"Are those real worlds?" Cipher asked, looking at the infinite dead worlds sprawling before him.
"Hard to say. Somewhat," the Heavenly Demon replied.
"Hmmm." He held his chin in thought. "How did they end up here anyway?"
The Heavenly Demon stared at him for a second before letting out a soft sigh. "Who knows," she said.
Cipher looked at her, then changed the subject. "Anyway, have you ever heard of this so-called Eternal Flame?"
"Eternal Flame... yeah," she said.
"Really? What have you heard?" he asked.
She shook her head. "It’s not really hearing, per se, but I’ve read a book about it in the Library of the Heavenly Demon."
"Back when I was just a subordinate of the young cult leader, I earned the right to enter the Heavenly Demon’s library. Inside, I found a book. I thought it was a powerful martial arts manual, but it turned out to be a fairy tale," she explained.
"A fairy tale?" he asked.
"That’s right. The story went like this: In the beginning, there was only empty chaos - a vast nothingness without form or substance. In this emptiness, a single creature existed - the Vermillion Bird. It was said to have a body made entirely of flames. Eternal Flames that never dimmed, never flickered, and never died. The Vermillion Bird flew through the chaos alone for countless eons, its flames the only light in the endless void."
"One day, the Vermillion Bird grew tired of the emptiness. From its body, it plucked a single feather of Eternal Flame and cast it into the void. The feather burned so brightly that it gave birth to the first god - a being of pure light. This was the Light Goddess."
"Pleased with its creation, the Vermillion Bird continued. It plucked more feathers, and from each one, new gods were born - gods of time, space, death, life, and countless others. Each god carried a fragment of the Eternal Flame within them, a spark of the Vermillion Bird’s immortal fire."
"These gods then created their own descendants - lesser divine beings, spirits, and eventually, all the creatures we know today. Humans, beasts, demons, monsters - all traced their lineage back to the gods, and through them, to the Eternal Flame of the Vermillion Bird."
"But the Vermillion Bird gave so much of itself that, eventually, its flames began to fade. Some say it disappeared entirely, becoming part of the world it had created. Others say it still exists somewhere, hidden away, waiting to reignite when the world needs it most."
"What do you think happened to the real flame?" Cipher asked.
The Heavenly Demon shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? It’s a kid’s fairy tale anyway."
In the real world, Cipher sighed as he got out of the shower. It felt as though he was making progress but also not at the same time. He put on his pajamas and slumped onto the bed. Maybe he’d figure something out if he went into Gate 2998 tomorrow, he thought as he passed out on his bed.
...
The next day, Cipher walked into his lab where everyone was waiting. When they noticed him coming in, they instantly got up and greeted him officially as Chief Enforcer with a formal bow.
"Hmm, I think I entered the wrong room," he said as he slowly backed away.
"Brother Cipher, don’t leave!" Maya shouted as she leaped forward, grabbing his hand.
The others smiled.
"I knew Brother Cipher wouldn’t like this kind of thing," Dante said.
"Well, you can’t blame us later when we don’t greet you like that," Ryker said, shrugging.
A while later, Cipher turned to Dante. "Dante, how are you feeling?"
Dante flexed his muscles. "I feel as good as always. No, even better." His expression then fell. "Sorry... I couldn’t win."
Cipher placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don’t worry about it. You performed extremely well. Besides, winning doesn’t matter. What matters is your abilities. How about we practice together tomorrow?"
"Sure!" Dante said in excitement.
"What about me?" Ryker asked.
"Me too! I want to practice with Brother Cipher too," Maya added.
"No, it will be just me and Dante this time. But if you guys really want to practice as a party, we can work something out. What do you think?" Cipher asked, glancing toward Selene.
"Alright. You can talk to me later if you want to practice as a party, and I can synchronize our schedules," Selene said.
"Yippee!" Maya jumped in excitement.
"That being said, you guys also performed extremely well and didn’t disappoint me." He turned to look at Ryker. "Just as we agreed, you’ll be promoted to team captain."
Ryker smiled proudly.
"And since you all performed so well, you can go to Iris’s lab and get anything you want. Just tell her to put it on my tab."
They all jumped in excitement, their faces lighting up.
"Alright then. I’m going to excuse myself," Cipher said. "I need to investigate Gate 2998 before we decide whether or not to open it up to the public."
As he turned to leave, Maya grabbed his sleeve. He turned around. She looked down and asked quietly, "Can I accompany you? I’m strong. And... even if you don’t need my strength, I can support you in case you get hurt."
Before he could reply, Selene placed a hand on Maya’s shoulder. "Cipher has his reasons, Maya. Don’t make things difficult for him."
Maya nodded and let go, though reluctantly.
Cipher explained with a smile, "It’s not a raid mission but a scout mission. The less commotion we cause, the better."
With that, Selene and Cipher walked out.
"There are a few people that want to talk to you..." Selene said as they walked down the corridor.
Back in the room, only Dante, Maya, and Ryker were left. Ryker looked at the other two. They all seemed down. He understood their feelings completely. No matter how strong they got, it seemed as though they would never be useful to Cipher, and he always had to do things like this alone. It was really demotivating.
But he still understood that it wasn’t Cipher’s fault. Cipher still cared about them. After all, with his strength - strong enough to face the entire world - why would he bother with people like them if he didn’t really care?
"Hey," Ryker said, breaking the silence. "How about we go out and have some fun to de-stress? After all, we won a lot of money from betting everything on Cipher winning the Battle for the Strongest."
The expressions of Maya and Dante brightened immediately.
"That’s right! We’re rich now!" Dante said with a grin.
"Let’s go shopping!" Maya said excitedly.
They all decided to go out, their spirits lifting as they headed toward the door.