The point was that when Kai returned, there was a maid—a servant— and the 118 queens were jealous. Upon returning to the house, Kai walked in and perceived a strange silence. A sense of great danger felt present on all sides. Lyris approached him and said:
—"My lord, the meal is all ready. Shall I serve it to you?" —"Yes, serve me the food," Kai replied.
All his queens were sitting there eating, and none of them had greeted him. There was a very tense atmosphere until one of the boldest, Isabella, said to him: —"Do you think what you're doing is very pretty?" —"Why?" Kai asked. —"First it was Aliarda, and now Lyris." —"No, don't get confused. Aliarda is a queen, and Lyris is my professional personal assistant for the king." —"How 'professional'?" —"Well, she's only going to attend to me, because you all work, including the new queen Aliarda. You all have your occupations and I am alone all day. So, I need someone to serve me food, to make me a coffee, do you understand?" —"Don't try to be funny," Isabella said.
Anya, one of the queens of the Genius Empire, asked: —"What did you do with Lyris? Why does Lyris have a body, and why is the sword like it's dead, just like the shield?"
—"In fact, the shield is a normal weapon now—very magical and very powerful—and so is the sword. But Voraghun and Solarael, who are now named Ernesto and Alicia, live in the South City. Honestly, I'll tell you: Ernesto is in better shape than I am. I could even be envious of that," Kai said.
—"What did you do, Kai?" asked another queen, Anastasya, the daughter of the Fire Emperor. —"What I did was give them a life. Do you know the legend of the demon who fell in love with the angel and the angel who fell in love with the demon?" —"Yes, we know it. It's a very old legend: they both took mortal form and humans killed them in a forest," one queen said. —"That's right. I was told recently and I didn't know the legend. And, believe it or not, that angel and that demon were Voraghun and Solarael."
They were all shocked. —"Seriously?" they asked. —"Yes. I just found out myself, so I gave them the chance to have a life." —"And what happened to your hand?" another queen asked. —"I had to cut my hand a bit so my blood could come out and generate the bodies—for Lyris, as well as for Ernesto and Alicia. That's what they're called now, and they are advisors to the Governor of the South. Ernesto is like a brother to me; he has my last name. And Alicia is his wife and is also a Killerman. So there won't be any problem. They are part of my family, so they will live there. I sent them there because they have been involved with me for a long time, since I was eight years old, and they deserve some privacy. So I sent them far away."
Chaos and the Journey to the Magical Lands
The two most dangerous of the remaining 112 queens, the Princess of the Mercenaries and the Queen of the Axe, told him straight: —"Listen, you idiot," said the Princess of the Mercenaries, "what do you want? To have a thousand women?" —"No, how can you think that! Shut up!" the Queen of the Axe interrupted. "Are you pulling my leg, Kai? Do you want to drive me crazy with how many women?"
—"Look, you aren't competing with anyone," Kai said, "and none of you are competing with anyone. There is a clone for each of you, and I cannot live unified; I have to live multiplied into 118 clones. So I'm not saying there will be 119. I only said there will be 118, and when I am just one, Lyris will attend to me in daily household tasks. I don't see what the problem is."
—"And where is Lyris going to sleep?" asked the Queen of the Lizard, who was already looking at him like she wanted to throw her plate at his head. —"With me," the shameless man replied with a smile.
Infuriated, they began to throw things at him. —"Listen, you aren't behaving like crazy women," Kai told them. —"Shut up!" they shouted, throwing more objects at him, so Kai had to retreat while Lyris began to pick things up.
—"Listen, you're going to make the girl feel offended," Kai said. Lyris stood up and said: —"My master, my King, I have no feelings. I do not know if I will be offended." —"Soon you will be," Kai told her. —"No, my lord. I also serve the queens. So they need things from me, just as you told me at the beginning. One of my directives is also to attend to them."
