Gramr'ial was a provincial capital; a thousand years ago, its citadel was a strategic fortress on the border dividing the Demon realm from the Human realm, but after the barriers went up, it fell out of favor and the citadel was largely a ceremonial structure. The palace was added later to improve the prestige of the ruler.

Ain, in fact, had no idea who held Gramr'ial before the human forces invaded and conquered it. He wasn't interested either; he was only interested in who had it at that time. Queen Lunaella.

Ain's history with the Queen was not simple. As he walked towards the palace, Ain remembered the days when he pretended to be a nobody; just a lost kid looking for a place to stay, and somehow ended up in the care of the Archducal family of Vidar. That is how he met Lunaella. They were the same age, at least in physical appearance, but sooner or later, Lunaella found out who Ain truly was. It was some time after her parents were assassinated that she insisted that Ain take what should rightfully belong to him: the throne of Humanity.

It was about then that they parted ways. In truth, it wasn't because Lunaella wanted to push Ain into taking the throne, or anything of that sort, but because Lunaella lulled Ain into thinking that he could have a life where his sword was not needed. She made him think that if perhaps he did not stand up to answer the call of Humanity's destiny, someone else would.

It was extremely selfish. Why should anyone else have to suffer like him; to be toyed with by the forces that guide Creation down its mysterious path; to lose everything over and over again; to look at the sky, sea, sun and moon, and no longer find any beauty in them?

At the very least, Ain was grateful that he was given the opportunity to forget for a moment who he was and what he had to do.

As he entered the Queen's chambers, he found her waiting for him, in her night gown, as if she knew this would happen.

"Ain, it is a pleasure to see you," she said, gesturing to the glasses on the table, with a bottle of wine on standby next to them. "I am glad you came to say goodbye."

Ain took a seat, without acknowledging the Queen or her words -- at least not in any verbal form. He inclined his head to her, and leaned back on the sofa, throwing an arm over the backrest. He glanced at the walls and the ceilings, dotted with paintings and high-class chandeliers. The room itself was dazzling in its wealth and artistic expression, but to Ain it made little difference.

"I am sorry, Luna," Ain finally said, his cold gaze coming to rest on hers. "This is all my fault, really."

Lunaella filled up her glass with wine, took the glass and then crossed her legs. "What do you mean?" she asked before taking a sip.

Ain smiled. "I wouldn't even know where to begin. The Edict, the phoenix you are hunting, the Succession Wars, the Great Realm Wars, every tragedy you can think of, it all relates to me and my choices in some way. Had I been stronger, or wiser, who knows how many things could've been avoided."

Lunaella scoffed. "You give yourself too much credit, Ain. I've learned to accept that the will of Heaven cannot be defied. All those things you mentioned would've happened anyway, with or without your input or consent." She lowered her glass back on the table. "Ain, you cannot blame the lightning bolt for setting the forest on fire, nor can you blame the forest for burning. It is just the way it is. The only thing you can do is put out the fire."

Ain frowned at the words and then nodded. He was surprised, truth be told. Lunaella has matured quite a bit since he last saw her.

"I've come to understand you quite well," she continued. "And the reason why you refused to marry me back then, or take the throne, or fight for us in the Succession Wars."

Ain swallowed. "What do you think my reason was?"

Lunaella smiled. "If Humanity is the forest, then you are no longer the person who puts out the fire. You are the lightning bolt. You cannot put out fires, because everything you touch bursts into fire and dies."

Ain's eyes became cold and emotionless, and he no longer looked directly at the Queen.

"I know everything about you Ain. I knew who you were since the first time I saw you, climbing over the trellis to sneak into my garden; just another orphan stealing apples, my father said, but I knew that was not the entire truth. We are connected," she said, her expression becoming sorrowful. "In a way, I worshipped you, even though I knew you abandoned Humanity in the Realm Wars. I wanted to help you reclaim your old glory, but I also knew how much agony that glory caused you. In truth, I just wanted you to be happy; I wanted to mend your wounds and let you rest on my lap. But I couldn't keep you."

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Ain licked his lips. He was taken by surprise. Lunaella's words shocked him to the core.

Lunaella laughed. "Do you remember the first time you picked up the sword? You were twelve back then, and my father fainted when he saw you and thought you were a genius unlike any that ever existed."

Ain nodded. "I remember."

"That is when I knew that your heart was empty. There was no room for me in it. Your love was entirely dedicated to the sword and to its ideal. It was selfish of me to try and keep you away from it, and it was selfish of me to try to force you to fight for us -- for me -- but I was desperate," Lunaella said, lowering her gaze. "I convinced myself that fate brought us together, and that we were meant for each other. I was sure you would take the throne of Humanity, and that I would be your Queen."

