Amon walked through the halls of the castle. Just moments ago, Eve had told him that their father had asked them to gather.
Reaching the throne room, Amon opened the door, his eyes widening in surprise.
Usually, his father would be sitting on his throne, asleep, with the room empty except for Adam. But now, in the middle of the room, stood a dining table with three seats on the right and three on the left. At the head of the table sat his father.
"What's happening?" Amon asked.
Adam looked at his younger brother and said, "You're late."
Amon frowned, glancing at his father, who was smiling at him.
"Come, son, sit. We've been waiting for you."
Sighing, Amon took the empty seat and said, "You could've started without me, you know."
Raphael shook his head and replied, "No, a family always eats together."
Amon didn't respond. He remained silent, his gaze fixed on the food on the table.
Raphael smiled and began eating, the others following suit.
They chatted with each other like any family would.
Raphael watched with a smile as he picked up a fork and knife to cut the chicken. It was difficult. His body was barely responding, but he didn't show it.
With all his will, he brought the fork near the chicken, but he failed. The fork slipped from his hand, hitting the floor with a loud clatter that echoed through the room.
Raphael looked at his children, scratching his head and laughing awkwardly.
He bent down to retrieve the fork but stopped when he heard Amon's voice.
"Father... it's okay."
Raphael picked up the fork, stood up, and looked at Amon with a smile. "What do you mean, son?"
This time, it was Herabergen who spoke. "Father, we are part of you. We feel your emotions."
Raphael fell silent. After a moment, he spoke again, "I'm sorry."
Adam shook his head and said, "Don't be, Father. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be alive. We're grateful to you."
The others nodded in agreement.
"It was because of my selfish reasons that you were born," Raphael admitted.
"We know, but we still love you," Eve replied with a warm smile.
Raphael placed his hand over his face and sighed. "I don't have much time. Nether will take over soon."
They all nodded, having expected this.
"I can't let Nether return and roam the world. That's why I need to go to the Underworld."
They all frowned, except for Adam. Why wouldn't they? Their father had always wanted to escape the Underworld the moment he found himself there.
"But my power isn't enough..."
Amon chuckled and said, "You should've said that from the beginning."
"I'm sorry," Raphael replied.
Suddenly, Medici stood up and slammed the table, breaking it completely. "Can you stop with that loser attitude?!"
Amanises glared at Medici, her voice sharp. "Medici, sit down!"
Medici turned to her and snapped, "Shut it, Amanises." He then looked at his father and said, "Stop acting like you're going to die and everything will end. You've always made plans and backup plans for everything. I'm sure you have a plan, right, Father?"
Raphael looked at his son, his eyes wide. There was a moment of silence before Raphael burst into laughter.
"Hahaha... You're right. That was pathetic of me. You're right, Medici. I do have a plan."
He looked at his children, his face filled with confidence. "For me to create a portal to the Underworld, I need to be at least a Terror."
He took a deep breath and continued, "One of you will stay with Sunless to guide him. In the end, he's the only one who can kill Nether."
There was no argument about who would stay. It was Adam, the one who had always been by their father's side.
"What about the kids living in the city?" Eve asked.
"Right..." With a snap of his fingers, all the citizens of Bright City vanished. Some found themselves in Bastion, others in Ravenheart, the Chained Isles, and other places.
Raphael stood up and spoke solemnly, "We don't have time to waste."
Medici was the first to stand and walk toward Raphael. He looked his father in the eyes and grinned.
His father's eyes truly lived up to his titles:
The Devil!
The Man Feared by All!
The Seeker of Salvation!
The Black Emperor!
Laughing, Medici began to fade, becoming illusionary as he entered Raphael's body.
Amanises was next. She hugged her father before dissolving into an illusion and merging with him.
Eve followed, the daughter who resembled him the most.
Herabergen closed his book and entered Raphael's body without a word. He was sure they would meet again.
Amon looked at his father and adjusted his monocle. "Sigh~ I should've run away when I had the chance."
Raphael chuckled. "Come on, you problematic child."
Amon shrugged and entered Raphael's body as well.
Raphael sighed. He still remembered the first time they were created. It wasn't when he became a Supreme, but long before.
In the Third Nightmare, Raphael had lived for so many years that he began to forget the faces of his family. It broke him.
Over time, he forgot them all. He became obsessed with the idea of "family" and created his own from his imagination.
As time passed, the only thing that kept him sane was his little children.
Raphael grew more obsessed, wanting to make his family real. After hundreds of thousands of years, he created the [Visionary Law].
But that wasn't enough. He wanted to bring life to them, so he studied the forbidden knowledge of Nether.
After millions of experiments, he succeeded. But there were consequences.
He had ventured too deep into Nether's memories, allowing Nether to take control of his body more and more.
His selfish desires might have doomed humanity.
"I should be the one who's grateful... If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be the man I am."
He looked at Adam and said, "I've put a huge burden on you, but I know you'll do well because..."
"I'm your son," Adam replied with a smile.
"Yes, because you're my son."
Adam knelt before his father and said, "Let's all meet again... on the Day of Redemption."
Raphael remained silent as his body began to vanish. He looked at Adam and muttered under his breath, "The Day of Redemption..."
Seeing his father gone, Adam stood and walked toward the castle's exit.
The sun, which had always hung in the sky, was gone, replaced by a gray expanse. The once-noisy city was now silent.
Adam walked to the cathedral, opened its doors, and approached the statue. He knelt and began to pray. After some time, he, too, began to vanish.
The Dark City returned to its normal state, shrouded in darkness
***
On the moon, a gaunt man sat in the dust, clad in a tattered spacesuit. The visor of his helmet was cracked, and the oxygen in the tank attached to his back had long since run out.
Asterion raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze toward a particular direction.
In front of him stood a man with golden hair and a beard, dressed in a simple white cloak.
Adam looked at Asterion and spoke solemnly:
"Asterion, let's make a deal."
Behind the cracked visor, the man grinned madly, as if the words Adam spoke were a symphony to his ears.
***
End of... nah just kidding. Next chapter will be the end of the volume and the start of the last. It might be the greatest one I write or the worst, it depends on how well written it would be.
Btw we reached 100K words 🎉
If you have any questions, you can find me in the official Shadow Slave discord. just go to the Fanfiction room, and search for mine, it's named after the FF name.
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See you again next time👋