Zodiak stood at the edge of an artificial cliff, his mouth wide-open and his eye full of disbelief. The sight before him jolted him, making stand there, in a daze. 

Unfortunately, he hadn't the time to enjoy the marvelous city as numerous flying bee-like objects were shooting lasers at him.

Due to his invasion, the whole city came back to life. Everywhere he looked, he saw something strange, purely mechanical and utterly void of any kind of energy. The city was running by itself, however, not magically. Even though his powers are all-rounded, they became very weak in this mysterious place, rendering him in a helpless situation.

All he could was bait the protectors and run around for a few hours until his resources were finally depleted. He was cornered, captured but not killed. The old man, bound by green handcuffs which negated his Dark Magic, was thrown into an advanced prison. 

Through a small hole in his cell, he was given food and water and the prison wasn't that bad, to be honest.

In total, the old man passed 728 days inside that prison, planning and preparing his escape. He needed to not only escape but also acquire what he came for. It wasn't something for him but he had to finish this job, no matter what.

After a bitter prison break and a violent battle with the endless protectors, Zodiak miraculously obtained the treasure. He barged into the second level of the fortified treasure vault and got his hands on a thick jet black longsword. The strongest weapon ever crafted, also known as Anduril. In addition to Anduril, there were other powerful artifacts but he was only able to steal one before hastily leaving. He was curious about the third and fourth levels of the vault but it was practically impossible to get in without permission.

So, heavily injured, the old man escaped a place he called the city of light. He didn't remain a second longer in Riarravar, choosing to end this hellish journey as soon as possible. And, as per the agreement he previously made, this story was to not be recorded in his journal.

Although very few people knew, many years later, Zodiak the Mythical, who reached a self-created Realm, was killed by the Nameless Knight. Apart from the Whisperer King, no one witnessed their fight or knew the reason behind it. It was from that point onwards that everyone started fearing Leiu. As for the Whisperer King, he was spared on the condition that he utters not a single word about what he heard or saw.

****************

X, who was free after a relatively long imprisonment, just appeared in the Zutis Galaxy, his territory, only to be welcomed by an unwelcomed and unexpected guest. 

"Come on, you don't have to react so intensely."

The Joker hugged his arms and mockingly said, his lips arched upwards. He had an expression of interest as he gazed at the blurry figure of X.

Although the guest already stated that he didn't come to cause trouble, X still felt uneasy. He straightened his back and supported himself with his cane.

"Why are you here?"

He wasn't courteous or polite, after all, he wasn't weak and chose not to believe in the absurd rumors about the Joker's powers. Sadly, the rumors were actually an understatement as he's as strong as his brother, the Nameless Knight.

"I heard you're the best Time-controller around. I've come seeking your help… I'll pay, of course."

The Joker knew the connection between Arthur and X but still chose to ask for the latter's help. No matter, he needs to prevent what's about to happen even if he needs to resort to a sly fox like the man currently facing him.

"I decline."

As he heard the instantaneous reply, the Magician burst out in laughter, totally ignoring X, who was slowly retreating.

"Sorry but the negotiation is only about the price." Then, before X could react, the Joker picked him but the back of his neck and vanished.

The teleportation lasted for a split second before they found themselves in a small room filled with monitors and cables… and an over-abundance of the color pink, whether it's in the walls or the scattered objects.

Through the blurry face, X gazed around for a few moments before saying

"Isn't this an office?"

He seemed to have gotten used to being thrown in random places and didn't even bother fleeing from the Joker, who fell on one of the round and soft couches. 

"Blurry stranger, you smell nice!"

A short and young girl with pink hair walked next to X and sniffed him while speaking. Strangely, she didn't react so fiercely to the appearance of X, who inspected her, his head tilting to the side.

"An AI, no, a human?" He mumbled to himself, his unseen eyes focusing on Lolitta.

"An AI and a human? Now that's a shocker."

"Yes yes, it is but I didn't bring you here to guess who's this and that. Brat, get on with it."

He glared at the Lolitta, who pouted but didn't protest. She rummaged through a bunch of boxes before retrieving a dark capsule.

"I need your help to open a traversable path."

Without waiting for X to reply, Lolitta put the capsule in a round slot behind her then started quickly tapping on a pink keyboard. The several big monitors started showing lots of stuff, including images of people, locations and weapons.

"T-this is Arthur's data?"

"Yes, it's that stinky parasite's!"

X remained silent for a few moments before talking again: "You want me to open a path to his location? It depends where he is."

"Riarravar." The Joker said, his eyes lazily opening and closing.

Irritated, X banged his cane on the metal ground, his head slightly moving, shifting from move monitor to the other.

"Don't worry, I mean him no harm now that he doesn't have the orb, however, that blade of his is another thing." He reassured the Joker, who hasn't said a word about his feud with Arthur, then he continued:

"I'm afraid a path to Riarravar is difficult if not impossible. Timos is still trapped there and I can't afford to mess with a being like him, it's simply too risky for me."

"I will deal with Timos."-The Joker

As if he heard a joke, X snickered and retorted: "Deal with him? He's always ten steps ahead. Furthermore, I'm opening a path to his domain, it's like I'm asking to be killed!"

"I said I will deal with him. He's not as strong as he's portrayed."

*********

'What's happening to me? Why am I dreaming about him?'

Angelina held her chest and sat up, her body soaking with sweat. It must have been the tenth time she dreamed about a man similar in appearance to Arthur but the total opposite in terms of behavior. She lived with him for a while, their house was small but peaceful and warm. They even had a kid, a boy whose name she can't remember. Whenever she woke up, it made her heart race and her face flush, the feelings were genuine but they weren't directed toward Arthur. 

One day, having enough of what she called ridiculous dreams, she picked her spear and left the Ancestral land of the White Specter Clan. Her mother was still missing so the elders are managing the clan and, thankfully, there were no more attacks from the undead.

She wanted all of this to end so she followed listened to her heart and followed her soul, which was unknowingly guiding her, pulling her to a special place. Very soon, she left the Cloud Sea Universe and arrived at the border between two universes, an unstable space which is full of peril and has an abundance of powerful and deadly Spatial Beasts.

unbeknownst to anyone, Angelina was heading toward a hidden place, a place that holds many secrets known to none. Inside her consciousness, a rotating cube was pulsating with a silver light, it was the source of everything and the beginning of the strange events revolving around her.