That night, Sylvester laid the mattresses in the living room itself, and they all had a big sleepover in one place. Sharing jokes and stories with Miraj jumping on all their bellies was a source of laughter for all of them. It was a joyous evening worth remembering.magic

"Tell me about your adventures, Godfather! I want to be like you."

"Me too!" Ella chirped there while lying beside Xavia under the quilt, getting the spoiled little granddaughter treatment.

Sylvester chuckled, seeing that no matter how smart, kids are always kids. "Hmm… Most of it has already been written in books. Only the little tidbits were left out, for example, the time I was a slave undercover. Or the time I was lost in the Divine Desert and almost died in the scorching heat.

"Oh, the adventure through the Darkpit sea was also utterly haunting. Disgusting-looking, dangerous creatures as big as a castle roamed that sea, with power sometimes equal to that of a Grand Wizard. The weather changes every fifteen minutes there. There was also a singing creature that could lure you with its beautiful voice, only for it to eat you whole."

"How did you cross it?" Rex asked.

"Because I was strong," Sylvester replied and continued on with other stories, for everyone to eventually fall asleep in weariness.

As the morning slowly dawned, Sylvester got up amidst the snoring of the cat and Rex beside him. Of course, he had no need to sleep, so he spent the entire night silently planning his next few steps. That was all he could afford when he had no idea what to expect.

Guesswork was the best he could do.

"Nyooo! Don't take my cookies!"

Bam!

"You spoiled cat!" Sylvester groaned as Miraj suddenly kicked his face while asleep. God knows what he was seeing in his dreams. "Wake up, it's time to go."

"Hmm?" Miraj woke up and looked around. "My cookies?"

"They're still in the jars."

Taking a sigh of relief, the furball fell back and relaxed. "Oh, then it's fine. I thought you ate all of them."

"Why would I do that? I don't like your banana cookies. My favorites are only the honey ones, and they're going to be my personal stash that you can't touch." Sylvester scoffed and picked Miraj up like a doll. It was time for a bath since it was unknown what they'd encounter in the Demon Realm.

"Where are we going?"

"To take a bath."

"..."

Just like that, Miraj felt like he lost his will to live and surrendered himself to the way of water.…

After eating breakfast, Sylvester went to the Pope's Palace with his family following behind to see him off. Worried, excited, and somewhat jealous, the myriad of emotions in the air made Sylvester's nose feel ticklish.

"Is everything ready?" Sylvester arrived at a basement level in the Pope's Palace, where the Guardians and the Sanctum Council awaited him, each with a solemn face that wasn't too far from appearing depressed.

"The luggage has been prepared." Gabriel stepped forward as the Deputy-Pope. "The containers behind you have clothes, food, and precious materials. Be safe, Your Holiness."

"And you all must stay vigilant," Sylvester responded in a sharp tone. "Once I leave, the Primordial Gods will be able to feel my presence and the possible threat I pose. They might try to do something here, perhaps ensue chaos to bring this world into the same mess we lifted it from."

Thud!

"Do not be worried about the matters of this side. We shall put our lives on the line, no matter how high the tide," the Inquisitor High Lord reassured. "Be well, Your Holiness. Much is left to be done. Your work has only begun."

"You too, Lord Inquisitor. All of you, let's bring the mysterious enemies of our world to their heels. For eternal peace, none of us can afford to bow and kneel. May the Holy Light enlighten us, may our paths be paved by the light of victory." Sylvester prayed for them and sent Miraj to eat up all the large containers filled with goods. "Gabriel shall be the Deputy-Pope for now, so please advise him and stand by him. His word is my word—never forget."

Quickly after, he hugged Xavia and bid her farewell, followed by Zeke, Ella, Rex, and his two good friends. A short exchange with Julius and Raz followed, ending with him mounting the horse with two more on his side on which the Demon Dalgan and his son, Lord Two rode.

Without making a big announcement, Sylvester silently left the Holy Land. It was unknown how long he'd be gone, so he hoped to avoid any ambitious fools from trying to take advantage of his absence.

Down on the Green Road, he passed Maximilia City. But he didn't visit it and instead, went straight to the Desert Road, from where he traveled south, adjacent to the Wall of Void, in its shadows.

