Prague, 8 a.m.
H.Q. of the Council of Sorceries, Deepest Level
"...Wake up."
A metallic clang reverberated along the frost-covered iron bars, each impact sending vibrations through the icy stone walls of the hallway. The temperature in the deepest level was punishing, well below zero. Frost clung to every surface, creeping along the ancient runes etched into the walls and bars alike.
Desmond stood before the cage, his breath escaping in visible clouds as he adjusted his stance. His special armor, forged in the highest tiers of magical craftsmanship, emitted a faint glow, runes etched into its surface flaring softly as if to repel the cold. It was designed to withstand the harshest environments imaginable, yet an oppressive chill still gnawed at him.
He tightened his grip on the control rod in his hand, his knuckles whitening inside his gauntlet. "Brace yourself," he muttered under his breath, though whether it was directed at himself or the figure within the cell, even he wasn't sure.
Behind the iron bars, something shifted.
It opened its eyes.
The creature looked unassuming at first glance—a young girl, no older than fourteen, with striking blue eyes like glacial pools and raven-black hair cascading over her pale shoulders. Her slight frame was draped in a simple, tattered dress that seemed unaffected by the freezing temperatures.
But those eyes… they pierced through Desmond like shards of ice. He knew what kind of monster was hiding behind that appearance, the kind of malice humanity itself could not defeat.
The Council had sealed her away centuries ago, buried so deep beneath Prague that no one even dared to come here.
"You're going out for the first time," Desmond said as he tinkered with the lock to open it.
In ordinary times, he would never have dreamed of unleashing this… thing from its cage.
But these were not ordinary times.
The world above was gone, a lifeless wasteland scorched by the fallout of nuclear explosives. His home, his city, his friends—all gone.
His wife was gone.
And his only hope for the future—his son and daughter—were gone too.
All that remained was this bunker, buried beneath the ruins of Prague.
The creature tilted its head, its unnervingly calm eyes fixed on him, and asked a single question in a flat, monotone voice.
Desmond froze. His fingers hovered over the final sequence of runes on the lock to 'hack', the question lingering in his head.
Why? Why had he come here? Why was he doing this?
The answer was as simple as it was devastating.
That's right, there was only one thing making him move right now: what he learned from the one who destroyed everything.
"Because it's all his fault," he said in a raspy voice, muffled by his helmet. "Luka should've never survived."
If only history had run its course. If only that man had lost his will to live like all the other times. Countless timelines. Countless resets. Time after time, history had corrected itself. Luka would die, as he was meant to, and the world would stabilize. Desmond would live a fulfilling life, free from the chains of this accursed place.
But for some unknown reason, this time, of all the thousands of cycles that occurred, he survived. Defying what it should have been, this man had clung to his life and ruined ten years of careful planning as well as his life.
At first, he didn't mind. All he did was follow orders. But now there was no more council, no one to order him around.
"So please," he begged the creature and held its hand towards it. "Kill him. Kill Luka. And I… I'll give you back your freedom."
The girl didn't move at first, her glacial blue eyes fixed on him, unblinking. Then, slowly, she stepped forward, the frost beneath her feet spreading like cracks across the floor.
"You would bargain with me?" she said, her voice as calm as the room itself. "You would set me loose on your world, just to erase one man?"
A smirk crept onto his face. "Not my world," he corrected, thrusting his palm over her. "You can send her, you fucker."
No need to be so rude, Desmond. A voice echoed in his head. You already freed my sister for me.
Then, a portal opened, engulfing the girl in it before closing it again almost as rapidly.
Desmond staggered back, the weight of what he had done settling in his chest like lead.
He had doomed another world.
But if it could bring him back what he had lost…
He would do it again.
"Now… four and seven are freed," he muttered, each word accompanied by a deep, shaky breath.
That's right, the voice returned, its tone darkly triumphant. Thanks to Seven's powers, I've already seized control of the minds in that world. It's only a matter of time before Luka perishes.
Desmond's smirk faltered, his expression hardening. He hated that someone was talking in his head but he had no way to counter it. Still, a question gnawed at him.
He hated Luka alright… But why… him ?
After that fox in the purple kimono had used her magic, subLuka found himself in a completely dark area.
