> Warning. Five minutes remain until forced transportation to the plaza. Please resolve all remaining tasks.
I held Betty tighter after reading that.
She wasn't my sister. She wasn't real. At least, not the crying young girl I held in my arms right now. But...
"You're my younger sister, Betty." I murmured and held her tight. "And an older brother protects his younger sister no matter what. So it'll be fine."
Just like I did here.
Just like I would do to find her when I got back.
Did she realize something in the tone of my voice? Betty sniffed and then looked up at me. Her eyes were red from her tears, and they still trembled a little. But her gaze was firm as she looked at me. "Alex...? Are... are you going to leave me too...?" She shook her head and started to cry again. "No... No! You can't! You can't!"
I gave her a bitter smile and reached out to pat her head. "I don't want to leave you. And I'll stay as long as I can. But... just in case..."
This place wasn't real. This Betty wasn't real.
Neither were any of the feats that I had accomplished in this city.
This was just a 'what if.'
What if Alexander Smith had been the protagonist? What if he had awakened to the power to save his sister? What if he had friends who he could have met up with to keep Betty safe?
...Yes. It was just a 'what if.' Because reality was already set in stone. The history of Betty disappearing and everything here turning to ash was already written.
'But that doesn't mean this is any less meaningful.'
I pulled out
The golden pendant with seven glittering gems shimmered with a bright light before dimming.
...Ah. Right. I had set it up so that no one else but me could use it. At least, not without filling it with mana. Still, it should help with learning how to use mana more efficiently. And maybe someday, it might even be a key to stepping onto her own path.
'...What am I even thinking?'
It was meaningless.
This was just throwing
If I was being practical, I shouldn't do this. I should just hold onto it and deconstruct it with Marisa to make something better if I was worried about it being used by someone else. But...
I smiled and knelt down, cupping her cheeks with my hands. "It's a promise. One day, if we're ever separated, I'll find you. I still need that, so when we meet again, give it back. Alright?"
Betty sniffed and nodded. "O-Okay, Alex. I... I promise. But..." She looked into my eyes, searching. "You... You won't leave me alone, will you? I'm scared. If I'm just by myself... I don't know what to do..."
My heart ached at her desperate words. But I couldn't lie to her. I couldn't say that I would stay. I couldn't say that I would be by her side.
Because in reality, I wasn't. Alexander Smith hadn't.
Even so...
I patted her head and smiled. "You're strong, Betty. And smarter than me, I'm sure. So... keep your chin up, okay? Even if things seem rough... live. Live, and I promise that one day, we'll meet again. As long as you keep living, I'll keep searching."
Betty sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
She knew.
Betty knew that I was saying goodbye. That this was where we parted. Even so, she forced a smile on her face and nodded. "Okay, Alex. I... I love you." Her smile trembled and she said, "You're the best big brother ever. So... So you live too, okay? Until... Until we can meet again...!"
I reached out to hug her. I opened my mouth to say that I would. But...
> The time limit for the trial has concluded.
> Forced transportation has occurred.
> Congratulations for clearing the advanced trial [Descent of the Demon God]
> As a reward, your rank will be elevated.
Betty's warm body turned to mist in my arms. The grave for our parents dissolved, replaced by the sterile marble of the plaza in the Forgotten City.
And I was left there, kneeling with my arms holding nothing but air.
"...Alex?" Evelyn's voice drifted from the side.
I didn't respond. Instead, I stared at another message that had appeared in front of my eyes.
===
[Optional Quest Update - What Lays Forgotten]
> In this story, you are the author who has taken the role of the 'Extra' once known as Alexander Smith.
> Alexander Smith has voluntarily relinquished his existence for your sake in the desperate hope that you will achieve the ambition he failed to accomplish even after burning everything he had to ash.
> Objective: Save Beatrice Smith (Betty).
> Success: Understand the 'Truth' of this world and unlocking 'your' Talent.
> Failure: Nothing but regret.
> Time Limit: Demon God's Revival/Act 3.
