6th Day of the 3rd Air Cycle[1], 0001 g.c./October[2] 3rd, 2019 a.d.
Nearly 1,999 Gaian years ago, in Eden, lay the room where my journey truly began—after my murder. In the heart of the Heavens' domain, the sky curved like the inside of a great hemisphere, vast enough to look endless. Harlequin-colored clouds drifted below like a rolling sea, parting around the floating islands that carried the Aeons' estates.
Omnia's room rested at the edge of one such isle. It was a place without walls, only a marble floor inlaid with ultraviolet and cerulean carpets. A single arched doorway stood in the center, leading to nowhere yet framing the void like a work of art. Lab tables surrounded it, crowded with equipment for alchemy, chemistry, and stranger, occult things. Alembics and retorts sat side by side with relics carved in forgotten languages. In the background, galaxies blinked and glittered as if they were only lamps scattered across an infinite distance.
At the edge of one of those tables, Omnia floated cross-legged, suspended in the air as if gravity didn't apply to her. Before her shimmered a screen of magitons and photons, a pane of shifting light projecting an image of me—back when I was Jean Vinson. She leaned in close, her midnight black hair drifting upward as if caught in a silent current, her eyes locked on the data streaming past.
"Well now, isn't this peculiar?" Her voice was soft but carried weight. "All three souls within him have reached their lowest vibration frequency, yet they are finally starting to synchronize with the Sonata Zero core's resonance."
She tapped the screen, swiping through layers of glowing runes and fractal diagrams. The hum of the projection deepened as though reacting to her curiosity. Omnia leaned back slightly, arms folding across her chest, and exhaled slowly through her nose. A grin tugged at her lips.
"While his mental psyche appears to be deteriorating, this may be the best time to eject him before he starts to desynchronize."
Before she could muse further, footsteps like chimes struck the marble floor. Roxy drifted into the endless room, drawn by the rare look of satisfaction on her older sister's face. She didn't yet carry her lion's tail or the hardened seductive form of her future self, though her hooves still clicked softly with each step. Her black-and-red hair swung around her shoulders, carrying with it a trace of lavender that drifted into Omnia's awareness.
"Someone seems unnaturally happy," Roxy teased as she crossed the threshold. "I wonder why?"
Omnia didn't flinch from the projection. "Does it matter? When something brings me joy, I'm allowed to express it."
"Brings you joy, huh?" Roxy circled behind her, leaning over her shoulder to peer at the flickering image of me. "Wouldn't happen to be that cluster of broken souls you've been trying to stitch together, would it?"
"Now you're nose is in my business."
"How many souls have you burned through on this little Archon of Night re-creation project?"
Omnia's lips pressed thin. She exhaled sharply through her teeth. "If you must know—twelve. Twelve minds shredded, twelve bodies reduced to datons. But with my original prototype, I may not need another. The Sonata Core is finally reacting."
Roxy tilted her head, her neon pink gaze sliding across the data. "I always thought Sonata Zero was a dud. Sonata Uno feels like your best work."
"That's because I let you put in your ideas." Omnia finally turned her head just enough to shoot her a side glance. "That's no different from Danica swearing Sonata Fire is her favorite. It's all bias."
Roxy smirked. "Yet Sonata Zero holds all your pride. You're just as biased, sister."
With a casual flick of her arm, she summoned Omnia's colossal bed into being—sheets of milk-white satin spilling into reality like water. She sat on the edge and crossed her legs, ignoring the way Omnia's expression hardened.
"So, what if your prototype becomes the new Xero," she asked lightly, "but doesn't return your feelings of affection? Will you dispose of it and start again?"
Omnia paused, her gaze drifting back to the projection. For a long moment, the data reflected in her cyan-violet irises, galaxies twinkling across the curve of her cheek.
"Sonata Zero has the potential to be greater than Xero," she said finally. "If he chooses not to accept me, I would still watch how he navigates the Prime Realm. He could still be a force against Destini."
"I don't get it," Roxy replied. "Why give this mortal so much power when he could reject you just like the others?"
That was when the smile broke across Omnia's face, strong and steady.
"This is diff—"
Her words were cut off by a shrill voice echoing across the marble. Their baby sister stormed into the room, shouting at the top of her divine lungs.
"I'm bored!" Danica's voice rang like bells.
She sprinted forward, launched herself into the air, tucked into a ball, and dropped onto the satin bed with a bounce. The sheets rippled as she sank into them, teal-turquoise skin glowing faintly under the light of galaxies. Her androgynous beauty was unsharpened by tails or canid ears yet, though her azure eyes were already sharp enough to cut.
