Kokabiel's POV

  I sat there silently as Amanises... no, Katie, held onto me like her life depended on it.

  She looked so frail and weak despite being a goddess. Her shoulders trembled with suppressed sobs, her fingers clutching at my coat with desperate strength. The memories she'd shown me were breaking something inside me—I wasn't sure what exactly, but I could feel it cracking.

  I had given up ever remembering my past life and tried to move on. Convinced myself it didn't matter, that whoever I'd been before becoming an angel was gone. Dead and buried in a life I couldn't access.

  But after watching her memories, experiencing every moment of her grief and guilt and desperate hope, I realized what a fool I'd been.

  Even if I forgot, the others didn't. They held onto the memory of my past self's existence. Carried it with them through death and rebirth and thousands of years of divine existence.

  Humans are confusing that way. Why cry if someone died? Has sadness ever brought anyone back to life? Have their tears reversed death or changed fate? Yet they do these irrational things because they loved. Because the memory carries on even long after that person has turned to dust.

  I truly don't understand them at all.

  What do I do now? I could understand intellectually what Katie must be feeling—the grief, the guilt, the desperate need for forgiveness and closure. But feeling those emotions myself, actually experiencing them rather than just comprehending them logically... that wasn't possible in my current state.

  My emotional range was still limited, still muted compared to what humans felt. I could care about people, could feel affection and loyalty and even something approaching love for my siblings.

  But this? The depth of emotion Katie had shown me, the all-consuming nature of her feelings? That was beyond my current capabilities.

  Yet even an Outer God like me knew one fundamental truth: you don't hurt the ones who truly love you. I'd learned that lesson with my siblings—Gabriel, Michael, Raphael, and the others who'd stood by me through everything.

  So what about Katie, who had carried these emotions far longer than I'd even existed in this form? Who'd waited millennia for a chance to apologize to someone who didn't remember her? Can I truly just tell her to forget and move on?

  Katie must have sensed my inner conflict. She pulled back slightly and cupped my face with both hands, her golden eyes glistening with fresh tears.

  "I know it's a lot to unpack," she said softly. "Especially since you don't remember anything about being Arthur. I'm not asking you to magically fall in love with me like some fairytale. I know it doesn't work like that."

  She took a shaky breath. "All I ask is that you try. Try to get to know me as Katie, not just as the Evernight Goddess or some divine being. Try to let me be part of your life, because..." Her voice cracked. "Because you are the most important thing to me. You always have been. And this time, I'm ready to let go of everything and follow you. I'll go wherever you will go. I won't ask you to sacrifice your dreams for mine ever again."

  I sighed deeply and pulled her into an embrace. Katie returned it with all her strength, wrapping her arms around me as if afraid I'd disappear if she let go even slightly.

  I closed my eyes and thought about how I should respond to her love. What could I offer someone who'd waited thousands of years? What words could possibly be adequate?

  In the end, I settled for honesty. "I can't promise to love you the way you remember. That person—Arthur—he's gone. I'm what remains after he became an angel, then an Outer God. I'm fundamentally different."

  Katie nodded against my shoulder. "I know. I understand that."

  "But," I continued, "I can promise to try. To get to know you. To let you be part of my life if that's what you truly want. I won't make promises I can't keep, but I won't push you away either."

  She pulled back to look at me, hope shining in her tear-stained face. "That's enough. That's more than enough. Thank you, Arthur—I mean, Kokabiel."

  "You can call me Arthur if you want," I said. "It feels right coming from you."

  Her smile was radiant. "Arthur, then. My Arthur."

  ****

  Third Person POV

  Klein was sitting in the station, wearing a tuxedo and a top hat, watching the people move around busily. It had a certain calm to it. The little things he appreciated after dying once.

  He opened the chat group interface, which was absolutely bursting with messages. The notification count had reached triple digits while he'd been dealing with his resurrection and saying goodbye to his siblings.

