After a few hours, Arima had already dispelled all of his parallel thoughts, the magic circles had become too complicated to be resolved by a secondary mind.

 

When there were only ten circles left, Chulainn and Karma had stopped decrypting the array since they were the ones that had the less technical knowledge.

 

Karma was given sentience by Arima but her ability in that area couldn't be compared to Night's who was Arima's soul beast. As for Chulainn, he was simply not suited for this kind of work.

 

The only people who were capable of continuing were Lanya, whose mind had been boosted by Chronepsis, Night, Lilis and, of course, Arima who had an unbelievable understanding of magic although he was born in a world without it.

 

After another few hours, there were only two circles left and everyone except Arima couldn't help but give up. The difficulty was too high, and the focus required was inhuman.

 

"How can he keep going?" Night mumbled whilst sweating.

 

Lanya inhaled to try getting back some mental strength and looked at Arima’s back. "I don't know. His focus goes beyond everything I can imagine."

 

"Yes, I bet he couldn't even hear us if we talked to him now," Lilis added. Meanwhile, Karma and Chulainn felt a bit awkward since they bailed out much earlier.

 

"Where does he get that much energy anyway? Sometimes he’s overly laid-back and at other times he’s incredibly lazy. I’m sure he could get us out of here if he tried a little bit, but he insists on cracking the array," Chulainn commented and Arima turned a circle into a green one.

 

He then touched the last circle without any other comment. When he interacted with it, every green circle around merged with the last one. After a few seconds, the last red circle became a huge one with a ten meters diameter. Arima rolled his eyes in a circle before resuming.

 

"I guess that he does things to the end once he starts them," Lilis waited for Arima to continue before answering Chulainn.

 

"Hm, if you say so…" Chulainn responded and glanced at Lilis. "I have a question for you, girl. Did you visit the Time Garden?"

 

Lilis's eyes widened in surprise and looked back at the small pup. She hesitated for a moment and nodded.

 

"So, did you see it?" Chulainn followed up.

 

"I did."

 

"Saw what?" Lanya inquired. She was perplexed about what they were talking about.

 

"Arima's past," Chulainn said and Arima's hand trembled. The circle glowed and his entire arm was crushed by an unknown force. His group reacted and was about to go toward him when he waved his hand and told them to not move.

 

"Just a rebound," he said and looked at Lilis for a second. "I will merely tell you this. My past is not something I like to hear or recount," his voice resounded clearly in everyone's ears and Lilis perfectly perceived it as a warning. Arima shook his arm and healed it before getting back to work.

 

"I can't believe it. He was still paying attention to the conversation…" Chulainn muttered

 

After that, everyone just stared at Lilis. Now, they were all curious about Arima's past. Especially Lanya who had now taken an interest in it. But, she understood, as much as everyone else, that she wouldn't get any answers from Arima himself. Lilis smiled wryly and shrugged.

 

“…Did it laugh?”

 

That question suddenly came out of Chulainn’s mouth and Lilis froze. She looked at him with wide-open eyes. “How did you know?”

 

Chulainn merely sighed and shook his head. “My father, the previous Kerberos, was much stronger than me. He was possibly the strongest in Hell, even mightier than Hades himself. He brought me to the Garden once. There, he told me that there was a secret behind it.”

 

“You see, that place isn’t some sort of intricate magic formation. A mythical and ancient beast has been sealed there. Father said that it had probably died a long time ago already, but its will and soul still remains in every Time Garden in every Plane. The beast was said to have been born at the same time as the Original God. It was feared not only because of its strength but also for its insight on the future and past. He essentially knew everything. It’s also said that Jormungand is its descendant.”

 

Lilis and everyone else quietly listened and Chulainn breathed in. “That beast was wicked. One that only found pleasure in destruction and blood. It would swallow a whole planet and its inhabitants just to have fun… Ultimately, during a reminiscence inside the Time Garden, if you hear laughter, it means that the beast is pleased and amused. It means… that the destruction within the displayed past is ‘delightful’ for it.”