Roxy sighed. "You're always bored, kiddo."
Omnia pinched the bridge of her nose. "This is why you should find a hobby."
"Ooouu, what are you two doing?" Danica grinned, propping her chin on her hands. "Scheming against Mom again?"
"To a degree," Roxy said with a smirk. "Omnia's finally close to re-creating a true Archon of Night."
Danica's eyes widened. "Really? That means she'll get to experience love like mortals do? Ooouu, does that mean we'll get to experience mortal love as well?"
"No telling," Roxy shrugged. "She'd need the remake to accept her, and that's only if she can stabilize the Sonata long enough to be born."
"I hope she figures it out," Danica said dreamily. "That idea of finding a connection in the middle of a tough, intimate duel sounds amazing. Those in the Lower Realms really do have emotional expression mastered."
"I don't want love unless it comes with greed," Roxy countered. "I like the idea of someone who wants it all."
"Yeah, but we'd have to be reborn into Vessel Skills to live in the Lower Realms," Danica pouted. "That would defeat the purpose."
Omnia finally turned toward them, her chair of air unraveling into ribbons of light as she planted her bare feet on the marble.
"Not truly," she said.
Both sisters stilled, their attention instantly caught.
"I know of a way for you to keep your essence and existence while living on the mortal plane."
Roxy and Danica exchanged looks, then snapped back to her. Their eyes glimmered with hunger.
"Now I'm interested," Roxy admitted.
"I've learned that the special grimoires Destini created to record the history of her champions can be used to retain anima. Not just memories—but complete essence. Enough to tether with a mortal."
"Really, Big Sis?" Danica sat upright, nearly bouncing again.
"How can you be so sure it will work?" Roxy pressed. "Especially for Aeons like us?"
Omnia's eyes shifted, blossoming into the [Kaleidoscope Eyes]. Her body shimmered, revealing the truth: an ethereal Soul Echo cloaked in illusion. The sight made both sisters lean forward, breath caught with awe.
"I've already attempted it," Omnia said. "And it was a success. The real me is currently on the planet Gaia."
Danica gasped. "A Nexus Planet? Neato. I want to come."
"I know this ties back to your Xero remake," Roxy added. "So tell me everything."
Omnia's smirk spread like a shadow over her lips. In that instant, the three sisters' paths began—their curiosity, envy, and hunger braided into a fate that would lead each one to the men who would define them.
End of Flashback...
5th Day of the 1st Fire Cycle, 2000 g.c.
The Sycamore Tree's prompt-to dojo pulsed with new heat, the air thick with buzzing magitons that sparked like fireflies gone mad. Ozone and charred ashwood hung heavy in my nose, cut through by the bitter stench of hellfire leaking from Alex. His skills [Dominus Irae] and [Lucifer's Wrath] unfurled across his frame, cocooning him in an armor of black and white fire that writhed and hissed with each breath he took.
Danica's eyes gleamed. The Aeon of War drank in the scene with the delight of someone rediscovering an old addiction. No longer cursed with boredom or duty anymore—she had found a thrill, raw and intoxicating. Yet beneath her awe, she noticed the storm in him. His Soul Core churned with a violent tide of Nihility, and even she could tell the strain was burning him from within.
"That skin of black fire is beautiful… but it's eating him alive. How long can he hold out?"
Before she could follow the thought further, Alex launched upward, hellfire trailing from his form like the wings of a furious phoenix. He spun his quarterstaff, the Dawn Goddess, its shaft catching the fiery light until it blazed brighter than steel. His azure eyes cut through the haze with a determination that could choke a deity.
Danica raised a hand, gravity coiling at her fingertips. But Alex hurled the staff like a thunderbolt, embedding it into the wooden floor beside her with a quake that shattered her focus. She hissed at the interruption, only for his voice to thunder through the crackling air.
"[Speakerboxxx: The Way You Move]!"
Space folded, and Alex was gone. He reappeared behind her in less than a blink, feet planted, knuckles blazing. His fists hammered across her face, arms, and torso—twelve strikes delivered with metronomic brutality, each one riding on the crackle of hellfire. The dojo rang with the percussion of his blows, and Danica's body snapped and twisted to his rhythm until his final strike buried itself in her stomach, hurling her through the air like a comet.
Her body skipped and bounced across the dojo floor, wood splintering under her weight until she came to a breathless halt. She groaned, pulling herself upright as a bruise painted her cheek.
