ARICSON SWIVELED to see the unexpected guest. A man appeared wearing the traditional clothing of Nerov.

The black and gold cloth draped his body in a loose manner. Compared to the conservative attires of Humana, the demons wore more casual clothes with both sides overlapping in the chest and wide sleeves. The whole outfit was tied together by a band of silk dyed in a monotonous color.

His wooden slippers clicked on the pavements as he drew nearer. Flaxen strands swayed on his shoulders while he walked with an untouchable gait.

"What are you doing in my territory, Regis?" his grandmother questioned with hands across her chest.

'Regis...' The title of the demon king who was rarely seen — a creature more enigmatic than the Overseers.

The more Arcison observed the man, the more puzzled he became. There were no horns or tails. Neither the black pupils nor black hair. How could the sole ruler of Nerov lack the origin marks of a demon?

Even his name was something no one ever knew or perhaps no one lived to tell the tale. There were always rumors flying about the Regis' appearance but nothing came close to the real thing.

"Don't you have a continent to look after?" the Prima rebuked, hinting an annoyance in her voice.

"Well... if you don't mind the Abyss Faction to begin the prophecy, I wouldn't waste my time talking here," the Regis retorted with a very unflappable tone.

"Talking riddles again, aren't we? Get straight to the point, Regis."

"Of course, it'll be no fun to hand everything out, right? But..." The Regis gave his grandmother an eye from head to toe. "Centuries after centuries and you're getting bolder, Rosa."

Indeed, it was only the Regis who would dare call the Prima with her given name. Nevertheless, it was understandable when both of them had been the ruler of their races ever since their continents were established.

"Now look." The Regis pointed his finger to the pond. Ripples emerged until a moving image appeared.

A great fire burned buildings after building. Ravids engulfed numerous people with no differentiation. Women, men, children, and elders. No one was spared by the tentacles that usurped all living beings.

It swallowed everything it touched except for the black-robed men beside it. It was probably the minions of the Abyss Faction. Those men cast a spell, making Aricson look closer to inspect. But his eyes were not playing with him. One of them turned into a wolf and invoked a spell.

The Abyss Faction had always been known to be comprised of creatures tainted by Chaos. Ravids, the monstrous shadow made from the malice of the world. For shifters, they had Rendalls while they were called Valkries if they were fairies. Humans also had Kehrs and the demons referred to their races who suffer from Chaos' depravity, Ebon.

Despite that, no one ever heard of a shifter who could cast spells yet the scene in front of him proved otherwise. There were rare shifters who were able to wield elements but casting a magic circle was the human race's empyrean blessing. It was the unique gift bestowed by each Origin Gods to their races.

This sense of impossibility reminded him of the Mundrans who had no elemental flow but were able to wield magic.

"As you can see, the Abyss Faction had peaked its achievement yet again," the Regis stated. "They are Kalins, creatures experimented on and born from a Ravid."

"Born from Ravids? How can those monstrous beings even reproduce?" his grandmother questioned as she pulled a face.

"It's not a question about that but a question on how limitless are the dedication and loyalty of the Abyss Faction towards their god. You all know humans are the best breeders among races but the Abyss Faction had found another way to confirm this. They used Ravids in their experiments which resulted in all of these."

"But that man was a shifter and not a human," Aricson cut in.

"Are you not listening, boy? The humans were used to handling the Ravid's child so do you think their experiment would stop there? It is due to the Ravid that they were able to crossbreed two races without losing their empyrean blessing and origin marks."

The Regis motioned his hand and the scene disappeared. Another flick on his finger and a chair appeared. He sat down, oozing with unhurriedness, and returned his gaze to Aricson who was staring at him with utter bewilderment.

'How can he scry with the pond and summon a seat?' More mysteries arose in Aricson's mind.

"But that is not what I'm here for. The Primal Entity made a mistake and now your woman is in the hands of Abyss Faction."

"What do you mean?" Aricson said, puzzled by his sudden words.

Regis' brow arched. "I'm certain you've heard me clearly. The Harbinger is back and was caught by Abyss Faction."

"Harbinger?" Prima Rosa interrupted and turned to him. "How did you get involved with the Harbinger?"

Aricson mentally sighed. He had no choice but to convey everything that happened in the past few months.

