Gabriel closed his eyes.
A faint smile appeared.
Calm.
"Three heroes."
He opened his eyes.
"Olivier. Freya. And Lilly."
The words fell like stones onto the surface of a still lake.
Olivier. Freya. Lilly.
Gamma froze.
Nu held her breath.
Even a few General Members nearby—who had unconsciously overheard the conversation—tensed.
"Resurrect… the Heroes…?" one of them whispered softly.
Gamma was the first to recover. Her gaze trembled, caught between awe and admiration.
"If that is truly possible…" she murmured. "Then…"
Beside Gamma, usually composed, Nu couldn't fully hide her curiosity.
She drew a small breath, then dared to ask carefully,
"If I may be so bold… why do you wish to bring them back?"
Gabriel didn't answer immediately.
He only glanced briefly at Nu, then handed the Mithril report in his hands back to Gamma.
After that, he turned and began walking toward the exit of the room.
His steps remained calm.
"There's a small promise Ash wishes to keep," he said plainly.
He paused for a moment at the doorway.
"That's all."
Silence filled the room.
The words were small and simple—but that very simplicity made their meaning far deeper.
No one in the room was naive enough to truly believe that something involving the resurrection of the Three Heroes could be called merely "small."
Nu lowered her head, pondering the hidden implication behind the choice of words.
Meanwhile, Gamma's mind raced.
A small promise.
To whom?
In what context?
And why would it involve Magic said to be capable of bringing someone back to life?
The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that behind that calm statement lay a grand scheme they hadn't fully grasped yet.
She straightened her posture slowly.
"Perhaps… this is part of a vision that stretches far ahead," she murmured softly.
Gamma had made up her mind.
Tonight, she would discuss this matter with Alpha.
***
Night had fallen over the Midgar Kingdom.
Yet, as always, the city never truly slept.
The streets remained bustling with the comings and goings of its inhabitants. Shop and kiosk lights burned brightly, and transactions and conversations continued as if time held no sway over the heart of civilization.
On the upper floor of the Mitsugoshi corporate building, in a spacious office with tall windows overlooking the city, three elf girls sat in a circle on an elegant sofa.
Alpha.
Gamma.
Beta.
Each held a cup of warm tea.
Outwardly, the scene appeared calm.
Yet the air between them was heavy.
Their discussion wasn't about business or infiltration strategies, but rather the reason Ash had used magic said to be capable of bringing someone back from death.
They did not doubt his ability.
Six years ago, they had already witnessed far too many things that defied the logic of this world.
Magic unrecorded in history.
Technology impossible to replicate.
Shadow Garden's facilities, constructed from the combination of intelligence, magic, and Ash's own hands.
Night had fallen over the Midgar Kingdom.
Yet, as usual, the city never truly slept.
The streets remained crowded with the constant flow of people. Shop and kiosk lights still shone brightly, and transactions and conversations continued as if time held no power over the heart of civilization.
On the upper floor of the Mitsugoshi company building, in a spacious office with tall windows overlooking the city, three elf girls sat in a circle on an elegant sofa.
Alpha.
Gamma.
Beta.
Each held a cup of warm tea.
Outwardly, the scene seemed calm.
Yet the atmosphere between them was heavy.
Their discussion wasn't about business or infiltration strategies, but rather the reason Ash had used magic said to be capable of resurrecting someone from death.
They did not doubt his ability.
Six years ago, they had already witnessed far too many things that defied the logic of this world.
Magic unrecorded in history.
Technology impossible to replicate.
Shadow Garden's facilities, built through a combination of intelligence, magic, and Ash's own hands.
If he claimed he could resurrect souls—then it was highly likely that he truly could.
Yet that was precisely what made them uneasy.
"Do you think…" Gamma's voice was cautious, unlike her usual firm and confident tone. "Could it be… that Ash-sama is not satisfied with us?"
Alpha didn't answer immediately.
Beta slowly lifted her gaze.
Gamma swallowed lightly.
"Is that why… he wants to resurrect our ancestors?"
The room grew even quieter.
The hypothesis sounded plausible—too plausible.
Six years had passed. Yet the Cult of Diablos still moved in the shadows, never fully eradicated.
And indeed—the three Heroes of the past had been the result of the Cult's experiments.
If Ash were to bring them back… their vengeance against the Cult could become far more effective fuel than a mere strategy.
After all—they knew Ash's style.
He preferred moving pieces from behind the shadows.
Using someone else's hands to strike the enemy… rather than stepping in directly as the executioner.
It was elegant.
Efficient.
And in line with the shadow philosophy they had always followed.
Alpha's teacup paused just short of her lips.
