A woman dressed in a servant's clothing was pouring something onto the pond located inside a luxurious house that was designed like a traditional Japanese house. A medium-sized shadowy figure swam hastily across the pond, surfacing without a loud splash.

The female servant let out a startled scream, almost falling onto the ground.

The creature resembled a beaver, its nose twitching.

The female servant let out a relieved sigh. "You scared me, Maru. What is it that you require?"

"Kweh. Kweh kweh."

"What?"

"He is probably talking about the whistle."

The female servant received another scare, her hand on her chest as she glanced back.

It was Ryo. He was standing beside the female servant, giving the beaver a wave.

"Kweh kweh!"

The beaver nodded its head.

"Whistle...whistle?"

"Yeah! That same whistle!"

The female servant gasped in horror. "...the lords...Lord Kiba! Lord Haru!"

She scurried off and Ryo folded his arms across his chest, grinning to himself as he looked up at the sky.

"New friends to fight, haha! I can't wait!" Ryo laughed to himself, his silver eyes glinting eagerly as his earrings swished to his movements. "I wonder how those four are doing..."

***

Xue's eyebrows were furrowed deeply, his eyes completely closed. A few seconds passed before he opened his eyes, and he was greeted by a familiar sight.

The marketplace of the heavenly realm.

"...?"

It was bustling, people coming and going. At first, he thought he was somehow brought back into the heavenly realm.

Which was impossible.

...then he realised something wasn't right.

In the marketplace, angels and demons were walking side by side. Moreover, there were children of mixed breed walking beside their parents, laughing happily.

This wasn't the heavenly realm he knew.

It wasn't this...joyful or vibrant.

"Excuse me, out of the way! Pardon me!"

An angel flapped out his wings, flying through the crowd. Everyone avoided him, and despite the urgent situation he was in, there was a beatific smile on his face.

Xue noticed the angel was coming his way and he didn't have time to avoid him, he shielded his face with his arms. To his surprise, the angel just passed right through him and knocked into a person passing right through Xue as well.

"Ouch! Hey, watch where you are going!"

"Sorry, sorry! You see, I'm on my way back to see my firstborn child!"

A few people congratulated him, both demons and angels. He received their congratulations with a sheepish grin, leaving the area in a hurry.

Xue could only stare in amazement, looking at his surroundings with wide eyes. He proceeded to glance down at himself, lifting his transparent arms in the air. The sunlight completely pierced his transparent body.

"I don't exist in this place, and..." Xue muttered to himself, looking around again.

"..."

"I am small."

Whether it was due to his powers being drained away in this dimension, or his spiritual form to be small, Xue didn't know.

However, he knew he was definitely small. The size of the people around him were almost twice or thrice of him.

Nevertheless, his own size right now didn't matter. He needed to figure out where he was, and what era this was. Whether it was from Veau's memories or another person's memories, he needed to understand this.

"Make way! Quickly make way for the Lady!"

There was a commotion in the crowd as those words were shouted repeatedly. Almost instantly, everyone began to make way and they bowed their heads.

Everyone shifted themselves, all of them passing through Xue and bowing their heads. Xue only stepped into the centre of the empty road that was created by the people. At the end of the road, he spotted a floating carriage with veils on all its sides.

There were white-winged knights standing on all sides as well, guiding the floating carriage. The carriage was being lifted and moved by an unknown force.

"Make way for Lady Eona!"

Xue went still, looking at the carriage with wide eyes.

Eona?

That name...

She is related to Veau.

Xue narrowed his eyes.

Whether this was a vision, a dream or a memory, he didn't care. It was someone related to Veau, and someone that clearly left an impression on him. The few times he heard Veau uttering this name, Veau would be overwhelmed with emotions.

"Do you think Lady Eona will be the next chosen Supreme God?"

"You know the Judgement is fair and capricious. It chooses who it pleases."

"But...it's only right for Lady Eona to be our next ruler. After all, she is the daughter of our esteemed lord, the Supreme God, Edmund."