  He smiled lightly as he scrolled through them all. Messages of concern, of relief when Kokabiel announced he was going to Klein's world, of speculation about what would happen next.

  He was genuinely touched by their concern. These people who he'd only known for a relatively short time, who lived in completely different worlds with completely different problems, had all been worried about him.

  And Kokabiel... he'd actually torn through dimensional barriers to come help. Given Klein hope when he'd been despairing in Sefirah Castle, thinking he'd be trapped there forever.

  Klein was lucky to have such friends.

  Then his eyes twitched as he saw some of the more recent messages.

  [Chat Group Member 'The Fool' has been revived.]

  [Advocate of Gender Equality: YATTA! I KNEW IT! I KNEW KOKABIEL COULD DO IT! SUCK IT DEATH! WE GOT OUR OWN DEATH ERASER BUDDY! RESURRECTION ON DEMAND! EAT YOUR HEART OUT AQUA!]

  Kazuma was apparently jumping up and down and cheering like a lunatic. In the background of his message, Klein could somehow sense Aqua looking at him with pity and mumbling something insulting about his intelligence.

  But Kazuma clearly wasn't in the mood to care about that.

  [Shadow Monarch: Unbelievable. He actually went to Klein's world and revived him just like that? No complicated rituals or massive power expenditure? I think I should call him to my world and have him help me destroy the Monarchs. You alright Klein? I hope death didn't make you lose brain cells like Kazuma did.]

  Jin Woo's message had an undertone of genuine relief mixed with his usual dry humor. He'd been seriously concerned until Kokabiel decided to intervene personally.

  [Advocate of Gender Equality: OI, STEPMOTHER FUCKER! I have more intelligence in my pinky finger than your entire incest-loving army! PTUI!]

  [Shadow Monarch: I'm gonna travel to your world, kill you slowly and painfully, then make Kokabiel revive you so I can kill you again.]

  [Advocate of Gender Equality: ...I changed my address? And got a restraining order? And hired Aqua as a bodyguard?]

  [Shadow Monarch: You hired Aqua as protection? Really? The goddess who gets eaten by frogs?]

  [Advocate of Gender Equality: ...okay I fired Aqua.]

  [Flash Goddess: Good job Kokabiel! I knew you could pull it off somehow. If you ever come to my world, this Onee-san will give you a very nice reward~]

  Yoruichi's message had her characteristic playful flirtation, but Klein could sense genuine relief underneath. She'd been more worried than she'd let on.

  [Flash Goddess: Also Klein, welcome back to the land of the living! Try not to die again so soon, yeah? It's bad for the group morale.]

  [Last Master of Humanity: How bold, Yoruichi-san! But I'm so glad you're alive, Klein-san! I was really worried when the notification came up! I thought we'd lost you forever!]

  Ritsuka's message was sweet and earnest. Although she hadn't met everyone personally yet since she'd missed the mission in the One Piece world, she clearly considered them all her friends. She was glad she didn't lose anyone again.

  [Girl Who Loves Reading: I'm so relieved. I knew Kokabiel would do something to help, but reviving the dead isn't something I thought was actually possible. The implications are staggering. But where is Klein? Shouldn't he be checking in?]

  Robin's message was characteristically analytical even while expressing relief. She was walking through an island where the Thousand Sunny docked to resupply. The notification had calmed her worries.

  [Advocate of Gender Equality: He's probably adjusting to being alive again. Dying can be a hassle, you know? All that trauma and existential dread. Those two are probably busy doing something and not checking the chat. Maybe getting revenge on whoever killed Klein?]

  [Flash Goddess: Maybe they're taking a tour of Klein's world and hunting down the culprit. I'd pay to see Kokabiel casually erase someone from existence for messing with one of us.]

  [Girl Who Loves Reading: Probably. It's not every day you get to travel to a completely different world and help resurrect someone. There's probably a lot to handle.]

