All the civilians who were watching everything that was happening from the city applauded. Finally, Renato, now the new leader of the Sect of Wisdom and Redemption, had defeated one of the mages; Amina. The magician of the constellations.
"Is all this over?" A small child murmured to his mother, who gave him a weak smile and picked him up in her arms.
"Oh, my dear..." They both looked up at the sky, where only particles remained of the sorceress's attack. "The novel isn't even halfway through the story."
_
"Mr. Renato! Are you alright?" Gene, who until now had served to protect all the sect members in her surroundings, immediately went towards Renato who was flying back with her.
She knew how powerful Amina was, and all the mana it would take to face her alone. Especially without Liam's help and his near-miraculous potions.
Renato nodded, giving her a smile and a friendly pat on the head. "Now that I'm a sect leader...I mustn't allow myself to be hurt. Especially because of a mage like Amina."
Gene sighed, relieved.
However, there was something else she would like to know.
"Mr. Renato... I know that what I'm about to ask is something we all want to know and have been asking you about, but..." She mustered her courage; she had to know the truth. And not the truth of, 'Mr. Renato, did you see who killed Mandeleine?' No. She didn't want to know that. "You don't have amnesia, right?"
"…"
That was his excuse. Renato excused himself by saying that the amnesia from having switched bodies would last indefinitely.
He offered to have pharmacists, cult doctors, and even Gene examine him to verify that.
No one could find anything to link that amnesia to; his brain was intact, perfectly fine, and besides that...his mana also seemed to be...overwhelmingly gigantic.
Gene knew Renato was hiding something; something that had nothing to do with that amnesia, something that might help in some way to learn about these wretched magicians, but above all...
To discover what was really happening in this world; to prove the theory of Lahn's fake parchment that her master once told her about.
"…" Renato stared at her for a few long seconds, and then time seemed to stop. "…" It's n■t right to talk about t■at when R■■dy can read minds. I c■n tell what you're thin■ing about how it's po■sible for me to ■alk to you without...say■ng anything directly. Th■■ugh this narration. Interr■pting the flow is diffi■ult. But, believe me, even more difficult is the re■son why I'm still alive, and why I can't ■■y anything for now. "I really...can't remember, Miss Gene…"
"…Oh." She felt the painful need to apologize. Perhaps insisting now...was not advisable with someone with amnesia like Renato's. "I'm sorry!"
"Gene!" A voice made them both look behind Gene; it was Frederick, running alongside July 14 with Liam on his back. "Damn...I thought we were supposed to kick that woman's ass..."
Gene smiled, then went over to July 14, who was holding Liam, and then, with her index finger, touched her nose, waking her up.
"Huh? Huh?!" She was agitated, ready to throw a punch, and she did, striking July 14 on the head and making him groan in pain with an 'ack!' But once she saw Gene, she calmed down. "Huh? What happened? Where's that mage?"
Gene smiled, and then Renato approached them.
"She will not cause any more problems from now on…" He assured them, and then sighed. "However, that doesn't mean she's dead; she's an alien, after all."
"Oh! How scary!" Liam said, holding on to July 14.
Renato smiled; he couldn't help but have small flashbacks to his past; it reminded him a lot of—
"Oh, so here you are..." A voice so calm and peaceful made them turn around; it was Randy, and beside him was his secretary. "I sensed Amina's presence, but she came with a retinue of demon hunters, and since they were all neutralized...Joakim and I had to take care of them." As soon as he mentioned Joakim, he appeared behind him. "Apparently, Amina used one of that mage's neutralization spells from before…although it was weak, and he could only use them with all those of weak mana, it was problematic to keep them all safe."
"That's why the spell seemed familiar to me..." Gene murmured, as he helped Liam down from July 14's back.
And yet, after noticing that everyone was alright...
A tense silence fell over the atmosphere. Randy's gaze on Renato, Renato's gaze on Randy, Joakim's gaze on July 14, and July 14 hiding behind Frederick.
"…"
Liam, Gene, and Frederick observed the tense atmosphere, until finally, Randy's voice broke the tense silence; "Anyway, where did Anser go?"
"Shouldn't you know?" Renato said, without realizing it, his voice sounded defiant. The truth was, he didn't really like Randy. "I thought you had control over...your son."
"…" Randy just kept smiling. "I saw him flee into the woods. But I haven't sensed his presence for over ten minutes."