The queens hugged Lyris. —"See? Now she's going to help us and you're going to be alone all day for trying to be a wise guy," said the Princess of the Church. Everyone laughed, and Kai multiplied himself, wanting to hug them all, but they were angry. The Princess of the Human Kingdom, Sara, took Lyris away. But Kai wanted to talk to Aliarda.
—"Aliarda, I need to talk to you," said the clone, since Kai had multiplied. While Kai and his other clones followed the princesses, this clone remained alone with Aliarda. The joking tone was over. The atmosphere changed. Aliarda's eyes filled with tears.
—"I lied to you because you wouldn't let me be by your side. If I didn't tell you I was your sister or your other half, you wouldn't look at me," Aliarda said. —"I know you don't know me yet, Aliarda, but if I see you have a good heart, I will always take care of you. And I love you. I love you very much. But do not lie to me again," Kai replied. —"Kai, when I lied to you, we weren't a couple. I haven't lied to you for a single minute since then."
Aliarda cried, and Kai hugged her so she wouldn't feel bad. —"You're going to stay here with me all day and we're going to have a long, deep talk."
The Tomb of the Duchess
Meanwhile, elsewhere, the clone of Kai (the one following Sara) was saying to the Princess of the Humans: —"Hey, listen, Lyris has to attend to me." Sara told him: —"Listen, you idiot! You want to be a wise guy with this girl. We know what you want to do. She is a healthy girl who is going to be with us, and we aren't going to let you touch her. Today she'll be with me and tomorrow with another. She will never be with you. What did you think? That we were going to let you do whatever you wanted?" —"Look, Sara, you know I love you very much, but Lyris is one of my toys." —"That girl is not a toy!" Sara shouted and slapped him. She left very angry. "Lyris, I don't want you going near that idiot." —"Yes, my lady. With your permission, my King."
Kai realized that even though Lyris used to be just a tool, she was now a human being. He approached, took Sara in his arms, and said: —"I'm sorry. I understand she is a human being now. My excitement at seeing Lyris free from the ring overcame me. I beg you to forgive me." —"Listen, my love. Lyris has been part of our family for a long time; have a bit more respect. I won't tell you again," Sara stated firmly. —"Alright. I'm sorry, Lyris. Stay with her. I have to go." —"You aren't going anywhere," Sara said. "Where are you going to go if the other clones are with the other queens? You're staying here all day with me and Lyris. We have things to do. We have to go to the kingdom's central castle because you have to go talk to Fausto."
Sara continued: —"Luna doesn't want to talk to her father because he won't tell her where her mother's tomb is." —"I didn't know. Luna didn't tell me that, and she isn't telling me now; she's just hugging me and crying." —"Yes, I know, because she doesn't want to worry you. She doesn't want you getting angry with Fausto Moreno, the Duke. Because Luna's mother was named Marion, the Duchess of the White Warlocks. Kai, it's something very important for all of us. Luna wants to pay her respects, since she died in the war. But we don't know where the tomb is, and Fausto refuses to say. So I am going in person, and you are coming with me. Let's go, please!"
At that moment, they boarded a carriage. The carriage passed through one of the terrestrial portals and they appeared near the Central City. Central City was not the capital of the White Warlocks' kingdom, but it was a city called the Magical Lands: a beautiful, gigantic city where there was an enormous castle, where the ruler of that place was Fausto Moreno, the Duke of the White Warlocks.
The Tragic Truth of Queen Marion
Sarah, Kai, and Lyris arrived at the castle. Sarah told Kai she would stay in the reception area and asked him to go speak with Fausto. Kai headed straight to the ruler of that city. Everyone was stunned to see the King in person; he almost never visited that place. Fausto greeted Kai with great enthusiasm.
—"How are you, Fausto?" Kai asked. —"I am well, my Lord." —"I've come to speak with you about Luna." —"Ah, I know why you're here. Luna is with me in the North City; I'm looking after her." —"The thing is, Sara told me that Luna says you refuse to give her the location of her mother's tomb."