"Where are we headed to, Pope Sylvester?" Dalgan asked, wearing common oversized brown hooded robes over his body that also covered his face, the same for his son and Sylvester. "I believe taking the Holy Road would have brought us to the South faster."

"I know that, Dalgan. But I have a place I must visit first." Sylvester didn't elaborate further and urged his horse faster before the sun could set.

It was a long journey, taking them five days just to cross the Desert Road beside the North River State, previously known as the Northern Duchy of Riveria.lights

They rested beside small bonfires at night and continued soon after the horses were good to go. As the three were more than strong enough to withstand continuous travel, they didn't sleep at all.

Then eventually, on the eighth day, they arrived at the ruins of a place. A walled town with black marks everywhere, as if messengers of a horrific story loomed there.

Sylvester got off the horse after arriving at the rundown entrance of the walled city, confusing the Demon father and son pair.

"Where are we?" Lord Two asked, still somewhat angered at losing to Sylvester. But he knew he was nowhere near strong enough to challenge that human.

Sylvester silently walked into the burned-down town and looked left and right. Nature had claimed the area since the region had traces of groundwater now, with new canals made everywhere. Hints of grass and other plants were everywhere.

But still, he saw the remnants of a burndown monastery over a hill, almost a heap of ash with only a few broken wooden beams left.

"This place was once called Sphinx Town," Sylvester muttered while the tall Demon father and son listened and followed. "I was sixteen or seventeen years old when I came here to conduct an investigation regarding Demon presence, only for it to turn out to be a Bloodling's doing."

Finally, Sylvester reached the top of the hill and walked to an open area. A little stone was protruding out there on the dirt, covered in grass and thick dust. He blew on it and cleaned it with his own hands, revealing the etched words on it.

"Here lived the kind and strong Shane Kolt, the little bard, apprentice of Sylvester Maximilian," Sylvester read it with a faint smile.

"Your student?!" Daldgan exclaimed. "What happened to him?"

"He was murdered by the Church's previous administration." Sylvester cleaned the memorial stone and waved his palm across the ground around it, magically growing flowers of varied colors. "This little boy is the reason I decided to become the Pope. The reason why I fought for so long… and continue to do so."

Silence lingered amidst the calm breeze on that hill. Speechlessly, Sylvester sat there for a while as if he was talking under his breath. He was, actually, and only Miraj could hear him speak.

'Look at me, kid. Not just the Pope, but now, I'm sort of the ruler of the world. You would've grown up to love this new reality, I'm sure. All the musical instruments as well… I hope you found peace.' Sylvester still wasn't sure if there was an actual afterlife for souls. 'I'll meet you there eventually. But I think you were my lucky charm, so wish me luck in this battle to come.'

Sometime later, he finally got up and turned around to head towards Blackhart Kingdom. "Dalgan, do you think your Empress is a fool?"

"What?" The old demon General couldn't comprehend where that question came from so suddenly. "What do you mean, Pope?"

"Do you think she isn't aware of what she's doing? Why is she trying to bring peace between our two species?" Sylvester asked more clearly as they moved rapidly down the road.

Dalgan thought about it, "She's too powerful to be a fool. Her actions, albeit against the age-old teachings, must hold some merit, some reason."

"Isn't the enemy of your enemy a friend?" Sylvester added.

"Sometimes, they are."

Sylvester tried to bring some light to the two before they entered the portal. "Dalgan, there are common enemies to our two worlds that wish to destroy us. A third party who has something to gain with the constant, periodical wars between our two species."

"Who?" Lord Two barked.

"Primordial Gods."

"Who are they?" Dalgan inquired.

"Beings far stronger than Solis, or any other god to speak of. Beings who have total control over time and space, life and death, as well as reality itself—beings whom we can't even comprehend. That is why your Empress likely preaches peace, and why she wishes to meet me."

It was expected that something so significant was extremely hard to believe with mere words. More so for the two demons who were his enemies.

"Why tell us now? We are enemies of the Empress. There is nothing to be gained by being friendly with us," Dalgan said. "I wouldn't have bothered if I was you."

Sighing, Sylvester responded and left the two in utter despair.

"Because once we cross that portal, those Primordial Gods will be aware of me. The best case scenario is that they won't bother because I'm too puny."

"And worst?" Lord Two wondered, gulping.

"They might snap and destroy reality as we know it."

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