"The Alf Dynasty has already decayed. The foolish Alf Emperor wants to drag all of us to our deaths."
Atop a towering giant tree, a blonde, sharp-eared elven girl raised her sword high and shouted:
"For equality among our Twelve Elven Clans—overthrow the tyranny of the Origin Elves!"
As her roar echoed, elves of all races below responded in unison. Some were flower sprites no larger than a palm; some were winged elves with feathers on their backs. But the majority were forest elves, just like the girl above.
The scene shifted once more.
Leflina returned again to the endless abyss, falling ceaselessly, until she touched another sphere of light.
This time, it was within a resplendent holy temple.
A winged angelic guard, clad in armor, drove a longsword straight into the chest of the Angel King seated upon the throne.
His hand trembled as he turned around, looking at the colleagues behind him—each staring at him with eyes full of fear. He swallowed instinctively.
But in order to survive, his mind raced. At last, he raised the sword that had slain the Angel King and shouted loudly:
"The Angel King Michael committed countless evils and defied the gods. Today, by heeding the oracle of the Holy Lord, I have delivered him destruction.
"From this day forth, I shall obey the will of the Lord of Holy Light and become the new Angel King.
"Any who disagree—step forward."
As his words fell, an overwhelming aura of dominance radiated from him. Coupled with the terrifying feat of regicide he had just committed, it crushed all thoughts of resistance.
One by one, they lowered their heads in submission.
Leflina's vision blurred. The scene before her shattered like a broken mirror and drifted away.
Within that mirror, the winged angel slowly took his seat upon the throne, becoming the new Angel King.
Next, Leflina felt herself flash past countless fractured mirrors, each reflecting a different scene.
Some showed elves. Some angels. Some dragons. Some gnomes…
She felt as though she had seen more nonhuman races than in her entire lifetime combined.
At that moment, a gentle female voice echoed around her ears.
"I do not belong to this world.
"At the end of the First Epoch, the Lord of Time divided His own authority and created us.
"He split eight authorities from Himself. The largest two formed part of Time itself—
"Change and Civilization.
"These are the two threads along which time advances—distinct, yet mutually influential.
"The remaining five were divided into two groups.
"Authority and Wisdom were assigned to Civilization, becoming its most loyal followers.
"Expansion, Thought, and Revolution became subordinates of Change.
"They are the three deities who bring change to this world, and the hidden hands that drive its progress.
"The world calls us the Three Goddesses of Change.
"And I—am Revolution.
"And also…
"I am you."
The voice faded.
Leflina's vision shifted again, and she saw a towering purple giant reaching into the clouds.
It had no concrete form. Its entire body was composed of countless strands of violet energy. Through it, one could see the endless cosmos in motion, shifting and transforming.
It lowered its head to look below.
Not far from Leflina, she could see seven other indistinct figures, their forms unclear.
"This world is about to perish.
"The torrent of laws unleashed by the fall of the Lord of Death is spreading across the entire world.
"All existence will meet its end.
"This is the tragedy of the Supreme and the Divine Judgment pantheon—and also the tragedy of our Truth and Time pantheon.
"Divine Judgment and the Supreme have made a complete mess of this world.
"The cowardly Master of Illusions fled like a rat, vanishing without a trace.
"The Fate Observer, who never cares for facts, wishes only to quietly watch the world end.
"Only the Creator of the Present World abandoned His own authority and became the laws of the world.
"But that… is not enough."
The colossal figure gazed down at the eight newborn deities below, speaking like a father offering final guidance before departure:
"You shall be the inheritors of my will—gods who walk the world for the development of Time.
"You will create civilization, guide civilization, develop civilization, and use civilization to influence—to change—this world."
With those words, the purple figure suddenly dispersed.
Countless energies, dazzling like the stars of the universe, gradually merged into heaven and earth.
Only a single sigh remained, drifting on the wind into the ears of every god present.
"It is a pity… that I did not create you earlier, and you missed the chance to become Primordials.
"What a pity…"
Darkness swallowed Leflina's vision once more.
When she regained awareness, she was back in the endless abyss.
The gentle female voice sounded again beside her.
"The Guardian of Time created us and entrusted us with a mission.
"Civilization creates civilization. Change guides civilization.
"Expansion brings new change to civilization. Thought gives direction to that change.
"But as civilization develops, there will always be creations that no longer fit the era.
"They are vast yet bloated, occupying the majority of society's resources, while refusing to adapt to the times.
"And you—my other half—
"are the executor who removes rotten things—rotted remnants—and the goddess who brings transformation to this world.
"You change decayed systems and establish new order for the growth of civilization.
"This… is Change.
"Though I prefer to call it—
"Revolution."
...
"Hah… hah…"
Hel sucked in several sharp breaths and suddenly sat up in bed.
She looked around at the slightly unfamiliar surroundings.
Moonlight streamed through the gap in the curtains, casting a faint glow over the small dormitory.
A white dress hung neatly on a nearby rack, with the emblem of Asel Academy pinned to it.
"Right… I was too tired and fell asleep while using this Lyco avatar.
"Looks like I got lucky—my true identity wasn't exposed.
"Seriously, where did that thing even come from…?"
Hel rubbed her temples with a headache, recalling the scenes from the dream.
Originally, she had pinned that idiot white-haired loli across her legs and beaten her up. The girl hadn't resisted much—if anything, she seemed to be enjoying that kind of play.
But then, out of nowhere, a black-haired loli jumped in.
The moment she saw Hel beating up the white-haired one, she completely exploded and charged at Hel without a care for her own life.
And so, Hel ended up fighting her inside the dream.
Calling it a "fight" was honestly disrespectful to the black-haired girl's strength.
More accurately, Hel had been chased straight out of the dream.
Even now, recalling the terrifying power she'd felt then still made her uneasy.
"Good thing I ran fast…
"Who would've thought I'd run into two Saint-rank lolis in a dream?
"So… two new witches again, huh?
"Just not sure which factions they belong to this time."