"…Even with all the evil we have faced in the past, we still cannot believe the fact that this happened to such a close colleague of ours," Those were Randy's words at Layla's funeral. "Just like Sherly, she will always live in our hearts; we must know how to forgive, love, and let her go as she always was: happy."
All the sect members and leaders applauded, and all wept silently. After all, Layla was always known for having a kind heart.
She often helped new members adapt to the world of sects.
Besides, of course, everyone knew about his involvement in the war.
"She always dreamed of wearing pretty dresses once the war was over," Those were the words of Joakim Hans. "I told her that a woman isn't defined by how she dresses; that she would always be beautiful with or without a dress...but she..." His gaze wandered, until it fell on Renato; now with a human figure, dressed in a black suit just like everyone present. "…But she still had that dream, and I hope that wherever she is, she can already wear a dress."
And with that, he stepped off the stage, his footsteps imposing, but, at the same time, incredibly frustrated and annoyed.
Randy asked them to be discreet about Mandeleine's death while they investigated, although no matter how much Joakim insisted that Ji Noo was the culprit...the truth was that there was no evidence.
In addition, they were still treating Renato's temporary amnesia.
Joakim was stopped by Randy after he and his cult had already left for the forest, so, with no other option, he had to wait...for now. Before looking for Ji Noo.
"…" All the whining and murmuring after Joakim's speech ceased when Anser took the stage. All the members of his sect sat in the back, all dressed in black suits, including the rebel July 14, he remained silent and serious about everything that was happening. After all, it would be the first time he would give a speech, since he didn't do so when Sherly passed away...everyone was curious now about what he would say. "…I have never been able to express myself…"
Anser's voice was deeper, more profound...more melancholic. A change from Anser's usual listless but intimidating voice.
"…Before all this started, she always tried to help me...but I thought she was a nuisance," Instinctively, he closed his fist. No, he didn't just think of her as a nuisance, but before he was so angry with himself that he even wished death upon everyone…But why? At this point, he doesn't even remember why he was so depressed. It was as if, suddenly, upon reaching adulthood, his brain began to function differently. Even now, he doesn't know if he's truly hurt by having lost his entire Clan. In any case, he was beginning to believe that what really mattered was what he thought hated him the most. "But perhaps it was because he was too stubborn to accept that she did it with good intentions."
And that was it; he didn't add anything else, because if he did, he felt he'd start apologizing. And no, that wasn't a bad thing, but he wanted to stay strong in Ji Noo's absence.
Everyone remained silent, until they applauded him.
Then it was Renato's turn.
He stood up, and slowly went up to the stage, then adjusted his shirt, and then began to speak… "Layla gave me her hand when I didn't know what was happening in this world," His voice immediately drew everyone's attention to the front. "So, it was all thanks to her, and I swear, I will make sure her death was not in vain."
Everyone applauded after all, now Renato would be the leader of the Sect of Wisdom and Redemption.
_
"I really can't believe that Miss Layla..." Liam murmured, but was soon silenced by a look from Frederick. "Ah! Sorry, sorry…" Right now, they needed to be careful with their words; after all, they were just leaving the conference on Layla's behalf.
"Anyway, she's already dead, so that shouldn't matter to us now," July 14 said on the other side, without measuring his words as usual.
Frederick elbowed him in the ribs. "Shut up."
Meanwhile, the silent Gene continued walking beside Liam, her heels echoing in the hallways, while everyone else followed Anser.
"…"
Everyone knew how hurt Anser must be; however, unlike the four of them, Anser had been raised by almost all of the sect leaders, and although he didn't want to show it, he must be very...sad.
Leaving aside all the things that happened suddenly; the death of the only survivor of her Clan, the death of Sherly, in addition to that of Layla and Mandeleine and on top of that, the accusation against Ji Noo. Who was clearly the one he valued the most.
July 14 looked at Frederick. "…"
Frederick noticed it, and turned to look at him. "…?"
And then, Liam imitated July 14, looking at Frederick.
And Frederick now looked at Liam. "…?"
And finally, Gene looked at Frederick.
Frederick frowned. "…What?"
"You were with Anser and Ji Noo in the third world, can't you talk to Anser to cheer him up?" Liam questioned, crossing her arms.
"July 14 was there too, why don't you tell him?" He said, pointing at him.
