Inside a dark void, two beings stared at each other.

One appeared paler than the other, unfocused. His existence appeared to be fluctuating between this realm and another.

The other was none other than Orion.

"So, this is where this whole mess ultimately ended on."

"Tetra losing her life?"

Inside his own mental space, Orion was losing his mind.

"Even though we haven't known each other for long, the same could've been said for the others."

"What have I done wrong?"

"What have I missed?"

"Why did it have to end like this?"

Orion walked closer to the other entity.

"Why... do I hurt?"

Placing his right hand to hide the right side of his face, he frowned.

"Do I need to spell it?"

The entity answered him with his voice.

"Wasn't she part of the family?"

Slowly, Orion nodded.

"She was. There was no doubt that she was not."

"Even after everything she's said, or done to us in the past, she only did it to help us."

Recalling those happy moments he spent with her, her fights with Henrietta that always ended in smiles, her mischievous but lovable personality, while sometimes showing her serious side.

The many meals they shared together, the time she spent helping him train his magic, the mother's figure she tried to be for Stella.

All of these surged out of his mind and played in front of them both, as if many screens had lit up around them.

"Ego, who was, in fact, Tetra all along."

"She set you on the right path, even going as far as to appear in front of you multiple time, giving you items that shouldn't have existed."

Their faces turned to a memory of an old lady giving an artifact, the faction finder. Then, it switched to her giving an hourglass with his parents' figures sculpted on its sides.

"Without her, we would've gone nowhere."

"Yes, it is because she was there all along, that our path continued smoothly."

Their meeting suddenly appeared in their sight.

"She... asked me to protect her."

"..."

Orion's gaze darkened. His voice shook as the words escaped his mouth.

"I've failed her. I was unable to meet her expectations."

"She died for naught, robbed of the future."

The two stared at one still image, still fresh in his memories. Tetra, lying on the ground.

"For what? Her power as a Remnant?"

"Exactly."

"..."

The entity tilted his head, confused.

"Even if you look at me with such hatred, there is nothing I can do."

"But..."

With a swipe of his hand, every screen disappeared, turning the space entirely dark once again.

"I can give you the power to fight back. The power to mercilessly kill Miasma."

Its sinister voice ringed inside Orion's ears. It was an enticing proposition, and Orion couldn't ignore it.

"What are you asking in exchange?"

"You are smart. You know what I want."

After looking downward, Orion pondered on the idea.

"You know better than to promise me false power. I'm not stupid enough to not know what you are."

"Oh~? And what do you think I am? Pray tell."

In silence, they stared at each other.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"I don't have to. You would have to wait until I die before taking over this body once more."

"Tsk!"

The entity turned around and crossed its arms.

"One day, I will call for your help. But not this time. This time..."

"It is personal. I get it."

With a nod, Orion looked above him, where a bright light opened up from the darkness.

"I won't make the same mistake again. Letting slip the control over my identity isn't happening again."

"What a stubborn man you are. If I were you, I would accept this power immediately to get rid of my enemy."

"If only you had taken it before, we wouldn't be here."

Orion scowled.

"And who asked you to injure my women?"

He stepped in front of it, their faces so close to each other their noses almost touched. With a disapproving glare, Orion lifted his chin lightly.

"That will never happen again. Is that clear to you?"

"For that one mistake, I am unable to trust this power, despite the fact it is mine. Until I control every single aspect of my bloodline, I will not let you out."

The entity began to vanish as the light replaced the darkness.

"You can't have everything, if you still haven't noticed by now. You will call me soon enough."

"For you and I, are but two sides of the same coin."

As the light engulfed everything, Orion spoke one last sentence.

"I will control you, not the opposite."

...

Orion, who was walking mindlessly toward the rift leading to Eogis until now, stopped in front of it and sighed.

'Get a hold of yourself, Orion. It hurts, but you need to keep it together.'

Placing a hand on his chest, he felt heartbroken.

'I have a promise to keep, even if she's gone. Protecting this world is what she wanted.'

As he was about to enter the portal, he heard footsteps behind him.

"Elliott? You've followed me?"

Glancing over his shoulder, he stared at the man.

"I have to be honest with you, I am impressed by your willpower. I was persuaded you would lose your mind. I would rather not fight you, and focus on killing Miasma."

Orion looked forward.

'Killing Miasma... right.'

Realizing that Elliott finally managed to let go of his hope to reform his father, Orion nodded.

"I'm not as weak-willed as I was before. Hurting others can change a man."

"You are certainly correct. I am relieved not to have to turn my blade against you."

The only emotions left in Orion's heart were the grief of losing his friend, and the desire to obliterate Miasma's entire existence.

"We'll have to discuss what our next course of action is."