"He's probably lost," Frederick commented. "He really has that bad habit of running away wherever his instincts tell him to."
Randy sighed. Of course, he already knew who he'd inherited it from. So instead of it bothering him, he felt it as a bittersweet memory. If Sherly were here...would all this still be happening?
"…"
"Here I am. What's going on?" Joakim's voice made them look at him. He had his radio close to his lips, and after all the radio interference disappeared, they could finally hear who was on the other end.
[Ji Noo ran away. On top of that, Anser came and made a mess, and now he's cutting down trees like crazy.]
All the members of the Moon Sect looked to the side, with a look of 'that's not our sect leader' as they noticed Joakim's threatening gaze. Oh, of course, those were not the attitudes of a twenty-eight-year-old man with a sect under his command.
"If he does anything suspicious, attack him. Without hesitation. Right now, both he and his sect are suspected of treason." And with that he put away his radio, and walked towards Anser's sect.
They all hid behind Frederick, as they backed away…
Just before they could fully approach, Renato stood in front of Joakim, his height almost exceeding Randy's, serving as a shield for the guys.
"…"
"…"
They looked at each other. Even though Renato had always stayed by Layla's side and knew Joakim, just as Joakim knew Renato and trusted him enough to even sit on his hat...Why did Joakim now have to see him as an enemy? Why was he looking at him with such hatred? Weren't they...friends? Just like he and Layla were?
"Get out of my way, you birdbrain; I could make you human, don't think I can't make you a bird again."
Renato sighed; he truly hated everything that was happening. He knew who was innocent and who wasn't, and yet... he couldn't say so, he couldn't defend them. At least, not directly.
"They're just young, Joakim..." He raised his hand, but just as he was about to touch Joakim's shoulder, Joakim twisted it to the side.
"Don't try to use the same techniques Layla used on me; you're not her, you're just her pet," His tone was blunt, unsympathetic, direct, and honest. That was Joakim; the words he needed to say came out, regardless of how much they hurt others. Especially with those he considered enemies. "You simply became the leader of her sect because she died and left you in charge; but don't think that makes us friends, we're just allies, you hear? We're just damned allies!"
A blow.
Joakim punched Renato in the cheek; he wanted to force him to give him space, to step aside, to...let him take it out on those he believed were guilty.
Randy lowered his gaze, saddened, partly by what had happened to Anser and Ji Noo, and partly by the loss of Layla and Joakim.
Although Joakim never admitted it, he seemed more...bright next to Layla, unlike with other girls or with them, with Layla he was kind, truly kind. It was obvious that Joakim was in love with Layla. Even though he was the one who said that 'love is stupid for people who risk their lives every day.'
And yet, Renato didn't move.
Renato knew how much Joakim was hurting from the loss of someone as special as Layla; a girl who always invited him to her tea parties, and whom he attended simply to make her happy amidst all the chaos that was the world.
That was what made Layla and Joakim feel human; living together doing mundane things, far from a world of demons and threats.
Renato knew that Joakim didn't know how to release his pain except in his own way; and that way was with blows and insults. And if that meant easing Joakim's suffering a little, Renato would put up with it.
"No." That's what Renato said. He was sure to become a punching bag for Joakim if necessary. "I won't let you hurt them."
'That's what I'm here for.' That's what his gaze meant.
And at that moment, Joakim simply took it.
"Fine."
"Joakim, sto—" But before Randy could try to put an end to the two of them, Joakim punched Renato off the base, throwing him through the hole he had made earlier.
Liam screamed, frightened to see all the strength in Joakim. "He's really...angry!"
Joakim snorted, then started walking back towards them, but again; he was interrupted, Renato returned and kicked him in the ribs, knocking him against the wall.
Randy's secretary hid behind him as they watched the fight.
Joakim threw the most brutal blows at Renato, to the point of making him bleed, and Renato returned them with the same power.
"My God, they're going to kill each other!" Gene said, worried, while Liam hugged her, scared.
And on the other hand, Frederick tried to keep July 14 away from him. "This time I agree with you..."
Randy sighed, then walked towards Frederick. "You should return to your base; we'll make sure they don't kill each other, in addition to rebuilding the base." Frederick nodded, then looked at Gene. Gene nodded, and made a broom appear, getting on it with Liam and being the first to leave. "If you find Anser, tell him to come see me. I'll try to allay Joakim's suspicions about Ji Noo..."