Her eyes fixed on the surface of the liquid, rippling gently.
"If that's true…" Beta murmured softly, "then our existence… is still not enough."
No one smiled.
Beneath their absolute trust in Ash, a small unease lingered—one they had never admitted before.
Silence stretched on for a while.
The night breeze brushed against the thin curtains near the window. The city lights shimmered softly on the glass.
Finally, Alpha set her teacup down.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
"No," she said.
One word.
Yet its weight cut through the anxiety that hung in the room.
Gamma and Beta turned to her.
"Ash-sama never acts out of dissatisfaction," Alpha continued calmly. "He moves because of vision."
Her gaze was steady, clear.
"If he were dissatisfied, we wouldn't have been given six years to grow. He would have corrected, replaced, or reshaped things immediately."
Gamma fell silent.
True.
Ash was not the type to wait in quiet frustration.
Beta lowered her head, thinking.
"And… the small promise?" she asked softly.
Alpha closed her eyes for a moment.
"Perhaps… this isn't about strategy."
The words made Gamma frown slightly.
"Not strategy?" she echoed.
Alpha opened her eyes.
"We've grown too accustomed to seeing every move of Shadow-sama—and of him—as part of some grand plan. Every action as a tactic. Every decision as calculation."
She stood and walked slowly toward the window.
"What if this time… it's really just a promise?"
Silence.
Gamma gripped her teacup a little tighter.
"A promise… to whom?" she whispered.
Beta remained silent for a moment, then spoke softly, "To someone who is already dead…"
The wind blew again.
Alpha stared at the night sky.
"If Ash-sama wants to resurrect the Three Heroes… it's not because we are lacking."
She turned to them.
"But because there is something in the past that remains unfinished."
Gamma swallowed.
Something he might not have ever told them.
And if that was true—then the revival of Olivier, Freya, and Lilly wasn't merely a military move.
It was… personal.
Beta suddenly gave a faint smile.
"In that case, isn't that even more dangerous?"
Gamma raised an eyebrow.
"In what sense?"
Beta gazed at the city lights reflected in the window.
"If Ash-sama moves because of feelings… not just strategy…"
She chuckled softly.
"Then anyone involved back then… is truly doomed."
This time, the silence was different.
Not uneasy.
But cold.
Gamma exhaled slowly.
"So it's not because we are lacking…"
Alpha shook her head.
"We just need to become stronger."
Her voice was soft—yet undeniable.
"If the Heroes are revived… then Shadow Garden must be above them. Not the other way around."
Gamma gave a faint smile, her confidence returning. "In that case… Mitsugoshi will double the supply of resources."
Beta added, her tone light yet sharp, "And I'll make sure the historical narrative favors us, when that day comes."
Alpha closed her eyes once more.
In her heart, one conviction remained unchanged.
Whatever Ash's reason.
Whatever that little promise was.
They would not fall behind.
Because if Ash moves toward the past—then Shadow Garden will ensure the future bows before him.
{Author's note: At first, they misunderstood, and somehow almost guessed it correctly 🤦♂️ truly impressive…!!!}
***
Almost simultaneously—in the heart of Alexandria, not far from the main castle, stood a towering white spire.
Seven floors.
Yet calling it merely a tower seemed far too simple.
The Magic Tower appeared as if carved from a single block of frozen moonlight.
Its walls were not merely white stone—but layers of semi-transparent crystal through which streams of mana flowed like luminous rivers.
Magical layers spun around it in complex orbits, forming a number of giant geometric circles that hovered slowly in the air.
Magical symbols frequently appeared and vanished across the tower's surface, glowing in silver and blue.
At its apex, a massive crystal floated unsupported.
The crystal pulsed gently, like a heartbeat.
Each pulse radiated waves of mana that spread throughout Alexandria—imperceptible to most, yet tangible to those attuned.
This tower had stood for six years.
Gabriel's private magical workshop.
A place where the laws of the world were tested.
Bent.
And sometimes—rewritten.
On the seventh floor.
A vast circular room without supporting walls, its windows open to the night sky. The floor was covered with layered magic circles, interlocking like the wheels of a complex fate.
At its center stood Gabriel.
Foreign runes—unlike any script of this world—enveloped his body. Characters from another reality, layered, spinning, glowing, then slowly fading.
True Magic: Materialisation of Soul.
The final glow dimmed.
The runes gradually vanished from his skin.
___
Author's Note:
Ehehe~ Sorry, I seem to have forgotten to update on time 😅 No wonder something's strange.
By the way, don't forget to keep supporting me! Give me all your Power Stones, leave your best comments and reviews. (•_<) Tehe~