Said Orion with a cold tone.

"There is not much time left. Controlling Tia-Norun's power might take him a few hours at most, if we're lucky, but we can't wait. If it's too late, Miasma will change the course of history."

Elliott walked next to him with the same tone. Both men were ready to walk through the portal and rush to Miasma, yet, they contained their furry deep inside.

"You're not going to apologize for failing to kill him, do you?"

Orion glanced at him with a softer expression.

"I thought you would hate empty words, so I avoided to. I can always apologize if you want me to."

Shaking his head lightly, he answered.

"You're fine. I'd rather have you feeling fine than apologetic. Since I am confident that I would've been duped too, I don't have it in my heart to blame you."

They looked at each other, before nodding.

"Orion!"

A trail of light appeared in the distance, screaming his name. It approached at high speed, before crashing on him.

"Karteira."

The woman grabbed his collar and pulled his face closer, inspecting his face from top to bottom.

"Thank the world!"

She released a long sigh before letting go of his clothes.

"I don't know what I would've done if you had turned feral again."

His expression relaxed for an instant at the sight of her usual self.

"If you're here, that means the arachnea are safe. Good job out there."

Karteira shook her head.

"Never mind that. What happened? Why were you on the brink of losing it?"

"..."

Both Elliott and Orion stared at each other.

"Stay calm, Miss Karteira."

Elliott said with a commanding voice. Hearing the man's tone, she understood something terrible had happened, and that this news would upset her greatly.

Orion opened his mouth, and delivered the terrible news.

"We've lost Tetra..."

"..."

Her eyes opened wide. Suddenly, an enraged expression warped her face as she clenched her hands into tight fists.

She clenched them so tight her nails pierced her skin, letting blood drop into the grass.

"What... What about Henrietta and Stella?"

Orion grabbed her left hand, and slowly opened her hand, finger by finger.

"Henrietta was dying when we've found her. She had an arm ripped off, with corruption spreading inside her. If I was a minute too late, she would've died too."

This time, she bit her lower lip. Her scorpion tail was twitching relentlessly, showing how troubled she was.

"Stella is... fine. Physically, at least."

Lifting her head and looking inside his eyes, she saw the same expression he had inside his house.

Pure, unfiltered hatred toward Miasma.

"She witnessed them get attacked. There's no way she's fine!"

Karteira said.

"..."

Orion looked away.

"He knows it. There's simply very little that can be done to mitigate the damages done."

Elliott walked next to Orion, placing his hand on his shoulder.

"Let's hope this won't affect the poor child's growth."

"I hope so, too..."

The three fell in silence, before looking toward the rift crackling not far from their position.

"Should I gather everyone?"

Asking, Karteira glanced at Orion.

"..."

Thinking about his options, he pondered for a minute.

"Elliott, you, Amelia, and me. That's everyone."

"Consider me in, too."

A cold voice caught their attention. Footsteps grazing the grass approached the trio, until Henrietta came into view.

"Henrietta, you know I can't let you."

"Why? Because I'm a Remnant?"

Orion nodded calmly.

"There is no point in hiding anymore. From the moment Miasma found us, it became meaningless."

Her expression darkened. The surrounding air became suffocating the moment her gaze shifted toward the rift.

"I have a right to participate in this fight."

The two next to Orion stayed quiet, as he turned around.

"Because Tetra died?"

"Yes. I can't accept this monster walking the earth after he killed my friend!"

The face she made wasn't pretty. Even if Orion refused to bring her along, he knew she wouldn't listen.

He knew because he was the same.

"..."

They exchanged a long silence, before Orion spoke.

"I have no right to refuse. All I'm asking is that you don't let these emotions control you. All I need right now is for you to join Tetra."

"If you die too, I won't be able to face Amelia ever again."

His saddened expression caught her off-guard, which forced her to reconsider her thoughts.

"Amelia... How is she doing?"

Seeing her expression relax, Orion answered. The bridge between him and her wasn't cut yet, which led to a simple answer.

"She's resting in Noctelagia. There's nothing to worry about."

A sigh of relief escaped her mouth, as she smiled faintly.

"At least, that's a concern off my chest."

Orion nodded.

"I'll get her before we move to Eogis."

He turned to Karteira.

"While I'm gone... Please notify the others."

"I'll do that."

With a nod, Karteira answered. She looked toward the fairy village, before moving away, wrapped in light.

"I'll wait here."

Elliott closed his eyes, his hand on Vanitas' scabbard.

"Right. I'll return soon."

Leaving Elliott to his thoughts, Orion and Henrietta walked into a portal.

After appearing in front of the Horizon's portal hub, they walked through the one leading to Noctelagia, where they were met with an incredible sight.