I opened my eyes.
Huh?
[Sudden drop from potentially over 1,000 meters up.]
I plunged through a cloud and got completely soaked. That snapped me awake.
[I take that back, it looks like an even longer drop... How did you stay asleep for that long? It was almost as if—]
Could you please shut up? You're wearing me out...
I'm falling.
What am I even supposed to do right now?
For a moment, I'd had the drive to go look for my brother, but now my mind felt utterly drained. Not because of physical exhaustion, but because a part of me seemed to want to close itself off again, just like I did in my past life.
Maybe, if I just let go, I could finally be free of it all and never have to deal with the world again. That was what I had wanted for so long.
I'm sorry, Zenith. No, Mom. I wasn't strong enough to make it back to you... and I admit I overdid it with my training. I know you told me to rest, but I couldn't bring myself to back then. Now, in freefall like this, I guess that rest is finally coming.
I'm sorry, Father. I know you said I needed to be strong, that a warrior protects the weak. But I'm weak, too. This is just my way of protecting myself. Once that rest finally comes, everything will be over.
Lilia, who looked after me despite my hollow stare.
Norn and Aisha, so different, yet so inseparable that whenever I think of either of you, I can't help picturing both of you together. The first ones, besides Mom, who didn't see me as an empty shell, but as someone who could truly live.
Rudeus... Eris...
"What a pain... Even at a time like this, I don't want to die."
The words slipped past my lips, unintelligible to anyone else, but clear enough to me. The rushing air felt suffocating and the fall was overwhelming my senses, yet I still hadn't moved a finger to stop it.
[Daiki... I know you're struggling...]
Don't talk...
[But I'm not going to stay quiet just because you ask me to. If you fall, I go down with you... and I don't want to die, either. Got it?]
... So this is for your sake, then?
[And for yours, too. You can call me Ayam.]
What...?
Brother.
Dying.
Family.
Promises.
Delusions and sacrifices.
What was I supposed to be doing?
I snapped around in midair, and a vast green sea rushed into view.
I was dropping from an insane altitude. I had mana reinforcing my body, but between the sheer speed of the dive and the roaring wind, my clothes were already shredding.
The green sea resolved into a canopy of trees; ground impact was seconds away.
"... Huh?"
I made out a griffin attacking some kind of... people? I couldn't see clearly with the wind stinging my eyes.
That was when I saw it. The griffin flared its wings and climbed to intimidate them. I twisted in the air to shed some velocity and drew my sword.
Then, like a spear dropped from the heavens, I cast Shockwave to adjust my trajectory and slammed down. The impact hit with such violence that I could swear the creature's screech echoed across the entire forest.
The griffin crashed into the earth at breakneck speed.
"I damn near shattered my legs..." I panted, chest heaving.
I looked toward the group to see if my brother was with them, then scanned the ground around me in case he had fallen nearby, dreading the worst. Nothing. The group of strangers were actually elves, staring at me with expressions I couldn't easily pin down.
Fear? Awe? Gratitude?
I wrenched my sword free and slid it into its scabbard.
What was a griffin even doing here?
Heavy chains bound its neck and talons, meaning it wasn't a wild monster—someone had captured and trained it long ago.
Then I looked back at the group.
Three women, four men, and four children. What was an entire family doing out in this part of the woods?
"Is everyone all right? Hello? Um..." I scratched the back of my neck, and when I looked up, I noticed their eyes were shining.
"Young man..."
"Yes?"
"You saved my family. We are in your debt."
"It was just a coincidence. Why thank me?"
"Then it was a blessed coincidence, but it saved our lives. That is what matters, isn't it?"
I said nothing. My mind was still stuck on my brother and Eris.
"Ask for anything. If it is within our power, we will do it. If not, we will tell you. It is that simple."
"Well, I do have a question. Have you happened to see a boy my age with sandy-brown hair? He would probably be traveling with a red-haired girl..." A sliver of hope lingered as I waited for their reply.
Hitogami, the self-proclaimed Human-God, had sworn that my brother had landed on the Demon Continent and that a ship was waiting for me, but... I still had to turn over every stone here, just to be sure.
"No, I am sorry..."
It was the answer I had expected, but I had still held out hope.
