"The Legend of the Great Schism dates back longer than history recalls, but Fate doesn't dare forget of the Demons that turned the tide of that war. By all accounts, the Denizen had seized victory; beasts from deep within the Void had decimated the Overworld." Solitaire cast a glum look back at that wretched shard. "With defeat imminent, the Goddess, Takera, constructed one last ploy to ensure victory for the light."

She continued. "As it's told, mere moments before she was slain, the Goddess relinquished her power. Instead, she cast it upon three of the most powerful Demons to ever haunt this realm. They were peerless rulers of the land, sea, and sky, each having dealt disastrous blows to our world; if not for her act, everything would likely have been consumed by the Void."

"Past that, only their names are what's known for sure. Everything else is just hunches on hunches, 'cause nobody's ever actually ran in with one and lived to talk about it... 'Cept us, anyway." Levvy smirked, but lost that competitiveness soon afterward. "Turns out, what we saw under the water that day, a silhouette easily as big as any whale... that was only the top of it—Takera forbid that I ever have to see just what all was hidden deeper down."

With that admission, she continued. "It didn't forget me, and it never forgave me; now that I've taken something from it, I can't go back out on the water, at least not without the fear that it'll eventually take something in return."

"That's correct. After Takera shattered, she'd set forth the broken shards of herself upon those Demons and freed them of the Denizen's control. However, in that act, she ultimately left the trio to wreak havoc on their own."

"Cutting loose Demons on the Overworld..." Kyoya made a silent huff at the thought. "Must be on-brand for her."

Solitaire's explanation went on.

"Since humanity had long since gone into hiding, they were spared. Those three alone ravaged the Void and Overworld alike, forcing any surviving Demons back to their own realm..." She cast another glance at the stained window, then shook herself off. "...Untold ages of torment, millennia of stifled rage, all culminating into a display of fury that eclipsed the Schism in its entirety. This trio, having severed their ties to both the Demonic and Aethereal natures of their identities, and now possessing the power of a shattered Takera, were reclassified into a completely new category of beings."

Lyric crossed her arms, following with a nod.

"Now, we call them Titans—once Demons, now bearers of Takera's shards. After those fragments combined with the Titans' latent Void energies, they made a sort of proto-Affinity, called a Decree."

"A Decree..." mused the Miscreant.

The boy's mind wandered in brief. For a moment, one of Oberon's speeches played over in his head.

"The Mother imparted three fundamental principles, cast upon beasts who could shatter that very same haven..."

Kyoya centered his focus.

"...Those were the principles of Foundation, Guidance, and Expanse, right?"

Eyes widened all around him.

"Somebody knows their share of the old books," Lyric followed.

"It was taught to me a while back. The Titans were protectors, or something, weren't they? But Takera's shards eventually lost their power, and once that happened..." he trailed off.

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Solitaire picked up his end.

"They reverted to their Demonic identities. Miss Asan's earlier concerns are reinforcement for this theory, being that the Sea's dominator has already begun to show signs of awakening. In that, the Denizen will regain control, and he'll likely have them serve as the infantry for another full-scale invasion." The Adventurer Princess made something of an annoyed frown, either at the circumstances or something along that mark. "That, in combination with the Virtues being separated and unaccounted for, spells disaster."

She gave a stern nod, continuing. "Behemoth Gobalios, Leviathan Alteal, and Meridian Erevolt... Somehow, they slew both sides in the past, forcing Takera to sacrifice herself to end the Schism. It was the Virtues that guided humanity to prosperity... Due to that, Fate's method has grown warped and dysfunctional. Never before has she been defied; now, there's no way to predict the Schism's arrival, nor a means through which to take action."

Seemingly to let the newfound tension deflate, Solitaire adopted a long, comfortable pause. "Now, all we have is our own wit to guide us."

While silence rang out louder than the toll of any bell, it wasn't long before Lyric stepped in, at last regaining her upbeat demeanor. Kyoya let off a breath of pure relief.

"Which is why you're tagging along on this little journey of mine! We've gotta re-assemble the D-Team and toss a big wrench in whatever scheme the Denizen's been cooking up for the past millennia or so."

"Tch, when you say it like that, it sounds too easy." Kyoya chuckled with her, earning looks of acceptance from their peers. "Hey, you guys are a part of this thing, too. It's the whole world, or something."

"No, no," Levvy feigned ignorance, "I just didn't expect it to one-eighty that hard. We were going on about the doom and gloom, then you jump up for joy? I guess it's a good change of pace."

"A welcome one, no doubt," added Solitaire.

The group appeared satisfied with all that had been exchanged, ultimately leaving a contented ease amongst them. Lyric, in particular, seemed to be relieved as ever to have gotten a bit more to work with on her hands.

"Lyric must go through hell trying to piece this stuff together—go figure."

His hidden, wayward thanks for her unending intuition persisted without issue. Before the Miscreant could offer that thought any more time, his partner brought him back to attention.

"We're pretty much through here, if you wanna start heading back. Ace still has some investigating on her hands, so the most we can do right now is rest up and keep ourselves ready for anything."

"She speaks the truth, even if I'd rather the subject weren't quite so extreme. I suppose I'm in no place to complain, though—especially if the journey ahead of you two proves as austere as current events would suggest."

"Well," Kyoya began, "you can rest easy knowing that we're gonna squash any problems here before we make any moves like that. It wouldn't sit right, just up and leaving you guys to handle this alone."

Solitaire cracked a smile.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were insulting our ability."

"C'mon, I lose either way, here."

"Oh, bother."

The Princess flipped her hair and stood, aiming her stare at the ominous scale. "I've just gotten a lot to think about, and I'd rather it didn't sway the focus of our pair of secret weapons. For the time being, try to maintain a low-profile, if possible..."

She trailed off. After a bout of thought, she followed, "...Should things play out in the favor of truth, I can't help but feel as though we'll see a bit of a ruckus in the near future."

"You got it, boss lady." Kyoya gave a flimsy salute, with Lyric stifling laughter, while Levvy offered a relieved sigh.

"I'd definitely call that grounds to see you guys off," his partner chirped. The pair offered mutual thanks to their providers, then proceeded towards the staircase.

Levvy called them to reverse their stride.

"Hey, hotshot?"

"What's up?"

"Let's you and I have a little punch-out, down the road. I feel like you'll give me a good time."

Kyoya turned back to the stairs. He looked at the Mariner over his shoulder.

"Just don't let me forget. My memory really ain't the greatest, y'know."

Lyric scowled.

"Shocker."