"....."
The silence between Seth and Kyle stood in sharp contrast to the chaos around them. And yet, the tension between the two far outstripped anything that was around them.
BANG!
An explosion resounded.
It shattered the nearby surroundings as the Jester's power grew increasingly stronger.
"He... HAHe!"
With every second that passed, the Jester's power would evolve in some twisted and terrifying way. Slowly but surely, even the Paragons were starting to feel a sense of crisis.
"Hurry!" one of the Paragons shouted, urgency ringing through their voice as they rushed toward the Jester. "Faster...! Get rid of him faster! Its laugh is changing!! We need to hurry! "
The Paragon's voice was followed by several other voices.
"Hold it back! Anything! Silence it!"
"T-that's...!"
Every scene. Every moment. Every angle.
It was all recorded and broadcast to the entire world, every single person holding their breath as their attention remained fixed on the fight between the Paragons and the Jester.
Could they win?
Were they enough to defeat the Jester?
BANG!
Another explosion resounded, the anomalies under the Jester's control attacking from unexpected angles, and forcing several Paragons to shift their attention away from the Jester.
"Damn it!"
One of the Paragons swore under their breath, a burst of bright light flaring around their body as they barely managed to block the sudden attack. In the next instant, they retaliated, tearing the anomaly apart piece by piece.
But the moment one fell, two more took its place.
"Damn it! Damn it—!!"
The situation was growing more and more chaotic.
By now, everyone had lost control of the situation. Anomalies poured in from every direction, crawling up from beneath the ground and tearing their way out of the space around them. Coupled with the laughter echoing through the air, it pushed many to the brink, their movements growing desperate as the pressure continued to mount.
All those spectating stood at the edge of their seats, many forgetting to breathe as the situation grew more and more despairing.
But what nobody paid attention to was the silent figure that was making its way towards the two individuals standing behind the Jester.
Swooosh!
The world didn't know, but the Paragons knew. They were aware of the importance of the two figures, or more specifically...
Seth.
CLANK!
'Just a little more...'
As Paragons fought, they kept looking in Sylas's direction.
They hoped.
Prayed that he'd make it.
*
Swoosh—!
Dark tendrils clung to Sylas's body as his nodes churned.
[Shadow Walk]
[Sound Distortion]
[Body Lightening]
Ranked within the Top 20 of the Sentinel Decree, Sylas was the perfect person for any type of mission that involved stealth and assassination.
Staring down the Jester, he moved faster.
'It still hasn't discovered me. I don't think it will even if I get near it. I should be safe for now.'
There weren't many things he could claim absolute confidence in. But when it came to his stealth, he had no doubts. He was certain that unless they were already within close range, not even the Jester would notice him.
That certainty was what allowed him to move forward without hesitation. It was why he believed he could see this through.
'All I have to do is kill one person. I'm sure I can do it.'
Lifting his head, he fixed his gaze on his target.
Seth.
'From the information that I've gotten, he should just be a regular person with no powers. However, is that really the case...?'
Sylas's eyes narrowed as he stared at Seth's exposed back.
By now, he was almost certain that his target had something to do with the Jester. He wasn't the only one, but most of the higher-ranked Paragons thought the same. Although they weren't absolutely certain, so what if they weren't?
The worst that could happen would be his death.
This was a risk they were willing to take in order to resolve the situation.
'...Okay, I'm almost there.'
Sylas drew nearer and nearer to Seth, his movements practically soundless.
The closer he drew, the clearer Seth's outline became.
He was standing opposite another person whom Sylas wasn't very familiar with. However, it looked like the two were conversing. The surroundings were too chaotic for him to hear what was being said, but this was perfect.
'If he's distracted, it makes things a lot easier for me...'
But there was something else that caught his attention. Not far from the two, Sylas spotted two more figures.
Hm?
His movements came to a short pause as he stared at them.
Although he wasn't quite familiar with one of them, he was familiar with the other one. He had seen her in the annual rankings. And as if sensing his gaze, her head turned to face his direction.
"....?"
For a moment, Sylas didn't know how to react.
He was stunned.
'She... detected me? No, that's not quite right.'
Looking at her, Sylas realized that while she didn't detect him, she did sense something. The realization caught him off guard. Given how refined his stealth was, that shouldn't have been possible.
'What terrifying perception.'
