Following Alphabed, they entered the castle. Both Maria and Marco seemed quite surprised by the structure of the castle.
"I've never seen such a luxurious castle. Come to think of it, everything here is made of pure diamond," Maria said, her face full of surprise.
"He's the owner of countless worlds, universes, and multiverses, so having a castle like this is obvious for him," Aizis said calmly.
"Could be, but it's quite surprising for someone new like me. Of course, not everyone thinks as deeply as you do," Maria said sarcastically.
Aizis smiled a bit.
As they chatted, they reached the throne room. Someone was standing beside the throne. It was a figure with long black hair, wearing a long coat. His face was calm and solitary. It was the supreme ruler, Muzan.
As soon as Muzan saw Raizel, he bowed his head.
"It's been a while, Master Raizel," Muzan said calmly.
Both Marco and Maria were completely shocked. They stared at Raizel and Aizis as though they were seeing ghosts.
Though surprised, neither could speak; their voices were blocked by their astonishment.
"So, you're still here, Muzan," Raizel said.
"It's been a while, Muzan. So, you haven't changed," Aizis said with a warm smile.
"How can I change when my master isn't here with me?" Muzan said, gently.
"Everyone changes with the flow of time. You shouldn't stay like this forever for a certain person, but what you did is admirable. I appreciate it," Aizis said, smiling a bit.
"It's my honor, Master Aizis," Muzan said.
Aizis smiled.
"Will you still work alongside me, Muzan?" Raizel asked, his voice calm and gentle.
As he spoke with Aizis, Muzan's eyes filled with tears, which he struggled to hold back.
Muzan suddenly released the flood of tears and hugged Raizel tightly.
"I was waiting... I was waiting for you, Master. I was waiting to serve you once again," Muzan said desperately. His voice cracked.
Raizel was a bit surprised but showed no expression, continuing to look at Muzan, who was crying.
"I knew it... I knew you'd return," Muzan said, his voice broken.
Though Marco and Maria were surprised earlier, they now realized something. A small, happy smile appeared on their faces. Aizis smiled as always, with his mysterious, gentle expression.
The gentle, calm moment lasted for a while.
Muzan returned to his position and stood there quietly.
Marco, Maria, and Alphabed watched everything silently.
"Since you've been doing the job of supreme ruler for a while, will you continue doing it for the rest of your life?" Raizel asked.
"Master, what do you mean?" Muzan asked curiously.
"I'd like you to continue being the supreme ruler of this realm. Will you?" Raizel asked.
Muzan was silent for a moment.
"As you wish, I will," Muzan replied.
Raizel nodded slightly.
"Then, I believe it's time for us to go back," Aizis said calmly.
"Yeah. I'm leaving the realm to you once again, Muzan," Raizel said.
After saying that, Raizel and the others left the castle.
As they left, both Alphabed and Muzan continued to stare toward the exit.
After leaving the castle, Raizel drew a blue magic circle, covering all of them, and they vanished with a flash of light.
The empty and silent realm returned to its regular state.
They appeared on a street in Zeldia, with a blue light flashing.
"I think it's unnecessary to give you the answers to those questions from the past, isn't it?" Aizis said as soon as they appeared there.
Maria nodded in agreement.
"I have to leave now, everyone. I have to return home right now," Raizel said.
"Sure, goodbye, Raizel," Maria replied.
Raizel drew a magic circle and disappeared from the area with a flash of purple lightning.
Maria spoke up, her voice steady.
"I want to ask you something, Aizis." Her tone carried a hint of seriousness.
Aizis glanced at Maria with narrowed eyes and offered a faint smile.
"What is it you want to ask so seriously?" he replied, his voice casual, yet laced with suspicion.
Maria didn't hesitate.
"What is Raizel's true goal?" she asked, still holding that serious tone.
Aizis leaned back slightly, thoughtful.
"His goal? I used to think he had none. He wandered without purpose… or so I believed.'' he took a breath.
''But then I realized—there is a hidden purpose within him. Not his own, but a command—someone else's will. He's meant to uncover the story behind the Law of Intensity… and erase it from existence."
Maria frowned, a note of doubt in her voice.
"To remove the Law of Intensity… he'd have to find its creator. If that even exists. I'm not sure it's something anyone can really achieve."
Aizis gave a subtle, almost knowing smile.
"Whatever his goal, whatever secrets surround him… the one he must eventually face is someone known to all— and yet, remains a mystery to everyone."
His tone drifted into something softer, layered with intrigue.
Just as Aizis was about to shift his focus elsewhere, Maria's voice rose once again, pulling him back.
"I still haven't gotten all my answers, Aizis," Maria said suddenly.
Aizis smiled a bit; he was expecting something like this.
"Yeah, I know. I know you want to know more than this. You want to know the reason behind Raizel's nature, his personality, and mindset like this," Aizis said calmly.
"Yeah, that's exactly what I want to know. Tell me, tell me everything you know," Maria said desperately.
Aizis started speaking.
The time wasn't clear enough, but the structure of the world and society was pretty good and unique. The city seemed to be quite wealthy, as almost all the castles around there were made of expensive metals. But despite the expensive appearance of the city, it wasn't really alive; there was barely any sound to be heard. Some screams could be heard after a few moments, but they were distant.
A huge army unit was scattered all around the city, picking children from all over the place, selecting them for a purpose. Their goal was to use them in the upcoming war. They chose kids with higher levels of magic power, taking the potential children to use them as weapons in the war. If their parents let their children go, they spared the parents' lives, but if not, they simply murdered them. It was a common sight in those worlds, the worlds that coexisted with secretive and reformed worlds.
A red-haired boy, no older than 12 or 13, was standing in the street. His appearance was innocent and calm. Some army soldiers were standing in front of him. Someone was trying to protect him from the soldiers. It was a woman with blonde hair, a middle-aged woman with a calm face. But at that moment, as desperate as she was, she didn't appear calm at all.
"Please forgive my son. Please don't take him away from me. I can't survive without him," the woman said desperately. In her eyes burned fear, sorrow, and a fierce desperation to protect her son.
"Shut up. How dare you speak in front of us?" one of the soldiers shouted. His words were sharp, his tone laced with anger—cold and unkind toward the woman.
"Please, I beg you. I'll do anything for that," the woman said. Even though she tried to appear strong, fear and sadness clung to her—her tears threatening to betray her.
The red-haired boy didn't speak once. He kept staring at them, calm the entire time.
"If you really don't want to let him go with us, I'll force you," the soldier said in a rough voice.
The soldier drew out a pistol and shot her in the forehead.
The woman's entire body fell to the ground, her soul leaving her body instantly. Crimson spilled from her wounds, painting the earth in silence. She fell to the ground, her body surrendering to stillness.
The red-haired boy only stared at her dead body. He didn't speak or show any expression. Something was bothering him, urging him to do something, but he couldn't understand what it was. The death of his mother didn't seem to affect him. He was emotionless, yet something was gnawing at him. His memories with his mother troubled him. He didn't move from that spot but kept staring at her lifeless body.
There was a trace of sadness in his eyes—he was sad, and yet somehow he wasn't. He wanted to express it, to let it out, but the words, the tears, never came. He didn't cry, not really, but the glint in his eyes betrayed what he couldn't say.
After being asked multiple times, the soldiers finally forced him to come with them. Unlike the other children, he didn't cry; he only kept staring at the dead body as long as it was in his sight. Even after losing sight of it, he continued to stare in that direction, the way he had seen his mother's soulless body.