The sound of slow footsteps echoed through a long, dark staircase illuminated only by torches.
Dressed in an elegant bluish suit, the Feral Fox slowly descended the steps. Small chains attached to his clothes produced a faint jingle with every movement. His golden binoculars gleamed whenever he passed near the torches, while he calmly adjusted the rings on his long overcoat.
Three figures dressed in elegant clothing sat around a table. Their eyes were filled with suspicion, while the only sound in the room was the echo of footsteps coming from the staircase.
The Feral Wolf, wrapped in a red cloak, finally broke the silence:
— I wonder what that cunning Fox is plotting this time.
The Feral Horse, wearing a gray overcoat adorned with jewelry, looked toward the Feral Bird, whose feathers carried shades of blue and red.
— I don't know. But it seems he has outdone himself this time, inviting the three of us to such a suspicious place. Don't you think?
The Feral Bird kept her eyes fixed on the staircase hallway. The sound of footsteps continued to draw closer.
— We'll find out soon enough.
Finally, the Fox appeared at the bottom of the staircase and entered the room.
His face was revealed beneath the torchlight, accompanied by a cunning smile.
The Feral Bird immediately asked:
— Why did you call us here?
— Maprisius?
With a fake laugh, he spread his arms as his golden binoculars reflected the light around the room.
— Well then... let us begin the first and last meeting between us.
He smiled.
— The Four Nobles!
Walking through the night, with every establishment and house locked up, Shizu, accompanied by Sterfen, carefully looked around, their identities concealed beneath black cloaks. Sterfen, with one hand resting on his sword, asked Shizu, who was walking ahead of him:
— Shizu... Are you really okay with having someone like me in your group?...
The young man stopped walking and turned toward Sterfen. With a relaxed expression, he answered with a question of his own:
— If I told you that I'm someone who isn't from this world, would you believe me?
Sterfen, being as airheaded as ever, tilted his head and replied naturally:
— Huh? You're from another world too?
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Shizu broke the silence with a shout:
— What?!
Shizu quickly walked toward Sterfen, frantically asking if what he had said was true. Sterfen became startled as his companion suddenly moved so close to him.
— Seriously?! You're from another world too?! What part of the world are you from? I was from Brazil, what about you?!
Sterfen awkwardly took a step back before beginning to explain:
— Calm down, I'll tell you!
— I'm from another country. I was from the United States, America!
Shizu looked at him with a blank, neutral expression and replied with a sigh:
— Oh...
Seeing his reaction, Sterfen quickly explained with a confident laugh:
— You're probably thinking something really bad right now, or maybe you're disappointed, but I need to tell you something.
— You and I might have come from completely different eras.
Shizu returned to his normal expression and spoke in confusion:
— You mean... a difference in time?
Sterfen scratched his head with a sideways grin as he answered the boy:
— Yeah... it could be that.
— When I came here, the year in my old world was 2006. So... if there was some kind of war or conflict going on in your time, please don't compare me to the others. I was there, so I had nothing to do with it.
Shizu placed a hand on his chin before replying, turning his back to Sterfen:
— No, I don't hold grudges, even if I probably should. But since you're not like them, that's fine with me.
Sterfen suddenly became curious about something and asked him directly:
— And you? What year are you from?
Shizu turned around and answered with a serious expression:
— I'm from 2050... But please, don't ask that question...
Sterfen's eyes lit up as he rushed toward him.
— Wooooow! Does that mean they've already invented flying cars?!
Shizu replied with complete exasperation:
— OF COURSE NOT!
Walking through the castle corridors, Napolix stopped for a moment near a window, the rings on his enormous tail scraping against the floor with every movement. He narrowed his eyes as he observed the city for a brief moment. Soon after, he continued walking through the palace corridors and calmly said:
— Time to act.
The flame of the lamp atop the large table began to flicker more violently inside the guest room. Maprisius approached with a smile plastered across his face, his hands behind his back. As he made his way toward his chair, he began speaking to everyone in the room in a calm, polished, and formal voice:
— So, my guests.
— You must be quite curious, and perhaps even surprised, to have received such a sudden invitation at this hour of the night.
Jean looked at Maprisius and replied curtly, placing a hand on the table and impatiently tapping his fingers against it:
— If what you have to say is actually important, stop wasting our time and get to the point.
Maprisius looked at him with a sideways grin and casually waved his hands.
— Ah, no, no.
— I have no intention of wasting your time, so let's get to what matters.
Maprisius leaned slightly farther forward as he interlaced his fingers. The relaxed smile had vanished from his face.
— How about we form an alliance against the Throne?
The room fell into absolute silence.
Within seconds, the three Nobles' expressions turned serious, anger filling each of their eyes.
Goulartte immediately stood up and slammed both hands onto the table.
— WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! GO AGAINST THE KING?!
She glared at Maprisius in outrage.
— WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, MAPRISIUS?!
The other two Nobles grew restless.
Jean crossed his arms and closed his eyes in disapproval. Vollveria, on the other hand, looked toward Goulartte, who was clearly losing her temper.
— Mind your manners, Goulartte.
The Noble Bird let out an irritated sound through her beak before sitting back down.
Vollveria then turned her eyes toward Maprisius.
— Since you proposed this, I want to ask you something.
She stared directly at him.
— Why do you want the Kingdom to fall, Maprisius?