  There were several other messages discussing what Klein and Kokabiel might be up to. Speculation about Klein's world, questions about the power system there, Kazuma making inappropriate jokes that Yoruichi encouraged while Robin sighed.

  Klein chuckled and shook his head as he read through them all. Then an evil idea popped into his head.

  The best way to redirect attention from yourself was to make someone else the centerpiece of everyone's focus. And he had the perfect ammunition.

  He'd seen that woman approach Kokabiel in the town square. Had sensed the divine authority radiating from her, the way reality itself seemed to bend slightly around her presence. He watched through his Almighty-enhanced perception as Kokabiel actually stayed and talked to her instead of just leaving.

  And the way they'd looked at each other...

  Klein's fingers moved across the interface, typing with deliberate mischief.

  [The Fool: Hello everyone, thank you all for your concern. I truly appreciate it. I am alive and well, thanks to Kokabiel's intervention. He helped me recreate a physical body and even gave me some advice for moving forward. We both had to wrap up some important things here before he returns to his world.]

  The responses came quickly.

  [Shadow Monarch: Good to see you alive, man. Seriously, don't scare us like that again. Wait, what do you mean BOTH of you have things to wrap up? Didn't Kokabiel leave for his world already?]

  Klein smirked evilly as he typed his response.

  [The Fool: Oh, it's nothing much on my end. I just had to say a proper goodbye to my siblings since I'll be going on a long journey soon.

  And Kokabiel? Well, he's currently catching up with his lover. She's quite beautiful, actually. A goddess from my world according to my observation. I think they're busy doing... goddess and outer god things. Very intense conversation when I left them.]

  He hit send and waited.

  The chat group absolutely EXPLODED.

  [Advocate of Gender Equality: WAIT WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN LOVER?! I MANAGED TO SOOTHE MY FRAGILE SOUL BY THINKING THAT RIAJUU BASTARD WAS AN OUTER GOD SO HE COULDN'T GET ANY GIRLS! NOW YOU TELL ME HE HAS A PRETTY GODDESS LOVER?! I DEMAND TO SEE HER PICTURE! I DEMAND IT! CURSE YOU KOKABIEL! CURSE YOUR PERFECT OUTER GOD FACE!]

  [Shadow Monarch: No! It can't be! My stupid system keeps trying to make me hook up with—AHEM. Are you SURE she's his lover? Maybe it's one-sided? Maybe she's just a fan or a stalker or something?]

  [The Fool: I'm pretty sure it's mutual. The way they looked at each other was very... intense. She was crying and he was being surprisingly gentle. Very romantic, actually.]

  [Flash Goddess: NOOO! I WAS PREPARING TO OFFER MYSELF AS A GIFT WHEN HE VISITED MY WORLD! BUT HE FOUND SOMEONE ELSE FIRST! MY POOR HEART IS BROKEN! SOB SOB! ??]

  [Last Master of Humanity: H-how?! Isn't Kokabiel-san an Outer God? I thought he was above such things like romance and relationships! Is she another Outer God? Are they gonna make Outer God babies?! What would those even look like?!]

  [Girl Who Loves Reading: Slow down, Ritsuka. You're overthinking this. Maybe it's just a close friend or someone from his past. You know Kokabiel has difficulty with emotions and understanding human feelings. Although... I do hope he's happy and can experience love. Everyone deserves that.]

  [Advocate of Gender Equality: ROBIN! I think Ritsuka is asking the RIGHT questions here! If they DO IT, are the babies gonna be angels or Outer Gods?! Are we gonna be uncles and aunts to ELDRITCH HORRORS?! WILL WE GET PAID FOR BABYSITTING?! I NEED ANSWERS!]

  [Shadow Monarch: Where did MONEY come from?! We're talking about something cosmically important and you're worried about babysitting fees?!]

  [Advocate of Gender Equality: PRACTICAL CONCERNS, JIN WOO! IF I'M GONNA BE UNCLE KAZUMA TO REALITY-BENDING SPAWN, I DESERVE COMPENSATION!]