No stars. No horizon. No end.
Even with his eyes fully open, all he could see was pitch black, an infinite void stretching in all directions. The only sound was the faint echo of his own breathing, accompanied by the rhythmic thump of a heartbeat—not his heartbeat.
Then, an unexpected scent tickled his nose. It was sweet, almost intoxicating, the kind of fragrance that might make you forget everything else. And—
"What the hell?!"
His head was sandwiched by something warm and soft. Something familiar.
"AAAAH!! Get off me!"
He shoved back, scrambling to escape the clutches of whatever had surrounded him. Finally, the oppressive(yet comfortable) darkness gave way to the faintest hint of light. The blackness was still thick, but it was a relief to break free from whatever squishy round objects had wrapped themselves around his head.
His chest heaved with ragged breaths as he steadied himself, eyes wide. The place around him was still unsettling, but it was better than feeling trapped in the confines of that… thing .
A teasing laugh reached his ears.
"What a shame…" came the voice of Daji, laced with amusement.. "I had you all tucked inside my kimono."
SubLuka gritted his teeth, a shade of red creeping onto his face. "The next person who sexually harasses me gets its tail, singular or plural, plucked out," he growled.
"I would have been disappointed if you had stayed there," Vinum huffed with an annoyed expression. "Besides, he is mine, fox. He promised me a rematch."
"Please don't fight for me, I'm good," he sighed, straightening his back as he faced the fox in front of him. "What made you think warping me like that was a good idea?!"
"I just thought I needed a little thank you for saving you," the fox smirked.
"Thank you…" SubLuka sighed, unconvinced. Still, he had to admit that without her, getting out alive from this mess would have been nearly impossible. "So, what is your name?"
"My name is Daji, glad to meet you, hero from another world," she purred, her voice oozing with a seductive undertone that only made SubLuka even more uncomfortable.
"Okay, I'm going to ask you to stop calling me that. It's embarrassing." He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to deflect the heat rising in his cheeks.
Daji grinned. "Oh, come on, don't be so shy. You are a hero, aren't you? Saving the day, fighting off monsters... all that fun… stuff."
"Yeah, well, I'm really not into the whole 'hero' thing," SubLuka muttered, trying to focus on the scenery around him. "Though I guess I like saving the day…"
Vinum crossed her arms and smirked. "How humble of you."
"Oh, shush!" SubLuka snapped, feeling even more embarrassed now that both of them were teasing him.
He then finally realized where he was and frowned with concern. The place was dark, to say the least. Yet there was a strange air similar to that of the Dreamworld he couldn't quite place.
"This is the land of night," Daji explained. "Probably one of the only places untouched by this… 'virus'."
SubLuka's eyes narrowed, and he looked around again. The darkness felt familiar yet unnerving, like something between worlds—neither here nor there. Like a dream.
"So… it's safe here?" he asked, trying to mask his unease.
Daji nodded and then licked her lips. "As safe as you are from me…"
"Please, this is not the time," a voice gentle voice interrupted them. A succubus wearing a skimpy dress with purple hair walked up to them, her expression serious. She radiated with a soothing presence like a long sleep comfortably embracing you
SubLuka's eyes flicked to the newcomer. "Hi miss…?"
The succubus's lips curled into a soft smile. "My name is Est Morn. Glad to see one of the heroes is safe," she said, but then frowned. "Although… I don't seem to remember this one."
"Actually, he is not with them," Daji explained.
"Oh… Then perhaps we could treat him with some of the pleasure they had… Ufufu…" Est chuckled softly, her gaze lingering on SubLuka with intensity.
"You know we have an urgent problem, right?" he said as he stepped back a little.
Est sighed, her smile fading as she adopted a more somber expression. "I know. My dreams seem to not reach people anymore."
"And what's the point of a place where everyone is already brainwashed," Daji gritted her teeth in frustration. "I preferred when the heroes were sane. Also, the only one allowed to corrupt Kazuya is me!"
SubLuka turned to Vinum, expecting her to say something.
"I am not as excentric as these two," she huffed. "That rematch and getting back Myusca and Nemea are my only reasons."