Everyone gave him an annoyed look, even July 14.
"Do you think I'm trustworthy?" July 14 said, offended. "No. So go and do it yourself, you stupid human..."
Frederick glared at him, ready to hit him, but they stopped when they heard Anser's Identifier beep.
Everyone stopped when Anser did it, watching him pull out the device.
Anser opened his eyes, surprised, and then turned to look at them.
"What's happening?" Gene asked, worried.
Anser remained still, as if he were incredulous at what he saw, and then squeezed the Identifier so hard that it ended up breaking in two.
"AAAH!" The device exploded in a small blast when it hit the ground, causing Liam and July 14 to hide behind Frederick.
They noticed Anser's angry, broken, and depressed look.
"They have captured Jeon…" He murmured.
"Jeon?" Gene and Liam repeated, confused.
"Jeon Kwonoo is Ji Noo's real name."
"Huh?" Gene blinked, surprised by the revelation.
But on the other hand, Liam remained silent.
That name...she seemed to have heard it before.
"…Uh."
Where?
Then Anser ran away.
"Wait! Idiot! You don't know anything about directions! You're going to get lost! Hey!" Frederick walked to the front, but Anser ignored him and simply kept running. "Ugh..."
"And he also broke his Identifier~" July 14 added.
Gene noticed Liam's silence, turning to look at her, and upon noticing a blank face...
"Liam?" she called her, and yet she didn't answer. "Liam!"
Frederick turned to look at them.
Liam had a blank, unfocused look, and yet she wasn't the only one.
Around him, some members of all the sects stood still, equally blank-eyed.
"What the hell?" Frederick murmured, looking around at the sudden sect members standing in his place.
Gene placed a hand on Liam's cheek, connecting her mana to Liam's soul, just as Randy had done before. And yet, she couldn't notice anything wrong with her.
"Huh?" July 14 looked out the window, and then, almost reflexively, he walked away from it.
At the same time, the wall was destroyed in a long cut.
Everything seemed to stop, Frederick, who was about to run to check on the others, was left suspended in the air.
"I thought you had been murdered, what a tragedy..." A female voice made him focus his gaze on the sky. Bluish hair, and dark skin with constellations drawn on it. "…I'm sorry, but we don't want our plan to be ruined just because...you're still alive."
It was Amina. The mage with Constellation magic.
"A-Amina?" July 14 smiled, trying to move, but his body moved too slowly. "What do you mean? I was waiting for you to come for me! Please, take me with you! Free me from this bond that Anser Ciro imposed on me!"
However, Amina wasn't smiling, as usual, but at the same time, she had no intention of helping him.
"No."
July 14 blinked, for the first time...with fear.
"Huh?"
Amina's hand rose, and tears streamed from her face.
"Constellation Magic: Return to the Universe."
A shooting star, so fast that July 14 barely had time to dodge it.
As soon as the star approached July 14's face, a shield appeared in front of him, deflecting the star back into the sky.
For the first time, Amina's eyes opened in surprise. The only magic capable of being immune to his magic...was magic related to his own, so why didn't that shield break?
However, when she saw Gene, Liam, and Frederick...she knew why.
"…" Anser was the only one immune to her spells. And if Anser lent them his essence to use mana... "…ANSER CIRO!" It meant that his members were also immune to it.
And soon, some ropes became entangled around Amina's body, restraining her. "Imitation Magic: Strings."
Gene had regained mobility.
"It seems you realized it too late…" Frederick said, creating a mana gun, and pointing it at Amina. "If you want to mess with one of us...you'll have to kill us all first."
Us? The word was strange to July 14, ever since he was created...Enver always told him that he would only be a weapon, a weapon that would be at his complete disposal.
Perhaps he was the only one who saw them as companions.
And perhaps now, he didn't know what it really meant to have companions.
"Do you think you can stand up to me?" Amina said, and then her body disappeared into small constellations. "Without Anser here, you are just...little ants."
Frederick snorted, helping July 14 to his feet. "Even small ants, can hurt you," And then, he got on one knee, and shot.
The bullet passed between the particles, and in doing so, made Amina's physical body reappear. "U-Ugh?!"
"July!" Gene pulled July's arm 14. "If you're not going to fight, take Liam with you, keep her safe!"