"Such heavy hands... this is the Syn of Wrath I wanted to see," she thought, her lips quirking despite the ache.
Alex's roar ripped through the dojo, shaking its roots. Mana erupted from him in a geyser, black and white flames whiplashing around his body in tantrum arcs. His mana signature pressed against us all like the weight of mountains.
"He had to crash out for a much-needed edge," I muttered, sliding my three-eyed shades back over my face. "He'd better finish this shit quickly."
Omnia stretched lazily, yawning as if she were bored with the apocalypse before her. "Such a reckless skill. He's bleeding through his mana pool at a terrifying rate."
"Because he hasn't mastered it," I answered. "He only ever calls on it when his frustration takes the reins. My nigga be throwing a tantrum in a sense."
The girls—Ameera, Nicole, Dream Flower—huddled near the barrier I had woven. Hellfire spat against its transparent walls, flattening like molten rain against glass. They didn't speak, but their thoughts brushed against my [Telepathy] like whispers carried on smoke.
"Is... is Lord Alex afraid?" Ameera wondered, the note of disbelief sharp in her tone.
She was right. Fear, raw and jagged, screamed inside his mana signature.
Danica rubbed at her cheek, her gaze riveted on the inferno he had become. The look of awe painted her expression. "He's made this fight thrilling... but I keep feeling fear within him. Why?"
"Fight… Survive… Kill… Win…" Alex growled, the words tumbling from his lips like a broken chant. His eyes bled crimson, pupils drowning in scarlet frustration.
Danica straightened, her staff shimmering into her hand. "Don't forget to enjoy yourself," she said, voice steady despite the bruise swelling her jaw. "Even when the odds look impossible."
Her body flickered, teleporting with [Quantum Leap] to his blindside. Her staff swung for his ribs, but Alex's instincts snapped awake. The Dawn Goddess met her blow in a blur, sparks bursting as metal bo crashed against metal bo.
The dojo sang with the percussion of their clash. Each swipe, each parry blurred into the next, speed escalating until the human eye would see only streaks of light. It was looking less like a fight and more like a dance; furious and sublime.
I grinned, watching Alex slip into old rhythms. His Capoeira returned, movements unpredictable, weaving between offense and defense like flowing water. Danica, for all her mastery, was driven into defense.
"Win… Fight…" The chant frayed, words bleeding into guttural snarls, until it wasn't language anymore—just desperation echoing from a cage.
He shattered her guard with a sudden sequence, chaining spinning staff strikes with photon-fast brutality. Each blow carried the weight to level a city, and Danica's frame buckled under them. When his final swing came, it was a killing stroke, a baseball bat meant to split worlds.
She vanished in a shimmer, teleporting out of his arc. But her scent betrayed her. Alex sniffed, turned, and growled.
"[Speakerboxxx: The Way You Move]!"
He appeared before her again, his staff left behind. She raised her hand to twist gravity, but his grip snapped her wrist aside. In one fluid motion, he hip-tossed her, smashing her into the dojo floor so hard the entire chamber rattled.
Danica screamed, blue-white plasma bursting from her eyes in reflex. The beam slammed into his chest, hurling him backward out of the crater.
"Damn, that hurt... he even forced the eye beam out of me. I'll need to use [Royalty] for this one. But spirits, this is glorious! I've never felt so alive."
Her grin widened, delirious with joy. "Wait… is this… love at first fight?"
She lay in the crater, battered and glowing with ecstasy, like someone who had just stolen heaven's wine. Then, springing up, she dusted herself off, tails flicking. She turned to him, eyes hungry for more.
The dojo still shook with Alex's fury, but for Danica, the world bent inward, sound and sight folding into something slower, deeper.
His feral growl reverberated in her chest, but she no longer heard it as rage—it was music; primal and imperfect, but music all the same. The hellfire that lashed around his body painted the room in black-and-white arcs, yet she saw an inferno in its purest beauty.
Time thinned. The dojo's groans and the flames' roar drowned into a muffled undertow, as if she stood submerged while the storm raged overhead. All she saw was Alex—on all fours, his once white hair plastered in black fire across his sweat-streaked face, crimson eyes trembling between wrath and despair. His body roared with power, but his soul... his soul looked cornered.
She had wanted a partner in joy... but instead, she found herself aching for him. For the first time in millennia, she wanted not to win, but to understand.
