Michael moved through countless realms.
He possessed the ability to manipulate time itself, past, present, and possibility, yet no matter how deeply he searched, he never once encountered the being who caused the war.
He walked across a flat, endless dimension where the ground stretched infinitely in all directions. There was no sky, no horizon, only silent stone beneath his feet.
"He's unreachable," Michael thought.
"Conceptual. Causal. Strong."
He opened the air itself and stepped into another realm.
This world had no society. Only stone. Endless layers of rock formed a silent, abandoned land. The heavens above were timeless, frozen in stillness.
Michael knelt and placed his hand on the ground.
The past responded.
When he opened his eyes again, he understood. This realm had once been a thriving society forty million years ago. Demons had conquered it. Then they were annihilated by the Ninth Sentinel.
Michael stood, his cloak floating gently, and opened the air once more.
The next realm was hell.
But not like others.
The flames were frozen, unmoving, locked in eternal suspension. The land stretched impossibly wide, with vast areas of groundless space that twisted perception itself. The emptiness felt hostile, yet Michael remained calm.
Beneath his hood, his expression was curious, controlled.
The sound of the void echoed like screaming souls.
Michael flew through the dimension, observing the devastation. Entire regions had been erased beyond recognition.
"The Ninth Sentinel was ruthless," Michael thought.
"For demons, he was an absolute nightmare."
Time passed.
Michael returned to the Vastyrion Realm.
He stood within Aldervain Kingdom, inside Baldrick's massive palace. Snow fell outside the window as the two sat together, drinking warm coffee in silence.
Baldrick placed a small glowing stone on the table.
"I dreamed of him," Baldrick said quietly. "His name is Vorthak. I saw him. Half buried within his realm, yet not weakened. His tongue killed me for twenty years. Over and over. He kept reviving me just to kill me again."
Michael picked up the stone.
"I understand," he said. "Vorthak wants this. This stone would grant him immense power."
Baldrick nodded.
"If he obtains it, he could rival the Ninth Sentinel who once defeated him. But that will not happen. The Ninth Sentinel no longer exists within this realm, nor any lower plane. He has ascended to a greater plane beyond reach, the heaven of the higher being, the God."
Michael stood.
He slipped the glowing stone into the sleeve of his cloak.
"I'll make sure Vorthak comes to me," he said. "That's when I end this."
Baldrick looked at him seriously.
"Be careful. His immortality is different. He cannot die by conventional means. But you are the Tenth Sentinel. Any demon who tries to conquer or destroy the Vastyrion Realm or any plane beyond it will have to face you first."
Michael was silent for a moment.
Then he answered calmly.
"I know."