News of the Empress's engagement to the Grand Shaman kept Arkaim buzzing all day.
Until dusk, when a spear pierced the holy city's defenses, forcing the Empress to sacrifice herself to summon the Holy Grail and seal the gods away once more.
Not long afterward, Murphy began his reckoning. The United States fell, and the Christian God was defeated.
Then the Earth Federation was founded, the Wizard Alliance merged with it, the OGAS Plan was rolled out, and the Seed of the Mind virus was administered to the entire population.
A few more months passed, bringing them to 1999. On his thirtieth birthday, Murphy was crowned Emperor of Humanity.
To find a way to counter the gods' return, he drew upon the power of the global Magic Web to turn back time and travel to Camelot over a thousand years earlier.
Before leaving, he told only Lucas of his plan to travel through time, and entrusted him with the Emperor's authority as well.
And so, after Murphy returned, Lucas was the first person he sought out.
"Lucas, it's been a long time."
Lucas looked puzzled for a moment, then understood. "Your Majesty, you're back?"
"I'm back."
"Have you found any leads regarding the gods?"
"I merely brought about events that had already happened. I created the Magic Web and the Holy Grail, temporarily trapping the gods. But the time loop only extends to this moment. After that, endless possibilities will once again give rise to countless futures. As long as magic exists, their return is only a matter of time."
"...Does that mean we truly have no chance of winning?" Lucas asked.
"Of course we do," Murphy said. "On this journey, I mastered time, and I also came to understand the true nature of magic: possibility."
"As long as we