Just like in the Good Book of the Church of Altamea, the gods created the world from the black void and filled it with life. But unlike those fickle gods, Hildebrand filled hers with bounty, joy, and mercy.

It would be a kinder world, where there were no wars and no orphans—a world where everyone lived basking in the warm afterglow of an angel’s grace. There were no sad stories, no tragic endings. It was the happy ending Hildebrand dreamed of, marking the beginning of the perfect world she envisioned.

Emperor Apolly also envisioned a perfect world. It was said in the Golden Age of Mankind, people lived for eternity. The emperor himself was said to have lived 10,000 years, maintaining the dream of paradise through his long slumber. He dreamed of turning the mortal world into the heavens themselves. Maybe it was because Hugo’s cynical ways had rubbed off on her, but Hildebrand couldn’t imagine such an idyllic world. And similarly, she was certain Hugo couldn’t imagine one better than her new world, either.

She had given Hugo just one task, a challenge—reject it, if he could.

She watched him wake at the Helmsgrave Academy, where they had both prepared to become humanity’s champions long ago. Hildebrand never met him then, like two ships passing in the night, but she remembered he spoke fondly of his days in the academy. Back in those academy days, Hildebrand never would have imagined the entire world be swallowed up by the World’s End. Back then, it was just a problem for the eastern kingdoms that bordered it. Just a pit in the middle of the continent she dared not look deep down into.

But those days weren’t even a distant memory now. It was a past that never happened. Hugo was no longer the Hero who conquered the World’s End and the fiends within, but the Hero sent by the heavens to preside over an age of peace and prosperity. His position as a martial arts instructor was a little beneath him, especially in an era of peace, but she could tell it was what he wanted.

Hildebrand watched from on high as the cautious man’s stiff and stubborn demeanor slowly melted over the weeks. His defiant scowl gave way to a forced smile, then to a real one. But that was his limit. His small smile gave way to a sullen look, one of loneliness. His friendships were forged on bloody battlefields and in pits of despair. They weren’t they same as they were in the past world.

Did you think I’d forget? thought Hildebrand. She knew his friends, she wouldn’t forget them.

Hildebrand watched as Hugo’s closest friend, Gregorius, came to visit him one day. If Hugo had a brother, it would be Gregorius Legato. If he needed a confidant, it would be Gregorius Legato. If his back was open, Gregorius Legato would have it covered. If Hugo had open arms, Gregorius Legato would swoop in with open arms and embrace him.

But now they were standing idly and awkwardly. Their greetings were meek and stiff. They were courteous towards each other, but barely friendly.

Aren’t you going to hug? wondered Hildebrand.

They always hugged whenever they saw each other, no matter how short they were apart. Hugo was like a dark hound, one that bit with a sharp tongue, if not a sharp sword. On the opposite end was Greg, a coy dog who played innocent and friendly to entice people, only to turn his nose up at the people who dared to get too close. But whenever they saw each other, they were both like precocious puppies, so full of energy, and up to no good.

Hildebrand watched as they spoke politely, yet dryly, about the latest goings-on. There wasn’t much going on though, just another day in paradise. It was perfect for enjoying, not observing. It was something to experience, not to watch from afar.

Hidlebrand huffed as Hugo and Greg exchanged an annoyingly formal handshake and parted ways like professional acquaintances.

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“This is annoying,” Hildebrand told herself.

This needs divine intervention, she thought.

Hildebrand summoned a wind to push Greg towards Hugo, and the Hero finally embraced his old friend, as awkward as it was. It was more of a catch, really. Neither of them looked too pleased about the embarrassing situation. Hildebrand would have to do one better.

The next day, Hildebrand sent Hugo’s lover to him. If a man couldn’t do the job, a woman would.

“Yuna!” Hugo exclaimed. He finally sounded happy.

Got him, thought Hildebrand.

Yuna was Hugo’s lover, the one person he loved endlessly. Sometimes he seemed like her pet, to be honest. She was the disgraced princess of a fallen kingdom, and he was her dark hound. It was something out of a fairy tale.