  [Flash Goddess: I mean, he's not wrong. Babysitting god-tier entities sounds like hazard pay territory.]

  [Last Master of Humanity: I think we're getting off track here... Klein-san, do you know anything else about this goddess? Is Kokabiel-san going to stay in your world now?]

  Klein smiled as he typed his final message, thoroughly enjoying the chaos he'd created.

  [The Fool: I'm gonna go for now. Still have some things to handle here. You should ask Kokabiel directly once he logs back in after his date. I'm sure he'll explain everything. Take care, everyone.]

  He closed the chat interface, balance successfully restored. Now everyone would be bothering Kokabiel instead of asking him a million questions about dying and resurrection.

  Klein leaned back against the wall of the train station where he'd been waiting, a satisfied smirk on his face.

  Then he paused, actually thinking about what he'd witnessed.

  "Come to think of it, who WAS that goddess exactly?" he muttered to himself. "She felt somehow familiar when I sensed her divine presence. Definitely not a mortal. The authority she wielded felt like... night? Darkness? Something related to my own pathway but different."

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  He frowned thoughtfully. "The way Kokabiel reacted to her was unusual too. He actually stayed and listened instead of just leaving. He showed emotion beyond his usual serene detachment. That's... significant."

  Klein shrugged. "Better ask Kokabiel directly before he returns to his world. I'm curious about the story there."

  ****

  Kokabiel's POV

  I sat there holding Katie for what felt like an eternity, though in reality it was probably only a few minutes. Time felt strange in this castle, like it moved differently than in the outside world.

  Katie slowly recovered her composure, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and taking several deep breaths to calm herself. When she looked up at me again, her expression had shifted from vulnerable grief to gentle curiosity.

  "You heard my story," she said softly, managing a small smile. "Now tell me yours. I want to know everything. What happened after you died as Arthur? How did you become an angel, then an Outer God? What was your life like for the past three thousand years?"

  I smiled slightly. "That's fair. Though I warn you, it's a long story and not all of it is pleasant."

  "I don't care. I want to know. All of it."

  So I told her my story.

  I started from the beginning—how I'd died in that car accident and woke up in the DxD world without any notice or preparation. How I'd been reborn as Kokabiel, the Angel of Stars, in Heaven under God's direct authority.

  "I don't remember anything about being Arthur," I explained. "Those memories were completely gone when I became an Outer God I think. Erased or locked away, I'm not sure which. All I had was this new existence, this new identity. I thoink I had some of it ehrn I first arrived there."

  Katie listened with rapt attention, her hand holding mine gently.

  I told her about the early years in Heaven. How I'd struggled to understand my nature as an angel, how different it was from being human. The loss of strong emotions, the difficulty connecting with others, the sense of being fundamentally changed on a level I couldn't quite articulate.

  "Yahweh helped me a lot," I said quietly. "God himself took the time to guide me, to teach me about this new existence. He was... genuinely kind. Patient. Wise beyond measure. He knew I wasn't originally his creation, that I was something else wearing an angelic form, but he treated me as his child anyway."

  I smiled slightly at the memory. "I was angry sometimes. Questioned his plans. Went against his decisions when I disagreed. But he never treated me differently because of it. Never showed disappointment or anger. Just... understanding and trust."

  Katie squeezed my hand gently. "He sounds like a good father."

  "He was."

  I continued the story, explaining how I'd lived for three thousand years in that world. The relationships I'd built with my siblings, particularly Gabriel and Michael. The duties I'd carried out as an angel, maintaining balance and protecting creation.

  Then came the darker parts.

  "About three hundred years ago, there was a massive battle," I said, my voice becoming heavier. "Two dragon gods—Ddraig and Albion—were fighting each other in a war that had lasted centuries. Their conflict was tearing apart everything around them."

