"Yarren! Where have you been! Its almost morning!"

Elipsia called out while waving her wand in the air.

"Sorry! Got distracted."

She looked confused for a second but soon waved it off.

"Just get over here!"

As Elipsia spoke, 'Yarren' began to hurry over with an annoyed frown.

"Geez, im here, im here."

He waved her off before walking back with his hands behind his head.

He didn't see her eyes narrowing, focusing on the back of his head.

"Anyways, whats the grub?"

"Its... beetroot stew..."

"Beetroot stew? Urgh, can't we get something proper to find and eat?"

Hearing his answer, Elipsia sighed and shook her head.

"No, thats all we could find."

She was worrying for no reason, she thought to herself.

"Just go sit with everyone else, we are planning to continue moving now."

With that, 'Yarren' left to sit with everyone as Iris walked up to Elipsia.

"Iris? Whats up."

"Ellie, does Yarren seem off?"

"Off? Nah, he hates beetroot so nothing should be off, i thonk he is just stressed."

"Sigh... alright then Ellie, i believe you, come on, lets go eat now."

They both walked side by sideas the morning light illuminated them.

When they walked back, everyone was already eating with 'Yarren' eating 'reluctantly' in the middle of the camp.

"Yeah, he seems stressed..."

Iris repeated as the two sat next to 'Yarren' while grabbing their own bowls and eating with him.

♤♡◇♧

Making it to a set of giant doors, the guards at the entrance openedthek as soon as Lucy gave the signal

"I wish to inform you that this meeting will be just between you and the Demon Lord."

"We get it."

I brushed him off as me and my sister walked passed the doors, reaching a certain threshold, the doors swung shut with a resounding boom.

"Ah!-"

Hearing my sister jump, i turn to face her but she looked away.

"Ah, you must be the two people helping us, stated by Behime."

The lady sitting at the meeting table spoke, her voice refined and mannered with a hint of authority, she wore a feathered cape with a tint of green.

She gestered for us to sit on the chairs opposite to her.

"I am the Demon Lord, Oroceli Petagree."

The lady–Demon Lord Petagree–spoke as she pounded her chest with pride.

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With her exclamation, i sat down on the chair opposite to her as my sister sat next to me, she sat on the left of me.

"Yes, we came to help with your race problem."

"Thank you, you will be great help. This is my first time meeting humans, or any other race to be frank, that aren't overzealous."

My sister had a weird expression after hearing me lie through my teeth with a blank face.

"Well, from what i can sense, you are almost as strong as a general. Once we can get you measured, we can know for good."

She spoke as she looked at me but when she glanced at my sister, she looked confused.

"Although this human adolesent is significantly weaker, we can train her to be stronger."

"That would be for the best, yes."

She clapped her hands together as she smiled calmly.

"Then, since we are missing one position, i welcome you, the new General Greed, the young one-"

"My sister."

I corrected her because this conversation was already long.

"Ehem, your sister will be put under careful training, just know that other races have been... very hostile, to say the least, so my fellow demons might be guarded."

Ofcourse that is reasonable, i nodded as i began to think.

'Hm, there must be a reason we could join so easily, how would that be possible? Unless the General Sloth had something to do with this. She must trust Sloth alot to be able to take her words this seriously. That Prophecy thing must hold some accountablility then, but why greed? Hm... i need more information.'

Then, the Demon Lord stood up and began to walk towards us.

"I hope we work together with trust."

She bowed her head and left the room, which snapped me out of my thoughts, leaving me and my sister alone in this room.

"Why did you lie to her?"

"What do you mean."

"Why did you have to lie."

Hearing her question, i leaned back and stretched.

"Simple, I feel it. Behime is watching."

She looked around the room but could not see anything, just some torches and shadows. Nowhere to hide.

"H-how?"

"Do you not feel it?"

"I don't?"

I glanced at a shadow, an overflowing energy could be felt from it.

"We need to be careful."

Coming close to her ear, i whisper to her.

"Always be on guard."

Nodding, she stood and began to follow the Demon Lord who was halfway through the hallway.

"...what do you want."

I turn to the opposite side of the table once more. Behime, General Sloth, sat where the Demon Lord used to sit.

"Me? Well, i want to know what you want..."

"Me?"

I was confused, what does she want, to make sure we would help her destroy the world? That was already our goal–well, my sister asked me if it would be possible to only make a hole in the universe instead of destroying it–but she only laughed.

"Listen, Greed... if you aren't careful, you're next to fall... oh, The Last Contradiction..."

I felt a tap on my shoulder, turning around, i saw no one but when i turned to face her again, she vanished.

With a single card infront of me...

...

Jack of Clubs.

□□◇♧

Stomping through the corridors of the castle of possibilities.

A skeleton wearing a leather jacket with flames coming out of his eyes and a scythe on his back swung the grand doors of the castle and went into the throne room.

"KRUUNOOO!"

The skeleton, somehow yelling, took out his scythe and pointed at The Ruler calmly sitting on his throne.

"WHERE ARE THEY!"

"And what do i owe the pleasure of you coming to my palace, Grim?"

"THE TWO SOULS!"

"Care to explain?"

"THE TWO THAT WERE MEANT TO BE MINE! THE TWO THAT ESCAPED MY GRASP NOT ONCE BUT TWICE!"

The Shepard was extremely furious, the entire skull looked like it was about to burst open with flames.

"Ah, those two? Well, they are under out protection."

"IF YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE, I WILL BURN THIS WHOLE PLACE TO THE GROUND! IF ONE HELLFIRE BALL WAS NOT ENOUGH, THEN I WILL RAIN DOWN HELL!"

"I suggest you don't."?

"YOU THINK YOU HAVE THE CHANCE FACE ME? WHO ELSE HAVE YOU CONVINCED! THE WOEFUL? THE WORRIED? THE INTERNATIONAL?"

"No."

"THATS IT!"

The Ruler confidentally replied as he seemed calm, too calm, causing The Shepard to lose all semblance of restraint.

The Shepard was engulfed in flames from head to toe as he charged towards The Ruler.

"I'LL END YOU!"

Strangely, no matter how many steps he took, he never went 'forward', we was moving, yes but he wasn't making any progress.

"I am sorry for my husband's bad attitude but you wont be going any further."

Hearing an extra voice, The Shepard turned around to see a cloud of space dust slowly materalizing a sun for a head, astroids for limbs, a blackhole for a stomach and finally, a ring around her head with a singular eye on the star.

"Sol... so you were the one that was convinced."

The Shepard, seeing The Wiley One, calm down as the flames that were once raging to subside and soon extinguish.

"I see now, hehe... ah, if it is the Sol i know then, ah yes."

He began to mumble as he slowly began to chuckle to himself.

"Fine then, how about this instead."

He outstretches his hand towards The Ruler, even though there was still a huge amount of distance, as a contract appeard infront of The ruler.

"If, for any reason, one of the two dies, i get to obtain one letter of their name."

Hearing this, The Ruler was perplexed.

"You do know that the name of a being holds little to no value as a mortal than to us, concepts."

"Thats the fun part! So then, Kruno. Care for some deadly fun?"

Hearing The Shepard chuckle to himself, The Ruler laughed as he signed it with a clock hand shaped pen, when doing so, The Wiley One's name also appeared nect to The Ruler's.

"Well then. I bid you farewell, Dear Benefactors of The Last and The Variable."

He turned and left, leaving the castle as he got on his motorcycle.

Vroom!— Vroom!—

Soon, he drove off.