Gemini glanced at the first rays of dawn, which were trickling into his house and shrouding everything in a strange light. Was the world sending him and the strongest beings of Orb off? He didn’t know, but the surreal scene made him smile slightly.

“I’m going, Lila.”

Lila took a deep breath, and then pulled him close. “Come back home, okay? Don’t leave us behind. And don’t lose.”

Gemini smiled and held her in his embrace for a minute or two. The two of them had said similar things over the night, and the Demon Sovereign had eventually found out that holding her in silence was the best option. They shared a kiss, before the two of them moved towards little Aria, who was sitting upright in her cot.

For some reason, she had woken up at the crack of dawn. Maybe it was her intuition or something, but Aria was more than content to just watch him in silence.

At that sight, power danced around him. An unprecedented fatigue engulfed his body as he pulled out half of his divinity and wrapped them around his family. Aria was unable to sense it, but as the copious energies settled on Lila’s skin to form a second layer, she grimaced and stared pointedly at Gemini.

“For my sake.” Gemini smiled. “I…at least need some hope. Even if he succeeds, this much power might be able to stop him from taking you two away. I need that, at least.”

Lila took a deep breath. “Will it affect you?”

“It won’t take me long to recover,” Gemini replied. “My divinity can regenerate on its own. It’ll be in tiptop condition at no time, so don’t worry.”

Gemini turned to Aria and rubbed her head, before poking her chin gently with his index finger. “Hey, kid. I’m…going. See you in three days or so, okay?”

“Auh.” Aria reached out and grabbed his index finger with her tiny hands. “Auh…”

“Yeah. I’ll be going now, Aria. I’ll stay safe, okay? Don’t make any trouble for mama. Okay?” Gemini took a deep breath, and then pecked his daughter’s forehead. “I’ll be back. Okay?”

Forcing down a gulp, Gemini straightened his back and hugged Lila one last time. “Wish me luck.”

“Mm.” Lila smiled. “I’ll be waiting. Always.”

Gemini forced himself to turn away. Placing one foot in front of another, he walked past the many trappings of the life he had yearned for, leaving them behind and heading out to join the last-ditch effort of Orb. There was no choice. And even he had a choice, Gemini knew that he would still join this final battle. There was too much to lose, too many people he cared about.

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Gathering his resolve, the Demon Sovereign left the cottage without looking back. He could sense that Aria and Lila were watching his back as he left, but Gemini did not dare to look back.

There was too much at stake for his emotions and desires to matter.

Gemini continued to put one foot in front of the other, walking away from his home until the little structure was blurred out by the light of the rising sun.

“Hereward. Thasvia.”

Two figures rippled into view, a quiet power surrounding them both. As he was right now, the Demon Sovereign could easily identify that particular power; it was their Divine Will, honed and polished through determination and resolve. Such an energy was whirling around him too, an energy that had grown stronger for every step he’d taken away from his home.

“Gemini.” Hereward nodded at him. “I’m glad that you decided to join us for this final battle.”

“You make it sound like I have a choice in this matter,” Gemini replied. “The onset of creation is upon us. If I do nothing, everyone I love will be taken away by the Abyss Sovereign. Our cherished memories would be destroyed.”

“True. Not much choice in the matter.” Hereward patted his back. “Gemini. I owe you a lot. From the very start, and even after you awakened from your madness. I have been making use of you, time and time. This time…is no different. I have no reward to offer. Nothing.”

The space around them began to warp, and Gemini looked back at the home he so loved.

“You gave me a second life,” Gemini replied. “Everything I had came from that fact. Thanks to your help, I met Lila, protected Ark City, protected the innocent demons. I now have the opportunity to protect my family and all I hold dear. I will never blame you. You gave me the time I never had.”

“Gemini…”

“You’re a good person,” Gemini replied.

“I’m glad to be assessed that way,” Hereward replied. “Gemini, Thasvia. I have one request to make from both of you.”

“A request?” Thasvia asked. “Why now?”

“Insurance,” Hereward replied. “Deep below Orb, in the very centre of the world, lie innumerable souls, suspended in an eternal dream by the full extent of my power a hundred thousand years ago. These souls belong to the people that populated old Orb, before the two extradimensional entities, Pabar and Tiadall, descended upon the world. If we somehow succeed in our plan, partially or otherwise, I want the two of you to awaken those souls and send them into Celestia.”

“You—”

“As insurance,” Hereward replied. “The three of us will be focused on tangling with the Abyss Sovereign. I have the lowest combat experience. It is unlikely that I will make it out unscathed.”

“Okay.” Gemini nodded. “I’ll awaken them and send them into Celestia.”

“Thank you,” Hereward replied, before pulling out multiple orbs of pulsating light. “Right, you two should take some of these too. They’ll inject the necessary changes into the Cosmic Egg. I’ve distributed a few to the most promising Demigods too, but just in case.”

“Got it.”

“Brother…I understand.” Thasvia smiled sadly. “Let us depart, then.”

The world around Gemini shifted at those words, plunging him into darkness once more.