Xue overheard the angels nearest to him gossiping. His eyes widened for a moment, before he lowered them, contemplating.

Veau associated himself so closely with an angel?

How absurd.

He detests us.

Daughter of Edmund, the previous Supreme God.

A Supreme God who held the seat for the longest time, compared to all the other Supreme Gods.

What...exactly happened during that time?

The carriage was approaching Xue, but he didn't pay it any mind. He didn't exist in this world right now, and he had all the time to collect these newfound thoughts right now.

"Halt."

The carriage came to an immediate stop.

The veil to the right side of the carriage lifted, and the crowd gasped in awe. Xue lifted his head up, seeing a svelte woman stepping down from the carriage, the edges of her white robe touching the ground.

"..."

She brought her head up, meeting Xue's gaze and it made him flinch.

She sees me.

In an instant, she disappeared into a white mist.

"...!"

All of a sudden, she came face to face with Xue. Her height was two times more than his, and she gazed down at him, a hint of smile gracing her pink lips.

Her slightly wavy, white hair cascaded down to her waist. She had a regal posture, her arms crossed as the sleeves of her robes folded due to her actions. Her astoundingly beautiful visage made Xue pause, along with her piercing golden eyes. He never encountered an angel with an appearance like hers.

"Well," she raised her eyebrows as she spoke with a friendly tone. "Aren't you just the most curious little thing?"

"You...do see me."

"Of course, and it seems to be only me," Eona nodded. "That only makes sense after all."

"What?"

"This place was created by me. Other than me, everyone here is simply a figment of my desires." Eona explained.

Xue expressed visible confusion.

"Well, a simple explanation," Eona continued. "I am merely a fragment of my soul and memories. This same tiny part of me has been trapped within the mirror for quite a while now."

Xue furrowed his eyebrows. "...that's...horrible."

Even Xue could not help but show a hint of sympathy. It was obvious she wasn't trapped here just recently.

However, instead of showing resentment or sorrow, Eona wore a fond expression on her face.

"That scoundrel. He didn't need to go so far to do this," she spoke, smiling at Xue. "It was out of goodwill that he led me here, since I missed my mother terribly and I could see our memories here physically."

"This...mirror. It really allows someone to view their memories in person?"

"It does, and it does too well in fact," Eona nodded, her tone growing confused. "Though, it seems that if you get too absorbed in staying here, a part of your soul gets trapped in here."

Eona looked down at herself.

"Especially those with the strongest desires to remain here."

"How long have you been in here?" Xue asked.

"I am...not entirely sure, even if I wanted to leave, my sundered soul makes it impossible," Eona furrowed, a hint of resignation in her golden eyes. "How long has passed on the outside, I wonder..."

Xue did not answer since he didn't have a clue about Eona or her time of origin either.

"Right, there is a better way," she said, looking at Xue. "Let me view your memories."

Eona stretched her hand out, her palm reaching out for him.

"...?!"

Xue took a step back.

Somehow, this situation felt too familiar.

It was just like Veau who specialised in reading memories, and he would always do the same gesture.

His face twisted into a mixture of dread and anger.

Eona paused at Xue's adverse reaction, recoiling back her hand. "I apologise, it seems I should have asked you first. In my time, this was a common occurrence."

"Reading people's memories without their permission?"

"Of course, it's with their permission. Overtime, the process became too natural, and many forgot about asking, like I have," Eona said with a guilty tone. "This explains why so many took his methods for granted as well."

"His methods?"

"My mentor, he created this...spell to view people's memories to share their joys or sorrows. He was an amazing mentor, despite being a grumpy old man." Eona chuckled to herself, following up with a wistful sigh.

"Lady Eona?"

Someone questioned, and the two of them glanced around. That was when they realised the crowd was still here. They were murmuring and looking curiously between Eona and Xue.

"Just a moment." Eona said.

She turned around after those words, making a flipping motion with her hand. The crowd disappeared like a mist being blown away, and the space around them changed gradually.

