Nama Woods, Rosendun.

7:41 p.m. 12th Zelyr 1092.

8 Days to World's End.

Flap! Flap!

High, in the skies above Nama Woods, a massive black silhouette darted through the clouds, its irregular movement suggesting it was a living creature. A strange giggling sound escaped the silhouette as it cut through the clouds, and then sped down to meet an awaiting pale-faced man.

Rider smiled as he examined the condor wings sprouting out of Zuri's back. The child's Beast Assimilation skill was progressing nicely. Perhaps it was only a matter of time before she achieved Full Body Assimilation?

Zuri chuckled as she swooped around Rider. "So, where are we going now?"

"We need to see the world's biggest pretender." Rider ruffled Zuri's hair, and then said, "Follow me." With those words, Rider swiftly descended, followed closely by Zuri.

Vwoosh!

Rider and Zuri cut through the dense trees, and then landed in a small clearing. Zuri curiously looked around, eyes widening when she spotted Fladnag's small treehouse. She then looked to her right. There, she saw Fladnag seated at a table with a chair opposite him. Yanakal stood by the wizard's side, gazing at a bird on one of its branches.

Fladnag set down his cup, and then turned to look at the visitors. His bushy brows rose when he noticed Zuri. "Rider. I did not think you would come with company. Are you not the lonely type?"

"I prefer to be alone, kid." Rider snorted as he walked over. "You remember Zuri, right?"

"Zuri, huh?" Fladnag gave Zuri a once-over. He then turned to look at Rider with a glint in his eyes. "You chose her to be your successor? Interesting choice. I always thought you would reserve that for the champion."

Rider shook his head. "Kashi's path is different. I doubt he would let me influence it much." He looked at Zuri who had walked over to view Yanakal from up close. "She, on the other hand, has both the skills and willingness to learn."

Fladnag glanced at Zuri. "Fine. Maybe you are right." The wizard then fished out four scrolls from within his robe. He placed the scrolls on the table and looked at Rider. "I assume you are here for the teleportation matrixes?" When Rider nodded, he pointed, "Everything you need is here." Fladnag separated the scrolls into two parts, in a 2-1 formation. "You should know how to use this, but just in case." He pointed at the first pair. "These will mark, and then transport a small army to the plains surrounding Oni Hill. I've already locked the coordinates, so do not worry about the accuracy." He then pointed at the last scroll. "This one will send everyone marked by the first matrixes back to their point of origin. Assuming things go to shit, you can at least save the warriors for a bit longer."

"Thanks. These will be a big help." Rider took the scrolls and put them away. A delightful shout caught their attention, and they turned to see Zuri laughing as Yanakal swung her this way and that. A small smile spread on Rider's face. "That's what we're fighting for, is it not? A future where the kids can smile in peace."

Fladnag snorted. "Human nature dictates that another war will just spring up in the future." The old wizard frowned and looked at the murky tea. "I'm only doing this to sock Razznik a good one. Even if just once. Well, I'll be over the moon if the bastard croaked, but that seems unlikely." He sighed and looked at Zuri. "At the very least, we stagnant fakes will never be capable of defeating him."

"Maybe not, but we can raise the generation who can." Rider's eyes flashed as he thought of the people he had met along this journey. Aside from the obvious Sonic and Brilith, he met quite a few secret individuals, both Summoned and Resident alike, who could give Kashi a run for his money in terms of potential and strength.

If these budding flowers were carefully raised... Well, there was no telling what they could accomplish!

Rider, thus looked at Fladnag with a strong, confident smile. "I am certain we will see balance restored to the world."

Fladnag sighed and then drank from his tea. "I hope you are right. We might have solved the first crisis, but if we do not restore the reincarnation cycle, this world will soon explode."

Rider frowned. The reincarnation cycle was an important facet of a functioning world. When people died, barring strong sentiments, or special occasions, their souls returned to the circle. These souls would then be judged, and then sent to reincarnate in one of the seven planes, depending on the judgment.

When the gods fell, the Circle stopped functioning. As a result, when people died, their souls remained on the earth. As a result, an unfathomable number of souls inhabited the earth at one point. If this continued, eventually, the world would become imbalanced, which would lead to catastrophic events as it tried to repair itself. Most likely all life would be purged in the world's bid to become more suitable for ghost life.

Fortunately, when Syèl restored the circle, most of these souls returned to the circle. This action returned a semblance of balance, but it was not a final cure. That was because, without Aerith, the souls were stuck in the Circle, and could not reincarnate.

The Circle had a maximum capacity, which was almost filled to the brim from the influx of a thousand years of souls from seven planes. If it did not begin recycling these souls soon, it, like jar forcefully filled past capacity, would explode. The resulting damage to the realms was something no one wanted to picture.

It would make the Calamity feel like a stubbed toe in comparison.

Unfortunately, unlike the other gods, Aethir was carefully guarded by Razznik himself in Hell. Figuring out how to rescue her was the one task Ferulic assigned to the Seven. It would, by no means, be an easy task.

Rustle!

Fladnag and Rider looked to the bushes, eyes widening when a brown-furred kafu stepped out from the thickets.

"Bert!" Rider exclaimed in shock. "You came out on your own?" For as long as he had known this man, he could count on one hand, the amount of times he met Bert awake, let alone walking around. "What's the occasion?"