Frederick nodded. "Understood." And with that, he threw July 14 through the hole, and then he followed him.
"…"
Joakim flew right over his head, causing Randy's secretary to grab onto Randy's robes. "…Let's go back downstairs." He gave the order, and immediately he and his secretary left them alone.
Joakim gasped...he had to accept it, it had been many years since anyone had faced him with blows; with bare fists. He spat blood to one side, and then got up from the ground again.
"Why...why are you defending them?!" Joakim shouted, limping towards him. "You knew better than anyone about Layla's dual personality issues...you knew how much she feared not being accepted in this world! And when she finally fit in..." He clenched his fists. His vision blurred from all the blows he had received to the ground. "They killed her! They cursed her! And not even Ji Noo's damned cure helped her; it made her worse, he killed her! He killed Mandeleine! I have no doubt about it!"
On the other side, Renato was also getting up, the wings on his head trembling from the times they had been mistreated. "He didn't do it...that poor sect isn't to blame for that..."
Joakim punched him again, knocking him to the ground, and then climbed on top of him, holding him there motionless. "And how are you so sure? You don't even remember…"
In a swift movement, Renato grabbed Joakim, and changed their positions; now, Renato was on top of him.
"I'll tell you the truth…"
"W-What…" Joakim gasped, then kicked his legs, trying to get him off him. "You damn liar! Stop playing with me!"
But really...right now Renato didn't seem to be playing or pretending anymore; he wanted to tell this poor broken man the truth.
"Listen to me. Now."
***
Run.
Run for your life, Jeon Kwonoo.
"Anser! Randy!!" Someone had to be listening; Randy was always listening, so why wasn't he showing up or communicating with him now? "Anser!"
He had managed to escape the third world, and yet, he had arrived in a town in ruins. No matter how much he searched, he found nothing, not even hidden demons. Until he saw a large mountain, and decided to climb it to find out where he was.
As he climbed, he kept shouting, yelling Anser's or Randy's name, however, he was apparently so far away from Anarxie that it was impossible for even Randy to hear him.
Once he reached the top, he gasped…
After catching his breath, he looked up.
It was all forest; he could see the city of Anarxie too, too far away...it might take him four days to reach the city on foot. "Damn…"
And yet, he had no time to lose.
If that demon from before came out of the Underworld and started chasing him, it would be a bigger problem if it followed him all the way to Anarxie. So before he could even see it...he had to get going.
Raum died in his body; however, his power remained with Ji Noo. So, he took a breath, and, determined that he had to reach the city in less than two days...
But before that; he wanted to know what that ruined town he arrived at was, and why there was a door there that was the direct entrance to the third world.
"…"
So, he went down the mountain.
He slipped on a rock, and when he reached the bottom of the mountain, he looked around; ashes, rubble...
"I suppose it will be difficult..." Without further ado, he walked through the town, trying to investigate a little before leaving.
As he walked, he managed to find what looked like the center of the village; after all, there were abandoned carriages, some of them destroyed, buried clothes, and children's toys hidden under the rubble.
"Maybe the same thing happened as in La vie en Rose...huh?" It was the only thing he could theorize about.
He started walking again, and soon, he found something like a dojo; he knew it, there were many of them in Korea, and many of his cousins went to dojos. It's a shame he wasn't the kind of person who loved dojos.
He entered the dilapidated doors of the dojo. Once inside, he caught a smell of rottenness; it was clear there were corpses inside, so he covered his nose and went deeper into the dojo. Bodies and katanas on the floor, in addition to the visible blood stains on the walls and even the ceiling spattered with blood.
He could deduce that something had happened; perhaps a genocide, demons attacking the village—something unlikely since Ji Noo hadn't yet encountered any demons—besides the fact that the mana here was...scarce, almost nonexistent.
He hadn't known such a town existed. And perhaps he should investigate further once he returned to the city.
Just as he was about to leave, he stepped on something; some glass of the windows broke under his foot. Immediately, he lifted his foot.
"What is…?"
He bent down, and with one hand lifted a painting from between the glass. The canvas on which the painting was created was long and narrow, moreover, it wasn't just any painting; it was in a traditional Japanese style, done in ink. It looked like a familiar painting; at the top was an old man, held by samurai dressed in black, but what caught his attention was that at the bottom of the canvas there was a man, from whose chest emerged long tentacles that surrounded everyone.