===
I slowly stood up.
Another time limit.
Another person to save.
I slowly closed my eyes and let out a slow breath.
Again, it was a choice.
Since Betty wasn't relevant to saving the world from destruction, failure didn't cost me anything tangible. Like the message said, only regret.
Even so...
'Alright, Alex. Since you gave me this much, I can at least do that.'
Alexander Smith had been an extra.
Betty was just a part of Alexander Smith's backstory.
The fallen city I had just seen... the corpses, bodies, and destruction. All of it was just a backdrop to the greater story of 3D-ED.
But...
'If you want me to change the setting, Alex. If you want me to rewrite this story that much... Fine. Let's do it then.'
A cry for help.
That was what this trial was.
Unlike the other changes that had occurred until now, this wasn't due to some external force. Instead, it was inside of 'Alexander Smith.'
This was the result of the buried wish of a determined older brother who would throw his entire existence away just for a slim chance his little sister was saved.
And for me to hear that wish, he showed me his past.
A young man who was so powerless he could only wish to the stars. That young man had called out. Not to wish anything for himself, but for the simple and pure wish that his younger sister be saved. And in exchange, he offered his everything.
His life, his body, his soul.
His past, his present, and his future.
Serving it all on a silver platter, erasing his very 'self' so that I could step in without any issues...
I had already planned to rewrite the story. After all, I wanted to save Eve. I'd chosen her, and I'd sworn to make her happy.
But after all of this...
Roland walked over, concern on his face. He stopped in front of me and reached out. Before his hand reached me, he hesitated and lowered his hand. Instead, he said, "Hey, Alex. Are you really alright?"
Evelyn gently wrapped her arms around me and murmured, "You can cry, you know?"
Marisa nodded, quietly walking over. "There's no need to pretend to be strong around us, Alex." She gave a soft smile. "We're your friends. And..." Her voice became soft before she said, "I understand, you know?"
I looked at them all. The main character and his future wife. The fake love interest I killed off for the sake of the plot. The people who this story should revolve around. But...
"I'm fine." I let out a calm smile and said, "All of this was just a reminder."
In life, our stories didn't unfold the way we wanted. Although we were all the 'main characters' of our own lives, in the grand scheme of things, we were just 'extras.' People who the world would eventually forget, no matter what tragedies, triumphs, or despairs came our way.
That was true on Earth. And that was true in this world as well. Alex knew it well.
But...
Roland tilted his head and said, "A reminder...?"
...I was different. Because...
"Yeah." I nodded. "A reminder that it's time to be the hero.
...I was the author.
And as the author... as the author who had become an extra in his own story...
It was the author's privilege as an extra to decide the hero. To decide the way the story unfolded.
And here and now...
'I choose me, Alex. I choose us. Let's throw caution to the wind and steal the spotlight as the protagonist of this godforsaken world.'
===
In the main headquarters of the Void Arbiters.
Void Sovereign stood as always, staring at the altar of Demon God Umbrel. Their Master who controlled their very fate and existence.
It was the same. In this time and the last and the time before that.
No matter how much time passed. No matter how much the world was destroyed or saved, it was constant.
Just like the Void Sovereign.
Just like Demon God Umbrel.
But...
Void Sovereign winced and clutched their head. For a split second, there was a flash of a distant memory. A half-remembered promise. "Live until we can meet again...?"
Just as quickly as it came, the memory faded.
Even so, a person came to Void Sovereign's mind. "Alex...? Strange." They frowned and then murmured. "Why would that person come to mind now?"
There wasn't a response. But then again, there never was to any of Void Sovereign's questions.
Void Sovereign sighed and subconsciously placed their hand over a tarnished golden pendant beneath their cloak. "It matters not." They looked back at the altar and murmured, "A puppet on a string... That is all I am now and all I ever will be."
...Unless...
Void Sovereign paused and murmured. "...Can you prove me wrong, Alex? If you can save the princess from her fate, then perhaps even I...?"