In the world of peace, many wish to be whisked away to another world.

They have many reasons. They are unsatisfied with their jobs. They desire something more. They wanted to accomplish something they couldn't achieve in their world.

And some prefer to escape from hell called "life".

That's why stories of people transported to another world exist. It satisfied their desires with heroes who started as weak, but strong as the story progresses. Some were strong from the start and many simply wanted to live a quiet life away from heroics and stresses of adventuring.

However, corruption and discrimination still exist in every world. And it is no different to the world of fantasy as they are also driven by the Seven Deadly Sins.

Slavery was no different than the ones from the past we know, some of the nobles and knights were no different from corrupted politicians and police, and the humans prey on the weak and species who are not like them.

Many have tried to defy their conquerors and some tried to change the world by exposing the corrupted's deeds. However, reality is a cruel mistress. Many used their power to abuse the weak and many simply are fearful to go against the powerful.

It is no different to the people who were summoned into another world. They can be easily swayed by power and will do everything to abuse it for their own benefit. They liken themselves to gods or even immortals due to their powers beyond the world's logic. Whether they are kings or heroes, nobody is safe from corruption. And nobody is safe from their abuse.

However, as with peace itself, the cycle of corruption is fragile.

All it can take to topple down an empire of sins is a simple idea.

An idea that may destroy the world as we know it.

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"...ter. Aster! By the gods, Aster. Don't tell me you're starting to get lazy without me?!"

I groaned as I yawned and got up from the floor. Why am I napping here? And why is Casia right in front of me? As I stood up, I looked around and gasped to see several crystals in a small pouch near me. Just seeing this made me realize why am I here in the first place.

"C-Casia?! I-I can explain...!"

"I think you need more than an explanation."

Casia started approaching and I prepared myself for the punishment of the lifetime. But when I briefly took a peek, I gasped to see him approaching my newly-created Mana Crystal instead. He seemed silent as he picked it up and started taking a closer look at it.

"Namely how in the world did you make this? I had never seen this beautiful Mana Crystal in all my life. Not even the [Mana Hearts] and large crystals I harvested are enough to compete its radiant star-like fire Mana inside it."

Seriously?! Is that true? I don't know if that's true since I haven't seen a Mana Heart and a larger Mana Crystal than the ones I have.

"Uh... Okay?" I muttered. "As for how I made them, I only used Alchemy to combine Fire and Water Mana Crystals..."

Casia quickly covered my mouth before I could continue talking. "Pause there for a second, young man. You said you've made this from Alchemy, right? How is it possible? You know how hard you can fuse them together without exhausting your mana through trial and error."

I scratched the right side of my cheek as I hummed in thought. "I honestly don't know. But I know my ring acted up and gave me a new ability similar to Alchemy."

"Your ring...acted up?" Casia repeated. "That's surprising. It has never been activated ever since your rebirth. Except for those "tablets" you've mentioned popping up."

That's true. According to Casia, my ring was one of the reasons I was reborn as a demon. It's said to be one of the treasures Umbaria, the Goddess of Darkness created as gifts to the Demon Kingdoms. As for this ring, it seemed it was given to my former Master for an unknown reason. Not even Casia knew why it was there with him in the first place.

"I don't know how or why it acted up, but it somehow responded to my prayers when I tried to make this crystal. Vander said it wasn't the Goddess, but we sensed her influence somehow activated my ring. Still, I think my hard work was another reason I got a new skill after a few attempts."

I nervously backed away as I watched Casia turn his eyes to a pouch containing my failed crystals. "I can tell. Either way, if you feel like you earned it through your hard work, then I have no complaints. Although, that doesn't mean I have to ignore the mess you've made. Consider yourself lucky nothing exploded."

I laughed sheepishly. Yeah, I wouldn't get away from his punishment now.

"Not to worry, you're simply going to take over my gardening duties for a while. Trouble came up and I may need to skip a few to deal with it until it's resolved. Of course, that means no experiments until I get back. Do you promise me?"

I sigh and nod. As much as I'm proud of my achievement, I kind of went overboard with my experiments. That's what I get for ignoring my surroundings.

At least nothing exploded.

Shut up, me. I simply let Casia get my new creation as I catch my breath.

"Alright. you should get back to your room to rest. I'll try to install this gem in your bathroom before I take care of my duties," Casia said as he put the crystal in his jacket pocket. "You did the impossible, that's one thing I cannot ignore. I'll make sure to not waste your efforts making this."

I smiled to hear that from Casia. I may be slightly better with Alchemy, but I still have no clue about plumbing and other mansion-related construction stuff.

"I will. Thanks, Casia. And sorry again."

He replied with a smile and wave as I headed back inside the mansion. I'm glad he's impressed with the HC Water Mana Crystal, though I'm still scared at how much work I have to do tomorrow because of my punishment. Either way, I'm pretty exhausted. All I want to do today is drop on my bed and snore away for the rest of the night. I did my job and I can enjoy this accomplishment for tonight.

