The world in front of me was covered in flames. I could hear screams of people as they were running in fear. It was as if the world I know and love was about to end, and what was in front of me was death and destruction.

The towns and villages had been wiped out, and the cities had been destroyed. Monsters and demons ran amok in the cities, and the last remaining human population was cornered.

'If that isn't the end of the world, what is?'

The houses were burned along with people, and the ones alive were starving to death. Women and children were begging for their lives, praying that someone would show up someday and save them. But that was just empty hope. There was no one coming; there was no tomorrow for them.

'Is this what they call the era of chaos? Is it when the strong fight against each other while weak become casualties? Is it when there is no light at the end of the tunnel?'

Even though this was happening in front of me, it felt like I was watching a movie. It just seemed that unrealistic to me. I mean, how could I believe that the beautiful world I know right now can turn into something so chaotic.

"Well, it could turn into that. In fact, it is going to turn into that in the next ten to twenty years, or even faster."

When I heard that voice, everything around me turned dark. I could feel myself drifting in this darkness in the form of a small light orb.

"Zero, is that you?"

"Do I sound like someone else to you?"

"No, it's just weird that I am talking to you right now. The last thing I remember is hearing the conversation between Joker and Satan."

"Your body is currently unconscious, but your soul has subconsciously reached to me because of the connection that we two share."

That was possible since the telepathic link was how I could reach up to my familiar's souls and absorb them within me. And in a way, it always felt like I could do much more with it, but I wasn't a huge fan of playing with the unknown since it usually led to trouble.

"That makes sense. So, what happened after I collapsed?"

"Well, the two basically left, leaving you in the ruin there... And this may come as a shock to you, but before leaving, he killed your demon familiar."

"T-that's impossible. I-I mean it's Zagan, he can't die."

"I knew that is how you would react, but that is what happened. However, you are probably aware of the fact that demons can be resurrected. And so, it is possible to bring him back to life. Normally, that would be impossible in your demon's case since his soul was never corrupted. But there is the fact that he had signed a blood contract with you. That means you own him completely, and you even own his soul."

"It's still hard to believe that he died."

It was naive of me to think that Satan would leave him alive despite the deep grudge against him. And the fact that I am still alive is probably because Joker said they need me alive, but..

"W-what about Miss Lilith?"

"She is alive, but she too is unconscious at the moment. She was hit with a heavy dose of miasma like you, but unlike you, she didn't have those spirit flames to resist. So, it will be a while before she wakes up."

I was glad that she was still alive because it would be hard to figure things out from here without her. Not to mention the fact that we would need someone in case another demon attack happens.

"So, how do I revive Zagan?"

"For now, I think you should focus on your family and the city. It has been completely destroyed in the demon rampage, and tens of thousands of lives have been lost. Use your knowledge to help them stand up again. And once you are done with that, you will need to head north on a journey, alone."

If I remember right, the northern side of the kingdom was where the Lost archipelago was. So, the method of reviving him must have something to do with the orb where Zagan's mana had been stored.

"Now, there are a few things that you need to do as you go. But I will be your guide all the way, so I will tell you those as you go."

"Thanks, that would be helpful."

I had many plans, but that would probably need to be on hold for a while. There were a lot of things left to do, but the first thing I needed to do above all is wake up.

I tried concentrating and forced my consciousness into my body. It was a rather painful process, but I was finally able to get back in the end.

My body was in unbearable pain, and my eyes were heavy to the point that I didn't even feel like opening them. I could no longer sense Flare within me; that meant the two of us probably unmerged.

I could feel a cold night wind rubbing on my skin, soothing my pain. But more than that, I could feel a warm embrace of a wo—

"Wait what! A woman?!"

I hastily opened my eyes just to find a blue-haired woman with large brown eyes embracing me. But despite the change in appearance, I could easily tell who that was in a glance.

"Flare?"

She looked like someone around twenty-five, as there was a mature air around her. Her face would make one feel like praising the God who created her. Just looking at her smile would probably relieve one of all their worries.

"I am so glad that you finally woke up, master. You had stopped breathing, so I had to do this to remove all the miasma that you had inhaled."

"Yeah, I am alright now."

She breathed a sigh of relief as she stood up. She looked quite taller than I expected despite being barefoot, and somehow the long dress made up of blue flames really suited her.

Even though it was night, the area around us was bright thanks to her dress.

I pushed the ground and raised myself up. Every inch of my body was aching, but I still had to assess the surroundings and Miss Lilith's condition.

I climbed a pile of rubble next to me, and from the top, I could see the city that was destroyed to the point where it was unrecognizable.