Damien was a spiritual god in the eyes of those who called Grand Heavens Boundary their home.
His deeds had been widely publicized, and the fact that he was the reason their universe was able to gain proper footing in this war was known to all.
Nobody viewed him as anything less than a god. Any slander about him would lead to an immediate beating, or even execution in some places.
It was a fanatic belief that would be harmful in most cases, but was absolutely necessary for keeping the universe's people hopeful in the current times.
Therefore, the perception of Damien right now was a little twisted.
His life prior to the First Dungeon was buried. His story, in the eyes of most, began in Apeiron.
No, that was irrelevant.
Even putting that aside, there were only four people who knew.
Claire Watson, Rose, Ruyue, and Elena.
Only they knew of his dark history.
Only they knew of the time he spent as a child before mana even existed, the time that even he himself still to this day considered his weakness.
Damien's dark history…
To hear it from the mouth of someone like Yong An meant one of two things.
Either the three of them spilled the truth, or Damien himself told him.
And the three of them were very clear on what they had and hadn't done.
They stood in that meeting room alone. Rose had already distorted reality so they were essentially existing in a separate plane that no other being could detect or peer into.
"That…did that just happen?"
Elena spoke first, her voice quivering.
"It did…" Rose replied.
"..."
Ruyue was silent.
"Ha…"
"Hahaha…"
They didn't know what to think.
No, their minds were completely blank.
But in their hearts, they understood.
Tears streamed down their faces without them even realizing it.
They were shell-shocked.
But it was true.
"That bastard…that bastard…!" Elena stuttered.
"He's…still alive."
Rose said the words they'd all been avoiding ever since that day when Ruyue's soul connection broke.
It took several minutes before they could even move.
They hugged each other and cried.
The feelings in their hearts were indescribable.
How could one define what it felt like to realize someone one thought was dead for so long was still alive and well?
Sadness, joy, ecstasy, pure and unadulterated liberation, euphoria, excitement, agitation, and more than anything else, a sense of relief that made them feel like all of their worries disappeared.
The knot in their hearts, the knot in their souls, that didn't allow them to truly be themselves for so long was gone.
That knot not only affected their mentalities, but even their strength. The main reason they hadn't been able to ascend to Divinity was precisely due to this knot.
They were fighting this war for survival, and they were fighting this war for revenge.
But frankly, they didn't know what they'd do when it ended.
Because the light in their lives was already gone. He was not here anymore, so they didn't have anything to strive for.
Some people moved on after their partners died, some people found happiness again because even their loved ones would want that for them.
However, they weren't like those people. Their emotions of love were gone from the moment Damien left. They would not be happy again without him, and if it wasn't for each other's presence, they would have collapsed long ago.
But he was alive.
Damien was alive.
Since Yong An delivered the news, he was likely in a situation where he couldn't see them directly, but that didn't matter at all.
Because he was alive.
And that was all they could ever hope for.
They stood in that meeting room for hours celebrating amongst themselves.
'He's alive.'
That phrase which had already been repeated so many times was still repeating over and over again in their heads.
They couldn't help themselves but to celebrate. They couldn't help themselves but to smile. This feeling of liberation brought by his ethereal presence wasn't something they could easily calm down.
But one thing was certain.
In this final battle, they would perform far better than ever before in anticipation of his return, and…
Rose calmed herself first. There was something more important than even the final battle right now.
"We need to tell Zara."
As fast as possible, they needed to tell her.
Before she could do anything reckless again!
***
Ever since that day, their lives had changed.
That battle was a turning point in many lives, but none of them were quite like theirs.
That day, they achieved the impossible, and as a result, they reached a state neither of them expected.
They became one.
And they learned the truth of their existence.
At first, it was difficult.
Living together as one, trying to unify their thoughts, it was a difficult thing to do.
However, they eventually managed, because just as much as they diverged, they came together.
They were equal and opposite.
Their names were Zara and Alea, and together, they represented the perfect harmony between Yin and Yang.
When Beast Emperor Star was brought to the Divine Realm, Zara and Alea were left in a space outside reality for a very long time.
Even when they returned, only Rose, Ruyue, and Elena were made aware of their continued existence in their new state.
They became a secret trump card for the Grand Heavens Boundary armies, and their contributions were no less than the three women who stood at the head of those armies.
But their state was definitely strange.
Ruyue was the biggest help to them.
Lily and Mei, the twins who inhabited the same body due to their special constitution, were in a state similar to theirs.
When Zara and Alea merged, they didn't engulf each other at all. They controlled their new body together, and they could either split control and work together or take individual control of their physical vessel as they decided.
Their situation was similar to the Twin Spirit Body that Lily and Mei possessed, but the cause and meaning behind their dual consciousness were completely different, and the way it functioned was also not nearly the same.
However, the similarities allowed them to adapt far faster, and they learned to balance their egos far better because of Lily and Mei's help.
They were doing well.
However, tragedy struck them as it did everyone else.
They, who were now jointly connected to Damien through the companion contract Zara signed in the past, felt his death more viscerally than anyone else.
And Zara broke down.
She hid herself in the depths of their joint consciousness and Alea was forced to take the reigns for several years as she submerged herself in darkness.
And when she came back, it was like she'd lost all hope.
She went on a rampage. She forcefully took over their body and recklessly challenged the Nox time after time.
It was only when Rose and the girls finally managed to get back in touch with her that she somewhat calmed down.
Still, she hadn't been able to cope with Damien's death as well as everyone else.
She, who had been ethereally connected to him for the majority of her life, felt a void in her soul that couldn't be ignored.
So even the girls couldn't control her all the time.
She was now about to be in another reckless situation.
Before the final war started and she lost the chance to do something like this again, she was going to rush the Nox again.
She did not want to leave this war alive.
Not if she couldn't live with Damien.
