The sun shone brightly over the picturesque Spiral mountain range, so named because of the peculiar spiral shape the peaks of the mountains formed due to millennia of suffering the bizarre wind vortexes that were native to the area.

The entire range was full of bizarre trees whose stems formed a peculiar helix shape. The shape allowed them to survive unharmed through the constant wind vortices. With the exception of these "spiral plants" the entire mountain range was a dead zone. Few creatures dared to trespass its boundaries and fewer still returned alive. The mountains were conspicuous in the lack of birds chirping and crickets buzzing. The terrifying winds could alive apart any creature without prediction.

Deep within this range, around its geographical center, was a small hill that was peculiar even for the peculiar spiral range. It was the smallest mountain in the locality, but a careful analysis of the rocks would show that its origins were bizarrely older that all the surrounding mountains by several eons. The hill had bizarrely split into two near the peak and the two peaks intertwined forming a geometric double helix. The wind passing through this rock formation was several times more vicious than anything else in the spiral mountain range.

Surprisingly, at the base of the peak's split, where the helix began was a small opening. This opening led to a large cavern that was filled with a musty smell not very different from a vineyard. A large part of the cavern was occupied by a huge cauldron, several meters in diameter. The cauldron was full of spiral leaves, ground into a paste while a huge ladle was churning the whole mixture around as it slowly fermented. Powerfully vicious winds entered through the opening and into the cauldron, powerfully grinding its contents into a sugary malt.

The most bizarre part of this equally bizarre scene was a man. His appearance was anything but plain. 1.8 meters tall, somewhat skinny, a moderately attractive face that looked heroic that was arrogantly smoking a rolled up spiral plant leaf. His silver hair accented his extremely youthful look, giving him a sense of sovereignty that would make others feel insignificant in front of him. Deep silver pupils that serenely gazed around him, felt like they had locked in unfathomable knowledge and made this pale young man look attractive. However, this was all spoilt by the eccentric smile on his face brimming with arrogance, as he smoked a leaf from its corner. He stood on top of the cauldron, at it's circumference, taking a look at the malting process. Clearly, he was the brewing an alcohol in this extremely bizarre location using a never before seen technique.

The vicious wind would occasionally threaten to escape the cauldron, but the enigmatic man kept using his hand to slap the wind blades back into the cauldron. All along, his face was in anticipation for this new wine concoction of his, based on spiral plant leaves. As the sun rise into the clear cloudless sky, streaks of sun rays gently diffracted through the cavern opening into the cauldron and reflected prismatically around the room.

Right at that moment, a small backpack in the room's corner vibrated. The young man frowned, gesturing with his hand towards the bag which unzipped automatically allowing a vibrating talisman to float towards him with considerable haste.

"This is Zeta." The man nonchalantly spoke into the circular talisman, which now floated in front of his face. He clearly wasn't happy with the interruption, irritation leaking out from his voice.

"Zeta! We've finally managed to establish contact! *Cough*. On behalf of the Kingdom of Providence, We, King Ralph III, have a mission for you to fulfil."

King Ralph ignored the irritation in the voice of the man addressed as Zeta. At this moment it was more important to appease this mercenary than worry about his pride as a ruler of the continent's superpower.

"Meh. I'm busy. I'll consider when I'm free." Zeta dismissed him offhandedly.

"Zeta! Do you understand what I did to contact you? I had to ask a favor from the King of Nevers to use the *Continental Communicator*. This is not a simple mission. The Keeper's prophecy."

"I don't care what you kings do playing around. I only take up jobs that interest me and when I feel like taking one. You know the drill King Ralph. If the keeper wants me to take up a job, tell him to contact me himself."

"The Keeper... Zeta you really are arrogant. But it's a fact that you are the only one who can help us. The council of rulers of the Eastern continent have collectively urged me to request you to accept this mission. The fate of the continent, and may be the world hangs in the balance."

"If the Keeper is so worried about his continent, he can contact me himself. I'm busy. Ciao!"

Zeta unceremoniously terminated the conversation, but left the talisman hanging. An arrogant smirk on his face, he continued brewing his alcohol. Fifteen minutes passed in silence before the talisman vibrated again.

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"This is Zeta."

"ZETA!!!" A huge powerful voice thundered through the talisman as the entire mountain range shook, terrified. Zeta, however, remained unfazed.

"Calm down Keeper Lao."

"You dare not give me face? You have crossed the line Zeta!"

"If you want me to take a job, come directly to me. Why send your political minions? You know very well how I feel about their slimy mouths. Besides I'm busy in a life or death scenario."

"Making wine is a life or death scenario?" The Keeper's voice thundered again, as his anger reached a tipping point.

"Oh, you teleported here already? Come in, don't stand on ceremonies. I've made some excellent new wine from this useless plant!"