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Is that what you want?

Huh?

Is that what you can accomplish in your new life?

Um... Yes? Was making a hot and cold water crystal not enough to be useful to Vander?

And hang on, who are you?!

It's not a matter of "who". Rather, it's a matter of "why".

Why do you want to keep living?

Why? Because I have a lot of things to fulfill. Things to do in my new life. I don't know what my life was like before, but as long as I'm useful, then I'm happy.

Fufufufu...

Huh? What are you laughing about?

I don't think you understand the concept of "living". How do you expect to live just by being someone else's slave?

Slave?! I'm not a slave!

You're right. You are partners. Brothers. Despite your origins, you decided to live for everyone else. But what about you? What about your own future?

What about it? Thinking about my future seemed scary. Heck, I don't know what it looks like at all. I'm nothing but a leftover from our past. I wanted to find a reason to live, but I can't right now. All I can do is follow Vander and go where he goes. That's...what I live for.

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Though now that I think about it, why did I say all of this to you? What's the point of telling you all of this? Are you like me?

Who can say? A Fool tends to ask a lot of questions. A sign of naivety and innocence who is unaware of the hardships coming to you.

A...Fool?

Are you saying I'm an idiot?!

I'm saying you are starting from zero. A being standing between positive and negative. You are empty, yet you yearn for knowledge and new surroundings.

Suddenly, a strange framed picture appeared right in front of me in this dark world. A picture of a man wearing some kind of a jester's outfit while carrying some kind of a stick was standing with his arms wide as a dog hopping by his side.

But don't take this description the wrong way. Zero means infinite possibilities and you possess nothing and everything at the same time. You've already encountered people who will aid you in this journey of your new self, correct?

People? Are they talking about Vander and Casia?

Before I can say anything else, two more pictures appear right next to the jester. One is a picture of a man in a black robe and a woman wearing a white robe similar to those acolytes from a book I read.

The Magician. A being who gave you creative liberties that gives you an image. And The High Priestess, a being who grounds you to keep yourself in this reality. Both of them are opposites, yet they need each other to balance themselves. You haven't met the latter, but you managed to unlock your creativity thanks to the former.

The Magician... That has to be Casia, then... So who's the High Priestess?

That's for you to find out. But they aren't the only ones you will encounter. The Fool's Mother and Father.

But I don't have parents. The only parent I know was the former Master.

They are more than parental figures. You may meet people who would nurture you. People who have created the rules that help you step forward.

Two more frames appeared. This time, one looked like a king and another was a queen. Both of them have crowns and scepters like in the books, yet they don't look majestic compared to those pictures from it.

Soon, you will meet The Empress. The Fool's Mother. The woman who nurtured him. The one who introduced him to Mother Nature. The one who gave you a sensation of touch, taste, and smell enough to delight yourself. And after that is the Father, The Emperor. The man who represents authority. The man who creates and governs the rules around him. Rules aren't paramount, but they exist to keep us in check.

The Empress... And The Emperor...

None of them make sense. What am I supposed to learn from all of this? What does it have to do with my future? Am I supposed to meet them to learn more about it?

The future is not set in stone. You can't predict it. Rather, you can decide for yourself. The journey doesn't exist to finish it. It is there to give you a reason to leave.

H-Huh?

Wait, why am I...feeling tired so suddenly...? I have so many questions about all of these crazy stories.

You will embark on your own journey, Fool. A journey where you will find yourself and the truth of yourself. We will meet again when time permits us to see.

I want...to ask more... But...

Too...sleepy...

Good night, me.

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I yawned as I got up and stretched my arms. What was that crazy dream? It seemed so real and yet, it felt too weird to put it in words.

Someone started telling me about a fool or something. Yet, thinking all about that dream gave me more questions than answers.

"Hey... Are you up?"

I take a deep breath. "Yeah, but..."

I know I shouldn't drag Vander into my issues, but I want to share everything since keeping secrets from him is wrong of me and might break our promise.

"Did you...see my dream earlier?"

"...What dream?"

"You know... Since you're me, you might have seen my strange dream about a jester and other people in those pictures."

"What are you talking about? I didn't see that kind of dream from you."

What? That's strange. He's me, so he should have seen it while I'm sleeping.

"Come on, I'm not lying. Honest! Last night, I saw nothing but nightmares of Casia forcing us to water the Shadow Lavenders and I'm trying hard to forget it."

Seriously? That's not...

I groaned as I rubbed my forehead and got out of my bed. "Are you sure that's the only thing you saw?"

"Yeah. If you think I'm lying, then how about we write all of it down in dream journals?"

"Dream journals?" I repeated while I stretched out my legs next.

"Casia told me all about them. They are journals where we write about our dreams. According to him, we tend to forget all about our dreams, so this is another way to remember them. Heck, he gave us two of them after you woke up. It's in the drawer, by the way."