He immediately put two and two together.
A theory popped into his head; could this be Enver's hometown? The chances weren't low; in fact, if it were true that this was his birthplace, that would explain why he seems so...
Wait.
On Lahn's parchment...he mentions being Enver's brother...
Would that mean that Lahn was also born in this place?
He immediately looked in the drawing for someone who might resemble Lahn; he vaguely remembered how he had described his appearance; someone celestial, with a peaceful gaze, a just man...
"There you are."
Near Enver, helping his tentacles emerge; that was Lahn, anyway, they were so close—or so he believed—that they would surely be depicted like that.
He put the paint in his bag, and then left.
He would return once he was accompanied; there was valuable information about not only Enver, but Lahn as well.
How old were these ruins? 500? 400 years? Even so, with all the smell of rottenness...it seemed like the disaster was recent.
"Weird."
But now he had the important thing; all that was left was to find out the name of the town.
And it was there, on the way out, that he bumped into a board; 'Sh'ual' was what was written on it.
"Hm?" Coincidentally, that was Anser Ciro's birth name; his character.
But what was a name like that doing in a town like that?
He sighed, and instead decided it would be better to bring in backup to investigate the place further. After all, perhaps this is where the story began to get distorted.
"Energy Usage: 20%"
His body became covered in feathers, and now, with his speed amplified, he ran through the forest, using the wild animals and camouflaging himself among the demons heading towards Anarxie, drawn by the mana.
And so began his two-day journey; two days to get there.
***
Anser returned to base. He didn't look well at all; his eyes were swollen, and he was depressed.
"Detective, missions have arrived, do you want to go and—" Before Liam could say anything, Anser was already leaving his office, grabbing the report, and running off.
And then, he'll simply return hours later, disappointed.
And everyone there knew it; he was looking for Ji Noo.
And that was just in one whole day.
Now, they were having breakfast, Anser was defeated, in his bed, he didn't even want to leave his room.
July 14 and Frederick tried to pull him out of his room, but he was so heavy that when they finally managed to get him out, he just went back inside his room.
They were all having breakfast; they knew they had to do something.
And now.
They could not allow their leader to remain depressed while they were being watched and framed for Mandeleine's death.
They had to do something.
"I think it's best to leave him locked up; once he gets tired of it, he'll want freedom." Frederick suggested.
"And without food! And naked, HAHAHAHA!" Added July 14.
"That's really perverted." Frederick told him, shoving a piece of meat into July 14 mouth to keep him from talking.
"What if Gene creates an illusion of Jeon to make him come out of his room?" Liam suggested, on the other hand.
"That would be cruel once he realizes that he's not the real Jeon…" Gene said. "Perhaps the best thing would be to distract him from that; what if July 14 goes to train with him while we look for Jeon?"
Everyone seemed pleased with the idea...except July 14, who almost choked. "Excuse me, me?! Why me?!"
"You are physically stronger than us, Anser can kill you and you will be able to revive," Frederick said, "Furthermore, Anser has a strange fondness for half-demon boys…"
But that didn't entirely convince July 14.
"What do I gain from that?"
They all looked at each other, and with a glance, they communicated.
"Compliments."
"Deal."
Yes...they never thought it would be so easy to convince him...
_
The sun was peeking out, and Ji Noo had finally crossed the city wall of Anarxie. On his way there, he killed some demons.
He believed that finally, this time, he could assure Randy of an ending; a real ending, at last, now he had a plan.
He dodged several people, his demonic form disappearing, instead, he now ran to the center of the city; to the large building in the middle, which he began to climb.
It was impossible at that moment to say if it was something human climbing that building; Ji Noo's movements were hurried; aggressive.
At that moment, he stopped caring about being human, because this time, he would definitely save them! From that moment on, the deaths would end!
And as soon as the sun illuminated the top of the tower; Randy's office, Ji Noo entered through the window, breaking it. His body slid between the glass, until it stopped, and in front of him, there he sat; drinking from a cup of tea, Randy Bornman.
"…" Randy seemed confused, surprised… "Jeon Kwonoo?"
Ji Noo got up from the ground, and then stood in front of him. "I just discovered something..." he cleared his throat, then looked at him; unlike before, now his gaze was more confident. "I know how to bring the story to an end. A true ending."
Randy looked at him, confused for a second, then his eyes widened, and then a smile appeared on his lips.
