"Where do I start from?"
The aftermath of Seraph's erasure left an eerie silence on the ruined battlefield.
The golden light that had consumed her was gone, and with it, any lingering trace of her existence. Rey stood in place, arms crossed, his mind racing with everything he had learned.
He wasn't supposed to have [Doppel].
The System wanted him dead.
The so-called higher-ups had wiped Seraph out without hesitation, proving just how little tolerance they had for failure.
'And Ater… is hiding too much from me.'
It was a lot to process, but instead of letting his thoughts spiral, he calmly analyzed the situation and allowed his thoughts to sort themselves in his mind.
"Let's start with a simple one." Rey exhaled and turned to face him directly. "How did you find me?"
Ater smirked.
"Straight to the point, Master. I like that." He took a few steps forward, his gaze unwavering. "I already told you before, didn't I? I've been watching over you."
"Yeah, but I need details. How did you know I'd be here? And how did you even get to Earth in the first place?" Rey narrowed his eyes.
Ater chuckled, as if he had been waiting for this question.
"Well, let's just say that I was prepared for this possibility. Back when I was investigating the Dragon Continent in my spare time, I found something interesting—an ancient structure known as the Chamber of Ancients."
Rey's brow furrowed.
He knew exactly what Ater was referring to, but he didn't know Ater had been there before.
"You studied the Magic Circle there, I'm guessing.'
"Exactly," Ater confirmed. "I visited it long before you ever set foot in there. It intrigued me, since I was able to recognize its patterns, so I spent some time studying the patterns of the Magic Circle carved into the chamber. As a result, I learned how to use it to travel between worlds. I was able to use a tweaked version to find you on Earth after some investigation and asking your classmates some questions."
Rey crossed his arms. He had already known Ater was a genius, but this was on an entirely different level.
"So you're saying that now that you're here, we can reverse-engineer the Magic Circle and go back to H'Trae?"
"Precisely." Ater's smirk deepened. "We just need to make the necessary modifications, and then it'll be like walking through a door."
Rey exhaled, impressed yet again.
Ater always seemed to have a plan, always seemed to be ten steps ahead.
However, as much as Rey wanted to trust him, a lingering suspicion remained. Ater had too many connections to things he shouldn't have known about—Seraph, the System, and now even the world beyond it.
"…Who are you, Ater?" Rey finally asked, his tone serious. "And why are you really helping me?"
Ater's smirk faded slightly, replaced by something more thoughtful.
He was silent for a moment before responding.
"I wish I could give you a solid answer," he admitted. "But the truth is, I don't know."
Rey's frowned. "What do you mean you don't know?"
"I mean exactly that," Ater said. "My memories… they're not complete. It's like parts of them are locked away, hidden behind a thick fog. But there's one thing I do know for sure."
Rey listened intently as Ater continued.
"I don't belong to any of the worlds under the System's control. I originated from the world beyond it."
Rey's breath hitched. That world… the one even Seraph had been forbidden from speaking about.
Ater's crimson eyes gleamed with something unreadable.
"And more importantly, I know that your [Doppel] is the key to unlocking my memories… and truly saving H'Trae."
Rey processed that information carefully.
His Skill was the key?
That made sense, considering everything Seraph had said about [Doppel] being a framework for the worlds within the System. But then, why had he received it in the first place? Initially, he thought it was by some dumb luck, but with everything getting exponentially more complicated, he could no longer dwell on that assumption.
There was something else at play here.
"Haa…" Rey exhaled. "Alright. Then what exactly do I have to do?"
"You need to obtain the same level of authority as an Administrator. In other words… you need to reach beyond S Class and SS Class. You must obtain the SSS Class." Ater's gaze sharpened.
Rey's eyes widened. "SSS Class…"
That was beyond even the highest-ranked individuals he knew of. The power that came with it had to be on an entirely different scale.
'Even the Dragon Emperor and The Oracle only had SS Classes.'
"And that's not all," Ater continued. "For you to reach SSS Class, you need more than just your current abilities. You need to obtain all of the other Primeval Skills."
"I used to have The Oracle's [Clairvoyance] Skill." Rey's mind reeled. "There are more?"
Ater nodded.
"Five more, to be exact. None of them are on the same level as [Doppel]. You need to collect them all to reach SSS Class and gain Administrator-level authority."
"And where exactly am I supposed to find these Skills?" Rey added sharply.
"That part, I don't know," Ater admitted. "But I do know that all of them exist in H'Trae."
Rey clenched his fists.
Everything led back to H'Trae.
"And there's something else, Master." Ater's voice softened. "There's a reason you were given [Doppel] in the first place. It's connected to my lost memories. Once we complete this mission… everything will make sense."
Rey stood in silence, absorbing everything.
The weight of what lay ahead was immense, but there was no hesitation in his mind. He had come too far to turn back now.
After a moment, he exhaled and turned his gaze back to Ater.
"Alright. One last question."
"Go on." Ater tilted his head.
Rey's expression was unreadable as he asked, "Can I trust you?"
Ater's usual smirk faded.
Instead, he took a step forward—then, to Rey's surprise, he knelt.
His crimson eyes locked onto Rey's as he spoke with absolute certainty.
"I am and will always be loyal to you, Master. You can trust me."
Rey stared at him, searching for any sign of deception, but there was none. Ater had always been an enigma, but this time, his words carried a sincerity that Rey couldn't ignore.
A small smile crept onto Rey's lips. He reached out his hand.
"Then stand, Ater."
Ater rose to his feet and took Rey's hand, shaking it firmly.
Rey's grip tightened as he met Ater's gaze. "We'll go according to the plan. We obtain the other SSS Skills. We save H'Trae. And in the process… we uncover the truth."
"Now that's what I like to hear." Ater smirked.
As their hands separated, a silent understanding passed between them.
—Unwavering trust.
****************
[Meanwhile…]
"It's almost ready…"
A certain silhouette stood in front of a massive device. The colossal monstrosity hummed as several runic symbols danced around it and it had several Magic Circles overlapping on each other.
Whatever this thing was… it warbled with immense—seemingly infinite—power.
"What do you think, Emil?" The silhouette muttered, stepping forward into the light.
It was none other than Adrien Chase.
"The time is nearly upon us… our final frontier as we march to the end."