I followed his words and found the journals he mentioned in the bedside table's drawer. Both of them are covered in leather and they are black and blue respectively with our names jolted in front of the front covers.

"Huh? You're right. But why did he give them to us?" I asked.

"I had some strange dreams before you woke up and I wrote a few of them in my journal just in case. Though after you woke up, I kinda forgot about them. But enough about me. You should write down your dream before you forget it."

Right. I'm starting to forget the details the longer we talk, so I quickly jolted everything I remember from what I dreamed. Yet for some reason, I can't seem to forget the images I saw. A jester, a magician, a priestess, a queen, and a king...

What do they all mean? And what does it have to do with me?

Who am I exactly?

I know I should worry about the gardening duties today, but I can't get them out of my mind.

Either way, it's this or gets more punishments. I have other problems to deal with today and I feel like my head is going to explode from too much thinking...

"You always think a lot."

Shut it, Vander.

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Casia growled as he flew off from the mansion. After his Master's passing and Aster's birth, he started to move to the House of Lavender so he could help the young Demi-Fiend to properly inherit the mansion. Yet, he didn't abandon his old home in the form of a large cave located in the ravines of the Demon Territory. Not only did he keep the treasures there that he took from the corpses of foolish intruders, but it's where a variety of Mana Crystals were grown in the deeper parts of the cave. While he was glad that it was filled with enough mana to regrow its veins, going back and forth was a bit of a pain. If he left it alone, chances were greedy Demi-Fiends and humanoids would plunder his cave unattended. It was annoying, but protecting it was his priority. There was no time for him to complain if it meant powering both his cave and the mansion.

But that wasn't the only reason he had to go back.

Inside was an intruder. But they weren't like any other greedy bastards who would dare steal his treasures and crystals. Rather, it was an innocent soul who was thrown out of their home. Namely, as he entered the cave, he saw a young boy in a white shirt, brown shorts, and boots. He was drawing on the walls with a rock, yet he smiled when he saw one that was a crude drawing of himself and the boy.

"Ah! Casia!" The boy said. "I stayed in your cave as I promised. I-I... I wanted to go home last night, but I don't want you to be worried. B-But... I still want to see Mom and Dad again..."

He growled again as he saw the boy's smile turn into a frown. As much as he wanted to bring him back home, he couldn't do that. Because in reality, his home abandoned him in favor of God's blessings. And letting him do so was a death sentence waiting to kill the poor boy in the guise of betraying "them" and defying the Gods' orders.

Instead, he gingerly patted his head with a single claw and said, I know you miss them, but I can't do that. Even if I know where they are, chances are you might not be able to survive.

"B-But... My Mom and Dad..."

Casia growled dejectedly. I know how you feel. They are the ones who care for you. The reason why you exist. But as much as I want to bring you back, there's a chance they are not willing to bring you back to your village. It's hard for you to understand, but please don't mistake my actions as cruel.

He wished he was lying, but Casia knew it was all true. Of all civilizations, he despised the fanatical villages, the ones who would do everything to get the gods' blessings for a good harvest and fortune in their homes.

Prayers were common, especially in the kingdoms of the Demon Territory. While few of them gave real blessings from the gods, most of them tend to pray for safe travels and a sign of care and worry for their loved ones. Offerings were also uncommon as they often left food, treasures, and even Mana Crystals in their attempt to appease or pray to the gods. However, there was one illegal form of offering. A method of giving up their lives for the gods.

A sacrificial offering.

And to his disgust, one village has the audacity of leaving one of their children in the wilds of the Demon Territory in their foolish attempt to stop all demons and monsters from attaching their village when in reality, most of those incidents were unrelated to them at all. Monsters are wild beasts and act on their instincts while demons act on their desires to grow stronger. Not to mention leaving their homes would be a risk due to the sun burning them if they disregard the time difference.

Most civilizations learned from their mistakes and stupidity. Yet few never learned their lesson out of stubbornness or ignorance. Casia couldn't do anything to change their minds through force, but he might as well mitigate the casualties caused by their extreme methods to gain the gods' favors. Not only that, he needed to make sure this boy wouldn't go out so recklessly without his permission.

"I understand. But it feels too boring here," the boy complained. "I wish I could go anywhere. Your cave is awesome. But no offense, it's barren and I can't do anything fun here."

He growled again. Casia was mentally hurt by his harsh comments, but it was all true. A cave was no place for a young human child. But he was hesitant to bring him to the mansion. Vander and Aster were there and he feared what he would think of a Demi-Fiend with two personalities. However, he possessed innocence and naivety that reminded him of too much of Vander and Aster. If he abandoned him, would he be the same as those fanatical humans who abandoned a boy who was still too young to understand the truth of the world?

"Mister Casia?"

The dragon shook his head. He didn't want to risk the boy from exposing himself to the Wild Demons along with the humanoid adventurers and hunters. But he also knew a dragon's cave was no place for a human boy.

He couldn't delay it further. He has to make a decision right here and now.