"Long time no see?" William said as he walked through the forest alone, his hands tucked into his pockets, completely unbothered by the beasts lurking in the shadows.

The whole forest was infested with a heavy amount of dangerous beasts. However, they only growled and warned, never approached him.

The reason he had wandered into the forest was simple. He was meeting an old friend.

Naturally, there was a concern in the back of his mind. What if Emma woke up and could not find him? But he knew her voice would reach him even if he crossed the mountain itself, so he did not worry about making her anxious.

"You seem to have gotten used to your new traits," Lamb said as he floated beside William.

The being appeared far more complete than before. The gaping hollow in his stomach that William had seen last time was gone, and even his usual sunken, frail appearance seemed slightly improved.

Or perhaps he was just imagining it.

"What was there to get used to? I mean, I have been using Nyx this whole time."

"Hmm, is that so?" Lamb asked. "Is it really that simple? Just manipulating magic, and that is all it took?"

William pressed his lips together, his eyes sharpening while remaining fixed on the path ahead.

"You have unlocked a lens of this world you did not even know existed. You can now see the evil people try so hard to hide. You will never truly trust anyone once you can see the darkness they carry within."

What he said was true. Ever since William had tapped into that hidden corner of his potential, he could sense malice around him, much like he once sensed killing intent.

Those smiling villagers Emma considered kind and warm, every single one of them hid something dark in their hearts.

And not just them... there was something within Emma as well.

But hers was different. It revolved around fear and anger.

He was beginning to see a side of humanity that could only be described as ugly.

Lamb suggested, "If you delve deeper into their darkness, you could exploit it and corner them..."

"Why are you suggesting something so inhumane?" William cut in. "I mean, who hasn't done something wrong at some point? Even stealing bread can be branded as a crime and become the kind of darkness that has been bothering me these days."

"But would something that small truly bother you?" Lamb asked.

William let out a long sigh and turned to face him. "Why are you so insistent on me uncovering people's secrets? I could have done that even without these powers, by reading their memories. But did I ever do that?"

Lamb shook his head. "I think you have misunderstood me."

William frowned. "What did I misunderstand? From what I can see, you want me to dig into whatever evil a person is capable of. Is this your way of forcing me to choose a side?"

Lamb remained calm despite the accusation. "Do not take my words too strongly, but there is a reason I want you to face this instead of avoiding it."

He looked up at the moon before continuing, "I want you to become tolerant of everything that may influence your decisions in the future, when the time comes for you to truly make a choice."

William crossed his arms. "What do you mean?"

Lamb turned to look at him. "As you stand now, if a war between two sides were to erupt, you would choose humanity."

"And... you don't want that?"

"I don't want you to make a decision based on your past, but only after evaluating the present," Lamb said. "Assume that you have the strength to tilt the balance of that war. And just when you decide to stand with humanity, you uncover a secret about the person you trust the most. You feel betrayed, and that drives you down a darker path."

William's frustration began to surface. "Are you implying that..."

"I am only asking you to assume," Lamb corrected calmly. "I do not know what secrets Emma may be hiding. But I do know that her presence in your life holds great weight. So, for the sake of what is yet to unfold, you need to understand her completely. You need to know everything about her, so that nothing about her can influence your decision later."

William fell silent at those words.

With the new powers he had awakened, he knew his role in this world had grown far beyond what it once was. No matter how much he wanted to, he could no longer stay away from the chaos that was bound to unfold.

And so, he found himself forced to consider Lamb's suggestion.

He needed to face the darkness and learn to tolerate it.

"Well, I think you understand your role now," Lamb said, breaking his train of thought.

William gave a wry smile. "Just when my life started to regain some stability, you appeared out of nowhere and..."

Lamb showed no reaction to his words. He simply looked at William and said, "I am only assisting you whenever I sense that you are standing at a crossroads."

William shrugged. "Well, you did help. But there's something I'm curious about."

Lamb tilted his head slightly. "What is it?"

William's smile faded. His eyes darkened as he asked, "Why... can I sense the same darkness from you?"

....

"Hmm?" Emma frowned lightly... was she even asleep?

Her eyes were open, yet all she could see was a vast void, dyed in a brilliant shade of white.

She was familiar with this place. It was just that she had not expected to be summoned here so suddenly.

"What do I owe this summon, Lord Raphael?" she called out, waiting for the deity to appear as he usually did.

However, the response came from a distance.

"Oh... you are here."

Emma turned toward the source of the voice, only to freeze in place.

It was not only Raphael who approached her.

Broad shoulders, curly golden hair, glowing golden eyes, and four wings extending from his back.

A presence so radiant it seemed capable of rendering even flawless skin almost translucent.

The being radiated a presence so overwhelming that Emma instinctively lowered her head and felt like dropping to her knees.

The way he did not even spare her a glance made her feel insignificant, as if she had committed some unforgivable sin.

However, she quickly pulled herself out of those thoughts, steadying her mind as she realized how irrational they were.

The two men stopped before her, and the familiar deity spoke, "Brother, this is my apostle, Emma."

"And Emma..." Raphael paused briefly before glancing at the taller man. "This is my elder brother, the King of the Heavens, Lord Michael."

Emma stiffened at the introduction.

The being standing before her... was the strongest Archangel?!

Michael finally looked down and their gaze met.

Narrowing his eyes, the being growled, "I despise you."

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been reading the story so far, first of all, very thank you. It's the support of you few readers we have gotten this far. Please continue to support me till the end.