Bert had his hands in pockets as he approached, and then sat on a freshly conjured chair. The kafu took a sip from the cup of tea Fladnag handed him, and then took a deep breath. He then looked at Rider and smiled. "I missed you the last time you came to visit. I felt like I should see you this time at least."

Fladnag snorted. His judging gaze was filled with disdain. "Don't lie. You're just too lazy to fly to Oni Hill. You want to join me when I teleport over."

Bert exposed a lazy smile. "I'll be imposing on you." He then spotted Zuri out of the corner of his eyes. The kafu's eyes shone as he watched Zuri play with Yanakal. Zuri seemed to be aiming for a fruit held close to Yanakal's trunk. She had to dodge the treants vines and branches as she charged at the fruit. Bert was especially pleased by Zuri's razor-sharp reflexes, and animal-like instinctual dodges. It was clear this girl had not undergone any formal training. "Hey I—"

"NO!"

Both Fladnag and Rider screamed in unison, their gazes filled with horror. They repositioned their chairs, blocking Zuri from Bert's sight.

"Forget it, Bert," demanded Rider with a stern expression. However, there was a hint of fear in there.

"Yeah. No chance we're letting you train her." Fladnag seconded Rider's demand.

Bert frowned. "Why are you both acting like this? I want a successor too, you know? Even Cathek has a student. I'm the only one without one."

"That's on you." Rider snorted. How did this man expect to find a student when he slept all day? That said, Rider felt immense pity for whomever became Bert's successor. Bert, to the world, was a nice kafu who offered nice advice before sleeping.

But, among the Seven, Bert had a special nickname, The Sleeping Mad Berserker. Bert acquired that nickname from his extreme fighting style. When he was younger, he did not possess Cathek's natural talent, so he trained his body like a madman. Furthermore, when he fought, he put his entire body on the line like a vicious beast, often willing to trade an arm and leg to take down his opponent.

Bert, for whom the word, defense did not exist, was the worst person to teach a sweet, young girl like Zuri.

Rider shivered as he pictured the innocent Zuri laughing as she tore people to pieces. Nope! No Way! Not Happening! "Forget it, Bert. We can find you another student. I already chose her to be my successor."

"Our legacies don't clash though." Bert looked at Rider, but gave up when he saw the determination in the Hybrid's eyes. "Fine. I will find my own student. I'm sure I will find someone suitable in this battle. Besides, it will be a nice time to check up on Kashi's progress. I don't know why, but I believe that child will be our best chance to defeat Razznik."

"You think so too?" Rider looked at Zuri. "If her were alone, I probably would not agree, but he's surrounded by monsters. I really think he's our best bet. But, there are quite a few other candidates out there. You should visit the other regions more often. You will be pleasantly surprised."

Bert shook his head. "I'm good. That'll cut into my training."

Rider's eyes twitched. This kafu took too much bullshit from Razznik. One of the worst, was this sickening training ethic. Believe it, or not, Bert trained in his dreams. That was the reason why he was always asleep.

Rider looked at Fladnag, and then Bert. The hybrid shook his head. He needed to get out of here, before he was contaminated with crazy. "Zuri!"

"Got it!" Zuri cried, overjoyed as she ran up to Rider with the fruit. She grinned as she presented Rider with the yellow, basketball-sized fruit. "Hehe, what do you think, Gray Ojii-san?"

Rider's brow shot up in shock. He jerked to look at Yanakal, who responded with a wooden smile. "Haha! You scored big, Zuri."

Zuri cocked her head to the side. "What?"

"I'll hold onto this for now. I'll let you know the best time to eat it." Rider laughed and ruffled Zuri's hair. "Alright. Let's retrace our steps. We'll go deliver these scrolls, and then wait for Kashi to meet us."

Zuri bounced up and down, eyes wide in excitement! "Kashi's coming!?" Poof! A pair of beautiful, raven black wings sprouted from her back. She jumped and then hovered over the clearing. "Come on, Ojii-san! Kashi's waiting for us!"

"That's not what I—Never mind." Rider chuckled. He bade goodbye to Bert and Fladnag, and then took to the sky, joining the rambunctious child.

Bert watched the figures disappear into the horizon, and then turned to look at Fladnag. "How do you feel? We might meet Razznik very soon."

"Might?" Fladnag snorted. "Fate is a cruel thing. I am certain Razznik's summoning will be successful. But, we need to buy time to reverse the summoning, or failing that, Kill Him."

"In the end, that's what you really want, is it not? To kill Razznik."

Fladnag frowned. "You'd think I would get over my anger after one thousand years. But, it's only gotten worse. I will not rest until Razznik is dead."

Bert revealed a bitter smile. "I often wonder why I was chosen. I seem to be the only one who does not hate Razznik. Perhaps, that is why. I still find it hard to believe he is as evil as you all make him out to be."

"Did he not kill your mother?"

"How many people's mothers and fathers have I killed?" Bert sighed and shook his head. "I cannot justify my hate, when I have committed the same crime. Besides, he acted on Aethir's orders. He was nothing but the sword." For a moment, Bert's eyes grew wild and hot as a terrifying pressure escaped his body. "If there's anyone I should hate, it would be the goddess who swung that sword to protect herself." Bert's expression relaxed and he closed his eyes.

"Ironic isn't it? You are now sworn to rescue her from Razznik."

"Ironic? Yes. It is indeed, ironic..."