Her tails flicked, slowing, each strand of fur catching the reflected blaze like banners dipped in firelight. Her staff lowered. For a moment, she forgot the ache in her body, the bruises forming along her ribs, the ringing in her ears. What she felt instead was the sharp pang of something she hadn't known in eons.
"He really isn't enjoying this... he's terrified of what he is."
That thought struck her deeper than his fists had.
A warmth bloomed in her chest, fierce and sudden, and her breath hitched. Not just admiration, not just respect for his strength—something more intimate, more dangerous. It was as though her spirit recognized his in the chaos, calling out across lifetimes. She had fought other Aeons, Tru-Demons, and legends, but never had she wanted so badly for an opponent to see her—to smile at her, to share the joy instead of drowning in fear.
But what she saw wasn't the same boy she had been fighting.
Alex crouched on all fours, growling and hissing like a feral beast. His crimson eyes burned, but the person behind them was slipping. Fear radiated off him, the real Alex caged deep inside his own power.
Danica's smile faltered. "No… this isn't right. You're supposed to enjoy it with me."
Her lips trembled with a whisper, though no one heard it. "Please... burn with me."
Sorrow softened her face, the first shadow of empathy bleeding into her. An alien warmth beat against her chest, a hunger different from battle. She wanted him to smile through the flames, to love the fight as she did. She wanted him to keep burning for her because to her, Alex was perfect. He was already the master she hadn't realized she'd been waiting for.
On the sidelines, I couldn't shake the image of Alex's unraveling mind. His body might've been fighting, but his soul was crumbling. I felt the weight of it pressing on my chest like a mistake I couldn't undo. I had been the one who steered him toward [Lucifer's Wrath]. I thought it would help him. Instead, the Nihility backlash was threefold what it should've been compared to when I had stopped him from raging back in Talasi. Now, that same crash-out was eating him alive, pulling him deeper into something animal, something eldritch. Alex wasn't in control anymore. He was a victim—one more name on the long list of souls devoured by power born of pain.
"I might have fucked up," I muttered under my breath. "It doesn't look like crashing out is gonna benefit him like I hoped."
"Maybe so, papi," Omnia replied smoothly. Her voice carried no weight of judgment, just the silk of amusement. "But Danica has taken a heavy share of damage, too. Hellfire burns the body, yes, but it also burns the spirit. That takes its toll on Animas and other sprites."
I glanced back at the battlefield. "From the way she's been smiling this whole match, you wouldn't know it."
The Aeon of Death didn't bother replying. She only crossed her arms and legs, floating in the air beside me with her usual sly grin, shadows bending ever so slightly toward her. On my opposite side, Dream Flower had her gaze fixed on Alex's aura. His flames clung to him like liquid tar on fire, sloshing and snapping, dripping black and white embers onto the ground.
"This hellfire's wild," Dream whispered, eyes wide. "No heat, not a lick of it... But look at what it does. Everything it touches turns to ash like it was never there."
Nicole bent slightly toward the trembling Vulpin. "Ameera, how are you feeling?"
"I-I'm fine." Ameera's ears twitched, betraying her nerves. Her eyes remained locked on Alex. "Lord Alex's trial for power appears close to ending. So... I'll root for his victory and safety."
Her words were polite, but the quiver in her tone told the truth. She was unraveling inside, drowning in emotions she couldn't release. Nicole noticed it as much as I did. The Dhampir's own chest rose and fell with a quiet heaviness, as though she were staring at her own reflection in the Vulpin.
"So I wasn't the only one," Nicole thought, her ruby gaze flicking toward me for half a second. "How do we even stand beside women who were once Outer Goddesses?"
Omnia tilted her head toward her with a smirk, and that was enough to make Nicole avert her eyes. She fixed them back on the clash.
Danica moved forward at a slow, deliberate pace. Each step she took sank into Alex's storm of hellfire, flames licking up her body like shadows eager to consume her. Across from her, Alex crouched low, tail and wings twitching, a guttural growl vibrating in his chest. His eyes glowed blood-scarlet, the only feature still visible through the veil of flame. He looked less like a Tengu and more like a beast torn from the void.
Yet Danica's lips curled into something soft. "Your anger produces such gorgeous power," she said, her voice like velvet against the chaos. "But I can feel your fear. It gnaws at you, limits you."
Ameera flinched at those words. Her fist clenched tight, nails digging into her palm. She had seen it too, but hearing it spoken aloud by Danica made it sting worse.
"Fear feeds your anger, Alex," Danica continued as she pressed deeper into the storm. "That's why your flames are twisted—why they don't reflect your soul's color. This isn't your true power."
