"Is the actual owner… Hestia?" The question slipped out before I could stop myself. Fenrir's words resounded in my head—the Eternal Prison guardians had sworn themselves to her the moment Kaleon vanished.

Fenrir insisted it was because Kaleon had abandoned Mythica. And if the guardians themselves believed that, then… wasn't it logical to assume Hestia was the one holding the reins? Right?

Both Nico and Vorta blinked.

"Hestia?" Vorta tilted his head, silver hair spilling forward. "The mistress?"

Nico's eyes widened, his mouth curling into disbelief. "Wait—don't tell me those ridiculous rumors reached you."

Rumors? My stomach tightened. What rumors?

Nico read the confusion on my face and groaned. "Centuries ago, right after Mythica was created, someone spread lies that Hestia was the true owner of Mythica. That lie lit the fuse for the Realm Wars." His voice sharpened. "But Kaleon didn't create Mythica for her."

I frowned. "But… isn't she Kaleon's wife?"

Both of them nodded. No hesitation there.

"Then—" I tried to pry deeper, but Vorta raised a hand, his voice even. "She is his wife, but not the Owner. The realm was never hers."

Nico cut him off, sharper this time. "Exactly. The rumor came from Kaleon's enemies. They wanted the deities furious—furious enough to turn on him. They made it seem like Kaleon created Mythica just to hand it over to her."

The weight of their words pressed against me. My mind itched. "But why would anyone care who he gave it to? Isn't it his right?"

Nico's lip curled. "Because they didn't think Hestia was strong enough to hold it. Mythica isn't just land and sea—it's a unified realm, stitched from dying realm worlds Kaleon saved from collapse. He stabilized them with his reserves of Leyline cores."

"Do you understand how rare that is? Most realms have one core. Maybe two. Mythica holds more than any other. That alone proves Kaleon's strength. To them, gifting such a realm to Hestia was like handing a crown jewel to someone unfit to wear it."

Vorta nodded grimly. "And that envy poisoned everything. Their fury led to war. And when the war ended… Hestia was imprisoned. Not for what she did, but for what she represented. A pawn to control. A leash, in case Kaleon returned."

My throat went dry.

So that's why she was locked away in the Eternal Palace… but then—who actually is the Owner? Should I tell them I'm just the interim holder of the title? Would that even change how they see me—or make me look like a total amateur in front of these beings who've been around for eons?

I swallowed hard, trying to steady the sudden tightness in my chest. Every instinct screamed caution. One wrong word here, and I could go from "temporary authority" to "utterly powerless mortal" faster than a blink.

I swallowed hard. "Do you… know what happened to him? To Kaleon?"

Vorta's eyes flickered, unreadable. "The Creator may already be gone."

A shiver ran down my spine. Does Vorta really didn't know? Most of the Unknown Gods, as Agnos said, had received hints from Kaleon himself.

I tried to sound steady, but my voice betrayed me. "I… don't think he's coming back soon. He's… tied up in complications."

Nico moved before I registered it, suddenly inches from my face. His ruby red eyes burned. "You know where he is?"

"Whoa—personal space!" I flinched back, throwing up my hands.

His expression faltered; he stepped away quickly, bowing his head. "Forgive me, Owner. My excitement carried me away."

I exhaled shakily. "Well… yes. I do know. And the rumor of his death isn't true. Kaleon's not dead. He's… in eternal slumber."

Nico's voice cracked. "Eternal slumber? That is death."

Finally, someone on my wavelength. "Thank you! That's exactly what I thought too."

But Vorta's voice cut through, steady and certain. "No. Master is alive. He sleeps because he is fighting."

My heart skipped. "Fighting? Fighting what?"

His gaze fixed on me. "Tell me, Owner… have you absorbed the fragments' memories?"

"Err… yeah." My voice was small.

"Then tell me what you've seen."

So I told him. About Creation and Destruction. About my so-called mother. About seeing Vorta's Roc form, the towering Leyline core, the information of Stragglers clawing to break in soon. I spilled everything.

Vorta listened, his expression unreadable until I finished. Then, slowly, he nodded. "As I thought. Master is fighting within the borderlines. He's defending this realm from the Stragglers."

The name alone chilled me.

"Did you know, Owner, every realm has a divergent pair?" His voice dropped to something grave, ancient. "A mirror realm. Mythica's reflection exists too—and in that realm, live the Stragglers. Ruin's byproducts, essence twisted into monsters. We called this mirror realm, the Mythica's Fragment realm. And only by destroying Leyline's fragments can the there exist imbalance. They are trying to break through. And Kaleon… is the one keeping them out."

"You mean…the fragments appear because Mythica's Fragment Realm is breaking?" I choked on my words, the idea clawing at my chest.

Nico's eyes widened, and for the first time, the cocky smirk vanished, replaced with genuine concern. "Hey…if that happens, things will get ugly. Like…our previous worlds," he blurted, voice tight with memory.

"Previous worlds? Wait…you guys weren't created in Mythica?" My jaw practically hit the floor.

He grinned again, though it carried a sharper edge now. "Nope. Not all of us. Vorta, some caretakers, a few Unknown Gods—we survived worlds that collapsed long before Mythica even existed. Some of the others…their worlds became part of Mythica. But the Emperor War Beasts? The other War Beasts? Their original worlds are long gone. Completely ruined. Those world-ending monsters now lived across the Heaven Realms, and in Coalition Realms or other realms, scattered to wherever they're needed."

"I thought War Beasts didn't serve anyone…or bow to anyone?" I frowned, trying to wrap my head around it.

"Apparently, not entirely," Nico said, tilting his head. "Especially the Emperor War Beasts—they answer to no one. Full stop. The regular War Beasts, though…they're more flexible. They'll follow someone if they're strong, useful, or reliable—but that's rare, and I mean rare. Kaleon has War Beasts as…pets, I guess, but never the Emperor types. Those? Untouchable."

I couldn't help the tiny, smug surge in my chest. Well, guess I'm officially a special case then, I thought, glancing at the memory of Pazuzu curled protectively around me.

Not everyone gets one of these world-ending kaiju practically worshipping them. Maybe I really do have some rare constitution…a natural affinity with creatures or something. Makes sense, right?

Me, Carl, the human who somehow charms the impossible out of monsters.

My heart raced, half from pride, half from panic.

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