Cyper studied the red crown in silence, as he knew a few things about this artifact…

It may not be related to the Time Artifacts that he was familiar with, but he was still doing a lot of missions given by the Timeless King and encountered artifacts similar to the crown.

After a few moments, he exhaled softly.

"It's no ordinary relic, my Lord. The Red Crown isn't just a vessel of resurrection… It's anchored between two points in time. One in the present, the other in an older era."

Vale got even more confused.

Just who is this Mennena… She's getting more and more mysterious!

"There's a temporal anchor… So destroying it would cause a rupture…"

"Exactly." Cyper nodded. "If we break it, the residual energy will seek its other anchor and may tear through space-time itself. It would cause a backlash powerful enough to disturb the entire Shadow Domain, or worse, draw attention from an unwanted entity..."

Vale frowned slightly, then sighed. "Then we stabilize it for now."

Cyper raised both hands, invoking his control over time...

Soon, a ripple of condensed Time Energy flowed outward, layering the Red Crown in slow-turning temporal rings.

The chains of shadow reacted to the stabilization, tightening it completely until the crown was no longer moving…

Gradually, the oppressive aura faded, though it never truly vanished.

After a long silence, Cyper exhaled…

"There. Its temporal link is neutralized… temporarily. I recommend you keep it sealed within a space it can't influence."

Vale nodded in approval. "Good. I'll keep it in my personal vault."

He waved his hand, and the air behind him tore open… It was the Shadow Gate. The chained crown was pulled inside, as if swallowed by darkness itself.

"Keep an eye on temporal fluctuations in the coming days… I offended the Chaos Immortals and Mennena." Vale said.

"Understood, my Lord," Cyper replied with a bow before quietly exiting the chamber.

***

The next day, Vale sat in his study.

The atmosphere was calm, but his mind was not. Mennena's name echoed in his thoughts again and again.

He knew too little.

"Magnus," Vale called.

Moments later, Magnus appeared, bowing respectfully. "My Lord."

Vale thought for a moment before he asked. "What do you know about Mennena?"

Magnus paused for a moment as he was caught off guard by the question. Nonetheless, he immediately recalled all the information bout her…

"Mennena, the Arch Fey?"

"Yes. All I know is that she once appeared as a mirror spirit… An entity that answered questions in exchange for Arcane Energy. She was harmless, or so everyone thought." Vale's gaze grew distant.

"Back then, students often summoned her through mirrors in the Academy. I even saw her a few times. Her answers were never wrong. Helpful, even."

Vale recalled his time in the Academy and how Mennena suggested what path they should take.

Magnus nodded slowly. "I recall hearing similar stories. But the mirror's spirit vanished after a few years, did it not?"

"Right. We assumed she simply faded away."

Magnus's brows furrowed as he turned toward the shelves within his Storage Ring…

After some time, he pulled out a black-covered book that had been sitting untouched for decades.

"I might have something," he said, setting it down on the table.

"This is The Forgotten Fey Codex. It mentions an entity named Mennena. This is probably her long before she became known as a mirror spirit."

Vale's attention was caught. This was important. Unfortunately, the language within the book wasn't something he could read, so he allowed Magnus to just summarize it for him.

Magnus began to read aloud an important part. "It says here that Mennena was once one of the First Celestial Beings of this world. A fragment of light born directly from the primordial core of the realm itself, before even the gods of the churches descended. She… served as a caretaker of balance, a consciousness that observed reality's reflection through every mirror or lake…"

He flipped a few more pages as he couldn't help but feel concerned. After a few pages and learning them, he swiftly informed Vale.

"The record changes later on. Mennena's desire for knowledge turned into obsession. She started believing that reflections were not just illusions, but alternate truths. It's written here that she sought to become the 'Mirror of the Realm,' an entity that could replace the Will of the World itself."

Vale froze…

He didn't expect such a huge secret…

"Replace the Will of the Realm… That explains her connection to Void and Chaos. A being that reflects all realities but belongs to none."

Magnus nodded. "Exactly. The text ends abruptly after that, but it suggests she was sealed, or perhaps fragmented, before she could complete her ascension."

Vale's gaze turned toward the spot where he summoned his Shadow Gate…

"So, that crown… was meant to rebuild her vessel…" he murmured. "And if she had succeeded, she wouldn't have been just an Arch Fey anymore…"

Magnus finished softly, "…she would've become something closer to the creator of this Realm."

Vale's expression darkened further. "Or worse… replace the Will of the Realm."

After a long pause, Vale finally spoke again.

"Keep this between us for now. I'll investigate what ties the Chaos Immortals have with her resurrection. If they truly tried to revive the Will's usurper. Then this world is heading toward another collapse. We'll have to end them."

Magnus bowed deeply. "As you command, my Lord."

And as Magnus departed, Vale sighed as he could only pray for his original body to return already.

***

Vale had barely set his pen down when a sudden fluctuation of energy passed through the Shadow Domain's borders.

It wasn't violent. Rather, it was deliberate.

A presence appeared beyond the domain, just at the edge where Vale's influence stretched thin.

He stood up immediately as he confirmed that it had Divinity…

'Let me handle it..' Vale muttered, talking to other immortals who also sensed the presence.

Without wasting time, Vale vanished from his study and reappeared at the outer edge of the Shadow Domain.

Soon, he found a lone figure waiting for him…

Even without words, Vale recognized it.

A Chaos Immortal.

How brave… or how foolish.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.