 

Lilis didn’t know what to say when Chulainn concluded. She was about to add the fact that she not only had heard laughter but also clear words, but stopped. She just turned her to head to observe Arima, who hadn’t reacted to Chulainn’s words and remained silent. Feeling the heavy mood, no one spoke.

 

One very quiet hour later, Arima finally completed the last circle and the whole array shattered like glass. Only a second after that, they all started feeling that the flow of water was pulling them down. And it was growing stronger every second.

 

Arima frowned. "This attraction is strange. It's like the entire water around us is…oh," he didn't finish his sentence and immediately swam upward at full speed. He didn't need to say anything for everyone to follow him.

 

As they were going up, the currents were turning even more odd and chaotic. When everyone reached the surface, they saw a sky totally different from Hell's. It had the usual color you would see in almost every world; a clear blue.

 

Arima didn't bother to look up though and immediately looked down. His group also imitated his action.

 

"What the…" Chulainn muttered as he witnessed the sea slowly getting farther away from him. But it wasn't him going up but the sea itself going down.

 

After a while, a huge sound resounded everywhere, as if a meteorite had just fallen. The red water started steaming and slowly began to dissipate. Then, something surfaced from the water. It was a mountain peak.

 

After that, it was just a matter of time. As the water continued disappearing, mountains, rocks, trees, and even houses were revealed. The sea was drained until the ground was visible. Arima's group admired the scene thunderstruck.

 

"Hey, there are people down there," Night remarked as he looked down.

 

The group followed his eyes and indeed noticed people anxiously watching the sky as if they were waiting for something.

 

"This is strange. Those houses didn't suffer any damage from what just happened," Lilis commented and squinted her eyes. "Also, those people are weak…"

 

"You're right,” Lanya nodded as her eyes shined with a blue-golden light. “The strongest I see is only at the third level of the Mortal Realm."

 

Chulainn hummed and floated toward Arima's shoulder before sitting on it. "Hey, Arima, I don't know anything about the true emplacement of Origin. But I'm sure it should be beyond the red sea. I don't know who said that first or how long ago it was, but I’m sure it’s not unfounded considering all of Hell has been told the same thing."

 

"Also, there's one thing I can say about this place," he added and Arima nodded.

 

"This is a pocket world."

 

"What is a pocket world?" Karma tilted her head and asked.

 

"A pocket world is essentially a smaller world existing on the boundaries of a much bigger one," Lilis answered. "The popular analogy is a bubble on a soap. In this case, Hell is the soap and this place is the bubble. Arima, what about..."

 

Arima teleported away before Lilis could finish her question. She sighed and followed him along with everyone else.

 

The place they reappeared in was the center of a small village. Arima ignored the people staring at him and whispering to each other as he walked toward one of the many common houses. He placed his palm on the wall and white runes revealed themselves.

 

"I see, so that's what protected them from the water pressure," Chulainn said and attempted to read the runes. "This thing is quite intriguing; it doesn't use any known language."

 

"It's more than that," Arima replied and everyone looked at him. "No matter how I see this, I can't find a way to crack or break it," he stated and took a step back.

 

"What do you mean you can't find a way?" Lilis asked.

 

"Literally, I can't find any way to break this. This enchantment is perfect. It feels like the material itself is the nature of its defense. In that case, the only way to destroy this would be raw power. But even then… I can’t say for sure if it’s possible. This feels more like a World Law at this point," Arima explained and his group was speechless.

 

While they were talking, the crowd around them kept becoming bigger until it split to let pass an old woman in a wheelchair pushed by a young girl.

 

"Travelers, may I inquire about the purpose of your visit?" The elderly woman asked with a faint welcoming smile.

 

Arima glanced at her and frowned. He walked to her and crouched to make eye contact. The old woman’s expression turned to one of surprise. Arima's eyes glowed and she gulped as she felt her entire existence being studied.

 

"You have the same kind of enchant on your body. Same for that girl behind you. You people should be able to breathe and live underwater with this…" Arima muttered and stood up. ‘These runes seem to hold a divine power that’s even stronger than Azes'.’

