Time flowed.

The Flame continued to wane. The Flame continued to fuel itself and burn brighter. In the world outside the desolate expanse of the Shadow Realm, the Age of Heroes flashed with brilliant intensity and slowly drew to an end. Humanity had risen from its humble beginnings, pushing away the darkness of Corruption and conquering the world.

The Kingdom of Hope was swallowed by the light of Sun God and crumbled. The Demon of Desire used the last of her strength to bind the fragments of her shattered kingdom and keep them from plummeting into the ocean of fire, saving those few of her subjects who had survived the calamity. Thus, a new era began... the Golden Age, the Age of Humans.

The gods had already been growing more and more withdrawn from the affairs of mortals. But now, they grew entirely distant. Even the Spirits had become a rare sight, most of them having left for the Divine Realms.

The daemons all but vanished, each obsessed with their own endeavors.

In the void left by the missing divinity, only one god remained — War God, the patron deity of humanity. His avatar still dwelled among humans, ruling the ever-expanding Empire of War. Its legions spread across myriad realms, slowly subjugating them one by one.

But in time, even War God became an unseen presence in his militant empire. In the early years of his reign, the Dragon ruled it personally, establishing laws and leading the conquest — as time went, though, he appeared rarer and rarer, until the War Empire fell almost entirely into the hands of his Sacred emissaries and Supreme priests.

Centuries passed.

In the shattered land that was once known as the Kingdom of Hope, floating islands rested above the dark abyss of celestial flames, connected to each other by enormous chains. This land was ruled by the immortal Chain Lords, who had been personally chosen by Sun God to guard the prison of the Demon of Desire.

At the heart of the Kingdom of Hope, a beautiful city built of white stone sprawled across many islands. It had grown around the cage where Hope was imprisoned — her former stronghold, the Ivory Tower. The chief among her wardens was the ruler of the city, Sun God's own descendant, Lord Sevras — the ivory dragon, Sevirax.

Sevirax was a dutiful warden, so nothing could get past him to enter the Ivory Tower, where Hope was chained.

It was no surprise, then, that the King of Nothing made his way into the great pagoda without ever being seen.

Inside, the breathtaking silhouette of the fallen daemon was kneeling on the floor, caught and immobilized by unbreakable chains. The sight was almost too radiant to endure, too tragic to tolerate.

Mordret hid in the reflections, observing Hope with an aloof detachment.

Waiting.

Eventually, Hope let out an almost inaudible sigh.

Her head shifted slightly, causing the chains to rattle and draw taut, pulling it back.

But Hope endured, looking at the light pouring into the great hall of the Ivory Tower through tall windows.

“You don't have to hide."

Her voice was quiet and subtle, sounding like the rustle of falling leaves.

There was silence for a long while, and then a tall figure was suddenly standing some distance from her, having appeared out of nowhere.

It was a man with strange, mirror-like eyes and a cold expression.

When the Demon of Desire reflected in his eyes, he shivered slightly.

Hope seemed to smile.

"It has been a while since I entertained a guest.”

Her dying voice was no different from the whisper of receding waves.

Mordret lingered for a while, then said evenly:

“I came uninvited, so I hardly constitute a guest.”

Finally, Hope couldn't endure the pull of the chains anymore — or perhaps did not wish to endure it — and her head turned back to its original position.

Her gaze was now directed at the gates of the Ivory Tower, which were destined to remain shut for as long as she looked at them, longing to be free.

“Has my sister sent you? It does not seem like her."

Mordret smiled faintly, then walked to stand in front of Hope once more and shook his head.

“Nobody sent me."

It was easy to imagine why Hope would assume that he was a messenger of Mirage, the Demon of Imagination. His nature was similar to that of the remainder, after all — of the reflections that populated the Great Mirror, who had been created by Mirage. Hope looked at him with curiosity.

After a while, she asked:

“How has the world outside changed?"

Mordret was a little surprised by the question.

He sat on the floor, studied the chained daemon for a few moments, and shrugged.

"It is pretty much the same, I guess."

Then, after some contemplation, he added:

"The gods rarely show themselves to humans now. The daemons have scattered, each pursuing their own ambition. Mirage has withdrawn into her mirror, living out one fantasy after another; Repose has built a city devoid of death in the depths of the Black Skies, populating it with those who earned her favor. Nether has retreated into the Underworld, where he is trying to create something that he is not supposed to create. Ariel is building something in the desert, from what I've heard."

