Warm sunlight poured endlessly across the realm of the Fertility Goddess.
Fields of gold and pink flowers stretched beyond the horizon while rivers rich with life essence shimmered beneath impossibly blue skies. Massive spirit beasts wandered peacefully through the valleys without fear. Every breeze felt warm. Every scent calmed the mind.
It was the kind of place where people forgot to stay guarded.
That was what made it dangerous.
Hiroy sat beneath a towering white tree near the center of the realm, slowly sharpening his sword while the others rested nearby. Yanita laughed softly with Aria while Kara and Lani argued over which spirit fruit tasted worse. Even Scarlet, usually distant, seemed calmer here.
But Hiroy couldn't relax.
Not fully.
His thoughts kept circling back to the same person.
Shiro.
Every rumor. Every destroyed city. Every survivor story.
None of it matched the boy he grew up beside.
Yet the stories kept coming.
And recently…
two names had joined them.
Frana.
Lilith.
Dead.
Hiroy still hadn't fully processed it.
A soft voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You've been staring at that sword for ten minutes without sharpening it."
Hiroy looked up.
Babylis stood before him beneath the sunlight, long pink hair swaying gently in the wind. Flowers bloomed naturally beneath her bare feet while warm life magic radiated from her very existence.
Beside her stood another woman.
Tall. Elegant. Gentle-eyed.
Rose-colored hair framed soft features while emerald eyes watched Hiroy with quiet sympathy.
"This is Seraphina," Babylis said warmly. "One of my dependents."
Seraphina bowed gracefully.
"It's an honor to finally meet Lady Kyoko's chosen hero."
Hiroy smiled awkwardly.
"You make me sound more impressive than I actually am."
"That humility is why people trust you," Seraphina replied softly.
The girls nearby visibly relaxed around her almost immediately. Even Kara's cautious posture eased.
Seraphina had an almost unnatural gentleness to her presence.
Like someone incapable of cruelty.
Babylis slowly sat across from Hiroy beneath the tree.
For a while, nobody spoke.
Only the wind moved through the endless flowers.
Then Babylis quietly asked:
"You're thinking about your friend again, aren't you?"
Hiroy's grip tightened slightly around the whetstone.
"…Yeah."
Babylis lowered her gaze sadly.
"You still care about him deeply."
"Of course I do," Hiroy answered instantly. "He's my best friend."
The response came naturally.
But something inside him hurt when he said it.
Because lately…
he wasn't sure if Shiro was still the same person.
Babylis remained silent for a few moments before speaking carefully.
"I recently received reports from one of my remaining dependents."
Hiroy looked up immediately.
The Fertility Goddess's expression carried genuine sadness.
"She witnessed the aftermath personally."
The atmosphere shifted subtly.
The girls nearby stopped talking.
Babylis continued quietly.
"The attack that destroyed her nation…" She hesitated softly. "…was led by a dragon-born man wielding destruction magic."
Hiroy's chest tightened immediately.
No.
Babylis's voice remained calm. Never accusatory.
"Two of the victims were Frana and Lilith."
Silence.
The wind itself seemed to disappear.
Yanita's expression broke first.
Scarlet slowly lowered her eyes.
Lani froze completely.
And Hiroy…
Hiroy simply stared.
"…No."
The word barely escaped him.
Babylis closed her eyes gently.
"The survivors described him clearly." Her voice softened further. "They spoke Shiro's name with fear."
The sword slipped slightly from Hiroy's grasp.
His thoughts spiraled violently.
Shiro laughing beside him as children.
Shiro risking himself to protect strangers.
Shiro smiling awkwardly during meals.
And now—
Frana and Lilith were dead.
Killed by him?
No.
There had to be more.
"There was probably a reason," Hiroy said quickly, almost desperately. "Shiro wouldn't just—"
But the sentence died halfway through.
Because recently…
he wasn't entirely sure anymore.
That hesitation spread through the group like poison.
And Babylis noticed.
But she did not push harder.
That was what made her manipulation terrifying.
Gentle pressure. Never force.
"I'm not telling you this to turn you against him," she said softly. "You deserve honesty."
And the horrifying part?
It sounded sincere.
Seraphina quietly looked toward the distant horizon.
"Pain changes people," she whispered. "Sometimes slowly enough that even the people closest to them don't notice."
Hiroy lowered his head.
His thoughts kept replaying everything.
The destruction. The rumors. The attacks.
And now two people he failed to protect were gone.
Killed by the person he trusted most.
Babylis finally asked quietly:
"Hiroy… if someone you love becomes a danger to others…" Her pink eyes met his gently. "…would you have the strength to stop them?"
The question settled deep into his chest.
Not because it sounded manipulative.
Because it sounded reasonable.
That was the true horror.
Hiroy looked down at his trembling hands silently.
And for the first time since arriving in this world…
he could not defend Shiro immediately in his own heart.
Far away, beyond the peaceful fields, hidden at the edge of the realm itself—
another goddess watched silently.
Dark purple hair drifted through endless void.
Lyius.
The Destruction Goddess said nothing.
But fury burned behind her eyes.
Because she understood something Hiroy still didn't.
Shiro was not destroying worlds because he wanted to.
He was drowning.
…and the gods kept calling it fate.
Shiro was not destroying worlds because he wanted to.
He was screaming for help…
…and nobody was hearing him.