In that majestic white hall, beneath the black throne, the royal melodies rose high amid the scent of pollen that made my nose tingle.
On the throne sat Ronald, his new appearance a blend of a woolen collar adorned with emeralds—matching the rest of his outfit but contrasting with the black void in his eyes.
Beside him was his brother Raphael, dressed almost identically. At the bottom of the throne's steps stood a man in priestly robes, holding a gray crown.
"I now proclaim Ronald, son of Alexander the Great, as the new King of Althirion."
The new high priest climbed up and placed the crown on Ronald's head.
…Yet the latter showed no expression at all.
"Your Majesty, please address the people."
Ronald's lips parted slightly, letting out a few emotional words and wishes.
"The day I longed for has finally come… I wished I could have taken a picture with my father. I had thousands of plans for how this happy day would go."
And for the first time since that day, a tear from Ronald fell onto the cold wood of the throne.
"T–This day would never have come without the blood of my father being spilled… We are standing here upon his life. This day… was never a happy one."
"Brother, a king should not cry on the day of his coronation."
Raphael's hand came down to wipe away his brother's tears.
Without another word, Ronald embraced him, letting out all the emotions he had been holding in for days.
Across the hall, Lysia sat opposite me, tears streaming down her face as her friends tried to comfort her.
"I can't believe he's gone… he truly was a great man."
Beside me, Mary spoke, with Lucy and Noah sitting next to her.
"That's the fate of all—no one is meant to live forever," Khaled replied from my right, with Nier and Libby beside him.
"Everyone knows that truth, but facing it is another matter," he added.
As my companions exchanged words, my eyes were fixed on a single person standing at the far end of the hall, his face marked by something strange.
The moment Ryan noticed my gaze, he turned and quietly left through the back door.
"…"
Moments later, I stood and followed him.
"I'll be back soon," I said, slipping away.
Luckily, the coronation was over, and the main doors were blocked by the flood of people leaving—no one questioned my or Ryan's departure.
The door led to a balcony, where I found Ryan standing.
"Hello, End Writer."
"Were you waiting for me?"
"…No. I just wanted to be alone."
"Why not stay with your brothers? In the end, no one can do everything alone."
"Have I fallen so low that I'm now getting brotherly advice from someone who needs it more than I do?"
I leaned on the railing beside him, my hands resting in my pockets.
"I was only trying to help you."
"Don't. I'm your enemy. True, we were allies once—but that was to protect my family… and it's the same reason I'll fight you."
"I expected you to say that with your usual annoying smile, not this serious face."
"What do you expect from someone who lost his father just days ago, and is eaten alive by guilt for not staying by his side a little longer… That's something I doubt you can understand."
His tone was cold—but far less hostile than usual.
"You're right. I can't understand your pain, just as no one can truly understand mine… Aren't we selfish creatures?"
"At least you can use your pain to gain mental fortitude and nearly master every weapon and combat art… sounds more like a school than suffering."
"I can get you a seat in that school if you'd like. Wait—did Kyle tell you about it?!"
"We, the mentally power users, don't wait for permission or words—we intrude directly into the mind."
"So what can you read—memories, thoughts… or the past, like me?"
"Everything. Anyway, I'm leaving now."
Ryan turned toward the door, giving a slight bow before leaving.
"I wish you miserable luck, End Writer."
"And you as well."
"One last thing… I'm not afraid of you anymore."
After those words, he shut the door.
"Humans have always feared what they don't understand... and I avoided you at first for the very same reason."
*******
Outside a famous café, a red-haired man with a cunning look sat at one of the outdoor tables.
"Hello, Hero. Sorry—I couldn't find a seat inside."
"It's fine. I didn't plan on staying long anyway… and thanks for coming and helped us."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just a nice guy who likes helping those in need."
"Of course you are."
Loki sipped the red drink in his hand every now and then.
"Ah, how I missed human drinks. I haven't had one since I became Loki."
"What do you mean?"
"We, the higher mythic entities, differ from the ordinary high beings. While they grant powers to expand their influence—we grant them to immortalize our names."
"I don't quite follow."
"Hundreds of years ago, I was just a normal human. But the previous Loki gave me the chance to become the next Loki, alongside countless others from different races."
Loki put down his drink as the waiter came to serve me tea. Once the waiter left, he continued
"To develop the ability called Loki, I had to follow his path, step by step—just like those before me, and those who'll come after."
"And what happened once you reached level ten?"
"Level ten—the final stage. That's when the person becomes Loki, ending his journey. At that moment, he faces the one who came before him—the one who gave him his power. I killed him… and with him, every Loki who never reached level ten."
"…Why give away these powers at all? Why not just keep the name for yourselves?"
"Then the name Loki wouldn't be eternal. In truth, they all do the same—Odin, Thor, even Fenrir and Jörmungandr."
"I see… but what do you want from me?"
