Loki was an Astral and the younger brother of the deceased king of the Erste Empire, who had passed away ten years ago. He was also Orchis's uncle.
Despite his Astral lineage, Loki held nothing but disdain for his late brother, whom he despised for betraying their race by marrying a mortal human. His contempt extended to Orchis, refusing to acknowledge her as an Astral due to her mixed heritage as a half-being.
Beside Loki stood Fenrir, the God-Slaying Primal Beast. She was bound by special magical chains crafted by her previous master, another Astral. These chains, attached to her manacles and collar, acted as power limiters. Were they to be removed, Fenrir's unleashed power could cause untold devastation.
Because of her destructive nature, her former creator deemed her a failed creation and abandoned her. Loki, however, took her in, and since then, the two had traveled together.
Loki sees her as a valued servant, which is why she's loyal to him, even if she doesn't particularly care for him as a person.
Despite being an Astral, Loki was a lower-tier one, lacking the higher abilities such as creation power possessed by beings like Lucilius. As a result, he relied heavily on Astral Magic and Fenrir's strength in battle.
"What do you want, Loki?" Rei demanded, halting directly in front of the throne. His purple aura seeped out of his body, radiating menace.
"Damn it, I knew this was a bad idea! This is your fault, you idiot!" Fenrir growled angrily, glaring at Loki while keeping a wary eye on Rei.
"C'mon, don't be like that, Lucilius. We're the same kin. I'm just here to say hello," Loki said with a smug grin.
Rei simply stared at him in silence before his gaze shifted to Fenrir.
He couldn't recall Loki appearing during the events of Arc 1 in the main story, making his presence now all the more surprising. In the game, Loki and Fenrir had always been antagonists, frequently fighting Djeeta and the others. Loki only seemed to care about his own amusement, enjoying causing chaos and trolling others for his entertainment.
Naturally, Rei remained on high alert.
"If you have nothing else to do, then leave this island," Rei said flatly.
Loki only smiled, rising from the throne and releasing the chain he held before descending the steps toward Rei.
"After you ruined all my fun with the Empire, the least you can do is compensate me~," Loki said teasingly, stopping just in front of Rei.
"I'll compensate you," Rei said, raising his right hand. Instantly, silver-black lightning surged, forming into a Sword of Repudiation.
"I'll free you from your boredom." Rei pointed the blade directly at him.
Fenrir reacted immediately, disappear from her spot beside the throne to stand protectively in front of Loki. Her demeanor changed entirely—her glowing ruby-red eyes filled with menace, her fur bristling as she prepared for combat.
Rei shifted his gaze to Fenrir. Despite the chains that restricted her power, Rei could sense her immense strength.
"Besides Akasha and Avatar, she might be one of the strongest Primal Beasts I've encountered," Rei thought, his deep purple eyes studying her. However, he muttered under his breath, "A failure, huh?"
Hearing this, Fenrir growled furiously. "What did you just say!?"
The word failure struck a nerve, reminding her of the time her previous master had called her the same before abandoning her.
"No... It's more like your master is the failure. How could they create something like you?" Rei replied bluntly.
"I know you understand her, Lucilius. You're one of the higher Astrals with perfect creation power. You definitely can see what's wrong with her core," Loki said, interrupting them with a smirk.
Rei and Fenrir locked eyes for a moment. Fenrir, unfamiliar with Lucilius, didn't understand the weight of his name. She had been created after the Great War, long after Lucilius was sealed.
"You're right," Rei admitted, making his sword disappear.
He began calming the energy leaking from his body from before when he's preparing for the possibility of a fight between Astrals—a battle he'd never experienced before.
However, after hearing Loki's comments, Rei realized that Loki hadn't come to fight but to observe and provoke.
Rei's ominous purple aura began to dissipate, and his deep purple eyes faded back to their original sky-blue.
Loki's eyes widened in shock at the transformation, but then he began to giggle, which soon turned into uncontrollable laughter.
"Hahaha! I can't believe it—you're suppressing your own nature!? Hahaha!" Loki laughed so hard he clutched his stomach.
"This is the funniest thing I've seen since I left Estalucia!"
Rei sighed, unsure how to react. He knew suppressing his Astral nature was foolish, something Lucifer had warned him about countless times. Restraining himself only made his power harder to control and risked catastrophic consequences.
But what choice did he have? He understood that an Astral's nature was as chaotic and unpredictable as Loki himself.
"Axion," Rei muttered, unleashing beams of energy from his fingertips toward Loki to silence him.
Before they could strike, Fenrir intercepted them with incredible speed, shattering the attacks effortlessly.
"Oh..." Rei muttered, impressed. He hadn't used his full strength, but the ease with which Fenrir blocked his attack piqued his curiosity.
"Heh..." Loki stopped laughing, his expression shifting to a serious one as he stared at Rei.