"We haven't seen anyone like that, but the forest is vast."
The elves all bowed their heads.
"Right. Never mind, then," I took a deep breath. "Do you know where the nearest human settlement is? I need to track down leads on my brother, and towns are usually the best place to start."
The man nodded at once.
"We can take you to our home and get you some fresh clothes," he began—though he hardly needed to say it. Looking down, I realized my boots and shirt were hanging by threads. "...and food, and anything else you need."
---
Rudeus Greyrat
When I woke up, it was already dark. I could hear the snap and crackle of burning wood. Apparently, I had been sleeping next to a campfire, though I had no memory of building one—or going camping in the first place.
The last thing I did remember... was the sky abruptly shifting into unnatural colors, a wave of blinding white light swallowing us whole, and—
Daiki.
My brother had been standing right in front of us when it hit. That light swallowed him first before washing over Eris and me...
As I sat up, a dull ache shot through my back from lying directly on the hard dirt. All around me was a barren expanse of parched, cracked earth. As far as the eye could see, there was almost zero vegetation. Were there no bugs out here either? I couldn't hear a single thing except the crackling fire.
The silence was oppressive. It felt as though the slightest noise I made would be swallowed whole by the endless quiet of the night. I had never seen a place like this in my life; the Asura Kingdom was nothing but rolling green plains and dense forests. Did that wave of light cause this?
No, that wasn't it. According to the Human-God, I had been teleported. This had to be the Demon Continent. A completely unknown land. That light had somehow flung me... Wait.
What about Daiki?!
And Eris?!
Panic seized me. My brother. Where was he? He had been swallowed by that light first. Was he teleported to the same place? Or did he...?
My first instinct was to leap to my feet and search for them. But just as I started to move... I saw a girl sleeping on the ground beside me, one hand clutched tightly in my sleeve.
Her vivid red hair was unmistakable. It was Eris. Eris Boreas Greyrat. The tension left my shoulders a little. At least she was here, but...
Where was Daiki?
I looked around the campfire with mounting desperation, searching for him. Nothing. Just darkness and the dancing shadows cast by the flames. My heart raced.
"Daiki?!"
Suddenly, my eyes caught someone sitting on the far side of the fire—someone I hadn't noticed until now. I scrambled over with a surge of hope, praying it was my brother.
But it wasn't him.
It was a man.
"Where's my brother? There was another boy with us—black hair, red eyes. He was right there when the light hit. Did you see him? Is he here?!"
"Your brother? I only found the two of you after you fell from the sky. A human girl and you. There was no one else."
My world spun. Just the two of us? Then where was Daiki?
I tried to force myself to stay calm, even as dread gnawed at my stomach. Maybe he had landed somewhere else. Maybe he was in another corner of the Demon Continent right now, waiting for us just like I was looking for him.
Yet as the man explained our situation and what he had done for us, a cold knot in my chest refused to loosen. Daiki was strong, but sheer strength might not be enough in an alien world. And Eris... she was going to be crushed when she realized Daiki wasn't here.
My gut told me I could trust this Superd. That I should ask about my brother, start investigating, and maybe get this man's help to track him down.
I was so sick with worry that having a notorious Superd sitting right in front of me barely registered.
"I need to ask you a favor. My twin brother was with us. He has black hair, red eyes, roughly my build, just slightly taller... Is there any way we can track him down? Anyone else in the region who might have seen a boy like that?"
The Superd regarded me for a long moment. Something in his gaze suggested he understood the raw desperation in my voice.
"Rest tonight," he said slowly. "Tomorrow, when the sun rises, we will search the surrounding area. If your brother was with you, he should have landed nearby. And if he lives..." The man paused. "A Superd warrior never abandons those who seek help. We will search for your brother."
His words anchored me a little, though the ache in my chest wouldn't fade all night... and maybe not for the rest of our journey.
A short while later, Eris's eyes flew open.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!" Eris shrieked, thrashing like a terrified ghost. She scrambled backward, tried to get to her feet and run, but her legs buckled beneath her and she hit the dirt. "Nooooooooooo!"