SubLuka chuckled and scratched his head. It felt like a gathering of villains in disguise, but he couldn't exactly complain. It did, however, make him wonder why these particular individuals had managed to escape the plague.
Actually, he realized, he didn't even know why he was safe.
As if reading his thoughts, Vinum interjected, her tone slightly mocking. "I don't know either. You are probably far less virtuous than you let on, or perhaps you have a high capacity to protect your own body from foreign intrusions."
"I never said that I was virtuous," SubLuka sighed. "You all are just making that up. Though perhaps you have a point," he then looked at the people gathered here and drew a conclusion. "Perhaps people that have no qualms killing others aren't that affected by it."
"Hohoho… Are you perhaps by any chance a remorseless killer? How horrible…" Daji said with a smirk.
Est tilted her head slightly, an almost sad expression on her face. "I'm not a killer either. I merely give pleasure to all."
"You look like you're not even here to begin with," SubLuka noted. "Your existence itself is probably shielding you from this plague." He then pointed at Daji with a snarky smile. "I don't want a fox who ruined nations telling me how I should conduct myself.
Daji's eyes narrowed. "Have we met before?"
SubLuka shrugged. "No, but my master was a certain Daji too. That's where I get my talisman's magic from," He paused, studying her more intently now, a little more serious. "You look mostly alike, except for the shamelessness you have."
Daji's lips curled into a smile, though there was a tension beneath it. "A master, huh? Never thought I would meet a student of another version of myself…"
SubLuka raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, don't get too sentimental about it. You're nothing alike. For one, her tails were black."
The tension broke as Daji let out a soft laugh, and, to his own surprise, SubLuka joined her.
After laughing for a while, SubLuka returned to the situation at hand and lowered his head. "We are screwed aren't we…?"
"I can screw y—" Daji began, her tone dripping with mischief, but she was quickly silenced by SubLuka's sharp glare.
"Don't even finish that sentence," he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Daji smirked, leaning back and shrugging playfully. "Spoilsport."
Before SubLuka could respond, the air around them seemed to thicken, a faint ripple of unease coursing through them. Everyone stood still, their instincts suddenly on high alert.
Est's smile faded as she closed her eyes briefly, as if sensing something distant. Even Vinum scowled.
SubLuka glanced around nervously. "Why do I feel…"
"Something monstrous has appeared outside…" Daji murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. Her usual playful tone was gone, replaced by a grim seriousness that sent a chill through the air.
"Huh… Miss Reaper?"
Meanwhile, in Hades, the man who was standing there rose from his sitting position with a concerned look on his face.
"I know," she replied, her voice as cold as the void. "Something dangerous has arrived."
The man frowned, his hands clenching into fists. "Dangerous enough to concern you ? That's rare."
"I'm worried I will have to manage a lot of deaths soon."
"Then I will go," he said as he approached the magic circle leading to the Ilias temple.
"I don't think you can handle it," Reaper warned, before seeing him disappear from the magic circle.
Meanwhile, in the city of Iliasburg.
The bustling streets of Iliasburg had returned to an almost surreal calm, as though nothing had ever disturbed them. The people, freed from the collective consciousness, went about their lives as usual.
Children played by the fountain in the town square, their laughter ringing out in the crisp afternoon air. Elderly villagers sat on benches nearby, exchanging stories of days long past, while shopkeepers called out to passersby to browse their wares.
In one of the quieter corners of the city, a small goblin made her way toward a modest home.
In a small shop, a tiny dragon made her way to visit a certain blacksmith.
When suddenly, a portal opened in the middle of the city. From it emerged a young girl draped in a light-dark robe, her face slightly hidden by her hood.
The square was deathly silent as she took a single barefoot step forward, her presence radiating an unsettling calm. Under her, the pavement turned to frost almost instantaneously, and a chill crept into the air slowly but surely.
Without speaking, the girl raised her gaze to survey the city around her, her expression unreadable beneath the shadows of her hood. Though she said nothing, the power she exuded was palpable even to those without magical affinity.
An elderly man, his hair silver and his hands trembling slightly, took a hesitant step forward. Despite the creeping chill and the weight of the girl's aura, he forced a kind smile onto his weathered face. Determined to maintain the city's welcoming spirit, he extended a hand toward her, concealing the unease gnawing at his chest.