"I don't know what you're planning, Lucilius, but you know the consequences of your actions, don't you? You're the smartest of us all, so I'm sure you've calculated every risk," Loki said, his tone cold.
"Traveling with the Singularity, the Girl in Blue, and that red dragon... You're playing a very dangerous game. But hey, that's not my problem," he added with a shrug, his tone shifting back to a playful one.
"I'm just here to say hello, as we're the last two Astrals left in the Sky Realm," Loki said, turning around as a wooden staff materialized in his hand.
He tapped the staff on the ground, preparing to cast magic but paused.
"Oh, right. As thanks for entertaining me, let me show you something," he said, creating a blue projection in the air. He tossed it toward Rei, and it hovered in front of him.
Rei's eyes widened as the projection revealed a scene of Amalthea Island. The once-thriving town was in ruins, soldiers clashing in a fierce battle.
It was the soldiers of Amalthea Island fighting against the Erste Empire's forces.
"What's happening?" Rei demanded, recognizing the location as the island where Lecia and Monika resided. The Erste Empire had already surrendered, so why were they attacking Amalthea?
"Even though the Erste Empire surrendered, not everyone accepted it. One such individual is Gandharva, the Imperial Lieutenant General," Loki explained casually.
"Even though I'm technically their king now, replacing my brother, I don't care what they do. It's not entertaining enough for me to bother."
The projection disappeared, and Loki tugged on Fenrir's chain, pulling her closer to him.
"Once again, see you later, Lucilius. I'm sure we'll meet again," Loki said with a grin.
With a final tap of his staff, both he and Fenrir vanished.
------
Inside a prison cell, similar to the one where Apollonia had previously been held, Monika sat with her hands shackled in chains.
Her expression betrayed her worry, particularly for her comrades fighting against the Erste Empire and for Lecia, who was somewhere on the island.
She had no idea what had triggered the sudden attack—the Erste Empire's soldiers had arrived in force, launching an assault on the town and dragging civilians into the chaos.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a towering male Draph wearing a green uniform stepped inside. In his hand, he carried a massive sword.
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"Well, well, well. You've certainly seen better days, Captain of the Fourth Fleet, Monika," the Draph remarked, eyeing her condition.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Gandharva, but I'm only the deputy captain now," Monika replied, her tone calm and devoid of concern.
"Hmph. Of course, I know that. But look at you now. The once-great Monika reduced to a lowly prisoner."
"The old you would've at least given me a run for my money," Gandharva said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.
"I wouldn't know about that. I don't have your appetite for battle," Monika replied with a faint smile, brushing off his provocation.
"You've grown soft. I don't know if you're trying to teach your successor a lesson or what, but you abandoned your post as captain too quickly. No bite left in you at all. Guess that's one less opponent capable of keeping me entertained."
Gandharva's disappointment was palpable. He had been eager to fight the legendary Monika, hoping it would give him the chance to fully unsheath his sword.
But to his dismay, she had been defeated easily and thrown into a cell without much resistance.
"You're a real letdown. Maybe I should just chase after your successor—she might offer me more of a challenge than you."
Hearing that, Monika's sharp glare locked onto him.
"Good, good! Keep up that glare. That's all you can afford to do right now. Well, that, and wait patiently for the grand finale," Gandharva said with a sneer before turning to leave, locking the door behind him.
Left alone in the cell, Monika sat in silence. Once she was certain Gandharva was gone, she turned her gaze to the small window in the cell, staring at the world beyond.
"Lecia... I hope you can do it…" she muttered softly, her voice tinged with quiet determination.
While Monika remained imprisoned, Rei stood motionless at the spot where Loki had disappeared.
Deciding he couldn't waste any time, he activated his connection link with Lyria to communicate directly through their minds.
"Lyria, can you hear me?" Rei asked as he began walking out of the palace, preparing to use his wings.
His current goal was clear: find Deus Ex Machina, free Orchis's soul from it, and then use Celeste's power to transfer her soul into Orchid.
"Yes, I can hear you clearly, Rei. What happened in there?" Lyria's voice echoed in his head, concern evident in her tone.
"A lot happened, but all I can say for now is that Amalthea Island is under attack," Rei explained, recounting what he had seen through Loki's projection.
Stepping outside the palace, Rei materialized his two dark wings and took to the skies, flying swiftly toward the desert where he could sense the location of the primal beast.
"What?! What about Monika and Lecia?" Lyria's voice rose in alarm, her worry palpable.
"I don't know. Tell the others and decide whether to head back to Amalthea to help them or stay here to aid the people on this island. I'll find Orchis's soul and return as soon as I can," Rei replied, his tone urgent.
"All right. I'll inform the others. Please, come back quickly," Lyria said before their connection was severed.
Rei sped across the sky, his wings propelling him with incredible speed. The vision of the destruction on Amalthea Island burned in his mind—houses in ruins, soldiers clashing, and countless civilians caught in the chaos. He couldn't afford to waste even a second.