Thirty minutes have passed after the massacre. Over 50 people were affected by Ophelia's Eldritch Aura and were driven to madness, eventually leading to their deaths. Citizens of Grambosia were horrified as some decided to leave the festival and return back home, where they felt safe and secure.
Tanimoto, accused of being the attacker, was locked away for the time being, until his execution. Jin, Daiki, and Araki heard about this and were forced to relay the news to the other heroes who were in the dark.
Currently, the three informed heroes stood in a tense circle with the others. Their faces were grave and conflicted as they prepared to deliver the devastating announcement. Araki clenched his fists, feeling his jaw tighten with contained emotion while Daiki looked down at the ground, unable to meet anyone's eyes.
"So, what's going on? Where's Tanimoto?" Stepping forward was Isabel, questioning all three of them with a worried expression.
"Jin, Daiki, Araki… what happened?" Estrilda lifted her brows at their sour faces, crossing her arms. "You three look like you've seen a massacre."
Jin gritted his teeth before sighing, proceeding to clear his voice with a heavy with sorrow.
"Everyone... we have something important to tell you about Tanimoto."
"Tanimoto?" Madeline tilted her head to the side, asking, "What did he do? Is he not joining us in the ceremony?"
Jin stepped forward as his shoulders slumped with the weight of his words. It felt as if he would fall over.
"Tanimoto won't be joining us… he has been found guilty of killing innocent people. The queen has ordered his execution tomorrow morning."
And to no surprise, everyone gasped in shock. They all stared at one another in disbelief, realizing the circumstances of their situation.
"Are you serious?" Asked Estrilda, uncrossing her arms.
"W-What?! Tanimoto might be a jerk, but it's not like him to kill innocent people!" Said Madeline.
"Wait a second!" Another hero emerged from the crowd with pink hair and green eyes, it was Sakura, the Hero of Faith. "Why are they executing him? I-I know he killed those people like you said… but what about Azathoth? Don't we need to work together to fight him?"
The other heroes glanced at Sakura, nodding their heads in agreement.
"She's right… we need everyone together. There was a reason why King Jubilius was upset when Princess Alicia brought Yuto into Algunita; he wasn't one of the heroes." Said Estrilda, closing her eyes in deep thought.
"Well… that's why I replaced the hero that was supposed to be here." A short boy with dark hair and brown eyes spoke up from the back. He was Kazuki, the Hero of Unity, and the one who replaced the role of the Hero that Alicia failed to bring into this world.
"Wait a second…" Madeline widened her eyes. "Doesn't this entire world rely on us? Our word should matter more than anyone's! Why don't we try talking to the queen and reason with her?"
Daiki sighed and shook his head, as did Araki. "I'm afraid that won't do us any good, Maddy. Tanimoto didn't only kill commoners, but he also slain Princess Ophelia as well."
Everyone widened their eyes in shock, processing such a claim that seemed unreal.
"Jesus…" Estrilda averted her gaze, looking away in disappointment.
"So… there's no hope in trying to save him, huh?" Muttered Isabel, saddened by the situation.
"At this rate, this world is doomed." Proclaimed Estrilda, visibly frustrated. "How are we gonna save this world if our own people are dying? This doesn't make any sense! The queen has gone over her head…"
Madeline tensed up at Estrilda's comment, a bit nervous.
"L-Lets not speak so loudly about her! If the queen has the power to execute a hero, then who knows what'll happen to us if we disrespect her?"
"Wait a second…" Kazuki spoke up, stepping forward into the frontline. "Uhm… Jin, if I'm not mistaken, there was another guy who was mistaken for a hero before I got here, right?"
Jin faced the Hero of Unity, nodding his head.
"Yes… his name was Yuto Alltear, he was around our age."
Kazuki smiled at his response, saying, "Then why don't we use him to replace Tanimoto? Won't that fill another hero slot?"
Daiki shook his head beside Jin, sighing under his breath.
"It doesn't work like that, Kazuki. Heroes are chosen by the Governing Order, or in other words, the Sisters of Fate. They're the ones responsible for giving us our heroic skills, which is why you have it."
Jin glanced at Daiki, nodding his head.
"He's right, Kazuki. Right after Yuto was kicked out of our group, the Sisters of Fate selected another candidate to become the Hero of Unity, and they chose you from another world."