 

‘Origin is an artifact created by the Original God. Can I assume it's him who drew these runes?’ Arima wondered and stared at the old woman. "Do you know anything about Origin?"

 

When he mentioned Origin, the old woman's composure crumbled. "So, you really came here for that?" She asked with a trembling voice.

 

"Yes," Arima replied and the woman's expression sunk. He raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "What's wrong? You just have to tell me where it is."

 

"I will not tell you to leave or anything… I can tell you where Origin is," the old woman paused. "But, you're not the first one to have tried. Many people came here in the hope of obtaining it. But most of them died. While the survivors… they’re around you as we’re speaking.”

 

“I see…” Arima looked around and saw the many ‘villagers’ slumping their heads. “It seems that not only you can’t leave this place, but it also drains you of your life force. Interesting. Now, spit it out already," he concluded indifferently and Chulainn snorted in amusement.

 

The old lady sighed and nodded. She understood that Arima didn't care about what she had to say.

 

"Fine, for that, I’d wish for you to undergo a small test," she announced and signaled the girl behind her. The young girl nodded and stepped forward. "Her lineage was granted the ability to see if an individual has the necessary disposition to use Origin. If you pass the test, she will give you a mark that will lead you to Origin. Its location is constantly changing. And only someone possessing that mark can find it and challenge the trial."

 

"Please relax," the young girl said and grabbed Arima's hand before closing her eyes. She breathed in and chanted silently. After a few seconds, she slowly opened her eyes to look at Arima. But what was reflected in her eyes was something that made her shiver uncontrollably.

 

In front of her, within a world filled with blood and darkness, a fiendish skeleton was standing. It had two horns on its skull and its stature didn't even look human; the bones seemed to have been shaped to welcome two hearts.

 

The young girl hugged herself. The skeleton opened its mouth and a vociferous scream pierced her ears. She screamed in fear, and her mind returned to reality where Arima was looking at her strangely.

 

"What happened, Emilia?" The old woman hastily asked.

 

"I-I don't know. I saw something terrifying and… wicked…" Emilia whispered and shuddered before retreating behind the old woman. "If I was able to see something, it means he has the qualifications but…"

 

"I see," the woman nodded and observed Arima. "I'm sorry, but can I ask yo-?!" She swallowed back her words as Arima's glare fell on her.

 

"Listen, just give me that mark," he coldly said. "Or, perhaps would you prefer that I take control of this girl’s mind and force her to give it to me? Which one do you choose?"

 

The old woman paled and slowly nodded at Emilia. The young girl’s expression darkened but she nonetheless complied. She skillfully drew a symbol with her finger in mid-air and made it gravitate toward Arima. The latter scowled and reached for the symbol with his hand. It glowed for second before appearing on the back of his hand.

 

"See? Wasn't that hard," he said and immediately flew off as he sensed a new presence.

 

"I'm sorry about this," Lanya smiled and apologetically bowed to the villagers. She deployed her wings before leaving with everyone else.

 

"Stop bullying these poor people," Lilis' voice sounded as they were getting away from the village. The old woman sighed when they had left her sight.

 

"They will most likely fail like the others," she lamented as if it was a certainty. Emilia shook her head though.

 

"I don't think it will be like any of the times before," she retorted. "What I saw in his soul was not only dreadful but also extremely powerful. For that person to not be mad is proof of his mental fortitude."

 

The old lady looked at her pupil. "If you say so. But when you're in that place, any sort of strength becomes useless."

 

***

 

Arima's group reached its destination in less than a minute. The place where Arima had been led to by the mark was, in fact, immense ruins. When they landed in the middle of it, they immediately realized it wasn’t truly in ruin per se. It was just how it looked like. The truth was that nothing appeared destroyed and that every pillar and stone were orderly put.

 

The whole thing formed something similar to a circle and Arima walked into that circle without any hesitation. What he saw there was a small circular area, about twenty meters wide. There was only grass covering it, and a black armor was standing in the center. When he stepped on the grass, the mark on his hand glowed and dissipated.

 

The black armor abruptly shook and turned its head toward Arima's group. The eyeholes of the helmet emitted a red light as the armor drew its longsword.