  I closed my eyes, remembering. "Six of my siblings tried to stop them. To prevent the destruction they were causing. Six archangels I'd known for millennia, fought beside, laughed with, called family."

  "What happened?" Katie asked softly.

  "They died. All six of them. Ddraig and Albion killed them without even notice, too consumed by their mutual hatred to care about the collateral damage."

  Katie's hand tightened on mine.

  "I... lost control," I admitted. "All the suppressed emotions I'd been carrying for three thousand years, all the anger and grief and pain I'd been holding back because that's what angels do—it all came flooding out at once."

  I opened my eyes and looked at her. "I killed them both. Ddraig and Albion, two of the most powerful beings in that world. I erased them from existence in my rage. And in the process, I damaged myself fundamentally. Broke something inside that couldn't be repaired."

  "That's when you joined the chat group?" Katie guessed.

  I nodded. "I was broken. Grieving. Angry at myself for failing to protect my siblings, angry at the world for being so cruel, angry at everything. The chat group had been trying to recruit me for years, but I'd always refused. Too antisocial, too focused on my duties, too convinced I didn't need connections outside Heaven."

  I smiled bitterly. "But in that moment, standing in the ruins of that battle covered in my siblings' blood, I finally accepted. I needed... something. Some connection to beings who might understand loss and pain and the weight of carrying responsibilities you never asked for."

  "And that's when you met Klein and the others?"

  "Yes. They were... different than I expected. Not powerful gods or cosmic entities playing games. Just people trying to survive their own worlds, dealing with their own problems. Kazuma with his sarcastic humor hiding genuine kindness. Jin Woo carrying the weight of protecting an entire world. Robin seeking knowledge and truth. Yoruichi finding joy in simple things despite her past traumas. Ritsuka doing her best as a human."

  I paused. "Klein especially. He understood what it meant to be displaced, to carry secrets you couldn't share, to wear masks to protect yourself."

  Katie was smiling as she listened, clearly happy that I'd found people who mattered to me.

  "The chat group kept trying to penalize me for revealing its existence," I noted as a system notification flashed in my peripheral vision again. "But as usual, it fails to actually do anything effective."

  The notifications flickered angrily but couldn't seem to affect me at all. It was probably mad that I revealed it's existence casually. But She desrved it after showing her entire life.

  I continued my story, moving to the most difficult part. "Then came the Great War. Devils, fallen angels, and angels all fighting each other in a conflict that threatened to destroy everything. And in the middle of it all, Yahweh died."

  Katie's eyes widened. "Your God died?"

  "Yes. Fighting to protect creation one final time. He gave everything to seal away the most dangerous threats, and it cost him his existence." My voice was hollow. "I was in the middle of the battlefield when it happened. Fighting the Four Satans who led the devil armies. And when I felt God die, when that presence that had been a constant in my existence for three thousand years suddenly vanished..."

  I didn't need to finish. Katie could imagine what came next.

  "I killed them. All four Satans. Crushed Indra's army when they tried to take advantage of Heaven's weakness. And then I did something irreversible."

  "You became an Outer God," Katie said quietly.

  "Yes. I consumed so much power, reached so far beyond my limits, that I fundamentally transformed. Became something that existed outside normal reality. An Outer God whose very presence threatened to unravel the fabric of that world."

  I looked down at my hands. "I lost everything in the process. My memories of being Arthur were completely erased I believe. My angelic nature was subsumed into something vaster and more terrible. Even my personality changed, becoming cold and detached and barely capable of emotion."

  "The next two hundred years were spent trying to restore some form of balance to the DxD world. Preventing it from collapsing under the weight of God's absence. Helping my surviving siblings rebuild Heaven. Learning to be something more than just an unfeeling cosmic entity."

  I smiled slightly. "The chat group helped with that, actually. Interacting with Klein and the others, experiencing their worlds, slowly regaining a semblance of my former self and emotions. It took two centuries, but eventually I remembered how to feel things beyond detached observation."