"You have the title Nameless One, don't you? We'll be needing that someday… but not today."
Loki stood to leave, turning back toward me with a smile drenched in malice.
"I look forward to working together again. I'll be waiting for you in Asgard… and may the blind giant favor your journey."
Green flames engulfed Loki's body, and the wind carried his ashes away into the distance.
*******
"Finally… it's time to leave."
A week had passed since Ronald's coronation—it was time to begin the journey.
"Yeah, feels like I spent an eternity on this land."
"What do you know about eternity? You're ten years old," Lucy teased.
"The night before a great adventure feels like a hundred years," Nier replied.
"Nier's right. I couldn't sleep either—the thought of traveling the world excites me," said Noah.
"This isn't a vacation. Don't drop your guard," Khaled reminded them, pulling everyone back to reality.
"Alright, let's get ready to depart."
All eyes turned to me as I approached them, with Reinhard beside me and another man leading a horse pulling a luxurious carriage.
"This carriage and horse are ours—it's a gift from Ronald."
Khaled approached, patting the horse's head.
"Hey there, boy… what's his name?"
The man next to Reinhard replied,
"He doesn't have one yet—but you can name him."
"…I'll call him Arjuna."
"I thought you'd call him Ibrahim."
"I'm saving that name for my son."
"Alright, everyone aboard."
After saying our final goodbyes to Reinhard, everyone climbed into the shaded carriage, with Khaled sitting in the front to drive the horse.
In the middle, a small hatch led down to a storage area beneath the carriage—filled with blankets and cooling devices.
"Are we rea—"
Before I could finish, the horse leapt forward with astonishing speed—each stride covering what would take me thousands of years to cross at full speed.
After about an hour, Khaled spoke from the front, clearly enjoying himself with his new friend.
"We'll soon leave the fertile areas behind."
The greenery outside gradually faded into yellow, then gray.
"These are the Dead areas—eighty percent of all human territory."
I laughed softly, teasing him.
"Are you playing the tour guide now?"
Libby chimed in,
"So, Mr. Guide, what caused this devastation?"
"Who else but Solarin… I still can't believe I met him face to face."
Mary pointed at me,
"I still can't believe this lunatic actually challenged him."
Noah added,
"You're lucky you survived—otherwise, we'd have buried you beside Alexander."
"What were you thinking, talking at him like that?"
"It was an example of the kind of trials we'll face. If I backed down from the first one, how could I face the next?"
"In a weird way, that makes sense… Alright, everyone out—we're here."
The gray ground we stepped onto was the very edge of the world, where darkness stretched beyond into the void of space.
"We'll ride the golden lines once the carriage is ready… by the way, what's our final destination?"
Khaled began securing the carriage so nothing would fall during transit.
"We're heading for the Middle Land."
Silence fell instantly, like the world itself held its breath.
Then Lucy broke it
"I've heard that place is dangerous. There are ten regions between us and it—but do we even have the strength to survive there?"
"Don't worry. We'll grow stronger along the way through those ten lands."
I reassured her, then stepped toward the golden lines forming at the edge—pure energy of the Origin, delicate like thin threads.
Curious, I extended a finger to touch them.
"Careful—you'll be transported the moment you—"
Before Libby could finish, my hand brushed the threads. Unexpectedly, instead of transporting me,
they went berserk—exploding and burning part of my finger.
"What happened?" Nier rushed over to check on me.
I thought for a moment—the logic was obvious.
The world's embodiment itself would never open the way for someone who sought to destroy it.
"We can't use the golden lines."
"Then how do we reach the Middle Land, Hero?"
Suddenly, behind us, a swirl of sky-blue light formed a platform—with a slot in its center shaped perfectly for the Hero's Sword.
"Is that what you were asking about?"
I held the Hero's Sword before my eyes.
"Did it want us to discover on our own that using the golden lines was impossible?"
I stepped forward and plunged the sword into the center of the platform.
"From what I know about this sword, the number of lands we'll visit will be far more than ten—perhaps all of them."
Mary scoffed.
"So, a grand adventure, huh? Is that what you're saying?"
"Much better than just ten lands!"
"Calm down, Nier," Libby chuckled, patting his head and pulling him closer to the platform.
"Wait! There's something we have to do first."
Lucy pulled a camera from her bag—the one she had just bought.
"We have to take a picture first!"
"Good idea, Lucy," Khaled said.
"Congrats on the new camera," Noah added.
Everyone gathered around me on the platform. With a big smile, Lucy pressed the button—unknowingly capturing Arjuna's face in the background.
"…Farewell, lands of humankind."
With that, the platform shot upward into the sky.
Through the darkness of the void, the shape of the world came into view—
The void was like a black ocean, and the lands were its islands — each one growing greedier and larger with every passing second.
"…Your world is beautiful."
"Not as beautiful as yours."
"Don't ruin the view with comparisons. Let's just enjoy our first steps into this world."