An unpleasant feeling filled the cave. In particular, Alice felt the unpleasantness almost doubled as she was timid by nature.

“Is that… a girl?” she asked, her grip tightening around Rin’s arm as she sought solace.

“It is…” Rin replied, her voice steady but laced with an undercurrent of uneasiness. “…The question is, what is she doing here?”

Rin scanned the cave hoping that maybe there was a clue somewhere. Unfortunately, there wasn’t.

Arthur, maintaining an outward calm, muttered “This is bad.”

His muttering caught Rin’s attention, the crystals light casting an anxious glow on her face.

“What’s going on?” She pressed. “Do you recognize her? Or did you figure something out?”

The tension between the three thickened and the very cave seemed to hold its breath, awaiting Arthur’s answer.

“I… I’ve never seen her in my life.”

“Gah-! Then why were you so damn shocked?!”

Arthur Jr, drawn by an unexplainable allure, reached out to touch the beautiful gem that lay nestled in the back of the cave. Its radiant glow danced across his palm, mesmerizing him with its beauty. It was a simple gesture, one that many would instinctively make, yet it was one he shouldn’t have made.

By the time Rin screamed a warning, “Don’t touch that!” it was too late. His fingertip had already brushed against the smooth surface of the crystal.

“My, you humans are so nosy…”

The sudden voice sounded almost childlike, and yet it carried an unsettling undertone.

“…Then again. Two of you aren’t quite human, now are you.”

Arthur’s slight touch had drawn the chief’s attention, and in an instant, she appeared behind the trio, her presence ominous as she strode through the cave’s entrance. Her visage was unsettling, the same image they’d encountered moments ago -the girl ensnared in the shimmering crystal. She donned dark robes, adorned with subtle hints of violet.

Arthur was the first to spring into action, his instincts kicking in high gear as lunged forward, his blade slicing upward with fierce intent. Yet, the chief merely hopped back, evading the strike with ease. Anticipating this move, Rin took aim from above, her shotgun poised and ready, unleashing a devastating wave of energy.

For a moment, it felt as though she had struck true, and with the chief having been slightly airborne she felt as if there’d be no way for her to evade. However, as the dust settled, it became clear that only the ground around her bore the brunt of Rin's attack.

Above the chief, a thin violet disc spun rapidly, serving as some sort of shield that had absorbed the impact.

“Who are you?” Arthur inquired, his curiosity piqued by the striking resemblance she bore to the girl encased in the crystal.

His answer was met with a playful giggle as she answered, “I am the chief of this village. But please, call me Arboria.”

Arthur’s eyes narrowed.

“You lie. You are no chief.”

“Hm?”

“Amazonians are a tribe of human hunters. That, I know for a fact… But you reek. You reek of divine origin.”

Arthur, not one to be easily deceived, gripped his blade and prepared for another attack. Rin mirrored his movements, the two zigzagging as they closed in on the false chief.

“Severing Kata: Arondight!”

With a swift motion, Arthur unleashed a severing kata, a devastating invisible slash that cut through Arboria’s right side, rendering her right eye blind and immobilizing her right arm. In a seamless exchange, Rin switched to a pistol and fired a precise shot that struck her right shoulder, staggering the chief. In that brief moment of distraction, Arthur capitalized, delivering a normal vertical slash that severed Arboria’s left arm.

With Arboria missing her left arm, and her right side immobile, Arthur and Rin had a surge in confidence, triumphant grins spreading across their faces as they reveled their success.

Arboria, on the other hand, let out a depressing sigh.

“My, this body really is so stiff. Must be from sitting around all day… I suppose I’ll have to make do with my power alone then.”

*BOOM!

A sudden burst of violet illuminated the dark cave, hurling both Aruthur and Rin into the cave’s walls. They coughed up blood from the sudden impact, falling unconscious as they dropped to the ground.

“Those human children will finally have their use. They shall be my fuel.”

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Suddenly, her severed left arm began to heal. She planned on healing both arms and her incapacitated eye, but no matter how hard she tried her right side simply couldn’t be fixed.

(There’s no injury and yet I still haven’t healed?) Arboria questioned, trying to remain calm. (Was it that earlier slash he did at the beginning? …It had to be. That’s when I suddenly lost my ability to see. I don’t know what this “kata” is, but it seems as if it’ll be a problem…)

“…Perhaps I should kill you first.”

***

The space was vast and almost empty, taken up only by short dancing grass as well as two tree stumps next to one another. Sitting on the stump to the right was a tanned girl who should’ve been dead. Actually, she did die, that he knew for a fact.

Akuma scanned the area around him, questioning where he was. Seeing as he was certain he stored Palola’s story withing the Akashic Records’ library, he concluded that this had to be that very library. To be specific, this was the space in which her soul would rest until he reclaimed heaven.

Akuma took a seat on the tree stump next to her and for a moment, the two gazed at the scene of flowers dancing along the gentle breeze.

Palola was the first to speak, her tone easy and calm.

“Tell me, Akuma… what’s going to happen to me now? Am I going to hell? Or somewhere else entirely?”

Akuma turned to face her, a bit taken back that she could be so calm despite having died. Having connected to her soul, he was able to see all of her memories -as if they were laid out on a table in front of him. And the only thing he could bring himself to feel… was pity.

“Believe it or not, people don’t actually go to hell. I didn’t make it for them…” Akuma replied, turning his gaze back to the field of flowers. “…Most people are reincarnated after death. But a soul as virtuous as yours wouldn’t. Had I not intervened, you would be in heaven right now.”

“Heaven huh…? Is it fun?”

