Woorin pushed herself up from the carpet, gulped cold water, and took a seat at the table.
Pressing her temple as she drifted into thought, Kido approached and asked, "You feeling any better now?"
Startled by his presence, Woorin turned her head and waved him off.
"Get out."
Kido made a face. "Geez, real classy." He'd come running the moment he heard about a crisis—could she not even say thanks to a friend?
'Friend, right.'
At least she thought it amounted to that.
"That's fine. Do whatever you want."
When he began to turn away coldly, Woorin's expression soured.
"Kido."
He stopped and looked back to find her suddenly smiling sweetly.
"Thanks for watching over me. Want some tea before you go?"
The goblin's lips puckered.
'Anyway, lies aside… he understands the heart of someone who endured countless years to meet Shirone. Someone like me wouldn't even register.'
Kido turned away again. "I'm leaving. I'm the captain of Ka-Shan's guard. Got a lot to do. Call me if anything happens."
After the door clicked shut, Woorin's expression smoothed as if nothing had passed.
Thud—her hand slammed the table.
"Kaiden."
It was the future's core keyword she'd pulled up by combining History Search and Future Sight. From here on it was a matter of thought.
'If Kaiden is the biggest variable, it has to be related to the breakout.'
At Arachne's banquet, Kaiden's right hand had almost made a grave mistake.
'Even with the Law twisted, his original inertia to attack Marcus remained. That was the escape. But why? How will he influence the future?'
Her thoughts accelerated.
'Of course… it has to be Maya.'
Only a famous singer from Tormia could have that effect on Kaiden's heart.
"Hmm."
Woorin crossed her legs and braced her chin on her hand. "But why her?"
She was just a singer.
'Great pyramids have been built in every nation. Humanity is steadily edging toward extinction. And yet Maya? One voice in all that…'
Her thought cut off abruptly.
"Ultima System."
Though she had become human flesh over countless generations, she had once been Gaia too.
'Yes. I can't think of it any other way. This must be related to an integrated mental system.'
She'd analyzed the keyword's meaning, but she couldn't deduce the process.
'I can't see the steps. There are too many logical gaps. This would just be delusion.'
Woorin's eyes flashed gold.
'Future Sight!'
Braving the pain to peer back along the timeline, a shock swelled as if her brain would explode.
"Ugh!"
The Law's shift led by the Twelve Zodiacs made the time waves tremble like an earthquake.
Overwhelmed by the nausea from hundreds of overlapping events, she finally shut off her ability.
"This is annoying."
Like this, she couldn't properly do future divination, much less hunt for keywords.
'Anyway—Maya. And Kaiden.'
Where were the two of them now, and what were they doing?
The rehearsal room at Delta headquarters.
The world's most famous musicians had gathered and practice was in full swing. In a space preparing the cathedral's finale, countless emotions collided.
As artists representing their nations, none of them lacked competitive fire.
"We'll begin the full rehearsal soon. Let's take a ten-minute break," the performance manager announced.
On cue, the performers stopped and then dispersed as if nothing had happened.
"Whew."
Maya exhaled and relaxed; Reina came over and patted her shoulder. "Good work. You did well."
"Reina."
Only Maya and Reina from Tormia had been chosen for the finale—proof of their skill level.
"That was so hard I thought I might die. The others are amazing—no mistakes at all."
"Hoho, don't be so dramatic. Everyone's trying their best."
Kaiden brought over water. "Maya, drink this. Reina, have one too."
Palmer, Maya's agency director, couldn't attend the cathedral, so Kaiden had volunteered as her manager.
Maya handed the cup back. "Thanks, Kaiden. Honestly, this is my first ensemble and I'm terrified, so I'm glad you're here."
"Don't worry. I don't know much about music, but your voice was the one I liked best."
A faint blush warmed Maya's cheeks; Reina snorted, amused. 'Attachment is scary.'
A voice came from the sofa. "Hey, you."
The woman sitting with her legs crossed was the world's top singer, El Kiana.
"Bring me some water too." Kaiden caught Reina's eye, pulled a fresh cup from his bag, and walked over.
"Ah, yes."
"Wait." Maya stepped in front of Kaiden. "Kaiden is my manager."
"So?" El Kiana narrowed her brows and the foreign artists watched with interest. "If you're going to ask someone to fetch things, shouldn't you ask first? And don't speak down to him."
'Thought she was gentle, but she's tough. Not many walk away whole after crossing El Kiana,' one onlooker thought.
"Manager or not, he's not a real manager," El Kiana said, scanning the room. "We're preparing the finale diva performance—other than him, is there any other man in this room?"
"Kaiden's not hired. He's my friend and helping of his own free will."
El Kiana covered her mouth and laughed. "How naïve. You think I wouldn't notice? Bringing a man into a place like this—obvious."