  Katie had tears in her eyes again, but these were different. Not tears of grief but of empathy and understanding.

  "You've gone through so much, Arthur," she whispered, wrapping her arms around me. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to suffer like that, had to lose so much, had to become something you never wanted to be."

  I shook my head. "It was fated to happen. Every step led to the next inevitably. If things had gone differently, the consequences might have been worse for others."

  She pulled back to meet my eyes, her golden gaze intense. "So... what will you do now? And what about us? About me?"

  Her voice became desperate, vulnerable in a way that made something ache in my chest. "I want to go with you. To your world, to anywhere you go. I can't let you leave me alone again. I've waited too long, suffered too much loneliness. Please don't make me go back to that empty castle and wait another thousand years."

  I could hear the desperation in her voice, see it in her expression. And I didn't feel like crushing her hopes after everything she'd been through.

  But I had to be realistic.

  "I'm afraid it's going to be difficult, Katie," I said gently. "You belong here, in this world. You're one of the Seven Orthodox Gods, essential to maintaining the balance of reality itself. I can't just take you away without consequences. Your followers needs you. The other gods would notice immediately. The entire mystical framework of this world is built partially on your existence."

  Before I could continue explaining the practical difficulties, Katie silenced me by pulling me into another kiss.

  This one was different from before—not desperate or grief-stricken but passionate, determined, pouring every ounce of feeling she had into that single act.

  When we finally parted, she was breathing heavily, her eyes glazed but burning with intensity.

  "I don't care about any of that," she said breathlessly. "I don't care about this world's balance or the church or what the other gods think. I just want to be with you. Forever. That's all that matters to me."

  I spoke softly, trying to be reasonable. "You know what I am now, Katie. I'm not human, not even an angel anymore. I'm an Outer God whose very existence can damage reality. Aren't you afraid I might hurt you? That my nature could harm you in ways neither of us can predict?"

  She smiled, and there was something fierce in that expression. "I would welcome the pain rather than let you go again. I'd rather suffer at your side than live in comfort without you."

  Then suddenly she perked up, her eyes brightening with an idea. "Wait! I know! You told me about how you made a deal with that Shanks guy in the One Piece world, right? That you could turn him into one of your servants through those angelic pieces you created?"

  I nodded slowly, seeing where this was going.

  "Why not do that with me?" Katie continued excitedly. "Transform me into one of your pieces! Then I wouldn't be bound to this world anymore. I could leave with you directly, travel to your world, be by your side permanently!"

  I paused, actually considering it. The angelic pieces I'd created were designed to transform beings into my direct servants, binding them to me rather than their world of origin. It was how I'd recruited Shanks, offering him power and purpose in exchange for loyalty.

  Technically, it should work on a goddess too. The pieces were made from my own essence as an Outer God, operating on principles that transcended individual world rules.

  "That actually might work," I admitted. "The angelic piece would override your connection to this world's divine framework and replace it with a direct connection to me. You'd become my Queen piece specifically, since that's the only one that matches your level of power."

  I looked at her seriously. "But are you absolutely certain? Once you become my Queen, you'll be bound to me forever. No going back, no changing your mind. You'll be stuck with me for eternity."

  Katie laughed, the sound bright and happy despite the tears still clinging to her lashes. She reached up and caressed my cheek gently.

  "That's exactly what I'm hoping for, Arthur. Being stuck with you for eternity sounds like paradise compared to spending another moment alone."

  She added shyly. "And it sounds rather romantic, being your Queen."

  Before either of us could continue, an annoying voice interrupted our conversation.

  "WHOA WHOA WHOA! Time out! THAT'S NOT THE SCRIPT!"

  We were suddenly pulled into a dark space, reality shifting around us without warning. The castle disappeared, replaced by an infinite void lit only by a silhouette made of pure light.

  The silhouette was visibly panicking, waving what might have been arms frantically.