Xue found himself in a room of familiar design. Moreover, he has returned to his original body size.

It was one of the rooms in Heavenly Palace, and it was furnished with objects he had never seen before in his time there.

"The Heavenly Palace..." Xue muttered out, staring at Eona. "So you really are the daughter of the Supreme God of your time."

"You really are a curious little thing," Eona smiled. "Since you know about the Heavenly Palace, you are someone of a high position in your time."

"..."

"In addition to that, you managed to enter this realm of the mirror," Eona continued speaking. "That itself is an impressive feat."

Eona walked to the table situated in the centre of the room, waving her hand over the table. A teapot with intricate design along with two teacups appeared on the table. She poured out the contents inside the pot into the cups and the scent of tea wafted throughout the room.

"It's nice to finally have a visitor here, come and sit," Eona gestured to the seat opposite hers after placing down the teapot. "I can see the questions churning in your mind, and I'll answer them to the best of my ability."

"...in return, you want to see my memories?" Xue probed.

"I can't deny that, but of course, with your permission," Eona smiled. "Like I said before, entering this realm of the mirror is an impressive feat because no one has ever done it before."

Xue tilted his head, not understanding why she was fixated on that.

"It could only mean two things. One, you are stronger than the grumpy old man who is my mentor, and the strongest person I knew...and finally, two," Eona explained, raising another finger. "You have a deep connection to the owner of this mirror, the Oracle."

"...the...Oracle?"

Xue contemplated.

That name sounded extremely familiar, and his soul fragments were somehow stirring about hearing that name too.

The questions in his mind grew even more.

He knew that the angel before him would have the answers to most of them.

"..."

Eona waited patiently for an answer from Xue, not saying a word after that.

After a few moments, Xue finally moved from his position, sitting down on the seat opposite Eona.

"...fine," Xue agreed. "Let's exchange."

"Thank you for granting me the permission." Eona lowered her head, her tone grateful.

"I need to ask first, the scoundrel you were talking about that brought you here," Xue narrowed his eyes. "Is it Veau?"

"...!"

Eona placed her teacup down, her composure crumbling down.

"Ho-how do you know that name?"

***

Cecil panted heavily, the drops of sweat on her face rolling down profusely. An attack came from the side from a demon she was fighting and she dodged it on instinct, she could feel her legs growing heavier and heavier.

How long have I been fighting now?

She gritted her teeth, transforming the blade of her dagger into vines and it grew in length. She grasped the demon as it lunged for her with her vines, pulling them closer. Her arms felt equally heavy as her legs as she swung them at the demon, punching him in the stomach and under the demon under their jaw.

My body is unable to keep up.

I'm getting tired.

She finished her brutal hand-to-hand combat with the demon with a spinning kick. The demon stumbled back, glaring at her with their demonic red eyes and spitting out the blood in their mouth. They rushed at Cecil again, and Cecil felt her legs faltering.

"...!"

She reacted quickly, summoning out vines from the ground and tugging her away, dodging the attack from the demon.

"Just give up the angel to us, mortal!"

The demon barked out.

"Moreover, you have no involvement in this! Not as a tribe member or an angel!"

What the demon said was true.

A third party.

That was what Cecil was.

However...

"I have my own morals to follow," Cecil stated, panting. "And mine isn't one to let people die before me when I can do something about it."

"Tch! You are just like that trash Supreme God, involving yourself in unnecessary matters and helping others when they don't need it."

"So what?"

"Huh?"

"Xue has never once forced any of you to accept his help, and neither did he expect any form of repayment," she continued speaking, narrowing her eyes at the demon. "Just for trying to help, what did he do that was so wrong that all of you needed to take your grievances and anger on him?"

The demon paused.

"..."

"Just like him, I am simply following my beliefs to help those I can help," Cecil smiled haughtily, gripping onto her daggers tightly despite her trembling arms. "If they don't want it, then so be it."

"Shut up."

"...?"

"You don't know anything, so what right do you have to lecture us about this?"