Fausto sat down and gestured to Kai: —"Please, sit. Look, Kai, we the White Warlocks lost everything in the First War against the demons. Everything. Only my daughter was left to me. My wife died right before my eyes. It isn't that I don't want to give my daughter the location of her mother's grave; it's that there is no grave."
»"In one of the final battles against the Demon General, my beautiful wife, Marion, charged into the vanguard with my entire army while I was fighting in the rear to protect the castle and my daughter. She wiped out the entire demon horde in a massive explosion. Her body, the bodies of the demons, and the soldiers were all disintegrated. I will tell you how it happened," Fausto recounted.
—"We were losing. This castle you see, which you rebuilt, was the final bastion of defense on the Peninsula. My wife was the daughter of the legitimate King of the White Warlocks; I married a princess. Seeing her every day made me happy, Kai, but I lost her in my own hands. I failed her. She went out to defend the villagers who were trying to enter the city. The demons attacked the South Gate while she was defending the North Gate. Our soldiers were unable to repel them, and she—known as 'The Witch of the Abyss'—generated a massive explosive spell and disintegrated along with all the enemies."
»"I don't want to tell my daughter that. That is why I've refused to give her the location of the tomb. It simply doesn't exist. That day was the most painful day of my life. Our family has suffered so much; we spent a thousand years locked in a ring. I lost everything: my wife, and now my daughter won't speak to me. I feel a great pain. I don't know why God punishes me so much."
Kai hugged his friend. —"Fausto, you are not alone. Let me ask you: when the explosion occurred, were there several portals open, or just one on the Peninsula?" —"There were small portals where lesser demons were appearing, but they were distance portals, like the ones we use to travel," Fausto answered. —"I see. When it exploded, did your wife disappear along with her army?" —"Actually, the only body we didn't find was hers. We found parts of the soldiers, and when we did the body count, all the soldiers were accounted for. But my wife was at the center of the explosion, and we could never find her. That day I realized that if I lost my daughter, I wouldn't be able to go on living."
—"I understand. Look, Fausto, I need you to tell me the exact spot where the explosion happened." —"Why do you want to know?" —"Just tell me, and I will speak with Luna. Don't worry," Kai stated firmly.
At that moment, Kai asked Sarah to return to the capital immediately and tell the other queens that he would unify that night, but that he would be staying in the city for the time being. Sarah and Lyris left for the North City right away, leaving the Central City.
Fausto guided Kai to the North Gate, the site of the explosion. Kai, with his great skill in combining magic and demonic portals, discovered that a massive amount of residual energy could still be sensed after a thousand years. Marion had used a spell that shattered everything into a thousand pieces without leaving a trace, but Kai had a hunch.
—"I will head back to the North City," Kai told Fausto. "I need you to stay calm. Soon Luna will come to speak with you. Everything will be fine."
Fausto said goodbye to Kai, thanking him deeply for listening.
Mission Preparations
Kai had to head to the North City. His clones unified; no matter how far apart Kai's clones are, they always return to the location of the clone that is in the most comfortable position. In that moment, as he unified, he appeared lying down next to Aliarda, as that clone had been the most comfortably situated.
Kai's Departure
Kai approached Aliarda to inform her of his plans. In a firm but serene tone, he told her he would be away for three days, as he had something important to attend to. Before leaving, he assured her he would say goodbye to all the other queens, but he gave her a special charge:
—"Take care of me," Kai asked Aliarda. "I am leaving the sword, the shield, and the ring under your protection. Guard them well."
He knew that even though Ernesto, Alicia, and Lyris now had human bodies, they remained the essence of his most powerful weapons, and leaving them in Aliarda's care was a sign of ultimate trust. After giving these instructions, Kai prepared to say goodbye to each of his women, getting ready to fulfill the pending task that forced him to stay away for three days.
The Black Knight and the Journey to the Abyss
Kai told his 118 queens that he would be absent for three days because he had a mission. He asked Lyris to look after them, please. In that moment, Kai teleported directly to the Empire of the Nine-Tailed Fox. He headed to an enchanted valley, a lost valley; it is said that the Crowned Beast, the Nine-Tailed Fox, dwells in that cave. In fact, he is one of Kai's masters.
