Arc stood on the edge of the battlefield, his body battered and broken. The sky burned crimson with the fury of a war unlike any the world had ever seen. Armies clashed, monsters roared, and the air smelled of charred earth and blood. But through it all, Arc stood firm, gripping the hilt of his sword. His companions had fallen, and only he remained to face the towering demon before him.
"You think your world matters, human?" the demon sneered, its voice a mix of grinding stone and raging fire.
Arc spat blood onto the ground. "I don't think it matters. I know it does."
With a roar, he charged. Flames consumed him as the demon struck, but Arc's blade found its mark—a blinding flash erupted, engulfing the battlefield in light. The last thing Arc saw was the collapsing form of his foe and the quiet, grateful smiles of the people he had saved.
Darkness closed in.
But something unexpected happened. As Arc's soul drifted away, the world itself whispered. You gave everything to protect me. I will not let you be lost.
A swirl of energy enveloped Arc's soul. Memories blurred, sensations faded, and before he could process what was happening, he felt a strange tugging sensation—a pull that sent him hurtling through the cosmos.
-
Arc jolted awake, his chest heaving as he sucked in air. His vision blurred, and his limbs felt… off. He looked down at his hands, which were unfamiliar—calloused but thinner than he remembered.
"Where… am I?" he murmured.
The room he was in was richly decorated but eerily empty. Golden chandeliers hung above, casting warm light over silk drapes and ornate furniture. But something felt wrong. There was a stillness to the air, like the calm before a storm.
A sudden prickling at the back of his neck made Arc freeze. Instincts honed through countless battles kicked in. Someone—or something—was nearby. Without thinking, he raised his hand, and a surge of power erupted from within him.
A black flame shot out, engulfing a shadowy figure that had been creeping toward him. The figure screamed, then disintegrated into ash.
Arc blinked, staring at his hand. "What the hell was that?"
Before he could process the situation, an oppressive silence descended upon the room. It wasn't just quiet—it was the kind of silence that made you feel like the entire world had stopped to watch.
"What… just happened?" Arc muttered, looking at the pile of ash on the floor.
As if to answer him, a flash of light filled the room. When it cleared, a stunning woman stood before him, her long golden hair cascading down her back. She had radiant wings that glimmered like starlight, and her face was a portrait of divine beauty—marred only by the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You…" she sobbed, pointing a trembling finger at him. "Do you even realize what you've done?"
Arc stared at her, utterly baffled. "I woke up, some shady figure tried to kill me, and I defended myself. You're welcome, by the way."
The woman dropped to her knees, clutching her head as if trying to make sense of the situation. "That… wasn't some shady figure. That was the Archduke of Atheris! Sent here by me! To ensure the Chosen Child's destiny could unfold as it should!"
Arc blinked. "Okay, first of all, what?"
The woman sobbed louder, curling into a ball on the floor. "Do you even understand the consequences of this? The Grand Duchy now has no leader. It's in chaos! That Archduke was the cornerstone of the entire kingdom's stability!"
"Wait, wait, wait." Arc held up his hands. "Let me get this straight. You sent some guy—who didn't bother introducing himself, mind you—to sneak up on me, and I'm the bad guy for frying him? Sounds like a you problem."
The woman looked up, her tear-streaked face a mixture of despair and fury. "A me problem? A me problem? You're the one who murdered a pivotal figure of this world without so much as a second thought!"
"To be fair, I was half-asleep," Arc said, shrugging.
The woman groaned, throwing her hands up. "This is unbelievable. Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"I don't know, lady. Maybe you shouldn't send people skulking around without a warning label."
The woman glared at him, her wings flaring out in frustration. "He wasn't skulking! He was disguised! The Archduke was using illusion magic to oversee the Grand Duchy's affairs. You've just destroyed an entire illusion that made it look like the Grand Duchy was thriving. Now it's… it's just an empty castle in the middle of a barren wasteland!"
Arc winced. "Yikes. That's… awkward."
"Awkward!?" she shrieked.
He scratched his head, stepping away from the pile of ash. "So, uh, what happens now? Does another Archduke just… spawn in?"
The woman let out a strangled cry. "You idiot! You've ruined everything! The Grand Duchy is leaderless! The Chosen Child's destiny is in jeopardy! The entire kingdom could collapse!"
"Yeah, but that's not my fault," Arc said, crossing his arms.
The woman jabbed a finger at him. "Yes, it is! You killed him! Take responsibility!"
Arc threw up his hands. "How is this my responsibility? I didn't ask to be here! I was doing fine dying heroically in my own world. This whole mess is on you."
The woman stomped her foot, causing a small tremor. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't been so reckless! You're the one who killed him. Fix it!"
"Fix it? Fix what? I don't even know how I got here!"
The two glared at each other, the tension in the room palpable. Finally, Arc sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm not saying I'm thrilled about this, but if it's that big of a deal, I'll… I don't know, help or whatever."
The woman blinked, her tears momentarily stopping. "You will?"
"Yeah, sure," Arc said nonchalantly. "Not because you're crying or anything. That's just… awkward to watch."
The woman sniffed, trying to compose herself. "I-I see. Well… thank you."
"But," Arc added, smirking, "only if you admit that this whole mess was partly your fault."
The woman bristled, her wings flapping indignantly. "It was not my fault! If you hadn't—"
"Ah-ah," Arc interrupted, wagging a finger. "I said partly."
She huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine. Partly. Happy?"
"Ecstatic," Arc said with a grin. "So, what's the plan, winged lady? How do we clean up this Grand Duchy mess?"
The woman straightened, her divine aura returning. "First of all, my name is Seraphina. And second, we'll need to restore order to the Grand Duchy. I'll assist you, of course."
"Assist me?" Arc raised an eyebrow. "You mean, I have to do the heavy lifting while you float around looking pretty?"
Seraphina flushed. "I will not just float around! I'm a goddess! My power is—"
"Yeah, yeah, divine and all that," Arc said, waving her off. "Look, if we're doing this, we do it my way. No more surprises, no more sending sneaky Archdukes. Got it?"
Seraphina opened her mouth to protest but closed it with a sigh. "Fine. But don't think for a second that this absolves you of responsibility."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Arc said with a wink.
The two stared at each other for a moment, an unspoken truce forming. Arc grinned, already imagining the chaos to come.
"Let's get to work," he said.