When River opened his eyes—
He was somewhere else.
A small room.
Cramped.
The door was locked.
A single flickering light bulb hung from the ceiling, casting weak, uneven light across the space.
The air felt… wrong.
At the center of the room sat a young girl.
She had long pink hair.
Crimson eyes.
She was quietly reading a fairy tale.
River's gaze slowly drifted—
Then stopped.
The walls.
The ceiling.
The floor.
Every surface was covered in pictures.
Of him.
River.
Photos of him as a baby.
As a toddler.
As a child.
As a teenager.
Dozens—
No.
Hundreds.
All taken without his knowledge.
A chill ran down his spine.
"…What is this…?"
He looked back at the girl.
Even the book in her hands—
Was wrong.
The main character's name had been scratched out.
Replaced with—
River.
He glanced around again.
Stacks of books filled the room.
Every single one—
The same.
Stories rewritten so that River was always the hero.
The one who saved the day.
The one who defeated demons.
The one who—
Saved Celestia.
River's breathing grew uneven.
"…Celestia?"
He stepped forward instinctively.
He reached out—
His hand passed straight through the girl.
"…!"
An illusion.
"I told you my parents sold me to a demon."
A voice spoke from behind him.
"But that wasn't the full story."
River turned.
Celestia stood there.
She slowly removed her rabbit mask.
Her crimson eyes met his.
And she smiled.
The illusion of the young girl faded.
The room grew quieter.
Colder.
"The demon my parents sold me to…"
Celestia's voice softened.
"I found it dead one day."
She looked down briefly.
"Then I passed out."
A small pause.
"When I woke up…"
She slowly gestured around the room.
"I was here."
River's eyes darted across the walls again.
The photos.
The books.
All of it centered around him.
"…Celestia."
His voice tightened.
"You're with those masked people, aren't you?"
"The ones who killed the city lord."
Celestia didn't deny it.
"What a creepy place," Buer muttered from the Bible.
"Even by my standards, this is disgusting."
His tone sharpened slightly.
"…And it reeks of alchemy."
River froze.
"…Alchemy?"
Celestia smiled faintly.
"This room…"
She ran her fingers along one of the photos.
"…is where I spent the next twelve years."
Her voice carried a strange warmth.
"It's where I discovered my savior."
She stepped closer.
"You."
River's breath caught.
"Every single day…"
Celestia continued softly.
"A new photo of you would appear."
"A new story."
"Another tale of you slaying demons."
Her smile deepened.
"Saving me."
Before River could react—
She wrapped her arms around him.
Holding him tightly.
"What is all of this…?" River whispered.
His eyes widened.
His body stiff.
Celestia pressed her cheek against his chest.
"You're my god."
"My savior."
"My everything."
Her grip tightened.
"And that's why…"
Her voice dropped slightly.
"I can't let you leave."
River's heart skipped.
"The world outside is dangerous."
Her fingers dug into his clothes.
"They hate us."
"They hurt us."
"All because of these eyes."
She pulled back slightly, looking up at him.
Her crimson eyes glowed faintly.
"So stay here."
Her voice softened—
But it carried absolute certainty.
"I'll protect you."
Her grip tightened again.
"…Forever."
Celestia suddenly let go of him.
She hurried over to one of the shelves, her movements light—almost excited.
"Here," she said, pulling out a book with a bright smile.
"This one is my favorite."
She held it open for him.
River looked down.
It was a picture book.
The story showed a demon offering Celestia a poisoned apple.
She fell.
Lifeless.
Then—
River appeared.
He leaned down—
And kissed her.
She awoke.
Saved.
Celestia pressed the book to her chest, smiling softly.
"My Prince Charming…"
River felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"…Who would make something like this?"
He looked around again.
"This isn't normal. It's insane."
Celestia tilted her head slightly.
"I don't know."
Her tone was calm.
"They just… appeared."
"Every day."
"Little by little."
She smiled again.
"Like the story was being written in real time."
River stepped back slightly.
"I can't stay here."
His voice grew firm.
"We can't stay here."
He reached toward her.
"Please, Celestia."
"Let's leave."
Celestia gently took his hands.
Her grip was warm.
"But we can't, River."
Her voice softened.
"Don't you understand?"
"For the rest of our lives…"
Her eyes dimmed slightly.
"…the world will hate us."
She tightened her hold on him.
"People will always look at us and see monsters."
"Just because of our eyes."
She smiled faintly.
"But it's okay."
"Elric will fix that."
"He'll create a better world for us."
She leaned closer.
"And besides…"
"Did you remember what Friedrich said?"
"If he hadn't cleared us…"
Her voice dropped.
"We would have been blamed for the lord's murder."
River looked straight at her.
"But you are the one who killed him."
His voice was calm.
Steady.
Celestia didn't flinch.
"Well… technically I'm associated."
She shrugged lightly.
"But the world doesn't know that."
"They only know Rabbit was involved."
"Not innocent little Celestia."
Her smile didn't waver.
"And honestly…"
"That man deserved it."
Her eyes darkened slightly.
"He was cruel."
"A monster pretending to be human."
She squeezed River's hands tighter.
"He drowned Roe's mother."
"Shortly after she gave birth. Just used her and threw her away."
"Just because she was a Red-Eyes."
River's expression hardened.
"…I won't argue that he was a terrible man."
He took a breath.
"But there had to be another way."
His voice rose slightly.
"…Something better than this."
Celestia's grip tightened.
Her nails pressed into his skin.