His surprise lasted only a second before he deliberately eased his stealth, allowing his presence to surface. In that instant, Clara finally noticed him.
Before she could react, Sylas raised a finger to his lips and subtly shifted his gaze toward Zoey, making his intentions clear.
'Stay put. Do not interfere.'
This was all he did before deepening his concealment and once again moving towards Seth. From that point forward, he no longer paid the two any attention.
Five meters.
Three.
One.
Seth's back was now to Sylas, his sharp dagger gleaming in the darkness as he prepared to ambush and take Seth out in a single, decisive strike.
Even though he was very close, he could just barely make out their conversation.
"Rat."
"Failed... Given up."
"...Real body."
"Do for now."
Sylas closed his eyes and drowned out all the noise. He didn't even pay attention to Kyle. Right now, he couldn't care less about what they were saying.l
He had a job to accomplish.
'...I'm ready.'
Sylas drew in a slow breath. His muscles locked tight, coiled like drawn wire as energy surged through him, his nodes accelerating, roaring beneath his skin. The air itself seemed to tense.
And then—!
His eyelids flew open, and all the tension coiled within his body snapped at once. The release was so sudden and violent, it felt like a gunshot had gone off inside him.
'Now!!'
BANG!
Everything was perfect.
The target was locked. The Jester's attention was away from him. His condition was great.
Everything was great.
In that instant, he appeared before Seth and brought the blade down in a single, fluid motion. The strike was flawless, and he felt the unmistakable resistance as the blade cut through flesh and drew blood.
SPURT!
Blood sprayed in all directions.
Success!
He had succeeded!
He had...
"Huh...?"
All it took was one blink.
By the time he blinked once, he...
Found himself standing still. Right where he had been a moment prior. But as opposed to before, he felt something else.
Something more terrifying.
And when he slowly turned his head, he saw it.
".....!!"
The Jester's gaze.
"H-aaa..."
Sylas's breath left his body, his mind processing the situation.
'It... makes no sense.'
How come nothing had happened? He had clearly felt the knife stab into Seth's flesh, and yet...
"Kh—!"
By now, Sylas was fully out of his stealth. His presence was completely exposed, every part of him laid bare as the Jester's gaze locked onto him and refused to let go.
That one moment seemed to last for a lifetime as his gaze wandered around the Jester.
Sylas felt the weight of countless stares settle on him. From the Jester's unblinking gaze to the Paragons around them, mouths parting as if the world had slowed, every one of them seizing that moment to move, turning their attention toward the Jester and preparing to strike.
BANG!
A thunderous explosion rang out as an attack struck the Jester head-on, spiderweb cracks spreading across its mask. Before the shock could settle, another blow followed, then another, each impact deepening the fractures as more cracks crawled outward, carving into its expression bit by bit.
BANG! BANG—!
The sounds thundered across the surroundings as the Jester remained standing, its gaze still, as numerous anomalies crawled from all directions to attack the Paragons.
While the Jester was still standing, it was obvious that it was slowly starting to lose.
It was the sudden turn of events that snapped Sylas out of his daze, especially when he took note of the other Paragons starting to overwhelm the Jester.
'Fuck, I can't get distracted!'
Sylas clenched his teeth until his jaw creaked under the strain.
'No, I have to go...!'
Sylas tightened his grip over the dagger, his nodes churning even harder as he stepped forward and released all the built-up tension within his body. He wanted to finish it before Seth could even have the chance to react. Even if Seth was aware of his presence, he was still confident in his skills.
Knowing the potential connection Seth had with the Jester, Sylas didn't want to take any risk.
It had to be done quickly!
But... things never panned out the way that he wanted them to.
SPURT—!
"....!!"
A sudden spurting sound rang out, followed immediately by blood splattering across the ground.
It was just simple blood, and yet, the moment it stained the ground, it was as if something within the atmosphere shattered.
The Jester, which had been looking at him a moment prior, altered its gaze, turning it towards the source of the blood, the cracks on its mask growing even wider. The Paragons' attacks grew even more relentless.
"Keep attacking!"
"We're almost there...!!"
Everyone could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
They could see and feel the eventual fall of the Jester. They had to push just a little bit more!
BANG! BANG—
But even amidst the numerous attacks, the Jester's gaze never faltered. It remained fixed in the same spot.