  "Please don't take her! You can stay here as long as you want, explore the world, kill whoever you want, I don't care! But she's supposed to become one of the world's foundational pillars! The entire mystical framework depends on her remaining here!"

  Katie's expression immediately shifted from happiness to fury. Her golden eyes blazed crimson red, divine authority flooding the space around us.

  "I'm not becoming ANYTHING I don't want to be!" she snarled. "Who the hell are you to interfere?!"

  Her voice distorted, becoming layered and terrible. "HOW DARE YOU RUIN MY REUNION WITH MY ARTHUR!"

  The World Will of the Lord of Mysteries universe visibly flinched, shrinking back. "Oh shit! Not again! Why do I keep getting stuck with emotional goddesses?!"

  It tried to placate her, speaking quickly and desperately. "Look, Evernight—Amanises—Katie—whatever you want to be called! Your existence is critically important to my world! If you leave, there will be cascading problems that might literally destroy the entire reality! The balance will collapse! The pathways will destabilize! Chaos will reign supreme!"

  Katie huffed, crossing her arms. "I. Don't. Care. I'll follow Arthur wherever he goes. Nothing else matters. Not your world, not the balance, not the pathways or gods or anything. He's all that matters to me."

  The World Will muttered under its breath, "Damn yanderes! Why is it always yanderes?!"

  I couldn't help but be amused by this situation. The World Will of this reality, a cosmic entity that governed all natural laws and fundamental rules, was panicking like a anxious parent trying to prevent their child from running away.

  I interjected, keeping my voice casual. "Look, I understand your position. But you can't just force people to follow your plans against their will. That's not how this works. Klein will handle your issues and plot developments. He's quite capable. And Katie here is free to make her own choices about her life. So how about you let her go and we all move on peacefully?"

  The World Will visibly shrank, actually seeming to deflate. "Uh... please, kind and awesome and definitely-not-terrifying Sir Kokabiel, could you please be reasonable here? Don't ruin my carefully crafted plot! I've been working on this for centuries!"

  It paused, then continued desperately. "Tell you what—I can try to alter the flow of time and accelerate certain events to compensate for her absence. It'll take some work and significant energy expenditure, but I can probably manage it. Just give me time to adjust things. Should only need a decade or so. Then you can take her away and I'll even throw in some bonus world benefits! How does that sound?"

  I looked at the World Will with curiosity. "And you would actually do that? Restructure your own reality just to make this work?"

  The World Will sighed, sounding exhausted. "What else can I do? If you get mad and just take her anyway by force, I'm completely fucked! The balance will collapse immediately and I'll have to start from scratch! I'm trying to appeal to your rational side here."

  It continued, speaking faster. "Unlike some of your Outer God buddies, you don't just destroy worlds for fun or out of boredom. You actually try to minimize damage and maintain stability. And maybe—just maybe—if I help you now, you'll be willing to help this pitiful World Will in the future if I run into bigger problems?"

  Ah. So that was it. The World Will was smart enough to recognize an opportunity to establish a positive relationship with an Outer God. Get me indebted to it through a favor, ensure I'd be more likely to help rather than harm its reality in the future.

  It wasn't an unreasonable strategy, actually.

  I smiled slightly. "Very well. We have an agreement. Katie becomes my Queen piece now, but she'll remain in this world for one decade to give you time to adjust the framework and prevent reality collapse. After that, she's free to leave permanently with no interference from you."

  The World Will practically sagged with relief. "Yes! Thank you! Okay, okay, I can work with this. One decade, I'll shift some events around, accelerate Klein's development, maybe introduce some new players to fill the gap. This is manageable. Thank you, merciful Outer God sir!"

  Katie smiled brilliantly and threw herself against me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "Yes! I'm so happy! We'll be together always, FOREVER AND EVER!"

  Was it my imagination, or did her voice distort strangely on those last words? Like multiple voices speaking in unison, layers of sound that shouldn't exist overlapping?