Kai arrived at the site. The Crowned Beast received him in his beast form and said: —"To what do we owe the honor of the Black Knight?" —"I need you to help me," Kai said. —"How can I help you, Kai?" —"I need to go to the Abyss," Kai replied.
—"To the Abyss?" said the Crowned Beast. "Look, Kai, I know you were inside a star and that you have fought interdimensional beings, but going to the Abyss is madness." —"Yes, I know, Master," Kai responded. "But there are people suffering because of something that happened long ago, and one of them is one of my treasures. I need to go to the Abyss."
Then Kai's master, the Nine-Tailed Fox, transformed into humanoid form and told him: —"Listen, boy. I will open a portal to the Abyss, but I cannot bring you back." —"Yes, I know. Don't worry, I will find a way to return," Kai said. —"You could stay there for all eternity," the Crowned Beast warned. —"Yes, I understand," said Kai. "But I will not let her continue to suffer."
The Nine-Tailed Fox, with his tremendous power, opened a portal directly to the Abyss. The Black Knight was about to enter one of the most famous worlds in all of fantasy history.
The Abyss and the Ice CrystalThe Entrance to the Abyss
Kai passed through the portal. As soon as he crossed it, he found himself in a world totally devoid of color; everything his eyes could perceive was shown in a sepulchral black and white. The ground was an infinite wasteland, a barren earth where there were no trees, no life, and no sound. An absolute silence reigned. Kai tried to speak, but his voice was not heard; the very air seemed to devour any attempt at communication. Nothing could be heard, not even his own footsteps on the dead earth.
In the distance, he began to make out colossal figures. Gigantic titans, about fifty meters tall, walked everywhere with heavy and wandering movements. They looked like great beings confined in that dimensional prison, condemned to roam for eternity in that endless void.
Kai walked among the giants. The legends were true: hundreds of angels and demonic stars lived in that place, walking as if in a great prison. Kai only had to dodge being stepped on, because if they did, it would be his end. He walked for kilometers, and during that journey, he saw hundreds and thousands of giants walking.
At one point, he spotted a great city; an abandoned city with a large castle. Kai approached the gates of that city, and it was very similar to the Central City of the White Warlocks. He headed toward the castle. The entire city was destroyed. There was no one on the throne, no one in the houses, no one in the market. It was totally desolate. That place began to make Kai feel as if hope were dying, as if there were no faith and the presence of God did not exist in that place. But his mind was occupied with something else: he wanted to verify something.
He headed toward the north gate of the city. Supposedly, that city was the reflection of the Central City of the White Warlocks. Kai thought: "It might be possible, or maybe not." When Kai reached the north gate of the city, he found a gigantic piece of ice, like a transparent gray crystal, and inside that crystal was a beautiful woman. She looked very much like Luna.
The Goblin's Trade
Kai stayed there for what felt like days to him, seeing how he could get that woman out of there. Meanwhile, the giants surrounded the city, but they did not enter it. Kai did not understand how he could manage to take the girl out. If he broke the crystal, he might alert the giants to his presence and they would attack him, or the woman could be destroyed by Kai's power. He was practically hopeless.
In that moment, a small being approached him. He wore a hat like a goblin's, with long ears like an elf and a long nose like a lying witch. —"Hello, how are you?" the goblin said. There was no sound; they spoke through their minds. —"You speak inside my mind," Kai replied. —"Of course, Black Knight. Why do you enter these territories without permission?" —"I came for this woman," Kai answered the goblin. —"You want the woman in the crystal. She is very famous around here," the goblin said. —"Yes, I want to take her with me." —"And how will you do that? Do you want me to help you?" —"Yes, do you know how I can take her?" —"Yes, I know how. But I don't know if you want to do it," the goblin said with a mischievous look. —"Tell me how," Kai stated. "I will do whatever it takes." —"Like that? You'll do whatever it takes?" —"Yes, whatever it takes," Kai said.
