"Why?!"

The voice reverberated off the pristine marble walls encompassing the room. Amidst it all stood a man with dark, lustrous hair and fiery red eyes. Before him was an intricate pedestal made of an unknown material. Resting on it was an ebony book. He reached for it; his fingers glided over the grooves carved upon its surface. Those engravings didn't correspond to any runes he recognized.

"Felix! Why would you do this?" the voice said, dripping with sorrow.

He turned to face the sound, eyeing the woman. She was beautiful. Her emerald hair shone under the dim light of the torches anchored to the walls. Her violet gaze rested upon him as if boring through to his soul. A single tear threatened to flow to her crimson lips.

Felix returned her gaze, his face a mask of stone. Both looked at each other, unmoving, entangled, yet so distant. She was the first to look away. She had so much she wished to say, so many rebukes and heartaches, all of which were left stranded in her heart, unable to be verbalized.

Footsteps broke the heavy silence. A rush of sounds bounced off the hall walls, growing louder with each passing moment. Felix knew his time was running out, but he felt unhurried. He waited patiently for his reckoning to come.

A group of three was approaching. At the sight of Felix, the woman in the lead sped up. Her deep silver hair danced in the wind while the edge of her spear glided above the ground. Once she deemed the distance close enough, she leapt, bridging the gap, thrusting her spear with a fury that only enhanced her gallant features. The strike was swift and deadly, yet Felix evaded effortlessly.

He stepped forward, ducking under the blow. The marble floor shattered under the weight of his advance, leaving a deep footprint behind. A gust of wind emanated from the tip of the spear, grazing his cheek and leaving a shallow gash from where dark red blood spilt. Felix dove forward, thrusting his clenched fist towards the woman's abdomen. The woman, still airborne, twisted to avoid the impact.

"Don't!" a cry resounded from the depths of the hallway.

Felix reigned in the force of his blow. She contracted her abdomen, resisting the collision. Her light armour absorbed most of the shock, but it still knocked the wind out of her. She failed to adjust her aerial position and smashed into the ground, shoulder first. The impact ejected the weapon from her hands, making it tumble toward the corner of the chamber. She writhed in pain, gasping for air, but very much still alive.

Distracted, Felix barely noticed a second woman in time. A blade swung, aiming for his neck. The sword glowed, wreathed in flames. Her carmine mane fluttered as the deadly edge loomed closer to his vital point. With no time to dodge, obsidian scales formed on his skin, absorbing the flames like a dark abyss. The blade collided, but no blood was drawn. The fire raged, resisting the dark vortex, but was soon extinguished.

A black, scaly hand reached for the sword. She tried to withdraw her weapon, but the claw was faster. Try as she might, the blade was immovable within its grasp. She let go of the useless metal and tried to disengage, only to be caught by the neck. She thrashed, sinking her nails into the flesh that held her. She could feel beads of blood on her hands as she sank her nails further in.

The grip tightened. She could feel her lungs burn, screaming for air. She looked at her foe. The calmness of his blood-red eyes as he squeezed her throat sent cold sweat pouring down her back. Her fury turned to dread. She mustered all her strength and kicked the man, but without the support of the ground, her blow was weak. Tears fell down as she realized her death neared.

Her battle had ended. The silver-haired woman had only just risen to her feet when Felix threw the limp body into her embrace. She reeled back from the weight but stabilized by leaning on one knee. All colours had drained from the being in her hands, from rosy pink to deathly white. She leaned forward, pressing her ear against the red-haired woman's chest. Her heart was still beating, albeit weakly. She felt a soft breath on her nape.

Her facade of strength crumbled. She buried her head into the unconscious woman's chest, weeping tears of relief. She had feared the worst. The green-haired woman reached for them, but words failed her. She hesitated for a moment before comforting them in her warm embrace.

Felix watched the scene from the corner of his eye, unmoved, his gaze firmly fixed on the last arrival. She was a woman of great elegance, with golden locks draped behind her back. Despite the rapid pace of her rush, her breath was steady and deep. Not a drop of sweat marred the sweetness of her facial features. A lifetime he spent waiting for this moment. They eyed each other. They knew what was to come.

"Is it worth it?" she asked.

For a brief moment, Felix lost himself in memories. His answer would have been immediate if it had been more than a year ago, but too much has happened since. He glanced at the green-haired woman, and a gentle smile escaped his lips.

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Nothing stays the same, he thought. Yet, nothing changes.

His answer stayed the same.

"Of course," he said, weighing every word. "My wish will be granted. Whatever the cost."

"Even if it means the end of the world?" a voice originating from the chamber's depths asked.

The voice was deep and masculine. The girls tensed upon hearing the familiar tone. With peeled eyes, they sought its origin amidst the darkness. Felix didn't turn around, for he knew the speaker.

"The world exists for my sake, so why should I care?" Felix replied.

"Such arrogance," the voice said, letting out a deep sigh.

