*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

“.....What?” The grunting voice of a young voice echoed from the other side of the door, following by the sound of its opening. “Oh….it’s you. Why are you here?” Asked the boy with tired eyes while he leaned his back on the throne as he occasionally hugged his own head. “Argg..these headaches…”. Something seemed to be bothering him, physically or mentally. Whatever it was, it was causing him pain, pain he could not understand where it came from.

“I am here to report the situation of the war.” The young woman in white, equipped with her odd pair of hands made out of wood, walked into the room and stopped before Alastor. “Something wrong?” Inquired the doll upon noticing the boy in pain. Yet she did not show any sign of being surprised or any concern. It was as if she knew what was causing it...or worse, she was aware of something else, something that was behind everything in the first place.

“No...nothing...Just some light headaches..” Replied the boy.

“I see...you are really strong after all.” Murmured Stella silently.

“...What was that?” Questioned Alastor.

“It’s nothing. About my report…” Said Stella.

“Go ahead! Are we winning?” Asked the boy.

“No, we are not. In fact, the situation looks quite bad for us. The demon lords have fallen. The enemies are much stronger than we anticipated.”

“WHAT?” Shouted the last remaining demon lord, standing up suddenly. “But...Where is Asmodeus? Where is she?”

“All six have lost. Asmodeus is gone, along with the others.”

As if the news brought to him were like thunders, shattering the illusion of victory he had, the boy dropped onto his throne like a man who has lost everything. How was it possible for him to lose when he controlled the most powerful weapons in history? How could this situation go unforeseen? Clenching his fist in rage, Alastor’s memories of his old allies passed through his mind. Those seemingly happy memories yet somehow were distorted into visions of treachery, of pain and sadness. Why could he no longer see the faces of those people? Who were they? He recalled the image of a certain girl, a young woman. He felt like maybe she was someone important to him. And yet, he could no longer remember what she looked like. After all, her face was covered by a white light so bright it blinded him. Now, everything that was good was gone. All that was left was hate.

“They will pay for their crimes...I will make sure of that.” Alastor proclaimed in anger. “It’s time the final boss to come on stage.” The boy stood up and moved toward the only door of the throne room.

“Wonderful!” grinned the doll as she quietly followed him.

* * *

Back at outside where a charcoaled empty field was left after the fight between the Phoenix and the seemingly heroes party, the group was now regrouping and preparing themselves for their final fight of this war. The revived demon lords have been defeated; Tartarus left immobilized. Only one last obstacle remained: the so called “Dark Lord” that everyone has been referring to as the one who caused this war in the first place.

“Disguising himself as the apparently innocent and gentle yet genius son of the late High Empress, this boy was in fact a sheep in wolf’s clothing who has been manipulating everyone, including his own adopted mother who has been giving him nothing but love, all for his own ambition: the destruction of the world. At least that is how the story has spread among the common people as they put their last hope on the only individuals who could stand against the brutal assault of this tyrant…..” Dragon King Celdora read while holding a parchment.

Rushing here after recovering from his battle, it seemed that Celdora has gotten some info from his soldiers on his way concerning the current situation. For now, it looked almost as if the war was near its end with the defeat of the demon lords. At least, that was how it appeared to the common people. With the defeat of all those supreme beings, surely the evil behind this war would be running out of options soon enough. After all, the heroes were on their sides. However…..

“Ridiculous! This is absolutely ridiculous. What kind of baloney is this?” the celestial Ikarus shouted furiously.

“I guess this kind of story is unavoidable. Alastor clearly declared war to the rest of the world and people just need to put the blame on someone. In this case, it would be logical for them to assume that Alastor was the killer…”

“What? Don’t tell me you believe this nonsense too?” inquired the celestial in an annoyed voice.

“As much as I want to believe in him, his actions so far have only furthered that belief…Maybe..” said Celdora.

“Maybe what?” Ikarus pointed her spear forward menacingly.

“Calm down, both of you! Now is not the time to fight among ourselves.” The Goddess Lilith roared. “Celdora, throwing rumors around is not helping anyone. Ikarus, there is a time to accept reality and right now, reality is the fact that Alastor is the one attacking us. There is no denying that.”

“But there is no way he would have killed Morrigan!!!” the celestial woman cried out.

“Hum….” The only dwarf at the scene gave a sigh as he closed his eyes in deep thought and ignored the babble between the two girls.

“What are you thinking, Sullivan?” asked Edward, now acting leader of Ceadric.

Fortunately, king Charles has only been slightly injured and the defeat of Asmodeus has resulted in the removal of her spell on him, freeing the young king from her control. However, he was in no shape to take up his sword just yet. Much to his torment, Charles had no choice but to let his closest court mage taking up the chain of command in his stead.

“I am just asking myself why on earth Alastor is doing what he is doing right now. I mean, I am not that close to him compared to Asmodeus but if you think about it, this whole thing is just weird. This kind of transformation over the death of Morrigan, or even her death itself, is weird to say the least.” Contemplated the dwarf.

