"Our creator, huh? It's fun." Alvine mumbles his thoughts aloud while Isolet observes in silence.
"Desolation, the prison that encloses beings just as scary and powerful as you. Over time, they have become the creatures that you see today. So you will be part of--
"You said this place is a prison?" Isolet cut him off.
"Absolutely."
"In that case, why would I go there?"
"Huhu..., Is it fear that I see in your eyes?" The mediator asks with a sarcastic tone.
But Isolet does not answer his question, since she was convinced that her interlocutor knew why she asked this question.
"You think you didn't commit crimes to be sent there, am I wrong?" Chronos returns to her question by seeing her in a bad mood to play with his game.
"..."
"Your sins are none other than to wake you up at the same time as your enemy; his reign was supposed to last a few quadrillions of centuries more, but you interrupted this process.
-You may be the one who is more favorable to reign, but interstellar laws do not comply with things like goodness or other, all that matters are the rules. Whoever dares to break them will be punished; this applies to you too."
Following his explanation, Isolet nods her head. "I understand, so continue your explanations."
Seeing her on the rails, the mediator continues his explanations. "As the guard of this prison, you will be under my constant supervision, wherever you are; it will, therefore, be impossible for you to hide from me. While passing through, you can also try to confront me if ever the desire goes through your head; see, my real body is there.
But I advise you against it unless you want to die of an atrocious death."
Hearing these words spoken with as much arrogance, Alvine smiles sneakily. "As you go strong, do you think you can--
"Yes, I am perfectly capable of it. I am the guardian of people like you. You are not the first to represent the element of darkness; it's the same for you too, Miss Light. I have collected a lot of them from the beginning. Let's just hope you have enough guts to entertain me for a few days."
"A few days?"
"Obviously, and know that I am modest when talking about a few days; this proves that I have a lot of esteem for you."
"In this case, I have only one question." Alvine crossed his arms and looks deep into the mediator's eyes.
The latter had a more demonic smile than what Alvine could show while mumbling... "I'm listening to you."
Shocked by his expression, Alvine frowns while feeling like he is looking at himself in a mirror. "Are you that creator you're talking about?"
"Huh?"
"... Are you this COD?" Alvine asks his question most explicitly, despite being convinced that the mediator has understood the deep meanings of his question.
Alvine's question erases the mediator's smile.
"No, I am not COD, but the shepherd, also called Lucia, by my flocks that you will soon become one." He said, pointing his finger to himself as if he were talking to babies who could not understand his words.
As time went by at one of the lightning speeds, coupled with the silence of Alvine and Isolet who stared at each other without saying anything, Adonis and the other three began to be suspicious of their actions.
But before they think about it deeply, Alvine suddenly gets up from his chair and looks at Reha and Shiro with sharp eyes. "We're leaving!" He says before teleporting instantly with both without needing a portal.
Following his departure, Isolet did the same with her two henchmen.
--
"I need to stay alone for now. Don't let anyone in here, even Askald." Once back in his apartments, Alvine gives this order to the two giants in armor who guarded the entrance to his room.
[AT YOUR ORDERS MY LORD!] The two answered in a thunderous voice while straightening their positions.
Against all odds, this room was nothing royal, but dark and unoccupied.
As the owner of the room, it didn't take him long to find a comfortable place in the middle of the room to sit and close his eyes to meditate
At the same time, the black ring on his right thumb began to shine with a darker glow than that of the room.
Seeing this, Alvine took a deep breath and exhaled slowly while murmuring in a heavy voice in the empty room...
"My old friend, I know I promised you eternal rest but believe it or not, I am sad that I am not able to grant my promise."
While his voice echoed with the smooth black walls, a demonic and foggy silhouette appeared outside his ring.
The darkroom was instantly plunged into blood color when the misty silhouette opened its scarlet red eyes with draconian pupils.
He looks at Alvine for a moment before saying a single sentence.
[You look bad, my current self.]
This was his first sentence after contemplating Alvine as a whole.
Even if it was in an astral form, its silhouette wasn't less imposing and more threatening than that of Alvine, even if the latter was transformed into his demonic form.
With a little hindsight, this entity familiarized us, it was the spirit of the ring that had claimed to no longer appear before Alvine; in other words, a fragment of Alvin's soul, or a vestige of his dark past.
Hearing his comment, Alvine smiles ironically. "I look bad, huh? You may be right, I am currently facing a dilemma that makes me undecided."
[Undecided, you say? But it's wrong, you've already made your decision, am I wrong?]
Alvine's nerves contract following the affirmations of the silhouette.
"Strangely, I can't hide things from you, even though I'm stronger than you right now."
[The strength depends on several factors, but you already know that. So, assuming you're stronger than me, what do you plan to do? Force me to obey you? Or beg me to help you?]
"...Neither one nor the other. I am certainly stronger than you, but I am unable to defeat the nightmare that has tormented the shadows of incalculable souls and whose pride and twisty mind have no limits; no, you are always stronger than me."
[...]