"Wait, what's Klein el Seer doing here?" Raiden and the others stayed in Dainty's spacious, comfortable living room, which was decorated with various Victorian sofas.

Klein had a white blindfold on, joined by his disciples from the Nightmare Cohort: King, his best friend; Tesoro, the white-haired girl with three white serpents; Charis, the red dragon user; and Mateo, the spatial magic user who was also Tesoro's brother.

Though Klein el Seer wasn't as enthusiastic as usual, what caught Raiden's attention most was the arch cursed Kimberly—his Captain and the only family member he casually knew besides his mother.

He remembered that Kimberly had sworn her loyalty to him, but still, he couldn't understand why she was here.

"Can you be patient?" Noelle said as she sat beside him, holding his hand while Nico and Meeka were far from the crowd.

"My ability is Lightwalker," Klein said plainly, contradicting his usual charm.

Raiden surveyed the room, noting how everyone hung on every word—Dainty, Soul, and Iron included. But Levi and several others were conspicuously absent. Though he hadn't found the opportunity to inquire about their whereabouts, he sensed it was connected to the ongoing conflict in the Kingdom of Persia.

"I've never told anyone about my ability, before but it is necessary."

Klein added.

"My gift reads the past and the future, and it reaches hidden truths. I can stop things that haven't happened yet—even death—though each save costs ten random lives. I can also bring someone back as a copy for seven days, but they'll be at forty percent of their true strength and knowledge."

A hard swallow caught in Raiden's throat as the pieces finally clicked—how Klein had obtained clones to replace them in their roles, and how he'd managed to sustain the Elusive's life for two full centuries.

"There is more. I can call my future self into this moment. What I wield remains my present abilities, but honed to their absolute peak. And now you stand before that very future, Klein—while the true el Seer attends to matters beyond your reach."

Raiden's eyes glanced around, confused. Why was everyone so calm? Klein was practically a god.

"The moment has come," he turned his head in Raiden's direction. "At last… a True Dragon, carrying Sullivan within your very soul. This is the moment I prayed would come."

A frown creased Raiden's features. Klein's words made little sense to him—he had no real grasp of what being a True Dragon actually entailed, yet Klein clearly possessed that knowledge.

"Klein called upon me, puzzled that your future was veiled from his sight. The truth… it is the Chains of Fate, bound to you by your brother. A twist that was never meant to be."

His face grew even darker.

"It felt less like chance and more like the will of the universe. The Huntress didn't hunt you to kill, but to hasten your awakening as a True Dragon."

Really? Raiden let out a sigh.

"Because I've found who Aaron is and what his ability is."

Finally, his words brought the room to life.

"For decades, Aaron has worn the body of King Hannes, the king of Persia, as if it were his own."

"Wait, what?" Raiden's heart sank. He could remember feeling uneasy around King Hannes and had suspected there was a traitor in the palace, but all this time it was the king? The person whom he considered a father at one point?

"Hannes wields the ability known as Identity. On its own, it's not particularly lethal—he can only transfer his soul by killing his target. But his cunning mind, powerful allies, and mastery of his absolute domain make him terrifying."

Klein continued.

"His absolute domain stretches across Persia City and Nyx City. Within those borders, he can claim anyone as his own without even shedding blood."

He shrugged.

"Even if we avoid those cities, we'll still have to face the Dreamwalker, Alora. She's the reason Aaron seized the king's body—because she is my greatest nightmare. With her gift to read minds, twist dreams, and rewrite thoughts, he only had to shape her into a strategist, a manipulator, and an intellect to rival my own. And now… she is everything I fear."

Raiden exhaled. Alora was indeed manipulative, and this wasn't the first time Klein mentioned she was his greatest nemesis. But why all this speech? Alora was a good person.

"Besides her, there's June, the Sound Weaver. She manipulates the waves of thought themselves, shredding a mind until death follows. By all accounts, she's on course to become the strongest Yellow Crest bearer in recorded history." Klein turned to Snow.

"But I believe your ability, Counter, would be a good fit for her."

Snow gave him a firm nod.

Klein patted King on the shoulder. "Raiden…"

Raiden's attention shifted to him.

"King will be training you because the other two versions of you are our key to winning this war."

Raiden frowned. Why were they at war anyway?

"You've already witnessed King's ability—Double Walker. He can create a perfect double of anyone, shaped not by who they are, but by how others perceive them. And the worst part? He can possess each double, using their abilities as if they were his own."

King smiled.