  And why was the World Will looking at me with what seemed like... pity? It didn't even have visible eyes or a face, yet I could somehow sense the emotion.

  I decided to figure out these things later.

  I reached into my dimensional storage and pulled out the white glowing Queen piece. The most powerful of all the angelic pieces I'd created, reserved for someone who could match my own authority on some level.

  The piece shone with pure light, swirling with cosmic energy and fundamental laws written into its structure. It pulsed in my hand, sensing Katie's divine essence and already beginning to resonate with her.

  I held it out toward her formally, speaking the binding words that would seal the contract.

  "Katie, Goddess of the Evernight, will you accept to become my Queen? To follow me and obey me loyally, till death do us part?"

  Katie blushed furiously, her pale cheeks turning pink in a way that was oddly charming for a divine being. "Yes! I accept! I promise!"

  Then she added bashfully, ducking her head, "Was that you asking to marry me?"

  I paused, actually considering the words I'd just spoken.

  Huh. Those words did sound remarkably like marriage vows, didn't they? Accept... follow... obey... till death do us part...

  No wonder Shanks had looked at me so weirdly when I'd offered him the Knight piece using similar phrasing. He probably thought I was proposing some kind of cosmic marriage.

  I coughed lightly, trying to maintain my composure. "It's not a marriage vow specifically. It's the contract binding required to properly integrate the angelic piece with your soul and essence."

  Katie deflated slightly, looking disappointed. Then she immediately perked back up, her expression shifting to determined optimism. "No matter! We can get married properly whenever you're ready! I'll wait however long it takes!"

  The LOTM World Will muttered under its breath, just loud enough for me to hear, "Good luck, buddy. You're gonna need it."

  Then it vanished, probably fleeing before Katie could remember to be angry at it for interrupting.

  I pushed a small amount of my power into the Queen piece, activating it fully. The piece shattered into countless motes of pure light that swirled around Katie in a beautiful display.

  She gasped softly as the motes of light entered her chest, merging with her divine essence. I could feel the transformation happening—her connection to this world's divine framework being slowly overwritten and replaced with a direct connection to me.

  Then a burst of power exploded outward from her, making the dark space around us ripple and distort. Divine authority mixed with angelic essence, creating something new and unique.

  Wings sprouted from her back dramatically. Just like mine, they were black as the deepest night sky, but with stars shining within them—thousands of points of light forming constellations that shifted and changed. The pattern was mesmerizing, beautiful in a way that transcended normal aesthetics.

  I raised an eyebrow in surprise. She now sported fourteen wings on her back—the mark of a GOD-class being, second only to the twelve-winged archangels.

  Katie gave a little twirl, her new wings spreading wide and catching nonexistent light. She looked at me hopefully, almost shyly.

  "How do I look?"

  I smiled genuinely. "You look beautiful, Katie."

  She blushed again, then flew over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Arthur. For everything. For accepting me, for giving me hope, for letting me be part of your life."

  She pulled back, her expression becoming more serious. "I'll wait for you. I've waited centuries already, so one more decade won't be that long. But we're going to talk every single day through the chat group interface. I want to know everything about your life, and I'll tell you all about mine."

  I chuckled lightly at her determination. "So... friends for now?"

  Katie smirked mischievously, that expression both playful and intense. "More than friends. Eventually more than that. But I can be patient."

  She raised her pinky finger in front of me, the gesture distinctly human and oddly charming. "Promise me something, Arthur. Promise that you'll be with me for eternity. No running away, no disappearing for another thousand years. Just... us, together, forever."

  I looked at her extended pinky finger and couldn't help but laugh. It was such a simple, childish gesture—a pinky promise like kids make on playgrounds.

  But somehow it felt more binding than any divine contract or cosmic oath.

  I interlocked my pinky with hers, our fingers linking together. "It's a promise, Katie. For eternity."

  Her smile was radiant, brighter than any star I'd ever seen.

  Fate truly works in mysterious ways.