The chamber of gold shimmered faintly. Midas sat at its center, hands clasped, his head bowed as though in prayer. Midas was calculating, weighing, and twisting the future into numbers that no other could see.
Midas (muttering): "Harlekin… gone. The jester's flame was snuffed in Vanterra. This… changes everything."
On the marble floor, intricate golden runes pulsed faintly as his eyes traced them. Possibilities folded and collapsed around him like cards in a rigged deck. Each time he tried to map the flow of power, Harlekin's absence pulled at the equation like a broken tooth.
Midas: "A string has been cut. And where a string snaps, a storm follows."
The doors creaked. Wind pooled in unnaturally, sliding across the golden light. From the mass, a figure emerged—tall, cloaked, a neon-lit mask covering half his face. Ravenous.
Ravenous (grinning faintly): "You look troubled, Master. Does the death of a clown… weigh so heavily?"
Midas didn't look up. His voice remained calm, cold.
Midas: "Every death matters when the board shifts. Harlekin's presence, however chaotic, was an anchor. His removal speeds the fire."
Ravenous approached, boots crunching over the etched floor. From his cloak he drew a small holopat, tossing it lazily toward the golden dais. It lit up instantly, projecting burning towers, the proud spires of Akehiro Capital dissolving into ash.
The screams of the Kagetsu Kingdom filled the chamber.
Ravenous (mockingly): "If you seek a storm, here's one. The Akehiro capital and the Taketa clan burn tonight. Null and Goliath are…making sure of it."
Midas's eyes flicked to the flames, a momentary crack in his composure. Then silence. Only the soft hum of the projection.
Midas: "So the capital falls. The Taketa heir will return to the fire. Threads converge faster than even I predicted."
Ravenous tilted his head, sharp teeth flashing under the mask. His grin was hungry, but his eyes—if Midas had looked close enough—carried something older, heavier. Memories not his own, pressing at the edges. Zorath's memories, pulsing in his skull like a curse.
Ravenous (to himself, too soft for Midas): "Ashes… just like before."
Midas: "What was that?"
Ravenous shook his head.
Ravenous: "Nothing, master. Just admiring your golden visions."
Midas ignored the barb. He stood, his golden mantle cascading over the floor.
Midas: "Harlekin's death and Akehiro's destruction will ripple through every throne and every shadow. The war is inevitable now. Which means phase one cannot wait. We must secure the Heavenly Awakening."
Ravenous raised a brow.
Ravenous: "The one marked by heaven?"
Midas: "Yes. He is the piece Null cannot be allowed to play. Without the Heavenly Awakening, Null's dream ends in dust. With it… he conquers."
Ravenous (mockingly): "And with it in your hand, you think you'll outplay him."
Midas turned, golden eyes blazing.
Midas: "Not think. Know. Null is a being that shouldn't even exist, like a glitch in the system. One that I can't calculate; the best way to handle something like that is to observe and control. If that doesn't work…destroy."
Ravenous smirked, but his jaw tightened when the memories stirred again—whispers of Zorath's will pressing against his own, a shadow behind his thoughts. He forced the grin wider, hiding the crack.
Meanwhile…
Elara's hands gripped the balcony railing, knuckles white, eyes locked on the horizon where Ichiro's hoverjet had vanished. The city below blazed with neon, but her thoughts were far darker.
Henry came up behind her quietly. He had barely spoken since Ichiro's departure.
Henry: "You're shaking."
Elara didn't turn.
Elara: "Not from fear. From anger."
Henry: "At Ichiro?"
She turned then, eyes sharp.
Elara: "At everything. At Harlekin's death, at Akehiro burning, at us sitting here waiting for the next thing to happen."
Henry flinched at Harlekin's name.
Henry: "Emilia said it herself. His death proves they're vulnerable. That means—"
Elara (cutting in): "It means this is our chance. Don't you see? A Reaper is dead. The Soul Reapers are not gods, Henry. They bleed, they break, and they die. If there's ever a moment to strike, it's now."
Henry looked away, conflicted.
Henry: "The others won't agree."
She stepped closer, lowering her voice.
Elara: "Then forget the others. You and me, Henry. We take action ourselves. We don't wait for them. We move."
Henry blinked, caught off guard.
Henry: "Elara… alone?"
Elara: "Why not? We've faced Reapers before. I've seen what you can do. And I…" She hesitated, then pushed through. "I can't stand still while my brother rots in their claws, being part of them. You know that."
Henry: "It's suicide."
Elara: "So was fighting the black halo, so was Transylvania, and you still went."
The words cut him. He remembered the graves they left behind, the blood, and the losses. He clenched his fists.
Henry: "I won't drag you into something like that."
But Elara's eyes burned with something fierce.
Elara: "Then let me drag you. Because if we don't act, Henry, they'll take everything. Your Awakening. My brother. The world. Don't you feel it? The turning point is here. And if we don't move, we'll lose it forever."
Henry stood frozen. He wanted to refuse. To argue. But her conviction gnawed at him, louder than his doubts. Finally, he let out a breath.
Henry: "Damn it… fine. Just us. But if this gets you killed—"
Elara (cutting in, softer): "It won't."
Back in the chamber…
Midas pressed his palm to the runes. His calculations unfolded into golden light, weaving endless spirals. He saw kingdoms burning, thrones falling, and blood soaking streets in cities far beyond Vanterra. He saw Henry, radiant as a star, a weapon none had wielded since the Era of Legends.
Midas (quietly, to himself): "Yes. The war comes. And with it… the chance to unseat Null once and for all."
Behind him, Ravenous leaned against the wall, arms folded. The whispers of Zorath clawed at his mind. Memories of wars he had never fought, betrayals he had never lived. He clenched his jaw, biting back the cracks.
Ravenous (thinking): I'm not a puppet… I'm not.
But aloud, his voice was as smooth and humble as ever.
Ravenous: "So, Master. What's the play?"
Midas turned, golden fire burning in his eyes.
Midas: "The play is simple. Secure Henry Dreherg. Claim the Heavenly Awakening. And let the world see that the Soul Reapers do not serve Null—they serve me."
The golden flames flared, shadows writhing at their edges. Ravenous smiled, but deep inside, he knew Midas was blind to one truth:
Harlekin's death had not only broken the Reapers' balance.
It had broken the future itself.