"So, what happened after? Did you survive?"

As the Joker slowly narrating what happened in Riarravar, Lucy couldn't help but ask that question as she was curious about the outcome.

The Joker let out a forced smile and replied:

"Unfortunately, we did not. We were not powerful enough to fight against legions of Cthulhu and armies of other evil races. However, we were still able to fight for ten continuous days before succumbing to our injuries."

***

In a battlefield filled with mountains of corpses, whether it's weird-looking monsters or rivers of blood, three men laid on the cold ground, barely breathing as their bodies had dozens of injuries.

The Joker, who sustained the heaviest wounds, coughed lots of blood while trying to open his mouth and talk. As he gazed at the red sky with an absent-minded look, he noticed that the shade of red that dominated the sky was slowly but surely disappearing.

He sacrificed most of his power and ended up killing that gigantic god-like being but the cost was too great.

"*cough* *cough* the clouds have parted *cough* and the skies cleared… it is time I bade you farewell *cough*."

A pool of blood appeared underneath the man, who was on his last breath, barely able to maintain his consciousness. The other two were in no better condition but they still forced themselves to stand up.

As they faced the dying man, both of them bowed their heads, each saying what's on his mind.

"We tried our best, at least we won't have any regrets."-Leiu

"If there is an afterlife, I very much hope to become brothers with you again."

All they got in response was a soft smile from the Joker, who's heartbeat was becoming slower and slower. He mustered all the strength he had left to utter those last words.

"I shall become the wings of rebellion."

This was the last thing the Joker said before his eyes closed shut and his life ended.

With one of them gone, the two glanced at each other before turned to face the West, where a suffocating pressure was slowly creeping on them. Though they successfully got rid of the forces of the Dark-skinned creatures, the Cthulhu sent reinforcements albeit a bit late.

A ginormous figure, just like the one killed by the Joker, was heading toward them, its appearance different from the last one. This one had eight arms and was holding a large lantern that contained red flames. From the looks of it, it was this being that created the fire which engulfed the entirety of Riarravar.

"Breaketh thy chains of captivity!"

"And fight to erase not the sins but the misdeeds!"

Both of them let out a laugh as they tightly held their weapons and readied themselves for this battle, which probably is their last. They will soon follow their brother and although it's a shame to die when they have come this far, they couldn't just turn around and run away. Their dignity won't allow them to do that, not even Arthur, who swore to return safely to his family.

A day later, after a bitter struggle, a joint attack of Arthur and Leiu managed to seriously injure the big monster but they were still overwhelmed but the enemies' numbers.

*****

"Is this the end?"

Lucy, who's breathing became fast and complexion worsened, asked with a strange tone. The Joker shook his head and replied:

"Oh no, there's still an important piece left untold but before that…"

He flicked his fingers, causing a carefully listening Angelica to appear before her little sister, who was shocked to see her.

"You have heard enough, it's time you go. What I'm about to say is only for Lucy and Lucy alone."

Lucy didn't snap at her sister or give an intense reaction, she just glared at Angelica for a few seconds before waving her hand, causing a chilling gust to push the shocked woman out of the room.

The Joker snapped his fingers against, isolating this place so that no one can eavesdrop, not even the powerful Matriarch.

"Listen carefully, what I'm about to tell you concerns the destiny of this world… what happened before time and anything before it, how everything came to be and what led to the complete destruction and domination of Riarravar."

*****

It was a world of nothingness, there were no trees, skies or seas. Just a complete and endless white, just like inside of ARK yet vastly different. There wasn't any kind of energy, no natural laws, even time didn't exist in this strange place.

Three bodies were randomly floating in this foreign plane. Their bodies were illusory, or more precisely, spiritual, meaning that they didn't really exist in that place but were pulled there.

The three suddenly woke up, oblivious to whereabouts and ignorant of what's happening, the only thing they knew is that they died fighting the evil races in Riarravar.

Although the Joker died first, the three awakened at the same time and even when everything around them became clear, they were still confused, wondering what the hell was happening.

"Is this the so-called afterlife? It's not very entertaining…"

The Joker grumbled before he started laughing loudly while trying to pat his brother's shoulders only for his hand to pass through their bodies.

Leiu glanced around him but found nothing too eye-catching, it was just endless white space that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Perhaps this is where we'll get an explanation for what happened in Riarravar."

Arthur speculated as he inspected his floating brothers and their semi-transparent bodies. He felt inexplicably weak and a bit dizzy, it's as if this dimension wasn't welcoming him. It was just him, the other two were experiencing the same thing.

The concept of time didn't exist in this plane so it could have been years and seconds felt pretty much the same time.

"You are right, Arthur MoonStar."

A melodic voice rang in their ears, startling the trio and causing them to turn toward its origin. The sight they were met made them momentarily speechless.

It was actually a woman, blond hair that reached her legs, soft and snow-white skin, and a mesmerizing figure. To add more shock to the trio, she was butt-naked and didn't seem too embarrassed as she elegantly stood before them, inspecting each of them with her two breath-taking golden pupils.

Arthur always claimed that Lucy is the prettiest woman in this world but even his wife paled in comparison to this Goddess. Her beauty was truly out of this world, any men would be charmed by her face and drawn by her gaze.

The three, speechless, maintained their silence, waiting for the woman to explain what's happening.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions but let's start from the very beginning. I will answer everything later."

She let out an alluring smile that shook the very souls of strong-willed men like those three.

The woman raised her hand and magically drew something in the air, somehow altering this plane and splitting it in two.

One side was of darkness and the other was of light, two polar opposite harmoniously existed for eternity, or that's how it seemed to Arthur and his brothers.

"Before anything or anyone existed, there was only Light and Darkness, two opposite yet equal things…"

***

"Wow! You've grown so big!"

Saly hugged Astrith, whose size almost tripled and the aura around him multiplied. He now had three tails and he was no longer covered in lightning, instead, it was stored inside of him, ready to be used at any time.

The little girl became more mature and no longer had that childish look. Her hair and fur became as white as snow and her eyes were sky-blue. The heights this girl reached would astound any person, even her father.

The Joker even stated that she's his most talented disciple, in terms of fighting, that is. She was a bit dull and slow in learning so it took him a lot of time to pass his vast knowledge onto her.

He had left a while ago so she was left with Astrith and her uncle Leiu, who passes the whole day either staring at the jet black sky or swinging his greatsword.

Astrith has finished his training and both the wolf and the little girl were soon going to leave this place. Though she hated this place when she first arrived, her feelings greatly changed over the course of the past few months.

She has grown by leaps and bounds and knew that the Joker was harsh for her sake. She formed some kind of attachment toward this unusual world and unwilling to leave so abruptly.

Unfortunately, Leiu repeatedly told her that she has to leave pretty soon and her role was very important in the upcoming fight. Her wish will soon become true and she'll get to fight alongside her parents, as for the outcome of the fight? No one knew.