"An exceptional mess. She excels at taking things to the extreme. With embers scattered, there's no denying the annihilating force that engulfs everyone. It's no surprise Roze chose her. I consider myself fortunate not to confront her alone."

The enigmatic figure, shrouded in a hooded cloak filled with darkness, murmured to himself while gazing upon the desolate prison situated in the ocean's core. Water filled a crater-like depression, encircled by towering walls, resembling a solitary dam. Only small fragments of the destroyed buildings popped out of the water.

The cloaked man raised the highest-bounty criminal's head, Nebula, and asked, "Did she leave any bodies for Roze? Or maybe not? Either way, Karma will soon punish me." He inserted her head in a space-like inventory and went down to explore more bodies.

He walks on water like he doesn't weigh mass. Even the scythe he's carrying seems to be heavier than his own body, but his buoyancy remains a mystery.

"As anticipated, not a crumb left behind. Surprisingly, this place surpasses the grandeur of my former mansion. If I were still residing there, I would be the one submerged beneath these ocean depths. Quimora may be the one laughing at me now. Or is she still alive if that's the case? Hmph... A pointless question... since Saori never dies."

Amidst the rugged cliffs and crashing waves, the ladder, ancient, weathered, and stretched upward like a desperate plea to the heavens. Its rungs, worn smooth by countless hands, whispered secrets of forgotten journeys.

The island lay just beyond, a tantalizing mirage in the mist. Its shores promised sanctuary, yet danger lurked in the shadows. For there, amidst the craggy rocks, echoed the anguished cries of two souls—a symphony of sorrow that tugged at his heart.

The stronger woman, her voice raw and primal and her body covered in blood, knelt on the rocky ground. Her tears flowed freely, carving rivulets in two stones. She mourned loss—the kind that leaves scars on the soul, etching pain into memory. Her grief was a tempest, raging against the unforgiving landscape.

Beside her stood the other woman, a fragile pillar of empathy. Her touch was gentle, fingers tracing patterns of solace on the weeping woman's back. Yet her own eyes mirrored the anguish—the shared burden of sorrow. She, too, had loved fiercely, lost irrevocably.

"Why now, Macy? Just when she will experience real freedom, the hands of judgment take her soul," Hera cried. "Even Eleazar won't forgive this absurdness!"

"It's over, Hera… There's nothing we can do."

Their pain intertwined, a bittersweet dance of vulnerability. The wind carried their cries across the chasm, binding them in a fragile communion. And he, the silent witness, wondered if he could bridge the divide. Could he offer solace to these broken souls? No way a Deathbringer would do that to the living, he thought.

But the island remained distant, its allure tempered by the abyss below. The ladder whispered warnings—of sacrifice, of irreversible choices. And so, he lingered on the precipice, caught between compassion and fear. The cries echoed, haunting and beautiful, as if the very cliffs wept alongside them.

Before he approached, another body came up the water toward the two. She also suffered a deep wound in a critical part between her shoulder and chest. When Hera noticed her, she stopped her tears and readied her stance. "You insensitive primordial beast! I'm in no mood to accept your dark motives, Gelly," Hera shouted.

However, Gelly slowly raised her trembling hands as she hissed out the pain. She quickly covered her wounded area with her hand while she groaned. "I'm also in no state to receive that mood... What happened to the kind girl and the whistleblower?"

Hera and Macy shut their lips. When Gelly gazed at the crafted tombs, she pressed her lips and looked down. "It's not my character to say sorry... I play no game, only survival. As for the girl and the whistleblower—they lie beneath the waves, their secrets swallowed by the sea. Their sacrifice was necessary and painful. But you, Hera, you cling to your rage like a drowning sailor to driftwood."

"It's over, Gelly," Hera replied. "A senseless freedom won't silence my soul from rage. I'm in no desperate position to continue living."

Macy exclaimed, "Hera, don't say that! The divine gave you a chance for this moment. Don't waste..."

"The divine? What cruel deity would orchestrate such tragedy? No, Macy, this is not a chance—it's a curse. A mother's curse. If a mother loses her child, for any reason, it's the mother's fault! I should be the one you're crying at! It should be a part of my body under this stone..."

Gelly approached the stone and kneeled. She was forced to clasp her hands out of pain. "I apologize," she whispered, her voice lost in the wind, and bowed her head. "Perhaps sometimes, even primordial beasts ache. Even gods weep and bleed."

"Even an apology won't count," Hera replied. "If that's destiny, I would rather cling to Entropy and control the direction of the river of life. This shouldn't have happened."

Gelly stood up and replied while gritting her teeth, "Just so you know, I'm the person who never wanted not to get even." She faced Hera and extended her other hand, "Why don't we join forces instead?"

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"Revenge? It won't bring her back, Gelly."

"Or maybe, it would," the cloaked man replied as he clapped his hands and approached the island from the water. Being aware, the three women initiated a stance in case a fight broke out. The man said, "Please understand. I'm in no state to bully weakened women. I'm just a friendly passerby with a wonderful tip."

"What do you mean 'it would'?" Hera growled.