“Hmm… Think of the most fun thing in the world and multiply it by a thousand.”

“Wow! That fun?!” Palola questioned, her attention turned to Akuma in shock.

“That fun. Not to brag, but it took a while to come up with that idea. I felt as if good deeds needed a bigger reward than just a slap on the back, ya know. It’s the ideal place, a paradise that morphs depending on the beholder. So believe me, it’s the best place ever!”

“Wow… A paradise that changes depending on who’s looking… Leave it to God to create something that cool.”

“Yep. You get me… Or I guess, that’s what I’d like to say… Truth be told, I’m not the one who made the heaven of this world… The heaven I created was a lot bleaker. So bleak that it practically didn’t exist. So bleak that in the big picture, I didn’t do anything… So bleak… that they called me a bystander… They did anything to get my attention. They murdered anyone who even showed signs of having divine blessings. All just to get my attention…”

Palola gazed at Akuma with an uncertain feeling tinging in her heart. What was she supposed to feel at this moment? How was she supposed to answer the troubled boy beside her?

“And now, even the heaven of this world is no longer in my control. Someone else is ruling over it and he’s destroyed that paradise for the sake of his own goals… That’s why I couldn’t allow your soul to go there. And reincarnations off the table since there’s no telling when and where you’d end up. Not to mention that barrier around your soul that’ll prevent you from remembering your past life... Let’s just say this is the best I can give you for now.”

“It’s alright… This place is really peaceful. Plus, I get to sit down and talk with the man who created the world. I mean how cool is that?”

A smile played on Akuma’s lips from her comment. Despite recovering his memories of being God, he didn’t really feel “godly”. It didn’t help that no one seemed to believe he was either.

“Well then, you’re in luck. I’ll answer any questions you have for me. I mean there must be something on your mind since you called me here.”

“There is actually… I want to know why you saved those guys in the cloaks. Why did you save them along with me?”

Akuma let out a sigh of relief. Thanks to him keeping her story within this library, his soul is now connected to hers. In other words, in the same way he can see her memories, she can also see his. So, for that to be her only concern, was a beath of fresh air.

“The cult of Salomon is a group of people with the intent of preventing the end of the world. Apparently, in another world, one parallel to this one, I was the reason for the end of the world. The events that took place within that timeline is referred to as ‘The Prophecy’… To be honest, I don’t actually have any memories of that world. I’ve only seen bits and pieces thanks to the Akashic Records’ all-knowing mind… But honestly, if all they want to do is prevent the end of the world, then I can’t in good faith punish them.”

“Aw. That makes sense… So, they really weren’t lying about the whole ‘saving the world’ thing. I guess I misjudged them.”

“Yep… Now I have a question for you, Palola.”

“Hm?”

“Why did you tell Shibo to meet with Aamil before chasing after you? Surely you knew going after that guy in the cloak was dangerous.”

A thick tension came between them as Palola paused for a moment.

“It’s because Aamil has Pegasus. I figured she’d have the power to stop him if it came to it. Plus, I had a feeling he was looking for you, so I wanted to buy some time to-”

“You’re lying.”

“?”

“If that were true then you’d have used your power to call Pegasus yourself. We both know Pegasus’ hearing could easily reach the other side of the village if needed. Not to mention its ability to use telepathy… Excluding Aamil, you’re the only one Pegasus would listen to. That’s why the chief has taken such a liking to you… It’s also the real reason you couldn’t return to the village.”

“W-What are you saying…?!”

“It’s simple… You wanted to die. Didn’t you?”

“W-What?” Palola questioned, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“You have wondered this world for two centuries. Most of that time was spent running from the chief, so that she couldn’t get ahold of your power. After all, you possess the ability to rule over those creatures… But try as you might, you just couldn’t bring yourself to leave the island. Not only were you worried about the animals, but the villagers. But after two centuries, you almost convinced yourself to finally escape. And then Aamil showed up. With Pegasus of all things. You couldn’t leave after that, not willingly that is… Which is why you chased after that cloaked man. It was a guilty-free way for you to finally escape… Except it wasn’t guilty-free. That’s why you asked me if you’d go to hell… Am I wrong?”

Palola tried to speak out, but the words simply couldn’t squeeze their way out. Instead, she stared at Akuma, her eyes flickering from disbelief.

Strangely, Akuma couldn’t help but laugh. A laugh so mighty he began to shed tears. Naturally, Palola was confused at his reason for doing so.

“Sorry-sorry. I’m didn’t mean to laugh at you…” Akuma reassured, wiping the tears from his eyes. “…It’s just that you have the wrong idea about me… I wouldn’t punish someone for sin, I mean I made that damn thing. Because to be all-loving, is to love both good as well as evil… Look Palola, there’s nothing wrong with being greedy, or a bit selfish. If you want your cake, there’s no reason you shouldn't eat it too.”

Akuma noticed her confused expression and cleared his throat.

“Look, what I’m saying is… You shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting to protect the people of this island, and yourself. Nor should you feel the need to pick between the two…”

Akuma stood up, reaching out his hand to her as he continued.

“…So you want both this village and yourself to be saved. Easy. I’ll take you to that summit easily… After all…”

Then Akuma unfurled his brilliant wings as his way of adding flare to his grand declaration.

“I am God.”

Before she realized it, Palola extended her own hand, reaching out to the self-proclaimed God. A tear dripped down her cheek as she remembered the isolation she sentenced herself to when she was alive. And as that tear dripped down to a blade of grass, all her worries fell with it. She was a girl that burdened herself with the need to protect the village, Aamil and even herself.

Finally, her soul was at peace.