The Cunning Fox closed his eyes with an awkward smile on his lips and gently shook his head.
— Of course, my intention isn't to bring down the Kingdom...
He opened his eyes.
— I simply want to put everything back in order, the way it has always been.
Maprisius didn't pause for even a moment before continuing:
— You may look at me with that disapproval, but I am absolutely certain of one thing.
His gaze swept across the three of them.
— The moment Shizu Mark, the so-called Hero, entered that Palace... your blood boiled with absolute anguish.
He tilted his head.
— The same goes for the two of you.
Vollveria lowered her head and clenched her hands. A look of disgust appeared on her face.
She didn't want to admit it.
But deep down, she knew Maprisius was right.
"He... isn't wrong."
"The moment the King openly stated that he intended to reestablish diplomacy with humans once again..."
"I couldn't contain it..."
"I felt..."
Maprisius finished her thought in a bitter voice, accompanied by a faint smile:
— Betrayed...
Vollveria raised her eyes toward him.
Maprisius had completed the exact thought she had been trying to hide.
Then he turned toward Jean.
— Jean, you know exactly what I mean. After all, even if you don't want to believe it, deep down, you know.
He placed one hand on the table.
— If the King makes a decision like this, we could all pay a heavy price.
Maprisius narrowed his eyes.
— Is that why you've been even more thoughtful ever since that day?
Jean opened his eyes and stared at Maprisius.
— What I do or don't think is none of your concern.
He paused briefly.
— As much as I think exactly the same thing... and agree that it would be beyond absurd, I still choose to place my faith in my King.
Jean stared at him even more seriously as he tapped his index finger against the table.
— As the oldest Noble among the four of us, you should have understood that from the very beginning.
The sound of his finger tapping against the table echoed through the room.
— Don't you understand that trust in one's King is one of the most important foundations when it comes to power and control?
Jean narrowed his eyes.
— Making a foolish decision like this is one of the most barbaric things someone as intelligent as you could have done, Maprisius.
The Fox stopped smiling.
For the first time during the conversation, clear anger could be seen in his eyes.
He stared directly at Jean.
— You don't understand, do you, Jean?
Maprisius placed both hands on the table.
— Just because I have lived longer than all of you and witnessed much of this place's development, does that not give me the right to make a decision like this?
His tone became firmer.
— And just because this may seem barbaric doesn't change the fact that reestablishing diplomacy with humans could be perfectly normal for us, considering our past.
Maprisius narrowed his eyes.
— I didn't propose this on a whim. Much less out of desire.
He took a deep breath.
— I'm doing this for the good of everyone.
— That's what I believe.
Goulartte could no longer remain silent.
She crossed her arms and shot Maprisius a sideways glare.
— You say it's for everyone's sake, spout nonsense, and try to justify that what you're proposing is the right thing...
She shook her head.
— Typical Maprisius.
The Fox looked at the Bird with disdain.
— What exactly did you mean by that, Goulartte?
She stared at him even more intensely.
— Exactly what you heard.
Goulartte pointed a finger at him.
— I'm saying you're the same charlatan you've always been. You make everyone out to be victims just to justify such an extremist act.
She narrowed her eyes.
— A Cunning Fox who thinks of nothing but his own ego, always making his tail wag.
Maprisius's expression changed.
The anger on his face was unmistakable.
— Are you saying you agree with the King's choice?
He leaned forward.
— Do you really think reestablishing diplomacy with those brainless monsters would be good for our Kingdom?
Maprisius clenched his teeth.
— That's exactly what I'm hearing...
Goulartte, however, remained calm.
— No, Maprisius.
She uncrossed her arms.
— That's your ego and your stubbornness speaking.
Goulartte held his gaze.
— What I'm saying is that, even with so many choices available to change this situation, you chose the only one that puts you above everyone else.
She took a deep breath.
— A pathetic proposal to bring down the Kingdom.
Goulartte's gaze grew even more furious.
— Typical fucking narcissist.
Roaming through the city in search of something, Shizu looked down at the ground as he thought with a relaxed expression, remembering the events of the previous cycles:
"During the first time loop against the World Assassin... neither I nor the others stood a chance against him..."
"He doesn't seem as absurdly powerful as Babadar, but..."
"Even so, why is he so strong? How is he able to take such powerful attacks and come out unscathed after so many fights...?"
"I need to find a way to discover his weakness. If I can't, we might be doomed..."
"I may be useless in combat and weak, but there is only one thing I can do to help everyone..."
"I'll use all my reasoning and make choices that bring me closer to the answers. I'll save everyone, no matter what it takes..."
"That's why..."
Shizu stopped walking.
Sensing a strange pressure, he looked toward an alley. A moment later, he signaled for Sterfen not to take another step.
Shizu then spoke toward the darkness:
— You finally showed up on your own. You know, I was getting tired of walking around...
The sound of chains being dragged came from the alley.
A hooded figure emerged from the darkness with a smile plastered across his face. As he walked forward, he spoke in a friendly tone:
— I was wondering to myself...
— Is this kid incredibly brave, or incredibly stupid for chasing after a predator like this?...
Sterfen was left speechless when he saw the person standing before them. Angrily, he placed both hands on his sword, indignation written across his face.
Shizu, however, maintained a serious expression as he replied:
— What kind of prey would stand still when it knows there's a predator waiting for it?
Shizu stared at the figure before him.
— Fontaine Dularcio...