July 14 looked at her, confused for a moment, then saw her and Frederick walking through the air on threads, heading towards Amina, who was trying to remove the bullet from her body.
"M-Me…?" July 14 murmured, but upon seeing Frederick and Gene launch themselves against Amina, he knew that not even the two of them with Anser's mana would be able to defeat her. "She'll kill you! Don't be stupid! Run away!"
Amina looked at Frederick, who pointed his gun at her forehead. "G-Get out!" She slapped Frederick's arm, making it disappear, but at the same instant it reappeared, and he shot her.
"Imitation Magic: Moonlight!" On the other hand, Gene conjured a mana sword in his hand, then managed to cut Amina's body in half, causing her to fall to the ground.
July 14 looked at them, frustrated that they wouldn't listen, but at the same time...worried that they would die because of him.
"Gene!" Frederick grabbed Gene's arm, leading her back to the hallway they had come from, and then went with her. "Regain some mana..."
Then Frederick went to Liam, carrying her in his arms, and took a mana regeneration potion from his bag, giving it to Gene.
"Run away..." He murmured July 14, again, "Run! There's no way that could stop her!"
"We know…" Gene muttered, tossing the potion aside. "Run, I'll hold her off until another leader comes."
July 14 looked at her, confused, and then saw Frederick running. With no other option, he followed him.
Meanwhile, Gene frowned, determined to help her colleagues.
"You don't need to bother with her when your mana control is still weak; that would be suicide," A voice caught her attention, making her turn around; It was Renato, walking towards her. "If you want to help them, save your mana, I assure you that it will help us later."
Gene looked at him, then nodded, taking a step back.
"Do you remember Sherly's magic?" Renato asked.
Gene nodded shyly. "A bit..."
"If you are able to imitate him so that none of the paralyzed members are hurt, do it."
Gene blinked, confused. Of course she could...but if she did it with everyone...she would surely die from the effort.
"Do not be afraid," He said, "I will help you." Then, he extended his hand towards her, and a blue glow appeared, surrounding her. "With that, you can use all the mana you want."
Gene nodded, determined, now certain that nothing would happen to her. "Yes! Thank you so much!"
Renato smiled.
But Gene managed to catch a glimpse of Amina's figure slowly appearing behind Renato. "Renato!"
But there was no need to announce it.
He already knew it.
Before Amina could cast any spell, wings opened from Renato's back, spreading out, and then he lunged at her. Amina frowned, while Renato pulled her up to the sky with him.
"Constellation Magic: Aquarius Constellation!" She placed her hand on Renato's arm, reciting her spell, but Renato did not seem affected. "W-What?"
"Ancient magic cannot affect a ■■■ person."
Amina opened her eyes; she couldn't hear what he said.
"Magic of Eternal Life:…" It was then that Amina noticed that this Renato not only had the same name as the most wanted character in history, but that in fact, he was the real Renato. "…Life Cycle."
Amina's eyes darkened. "N-No!" But it was too late to try to convince him. In any case, Renato's eternal magic was the only magic that could change the world to his liking.
_
The shadows of the trees blinded his already tired eyes.
The coat that Anser had given him earlier was of little use in protecting him from the cold of the mountains.
He had run for hours, trying to find that entrance to the third world, however, it had disappeared.
Or maybe...he simply forgot where it was.
He stopped at a certain point when he got close to a giant, dry, leafless tree. Then he sat down on it, and wrapped himself in Anser's coat. "Damn…"
However, for some reason...he kept replaying everything that happened.
「"I'm sorry…"」
Anser's phrase echoed in his head so many times that it even blurred his vision. "Why are you apologizing?" And it didn't matter how hard he tried to think of a way to prove his innocence.
He had to accept that lately some of his important memories were beginning to disappear.
Even so, he was certain it was impossible for him to have murdered Mandeleine; after all, he'd been with Anser that entire time. Still, trying to convince someone as stubborn as Joakim…
It was a difficult task.
"Over here! I found him!" The voice in the distance made him turn around; he could tell from the uniform that it was a member of the Third Round Sect.
He quickly got up from where he was and ran out. But when he stepped on some dry leaves, he noticed something unusual about them…
And soon, he exploded.
They weren't ordinary leaves; it was simply a camouflage ability.