Maya wouldn't back down. "What are you thinking? Kaiden's just a friend! There's nothing between us!"
She glanced at Kaiden in alarm, but he merely smiled calmly. "Maya, we're performing together. I can run errands like getting water."
"But you treat him rudely."
That was true, but Kaiden didn't want to cause any trouble here.
'If the right hand moves, it'll be bad.'
His greater concern, though, was the change to the Law that had begun affecting him hours earlier.
'It's not certain yet. But if I swung a sword right now, it might not produce the same force as before.'
'No need to make unnecessary enemies.'
Thinking that, he handed the bottle over. El Kiana eyed him up and down.
"Hmph." Snatching the bottle, she said, "Consider yourself lucky. People here—royals included—wait months to see me. And any bottle I drink from is destroyed in front of me. Who knows what you'd do with it…"
"El Kiana." Before Maya could answer, the door opened and a stern-looking man entered.
Panier.
The name itself carried weight; at the sight of him, El Kiana's hardened expression couldn't be hidden. Panier was the world's top concert planner who'd produced countless musicians—El Kiana among them.
No one here didn't know him, and instantly the rehearsal room froze.
Panier slowly scanned the performers' faces and said coldly, "What are you doing? Not going to practice?"
'Still the same,' those familiar with his reputation thought as they lined up onstage without complaint.
Even Reina felt the tension when the finale piece began.
Five divas, each with a different vocal personality, blended together.
Duet sections followed.
El Kiana and Maya faced each other and carried the song's climax.
As if no argument had happened, the two women's eyes were full of tenderness. Reina observed dispassionately.
'El Kiana—her resonance is enormous. Her emotional expression is top-tier, and above all, her voice is outstanding.'
If Maya outshone her in anything, it was a slightly more delicate emotional nuance.
'Of course Maya's technique is excellent too…'
None of the divas present were technically lacking.
At the song's end, El Kiana's monologue-like, steady voice hung in the air.
Panier's eyebrows twitched. "Hmm."
It was a qualitatively different performance from ten minutes earlier, and all the artists watched him closely.
"Good. You've practiced a lot."
El Kiana let her eyes drift to the ceiling; the others breathed relieved sighs. 'We really did well.'
Notorious for his high standards, Panier wasn't one to punish the innocent.
"The flow is good. Change some concepts in a few sections—there's a feeling the impact is leaking."
He peered through his round glasses at the names on the sheet music, comparing faces one by one.
"Hmm, Mystic Maya?"
"Yes."
"You brought out the emotional contrasts well. I'd like to hear El Kiana's final part sung by your voice as well."
"Wait a minute!" El Kiana raised her hand out of habit. "If you change that part, the roles shift. Wouldn't that alter the interpretation of the piece?"
"Then do it. What's the problem? We'll listen and decide."
That answer stung.
'I admit Maya's emotion is good. But to change the interpretation just for an experiment…'
El Kiana didn't think she'd done anything wrong. "What did I do wrong? Tell me directly. I'll fix it."
"El Kiana." Panier took off his glasses. "Don't get cocky."
She felt as if she'd been thrown back to her lesson days, unable to move a finger.
"Just because you've handled some money you think you're untouchable? You think you became famous because you're exceptional?"
His gaze swept the performers. "What abilities are needed are defined by society. In the old days, someone who could catch rabbits might be called a genius. Now? They're just a hunter. El Kiana, you told me once you wanted to become the most famous in the world."
"…Yes."
"If you still believe you're exceptional and want to sing your own song, I'll give you the chance."
El Kiana bowed her head and stepped back. "No—I won't."
"Why not?" Maya's sudden question made the other artists look surprised.
Panier put his glasses back on. "What did you say?"
"I understand what Panier is saying, but you're being too quick to shut things down. Isn't everyone working hard because they want their own art?"
El Kiana whispered, "Hey, are you crazy?"
Arguing with a master offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance—what was she thinking?
Contrary to the artists' unease, Panier regarded Maya calmly.
'Her own art…'
A man who loved music and guitars but had been awkward with life came to mind.
"How unsettling," he murmured.
—In a sealed chamber in the Kesia Kingdom sector, Fermi checked the Apocalypse information.
When the Law changes, relic contents change too, but some information remained constant.
Opening a triple-secured box, Fermi read the note inside.
4 역시??????
A short phrase flashed across his retina.
'This doesn't change.'
After thinking of Shirone for a while, Fermi shook his head and took a deep breath. "Work. Work."
With magnifiers in place, he picked up tweezers and began fitting the paper scraps on his desk like a puzzle.
'Selbuster.'
One of the worst incidents foreseen for the future.
'Huh?'
A scrap with a name written beside the torn edge fit almost perfectly.
'This guy is one of the Magic Seven…'
Guitar Man.