The truth was, Hildebrand didn’t entirely like Yuna. There were plenty of reasons. Like the obvious fact, she was sent to assassinate Hugo, whose growing strength would have tipped the precariously balanced scales of the far east and west. Or the fact that, unlike Hugo, she had no tact whatsoever. Or even the fact that she was a fairy-tale princess who won the hand of the hero.

But Hildebrand sympathized with her. Fairy tales had humble, even tragic, beginnings. That was why they had happy endings. Yuna had a tragic beginning. A growing empire devoured her kingdom, seeking to unify the peninsula they shared. Yuna lost everything. Her family sacrificed themselves to ensure her escape, only for her to fall into enemy hands and become the unwilling servant of her nemesis. The girl who had never once harmed a fly, or so she said, became a cold-blooded assassin. She was one more innocent soul who was swallowed up by the evils of the old world. Wasn’t it sad?

Hildebrand watched as Hugo opened his arms wide to catch Yuna in his embrace. His auburn hair and emerald eyes were like the setting sun over the sea, inviting the black-haired, ruby-eyed night. They were a match made in the heavens.

Hildebrand twisted her own shining white-gold hair around her fingers and rubbed her bright blue eyes. She had heard ladies liken her to the clear blue sky on a sunny day. Like the Saintess Smile, though, those things belonged to the Saintess, not to the girl with dull copper hair and dull copper eyes, the girl who was dull like the blood-soaked soil of the earth. Hildebrand looked at her hair-entwined fingers. All of these things belonged to the Saintess. She looked down at the night, who held everything.

Hildebrand watched as Yuna left and gave her a poke. It was a meaningless, petty gesture. Yuna tripping and falling was purely coincidence.

It really was! thought Hildebrand.

But she giggled anyway. She watched Hugo pick up the love of his life and walk her out. Basking in the bright daylight, he seemed like the rising sun, giving his loving farewell to the night.

“Are you happy?” Hildebrand asked, to no one in particular. And yet Hugo looked up into the sky, even beyond it. “No way…” Hildebrand said. They were as far apart as the heavens and earth.

That was the beginning of Hugo’s wandering. At first, Hildebrand thought he was simply on a trip to see his close friend and mentor, Old Man Ren, Rinaldo Renzi, but Hugo’s stay was short-lived, unfortunately. Hildebrand wished he would stay longer. She wanted to see more of Rinaldo’s beautiful family. The old man was her biggest regret, now and then.

The smiling gentleman who waved goodbye to Hugo reminded Hildebrand of old memories, before Rinaldo’s wife and unborn son passed on. But now he even had a beautiful daughter. If Hildebrand had failed to create the perfect world, she would have died of regret before anyone could take her head. When Hugo waved goodbye to the family, Hildebrand waved too.

Hugo’s travels began in earnest after that. First, he went north to the cold land of the barbarians. They were no longer barbarians feuding over tribal differences, but a young nation rising to greatness. Hugo spoke to them of things that Hildebrand didn’t understand. She never paid much attention in alchemic engineering class, even though she had a talent for its foundation, magic. With the powers of the Saintess she never needed magic. Blessings and miracles could do much the same and more.

Hugo continued wandering. To the eastern kingdoms and even the Holy Kingdom, which now stood in all their former glory. He even wandered into the center of the continent where the World’s End once laid. It was now the site of new burgeoning cities atop rolling hills. But Hugo barely paid them any mind. His wandering turned into racing, like a beast on the hunt.

Was he looking for his parents? Were they not in Kesselberg? wondered Hildebrand. She always assumed they were nobility from the kingdom of Hess.

Was he looking for Anya, the perfectionist witch? She was from the north, though, right? thought Hildebrand.

It wasn’t until another month of Hugo running around the continent that Hildebrand considered the possibility that he was searching for something that didn’t exist in the mortal world.

His trek ended in Kesselberg, where this story began.

“Hilde!” he shouted to the heavens.