"Do you ever plan on telling the truth?" she asked, her expression going stern that he could not help but look away and move his gaze to the Regis.

"Since you're done with your storytime, you have to save the Harbinger or—"

"No. He won't be going anywhere." His grandmother's tone was final.

"I'm not asking anyone here. Regardless of your choices, I'll still bring him anyway."

"You can't. Go back to your continent, Regis. Aricson has to return to Humana to settle the Ravids," Prima Rosa said.

"Heh... you think they can solve this? Have you forgotten what happened last time? The fastest and easiest way is to take him with me."

His grandmother who was known for her elegance lost her poise as she snorted and pierced the Regis with a death glare. "Perhaps may I remind you that you're the one that made that bloody  Millenial Treaty? You clearly declared that no race should be involved in other races when it deals with Abyss Faction. If you're going to interfere with Humana, I will too."

"This is a different matter."

"How can it be? All I can see is the demon king interfering with the Rei of Humana to do his duties and sending him on a suicide mission."

While the two elders argued, Aricson had already made a decision. If it was anything concerning Elise, his priorities were always tipped on her side.

"It's alright, Grandmother. If it's true that this is the easiest method, we have to try it," he stated then faced the Regis. "However, I have to return to Humana to activate the Tutella first."

"Fine."

With just a snap of his fingers, the view was instantly changed from the colorful garden to the towering obelisk on their island.

Aricson glanced at the Regis with more befuddlement. A while ago, the Regis was able to scry and conjure, and now, teleportation. Those were all innate gifts of the shifters.

"What are you looking at, boy? Get going," the Regis ordered.

Aricson rushed to the circling mages glowing in various colors. In the center was Faylinn directing all her magic to the obelisk.

He walked straight and touched the crimson stone.

"Tutella," he called forth the binding spell. The single cast circle materialized on the bottom. From its glowing shape, golden lines sprung from the ground going to the tip of the obelisk. The linear pattern was embedded with a spell that would solidify the Fort. Once it was invoked, no one could enter or leave the lands of Humana.

When he pulled his hand back, Aricson struggled to stand on his own feet. The spell of Tutella had already been compensated by his ancestor's blood but it still took half of his elemental flow.

He approached Faylinn whose beaded sweat was clearly visible. "Can you still hold on?"

"Yes, Brother. Isabella is here and so are the other U-class and S-class Barrier mages."

He scanned around and those were without a doubt familiar faces.

"Alright. I still have somewhere to go."

With that said, Aricson summoned an orb and the artifact of the Vermilions. He ordered his siblings and gave all authority to Brennan.

It was certain that his siblings would not like his plan but the moment he heard Elise was back, all rationality flew out. It was to the point that he was even willing to believe a demon's words, more so coming from their king.

"I'm done," he said after returning to Regis's side.

For an unknown reason, no one seemed to notice his presence. With his light-colored hair, pale skin, and iridescent green eyes, no dark clothing or grim shadows of the night sky could hide his inconspicuousness.

"Heh. Quite efficient. Won't you be asking any more details before we leave?" the Regis said with a small curl.

Aricson's gaze focused on him. "Will you even answer?"

The Regis chuckled. "You're an interesting one too."

"I'm honored for the Regis to think so."

The smile on his face tilted higher before it went downwards. "Boy."

There was a momentary pause and for a fraction of a second, Regis' verdant irises became azures and once again a leafy hue. It was too fast that Aricson wasn't able to detect it.

"If you want to rescue the Harbinger, you must be ready to face a god," he continued. 

"A god?" This time, no matter how stoned Aricson's face was, the astonishment could not be hidden. "Didn't all gods disappear?"

"Do you honestly believe that? Why do you think the Abyss Faction is indestructible?"

Aricson pondered for minutes. If gods were involved, he could not think of a good solution.

"Can we even have a chance?" he probed the underlying worry on his mind.

"Of course. And, it comes with your aid."

There was a slight contortion on Aricson's brow before he spoke. "What can I do?"

"Do a Kismet Pledge with the Harbinger." The carefree mien returned based on the smirk and Regis' eyes batted in glee. "And you'll do it right in front of the god when worse comes to worst."

༻❁༺

U n S c e n e s

Q: What is a Kismet Pledge, Regis?

Regis: *smiles* Little children are better not knowing.