Aster froze in place, stunned by what he had just heard.
This was the last thing he had expected.
'Are they joking?'
They had tried to kidnap Anna.
They had tried to kill him.
And now—they were asking for his help.
The absurdity of it made something twist inside him.
'Even villains should have some shame.'
The Triskelion watched him in silence, clearly expecting an answer.
As if he would simply say, yes.
After an uncomfortable pause, Aster finally spoke.
"Why should I help you?"
[ Fate ] cleared his throat.
"I apologize for such an unexpected request."
'You dare call that a request?'
Suddenly—
The entire chamber began to tremble.
The walls cracked. Shelves toppled. Books fell and scattered across the floor.
Only the round table and the three phantoms remained untouched.
'An earthquake?'
A brick broke loose from a collapsing wall and shot straight toward Aster's head.
Instinctively, he raised his arm to shield himself.
But—
The brick passed right through him.
It didn't touch him at all.
Confused, Aster looked around wildly.
Everything that fell to the ground vanished upon impact.
The collapsing walls dissolved—revealing something beyond.
Just moments ago, he had been standing in a dark underground chamber.
Now—
He stood in the middle of a dense forest beneath bright sunlight.
'An illusion?'
Despite the change in surroundings, the table and the three phantoms remained exactly as they were—unchanged, ghostlike.
Aster approached a nearby tree and touched it.
His hand passed through the trunk as if it were smoke, briefly distorting before returning to normal.
[ Fate ] spoke.
"Do you recognize this place?"
Aster scanned the forest silently.
Then, in a restrained voice, he answered—
"Yes… I do."
This forest was painfully familiar.
He knew it like the back of his hand.
After all—
He had grown up in the village nestled within it.
Realization struck him.
He turned sharply toward the table.
"Why are you showing me this?" he demanded.
[ Fate ] raised a hand and made a slight motion.
In an instant—
Day turned into night.
The forest darkened into the very night he could never forget.
Aster's nerves tightened.
"I'll ask again! Why are you showing me this?!"
He didn't need to look around.
He remembered that night perfectly.
[ Fate ] gestured once more.
The scenery shifted again—
Now they stood in the center of his village.
Everything was frozen.
Flames hung motionless in the air.
Sparks remained suspended mid-flight.
It was like a painting of destruction.
Aster's eyes searched desperately—
Until they locked onto two figures at the edge of the village.
Himself.
And his mother.
Holding hands.
About to run.
'Damn it… damn it!'
His fists clenched tightly.
He bit down hard and turned toward the phantoms, shouting—
"What do you want?!"
They remained silent.
As if they were deliberately forcing him to relive his suffering.
Finally—
[ Fate ] spoke.
"Pay attention to the demon."
Aster didn't turn.
He remembered Baskervill too clearly to ever forget.
[ Fate ] continued.
"The Baskervill family is one of the three great noble houses of the Demon Realm."
He paused briefly.
"Have you ever wondered… why he specifically attacked your village?"
Aster's fists tightened so hard they should have bled.
But this wasn't his real body.
Only his consciousness existed here.
He lowered his head and breathed deeply.
Yes.
He had thought about it.
Countless times.
Why him?
Then—
Something clicked.
A voice echoed in his mind.
Baskervill's voice.
"If it were up to me, I would have killed you painlessly the moment I caught you. But I can't. I have to take you with me…"
A brief pause.
"…A powerful demon has taken an interest in you."
Only one figure surfaced in Aster's memory.
The Demon King.
Suddenly, [ Origin ] spoke.
"What do you think? How did they know you were living there?"
That question struck him like lightning.
He slowly turned toward the table.
'Who… could have told them?'
[ Fate ] gestured toward himself and the others.
"We know everything."
He paused deliberately.
"Do you want to know who is responsible?"
[ Moment ] leaned forward.
"We can even give you the strength to fight them."
"Do you want it?"
Aster stared at them.
His mind was in chaos.
A thousand thoughts collided inside his head.
None of them felt right.
He couldn't even trust his own thoughts.
Only one thing felt clear.
Their words.
Because his mind was unstable, their logic began to feel like the only stable answer.
He took a step toward the table.
"Yes."
[ Moment ] leaned in slightly.
"Behind all of this… stand demon worshippers."
Aster's eyes widened.
He had heard of them from his master.
Demon worshippers—
A massive secret organization that revered the Demon King as their savior.
A hidden group that aided demonic invasions into the Empire.
'That makes sense.'
[ Fate ] continued.
"With you, we can eliminate them and free humanity."
Suddenly—
A violent pain exploded inside Aster's head.
He doubled over, clutching his skull.
'Not again…'
Yes.
His past-life memories were returning.
But this time—
It wasn't images.
It was voices.
Echoing.
Over and over.
"This is all your fault!" a male voice roared.
"You protected them and made them weak! As long as you exist, they will never grow!"
Then his own thoughts from that time resurfaced—
'What did I do wrong? I only saved people. I helped them. What was wrong with that?'
Darkness swallowed his vision.
He found himself once more beneath a storm-filled sky.
Lightning flashed.
A silhouette stood above him.
The same accusations echoed.
The same hatred.
The same betrayal.
As the figure raised a dagger—
Lightning illuminated the emblem on his chest for a split second.
Then—
The blade plunged into his heart.
Pain.
Silence.
And he was back in the chamber with the Triskelion.
Aster clutched his chest, trying to calm his racing heart.
His breathing was uneven.
His body trembled.
The phantoms watched him closely.
"Are you alright?"
Suddenly—
Laughter filled the chamber.
The phantoms looked at each other, confused.
None of them were laughing.
The sound came from—
Aster.
He lifted his head and burst into loud laughter.
Then he began clapping.
"Bravo. Bravo!" he said, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Another minute, and I might have completely believed you."
The three phantoms fell silent.
"You'll make me stronger, you say?!"
The chamber grew deathly quiet.
Then—
A terrifying aura exploded outward from Aster.
"Filthy bastards! Trying to use me again?! Not this time!"
The sheer pressure forced the phantoms to lean forward over the table.
"Keep your memories and your information. I'll get to the bottom of everything myself."
He turned toward the exit.
"Oh, and one more thing. We'll meet again."
After taking a few steps, he paused.
"Next time… face to face."
With that—
He left.
The moment Aster exited the chamber—
He opened his eyes in his inn room in Obilvor.