Out of the gloom emerged a man, his presence suffocating. Exquisitely ornamented cobalt robes draped his body while his long silver hair was held in place using a delicate hairpin. Specks of white were distributed throughout his aging beard.

"Father!" the silver-haired woman said, complex emotions welling in her heart.

The man never once looked at her, his gaze solely fixed on Felix. Felix could feel the intensity of his stare boring through his back. The room was silent; only the man's slow, deliberate footsteps reverberated as he approached Felix. He stopped just out of reach.

"Would you doom us all just to satisfy your hubris?" the man said.

His eyes, possessed by flames of judgment, stared at his prey while a sneer graced his lips. The golden-haired woman recoiled at the sight, a shiver down her spine. The tension was at its peak; they felt suffocated.

The man took one last step, but before his foot could reach the ground, Felix turned, surging forward, drawing his sword in a flash. The blade was deep black, only its edge blinding white. The blade cut through the air unimpeded. The man's sneer grew wider, his disdain apparent, for he had seen it coming.

He ducked backwards out of its path. The blade swung at the void, yet just at the right moment, Felix released it, letting it fly freely. Surprise flashed on the man's face, but for a moment, his eyes narrowed. The move was unexpected but futile. He effortlessly weaved out of the way.

The sword continued on its path, colliding with the book on the pedestal. The blade embedded itself into the tome up to its hilt but failed to emerge from the other side.

Blinding light burst into being, emanating from the volume. The room was bathed in warmth at first, then a glacial cold. The antithetical extremes wrestled for dominance. A vortex formed, drawing the mass of light towards its centre. Darkness was all that remained before bursting once again as the book opened for the first time.

This time, the impact was more than mere light. A mass of air was propelled upwards toward the ceiling. It crashed and burst, breaking free of the underground chamber's hold and making a path toward the clear night sky.

The light drenched the city in its glow before contracting into stars hovering above the ground. At its center, an immense black silhouette stood, imposing. The stars revolved around the silhouette, akin to a galaxy, before converging, draping over the ethereal being in garments of starlight.

Everyone stood rooted in place, gazing at the marvel of light in the night sky, holding their breath. The silhouette's features changed gradually, its outline becoming more pronounced until the shape of a woman could be inferred.

"Your wish."

The being's voice was cold and majestic; its words were more of a statement than a question. Felix gazed upward into the void where the being's eye should be, his mind calm and serene. The time had finally come.

"You know my wish," he said to the sky.

The being glanced downwards into the chamber's abyss. The mere presence of hers threatened to crush all mortals. The girls, unable to resist, fell to the floor, heads lowered. Only the man was brave enough to meet its gaze.

"Indeed, I do," she replied.

Felix closed his eyes, relishing the moment. He had sacrificed so much for this. Visions of the green-haired woman flashed in his mind before he mercilessly crushed them at the bottom of his heart. Nothing could impede his path.

"Let all things come to an end..." he murmured.

The light of the stars converged toward the being's visage, resembling a slight smile. Her cold features now had a bit of warmth. Felix felt the warmth envelope his weary heart.

"... So they can start anew," the woman said.

Hearing the words, Felix's eyes grew cold. He crushed the warmth he felt and ground it to dust.

This is wrong, he thought.

His heart was barren; only his wish remained, yet she would renege on her promise. His fury mounted, his gaze piercing through her. Before he could act, however, another took action.

"This is madness!" the man cried to the sky.

Lightning shone through his eyes, and his hair fluttered in the wind. Draconian wings sprouted from his back, and he took flight. He ascended in a flash of lightning before hovering just above the apparition's forehead. Dark clouds gathered above the city, and strands of lightning discharged upon their surfaces.

The man raised his hand to the sky, letting all the clouds gather in a large mass before letting it drop. A massive lightning bolt struck the figure; the sound was deafening. The figure neither dodged nor blocked the bolt, merely letting it pass. The bolt struck the ground, creating a deep crater and lighting the adjacent forest aflame.

The man frowned. He beat his wings, producing sharp air currents that formed a massive tornado. Once again, the being paid no attention as the whirlwind passed harmlessly through its nebulous body, colliding with the forest below. The wind reached the flames, fuelling them, before rising once again in a heat storm. This, too, had no effect.

Felix watched the scene unfold. The fury in his heart was now nothing but embers. Helplessness took hold of him. He hung his head, dejected.

"Let it end..." he said weakly.

The being in the sky raised its head, gazing at the multitude of lights illuminating the night sky.

"Your journey has just begun," she said, a radiant smile on her lips. Then she exploded, scattering her light towards the firmament. The light blinded all beings before darkness returned, blanketing the earth.

The green-haired woman opened her eyes in the depths of the chamber. Felix and the book were gone. The interval of time was too short for him to leave as all the exits were blocked by debris. No trace of his departure could be gleaned as if he had evaporated into thin air. She looked towards the sky. The figure was gone, replaced by a newborn celestial object that would later be known as The Moon.