The others all lowered their heads, seeing Valarie express so much rage and sorrow. Ever since they met her, she had always been on the cheerful and playful side. She was like the sun—bright, radiant, full of energy. Then again, that was her attribute. But now… something had changed. Either more of her memories had returned, or perhaps the ancient Ascendant had chosen to reveal them. Damon had learned a lot. The Whispering Forest—a literal death zone—was nothing more than the corpse of one of the Outsiders. It was vast, twisted, and filled with countless horrors that now called the titanic corpse their home. If that was the case, then what about the Duhu Mountains and all the monsters that dwelled there? Damon shook his head. He recalled the skill description that mentioned Mugu passing by the Duhu Mountains for the first time. 'Which meant the Duhu Mountains are older than the Whispering Forest…' The skill in question had read: [Omen of Dread] [Description] These vile mountains were old and ancient, leaking a small gap into the Metaverse. When Mugu came upon these mountains, he was paralyzed by the fear of the vile spirits that hid within the trees. Those who tread too close find themselves ensnared by the same terror, their bodies frozen as unseen horrors creep ever closer. [Effect] Unleashes an aura of overwhelming dread, paralyzing enemies weaker than the user and instilling hesitation in those who fear him. [Type] Active [Cooldown] 3 seconds Which begged the question—when Lysithara was first created, did they know the Duhu Mountains had a hole to the Metaverse? Was it intentional? The Metaverse seemed to be the passage or doorway that allowed entities from a higher realm to enter this world. At least able to bypass the goddess. He bit his lip. There were just too many questions. And if the Unknown God gave the six Ascendants knowledge on how to forge the Ascendant armors… then why was City Lord Vathren now corrupted? But above all—everything, all of it—seemed to lead back to a single name. "Mugu…" Damon was certain—everything was connected to this Mugu person. He was the one who gave the rulers of Lysithara the idea of searching for Akasha. To do so, they needed access to the Metaverse. And by opening it, they invited the Outsiders in. The Outsiders shared knowledge… but all of them had ulterior motives. Which, if Damon had to guess, all led back to the so-called Pillar of Conflict. 'If I'm not wrong… everything was for the Pillar of Conflict. The Unknown God wants this pillar, so he designed this elaborate chessboard across three epochs…' Damon almost chuckled at the absurdity of it all. One god wanted something—and three, no, four epochs of mortals had to suffer for it. 'Which means… this pillar is something the Goddess of Doom owns. But why does the Unknown God want it…?' Damon gritted his teeth. It didn't make sense—but at the same time, it did. Each era had its main characters. The Zero Epoch? Damon had no idea who the key players were. But the First Epoch had Mugu, the six Ascendants, and the Outsiders. The Second Era had Ashcroft, the demons, and the temple. Sylvia had said Ashcroft—seen through the memory of the dark spirit Rashi Ignath—was looking for this Pillar. 'Then there's this epoch… me and my shadow… Lilith the priestess of the Unknown God… then there's Sylvia, who has his tome…' 'What a fuck fest…' He couldn't help but curse. Lilith had been right. The two of them were at the center of a great conflict. This went beyond war—they were caught between two true gods. The Goddess of Doom—an ancient, boundless being beyond creation. And worse… the mysterious Unknown God, who was equally powerful—or perhaps even more harrowing. 'I can't forget the strange relationship they share… Minerva… bride of the Unknown God…' Just thinking that part—not even saying it—made Damon's shadow tremble in dread. He shook his head. Why was he even thinking like this? He was just a small fry—barely first class. 'But…' his gaze lifted to the drifting rift in the sky, like a crack in the heavens. That was the body of Ittorath. 'More Outsiders are probably still alive. Ashcroft will also return… I have a feeling—no, I know—this era will be the final showdown…' Then there was the temple. From what he could surmise, it didn't exist or wasn't as strict in ancient times—at least, not until after the fall of Lysithara. 'Which means… the temple gained power and influence after Lysithara fell…' Before or during the rise of the demon races, the temple had grown. It was at its peak during the age of Ashcroft. Damon tried connecting the timelines, tried making sense of it all. But there were just too many holes. And everything about the Zero Epoch was a blank. After all, even Valarie didn't know much about it. She hadn't even been born then. He clenched his teeth, thinking of Lilith Astranova. 'Boy do I have a lot to tell her…' She had been right. The secrets the temple tried so hard to bury were in the death zones and ancient ruins. And there were still clues Ashcroft had left behind. Regardless of who won—whether the Goddess of Doom or the Unknown God—the result was bound to be catastrophic. But Damon shook his head. I don't care about that. I can't care about that right now… "My priority is saving my sister…" And what better place to do that than a library with almost every book ever written in the past three hundred thousand years? "Damon… Damon, hello?" Leona waved her hand in front of his face. She frowned, arms crossed. "You've been standing there absent-minded for the past seventeen minutes. Let's go already—we're all waiting for you." Damon turned around, blinking as if snapping out of a daze. He glanced at his party. He snickered softly. Who was he kidding? The most important task… was surviving. Let the gods play their games. For now… it wasn't his problem. "That's future Damon's problem. And I have a feeling he's in for a shitshow."