“So we share the same opinion. Do you think that…” said Edward.

“What are you suggesting? ….No wait…” Sullivan opened his big eyes in shock of the implication the boy was implying. “Are you saying that Morrigan’s death was orchestrated to push Alastor to go to war?”

“Much more I am afraid.” Said the boy. “I believe that the killer is now possessing or at least has some kind of influence on Master, planting ideas in his head…For what agenda, I don’t know.”

“Do you have proof?” asked the demon lord.

“Unfortunately not. But you yourself said it: no one close to Master could understand why on earth he would do such a thing. Even with the death of Empress. She would have wanted him to continue working toward peace and he himself should know that better than anyone. There is just no way he would do this.” Said Edward.

Without warning, Ikarus, who has overheard the conversation between the two, walked up to the boy.

“All the more reasons we should try to save him instead of wasting our time, throwing baseless accusations.”

*LOUD MECHANICAL ENGINE SOUND*

A loud screeching sound of metal grazing each other attracted the attention of the ground forward. The sleeping titan that has thought to be immobilized thanks to the heroic sacrifice of the Ancient Dragon Maragon has begun to move once more. Sparks of electricity flashed from its wounds caused by the tower were like lightning striking everything nearby. The controlling mechanism that allowed the titan to use its now motionless legs has been destroyed, making it fall on its knees right on the northern coast of Mara. But the same could not be said about its upper half. With its arms holding onto the cliff spreading across the whole northern part, Tartarus has managed to avoid a complete collapse due to its own weight after the loss of its supports.

Then, from above the now white castle covered in Living Metal located on the head of the titan, a small figure emerged from its door and looked down upon the faces of the people below. Most were filled with hate and spite toward him. Others, confused by his actions. One and only one still bore a strange affection, perhaps out of despair upon seeing him. Even though he tried to kill her mercilessly in the name of affection as well. It was only now that the phrase “Love is blind” could not get any more accurate.

“Alastor?” the celestial called out softly to her beloved in shock. But all she received in return was his cold blank stare from above, as if she was nothing but a bug in his eyes.

“So these are the so called heroes of our era...Does that make me the villain? I am flattered.” The last demon lord chuckled evilly.

By his side stood his only last standing ally, the doll in her usual white dress. Only this time, something seemed rather odd about her. Was it her hair? No! Was it her eyes? Perhaps. Her expressions she was showing, like emotions hidden behind a mask for so long it became her true face? Difficult to say. But what was certain was her aura: that unique scent and feeling of being alive, a feeling she has not felt for a long time.

“Alastor, please!!! Come back to your senses!”

“Father, why are you doing this?”

All those desperate shoutings were nothing but buzzing sounds to his ears. Like bugs, he just wanted to make them stop, to crush them to smitten.

“Annoying insects!” Alastor grunted as he raised his hand upward. “DIE!

”

A giant dark orb appeared above the boy and began to crush down the earth below, absorbing everything in its path into nothingness. But as it continued its descent, the orb started to stop, halted its course in midair. It was stopped by a figure using his twin great swords, crossing them as he tried to deflect the orb from its path.

“YOU! SHALL! NOT! PASSSSSS!” Kaiser roared majestically. In a moment of his peak of strength, the True Monarch gathered all his force and pushed back the orb, obliterating it to dust. “Ha….Ha…..ha….” he breathed heavily.

“Everyone, be ready!” Lilith shouted at her petrified companions. For those who were not at the scene when Alastor declared war upon the war, for those who still had doubts about it, the proof has just been presented to them in the most obvious form: that attack was meant to kill and it shall not be the last. If they ever hoped to survive this ordeal, perhaps it was time to take up their arms and to point it at their old ally, the person who brought them together in the first place.

“Wait!” Ikarus called out.

“Ikarus, I understand your sentiment but whatever you want to do, he must be stopped.” Said Lilith.

“I know!” said the celestial. “I know….”

“If you know then take up your weapon! If we hesitate even the slightest, we won’t be just paying with our lives but of the entire world as well. Can I count on you to do your best?”

Clenching her spear in her hands, the celestial tried to strengthen her last resolve to end this conflict. Like Lilith said, Alastor was not an opponent one could hope to defeat if they were holding back. No, she must use all her power with the intention to kill. Only then, could they hope to be on par with him and maybe, just maybe bring him back to the light. Whatever happened, whatever pushed him so far, she would bring him back. That was what the celestial told herself as she pointed her spear toward her once gentle beloved.

“So the wench finally wakes up from her dream.” Grinned Alastor evilly before being struck by a sudden headache. “Arg..I…I…..”

“What is wrong, Alastor?” asked Stella coldly, putting her hand on his back.

“..nothing…ha…ha” answered the boy while sweating like crazy. Then he regained his composure as the pain has passed. “Their words…hurt…”

“Do not listen to their lies, Alastor!” she whispered in his ears. “They are the ones who took everything from you.”

“Yes…they take everything from me.” He repeated her words.

