Warm sunlight poured endlessly across the divine realm of the Fertility Goddess.
Fields of golden grass and blooming pink flowers stretched farther than the eye could see, swaying gently beneath impossibly blue skies. Rivers overflowing with life essence shimmered across the valleys while massive spirit beasts wandered peacefully among the hills without fear of predators or war.
It was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
The kind of place that made people lower their guard without realizing it.
And that was exactly why Hiroy couldn't fully relax.
He sat beneath a towering white tree near the center of the realm, slowly running a whetstone across his sword. The metallic scraping echoed softly beneath the peaceful breeze.
Nearby, the others rested quietly.
Yanita sat beside Aria beneath the flowers, the two speaking softly while sunlight danced across their hair. Kara and Lani argued loudly over which spirit fruit tasted worse while Scarlet leaned silently against the tree, pretending not to listen despite clearly judging both of them internally.
It should've felt peaceful.
Normal.
But Hiroy's thoughts refused to settle.
Every rumor.
Every destroyed nation.
Every survivor story.
They all kept leading back to one person.
Shiro.
And no matter how hard Hiroy tried…
the stories were becoming harder to deny.
Especially after hearing two names repeated over and over recently.
Frana.
Lilith.
Dead.
The whetstone stopped moving.
A soft voice interrupted the silence.
"You've been staring at that sword for several minutes without sharpening it."
Hiroy looked up.
Babylis stood before him beneath the glowing sunlight, long pink hair flowing softly behind her while flowers bloomed naturally wherever her bare feet touched the ground. Warm life magic radiated gently from her body, wrapping the entire area in comfort.
Beside her stood another woman.
Tall.
Elegant.
Rose-colored hair framed calm features while emerald eyes carried an almost unnatural kindness.
"This is Seraphina," Babylis said warmly. "One of my dependents."
Seraphina bowed gracefully.
"It's an honor to finally meet Lady Kokono's chosen hero."
Hiroy smiled awkwardly.
"You're making me sound way more important than I actually am."
Seraphina's smile softened.
"That humility is why people trust you."
The strange part was…
everyone relaxed around her instantly.
Even Kara's normally guarded posture eased slightly.
Seraphina's presence felt safe.
Like she genuinely couldn't hurt anyone.
Babylis slowly sat across from Hiroy beneath the massive white tree.
For a while, nobody spoke.
The wind carried flower petals quietly through the air.
Then Babylis finally 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."
The answer came instantly.
"Of course I do. He's my best friend."
But the moment the words left his mouth…
something hurt inside his chest.
Because lately…
he wasn't sure if Shiro was still the same person anymore.
Babylis remained quiet for several seconds before speaking again.
"I recently received reports from one of my remaining dependents."
The atmosphere shifted subtly.
Yanita stopped speaking.
Scarlet slowly lifted her eyes.
Even Lani went silent.
Babylis continued carefully.
"She witnessed the aftermath personally."
Hiroy's chest tightened immediately.
No…
The Fertility Goddess's expression carried genuine sadness.
"The attack that destroyed her nation…" She hesitated softly. "…was led by a dragon-born man wielding destruction magic."
Silence.
The wind itself seemed to stop.
"Two of the victims were Frana and Lilith."
The whetstone slipped from Hiroy's fingers.
It hit the grass soundlessly.
Yanita's face immediately paled.
Kara lowered her head slowly.
Lani froze completely.
And Hiroy…
Hiroy just stared.
"…No."
The word barely escaped him.
Babylis closed her eyes gently.
"The survivors described him clearly." Her voice remained soft. Careful. "They spoke Shiro's name with fear."
Hiroy's thoughts spiraled violently.
Shiro laughing beside him during training.
Shiro getting irritated over stupid things.
Shiro risking his life for strangers without thinking twice.
Shiro awkwardly trying to comfort people despite being terrible at it.
And now—
Frana and Lilith were dead.
Killed by him?
No.
No, something was wrong.
"There had to be a reason," Hiroy said immediately. Too quickly. Almost desperately. "Shiro wouldn't just—"
The sentence stopped halfway through.
Because recently…
he wasn't entirely sure anymore.
That hesitation poisoned the silence around everyone instantly.
And Babylis noticed.
But she never pushed harder.
That was what made her terrifying.
She didn't manipulate with force.
She manipulated with understanding.
"With honesty," she said softly. "I'm not telling you this to turn you against him."
And somehow…
it sounded sincere.
Seraphina looked quietly toward the endless flower fields stretching beyond the horizon.
"Pain changes people," she whispered softly. "Sometimes slowly enough that even the people closest to them don't notice until it's too late."
Hiroy lowered his head.
Every memory felt heavier now.
Every rumor sharper.
And underneath it all—
guilt.
Because if Shiro really had fallen that far…
then where had Hiroy been?
Babylis finally asked the question carefully.
"Hiroy… if someone you love became a danger to others…" Her pink eyes met his gently. "…would you have the strength to stop them?"
The question buried itself deep into his chest.
Not because it sounded manipulative.
Because it sounded reasonable.
That was the horrifying part.
Hiroy stared silently at his trembling hands.
And for the first time since arriving in this world…
he couldn't immediately defend Shiro in his own heart.
Far away from the peaceful fields…
at the outer edge of the Fertility Realm itself…
another goddess watched silently from within endless darkness.
Long dark-purple hair drifted weightlessly through the void around her.
Lyius.
The Destruction Goddess.
Fury burned behind her eyes.
Not at Hiroy.
Not even at Babylis.
At the gods themselves.
Because unlike everyone else…
she understood the truth.
Shiro was not destroying worlds because he wanted to.
He was drowning.
Every loss.
Every manipulation.
Every death.
Every god pushing him toward becoming their perfect weapon.
And the cruelest part?
Whenever he screamed for help—
the gods called it destiny.
Lyius slowly closed her eyes.
"…Hold on a little longer," she whispered into the void softly.
Because somewhere across countless worlds…
her son was still fighting not to become the monster everyone already believed he was.