Morpheus couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Saeko.
Though her tone was gentle, her gaze was sharp as a blade.
It felt like she might charge at him and throw a punch at any moment.
What was going on?
Morpheus was puzzled. Had he somehow offended her? But they'd never even met before. Why did Saeko seem to harbor such hostility toward him?
Curious, Morpheus asked outright, "We've never met before, have we? So why do you seem to have such a problem with me?"
Hisako, hearing this, shot Saeko a displeased look.
What was wrong with this woman? Hisako had gone out of her way to help her, and yet she was so disrespectful to Lord Morpheus.
Saeko inwardly cursed her slip-up. She'd been too obvious, and he'd seen through her.
This wasn't good—especially since she caught the displeasure in Hisako's eyes.
If she couldn't expose this fraud, she risked losing their trust entirely.
Fine, then. Time to lay it all out.
Taking a deep breath, Saeko said frankly, "I do have an issue with you. In the future I experienced, there was no trace of any deity."
"If you're truly a deity, Lord Morpheus, could you prove it to me?"
Morpheus narrowed his eyes. Not only had Miko seen a future without him, but even Saeko, who had lived through it, hadn't encountered him?
It seemed likely that the futures they saw or experienced were ones where he hadn't yet arrived in this world.
Now that he was here, the story would naturally unfold differently.
"Very well," Morpheus said, unbothered by Saeko's challenge. Instead, he agreed readily.
He was quite intrigued by her.
If he could best her and offer her a bit of incentive, Saeko would likely follow him loyally, even if he had other women.
A woman like that was simply too perfect—Morpheus liked her and didn't mind her slight insolence.
With a wave of his hand, Morpheus pulled Saeko into his Light Dimension.
The two appeared out of nowhere, hundreds of meters in the air.
"Welcome to my world."
Morpheus snapped his fingers, and a spiraling staircase extended downward beneath his feet.
Standing on the staircase, Saeko could clearly see an endless expanse of grasslands and a majestic, awe-inspiring palace built upon it.
The palace was staggeringly massive, like something constructed for giants.
A single corridor was as grand as a great wall—exaggerated, magnificent, almost divine.
Following the spiraling staircase downward, they entered the grand palace.
Big!
That was Saeko's first impression.
Though she had seen the palace's grandeur from hundreds of meters up, entering it still left her awestruck.
It was simply too vast.
A single floor tile spanned over a dozen square meters.
The ceiling soared terrifyingly high—tens, even hundreds of meters.
Walking through the palace, Saeko felt like an ant in a human's house.
She had reason to suspect this palace was built for giants.
Despite her awe, she still wasn't convinced Morpheus was a deity. "This alone doesn't prove you're a god."
"And this?"
Morpheus snapped his fingers again. Instantly, the sky darkened with thick clouds, and bolts of lightning flashed.
A torrential downpour began, as if the heavens had torn open, endless rain washing over the land.
"How about this?"
Another snap, and the downpour halted—not just stopping, but freezing in midair.
The raindrops were suspended, as if someone had pressed pause on the world, motionless.
Saeko stared in disbelief, reaching out to touch the frozen deluge.
It wasn't an illusion.
It was real rain, halted in midair by Morpheus, as if time itself had been paused.
"And this?"
Morpheus snapped again, and an astonishing change occurred. Saeko watched as the suspended rain turned into snowflakes, falling softly.
The sudden blizzard buried the massive palace.
A biting chill swept through.
The weather shifted from summer to winter in an instant.
Then, Morpheus exhaled softly. The earth warmed, life stirred, the snow melted, and the weather turned from winter to spring.
Saeko fell silent. Weather manipulation, time suspension—these unbelievable abilities all pointed to Morpheus's true nature.
Perhaps he wasn't a fraud but a genuine deity.
If so, why hadn't she seen him in the horrific, despair-filled future she'd lived through?
That was her greatest question.
Morpheus seemed to sense her doubt and said gently, "Have you considered this: the future you experienced didn't include me because I hadn't yet arrived in this world."
Saeko blinked. "???"
"What does that mean?"
"Simply put, if we consider the future you lived through as the 'first loop,' isn't it possible that I'm not part of that first loop's timeline?"
"Then you were reborn, starting the 'second loop.'"
"And I entered this world in this second loop. That's why you didn't see me in the future."
"Because I wasn't in the first loop—I only arrived in the second."
Saeko fell silent again. She wasn't foolish; she understood what Morpheus meant.
This could explain why she didn't know him and why Commander Erina and Hisako trusted him so deeply.
Morpheus was a deity who appeared in this timeline.
Though it sounded incredible, her instincts told her this might be the truth.
"Please forgive my rudeness, Lord Morpheus."
Saeko took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Morpheus, a full ninety-degree bow.
Morpheus waved it off casually. "No need for formalities. Ignorance isn't a crime. I actually have a question for you. This disaster began in Tokonosu City, correct?"
Saeko nodded firmly. "Yes. The disaster's origin was indeed my home city, Tokonosu City."
"Then can you tell me who was behind this disaster?"
"Or rather, did you have any suspects?"
Morpheus fixed Saeko with a piercing gaze, awaiting her answer.
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Hi guys, Elenea here! I just want to announce that starting now I'll be trying to focus on my own original fanfic, which I've been thinking about for the past few days (lol I really mulled this over briefly for a few days and decided I'm going to make it a full novel).
[Worse Than the Devil (DxD)]
Synopsis:
Devil.
An evil and chaotic creature, born from hell, which are often a scapegoat for humans. Blamed for the atrocities they themselves commit.
"The devil made me do it."
A phrase always uttered by humans after committing crimes, casting blame and responsibility for their wrongdoings onto the devil.
But not all humans are like that, for there is one man who would gleefully commit atrocities that would be condemned by all of human history and accept the blame and responsibility for those wrongs with open arms.
His name is Michael, but in stark contrast to the meaning of his name 'Who is like God' he is not a devout man who draws near to God's embrace. Instead… he is the one who sends lost sheep to meet God's embrace much faster.
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Btw, a quick note before you decide to read, if you have a heart as pure as glass, I suggest you don't read this because it REALLY gets dark to early. The first chapter will give you a little idea of what I might explore later on in this fanservice harem-themed world like DxD.
Adios!