"He won't just create a double of you. He'll summon two—one shaped by how the world sees Raiden, and another by the shadow of your other self, the Black Raven… the Devourer, the Godkiller."

Raiden grimaced. "Wait… no. Don't tell me you slaughtered the towns on purpose, just so I'd be painted as a monster for your little scheme."

Klein stared at him for a moment. "It had to be done. The story of a Devourer was my creation, crafted only for this point in time."

"What?!" Noelle spoke up, her fist trembling. "There's nothing like the Devourer? Then what did my mother die protecting?"

Klein was unhinged by her words. "Your mother knew. She just chose to play alongside."

Noelle reached for her face, her body trembling. Then Raiden glanced at her as he began to feel the tendency to console her.

"There is a Devourer, and that person is Black Raven."

Raiden gulped. Him a Devourer? He didn't care about the books anyway, but knowing many people had died protecting him felt wrong. It wasn't even him. What was he thinking? He wasn't Black Raven—it was nothing but an idea Klein planted.

"We have Anya, the Arch Light Fairy, Kimberly, the Arch Cursed Dull, and Freya, the Arch Hell Phoenix. With them under your command, Raiden, even kings will bow before your shadow."

"Wait, Freya is alive?"

"Yes, The Lost Child could never kill her."

Raiden smiled and exhaled deeply, but Noelle continued sobbing in his embrace.

"Why all this though? Why war?"

"King Hannes isn't the only one we hunt. There's Sombra, who clawed his way back from death itself; the Dawnbringer family with their cursed legacy; FIRMO with its hidden blades; and the looming shadow of the Kingdom of Eldon."

"Sombra?"

"Yes, they are in partnership with the Kingdom of Eldon, and they were the ones who had the eighteen pages."

Raiden's eyes widened as his dragon memories kicked in. If he remembered correctly, the main reason the dragons wanted to overthrow Sullivan was so they could create celestial dragons. And considering the Sombra had the Dragon of Violence, could it be that's what they were using the pages for?

"Yes. FIRMO, Sombra, and the Kingdom of Eldon are forging celestial dragons—creatures that could rule entire worlds. And Hannes? He simply craves to see the world rebuilt beneath his feet… and he has the power to make it so."

Raiden exhaled heavily. The battle was unavoidable, he realized. As King of all magical creatures, he couldn't stand idle while his subjects were butchered for the sake of creating more powerful beings.

"You're the only one who can activate your absolute domain inside someone else's realm — and Noelle's absolute domain will be needed too."

Both Raiden and Noelle wore a perplexed expression.

"Noelle, your absolute domain is Divine Rule. Dainty will train you to master it, and with it you'll hold power to alter the very fabric of this world." Klein gave a faint shrug. "Raiden, as for you… I don't need to explain, do I?"

Raiden scanned his surroundings. 'Bloom.' At his command, every piece of furniture dissolved into writhing shadows that churned like smoke from invisible fires. Follow current novels on novèlfire.net

He smiled as the memory returned. Within his absolute domain, he wasn't merely immortal; he was untouchable. Every soul who had fallen by his hand manifested in his domain. He let his guard down as his body quivered with anticipation.

"Even with the Devourer — the embodiment of chaos itself — his power might not be enough. Hannes and his disciples, Alora, June, and the Amazon, are formidable enough on their own to crush us."

Noelle scowled, still holding Raiden's hand. "The Amazon? Aren't those like the founders of my kingdom?"

Klein nodded. "Yes, not only are they immortal, but those four ladies work together and could create a perfect counter for Black Raven, order."

Klein let out a sigh.

"My Lightwalker ability reaches its peak only when my blindfold is off. And even then, I ran the simulation five times… and won only twice."

Raiden's expression darkened into a scowl. How strong was everyone? They literally had godlike beings on their side. Black Raven and Klein el Seer.

"Remember this: the Amazons walk like gods already. The Dreamwalker is only weeks away from the same, and the Sound Weaver will follow soon after… Snow can still handle Sound Weaver with her Counter ability."

"Aeris, Leo, and Levi have already thrown themselves into the fight under Klein's instructions."

Raiden smiled. His regeneration practically made him immortal, and combined with the Chains of Fate his brother had given him and his absolute domain, Bloom, he went beyond immortality. Yet if someone like Klein was afraid, there had to be a way to kill him.

"We strike in two weeks. By then Alora and June may be demigods — it's the only time we could be ready. We could die… only if…

"Soul could become the embodiment of void and chaos just in time, and end us all."

Ha. Such a beautiful ending.