After the ship docked near the island, I took the initiative and approached Circe in her grand temple of marble in the woods.

"Hello, Circe.", I talk to her casually.

She narrowed her golden eyes, "Why are you here?"

Despite her cute and petite appearance, she's 3 meters tall, towering over me. Pretty intimidating for anyone else.

"Vacation.", I answered promptly.

She huffed at me, "So the pack I made with the World and the people of Europe mean nothing to you?"

"I am the new world order, all culture and tradition are irrelevant in my presence.", I stated with a confident smile.

By stepping onto Aeaea, I've broken the contract Circe had with humanity. Because I don't care, and it is dumb to not use an asset.

She pondered for a moment, then she smiled and tucked her wings.

"Alright, your majesty~ just don't mess with anything behind this temple.", she waved me off.

I don't really like her, I want to kill her, in fact

"Alright.", I nodded and left.

Hm?

"But I can't control my friend.", I look up at the mountain peak, there was Hoa standing on it.

Circe went out and frowned. She was about to do something, but I stopped her by holding my hand out.

"My friend over there can destroy Earth in 15 minutes at most.", I told her.

"So I let her do anything she wants?", she glared at me.

It's about eight in the morning, that's the time Hoa usually pray. She usually set up an effigy or a shrine and burn it with anything she find.

Her fire is so hot it violates the laws of material too. I once saw her melting wood into a puddle or setting stone on fire.

Well, I won't see her for long. It's about time.

"She'll come down, eventually."

With a poof, she vanished from the mountain top and reappeared right in front of me.

"The Stellar Express is coming.", she stated, "In about a week."

Huh, that's fairly soon. Guess that's all the time I have left with my best friend.

Though it was mostly one-sided, and I don't get attached to things, she holds a very special place in my heart. She was the first person I wanted to attach to, to form something resembling a bond.

Between me and her, we are very similar. In more than one way...

I once asked her about her Attributes, and to my surprise, she knew very well what she was made up of. Fire and Salvation. That explains why she doesn't burn the world down, because it is in her nature to cherish life... not that she wouldn't burn down everything without hesitation. She's still a fanatic.

I smiled, "Well, let's make your last few days here fun."

Hoa blinked, turning from black to blazing red, "If you are fine with it."

From under her robe, fireballs flew out and dance around. I learned that these fireballs are pieces of hers body, they can be best described as her children, although not in the literal sense.

"Oi, I am still here.", Circe raised her voice.

Both me and Hoa stare at her, making her flinched. I possess the Eyes of Judgement, it make people feel as if they were being stared at by hundreds of scrutinizing gazes. And Hoa is someone on the level of the strongest Heralds of the Pale Court, stronger even.

"I'll go back to my temple right now...", she deflated and went back in.

I turned to Hoa, who let out a languid chuckle, "Charlotte, what is the real reason why you are here?"

I shrugged and turned my back to her, "I won't tell you."

Because Circe is still listening.

Seemingly reading my intention, she flicked her hair back and walked with me to the beach.

"Do you have something fun?"

With that, she smiled, plunging her hand into her chest with crackling fire, "I have this."

She pulled out a kind of device, which look like two pieces of gold stuck together. She pulled the two apart and a red screen made out of glass appear.

"Let's see...", she began to scroll on it like a phone. 

I got close and... it is a phone. A very high-tech phone at that.

"I'm just ordering something from The Universal Market Trend, do you want a set of Trigomanean Vargorota?", she turned to me.

"Wait... do Heralds get paid?", I asked her.

"No, not really.", she shrugged, "The Universal Market Trend convert some of my essence - which someone else might need - into credits. Anyway, do you want the Trigomanean Vargorota?"

So, something like the Golden Emporium I visited? I see...

But...

"What is a Trigomanean Vargorota?"

"It's a type of fish course, fairly popular in The Stellar Express. You should try it once in a lifetime.", she smiled and ordered it anyway.

A cube appeared in her hand.

"Come on, let's head to the beach and have a feast.", she declared.

I nodded and followed her. The beach itself was very beautiful, white sand, a beautiful night sky— this is one of the few places on Earth where you can still see the stars. Even if I dislike the stars - knowing what they truly are - I have to admit that... a sea of light in the night sky is beautiful.

Human's biggest dream is to reach the stars, it has been that since the primordial times. A vain yet beautiful dream...

One that I will not be a part of.

I am the Akasha, I am the representative of this era. It is just unfortunate that my era does not include the conquest of the stars.

Born too late to witness the separation from the divine, the rise of civilization, the conquest of the world, and born too soon to travel the stars. Yet at the same time, I am washing humanity of its past.

Let the chains of tradition burn, let the boundary of culture blur. Let's reduce what makes every country special—

For my Utopic Dystopia, for the future beyond me...

Oh, the other two are here.

We set up a table made of sanstone. A ten-course meal made from a single fish. Grilled, steamed, raw, all kind of styles.

Since it was Hoa's treat, we didn't follow my table rules. Dining and having fun...

The fish was absolutely delicious.

 

=0=0=

 

Wilderness, Central Africa.

 

A village was massacred, bodies torn apart and left carelessly. The blood was still fresh, and some body parts were still twitching from post-mortem.

Standing in the middle of it all was Avalon, its crimson hair fluttering with the wind as its gaze of pure instinct was still and serene.

Blood drips down from its claws and mouth, as it had eaten the flesh of these tribal men. To consume is to survive, the basic law of this world. It is simply following that.

Without the Greater Template of Life, Avalon cannot maintain its overwhelming might, so this is what it had to do to survive.

A beast must hunt and kill. A beast must fight to survive. Grudges must be resolved.

This is the way of Life, the Cycle of Violence the Earth created.