"Let's go."
Ouroboros was the first to step through the door and vanish from sight.
Edward glanced at Bernadette.
"You're sure about going in? This might be a one-way trip."
She said nothing, holding Lilith in her arms as she stepped forward—and disappeared as well.
"Well, guess I'm just being overly cautious."
Shaking his head, Edward followed them through the door leading to the Forsaken Land of the Gods.
The instant he passed through, he felt as if the world spun violently. Even his spirituality seemed to tear at the seams.
Fortunately, the abnormal sensations faded within seconds, and everything stabilized.
Edward found himself standing on a beach bathed in twilight.
The sand and stones beneath his feet were pitch black, and deep blue waves rolled in from the distance, lapping rhythmically against the shore—but without making a sound. It was as if even the sea were an illusion.
In the distance loomed a mountain, steeped in the light of dusk. Upon it were frozen countless palaces, towers, and layers upon layers of majestic walls.
Bernadette stood frozen, eyes gleaming with profound light as she stared at those distant buildings.
"This is…the Forsaken Land of the Gods?"
Lilith's eyes flickered with unease and fear. She instinctively wanted to leap into Edward's arms—but remembering she was still mad at him, she hesitated and simply froze.
Thankfully, Bernadette gave her a gentle pat on the back, offering her a bit of comfort.
"…How do we meet the Lord?" Edward asked softly.
Ouroboros suddenly murmured, "The Lord…has arrived."
In the very next moment, a familiar aura descended.
It was dark, filthy, and steeped in corruption and depravity. Edward's scalp tingled instantly.
As for Bernadette and Lilith, they showed immediate signs of losing control from the sheer twisted, polluted nature of the power.
Bernadette gritted her teeth and activated ability after ability upon herself, but none could stop the invasive power of the True Creator.
Her sea-blue eyes filled with pain, yet she did not panic. She prepared to use some of the last-resort items her father had left her—though even she wasn't sure if they would be effective, she had to try.
Edward hastily said, "Lord Ouroboros, could you—"
Before he could finish, Ouroboros vanished, taking Bernadette and Lilith along with him.
A moment later, a pitch-black curtain spread across the sky.
One corner of the curtain slowly lifted, revealing a single vertical eye—black, gloomy, polluted, and insane.
The twisted aura flooding from that eye made it unmistakable:
The True Creator!
Although this polluted divine power didn't cause Edward direct harm, the sheer pressure made his heart pound uncontrollably.
And yet…in that very moment, a reckless idea surfaced in his mind:
What if I activated [Rebuke] right now? What would happen?
No!
The True Creator was already mad and unstable. If he pushed it even further, he might very well provoke it into utterly losing all reason.
A single glance might blast him into oblivion!
As Edward stared up at the True Creator, the god stared back.
The vertical eye beneath the curtain twisted into a dark, deep whirlpool, and a droning voice resonated:
"…At last…I see…you."
"…You…were not…supposed…to come."
Edward: "…"
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
You were the one who had Ouroboros bring me here!
But since he was already here, Edward decided to voice the question that had troubled him ever since he reached Sequence 5 and met Mr. Door, "The uniqueness of the Door pathway…was it you who took it?"
The True Creator paused for a moment.
"Yes…and…no."
What the hell is with this damn vagueness again?!
Edward suppressed his irritation and asked, "Then…why did it appear on me?"
The black vertical eye focused sharply on him, its gaze like a vice.
After over ten seconds of oppressive silence, the True Creator finally said, "It was…an accident."
"…An accident?"
Edward was stunned—but soon let out a breath of relief.
Good. Accident is good.
If even the True Creator says it was unintentional, then it probably was unintentional.
That would mean everything he'd encountered up till now hadn't been orchestrated by someone behind the scenes—at least, not on purpose.
Still…new doubts arose.
What kind of "accident" would allow something like a uniqueness to end up in the hands of someone not even from this world?
"You…know where I come from, don't you?"
This time, the True Creator's reply caught Edward completely off guard:
"…I…do not…know."
"Then why…did you…" Edward faltered. He didn't know how to describe it.
Was it goodwill? Was it something else?
The True Creator answered slowly, "Because…in your hands…was…the Door."
So I only benefited because I held the uniqueness of the Door pathway?
After a pause, the True Creator added, "But…it should not…have ended up…with you. That is why…the other me…wanted…to kill you."
What the f—?!
Edward felt cold sweat gather on his back.
"Then…the uniqueness you obtained from Mr. Door…what did you want it for?"
The vertical eye blinked once. A droning voice sounded again, "To resist…the coming…apocalypse."
What does that have to do with the Door pathway?
"You mean…the Outer Gods?"
The answer was, once again, maddeningly ambiguous, "…Perhaps…"
"But…how can a Uniqueness help you resist the Outer Gods…or the apocalypse?"
The True Creator replied slowly, "That involves…the schemes…of my other self…I…don't fully…know, either."
"…Aren't you both the same person?"
"No…that is…another me."
Edward blinked.
So the True Creator really has split personalities now!?
