While the humans above plotted against Halas, and the demons below were dying under the creature's tyranny, Alessia stood before the Gates of Hell, heart-broken.

She did not lament the fact that she failed to save the world, or that the world was ending, now that the Gates of Hell were breached. It was a different kind of sorrow, as if she finally saw the true pathos of everything. She realized how pitiful being alive was. How small her collective race was. Not just race, but all things living and reasonable. For creatures that forge crowns and fight over pieces of land, in the eyes of Calamities they were nothing. It was unfair.

Why? Why was the world this way? Why would the Heavens of this world give a Calamity [Amnesty], but not extend a helping hand to those who suffer? Alessia did not truly believe in fate, providence or predetermination, but this... this did not feel random at all. It felt like punishment.

The first potential culprit and reason that could lead to such a casus belli for the world to systematically erase them like this was their collective dependance on dungeons and over-exploitation of its natural resource. Alessia understood this reason to be mana because very few people understood the nature of dweomer and, by extension, mana. Did the world want them dead because they exploited it for this resource?

"Hideous is a creature that can look up to the heavens and choose to be blind to its mercy." Alessia heard the words - more inside her mind than being spoken.

A butterfly landed on her hand as she placed it on top of the hilt of her sheathed sword in alarm. She looked about herself, looking for the source of that voice.

"All creatures are equal and deserving of heaven's love. Both devils and angels."

She was alone. There was no one here, except for the butterfly. Could it be?

She swallowed, focusing her gaze on the butterfly. Its multicolored wings had pink and red flower patterns.

"Why devils?" Alessia asked. This was important to her. If all creatures had the equal right to be blessed by the heavens, then they surely had the equal right to live. This was against Alessia's understanding and the dogma of her upbringing.

"The answer is simple. The world is not twisted. You are. Why do you think devils should not be loved?"

Alessia still couldn't pinpoint the source of the words, but she became increasingly more confident that it was the butterfly. Just what was this seemingly ordinary creature?

"They are evil. They seek to destroy the world," Alessia spoke softly. "Even if the latter was untrue, it is undeniable that they're evil and will kill without reason."

"Does your kind not do the same thing? You fight over land that is big enough for all. Where there is one, you must make two. You demonstrated a lack of capability to share without gaining something in return. Still, you are loved, and the heavens provide you with abundance."

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Alessia thought about the words. She thought it was unfair for her whole kind to be judged so harshly over what a few dozen tyrants did in the past, but she also saw the reason behind bringing it up.

"Even if it was true, and we were fundamentally selfish, we still kill for a reason, however small that reason is," Alessia said. "Devils, demons, Calamities, they're all evil. Do you deny this?"

"Based on your standards of evil, your statement is undeniable. They are evil."

"Then..."

"There is no evil in this world. There is no good, no evil, no selfishness and no compassion. There is you and your life. In liberty. In captivity. In tyranny and oppression, or in glory and content. It is because you are a selfish creature that you twist this world with your shallow ideals."

Alessia's eyes widened. Shallow ideals? If anyone else had said those words, she would've cut them down on the spot. She had dedicated her life towards the pursuit of peace and sparing the future generations from war. She had done horrible things in her past towards this purpose. She stained her hands with the blood of the innocent and the guilty, tyrants and visionaries. But these things were all denied by a creature she considered to be a messenger of the heavens.

You have been granted the [Savior] Edict.

Make all things equal before the Heavens.

"Go now. Learn of the world. Accept things as they are."

The butterfly launched off Alessia's hands and disappeared into thin air. Where the butterfly once was, a hole in reality opened revealing a glimpse into another place. A place where the sky was blood-red and the sun was pitch black. Hell.

Alessia swallowed once more. It all happened so fast, she could not process it all. Her raison d'etre was denied, and then she received an Edict she did not truly understand. If there was no evil, no suffering, then what was there to save? Shockingly, in one day, she had glimpsed Hell twice, as if it was the easiest thing in the world to reach. Countless Calamities have fallen short of seeing Hell even once, but today, she saw it twice.

The world was changing, adapting to new circumstances. The era of luxury had ended overnight, and the next era seemed more and more like one of torment and war. That age old war between the demons of hell and the weapons of heaven, it seemed to be starting all over again.

Alessia took the first step towards her enlightenment.

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"Suppose we fail to eradicate the Calamity," Asher said. "What then?"

The trio pondered the question calmly. Generally, when someone asked that question there would be roaring laughter in response. But a distinguished guild leader like Asher asking it - this was serious.

"I imagine the Cult would get involved. They are the only ones with the influence to get the guilds and kingdoms together to cooperate," Tyko said.

The others agreed, nodding.

"And if the Cult fails?" Asher asked.

Tyko looked towards the canopy of the tent, but his eyes were set to the thing beyond it - even beyond the canopy of the sky. Heaven.

"If they get involved... then our kind will likely not survive," Tyko said.

"The Houses of Order..." Pike spoke, goosebumps appearing on his bare arms.

A collective shiver crawled up all their spines. The Houses of Order were a terrifying thing, and not understood by many. Those few who truly did understand them were raving lunatics rotting in a forgotten cell, deep within the earth. But the implications were clear to those who knew of the existance of the Houses of Order.

Heaven was not merciful.