Towards the two figures standing opposite one another.
...And it was that unsettling calmness that drew a tension over the surroundings, unlike anything that had been there before.
One... that made Sylas freeze.
"Not good."
-x-X-x-
A few moments prior.
The smile on Kyle's face was gone, replaced by sheer terror as he looked at Seth. To anyone watching, it seemed genuine. Convincing, even.
But the tone that followed told a different story.
Light.
Almost... playful.
One only needed to hear it to understand what his real expression truly was.
"I say this out of goodwill, but you should be careful of your back. There's a rat that is trying to make its way towards you. I'm... not so sure you'll be able to handle it. That rat is quite strong."
He nudged towards the back of Seth.
What he meant, only they knew.
"...It shouldn't be long now."
Dantalion spoke once more, leisurely turning his wrist to check his watch.
"Yes, not long."
He clenched his hand, then loosened it, before slowly lifting his head to look at Seth. For a brief second, he said nothing. Then the corner of his lips curled upward as he turned his gaze away, toward the distant Jester.
Seth didn't move, his eyes never leaving Kyle.
And when Kyle finally spoke, the voice that came from his mouth was no longer the same as before.
"I'm sure you're not happy about the current circumstances, right? You've failed your goal, and your 'host' has given up on his body. It must be a terrible feeling..."
It was raspier...
"There's no way for him to ever turn back into a human, and while he might be able to withstand the current onslaught of attacks, you know very well that it won't be long until he dies. In such a situation, what are you going to do...?"
Kyle blinked repeatedly, each blink quicker than the last.
With every flutter of his eyelids, his expression shifted in subtle, unsettling ways. A small mouth briefly split open along the side of his cheek, only to fade moments later, replaced by a single eye that lingered for an instant before vanishing as well.
"Oops."
Covering his cheek, Kyle looked at Seth.
"It seems there's less time than I expected. This body isn't exactly ideal. At least, not compared to the one that I had chosen, but... I guess it'll do for now. There's plenty of time to create a new on—!"
Twitch!
Kyle's face twitched violently. Flesh shifted with a sickening ripple as another mouth tore open at the top of his forehead, followed by a pair of eyes forcing their way out along the side of his left cheek.
The sight was enough to freeze the blood. It looked as though countless souls were trapped beneath his skin, writhing and pressing outward, desperate to escape.
Holding onto his face, Kyle cracked a smile as he looked at Seth.
"...It really does look like you're running out of time, Mr. System. So...? What are you going to do? You don't have many options."
Twitch!
Lips slowly formed at the top of Kyle's forehead. They were faint, barely defined, but Seth could see them clearly enough.
They were pulled into a smile.
Almost as if it were mocking him.
No... it was mocking him.
There wasn't much time left before Dantalion fully took over Kyle's body. Once the demon succeeded, there would be no way to stop it. The only reason it hadn't done anything until now was that it couldn't.
The demon needed a proper vessel in order to fully exhibit its powers.
To make matters worse, if 'Seth' made a move against Kyle now, the Jester would almost certainly respond. No matter how 'Seth' played it, he'd be put at a disadvantage.
"Wouldn't it be better if you joined me?"
Twitch! Twitch!
Kyle's face twitched again, more features forcing their way out along the side of his skin.
The sight was deeply unsettling, and yet, nobody seemed to notice such changes. It was almost as if Seth was the only one capable of seeing and hearing the truth behind the mask he wore.
But amidst the changes, one thing remained the same.
That smile.
Kyle... or to be more precise, Dantalion never stopped smiling.
At least, that was until Seth moved.
".....?"
It all happened in an instant.
Swoosh—!
So fast and unexpected that not even Dantalion was able to register it.
SPURT!
"....."
"....."
By the time realization set in, all he could do was slowly lower his head. Blood streamed down his abdomen, a long knife buried deep into his body.
The smile that had lingered on his lips vanished at once.
In its place was something far rarer.
Surprise.
"You...?"
Seth's gaze remained unmoved as his grip over the knife tightened, and he began to slowly twist the knife.
"——!"
There was an immediate reaction.
Despite this not being its body, it could still feel pain.
That was also the moment when the two felt changes coming from the surroundings.
"Kyle!!!"
A scream ripped through the surroundings, followed by several shadows as they headed in Seth's direction. However, Seth remained completely indifferent to the changes around him as time slowed down for the two of them.