A golden light flashed onto the cavern, illuminating the place with excessive light that would blind any ordinary person. As the light receded, Zeta, was joined by an old man. His face had wrinkled with age and the years had eliminated any trace of facial hair. His bald head shined in the afterglow of the receding golden light as his eyes squinted at Zeta, in anger.

Zeta tossed a corked bottle containing a translucent golden liquid to the old man.

"Try it out, I quite like the musty sweet flavor. Be careful though, it might be too strong for your old bones." Zeta chided with a chuckle. He hopped down the cauldron as he sat beside Keeper Lao, who had already made himself at home in the cavern.

"Hmph!" The old man scoffed. He drank the golden liquid carefully, taking in each sip gently to let the aromatic fragrance and the earthen taste travel through his body. The powerful drink filled every cell of his body with a soothing feeling of being bathed in energy.

"Very good. So you've been learning to make wine now. Although this truly is good, but when will you stop this charade? A month back you were learning to draw maps and the month before that you were learning to cook! If you put your talent to learn combat skills, you'd have already ascended."

Zeta had a weird expression on his face as he heard Keeper Lao's comment.

"Oh? There is someone you know who can teach me combat? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Want me to teach you some new skills old man? I'm willing if you cut this crap about missions. I'm not interested in learning about combat, I've had enough of it."

The old man almost choked when he heard those words from this abnormal brat. But he had no retort. This was because what he said was true. The brat was so far beyond the pinnacle of what combat even means it could send chills down his spine. He was simply glad that this enigmatic young man wasn't an enemy.

"Forget about the matter of the Kings trying to get favors in, but do this mission for me will you, you brat? I had my legacy prophecy.."

Hearing that the Keeper had his legacy prophecy, Zeta's brows furrowed. It appeared that the matter was very serious. What did legacy prophecy mean? The keeper was the most powerful clairvoyant mage on the continent. The legacy prophecy was his final prophecy, a prophecy so important in it's ability to predict a future turning point, that it consumed the Keeper's clairvoyant ability altogether. A historic turning point was no laughing matter.

"What did you see old man?"

"An implosion. Everything imploded. The continent, the planet, the universe, it all collapsed over itself. The dimensions cracked and bizarre worlds started overlapping ours. Ultimately everything ended. Everything imploded into a single point."

"*Collapse!*" thought Zeta to himself. He barely managed to keep the shock from his face, smilingly nodding while listening to the old man's words. "It's *Collapse*!"

The Keeper continued, not noticing the shock in Zeta's deep eyes. "And the implosion...it all started on our continent. A power that destroyed all worlds. Right here, in Helmholtz."

"Helmholtz? The school? I see it now. Interesting. What is your mission?"

"For the sake of our world, we would like you to go to find the cause of this and stop it before we all die."

"Hmm, sounds like too much responsibility old bag-of-bones. Why do you think I'll succeed anyway. A cataclysm of this kind, what chance could a wine brewer like me possibly have?"

"You shameless bastard! You just began brewing like a month ago! Bag of bones? Fuck! You young bastards have no respect for the old nowadays!"

The old man went into a tirade at the smirking Zeta before he calmed down, looked straight into Zeta's silver pupils before answering the real question.

"Because...despite worlds all being destroyed, you survived."

Zeta took a swipe at the bottle in his hands, acting like he didn't hear the Keeper. The lack of surprise on Zeta's part shocked the Keeper.

"You...who are you really? You already know what it is right? Never mind it... Can you save us from calamity?"

"I can, but it seems there is no time limit to this mission. It might take a day or even years. Depending on the source. I'll have to infiltrate Helmholtz. Get me a cover."

"Do you need a cover to infiltrate? What are you talking about?"

Acting like he didn't hear the old man's grumblings, Zeta continued speaking.

"I've decided! Now that I've learnt making wine, it's time for my next adventure! Time to become a teacher!"

"A teacher? With a teacher like you my continent will easily squash the others haha!"

"Squash? You think I would train skills for free? Out of your mind? Who would go to a school to teach boring combat arts!"

The Keeper was flabbergasted. The demonic bastard didn't want to teach combat arts or magic at Helmholtz but wants to be a teacher? What the fuck? Helmholtz is a combat arts school!

"Fuck? What will you teach then?"

Zeta patted his chest pridefully as he replied with glee. "Music!"

Music! Music! Music!..

The voice echoed in Keeper Lao's head. Flabbergasted, he shouted.

"Bastard! You want to teach musical fine arts in a combat school? And at Helmholtz of all places? On my recommendation! You want me to lose all face? Fuck! You malignant bastard!"

With a cold smirk, Zeta took another spiral leaf, rolled it carefully, and lit it aflame before rapidly putting it off. He deeply inhaled the smoke filled with essence from the leaf. The smiled triumphantly.

"That is one of my necessary conditions to apply for this mission. A long term mission like this, who knows how many years! Take it or leave it!"

"Fine! Have it your way!"