"Would anyone have listened?"
Her voice sharpened.
She stared directly into his eyes.
"If we showed them proof…"
"Do you really think the world would have cared?"
River's gaze faltered.
"…N-no…" he muttered.
Celestia smiled faintly.
"Exactly."
Her voice softened, but there was bitterness beneath it.
"People are cruel."
"Even the poorest among them…"
Her eyes darkened.
"…are happy to push us down."
"As long as it means there's someone beneath them."
River clenched his fists.
"I'll prove them wrong."
His voice rose with conviction.
"I don't care what they think of us."
He stepped closer.
"I was ready to clear the dungeon with you."
"To show them."
"To prove that we're more than the labels they force onto us."
His eyes locked onto hers.
"Please, Celestia."
Celestia's expression trembled.
"…River…"
A tear formed at the corner of her eye.
"But what if they don't change?"
Her voice cracked.
"What if they stay cruel?"
Her hands tightened around him.
"What if someone hurts you?"
She pulled him into a tight embrace.
River didn't hesitate.
He hugged her back.
"Our hesitation…"
He spoke quietly, but firmly.
"…will kill our dreams far faster than failure ever could."
He closed his eyes.
"I won't let 'what ifs' control my life."
He tightened his hold.
"Please, Celestia."
"Stop this."
"All of this."
He pulled back slightly, looking at her.
"It was the other two who killed the lord, right?"
His voice softened.
"You're only associated with them."
"You can still walk away."
"There's still time."
He shook his head.
"The blood isn't on your hands yet."
Silence.
Then—
Celestia smiled.
A fragile, trembling smile.
"…Okay."
She leaned into him again.
"My Prince Charming…"
Her arms wrapped around him tighter.
"…for you."
"This would be the perfect time to kiss her," Buer whispered.
His voice was teasing.
"She's practically begging for it."
"Calling you her Prince Charming and everything."
River said nothing.
His grip on his Bible tightened slightly.
"…Can we leave this place?" he asked quietly.
Celestia nodded.
"Of course."
She stepped closer.
"Just hug me tightly."
"The closer you are, the easier it is for me to use this spell."
River didn't hesitate.
He wrapped his arms around her.
Celestia held him just as tightly.
Then—
The shadows stirred.
They wrapped around the two of them like a cocoon.
Darkness swallowed everything.
And in the next instant—
They were gone.
When River opened his eyes—
They were back in town.
But it was no longer the same.
The streets were filled with chaos.
Monsters roamed freely.
Zombies dragged themselves across the ground.
Others stood, clutching weapons—
Scalpels.
Scissors.
Broken tools turned into instruments of death.
"…What the hell is this?" River muttered.
He tightened his grip on the Onyx January.
Celestia stepped beside him.
"Elric accelerated his plan."
Her voice was calm.
"Morgana's sudden arrival forced his hand."
She glanced around.
"He's been capturing monsters from the first and second floors…"
"And storing them."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Just waiting for the right moment to release them into the city."
River clicked his tongue.
"Damn it…"
He turned to her.
"Will you help me fight them?"
Celestia met his gaze.
Without hesitation—
"I will."
River nodded.
He raised his staff.
"Smite."
Light gathered at its tip before flowing into Celestia's blades.
A radiant glow wrapped around them.
"Your attacks are now enhanced with light magic," River said.
Celestia smiled.
"Perfect."
The two of them charged forward.
Steel and light cut through the undead.
Zombies fell one after another.
They pushed deeper into the town.
Another creature lunged at Celestia—
A twisted figure wielding a massive pair of scissors.
"Holy Ground!" River called out.
A glowing magic circle spread beneath their feet.
The undead slowed instantly.
Their movements grew sluggish—
Their bodies burning faintly from the holy energy.
Celestia moved in.
One clean strike—
Then another.
The monster collapsed.
They didn't stop.
They kept moving forward.
Fighting.
Cutting through wave after wave—
Until finally—
They reached the town square.
The moment Celestia saw what stood at its center—
Her eyes widened.
"…No way…"
Friedrich, Azura, and—
Even Alexander and Hana—
Were fighting together.
All of them focused on a single enemy.
A monster far beyond anything else in the city.
"This is too much…" Celestia muttered under her breath.
"I didn't think he'd go this far…"
Standing before them—
Was the second floor guardian.
The Skin Eater.
A grotesque abomination.
Its lower half was that of a massive spider, its legs digging into the ground as it moved with unnatural speed. Threads of webbing stretched across the battlefield, binding anything it caught.
Adventurers.
Civilians.
Anything unlucky enough to get close.
Its upper body was worse.
A twisted fusion of two corpses—
One male.
One female.
Stitched together into a single form.
One eye burned blue.
The other, brown.
Half of its hair was short.
The other half flowed long and tangled.
Two pairs of arms extended from its torso.
The upper pair carried massive shields—
Blocking nearly every attack thrown at it.
The lower arms ended in long, curved claws—
Each one dripping with deadly poison.
Around it—
Half-formed corpses twitched.
Victims already stripped of their skin.
Reanimated.
Turned into puppets.
River's expression hardened.
"…So that's the second floor guardian."
Celestia clenched her blade.
"I didn't think he'd unleash something like that into the town…"
River stepped forward.
"I was already planning to hunt every floor guardian anyway."
He tightened his grip on his staff.
"Celestia—"
His eyes burned with determination.
"Let's do this."
Celestia smiled.
A fierce, excited smile.
"Yes."
She stepped beside him.
"Let's."