Death.
The world was covered in the stench of it.
No matter where you looked, there would always be a dead body—a gaping corpse whose wretched form stared back at you.
The skies seemed to be shrouded in an eternal night, and a nonsensical mix of freezing heat pervaded everything.
Chaos was rampant.
Destruction became trite.
Humanity, after fighting the long war for fifteen straight years… was finally on the brink of extinction.
In this despairing world, three silhouettes sped across the devastated battlefield.
They trampled on the bodies of their fallen comrades, their feet splashing around the blood of the dismembered corpses around them.
Despite such obvious desecration, they didn't seem to care.
Their goal—The Chamber of the Ancients—was far too valuable for any kind of hesitation in their march.
Also, they were in a bit of a hurry.
~WHOOSH!~
Like the very personification of wind, they flowed through the area, ensuring they could reach their goal in time.
And, by some absurd miracle… they did!
The Chamber of the Ancients—a dome-like structure that existed at the furthest ends of the domain they existed in—accepted their entry.
The three were able to get in, just in time for the Solstice to begin.
The Celestial Solstice that took place once every hundred years—the short window that caused the veils of reality to thin out considerably… creating the perfect chance for a miracle.
The three silhouettes were bathed in the light that shone from within the dome, revealing their true identities.
There was a white-haired Mage, immensely beautiful, with crimson eyes and several charms placed all over her enchanting body. Her Mage Attire had many torn all over, a sign of the dreary experience she had to endure in the war.
Her hair was cut short, but she still had the same bright smile as the first day—five years ago—when the first miracle of mankind happened.
"Lucielle, we're finally here! What now?" The voice of the second man rang with boldness and readiness.
There was a hint of pain in his tone, but he hid it all in the bravado he displayed.
He had black hair and dark brown eyes. He was of average looks, but his well-built body and incredibly long blade were far from average.
In the past, his hair was of natural length, but it had now grown long due to being unkempt for a long period. It used to be packed together, but their journey to this dome was by no means a smooth one.
As a result, his long hair roughly covered his face, and by extension, the scar on his left eye.
… A mark he received in order to save the life of the comrade next to him.
"Patience, Rey. We just got here." Lucielle mumbled as she began to look around the dome's interior.
Of course, Rey knew that Lucielle was busy observing the runic language that covered the walls of their surroundings, matching it to what they had learned over the past year.
The Oracle's words rang true, so that meant the power they sought was also present.
—The power to change everything!
"I think what we have to do lies over there. With that Magic Circle." Lucielle pointed forward, towards an altar.
There existed flaming torches that surrounded the stage, and rune-like depictions warbled as if they could go off at any given moment.
"You think?" Rey responded, raising one of his brows.
The three in the room rushed towards the altar, and Lucielle observed it some more.
"Based on what I'm seeing here, I'll have to augment the Magic Circle in order to suit our purposes." Lucielle rubbed her chin as she spoke.
"So… you can control how far back we can go?"
"No, not really. The further back, the more time and energy will be required to activate. Plus, remember what I've been warning against."
"Yeah, yeah, the butterfly effect."
"Butterfly? It's the Dragonfly effect, though."
"In our old world, it's called the Butterfly Effect. Same difference."
This exchange by both parties was observed by the third member of the trio. He silently watched everything, unable to contribute even a word to the conversation. He had an oddly cut yellow hair, his very lean appearance, and his face could be defined with one word—ugly.
He was unsightly in appearance, so he often bowed his head to hide his full face from anyone who was in his presence.
"I-in any case, we can't afford to make too many big changes since it'll derail the events that'll happen even more." Lucielle sighed, her eyes still on the runes in the Magic Circle.
She had to understand everything about them—their arrangements, formation, up to the tiniest details—or else there could be a fatal error.
"So… your point is that we don't make changes?"
"No. If we desire to change this outcome, we need to make changes. We just can't make significant ones except at given points in time, so we can predict exactly what happens and how to best respond to them."
"…."
"Altering the future, or should I say, this present, by going to the past… that in itself will make changes that are significant. I suppose it is unavoidable." Lucielle muttered, finally rising from her crouched position.
"That's what I've been trying to say." Rey responded with a sigh.
"Well, we'll figure it out as we go. For now, it's best we get started." Lucielle smiled.
She grabbed the hands of the lanky blonde and pulled him over to her side.
"Come on, Adonis! Let's get to work."
Lucielle's smile caused the boy to beam, and Rey watched this exchange with a sad smile on his face.
"Your Master and Disciple relationship makes me a bit teary, you know?" His chuckle rang hollow as he strained a genuine smile.
"Makes me wish my own Master was still around."
For a moment, there was silence.
Then—
"Brutus' sacrifice won't be forgotten. He made the right choice. If he didn't do what he did, we wouldn't be here."
"I know… I get it." Rey sighed at Lucielle's words. "It's not just him. Everyone's sacrifice has brought us to this point."
All three stared and nodded at each other.
"… To this place."
Rey tightly gripped his tall and broad sword—his Master's final gift to him—and made a smile oozing with nostalgia.
Brutus called it his late present to Rey for finally surpassing him and reaching the realm of the Absolute.
He had become an Absolute Knight King.
"Looks like all of that is about to be reset, though…" He chuckled as he made the joke.
Rey turned and smiled at Adonis in particular, whose face was so gloomy that it contrasted the other two in the room.
"Don't look so gloomy, my friend. We're going to change everything!"
And then, those words became a blur.
The world became distorted, and the dream that was once so vivid turned dark… dark and red.
The dreamer slowly opened his eyes in his room, and tears streamed down his handsome face as he placed his hand on it.
"You were right, my friend…" Adonis muttered, his voice barely able to come out as a result of the choking emotions.
"Everything is changing."