Kiandrae never liked debts.
But favors?
Those she could live with.
Mephisto's offer had been… persuasive.
Quiet. Clean. Irrevocable.
So she moved first.
Ivís listened with a crooked smile, flames dancing lazily at her fingertips.
Axel yawned, half-asleep even as the implications sank in.
"Averis?" Axel muttered. "Straight there? No pit stops?"
Ivís shrugged. "Sounds fun."
Kiandrae nodded once.
"Then it's decided."
While the other Monarchs and Destroyers scattered—returning to their domains, preparing contingencies, posturing and politicking—
They went straight to Averis.
Straight to the Endless Abyss.
One Thousand Years Ago -
There was only Light…
and Darkness.
They were never enemies.
They were balance.
When they clashed, it wasn't hatred—it was inevitability. Laws colliding. Truths testing one another.
Darkness never intended to kill Light.
Even at the end.
When Darkness stood above Light, power gathered for a final strike—not of annihilation, but of correction—
They came.
Nullivar.
Demetrius.
Mephisto.
Doom.
Urus.
The Destroyers.
They didn't understand coexistence.
They feared it.
Together, they sealed the Light—binding it beyond reach, beyond voice, beyond presence.
But Darkness?
They couldn't touch it.
Couldn't overpower it.
Couldn't erase it.
Couldn't bind it.
Darkness stood alone in the aftermath.
And for the first time… it felt tired.
With Light sealed, Darkness had no reason to continue. No balance to uphold.
So it withdrew.
It left a fragment of itself behind—embedded deep within Zarak—and departed.
Drifting.
Falling.
Until it reached Averis.
Years passed.
Eras turned.
And Darkness took form once more.
The Destroyers learned too late.
Unable to act against Darkness, bound by fear and guilt, they separated and swore a vow:
Never reunite.
Never interfere.
Even if Darkness returned.
But they never imagined—
That Darkness would incarnate.
That it would walk.
Breathe.
Choose.
Fear of revenge shattered vows.
And Nullivar broke his own word.
The Monarchs?
They were different.
Primordial rulers, each governing their own domain. Darkness and Light were not their concern. Balance existed whether they interfered or not.
Darkness and Light were meant to coexist.
And in the end—
They would inevitably meet again.
In one place.
For a final battle.
Rayon's eyes opened.
The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
"…Since you three wanna do your own thing," he said softly, voice carrying a dangerous calm,
"I won't blame you."
He looked down at Nexus.
At Lucifer.
At Esdeath.
"But you voluntarily gave up your lives."
He stood.
"Be right back," he said gently.
He stepped outside.
"Azelar," Rayon called. "I'll be back in a second."
Azelar glanced up from the courtyard.
"…Be careful."
Inside, Nyk flopped onto a couch.
Rayon snapped his fingers.
Reality folded.
They were in space.
Stars stretched endlessly around them, void humming with distant cosmic pressure.
Nyk blinked once.
"…Aight. That's new."
He looked at Rayon.
"Is it the Monarchs?"
Rayon smiled.
Not warm.
Not cruel.
Just honest.
"Nah," he said.
"Just three idiots that resent me for nothing."
The Abyss stirred.
And somewhere—
Three mistakes were already on their way.