Chapter 38: (an unknown era) 1,999,999 Years Before Zero : Damn old man.

"Who are you? Don’t bother with adult conversations, little demon."

Laughter broke out from Grok, Lily, and Aryn as soon as they heard Van’s words. They really laughed freely until they forgot that they couldn’t move.

Aryn coughed several times, signaling the end of his laughter.

"Ahok... ahok... Young Master Azazel was called a child."

Van glanced at Azazel after hearing the words ’Young Master.’

"Young Master? Who exactly are the four of you?"

Grok, Aryn, and Lily fell silent while Azazel finally answered Van as he should.

"We... we are the ones who will kill all demons."

Van’s mouth opened wide. He then looked at each of the four demons’ faces while looking at their horns, then raised both hands as a sign of surrender.

"Wait, wait... this conversation is getting more unclear..."

Van swallowed his saliva. He walked around the four demons who remained silent and unable to move.

"Aren’t you demons? What are you going to kill other demons for? That’s strange..."

Grok chuckled upon hearing Van’s words. He finally spoke without his mouth moving.

"That’s what happens if you—"

The sound of Azazel clicking his tongue automatically stopped Grok’s words.

Van frowned. He finally crouched in front of Azazel, blocking Aryn’s view of Azazel.

Van exclaimed in amazement.

"So you’re really their boss? I didn’t expect... ’Young Master’?" Van finally sat cross-legged facing Azazel, not caring about his dirty gray pants beneath the dancing aurora.

"Yeah, right now I’m not too curious about that story... after all, we’re going to be together for quite a long time."

Van scratched the back of his neck while clicking his tongue.

"Do you know Kalael? That’s kind of strange... if you want to ask whether I’m the human who was sent here, that’s true... but that old bastard never told me anything. I mean, he only told me to guard the Hell Gate, where there are demons... but now it turns out he’s pretty close to demons."

Azazel remained silent for a while. His white eyes stared at Van because Van had positioned himself directly in his line of sight.

"Tell me about a thousand years ago, Aryn... when Kalael came."

Van turned his head toward where Aryn was. He then sat between Aryn and Azazel while Aryn began to speak.

"Ahh... where should I start? Honestly, I kind of forgot..."

Van pinched the air with his right hand, which had the sunset tattoo, then took out a camera to record Aryn who was about to tell the story.

"Hmm... if I’m not mistaken, at that time he was still very optimistic about the Hell Gate that would never open again... did we make a bet too? But unfortunately, he hasn’t returned yet... then what else?"

The sound of Lily clicking her tongue came from behind them. Van then pointed the camera at Lily’s back with an empty expression because he found Aryn’s story strange to hear.

"Come on, Butler, don’t waste time remembering things that aren’t necessary... just say that he came and then went to the fallen angel’s temple... and it turned out that all he did was write a message saying not to disturb the fallen angel."

Van then directed his camera lens back toward Aryn while listening to Lily’s voice.

"Besides, what will happen will happen... the Hell Gate will open, that’s certain."

Van scratched his cheek, which wasn’t itchy.

’What are they talking about?’ Van shook his head to clear it, then looked at Aryn.

"Then what does ’don’t disturb the fallen angel’ mean?"

Aryn remained silent for a while. He wanted to answer, but in the end Azazel spoke first, making Van point the camera at Azazel’s immobile face.

"Just follow what Kalael said. You’ll find out yourself later."

Van’s ears rang. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but no sound came out until he finally forced himself.

"Can’t you be more specific? I mean, explain it properly, damn it!! So who is this fallen angel? Is he the one with the white beard? Then I also heard another voice... a woman’s voice. Is she also a fallen angel?"

"The old man, or Kalael, told me that he is the guardian of space and time... he also once told me he had friends... are they his friends? But he said his friends were already dead."

Azazel sighed. He spoke without looking at Van, staring instead at the camera lens Van held in front of his face.

"I already told you to just follow what he said and see later..."

The veins on Van’s forehead stood out. He finally stood up and almost smashed his camera if he hadn’t realized it.