—"Very well. I will let the woman go with you to your land. But you have to bring me my pot of gold." —"Your pot of gold?" —"Yes, my pot of gold," said the goblin. —"Where is your pot of gold?" Kai asked. —"My pot of gold is in Hell, in the Seventh. If you go and bring it to me, I will let this woman go with you. What do you say, White Warlock?" —"Fine, but I don't know how to get to the Seventh Hell. You'll have to help me get there." —"Don't worry," the goblin said, "I will open a portal for you to pass through."
Then Kai saw a red portal open behind him. —"Listen, boy. You have three hours to bring my pot. If you don't bring my pot in those three hours, the portal will close and no one will get you out of Hell," the goblin warned.
And Kai crossed the portal toward a new world: The Seventh Hell.
The Seventh Hell and the Trade of Sins
Kai crossed the portal, but the scene was vastly different from the Abyss. He found himself in a world much like his own; a normal planet, filled with animals and birds. He walked until he reached a village.
The village was inhabited by humanoid demons, similar to those he had eliminated in the war, but these appeared friendly. Seeing a foreigner, the children approached him with curiosity.
—"Hey, who are you?" the children asked. —"My name is Kai Killerman," he replied. —"So, you're not from here, Kai. Why are you in this place? Foreigners are forbidden in the Seventh Hell!" —"Let me ask you a question, boy: why do they call this place the Seventh Hell?" —"This is where souls come who repented but did not choose Heaven. So we become demons, we have children, and we can live here." —"I see. So, that means this is a planet, right?" —"Yes," the boy nodded. —"Have you happened to see a pot of gold?" Kai asked him. —"Yes, the Duke has a pot of gold. They say he took it from a goblin, and the goblin comes every day to ask for it back." —"And where is the Duke's house?" —"The Duke lives in a castle in the valley, but I recommend you don't go. He kills everyone he doesn't like. If he sees you are not to his liking, you will die, Kai." —"I understand, boy. Don't worry."
Kai then turned to the villagers: —"I have a question: which is the way? I will pay with gold for the information." —"Kai, gold doesn't work here," they answered him. "Deals are the currency here. If you need information, you must give me something in return." —"And what can I give you?" —"Give me your joy." —"I will take you to the Duke's house," another villager interrupted, "if you give me your greed." —"So, people's sins and pleasures are the currency of Hell," Kai concluded.
—"Actually, gold works too," the villager clarified, "but you are not from here. You are a human, a living mortal treading upon a world of immortals. I'll tell you one thing: walk down that path, human, because if the soldiers see you, they will murder you."
Kai listened to the warning and headed directly to the castle. He crossed a lush, flowering forest, much like the Forest of Elves, until he reached a mansion that looked like an abandoned castle. Before he could knock, the door opened. He was met by a pale man with long ears and purple eyes; his gaze was cold, but heavy with sadness.
—"Who are you, sir?" the man asked. —"Forgive me for disturbing you at this hour, but I am looking for the Duke of these lands," Kai replied. —"My name is Abriel," the man greeted him. "I am the demonic Duke of these lands."
The Exchange: A Double Mission
—"How are you, Lord Duke? My name is Kai Killerman." —"So you are a Killerman?" the Duke said. "Then, is Legion your father?" —"Actually, Legion is my adoptive father. He gave me his name. But I haven't come for that. I've come to speak with you, if you have a moment."
The Duke led him into his home, where beautiful demonic maids served coffee. They sat down, and Kai was able to drink peacefully.
—"I came because a goblin told me his pot was in the Seventh Hell, and I need that goblin to do something for me. If I bring him his pot of gold, he will do the favor I asked. The villagers say you have it. I wanted to know if there was any way you could give it to me."