"Why can't I...?"
Dantalion's voice whispered a moment later.
Though he was surprised, he seemed more curious than surprised. Perhaps this was the reason why he had slowed time down using Kyle's node, but looking closely, it became obvious that he was massively overdrawing that very same node.
Cra Crack—
He could already hear faint cracking sounds beginning to form. If this continued, it wouldn't be long before Kyle's node gave out entirely.
"Why can't I... use my powers? Why... can't I transfer away?"
Dantalion's voice whispered in the air.
"What have you do—"
"Are you done speaking?"
"....?"
"It was never about stopping you," Seth replied, his gaze drifting briefly over their surroundings. "The real issue was finding you. And there's something else you miscalculated as well."
Seth looked at Kyle up and down, his expression calm.
"...I have no attachment to the body you've taken. You should already understand by now that I am not human. I do not possess emotions. To me, the sacrifice of a human life in order to erase a demon is simply an acceptable exchange."
Seth's grip on the knife tightened. Blood spilled more freely onto the ground, pooling beneath them as Kyle's face drained of color. His expression warped further with each passing second, caught somewhere between pain, surprise, and something far more unnatural.
"Y-you..."
But regardless of what face he showed, Seth remained indifferent.
"Stop struggling. You've already wasted enough of my time."
Drip! Drip...!
Blood continued to pour as Kyle reached for the knife embedded in his abdomen with both hands, his twisted expression slowly softening as he gripped the hand still latched onto the blade.
But no matter how much strength he put into it, Seth didn't move.
If anything, the blade sank deeper.
"——!!"
Dantalion's expression faltered, the color draining from his face as his resistance weakened. His eyes widened, breath hitching as the pressure mounted.
For a brief moment, it almost looked like he was going to give in.
Like he was going to break.
But only for a moment.
"Just kidding~"
A playful smile spread across his face the very next second, the pallor on his face fading completely as he completely let go of Seth's hand.
At the same time, time snapped back to its normal pace. A shadow passed over the two of them, and somewhere above, the soft jingling of bells echoed through the air.
Jingle~!
Seth didn't need to look to understand what was happening, but instead of showing a reaction, he continued to pull the dagger deeper and deeper into Kyle's body.
"You do anything, and I'll kill him."
The words were enough to stop the shadow behind him, the sudden pause marked by the faint echo of jingling bells ringing out from the darkness.
Jingle~ Jingle~
In the meantime, Seth maintained his focus on Kyle as his brows furrowed slightly.
He could feel it.
The stares. The numerous stares that were directed at him. From the distant Paragons to Sylas, Zoey, Clara, and the numerous drones in the air.
He could feel them all.
And so did Kyle.
"Kh——!!"
Kyle's expression twisted with pain, and as he slowly raised his head, the smile was gone, replaced by a sad and pained expression.
"S-seth..."
His voice cracked, his face turning paler. But this time, he didn't look at Seth. He looked elsewhere.
Towards the shadow standing behind Seth.
Towards... the Jester.
"I-I'm dying."
(H-help me.)
Jingle~ Jingle~
A powerful breeze carried through the next second, causing the bells on the Jester's head to jingle once more, even as its expression remained fixed on Kyle. In that very moment, its mask began to twitch.
It was faltering.
The demon could feel it.
"I... d-don't know what... the t-wo of you are planning, but... I... I will.. try my best to stop... the two of you...! I.. know you two are... in it together. You are the ones.. responsible for all of this! You are—!!"
(S-seth... help me. It's... me, Kyle. I... please, help me. I... d-don't want to die like this. I d-don't know what is going on, but please... help me. I know you're in there. P-please help me—!!!)
Swooosh!
Kyle's plea was cut short as the Jester lunged forward without warning!
BANG!
Long, clawed fingers slammed into his cheeks, gripping his face with terrifying force. The pressure was absolute, crushing, silencing him instantly.
Kyle's face changed almost immediately, and even the indifferent 'Seth' had a change in expression as the sudden turn of events took him completely off-guard. But before he even had the chance to properly react, something unexpected occurred.
Under the watch of everyone present, a sharp cracking sound echoed from the Jester's grip.
Cra Crack! Cra Crack!
The sounds multiplied, sharp cracks piling atop one another, all coming from the same place.