He scratched his head.
"Then the one who had Lord Ouroboros bring me here…wait—was that your other self?"
"Yes."
"But…I also wanted…to see you…to confirm whether…the Door…truly fell into the hands…of someone beyond…the plan."
"And now you've confirmed it?"
"Mm."
Edward took a deep breath and asked, "Then why didn't you, like your other self, choose to eliminate me—someone who wasn't part of your plan?"
The True Creator was silent for a long moment.
"…The other me…seeks to control…everything…He wants…all things to unfold…exactly according to…His design…But now…an accident…has occurred…Killing you…won't bring the plan…back on track…It would only…throw everything…into chaos…Keeping you alive…may be…the only hope."
Though the words still droned like mutterings, there was a clear logic to them—unlike the insane, incomprehensible ramblings of the True Creator described in the original canon.
Edward couldn't help but wonder in disbelief: What in the world happened to "Him"? How could "He" change this much?
Just then, the black vertical eye behind the curtain was suddenly dyed a thick, blood-red hue.
A wave of malice surged outward, and Edward immediately felt piercing pain as if his entire soul were being stabbed with countless needles.
This wasn't physical pain—it was spiritual.
His heart pounded wildly.
Don't tell me "He's" about to switch back to the version of "Himself" that wants to kill me?!
Thankfully, the crimson hue quickly faded.
The True Creator's voice returned.
"…Leave…here…as soon…as possible."
"I want to leave! Could you…maybe have Lord Ouroboros send us back?"
"Impossible…Ouroboros…cannot leave either…unless…my other self…helps him…But if…the other me…awakens…He will definitely…kill you."
"…Then what do I do?"
"Either…go to the Giant King's Court…meet…Sasrir…and open…the door leading out…or…find Amon…He can…enter and exit…freely…"
Edward froze.
Both those options sound absolutely insane.
Sasrir was, at this point, a remnant—a shell of pure malice. Meeting "Him" would mean preparing for a brutal battle.
As for Amon? That was basically suicide.
"I…must fall asleep…to suppress…my other self…Leave…as soon…as possible…"
As "His" voice faded, the black curtain dropped once more, covering the massive vertical eye. Then, without warning, it rolled upward and vanished entirely—leaving Edward standing alone on the illusory shore, as if nothing had ever happened.
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps approached.
Bernadette came walking over, holding Lilith in her arms.
Ouroboros was nowhere to be seen.
Lilith stared at Edward, worry written all over her face.
"Edward, are you okay?"
He reached out to ruffle her hair with a smile.
"Not mad at me anymore?"
"I am mad! But being mad is one thing—Miss Lilith still cares about you."
"You're the best, Lilith."
She raised her chin proudly.
"That's right!"
Bernadette, meanwhile, said softly, "That angel…left."
Her eyes held a trace of astonishment.
"You really…met the True Creator just now?"
"I did." Edward nodded and sighed. "Good news is, the True Creator doesn't seem hostile to me—for now. Bad news is…we might be stuck in the Forsaken Land."
"That Angel of Fate can't send us back?"
Edward spread his hands helplessly.
"Nope."
He then explained the two methods the True Creator had mentioned for leaving.
Pointing to the majestic palaces and towering walls atop the distant mountain, he said, "That's the Giant King's Court. If we can reach it and open the gate leading out, we should be able to return—oh, and that gate is the same gray-blue one we used to get here. The difference is, that time we came through the dream projection of the Court. What we're seeing now is the real thing."
Bernadette replied, "If this land has been cut off from the world for millennia, it means getting out through that gate…won't be simple."
"Right. There's a King of Angels guarding the gate. He probably doesn't have the power of a full King of Angels anymore, but…it still feels a bit suicidal for the two of us to try. And the journey itself won't be smooth either."
She then asked, "What exactly is your relationship with "Him"?"
Edward scratched his head.
"That's…hard to explain in a few words. In a sense, you could say I'm "His" Blessed. But "His" current state is extremely unstable. When "He's" not lucid, "He" tries to kill me."
Bernadette shot him a glance, clearly sensing he was withholding something.
But she didn't press, and instead changed the subject, "No other way to leave?"
"…Let me try a few things."
Edward dove into his satchel and opened the Vanishing Cabinet.
As expected—just like the first time he entered Calderón—the Vanishing Cabinet couldn't bridge the gap between the Forsaken Land and the "real world."
He then attempted to summon Phoenix.
Still no response.
That leaves just one option—an offering to the Fool.
He remembered how, at the last Tarot Meeting, Alger had proposed letting Little Sun use an item enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm to sacrifice himself to the Fool in order to reach the outside world.
Edward didn't know how that ended.
But since Little Sun hadn't cried for help again, and the Fool hadn't brought it up either, it was likely that Derrick had made it out safely.
Still, Edward suspected that Derrick probably hadn't returned to the real world.
Otherwise, Klein wouldn't have avoided mentioning it completely.
Did the offering fail? Or…did something else happen?
Looks like I'll have to ask the Fool myself.
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.