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They had been touched by Tsuki's spark, by a mind that understood the pain of time.

Together, they vowed to restore balance.
When he calmly guided them—not with power, nor with desire, but with awareness.

The rumour spread among gods and mortals alike:

"The Dragon Lord has a harem of sorceresses."

But the truth was different.
They were friends, guardians, companions on the journey.
Forged in understanding, united by love that is not carnal, but metaphysical —
The love of those who share a cosmic destiny.

4\. The City of Lovecraft

They set off, and then arrived at the City of Lovecraft that awaited them—a place of eternal mists and breathing cathedrals.
There, time didn't run, it pulsed.
It was the point where reality and imagination met.

Tsuki opened a secret headquarters — a refuge for redeemed entities, for artifacts seeking rest.
He negotiated with ancient creatures, making pacts of balance.
The dragon within him watched, silent, satisfied.

The universe was stable.
For the first time in ages, there was no war.

5\. The Magic of Healing

It was Medea who taught him.

"He who heals can do all things," she had said, gazing at the crimson sky above the city.

The cure was not just for the body, but for time.
Every wound in the universe, every crack in a heart, was a mirror of temporal disorder.

Tsuki learned to heal — worlds, minds, memories.
And with that, the new cycle was consolidated.

6\. The Silence of the Gods
The gods, whom he visited, he manipulated, made them believe he was a seer, not a time traveler, he made them believe he was observing them.
None of them knew what he had done to break fate, nor what he had done to keep the balance restored.
They could no longer touch him.
He made a pact not only with the Dragon and the Man becoming one, but with every alternate version of himself; they, not he, were one.
Now that he had made Elara part of one of his relics —now essence and consciousness—she was his compass and guardian.
"Now, I have been moulded and made to master time," Tsuki said, as he continued.
"I was made to remind you how to start over, to mold it to your liking."
Now that the universe has breathed, when once again the stars have aligned, when the new cycle has begun.
Tsuki — the Black Dragon Lord, in which he walked through the streets of Lovecraft City, amidst light and shadows,
knowing that the end would not come again.

Because he had learned the ultimate secret:

"Time is not conquered with force, but with wisdom; not only with love, but with understanding and wisdom."
The butler called him, opening the curtains of his suite; it was almost ten o'clock in the morning, so he should get up, he had a meeting scheduled for 11 o'clock.
Under the covers, he had to attend a tiring meeting about expenses and taxes.
"You've received more gifts from some suitors and admirers, Lady Circe sent another invitation, and Darkness simply won't give up," Delmos said.
"Well, I know, I realized," Tsuki said.
At that moment, when he got up wearing only his nudes, his muscular body, he went towards the bathroom, staying in the bathtub for a good while, washing himself. He grabbed a towel, dried himself off, and went to his suite. When he went to change out of his red suit, he headed towards the kitchen to eat, where he was greeted with yet another gift.
"They are persistent," Delmos said.
"Oh, they certainly are," Tsuki said.
Flowers in vases surrounded the house, planets and gifts were piled on a counter, and as if that wasn't enough, he received another mountain of gifts: sweets, perfumes, and chocolates, along with some flower vases. He realized that his potential boyfriend wouldn't leave him alone without hearing a "yes," and nobody there would accept "no" for an answer.
He took a liking not to a mere galactic entity, but to a god and sovereign of an entire galaxy. He was there on that visit; he has to remain discreet, not let him appear on Earth so soon.
So Tsuki drove towards the company in his Porsche and parked it in the parking lot.
Upon arriving at reception, he was greeted by the assistant and receptionist who was waiting for him.
"What do we have on the agenda for today, Shoko?" Tsuki asked.
In that city, he assumed a hidden identity to remain discreet, away from the other heroes, away from his children. He needed time; he wouldn't stay close to his plans, risking being questioned. How should he proceed? He needed to plan.
He had several names, various companies; he would have to maintain a reputation and an image to protect.
"Sir, Delphos, we have a meeting. The topics are costs and expenses, as well as city administration," the woman said, waiting for him as they went up in the elevator.
"Some demons, vampires, and werewolves are waiting for you to discuss another part of the meeting," the woman said.
She was a short woman with red hair that looked like a porcupine's, so bristly, and she wore a small black suit when she walked beside him. She was thin and short, with slanted eyes.
"Again, they're not going to give up?" Tsuki said.
"It's part of the business agreement between the alliance and the majority shareholders," she said.
These weren't just any businessmen; they were the devils with whom he had some dealings, periodically trying to prevent a cartel from trying to oust him from the presidency of his company, as well as engaging in industrial espionage and gambling.
He found them, he would talk to them, convince them, make them believe that he could truly change the future, he lured them into business on Earth, he made them direct their attention to him.
He had Circe, the immortal Greek sorceress, as a mediator; she was there, being one.
Tsuki was involved in too many problems; he was visited and pressured in the middle of his company's negotiation room.
\- Trigon...? – Tsuki was greeting him.
What? Again?
"Why not?" Lucifer asked him.
"This was a bet we started, but you're involved. If you manage to win him over, or let him win you over, all the better for us," the demon said.
"I don't know if he would fall for my charms; I've never been in a relationship with a man," Tsuki said.
"Well... well..." the demon said, "...There's nothing better than a first time for everything."
"He could be your new and surprising experience," a demon said cunningly.
"Don't forget that he's dominant, you're new to our circle," another demon said.
It's a long road to becoming a demon.
– You can let him stay; if you control the demonic dimension that is our enemy, he will ally with us. Besides, he controls a part of another werewolf clan.
"Nothing better than making the man calm down with you," he said. "We're talking about a truce, a peace agreement," another said.
Provided you make it clear that you maintain parallel relationships and that you won't stop going out and having sex.
"Many worlds and dimensions are undergoing the same conversion. If we maintain peace among the space beasts, another group of vampires is also interested in the alliance; they are waiting for a letter to begin negotiations," another said.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Finally, the bar went dark, and the people didn't leave; they just watched, but not before he was overwhelmed by the demon's presence.
"I want to make a bet with you," he said. "How long will he stay at your feet?" he said.
"It depends on how much effort I put into it," Tsuki said.
"Besides negotiating so you can win Darkness over, at least let him win you over and invest in you," another said.
"He'll try another excuse about an invasion and an attempt to bring about the apocalypse, so you can try to win him over, using your physical allure," the demon said.
"Waiting for the end of the world and the destruction of the human race is faster and more rewarding than being the architect of that event," another demon said. "Meanwhile, let's bring prosperity, some contracts, collect lives and souls," another demon said.
"There is an imminent war between some werewolf clans and other vampire clans, due to the fact that the city is rebuilding, but few are able to maintain a truce," a demon said.
– Darkness is one of the only leaders who has managed to unite more than a sum of planets, houses, nations, and other dimensional clans in a common purpose. If we can convert him to the Order of Um-Mu, then, in addition to dominating the multiverse and preparing ourselves for any eventuality, he will no longer be our enemy, nor will he enslave worlds. – A priest of Um-Mu said.
There was no way out there, he was being pressured, with a bazooka in his closet.