The man chuckled behind the dark shadows covering his face, "Once a miracle happened, facing the apostle of Entropy, still lives before my eyes. I'm not sure what Nebula planned to do to you three."

"Nebula is the apostle of Entropy?" Macy asked. "Then Hera, the one you killed was..."

"Wrong! You're all mistaken," the man said, pulling out Nebula's head from his spatial inventory. The three widened their eyes after witnessing Quimora's face. Hera clenched her fists, excreting fire out of her skin.

"What did you do to her!?"

"Wrong again! You're all mistaken. I'm sure my employer will punish me. Why not take a closer look? Isn't this the person you threw your blade at?"

Hera's breath caught in her throat, her anger dissolving into a whirlwind of confusion. She pressed her palms on her head "What do you mean!? What are you talking about!?"

"Okay, game time's now over!" The man exclaimed. "I know you're flooded with questions. However, I'm in no position to answer. Why don't you ask her directly? After all, killing the descendants of Entropy is like drowning a fish. Good luck on your revenge though."

"Wait!" Macy exclaimed. "I know this is too much. But you may be able to locate where she was?"

"I told you, game time's over," The man replied as he turned and walked away. From his power surge, an army of skeletons climbed their way up the ocean and surrounded them. "Since the land of the dead is my territory, may I humbly ask you to leave?"

***

Amidst the crimson twilight, where reality and nightmare converged, the river wound like a scar across the land. Its waters, thick as blood, whispered secrets of forgotten souls.

The forest stood sentinel—a congregation of twisted trees, their leaves aflame with crimson fire. Each branch, skeletal and gnarled, reached skyward as if clawing at unseen horrors. The air hung heavy, suffused with the scent of decay and ancient magic.

And there, in the heart of this spectral wilderness, glided the Deathbringer. His hem trailed in the water, absorbing the river's sorrow. His boat, a fragile vessel of bone and memory, cut through the crimson current.

The oars moved soundlessly as if guided by fate itself. The Deathbringer's face remained hidden—a void beneath the hood. For he was no mere ferryman; he was the architect of endings, the keeper of forgotten promises. Behind him, the dead sat—an assembly of souls unmoored from life.

And so, they rowed—an unlikely flotilla of lost souls and their silent guide. The red light intensified, casting elongated shadows on the river's surface. The forest whispered secrets—the rustle of leaves, the creak of ancient boughs.

A rustling echoed through the Deathbringer's ears. When he looked back, he saw Nebula's head with watery eyes, spitting out his name, "Skade... Is that you? What happened to you?"

The Deathbringer's legs trembled. For him, it is a past that should be forgotten, the cause of all of his current nightmares. How? There's no way to determine who I am in this state. Realizing the situation, the Deathbringer replied," It's been a year since your last visit, only if I know that a prank is your kind of a heartwarming welcome, Saori."

***

As a reply to Skade, I chuckled. "It's just fun seeing a mass murderer in grief."

"You sadistic psycho. That's already in the past."

"Eh? You're boring. This must be the reason why Roze put you in this lonely punishment."

"Don't treat me as a business referral. I'm not glad that you're the only person that could visit here."

"Oh? Perhaps you talked with some meated skeleton? That's rare! I wouldn't do that if I were you though."

"Karma can also be considered a one-time experience."

"Right! However, you can't write it in a resume."

"What the hell are you even saying?"

"Furthermore, would you mind fixing me up? I'm not Vision, and I'm a busy person. I'll be back in five minutes."

Before I left my body, Skade stopped rowing. Exactly five minutes later, I opened my eyes and saw him rowing again. I stretched my fingers, hands, and arms to test my joints. "That's better. If you're in your younger years, you might've laughed hard as you retained would like to shut you up."

"If I only can, I would shove my gums out to laugh at you. By the way, it isn't like you to leave a single breathing soul after a disaster."

"A stubborn disciple... But don't worry, it's her choice. I can see the pros in them, especially Hera. Climbing up a 50-meter wall barefoot and snipping me with a blade could be a month-long calculation, pure skill, or sheer luck of anger."

"Sorry to disappoint you. You're bad with luck."

"Coming from you? I just don't have good terms with luck, since I'm excluding all random variables. I can get the outcome I want. Can you imagine cold water..."

"Can you shut up with your boring otherworldly 'Science' talk? You’re a genius, okay? Other than your disabled accomplice, no one wants to hear that. You must have any other reason why you're here?"

"That's the reason Fantasy worlds don't progress. What's your problem with me?"

"Everything."

"Thanks for the compliment. I just want someone to talk to the ones I'm sure that no secrets could be spilled."

"Are you sure? I just talked to that Hera fellow earlier."

"I hope you know that you're dealing with the Entropy's apostle. It's been five years since I killed you."

"That's nostalgic."

"However, that didn't start at it. Roze continued to fill my stomach with questions. It will all be clarified once that coward Propagator shows up. I hate how lore-heavy this is. That suspicious truck accident shouldn't have happened."

"She seems to be like you, pulling the strings behind the shadows. Who really are you? And why are you here?"

“I am… a legal benefit.”