Duke Abriel sighed: —"I already know who you're talking about. You mean that trickster who took my beloved and hasn't returned her." —"Your beloved?" —"Yes. The Seventh Hell is for people who, though they do not believe in God, behaved well when they were mortals. They are not sinners or bad people; they are generous, but they have no faith. That is why we fall here. It is a fantastic world where we can have a life, with the difference that here, emotions are what hold the most value. And that goblin deceived me: he told me he could give my beloved happiness, but what he really did was steal her."
—"And how did he do that?" Kai asked. —"That wretch promised me happiness if I gave him the 'love of my life.' I thought he meant the emotion, but he tricked me and took the woman I love. He brought me nothing but misfortune. That is why I went to his house and stole the pot of gold, but that pot has no power of its own. That is why he sent you here. I assume he told you that you have three hours before the portal closes." —"Yes, that's what he told me." —"I suggest you go back the way you came, because if that portal closes, you won't be able to leave this place, boy." —"I understand," Kai said, "but I need to take the pot. You say he has your beloved; if I bring her back to you, will you give me the pot? Where is she?"
—"Listen to me, I don't know why you are doing this, but if you trust that goblin, you will regret it," the Duke warned him. —"I've dealt with people like him before, don't worry." —"My beloved is locked in a cave, protected by a gigantic monster, a demon from the Tenth Hell. I cannot defeat him. He has my beloved in a cell protected by magic. The goblin sold her to that demonic monster." —"And how strong is this demon?" —"He is stronger than an Archdemon." —"I see," Kai said. "Tell me where he is. I will bring your beloved back to you, and you give me the pot of gold. What do you say?" —"I don't think you have enough time, but I will tell you the place: it is at the end of the valley. That cursed monster sleeps there."
Kai said goodbye to the Duke and set off at great speed toward the valley. His time was running out.
The Strength of the Black Knight
Kai reached the cave: a massive cavern teeming with bats. He felt the ground tremble beneath his feet; it was the presence of a vast and powerful demon. Supposedly, this being was more powerful than the four archdemons Kai had faced when he was sixteen.
"If I don't beat this one, I won't beat anyone," Kai thought. He knew he didn't have his weapons in this place, so he would have to rely solely on his hands.
The demon spotted him and roared: —"What do you want, loathsome human? I know... do you want to serve as my toothpick?" —"No," Kai said. "I've come for the girl."
The girl was locked in a magic cage. She was a very beautiful woman, but she remained in a deep sleep; the demon had not harmed her. The monster roared in a fury: —"What are you doing looking at my treasure? She is my ornament, a lamp that provides me light in the darkness. Cursed human! I will take you to the Tenth Hell, and there we will tear the skin from your body, bone by bone."
The demon attacked with his great mace. Kai vanished from his spot, but the beast was so fast it managed to intercept him with a blow. Upon impact, Kai was smashed against the mountain. However, in that precise moment, he understood something that filled him with happiness: he was immensely stronger than that monster.
Kai moved so fast the demon lost sight of him. With a single strike, the creature's head was torn from its body; the Black Knight had executed the monstrous demon. With two swift movements, he shattered the magic cage, took the unconscious girl in his arms, and headed at great speed toward the Duke's mansion.
Upon arrival, Abriel embraced his beloved, and she woke in his arms. —"I have brought your woman back. I expect you to keep your word," Kai stated.
Abriel, aware that this boy was not weak, ordered his maids: —"Deliver the pot of gold to him immediately!"
When Kai tried to lift the pot of gold, it weighed as much as an entire planet. His feet sank into the ground under the pressure. He couldn't understand how those girls had been able to lift it. —"Are your maids that strong?" Kai asked, astonished. —"It's not that. You are a mortal, and what you are lifting is the weight of immortality," the Duke replied.
The Weight of Immortality
—"What do you mean, the weight of immortality?" Kai asked, struggling. —"Don't you realize, mortal? We are already dead. You are trying to lift the pot of the Guardian of the Gate of Life and Death. That fellow who spoke to you is no goblin; he is the one who opens the gates for the deceased, and his pot is the gate itself. You are carrying the weight of all immortality. To us, it isn't heavy because we are already dead, but for a living man like you, every step is an agony."