Hope asked:

“What about Weaver? And that child?"

Mordret raised an eyebrow.

“Who can know what Weaver is up to? I certainly don't. I don't know what child you are talking about, either. If you mean Oblivion... I feel like I knew something, but now, I don't remember."

He looked away and sighed.

“It is the Age of Humans out there now. Some call it the Golden Age. The Creatures of Corruption are hard to meet these days, even if they are not entirely extinct. War God's avatar is the only divine authority that remains in the mortal realms, and his empire is steadily spreading. That is about it."

Hope exhaled slowly.

“What about me? Do humans remember me?"

Mordret tilted his head a little.

“They do, of course. They remember you as a villainous spirit who grew prideful and was punished by the gods... a cautionary tale to teach children the perils of arrogance."

He shook his head with a hint of disdain.

“They are still enamored with the sorcery you taught them, though, as well as with everything else you gave them. Their Golden Age would not have been possible without writing, but only a few bother to remember that."

Hope smiled.

“That's good, then. They're using my gifts well."

Mordret looked at her, a hint of surprise surfacing in his mirror-like eyes.

He remained silent for a long while, then sighed.

His gaze grew distant once again.

“I still understand so little.”

Mordret lowered his gaze to the floor, looking slightly dejected.

“I spent countless years living among humans, you know? Observing them patiently. Their hopes, their passions... their fears and sorrows. An eternity spent as a silent observer. At times, I even forgot who I was, confusing myself with the people whose eyes I was using as shelter. But even after all these years, I still fail to understand the world. The truth still eludes me.”

He smiled bitterly.

"I died once while attempting Apotheosis. I thought that this time, I would do it the right way... that after I fathom the depths of humanity, I will be able to leave it behind and become a deity. But I only feel more lost. I don't even know what the purpose of this Nightmare is, let alone how to escape it."

Hope looked at him quietly.

Then, her voice resounded in the great hall again:

“Of course you are lost. After all, a passive observer can never become a god... you've been walking the wrong path this whole time."

Saying that, she chuckled suddenly.

“Not that I know a lot about Apotheosis. I was born a Spirit, no less."

Mordret gazed at her silently.

Eventually, he nodded.

“That was my conclusion as well. So, I ceased my attempts to understand humans and attempted to understand the gods."

His expression darkened slightly.

“But... perhaps because my mind has been painted in the hues of humanity, the conclusion I made after observing deities was nothing like what I had expected."

Hearing that, Hope seemed curious.

“What conclusion was that?"

Mordret faced her and remained silent for a long while.

In the end, he said in an even, calm tone:

"It is that gods should not exist. Their very existence is poison."

But then, he sighed.

“But what can I do? I cannot erase all gods from existence. More than that, the only sure way for me to escape is to become a deity myself. It seems that I have arrived at another dead end."

He contemplated for a while, then smiled ominously.

"So, eventually, I came up with a third plan."

Hope did not seem surprised by his sinister tone.

"Oh?"

Mordret nodded.

"You see, when I was younger, I once harbored an ambition to destroy your soul and take your divine body as my vessel. I am not sure if I could have killed you then, even if you were bound and severely weakened... but I am not the same Awakened youth anymore. I've grown much more powerful, and my bloodline has revealed much more of its latent potential."

He studied Hope with a cold gaze.

"I think... perhaps I can manage that feat now. Killing a god and stealing their body should be helpful if one wants to undergo Apotheosis, don't you think?"

Hope remained silent for a while, then asked:

“Is that why you came? To kill me?"

Mordret remained silent.

Then, he suddenly looked away and laughed bitterly.

"No. I did contemplate killing you, but now I've changed my mind."

His bitter smile slowly drained from his face, and finally, he sighed.

“After all, can godhood really be stolen? Even if it can, it doesn't change anything. The fact of the matter is that I have never taken someone's body... the very idea revolts me. Plus, you have never offended or harmed me, so what reason do I have to kill you?"

A joyless smile illuminated his face.

"I came here merely out of a sense of nostalgia. Meeting you now, face-to-face... feels like a kind of closure. Besides, I don't really have anywhere else to go. I am at another dead end."

Hope gazed at him for a long while.

After the silence between them stretched, she asked:

"Then, do you want a suggestion?"

Mordret raised an eyebrow.

Hope laughed.

“Stay here with me. Keep me company."

Then, she looked down.

“My brother should be somewhere below right now. This island and the one he created are connected by a portal. While you are here, you can try spying on him as well...”

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