"Attention everyone: we have captured Ji Noo. Immediate withdrawal." A soldier reported, and then, accompanied by two others, went to where Ji Noo had fallen into the trap. And as the smoke cleared, they could see... "W-What?" There was a deep hole underground, so deep and dark that you couldn't see the bottom of it.
And apparently, he had come through that hole that Ji Noo fell through.
***
Human beings are not inherently evil, or so they say.
That same saying that they'd been telling me ever since I started studying philosophy in school...'think first, then exist,' but if I am incapable of thinking, does that mean I cannot exist?
My mother was not the luckiest woman who ever lived.
She was human too; she made a mistake choosing a man who was never home. At least she loved me. Right?
Every night she cried; I could see and feel her suffering no matter how much she tried to hide it with senseless shouts and scolding. Many times I thought that maybe she was having a bad day. But what if the origin of her 'bad days' was her failure to think and her having brought me into existence?
I always thought so. And even until the very last moment of my memory, I continued to believe it.
I am skeptical; some have called me cruel many times.
"Kwonoo…that was harsh."
However, I really don't know how to react when someone tells me about their problems, or even when someone is depressed.
After all, if they have problems that none of their family cares about, why should I? We're all going to die eventually; it's illogical to worry about something that will just disappear.
Or at least that's what I always believed. Before she arrived.
"Marie Bondwitch."
When she arrived one cold Monday morning and introduced herself in class, I noticed that she was a foreigner; her Korean was almost robotic, overly careful and formal.
"Witch? Pfft-"
So why did no one else seem to have noticed?
Everyone murmured and laughed in front of her.
And yet she continued to smile kindly.
She was odd, and for some reason, her optimism was also frightening. Although, perhaps she was simply naive.
But it was worse when we had to go to the library to do a school project. The university was so big, and because of her poor Korean, she always seemed to wander the halls like a ghost.
And yet, few were willing to help her.
"…" I judge them, even though I'm not doing anything to help her either. It's not because I can't; I know a little English after years of writing my novel.
But her problems are none of my business.
Or at least that's what I thought.
"…" I was on the bus, and without noticing among so many people, I felt someone bump into me from behind. And when I turned around, there she was; Marie.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She spoke, in her usual soft voice, and with that strange Korean accent that stood out so much in the crowd. However, just as she was about to grab hold, the bus suddenly stopped.
All the standing passengers almost fell over, including me.
I could hear that the driver had maneuvered after trying to avoid a person who apparently crossed before the proper time.
"Oh, my..." But my attention was completely drawn to Marie's voice, which sounded somewhat tired and, above all, worried. "…This always has to happen to me..."
She murmured, even in English, so that no one would know what she was saying, however, I was able to understand what she was saying.
And I think it was at that moment that I noticed that perhaps it was really difficult for her to adapt to this kind of life.
"…" And maybe, if no one really wanted to help her... I would have to make the sacrifice, wouldn't I? So, trying to use my best English with her, I said: "…Marie, you're in the same class as me, right?" It was the only thing I could think of at the time. But when I saw her turn around and her eyes light up when she heard me, I knew it was enough.
"Yes! I'm Marie! Wow, I didn't know you could speak English so well! Did you take any courses? Or go on an exchange program abroad? What's your English level?"
Many questions at the same time... "…" She spoke English really fast, I could barely register what she asked me.
"Ah…sorry…" She murmured, with a small bow, and while the driver checked that the bus had no malfunctions after the near crash, she seemed to relax a little. "It's just that since I arrived here, I haven't heard anyone speak English..."
Well, that was obvious; in a country where they speak their own language, they wouldn't casually speak another language.
"It's okay…" I murmured, then took out my phone. "Call me if you need help," I showed her my phone number, letting her save it in her phone. Of course, I knew she'd call me as soon as she got home; she'd be pretty lost anyway. "And if you need tutoring... I can accompany you to it and translate for you; my English isn't the best but…"
"Ah! You don't need to worry about that! I just think I'll need some help in my marketing classes..." Then, I finish copying the number, and I turn to look at myself. "What's your name?"
"Jeon Kwonoo."
Marie smiled at me, pleased that I had answered her, and then finished registering my contact.
"Thank you, Jeon!"
Jeon?
"You welcome…"
It had been many years since anyone called me 'Jeon'.
Not even my parents.
And this feeling in my chest, so sudden, could it be...? No, it can't be…
Who is Marie, and why does she make me feel this way?