Abriel let out a mocking laugh. —"You have barely ten minutes left. Do you think you can make it in time? The portal is about forty kilometers from where you came. Poor soul; you will be stuck here. Thank you for what you did, but I will not help you."
Kai then understood the magnitude of the challenge. The pot was the doorway between worlds. He tried to move forward; one step, and he sank. Another step, and he buried himself again. In one minute, he barely managed to cover ten meters. He set the pot on the ground, realizing he would never make it at this pace. Five minutes remained.
Then he remembered the words of his master, the Nine-Tailed Fox: "Kai, your power will return. Your great power will return; you must only let it be."
Kai concentrated within himself and faced the great dark void that Aliarda had left inside him. Suddenly, a small light began to grow in his chest until it became one of the most massive suns in the universe. When Kai's eyes recovered that blue fire he had lost when he ran out of energy, he lifted the pot as if it were a feather.
With supernatural speed, he covered the distance and arrived just in time. He crossed through the portal and delivered the pot to the goblin. In that instant, the portal to Hell closed behind him.
The Betrayal of the Guardian of the Gate
The goblin looked at him with malice. —"Interesting, boy. You may take the woman. But I must tell you something." —"What is it?" Kai asked. —"You entered this place without permission. I am the one who grants it; I decide who enters Heaven, who enters Hell, and who enters the Abyss. And I don't recall giving permission to either you or that woman."
—"You gave your word," Kai stated firmly. "I brought you your pot. Do you have no honor?" The goblin stared at him. —"Yes, I have my word, and I will respect it. You may take the woman; she shall leave, but you shall stay." —"You gave me your word," Kai repeated, keeping his calm. —"I gave my word that she could leave; I never gave my word that you would leave," the goblin mocked.
—"Fine," Kai said. "Open the portal." Kai touched the goblin's shoulder and added: —"I already know where I want you to open it." —"Boy, do not touch me!" the small creature hissed.
The goblin sent Marion, Luna's mother, directly to the beach house. At that instant, the woman appeared unconscious at the entrance. Lyris, who was at the door waiting for her master, immediately called the queens. The 118 women rushed out to meet the stranger. Luna's eyes filled with tears as she recognized her; it was her mother. They immediately brought her into the house, laid her on a sofa, and tried to wake her while Luna wept inconsolably.
Meanwhile, in the Abyss, Kai said to the goblin: —"You are quite the trickster, little man, but I respect you. A deal is a deal." —"Do you want to leave this place? I have a deal for that too," the goblin proposed. —"And what would that be?" —"I want you to give me the sword you keep in your house."
—"No. No deal," Kai answered flatly. —"Why not?" —"Because that sword belongs to me, and I do not negotiate what is mine. If you want me to help you with something, I will, but I do not trade my belongings with anyone," Kai declared. —"Do you think you intimidate me, warlock?" —"No, I don't think I intimidate you. But I am strong enough to kill you."
—"Poor boy. Do you think that because you have the power of a star in your chest, you can be a rival to me?" In that moment, the goblin began to transform into a gigantic demon, just like the titans wandering through the Abyss. —"Listen, boy. Speak to me with more respect. For your insolence, you shall stay here forever," the demon roared before vanishing. Kai found himself stranded in the Abyss, alone and without knowing how to get out.
The Lost Queen and the Urgency
At the beach house, the 118 women were shocked by Marion's magical appearance. One of the queens with medical knowledge used a strong lotion to wake the woman. Marion opened her eyes with a start and, with tears on her face, asked: —"Luna! Is it you?" —"Mom!" Luna cried out, embracing her.
