Cole was spool through the clouds of white gas till his body reached the edge of Katharis, though his limbs remained slightly paralyzed.
The pale blue chain linking him to 'her' dragged Cole's body through the veil.
SPLASH!
Cole gasped, panting repeatedly as he coughed out... water?
"Good job, Cole. You found the Homunculus in the depths."
"It wasn't easy. The land of Aught was a horrible place."
She raised a brow, her tone baffled. "The land of what now?"
Cole pressed his lips together and clenched his fists. "Now isn't the time for jokes." He managed to force himself up.
Cole turned to her, his expression blank yet expressive. What he saw beside her made his pupils shrink—not from fear, but as a result of heart-wrenching bewilderment.
"What do you mean by the land of Aught?" she asked, traces of annoyance lingering in her tone. "The Katharis deep sea must have really scrubbed your brain clean."
Cole staggered back four steps. Instead of the wall of grayish-white storm clouds that existed before, a large, deep body of water had replaced the border. Cole's mind raced with various possibilities, but none made sense.
'What the hell... So this is how deep I've gotten myself into this mess?' Cole clenched his face, plastering on an ugly expression as wrinkles littered his young features.
"HUFF... HUFF... HUFF."
The Deity closely observed his odd behavior and his declining mental state. Cole's eyes rolled back into his skull...
"Did you do something, Cole?" she asked with a firm voice.
Cole's eyes returned and widened; in that moment, he fixed a lukewarm gaze on the Deity's ignorant yet curious demeanor.
'Should I tell her?' Cole thought, his mind in shambles.
With heavy, lagging breaths, Cole explained as best he could—not just how things were in the land of Aught, but the being he saw as well, along with the Focal Point's parting words.
The Deity lowered her head, her face painted with a dark, grim expression. Her emotions oscillated between immense fear and intense anger toward Cole's actions.
"YOUR ONE JOB WAS TO RETRIEVE THE HOMUNCULUS." A palpable feeling of dread escaped from her body as the weight of her words slammed against Cole's head. "How did you end up freeing the Autonomous One?!"
"Huh?" Cole responded.
The Deity looked back at the deep sea, a fluttering smile hanging on her face. "So, all this... and the memories I and everyone else have are fake... Oh well, nothing can be done."
Cole suppressed the rain of despair falling within him. The air was thicker than usual, carrying a slight, unpleasant smell of doom. The events left a bitter taste at the back of Cole's tongue; his neck felt rusty.
Regardless, he asked, "So, what now?"
"We'll leave things as they are. Don't tell anyone else about Neataruzo or the land of Aught," she commanded with a strict voice. "For now, just forget about them like they don't exist."
"If you say so, ma'am," Cole responded with nonchalant eyes, though his twitching cheeks betrayed his act.
'I can't, and I won't forget.' He briefly shut his eyes.
Cole's mind reminisced about the first conversation he had with the Focal Point. 'The realm you invaded belongs to me, the Forsaken King of.....@$#¥¢§'
The disjointed words steadily formed together in Cole's mind, '....Null Centura Arthur Flora.'
Cole flung his eyes open reflexively. As the words resonated in his subconscious, the Forgotten King's tone dimmed into something more pained rather than arrogant.
'I see now. I have no choice but to remember,' Cole's gaze fell to the floor. 'This is the cost of my survival.'
Cole sighed. 'So much for vengeance; he had me in the palm of his hand.'
"Putting all that aside, do you mind putting on some clothes?" she requested casually. "And when you're done, we have to rush back to False Earth. Your time limit has already far expired."
Cole lurched back at the realization. "How am I going to bring Sant Flora's Homunculus with me?"
"Leave that to me." She tossed Cole her hooded shirt. "First, cover up."
"How am I going to return this time?"
The Deity brought out the pocket watch's main face; its broken chains reassembled and merged until it fixed itself.
Cole's wrist felt lighter; previously, it felt as though he were being squeezed relentlessly by a tight hand. The Deity returned it to Cole and dragged him to the side, behind a tall flight of stairs leading to one of the temples. The Deity brought out a large bag and placed Sant Flora within.
Afterward, Cole and the Deity rushed through the littered streets, messy alleys, and busy roads beneath the grace of the surreal green moon. Cole didn't find Null Centura quite fascinating, yet there were a few highlights that made his trip worth the time, along with a few promises.
Mysterious people like Vanity and the Potter still intrigued him, but Cole dared not confront them face-to-face if the need ever arose—at least for now.
Somewhere in the near future, Cole knew he'd have to take responsibility for his careless actions and the potential chaos he might have unleashed.
Cole braced his heart and assured himself: before that time ever arrived, he'd become far more than he was before, and even further than he is currently. Not as wishful thinking or daydreaming, but as a goal.
.....
"Uhm... Mayor, sir, the time limit is nearly expired, and he still has no pulse," one of the officials discreetly whispered into the Mayor's ear.
Cole was laid upon a white bed, his skin pale and cold, lips dry, and burning eyes extinguished. His corpse had been kept safe with the hope of another revival; however, as time passed, the people's hope seemed to falter.