"You damn demons!! No wonder you can be close to the old man!! You guys also speak in halves, you damn bastards!!"

The four demons laughed at the same time, making Van finally walk away from them. He created an invisible bench and sat facing them while still recording.

At the end of their laughter, they actually became noisier. They talked about things that made Van have to pick at his ears to listen.

Lily sounded the loudest among them.

"Damn that Kalael... he can see the distant future but doesn’t want to tell us when the Hell Gate will open..."

Grok chuckled softly.

"Why would he tell a noisy demon like you... better ask to be released."

Lily spoke to Grok without turning around.

"Are you stupid? What if we’re released and the Hell Gate hasn’t opened until we die? Think properly, idiot..."

Lily and Grok’s conversation became wilder while Aryn didn’t follow them. He instead spoke to Van, whose expression now showed exhaustion. He was even almost falling asleep despite the aurora dancing above his head and being watched over by the Hell Gate.

"Hey, human... where are you from?"

Van yawned lazily. His mind kept thinking about turning off the camera, but he didn’t do it.

"Me? I’m from two million years in the future."

Van’s words made Grok and Lily’s argument stop. For a moment, they finally had the same thought.

"Shit!!"

"Shit!!"

Azazel, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.

"Two million years? That’s crazy... has the Hell Gate already opened by then?"

Van deliberately held back his answer to Azazel’s question. He pinched the air and manifested a pack of BBQ-flavored potato chips, which he immediately devoured to fight his sleepiness.

"Fortunately, the Hell Gate wasn’t even found... so sorry, demons."

The four demons fell silent. Lily, who was usually the noisiest, finally spoke in a softer voice accompanied by her sigh.

"How long do we have to wait?"

Van watched their conversation, which was beginning to look calmer, with a smile while biting the potato chips one by one.

Azazel stared at Aryn, who was the only one visible within his locked field of vision.

"Aryn... can you remember two million years from now? Damn... it seems it’s already been tens of thousands of years and now we still have to add another two million years?"

Van listened to their conversation while leaning back on his invisible chair and staring at the aurora that never stopped dancing.

’Good grief... so many mysteries you left behind, old man. What do you actually want me to do? Am I really only supposed to obtain Artium, guard the Hell Gate, try to prevent Seagate from opening, and prepare for the Great Event while preparing the generation that will carry it out?’

Van sighed. His ears still heard the demons’ conversation, which he understood less and less.

Van finally created an invisible sofa that allowed him to lie down comfortably while eating potato chips.

’You should have explained properly... you never told me there was a human civilization, you never told me that what you meant by "them" was fantasy races from another world, you never told me you knew several demons... you also never told me about your friends.’

’Is the fallen angel your friend? Why shouldn’t I disturb them? Did you guys have a fight and break up like a teenage band? Good grief... you even only said you were a guardian.’ Van clicked his tongue. ’You’re an angel too, aren’t you?’

Van remembered the paintings he had seen in the fallen angel’s temple.

’That’s right, there was still that woman whose face I couldn’t photograph...’

Van’s breathing became irregular. His chest felt tight. He didn’t know what feeling he was experiencing. He bit his fingernails, which still had BBQ seasoning stuck to them, and his fingers trembled.

’I know two million years means a lot of changes and a lot of interesting things... but I didn’t expect that in just one year in the past, I would already find so many crazy things.’

Van glanced toward the four demons who couldn’t move but could speak.

’The Hell Gate won’t open, right, old man, as long as I keep guarding it?’

Van tried to close his eyes, leaving the camera still recording the four demons who continued talking.

’How long do I have to stay here...?’

Van smelled his thumb’s fingernail, which tasted like BBQ. He then raised his hand and pointed at the aurora with his index finger.

’Fortunately, you still introduced me to my roommates so I won’t get bored...’

’Please, old man, no more surprises...’

’Damn... if I think about it, did you already know you would meet me even before I was born? Did he already know me?’

Van frowned. His mind finally found new material to keep him awake longer.

’If I think about it, that’s true... have you already traveled through the two million years that I will travel through?’