I continued up to the higher floor as the surroundings began to change. The black hues gradually shifted into deep shades of red, eventually transforming into a vivid scarlet color. This floor was the opposite of the previous one, filled with furniture: a bookshelf, a large table with several chairs, a piano, and a chandelier on the ceiling. Each piece adhered to the same deep red theme.
I walk over to the piano and press a few keys, then hear footsteps behind me—the sound of armor clinking, coming closer and closer. Turning around, I see an armored figure approaching, chains rattling behind him. His armor is entirely black, adorned with intricate crimson cracking details across every piece. His helmet features two long deer-like horns, and atop it sits a black crown inlaid with red gems.
I then hold out my hand before him as he stop before me. "Good to see you, Scarlet King."
He then takes off his helmet as his armor start to disappear, he then shakes my hand while keep smiling. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you too, Lord Duc."
He appears to be a middle-aged man with scarlet hair and a few wrinkles on his face. His skin is tanned, and he has a muscular frame. His eyes are particularly striking—deeply red, with irises that resemble blood-red rubies bound by countless chains. Each chain symbolizes a restraint he has placed upon himself, ensuring he does not accidentally destroy everything he touches or interacts with.
This version of the Scarlet King is the complete opposite of his original counterpart. Instead of seeking to destroy creation, he strives to empower it, making it whole and protecting it from beings intent on its destruction. Yet, as he guarded creation, he was betrayed and ambushed by other guardians who wished to claim it for themselves. He fought back, killing them all, but the creation was severely damaged beyond repair despite his efforts. In a final attempt to save it, he used his own body and soul to contain creation within himself, becoming its vessel. In his final moments, he successfully safeguarded creation while a absorb some of its power and ascended to an outerversal class entity. To protect it from those who might seek to covet it, he sealed himself away alongside creation.
After a long time had passed, he was eventually discovered by The Voice Behind All, who invited him to join the council. In return, Voice offered to help him grow stronger by assisting with the restoration of creation and teaching him to wield his new power with greater skill. He accepted, and thus became a member of the council as an omniversal class entity. Creation was fully restored and now serves as the center of his own complex multiverse.
I then pat his shoulder, after that we then walk toward the chairs and sit down. He then pour me a cup of tea, he then step toward the piano and start playing it. "First of all, I know that me thanking you right now mean nothing as you not him. But still you are him, so I have to. Thank you, thank you so much for saving me. Thank you for giving me chance to become something better, something that worthy staying alongside creation."
I then just chuckle while sit back and relax as I listen to his playing the piano. "Worth no thank. You are a good friend, and precious member of the council. Also, don't think I didn't see it, you and creation have something special between you two. And I can feel it very clearly, I maybe a fragment of him, but I am his emotion part so when it come to this type of thing, I see very clearly. So how far have you two been?"
His fingers stop abruptly when he hear me as his face that always has been cold and collective start to change, his face start to blush as he start answering me stuttering. "W-we just got m-married 800 hundred years and we still our h-honeymoon p-phase."
I then smile and nod knowingly. "Uh huh, uh huh. That's good to hear." I then start chuckling "Dude, comparing to me right now, you are older than me by million times yet you still shy when it come this kind of thing. I was single my entire life in my past life, yet I'm not that shy. Anyway, how have you guys been?"
He then regains his composure and begins playing the piano once more. "We've been wonderful, thank you for asking. After confessing our love to each other, we started creating our own universe during our honeymoon. We traveled through the Beyond Realm, gathering inspiration to craft our perfect world. And soon after, we began building it together, enjoying every moment. Before we even realized it, our little universe had grown into an entire multiverse."
I take a sip of tea, continuing to enjoy his piano playing. "That sounds lovely, from beginning to end. From protecting her before she even had consciousness to when she finally took her true form. It seems you're quite fond of creation, huh?"
He stops playing and turns to me. "Unlike my original counterpart, who only wants to destroy and consume creation, I am not the same. I understand that without creation, there is no destruction, and without destruction, there is no creation. We cannot exist without one another; we are two sides of the same coin, inseparable. My other self was blinded by hatred, unable to see her beauty—but not me. I can see her true essence, who she truly is. I have sworn to protect her with everything I have. Even if it means sacrificing myself so that she may continue to exist, I would willingly do so."
"And I'm glad to have you by my side, Dear." A female voice can be hear as a figure appear in front of us.
This figure is none other than Creation, the Scarlet King's wife. Her appearance is a striking contrast to the Scarlet King. She wears a white robe embroidered with blue details, such as flowers and curling lines, which complement her pure white skin. A white crown floats above her head, adorned with blue gemstones. Her eyes are heterochromatic: one is a soft gray-white, and the other is a brilliant diamond blue. Her hair is milky white with an underside that fades to sky blue, creating a serene, otherworldly effect as it compliment her gentle face.
She then walked toward the Scarlet King and embraced him gently. "I'm so grateful to have had you by my side all this time, my love. You were so sweet back then, and you still are—always so caring and loving toward me, always sharing everything you know. When you protect me from harm and put your body and soul into keeping me safe, I fall head over heels for you all over again."
She then turn to me and bow deeply. "Thank you for saving both of us back then, Lord Duc."
I then walk over to her lift her up from bowing. "Oh please, don't thank me, I didn't do anything much. If you want to thank someone, thanks your husband and Voice. All I ever did was helping Voice regain his emotion."
She then let me lift her up from bowing, she then turn to Scarlet King and hug him tightly. Scarlet King then hug her back as tightly while looking at me and smile. "Well, that was fun while it last, now if you excuse me, I have something to do." He then lift Creation up and disappear.
I just stand there for a few moment and let out a chuckle. "What a wife freak. Well, can't judge him."
I was just about to go higher, and I then felt something was coiling around my legs. I then looked down and saw it was a very chain. I then pick it up and start inspecting it. The chain is pure black with many red cracking lines running all over it. What is so special about this chain is that there is a serpent head at the end of it. What I unexpected the most is that the serpent head rises up and looks at me. It then let out a black slit snake tongue while slowly coiling around my arms.
A soul card then appears out of nowhere with a note on it. "I almost forgot about giving my soul card to you, and if you saw a long black-red chain, then it was my gift to you. I hope you can take good care of it. It was one of the first things that I ever created, and it doesn't have a name yet, so I hope you can give it a good name."
I then put the soul card into Tree's inventory and stroked the serpent head a little. "In that case, your name shall be Rouge from now on."
The little chain serpent then rattles excitingly when it hears me giving its name; it then starts sinking into my right arms and turns into a black tattoo that runs all over my right arm.
I then hear a notification from Tree. "Upon interacting with High Elder God Scarlet King, master has unlocked some mods; these mods are Thorium (50%), Calamity (65%), Calamity Infernum (65%), Wrath of The Gods (55%), Calamity Overhaul (65%), Fargo's Mutant, Fargo's Soul (65%), Fargo's Soul DLC (65%), Fargo Equipable Inventory (40%), and The Star Above (75%)."
I then ask Tree to show me Rouge's stat.
[Rouge, Crimson Chain of Devouring
This piece of chain is a unique weapon that can absorb all kinds of melee weapons, no matter what they are; as long as they are melee weapons, it will absorb them all. When it successfully absorbs the weapon, it will gain the shape of that weapon along with its attributes, traits, and special abilities. On its own, it has a unique ability to devour everything to grow stronger.
Current form: Chain
Attribute: None
Ability: Devour]
I then turn off the notification and start walking toward the staircase to go up the higher floor. This time, I'm going to visit the "True Two Sides of a Coin."