It was a moving scene; Luna's last memory of her was from when she was seven years old. However, Marion cut through the weeping with urgency: —"Luna, listen to me, we have no time. We have to bring your husband back. The Black Knight saved me from the clutches of the Guardian of the Abyss, but now the Guardian will not let him leave. We must open a doorway to the universe. I need each and every one of you to help me bring him back. If not, he will spend eternity inside the Abyss."
—"How did Kai bring you here?" everyone asked, distressed. "Where is our husband?" In that moment, they all understood the gravity of the problem. They could not leave him there, or they would never see him again.
The Sacrifice of the AI and Marion's Spell
Marion, a witch of about forty-five years, spoke to them with authority: —"Listen to me, girls. There is a ritual we can perform to bring the Warlock back. I need all of you to take each other's hands—everyone who shares a close bond with him. I will not join the circle because I do not possess that bond, but each of you does."
They all took hands, forming a vast circle in that immense hall. Marion looked at Lyris and gestured to her: —"You too. Join hands, for you hold an immense love for your master."
All the queens fixed their eyes on Lyris. —"Seriously?" Lyris asked, confused. "I... I feel nothing." —"Take her hand," Marion insisted.
In that moment, the 119 women closed the circle. Marion, standing in the center, began to channel a magic of immense power. None of those present had ever seen so much magical energy concentrated in a single person. However, something was wrong; the spell failed to stabilize.
—"I cannot perform the spell if you are not sincere," Marion declared. "One of you is not being honest with her own heart." —"I have always told my love that I love him!" they almost all exclaimed in unison. —"All but one," said Queen Sara, fixing her gaze on the AI. "Lyris! You must say whether you love Kai or not." —"I don't... I don't have feelings," Lyris stammered.
Then Marion approached, took her hands, and spoke with sweetness: —"Listen to me, little one. I know it is difficult and painful to love someone you believe does not love you, or someone you feel you can never have. But we are here for love. We are trying to bring back the man you love so fiercely from one of the coldest places in the universe. You must understand: no one here is going to judge you."
The other 118 queens remained in absolute silence. They were about to hear what an Artificial Intelligence truly felt for her creator. At that moment, Lyris began to cry; tears began to roll down her cheeks.
—"It's just that... I don't think anyone cares what I feel," Lyris confessed. Sara stepped forward and hugged her tightly: —"We all care. You are part of our family; you have always been. You knew Kai before any of us did; you are the one who loves him most and the one who has always looked after him. Just say what you feel for him."
Finally, Lyris spoke: —"When I was born, I was born from Kai's power. Back then, he was just a nine-year-old boy. I watched him grow, I watched him rejoice, and I watched him suffer. I dedicated myself to caring for him day after day while he ran among the animals. I saw how he gathered his gold and how he made friends all over the world; I saw that his smile made others happy. At first, I thought what I felt was a programming of my system... a kind of maternal instinct."
She paused, letting the tears flow. —"But then I saw him become a man. He fought demons in the war when he was just a sixteen-year-old boy. Thin, with barely any muscle, but standing tall against great hordes with incredible courage. He would raise his sword, take hits, be knocked down, and he would always get back up. I never understood why he did such inconsistent things or why humans didn't appreciate life, but I learned to live through him. I learned to love him as a man."
Lyris continued, her voice breaking: —"I felt a deep sadness being trapped inside a ring, watching as the love of my life could never be with me. Until a few days ago, when he sacrificed his blood to give me this body. I was so excited I didn't want him to see me cry. His smile was like a sun. I love him with all my heart."
Marion squeezed her hands: —"We will bring him back."
In a sea of tears, the 119 women strengthened their union. Marion began the final incantation. —"I will bring him back to the Universe, but I do not know where he will fall. It will be up to him to return home, but at least he will not spend eternity in the Abyss."
The powerful Witch of the Abyss executed the spell using their collective energy. In the freezing, gray world where he was trapped, Kai suddenly felt a warm and loving energy surround him completely. In a flash, he was teleported to a rock on a dead planet somewhere in the remote reaches of the cosmos. Kai understood that someone had saved him, but now he was stranded in the vastness of the stars.