrupting their connection.
The cracks in the sky widened, pulsating with an intense light until, at last, they shattered. The world held its breath, suspended in time, as three figures fell from the luminous openings above.
"He's here!" Orchid cried out, spotting Rei below her.
"Reiii!" Lyria and the other Lyria shouted in unison, their voices ringing with a mix of joy and urgency as they raced towards him.