"Hmn, these meetings are just a formality."
A woman with long white hair and golden eyes stepped down the golden, light-forged stairs. Two rings floated above her head — one large, the other smaller and nested within it. Her name was Istaroth, the Shade of Time, also known as the Ruler of Time.
"Does it really matter that only three of us are here?" she asked casually, casting a glance toward another white-haired woman — this one with dark crimson wings folded behind her back.
The winged woman responded coldly, "I, for one, think we should find her."
The golden-haired woman was Rhinedottir, who had swallowed the Ruler of Life and become one with the power of life itself — though Naberius, the true Ruler, still lingered within her, voicing constant disapproval.
Rhinedottir was also one of the infamous Five Sinners.
The winged one — Ronova, the Shade of Death, also called the Ruler of Death — looked between them. "Since the Heavenly Principles cast us as Shades, not one of us has ever missed a meeting."
Istaroth sighed and sat down on the glowing steps, curling her arms around her knees. "What if..." she hesitated, voice quiet. "She switched sides. Finding her might cause more harm than good."
Rhinedottir, arms crossed. "Now that is an interesting idea.Better that than being devoured."
Ronova's crimson eyes narrowed. "Switched sides? You make it sound so trivial. We are Shades — shadows of the Heavenly Principles. It's unthinkable... unless," she added coldly, "she loves her new master more than herself."
A voice cut through the air — cold, calm, and utterly unbothered:
"Asmoday isn't like that."
Footsteps echoed on the golden stairs. The three Shades turned, their eyes widening.
A man descended — white-haired, golden-eyed, dressed in regal, divine robes. His face was unreadable, cold and distant as the stars.
"Missed me?" he asked, emotionless.
The three spoke in unison, stunned:
"The Heavenly Principles..."
He nodded. "Yes. I am awake now."
Ronova stepped forward, wings twitching. "Heavenly Principles... I thought you would sleep much longer — to recover."
She narrowed her eyes. Though his form had improved since the war with the Abyss and the Exiled Ones, the damage remained.
He met her gaze. "Don't worry about that. In half a year..."
He paused.
"These problems won't be problems anymore."
Rhinedottir instinctively took a step back. The only time she had seen him was at Khaenri'ah.
Now, he stood before her.
Phanes, the Heavenly Principles himself, stepped forward to face her. His golden eyes locked onto hers.
"You are Rhinedottir — one of the Five Sinners.Before I could deal with your kind, I fell into deep slumber. That failure allowed you all to escape judgment.But you... you are the most unfortunate of them all."
He raised a hand as light crackled at his fingertips.
"In your arrogance, you tried to swallow Naberius, the Ruler of Life. The result? A forced merging.You gained most of the control... but my origin laws of life, still embedded within Naberius, make one thing certain —You can never escape this fate."
He paused. His voice was calm, but absolute.
"Now... it is time to begin the punishment of a Sinner."
As his hand lifted higher, Rhinedottir's golden eyes widened in horror. Before she could move — a blinding light engulfed her, wrapping around her soul itself.
Istaroth and Ronova gasped. The light grew so intense that even they, fellow Shades, could not see what was happening within.
Then, the light vanished.
But what stood in Rhinedottir's place was not what they expected.
She opened her eyes — but they were no longer gold and blue. They were pure, clear blue.
Naberius had taken over.
She stared at her hands in disbelief. "I... I can control the body!?"
Phanes nodded slowly. "Yes."
"Erasing the sinner entirely would require destroying you as well — and the rules of life you embody.That is... inefficient, especially in my current state.So I did the next best thing: I reversed your dominance. You now control the body. She is the shadow."
A soft hum appeared beside Naberius, just at eye level — a small golden hologram flickering into view.
It was Rhinedottir.
Her eyes were no longer split. They were completely gold now — trapped, bound.
She whispered quietly, her voice bitter and calm:
"And here I thought... I could forever hold the Origin of Life.But it seems all my preparation was in vain... against him."
No one but Naberius heard her.
Phanes said nothing to the ghost of the sinner. He turned his gaze away, now fixing it on Ronova
Phanes stepped toward her.
He reached out and gently caressed her cold, porcelain-like face.
"My Ruler of Death… the one who brings an end to all life,yet holds the deepest compassion for it."
His golden eyes softened, just slightly.
"I don't know whether to praise you for what you did in Natlan…or punish you."
He paused.
"You saved countless lives…But you interfered with destiny.You gave your power to two mortals."
His hand lingered on her cheek a moment longer, then slowly withdrew.
"I'll overlook it.My laws have already punished you in their own way."
He looked past her, into the golden void.
"Perhaps…I should rethink my rules."
The words struck like thunder.
All three Shades — Ronova, Istaroth, and Naberius — fell silent.
They realized something in that moment.
This was not the same Heavenly Principles they once followed.Not entirely.
Phanes had changed.
Not just awakened — but transformed.
He turned to Istaroth, his voice neither angry nor kind. It was final.
"I will overlook what you've done.But if you ever interfere with time again —if you create another paradox like before…"
He stepped closer, his golden gaze piercing through her soul.
"I will erase you.And create a new Ruler of Time to take your place.Do you understand?"
Istaroth did not speak. She only nodded — slowly, solemnly
Istaroth didn't respond.
She couldn't.
Not because of fear — but because she knew.
It wasn't just the paradox.
The true reason the final warning had been given…was because of what she and Asmoday had done.
That day.
They had broken time itself — creating a loop, a eternal self-consuming spiral that defied not just the rules of destiny… but of reality.
Multiple laws were shattered in the process. Laws that were never meant to be touched.
That was the true reason judgment had nearly fallen upon her.
Not for a mistake.But for betrayal.
And yet, despite that…
Phanes had spared her.
At least, for now.
It almost felt… like he hadn't changed as much as she thought.
As if reading her thoughts, Phanes turned toward her once more, his voice low but absolute — the sound of a god who had seen eternity.
"Some rules can be rewritten.Some rules can be rethought.But the laws that keep the world safe its story, its destiny its realitycan never be broken."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, golden light flickering behind them.
"If they could…Don't you think I would've already rewound the worldback to its prime?"
The air trembled at his words.
Even Time had nothing to say.