"No! No, no, no! Please, please, no! Ghislaine! Ghislaine, help me! Ghislaine! Why aren't you coming?! Noooo! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Rudeus, I'm sorry I pushed you away! Aaah... ah... Waaaaaah!"
Wait... did I have this all wrong? Was running into a Superd really that terrifying?
I looked over at Ruijerd in bewilderment.
"That is the typical reaction," he said.
"So I'm the one who's behaving strangely?"
"Yes, you are acting quite strange. However..."
"However?"
"I cannot say it bothers me."
The man's face was the very picture of loneliness.
I stood up and walked over to my terrified student. Eris shrank away, trembling even harder as I approached.
"Come on, it's all right. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"*Hic*... Of course there is! T-That man is a Superd!"
"But what's so scary about him?"
"Y-You idiot! He's a Superd! They... they eat children! They eat them alive!"
"Mm. I don't think that's true."
I turned to Ruijerd to confirm, and he gave a prompt nod.
"No, we do not eat children."
"Eris, did you hear that?"
"B-But... they're demons! Demons!"
"Yes, you're right about that. Fortunately, he speaks the Human tongue very well."
At that, she began trembling all over again.
"N-Nice... to meet you, s-sir. My name is... E-Eris Bo-Bo-Boreas... Greyrat!"
Even in sheer panic, the girl somehow managed a formal introduction. It was almost hilarious, especially since she was still shooting daggers at him through her tears.
"Eris Boboboreas Greyrat, was it? It seems you humans have been adopting some rather peculiar names lately."
"No, no! It's Eris Boreas Greyrat! I just stammered a little, that's all! How about you introduce yourself now?!"
A heartbeat after screaming at him, the color drained from Eris's face. It looked like she had momentarily forgotten exactly who she was barking orders at.
"Of course. My apologies. My name is Ruijerd Superdia."
When Ruijerd replied calmly, an expression of relief swept across Eris's face, quickly giving way to a confident, smug grin. She seemed to have decided retroactively that she hadn't been scared in the slightest.
"See? He's not so bad. You can make friends with anyone as long as you can communicate with them."
"Yep! You're right, Rudeus! Seriously, Mother is such a liar!"
Then something clicked, and Eris's eyes snapped wide.
"Wait! What about Daiki? Where's Daiki?!" Her voice flipped on a dime, going from smug to panicked. "He was standing right in front of us when the light hit..."
"Ruijerd only found the two of us," I said slowly, watching her take in the words. "I don't know where my brother is..."
Eris's face drained of color, and this time it wasn't out of fear of the Superd, but genuine distress.
"W-What? He's not here? Where... where is he? Is he somewhere else? Is he okay? Is he..."
She didn't finish the sentence, but I knew what she was thinking.
"We'll look for him tomorrow," I assured her, even as doubts ate away at me. "Daiki is strong. He has to be somewhere around here."
Eris nodded, though I could clearly see her hands shaking. For the first time since waking up, her fear wasn't directed at the Superd before us, but at the unknown... and for my brother.
Ruijerd watched us in silence, his expression unreadable. Then he spoke, his steady voice completely at odds with his menacing appearance:
"We will search for your twin brother tomorrow at dawn. A Superd warrior does not abandon those he protects. If the boy was with you, we will find him."
His words should have brought me comfort, but the night only felt longer after that. My mind spun endlessly around a single question:
Where are you, brother?
---
Eris Boreas Greyrat
This couldn't be happening... Daiki, you swore you wouldn't leave my side. That you would always stay with me. But life had other plans, didn't it? Even so...
No. I'm not giving up that easily. I know this is just a test, and I'll beat it. My love is stronger than this wretched wasteland...
Ugh... there I go sounding like a cheesy romantic again. But I can't help it. What if he's fighting some hideous monster right now? What if... what if he's thinking about me?
Before I knew it, I was tangling my hands in my hair, pacing in circles like a lovesick fool.
No... I couldn't just stand here. Not while he was out there somewhere, all by himself.
What was he doing?
Was he safe?
Was he... smiling?
A sudden heat rushed straight to my face.
"Tsk... how annoying..." I muttered, gritting my teeth.
"Did something happen, Eris?" Rudeus asked.
"Nothing's wrong..."
I lied. Because something was happening. Everything was.
I miss you, Daiki...