Araki chimed in, saying, "That's when Princess Alicia was informed about your existence and used her mirror magic to transport you here to Algunita. Sadly the same can't be done for Yuto."
Kazuki gazed at the ground, dispirited.
"Darn it…! Then… what should we do?"
The other heroes appeared distressed at their situation, upset at the turn of events.
"Even if we wanted to get Yuto's help, we don't even know of his whereabouts." Said Jin.
"Yuto is dead." An unfamiliar voice breached the tense atmosphere as a cloaked figure emerged from behind the heroes with their face completely hidden. Their voice seemed cold and detached, sending chills down the spines of everyone present.
"…?" The heroes froze in shock as their plans were interrupted by this unexpected revelation. The mysterious figure walked past the crowd of heroes as they continued speaking. "He died at the hands of Valentina, the leader of the Rogue Guild."
"Hey, who the hell are you?" Frowning, Daiki stepped forward and gripped the handle of his blade.
"My name matters not." Proclaimed the cloaked figure, femininity in their voice. "What matters is the death of your friend."
"Friend?" Daiki lifted his brow. "We barely knew that guy."
"I see." Lowering their head, the figure turned around and faced the puzzled expressions of everyone else. "Listen well, you foolish so-called 'heroes', all of this isn't a coincidence, it's planned by a higher power. Everything is falling apart so that Chaos can win and consume this world."
Confused by the cloaked figure's statement, Araki seemed the most attentive.
"What higher power are you talking about?"
Jin and Daiki both faced their friend, baffled to hear him buying this nonsense.
"I am speaking of the Lady of Chaos. She goes by many names, and it is clear that she orchestrated these turn of events, so that the Eater of Worlds may consume all of reality." Turning to face Araki, the cloaked figure seemed relieved that someone would listen to them. "Valentina is a worshiper of Chaos, and she does whatever it asks of her, so it's safe to assume she killed Yuto so that he wouldn't become a possible hero in the future."
"Oh, bullshit!" Shouted Daiki, stepping forward. "Are you seriously gonna believe this crap, Araki?"
Jin, now stoic, crossed his arms as his gaze penetrated the figure's soul.
"How are we to trust you? If this chaos you speak of is true, then how can you prove it?"
The cloaked figure lowered their head, ashamed.
"I'm afraid I cannot prove it to all of you, but I can simply tell the truth. When Valentina wrapped Yuto around her finger, they went into an inn together, however, Yuto was unaware of her schemes." She lifted her head, sadness now in her voice. "I left a paper bird by his window with a drawing that led to the city square, telling him to leave while he had the chance, but he wouldn't listen…"
Isabel lowered her head, disheartened to hear everything at once.
"And then he died?" Asked Estrilda.
"Yes… I'm afraid so."
Kazuki frowned, still skeptical of this figure.
"If you know so much about what's going on, then why didn't you tell him directly? Leaving a paper bird by his window doesn't seem so efficient!"
The cloaked figure nodded their head, understanding his confusion.
"Valentina is a powerful figure, she practically owns all of Grambosia Kingdom, but the King and Queen are unaware of it. She has contracts with powerful skill casters that could kill me in an instant. I couldn't risk it."
Kazuki widened his eyes before averting his gaze, frowning in frustration.
"I want to believe you, but it seems a little fishy…" Proclaimed Madeline.
"I understand that." Said the cloaked figure. "But now is not the time for me to remain quiet. After hearing about the events of Tanimoto and his execution, I had no choice but to get involved. That is why I'm warning all of you because you're the only hope that this world has."
Araki nodded his head. "I believe in you, for certain… but my only question is… who is this Lady of Chaos exactly? And how do you know so much about her?"
The cloaked figure glanced at Araki, hesitant to answer, until they exhaled deeply from their nose.
"The Lady of Chaos is a dangerous force to be reckoned with. She wants to bring disorder to reality and will use any means necessary to fabricate chaos across the multiverse. Azathoth is merely a pawn in her grand schemes." With a hefty sigh, the cloaked figure mustered up the right words to answer his next question. "I know so much about her because I'm part of the Holy Dawn. We are an organization that exists within the space between worlds, and we worship the Lady of Creation. It is our duty to enforce order and prevent chaos from overtaking the Multiverse."
Everyone seemed flustered by her claim, until Kazuki muttered, "Holy shit… she's being for real…"
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