“Make them pay!”

“Yes….make them pay!” the doll’s words echoed in his mind. Only, it was actually not her voice at all but the voice of another. Another woman was uttering the doll’s words in his head, shrouding him of his sanity.

“I will….I WILL!!!!” the boy busted in rage. By his side, the doll grinned mischievously, an expression that looked odd for someone like her who has always been expressionless.

“KILL THEM!” the woman’s voice echoed in his mind.

“AAAAAA!” The demon lord roared as he jumped down from Tartarus, down to fight his old allies. “IKARUS!”

“ALASTOR!” the celestial replied with a loud echoing roar.

“Let the final showdown begin!”

“”

Alastor launched his first attack using the ultimate spell of the God of the Dwarves, Gnome. His body illuminated until the light reached its peak before releasing countless projectiles of light forward.

“Stand back!” Lilith ordered the cat girl Viviana and the young Deus mage Edward.

She could feel his strength decreasing tremendously after the strange spell he casted on Asmodeus. While she might not fully understand what he actually did, it surely looked like it has taken a heavy toll upon his body. As for the girl, it was clear that this battle was beyond her capabilities. At least, that was what Lilith thought in her mind. For now, the only real people she could count on to defeat Alastor were Kaiser, Ikarus and Maria, in particularly the latter two. The Goddess knew naught of how the two women managed to acquire their current power in such a short time. To be honest, they were all on par with her own, perhaps even more. But whatever the reason or the causes, for now they remained her best hope. And hope was what the people of Astora needed the most right now.

“Ikarus, Kaiser, Maria, let’s do this! Sullivan and Viviana, you two will support us!” the Goddess commanded. “Celdora, can I count on you to keep that doll busy?”

“Not a problem! I will defeat her and join you quickly.” Said the dragon before taking flight and charged toward the doll above Tartarus.

Watching him flying away, Lilith could not shake that feeling she had. Something was wrong about that doll. She did not know what exactly but that feeling of something terrible, something earthshattering could not go away. “Be safe, Celdora!”

* * *

Waiting for her incoming opponent, the doll watched the dragon lord landing right in front of her as she jumped down to Tartarus’ shoulder. The area alone was as large as a valley, more than enough for a fitting battle.

“This spot should be enough.” Said Celdora. “Let’s just get on with this so I can join the others!” He bore his claws.

“Arrogant…as always! What makes you think you can defeat me, dragon lord Celdora?” said Stella.

“Huh!” the dragon sneered. “I am one of the six heroes and the current King of Oros. I should be the one asking that question.”

“Heroes….there is no such thing as heroes.” She spoke in a distant voice. “In this world, there is only the weak and the strong. And you know what happens to those who are too feeble to fend for themselves.” She grinned, shocking the dragon lord who thought that Stella was only an artificial doll with no emotion for herself and this entire time she was just following Alastor’s orders. Perhaps, she too had a will of her own, an agenda not many knew about.

“What are you planning?” Celdora spoke in a serious tone. “What is the point of all this?”

“Hum ... if you have to know…I would say: revenge!”

“Revenge? Against who?”

“The world!” Suddenly, Stella disappeared from her location and dashed toward the dragon with the speed of light, throwing a heavy punch along with an incredibly powerful shockwave.

Using his draconic reflex, Celdora, in his human form, stopped the punch with his palm. The sheer force was almost enough to blast him away if he has not stood his ground. “Can you feel it, the coming of your end drawing near?”

“Argg…” Celdora groaned. ‘How is she this strong? Her punch feels like a thousand weight with such a slim body.’ He thought to himself, realizing the predicament he was in. Even though the fangs on his feet have bared into the ground, holding his ground, the dragon was being pushed back, leaving a trace behind. “Impossible!”

In a spur moment, he slipped. The punch hit its target and launched him away, let him roll on the ground for a far distant before the dragon could regain himself. Such simple attack managed to be so effective and the battle has not even started yet.

“How?” he stood on his feet again, slowly and disorientated by the sheer amount of force. But as he got on his legs, a bright blue light shined in front of him. “What is…?” the dragon uttered as he looked at the source of the light.

It was so intense that it almost blinded the dragon. Though all he could see was a lengthy object shining with the brightest luminescence he has ever seen. Or perhaps, rather than the holder themselves, it was the object in question that stunned him. Not for its radiance, but its familiarity: this peculiar object was among his memories, something he thought lost in the darkest past.

“So surprised to not be able to utter a word, Celdora?” the doll asked, wielding the radiant object.

“Where….where did you get IT? It belongs to her!!!” he shouted. The feeling of anger boiled in him as he contemplated about the fate of the true owner of this strange item. But then, a thought came to realization inside his mind. A terrifying thought so chilling that Celdora could not help but shiver. “It can’t be…But the Artificer said that…The doll…You…You are not her!” he muttered. “I see now…YOU ARE THAT PERSON!!!”

“….Goodbye, Celdora!” the luminous item revealed its true form: a sword as it came down from the sky.