The Aeon of War dismissed her quarterstaff with a casual flick. Dawn Goddess's light shattered into millions of golden spiritons, scattering into the flames until they melted away. Alex blinked through the haze. His instincts screamed for him to strike, but the lack of aggression froze him. The confusion of his feral mind chained him in place.
Danica stood tall within his aura, body smoldering under the hellfire, but she never wavered. A smile lingered on her lips as she extended her hand toward him.
Alex roared, a primal sound that rattled the walls and pushed wind through the arena like a storm surge. The gale whipped her multi-blue hair back and sent her tails flowing behind her in a blur. But she didn't flinch. Not once.
The Tengu's growl faltered into silence as his eyes darted from her face down to her waiting hand.
"I decree," Danica said, her voice carrying the weight of law, "that as long as I stand by your side, you are not allowed to fear yourself or any opponent before you. [Royalty: Fine By Me]."
The world shifted. A pulse tore outward from her words, rippling across the battlefield. It was a unique mana type—A harmony of three. Astra Mana. Spatial Mana. Divinity Mana. They mixed into a shimmering blue wave that rippled like liquid light across the ground. Wherever it touched, the chaos of Alex's aura calmed, his flames folding inward and reshaping.
Black and white bled into gold and azure. The inferno settled, no longer a spazzing storm but a mantle of fire that clung to him like a regal cloak.
The scarlet in his eyes softened into blue. Fear bled out of him. In its place rose something steadier, sharper. Confidence.
"Holy shit," I breathed. "A nigga didn't see that one coming."
Omnia's grin widened. "Hehehe… I did."
"The blue flames are back," Nicole whispered, awe tinting her tone.
"With a gold remix," Dream added, her eyes sparkling.
"…Lord Alex," Ameera whispered, her voice barely audible through her trembling lips.
Alex's claws loosened. He reached forward, took Danica's hand, and stood. His wings straightened. His stance firmed. Slowly, the wild haze lifted from his face.
"Whoa…" he muttered. His voice cracked with disbelief. "I can hear my own thoughts again. Wait—wait, I'm me again."
Danica's smile softened into something warm. "I like you, new Master Alex. I want to see all you can achieve in this life. So, I'll remain with you until the end of time."
Before he could form words, she yanked him forward. Instinctively, his arms closed around her, and her lips locked to his. The clash of flame and divinity faded into silence as their kiss burned brighter than the fire around them. The battle ended in that embrace.
My gaze caught Ameera on the sideline. Her ears folded down, her shoulders trembled, and her golden eyes glistened. The Vulpin's nails dug crescent moons into her palms, but she forced her eyes shut, as if she could will her heart not to break. Her heart cracked audibly in the silence, and for the first time, she turned away.
Omnia floated beside me with a knowing smile. "Now she's truly accepted him."
The Prime Realm System chimed in Alex's mind, a mechanical voice cutting through the moment:
«Power distribution complete. The contract is placed at 70% to 30%.
The [Soul Binding] shall now proceed.
New ability skill [Guardian Armament] learned. A new guardian armament [Dawn Goddess: Danica] has been installed.
A new ultra skill called [Royalty] has been installed.
Installing Vessel Skill Subskills [Absolute Gravity Control], [Mystic Quantum Control], [Fine By Me], and [Quantum Leap]…»
Their lips parted. Alex blinked, breath caught in his throat as the system continued its decree.
«Installing personal skills [Immortal Connection], [Skill Tree Link], [Master's Command], and [Master's Gifts]. Raising the battle power of Sonata Soul Fire, Alexander Zo, by 70%.
The [Soul Binding] is complete.»
"Wooowww," Alex groaned, rubbing his chest. "That weight on my Soul Core is gonna take some getting used to."
As if to test him, his fire vanished in an instant. His wings, tail, and aura all snuffed out, leaving him standing bare in his base form. But his eyes still glowed azure, and the divine edge in his mana signature made the air taste sharper.
Danica leaned close, her azure eyes piercing into his. "This is going to be fun, master. Your true strength is amazing. You'll see."
Her body broke apart into glowing motes of spiritons, dissolving into him piece by piece until nothing remained but the final orb of light sinking into his chest.
When it was done, Alex stood taller, steadier, his soul burning with new confidence. A new demigod was born. The Scarlet Wolf of Velonica had entered the pantheon.
[End of Chapter]
[1] October on Earth
[2] The 3rd Air Cycle of the Year.