"That's true, I don't know anything," Cecil shrugged. "But that doesn't mean you are right either."

The demon hissed at Cecil, lunging for her again.

Cecil struggled to keep up with dodging and parrying against their attacks, especially since it was fuelled by rage. At the last second, the demon slipped and Cecil seized at that opportunity, trapping them in a vine cage.

She panted heavily, kneeling down on the ground. She could feel them struggling within the cage but her vines were sturdy, they wouldn't break apart anytime soon. Squinting her eyes, she glanced around.

Linqin was still commanding people around, escorting those who were injured and delegating forces to fight against the demons.

Wang Jie and Xu Bolin were fighting their own battles, and meanwhile, the eccentric soul fragment from earlier, Min, had escaped from the ropes somehow.

Moreover, the Sacred Forest was in a perilous place now since everyone could see smoke coming out from the Forest. Along with that, there were occasional pained roars from the animals within that Forest.

"A war between angels and demons, but aren't they just pulling everyone else into their own problems?"

[ The angels and demons have been at odds with one another since the very beginning. ]

[ Grudges spanning over thousands of years isn't so easily forgotten or forgiven. ]

"In the memory you showed me, angels and demons seemed to coexist peacefully."

[ It was because that was the start of it all. ]

"What?"

[ You'll see all of it eventually, Oracle. ]

[ Why you ended up like this, and why the world is plagued by vengeance and bloodthirst. ]

[ For now, aren't there more pressing matters at hand? ]

Her vine cage was starting to weaken.

Cecil gasped, bringing her focus back on the cage.

That was when she felt it.

She had expended all her elemental energy, and she could need a breather to regain some of it back. However, in this current circumstances, having a breather was impossible.

"..."

Cecil furrowed her eyebrows.

In the worst case scenario, I can simply trap them with me–

Something dropped onto Cecil's head, making her pause. The object was small and hard, rolling down from her hair and onto the ground. She inspected it closely, realising it was a ball of crystal clear ice.

"...wh..."

Cecil frowned.

Isn't this...

...hail?

There was a shrill cry in the sky, and suddenly, there was an onslaught of those same crystal clear balls of ice. Everyone grew distracted, glancing up at the sky as they were getting pelted by hail.

The shrill cry came from the humongous eagle in the sky, flapping its wings in a grand manner as it held its head up high.

"Hahahaha! You peasants!"

Cecil stiffened.

It was a voice she heard before.

A small shadow descended down from where the eagle was at, and Cecil squinted her eyes.

She realised the small shadow was headed her way.

She gasped, losing focus on her vine cage as it broke apart. The demon from inside rushed at her and Cecil sighed, clenching onto her daggers.

Here we go again.

The small shadow now resembled a humanoid figure and the mysterious figure made its way down slowly, as if the air around it was being controlled. All of a sudden, a golem rose up from the ground, bashing the demon right in the face.

The demon flew through the air, landing a considerable distance away from Cecil.

Cecil blinked in shock, seeing the demon push herself up and coughing up blood. The mysterious figure had landed on the ground, and Cecil found herself smiling when she saw their appearance.

"Heya, pretty Cecil. Spotted you from way up there and thought you needed some help."

The woman winked, her nunchucks hanging over her shoulders.

"So...did ya miss me? If you did, give me a hug."

***

A red-haired woman stared out at the mauve-coloured sky, the food on the table was completely untouched.

Some stood at the doorway, his demonic red eyes and hair that was a mixture of purple and black reflected in the gloomy lighting in the room. He smiled genially, his arms across his chest.

"..."

The red-haired woman turned to look at him.

"So, what's your decision, Hana Katae?"

"I will do it."

"The bait or the pawn?"

"I will be the bait to help you bring the remaining angels together," Hana said, her words void of any emotion. "In exchange for sparing them."

Zeau smiled even wider.

"Perfect."

***

《 start 》

Oracle.

That name...

Why does it pain me to hear it?

《 stop 》