His collapsing body left the other two in suspension. They’d seen the power of God in person and still couldn’t believe their eyes. Just what was that library that surrounded them? What were those books that came out of the cloaked figures? Or the one that suddenly appeared above Palola’s corpse? Better yet, what happened to their bodies? …And Akuma… Just who is he really…

Shibo trembled at the thought of him truly being the creator of this world. Not because he feared the power of God, but because he was the man responsible for all the suffering he experienced within his life.

Aamil had a similar reaction, except hers stemmed more from “admiration” as Akuma reminded her of the man who sent her to this world.

Despite being reduced to a mere teenage boy, collapsed in his own blood, he had an air of protective bloodlust surrounding him. It felt almost like there was a figure standing watch, guarding his body from any and all danger.

Realizing the futility in approaching Akuma, Shibo helped Aamil up as she was in something of a hypertense state from losing her arm. There was no pain seeing as the wound was turned into solid gold, but all the same she just lost an arm.

“What’s going on with your friend, man?” Aamil asked Shibo as he helped her up. “Is he actually some kind of God?”

Shibo thought back on the giant Library created by Akuma. So far, he’s met three Angels and Akuma was the only one to display that kind of power.

“I-I don’t know. I figured he had to be a deity since he had wings and white hair… But to be God himself? T-That just seems so unbelievable.”

Shibo gazed at Akuma, thinking back on the biggest event of his life. The day God announced to the world that people would be sent to hell.

(If you really are God… Then I need to know… Why would you make me suffer like this?!)

Aamil also turned her gaze to Akuma, except her thoughts dragged along a different line.

(Now that I’m getting a good look at him… He’s kinda hot… I definitely can’t tell his friend that.)

“…He’s so hot.”

“Huh?” Shibo questioned instantly.

“Crap. Did I say that out loud?”

“Y-Yeah… you did.”

Aamil tried playing it off, rubbing the back of her head as she chuckled away the embarrassment.

“Dang. That’s kinda embarrassing, man… I could’ve sworn I said that in my head-!”

Suddenly Aamil’s carefree demeaner flipped.

In a desperate act she commanded, “Shibo, we have to get out of here.”

“What? W-What about the god guy?”

Aamil grabbed Shibo’s arm and raced to the far back of the dungeon chamber. It was an action she wanted to take but hesitated as sudden movements weren’t her style. Except she found herself doing it almost on impulse. Now se was sure of it. She hadn’t given that earlier remark about Akuma on accident, but rather she was forced to. And by a power she was well accustomed to.

“Where are you taking me?” Shibo asked her, confused from her sudden desperation.

A bead of sweat trickled down the side of her face.

“It’s the chief… She’s coming.”

“What? I thought you were her guard or something. Don’t tell me you’re a wanted criminal too?”

“No, you idiot. It’s just… After everything that’s happened, I don’t know if I can still trust her. I don’t know if I can still trust this village… Especially after seeing this place.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

The two stumbled upon a small elevator. This being the first time they saw one, they weren’t sure how to work it. And with the haunting presence of the chief gradually approaching, there was no time to figure it out. So, they panicked. They stuffed themselves in and pressed every button on the side of the door. The door seemed to take ages for it to shut, only heightening Aamil’s stress as she pleaded for the process to speed up. When the door finally closed Aamil exhaled a breath of relief when suddenly the elevator dropped at a speed that felt almost nauseating.

Eventually, they were led down to the lowest floor, where they witnessed a sight almost as horrific as the last. The sight of giant incubators, each connected by tubes that shot through the ceiling. As the two navigated the maze of incubators, they noticed that all of them seemed to be filled with young boys, some clearly older than others.

There was only one incubator that seemed to be different from the others. Not only was this one not connected to a tube, but it also contained an adult woman. One who held a keen resemblance to Palola. She could’ve easily been labeled as her mother. She was also the only one inside an incubator whose eyes were open -though they looked dead as a withered flower.

“What is going on in your village?!” Shibo questioned to Aamil as they gazed at the adult woman in utter shock.

“I… I don’t know… I just… don’t know anymore.”

Suddenly, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps and hid behind a nearby incubator. Peeking a bit from the side, they spotted a small girl wearing exquisite dark robes. Shibo’s eyes widened as he laid eyes on her. Everything from the color of her hair to her green eyes that carried a slightly orange accent, and even the size of her body. Not to mention her face. Her and Palola were practically clones. The only real difference was that the chief was much lighter and kept her hair down straight.