"May I help you, miss?" the old man said, hoping to reach the newcomer.
The girl gave him a stern look. "Where is Luka?" she asked.
"Oh, Luka? He must be somewhere saving the world, I'm sure!" the man replied with a chuckle.
The girl then took another look at the town, a frown deepening on her face. "This place looks like my old home."
The onlookers exchanged worried glances, their instincts screaming to flee, yet none dared move.
"The one where I was sold to these people," she continued with a voice lacking any emotion.
She wasn't familiar with this town in particular, and she knew there was almost nothing in common with her village. But besides that cell and the cold stone walls, she had been imprisoned for centuries, even the slightest building reminded her of her village.
The old man hesitated, unsure how to respond. "I'm sorry to hear that…" he finally said, his tone gentle as he attempted to empathize with her.
The girl shook her head slowly. "No need." Her gaze flicked back to him, her voice as cold as the frost spreading at her feet. "You told me Luka was somewhere. That's enough."
In an instant, the old man found himself frozen in place, his features locked in a gentle, surprised expression. The water in the fountain turned into solid ice, and the once cheerful cries of the children were replaced by an eerie silence. The frost beneath her feet spread rapidly, the cold seeping into the very stone and soil of the town square, consuming the world around her.
As she focused, the girl's hands came together, and a brilliant, glowing blue sphere materialized between her palms, casting a strange, almost hypnotic light. The screams and panicked cries of the onlookers fell on deaf ears. They were trapped in the freezing air and too terrified to move or flee.
Ignoring them completely, she crouched down. She then placed the glowing ball on the ground before exhaling softly over it.
The moment her breath touched the sphere, the effect was instantaneous. The entire world seemed to shudder, as if time itself had been suspended in that one frozen moment. From Iliasburg to Iliasville, the land stretched far and wide, the seas to the north, the grand cities—San Ilia, Grand Noah, and Grandgold—none were safe from the creeping cold taking over the world.
Even the Monster Lord's castle was no exception. The ocean turned into an expansive ice skating rink, the once-wild waves frozen in place.
In a mere minute, all life across the world was extinguished. Every living organism, every heartbeat, was halted by the unrelenting frost. The land was plunged into a white stillness. The once-bustling cities were now silent, lifeless, devoid of movement.
And the girl, the harbinger of this frozen end, stood amidst the devastation, her figure still cloaked in the shadows of her hood, her cold gaze surveying the emptiness she had created.
"Mission complete," her voice stood still as even the air around her was frozen still into one solid bloc. Perhaps it was her nature as a weapon, but even she couldn't help but say that unnerving phrase.
Unfortunately… You didn't kill him
Her gaze snapped upward, her eyes narrowing beneath the dark shadows of her hood. She scanned the frozen sky, as though the voice had come from the heavens themselves. "I froze this tiny world," she said, her voice now laced with a quiet, almost imperceptible edge of frustration. "He cannot have survived."
You've destroyed everything but you missed one detail. There are spaces and magics capable of protecting enclosed spaces.
Her expression darkened. She had obliterated everything—killed every living being, silenced every sound—but there was something, a lingering threat that had escaped her. A brief flicker of uncertainty passed through her, but she quickly dismissed it. She was a weapon. She had done what she was meant to do.
"He cannot stay there forever. He will surely die at one point," she muttered, her voice steadier now, as if convincing herself of the inevitability of his death.
D–Don't tell me you're going to wait?!
"If I wait a century, he will be dead."
A pause hung in the air. Then, she could hear the voice audibly sigh.
You won't even bother chasing him down?
"I have the advantage," she replied in a calculating voice. "At one point he will need food to survive. He will have to come out. Until then, I am free."
Ugh… Fine. As long as he stays away before my birth, I don't care. Do as you wish, four.
The voice faded, and the world returned to stillness. She was alone now, in a realm where nothing could exist except for her. A small smile crept onto her lips, her eyes flickering with a faint childish excitement.
"Time to build an ice castle♪"
Her skin then transformed into ice and her figure stood still, now part of the scenery, facing the old man that reached a hand to her.
This world was her own body, and she could do as she wished with it.