In a dark world, devoid of life and hope, a man sat on a chair.
The chair was mangled and twisted, like a cluster of tree branches sewn together to form an ugly chair.
Not only did it look uncomfortable to sit in, but it was immensely unattractive and wretched as well.
Still, this man that sat had a smile on his face as he remained on this throne of his, obscured by the darkness that surrounded him.
Then…
"You're back."
… He finally spoke.
He lifted his gaze to the two people that now approached him.
One was a young man who had long dark hair, while the other was a beautiful maiden with pure white hair—both existing as sharp contrasts of each other.
"Yeah. We are."
"And we brought the goods."
As Stefan Netherlore and Ciel spoke respectively, they carefully stared at the countenance of the man they were reporting to.
The wide grin on his face made him resemble a fiend rather than a man.
"Um, Legris… that's quite a scary smile you have on your face." Stefan made this observation public, and Ciel nodded in agreement.
"Ahh… my apologies."
Legris rose from his twisted throne, and the moment he did so, the twisted thing faded away into obscurity.
"I still don't know why you sit on that thing. It looks so uncomfortable." Ciel murmured, and then sighed.
"Oh, it is. It's very uncomfortable. But I suppose that's why I like it so much." Legris smiled, his dark coat clinging tightly to his body.
"That discomfort… It reminds me of why I can't get complacent. You could say it keeps me on my toes."
This response of his was followed by a slap on the face by Ciel, and an emotionless reaction from Stefan.
"Ahh, you wouldn't get it. Anyway, let's return to the main topic." Legris shrugged slightly.
The crux of the matter…
"Just so you know… we were barely able to meet the quota."
"It was especially difficult when you began rushing us towards the end."
As Ciel and Stefan kept up their excuses, Legris dismissed them with a slight wave.
"I also used more power than I predicted, so I can't blame you all. Everyone has really become stronger than last time. It's quite scary, to be honest."
"How many were you able to eliminate?" Ciel swiftly asked, not even allowing Legris to breathe before showering him with curiosity.
"Just two. The remaining run amok." Legris sighed, watching as Ciel's facial reaction slowly devolved into one of disappointment.
She even booed him and pouted, causing him to grasp his chest a little as he feigned being hurt by her reaction.
"I worked hard, you know…?" He murmured.
Doubtful stares greeted him, causing him to sigh this time.
"Let's just get to the point, shall we? Let me see the goods."
As if materializing it out of thin air, Ciel brought out a multicolored orb. Stefan followed suit and brought out his own as well.
The orb seemed like a ball made of glass, with energy of varying colors clashing and merging within it.
They stretched their respective orbs toward Legris, and he took them both for observation.
Once more, the wide and twisted smile on his face made them shiver slightly.
However, none of them commented on it this time.
What would be the point?
"Haaa… this is it! This is what it's all about." Legris spoke to himself, caressing the orbs with so much satisfaction that he seemed to be drooling.
Engrossed in the beauty and pristine nature of the orbs, but more importantly, the energy that was trapped within them, Legris' wide eyes reflected their bright colors.
It was no surprise or mystery; he was pleased.
"By the way… how was Maria?"
"Huh? Did you say something?" Legris snapped out of his trance as he stared at Stefan.
"You mentioned how you fought everyone. That means you met and battled Maria as well, right?"
"Yeah…?"
"So I was asking how she was. How was Maria?" Stefan asked once again.
"If you're asking about how strong she has become, then she's quite impressive now. But I think you're currently stron—"
"I don't care about that. I don't really want to know how strong she has become. I just want to know how she is doing…"
For a moment, silence reigned in the dark realm.
It was an awkward moment, with Legris confused on what to say and Ciel being absolutely disinterested in the topic.
"I-I see…" Was all Legris could mutter.
"Never mind. It was just a fleeting thought. Pay it no mind." Stefan shrugged.
This was the first time in a while that Stefan had shown such emotion, but it was soon clouded over by his usual cold and aloof expression.
The conflicted expression on Legris' face made it clear that he was considering addressing Stefan's question, or at least further understanding what he meant.
However…
"So what now, Legris? You have all this energy… what next?"
Legris smiled the moment he heard that, snapping out of the brief moment of consideration he had towards Stefan.
"It's finally time to begin the [Amalgamation]." He responded, drawing both orbs that were in his respective hands close to each other.
The balls of energy began to react as they neared each other, displaying sparks of immensely concentrated power.
As soon as they touched each other, both orbs began to absorb the other until the two became one.
A single orb, slightly bigger than both energies, but far more powerful than the sum of their parts, now rested in Legris' right hand.
He stared at it with deep hunger, and then uttered more words.
"Now that the two of you have stolen enough Aether for me, I can supply the deficit with the Nether in my collection."
Chuckling lightly, Legris gave his twisted grin and nodded at his conspirators.
"With the both of them at my disposal, I should have more than enough energy to begin."
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading, everyone!
We are now drawing closer and closer to Legris' endgame.
Though, you have to wonder how these two were able to steal all that Aether for him.
I'm sure you already have your theories.