At first, Aamil wrote Palola off as just an ordinary girl that happened to share some similarities with the chief. Because of the state Shibo and Aamil found her in -and her wild attire- Aamil just hadn’t connected that the two might’ve been sisters. But after seeing the woman inside the incubator and the chief right next to each other she was almost certain of it. Palola and the chief… are twin sisters.

The chief gazed at the adult woman inside the incubator, a depressed expression coming over her as she did. She reached out her hand and rubbed her palm against the glass surface that separated them.

"I’ve waited two centuries for this day… Ever since you died, I’ve eagerly waited for this moment… Now finally, this body will fulfill its purpose… I can keep that promise I made to you."

“Two centuries?!” Shibo whispered. “Wait, how old is this girl? W-What’s going on with your chief?!”

“The hell would I know?!” Aamil answered, also whispering.

Hearing feint noises the chief shot a glare to her left causing Aamil and Shibo to hold their breaths as they hid. To confirm her suspicions, she marched over to the incubator they hid behind.

It might be important to note that on her way down she spotted pools of blood which already alerted her suspicions. Though she hadn’t seen any bodies as the Akashic Records stored Palola’s body -and the cloaked figures’- within its library and dragged Akuma back to his cell with Tenshi.

The chief reached out her hand, her palm illuminating with violet energy before suddenly stopping. Her attention was glued to something else, something that took far more precedence than an intruder within the basement of the dungeon chamber. Wasting no time, the chief rushed back to the elevator and urgently returned to the higher floor.

Aamil and Shibo fell to their knees, exhausted from the mental stress of almost being caught.

“Two centuries she said…” Aamil thought aloud. “…Why do I have such a bad feeling all of a sudden… I’m supposed to trust the chief. So then why am I so afraid of her?”

Aamil clenched her chest, reminiscing on the first time her and the chief met and how the chief took her in.

“I want… to talk with her.”

“H-hey, Aamil.” Shibo called out, his tone serious and slightly off putting for Aamil. It reminded her of their first encounter. “I think we should follow after your chief... I have some questions for her.”

***

“Are you sure we’re going in the right direction? And what exactly is this ‘thing’ you mentioned before? I’m a little curious.”

These were the questions that echoed through the dense foliage, adding to his anxiety as he navigated the tangled underbrush. The truth weighed heavily on him, that being that this ‘thing’ in question, was nothing more than a desperate con to mask his true desire to meet the legendary Amazons. Now, here he was, lost in the wilderness that surrounded the Amazonian village without the chance to meet a single villager, not to mention the pressure of two charming girls on his back, all while chasing a phantom object he conned out his ass.

This was the current situation of Arthur Kamui Jr, eldest son of the Pendragon family, and a boy so skilled he was bestowed the same name as the king of Camelot.

“He’s totally lost, isn’t he?” Alice whispered to Rin.

“One hundred percent.”

Even the panda perched on Alice’s head barked at Arthur. Though I’m still fairly certain pandas don’t bark. The hell is this creature anyways?

“I am not lost!” Arthur protested, as he gestured toward a cave that loomed nearby. “It’s right over there!”

His confidence wavered however as he caught sight of the cave’s gaping mouth, dark and foreboding. Despite their lack of jungle experience, the girls exchanged skeptical glances, sensing the trap that lay ahead. Anyone foolish enough to conceal a treasure in such an obvious location had to be either incredibly idiotic or something dangerously close.

“Riiiigght.” they replied in unison, their expressions barely concealing their disbelief.

Arthur himself felt especially uneasy, he hadn’t even noticed the cave until he pointed it out just now -he was merely gesturing aimlessly.

Yet, to their astonishment, nestled within the cave was a magnificent crystal, a stunning blue gem that shimmered like the sky, large enough to cradle a small child. The light that refracted through it cast ethereal patterns on the cave walls, illuminating the darkness with an otherworldly glow. And indeed, within that large crystal was the form of a young girl, her long dark hair flowing like a river through the translucent stone. She appeared to be sleeping, her delicate features serene and untouched by the passage of time. Honestly, they couldn’t tell how long she’d been there, and for what purpose. Who even was she?

Naturally, the trio stood frozen, their minds grappling with the surreal sight before them. Well except for Arthur, who masked his shock, desperately trying to maintain the facade that this was all part of his plan and that he indeed was NOT lost.