A backup plan was already set in place. If Cole didn't revive before the Old Woman returned, capable citizens would go up against her. Though the idea was comical, to say the least, the people took it very seriously, readying arms and sharpening blades. Some, as a result of desperation, consulted dark forces beyond their understanding and payed a heavy price for their lack of sufficient wavelength.
"Till now, sir, we still can't find the cause of his death," the Red Caps' General reported.
'Is this truly the same man I gambled all my hopes on?' the Mayor thought, glaring at Cole's lifeless corpse with cold eyes.
"SIR! SIR!" One of the Red Caps scuffled in. "She's arrived."
The authorities were jolted by a sense of fear. The Mayor's eyes darted back at Cole's corpse; not a single response nor movement came from him.
With a heavy sigh, he ordered, "Put the corpse to rest. He may have failed us, but he did buy us time."
"For that, he deserves some respect," the Mayor concluded.
The Area Chief gestured towards the two Red Caps behind Cole's resting bed. With swift movements, they pulled out a casket, placed Cole's body within, and carried it through the back.
"The rest of us, get ready for battle!" The loud war cry resounded.
The people took up weapons and joined forces to take down the Old Woman. The air warped, and the Old Woman's figure passed through; as her feet met the ground, she was greeted by a barrage of bullets.
Caught off guard, her cheeks, hands, legs, and waist were pierced... but that was it. After the lucky hits, all the bullets deflected back at every angle, hitting some of the villagers in the process.
From behind, a citizen snuck up and swung a katana at her neck.
CLANG!
Like torn paper, the blade was cut in two from basic contact with her skin. The Old Woman swatted him away with a light backhand.
'Are they trying to buy time?' she wondered. 'Oh well, I was trying to prevent the mass slaughter of these people, but since all roads to save Miss Gothel are cut short... they'll all perish one way or another.'
'Maybe I did get my hopes up with that fraud, Cole.'
Archers, bombers, and even skilled chemists tried their best to stop the aged, destructive force of nature. Their attempts didn't even hinder her steps; each step she took was like a countdown to their extinction.
BANG!
A loud crash stole the war-torn atmosphere. Out of intrigue, the Old Woman looked toward the sound's direction and saw Cole observing her as he stood rigidly with a piercing gaze.
"It can't be!" the Mayor spoke beneath his breath at the far end. "He's back!!"
The whole area burst into a state of cheer and joy as they chanted Cole's name.
"The deal's off, young man," she commented in a raspy, annoying voice.
"Step aside," Cole ordered.
"Didn't you hear me?" She displayed an unappealing scowl. "The deal's off."
Cole passed her like a flow of breeze, his body already slipping past hers before she noticed he had gotten through. Vexed, she twisted her body toward Cole and froze in shock.
Through a swarm of gold chains, a physical body manifested in Cole's arms. Cole smoothly walked towards the tree, consideration fueling his steps. Like a priceless item, he carried the Homunculus with the utmost respect.
Though its body was fake and a soul was vacant, the Homunculus of Sant Flora—the peak of the Potter's life's work, the fruit of Cole's struggles, and the only existing proof of Arthur's existence—was carried like a royal princess as each citizen gave way for Cole to pass.
The tree responded by showering blossomed petals to soothe the tension. Once Cole arrived, he set the Homunculus down by the tree's roots.
Cole placed his head on the tree's trunk; no one dared to utter a whisper.
'Can you hear me?' he thought softly. 'I'm here.'
'Brother?'
BADUMP!
Cole's heartbeat synchronized with his breaths; those breaths resulted in a semi-solid wave of bluish-red aura that engulfed him. Cole's hands permeated through the tree.
'Don't be scared... this will all end before you can even say...'
BADUMP!
Cole's hands grabbed the heart beating within the tree. It wasn't a physical heart; thus, a part of Cole's arm had to merge with his wavelength through the steady beating of his heart.
Cole slowly yanked the heart from the tree. His face lit up with a bright gleam of red; the arteries and veins were still attached but were transparent like crystalline glass.
"Hng!" Cole grunted as he shoved the heart into the Homunculus's chest.
BADUMP!
Through the veins and arteries, red matter flowed from the tree into the Homunculus. A high-pitched ringing increased, stabbing everyone's hearing. Cole didn't find it pleasant yet endured, no matter how much his ears bled.
BADUMP!
The ringing ceased, and the area was overtaken by a steep purple as particles glittered. The smell of blood, sweat, and fear was more potent than the air itself.
Cole wheezed as he calmed himself, his chest slamming repeatedly like a beating drum. The skin of the Homunculus showed veins visibly; Cole touched its hand and felt a warm and steady pulse.
Gothel was still unconscious, though.
Cole took her in his arms and carried her back to the residential area, his body composed yet his emotions a storm of confused thoughts and speculations.
Before Cole passed by the Old Woman, he gave her a parting remark. "DON'T WORRY. From now on... I'll take care of my sister."