"A ending?" He put his teacup aside, then settled back in his chair, waiting for an explanation of what Ji Noo had just said. "Tell me more."
"We must first stop the mages; after that, we can use Enver; he has a portion of Lahn's power within him…"
Randy seemed to smile even more at the revelation. "And what will this ending be like? What about Sherly? Will he be able to return to life?"
And Ji Noo simply answered their questions. "Yes, he will; Gene has some of the power of necromancy, if she can enhance it...not only Sherly, everyone who has died will return to life!"
Randy laughed, for the first time, joyfully, getting up from his seat, and spinning around.
Apparently, he didn't care much about the details, but rather whether he could bring the dead back to life; and that made Ji Noo curious.
However, Randy couldn't think of what Ji Noo was really planning.
"Jeon Kwonoo, if you need any of my help, please let me know!" He said, walking towards him, and then took a step back, showing him a document; it was in Anarxie's language, so Ji Noo didn't know exactly what it said. "I've been investigating Mandeleine's death, Joakim...well, he's a bit unwell now, so I was about to start investigating what happened to Mandeleine while he remains ill."
Sick? Ji Noo would never imagine Joakim sick...
"Oh, how long have you been in Anarxie? Have you been to see Anser yet? He must be worried sick."
That...was true. Ji Noo almost completely forgot the main reason he was in such a hurry; he wanted to apologize to Anser, for everything he had put him through and for...
His words were still echoing in his head.
"I guess I should go back to my sect and tell them the whole plan so they can help…" Just as he was about to turn around, a comment from Randy stopped him.
"Huh? You're going to tell them they don't exist?"
Ji Noo froze.
He hadn't really thought about...how they might react.
"…"
The silence was...overwhelming.
"Good luck with that. At least they'll be grateful that you're keeping them alive."
'Keep' was too awkward a word to use. As if Ji Noo was the one deciding their fates. And yet, what Randy said was true; he created them, he had already written their destiny...and now he saved them.
What will they think once Ji Noo stands in front of them and tells them; 'you are not real, you are characters in a novel' that at the same time, were not even the main characters.
"Ah! Jeon! Is that really you?!" As soon as he knocked on the door of his base to see if anyone was inside, he was greeted by the cheerful Liam, who gave him a tight hug, almost knocking him to the ground. "We were so worried! Waaah!"
"L-Liam…"
She really did weigh a little more; no, besides that, her grip was stronger, had she been training more?
"J-Jeon!" Gene peeked out from behind Liam, covering her mouth, while holding back tears. "You have no idea how much we needed you..."
And on the other side of the door, Frederick peered out. "Huh? I thought you were dead...what a disappointment."
Ji Noo snorted, almost offended…
"Hah, I missed you too, Frederick..."
Three days had passed without seeing them all, and even Ji Noo was starting to miss the rude Frederick.
"Is Anser there?"
They all denied it.
Well, that was his chance.
"I need to talk to you..."
_
"All of you...are not real," He started, he was nervous, but he mustered up the courage to confess the truth to them. "You all belong to a fictional novel."
"…"
Silence.
Ji Noo was standing in front of them.
Liam was sitting next to Gene, with calming potions beside her in case everything went wrong; Gene was simply sitting there, eyes wide open, surprised, and Frederick was standing with his arms crossed, without any reaction.
"…"
The silence was...disturbing.
Why weren't they saying anything?
"Could you repeat what you said?" Gene asked, somewhat embarrassed for not having heard properly. "I don't know if it was just me...but I heard everything…blurry."
"…What?"
He looked at Liam, and Liam looked at him too, confused. "Uh...I heard you correctly, Jeon…"
"I didn't hear what you said either. It was like..." Frederick said, thinking for a moment about how to describe it. He snapped his fingers once he found the right way to describe it. "Like a ink stain."
"…"
So, they could be affected by that too...
Should he insist? Even if he tried to write it down...wouldn't it be the same? What did he have to do to—
"Jeon?"
Ji Noo was so focused on thinking of a solution that he didn't hear the door open; and standing behind him was Anser.
Was it Ji Noo or did Anser just look taller?
"Anser." He turned to look at him, about to open his mouth, Anser jumped over the armchair that separated them, then grabbed him and hugged him. Anser's weight caused Ji Noo to lose her balance, and both of them fell to the ground. "A-Ack…!"
And Anser didn't seem to be letting go of him anytime soon.