Ain sighed. After a moment, he reached for the bottle of wine, but the Queen's next words made him freeze on the spot.

"You still love the Eternal Empress, don't you?" she asked.

Ain pondered the question in silence, and then slowly nodded.

"They say she went mad with grief when you died, and took her own life. But that's not exactly what truly happened."

Ain looked up at Lunaella, eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?"

"The Calamity Lord proposed peace to the Human Realm, on the condition that the Eternal Empress marry him," Lunaella said. "She accepted the offer."

The bottle in Ain's hand exploded into a myriad shards of glass, but before the shards could reach either person, they stopped, floating and spinning in mid air like fragments of the brilliant sun. The liquid itself gathered into a incoherent sphere and hovered in mid-air.

"She disappeared not long afterwards, and no one knows what happened to her. But I do not believe she is dead. I think the Eternal Empress still lives," Lunaella said, observing the floating shards with well-concealed trepidation.

The shards began floating towards each other, assembling themselves into a constellation that resembled a sword.

"Is she a prisoner of the Calamity Lord?" Ain asked.

Lunaella shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Either way, the Calamity Lord honored the agreement and the war ended. But what became of the Empress... I don't know."

The pitter patter of fragments raining on the table filled the room, as the wine splashed down on top of them and almost instantaneously evaporated into black ash and fire.

Ain looked at Lunaella with a pitying expression. He knew what it meant for her to tell him this. She must've known that Ain would look for the Eternal Empress now, and any hope she had of fulfilling that destiny she hoped for was now gone. In a way, telling him about the Eternal Empress meant that Lunaella let him go.

"Luna... I..." Ain began but the Queen shook her head.

"I understand what it is like to be the lightning bolt now, Ain," she said. "Throughout my life, everything I have done has been for you. Even now, I rule as Queen for your sake. I came to this place hunting down enemies of Humanity for you. Because you are also out here for our sake. You have been destroying our enemies for thousands of years. You have given up everything, and played the role of the fool too many times, all for the sake of Humanity. You have made sacrifices no one alive can even comprehend, and we all exist today because of you."

She reached over the table and took Ain's hand in hers. "So do not say that this is all your fault," she whispered. "You are not a traitor. You never abandoned us. You did everything you could to ensure the prosperity of Humanity."

Ain never imagined the day would come when he would hear words like those. He felt a great relief -- a mind-boggling burden sliding off his shoulders. But at the same time, he also felt something close to sadness for the Queen. It was mono no aware. If she knew the truth about Ain, then she must've also known that her path would not be much different from his; that one day she would walk in the same shoes Ain had to.

Ain reached out, and stroke Lunaella's hair. "You will make an excellent Empress, Luna. I am counting on you to guide Humanity towards peace."

Lunaella smiled, and squeezed Ain's hand warmly. "I hope you find the Eternal Empress, and I wish you luck. May the Heavens grant you mercy."

Ain smiled, an ember burning in his eyes. He had stopped counting on Heaven's mercy a long time ago. He would not allow some metaphysical idea to have a hand in the outcome of his endeavors. If they dare stand in his path, he would slaughter the angels and devils, he would obliterate Fate and the Logos, rip out the Radix and throw it into oblivion, and open the path to the True Heavens, and condemn all the True Gods to death.

No! In this life, he would make sure that Humanity will not suffer, but instead rise from the precipice and lay its eyes on a new kind of Paradise -- one they would create.

The forest burns to clear the path for new life to grow. Ain was not just a simple lightning bolt. He was the wrath of an oppressed Humanity, that has been toyed with by Principles of the universe and the Logos that weaves a tragic story of futile resistance. The world that awaited them would not see another Calamity War, or another Realm War.

No! Ain was the conflagration of relentless retribution against the Old Ones that would burn the heavens away and create Humanity's paradise.

A thousand years ago, Ain ended his own life in order to reincarnate in a different era and accomplish what he couldn't in the previous one. In the previous era, Humanity and all its heroes have been defeated by the Calamity Lord.

In this era, Humanity shall ascend beyond its shackles, and open the way to the true future.

With bitterness and happiness in his heart, Ain returned to his temporary quarters. He was happy, because if the Eternal Empress was still alive, then this truly was the era of Humanity. He felt bitterness, because he also cared about Lunaella; she understood him in ways few ever could, and Ain had an affinity towards her. Surely, in another life, in another era, Ain might have married the Queen.

But not in this life.

Not in this era.

This life he would burn away for Humanity's sake -- again.

This era he would force to obey his will and to manifest to his vision.