Kyle's body began to convulse violently under the Jester's grip, jerking in unnatural spasms as if something inside him was being forced apart.
The sight was enough to make several faces go pale, expressions twisting as the realization of what they were witnessing slowly sank in.
Zoey's face in particular paled as she stared at the scene in front of her in horror.
"Kyle!!!"
But before she could even move or react, a figure appeared behind her, holding her back.
"No, stay back."
"What do you mean, stay back!? Kyle! K-Kyle...!"
CRACK!
A loud cracking sound rang out without warning, sharp enough to make her freeze in place.
Then—
Thump!
A heavy impact followed as a body collapsed to the ground.
-x-X-x-
The air went still.
No breath followed, all eyes lowering to stare at the body on the ground.
"A-ah..."
Zoey froze completely, her lips trembling as she opened and closed her mouth. Clara was no different. Staring at Kyle's body on the floor, her mouth parted slightly. Even the Paragons in the distance reacted the same way.
But the most shocked of them all was someone different.
It was... Seth.
Staring at Kyle's limp body, Seth blinked his eyes slowly, unable to understand the situation.
'What... just happened? He shattered his node? This is no different than killing him... But why would he kill him? Weren't they on the same side? Did he lose all reasoning? Was this why he did this? Did he turn completely useless?'
Questions crowded the doppelgänger's thoughts as it stared at Kyle's lifeless body. Even now, watching Kyle lie there, the doppelgänger couldn't make sense of it. This outcome, this entire situation, had unfolded in a way it had never foreseen.
No...
From the very beginning, everything had slipped beyond its ability to predict or control. In the moment when it felt as though it had finally managed to take control of the situation, something would occur that would shatter that sense of control and predictability it sought.
And it didn't like that feeling at all.
But above all else, as the doppelgänger stared at Kyle's body, it felt the changes rippling through the body. Kyle's shattered nodes churned faster and faster, pushing beyond what was normally possible, and soon enough, his body started to follow along as it started to spasm uncontrollably on the floor.
He was in the process of turning.
"Kyle!! Kyle!"
The brief silence was shattered by Zoey's scream as the Paragons had already made their way towards the Jester.
"Kyl—"
"Stop, don't do anything rash!"
Zoey's words were cut short as she was restrained, her voice lost in the chaos.
"Go!"
"Attack now!"
Everything appeared to move in slow motion in that moment.
Cra Crack!
By now, the cracks across its mask were more noticeable than ever.
Its presence was far weaker than it had been at the start. Any second now... everyone could feel it, hearts racing.
Ba... thump!
It was only a matter of moments before the Jester crumbled.
They just had to hold on.
*
'He must've lost his mind. I don't see any other explanation.'
The doppelgänger's expression settled back into its usual indifference. With the initial shock gone, his thoughts cleared. Even as he sensed the numerous figures rushing toward him, he showed little reaction.
Even if this body were to crumble, it wouldn't simply die.
He was no mortal.
His only goal in coming was to 'fix' the situation. To make sure the scenario proceeded the way that it had planned on going.
But it became clear to the doppelgänger that there was no saving the situation. The 'host' had given away his body for power and was now on the verge of death. There was no saving the situation.
The 'host' had already lost all sense of reason.
There was nothing left to salvage, no matter what it tried to do.
And so, when it turned its attention back toward the Jester, the doppelgänger expected to end things, but the moment it turned around, it froze at the sight that greeted it.
"....."
It had anticipated the vacant, doll-like stare of an anomaly. Instead... Something else met its gaze. Something wholly unexpected, and utterly out of place.
The doppelgänger saw... a pair of clear eyes.
Eyes that seemed to be completely aware of what was going on.
The sight made the doppelganger blink once more.
He's aware...?
But then...
Swooosh!
The doppelganger's thoughts shattered as the Jester suddenly moved, its hand reaching toward it. The doppelgänger reacted on instinct alone, gripping the same knife he had used on Kyle and driving it forward, stabbing straight toward the Jester without hesitation.
It was a self-sacrificing move. One where he traded off his own safety to deal a blow.
Although the Jester was much stronger than it was in such a state, its current body was on the verge of destruction.
Having sustained numerous injuries from the Paragons, it could barely move its body. Even a regular person could kill it at this moment.
The doppelgänger half-expected the Jester to stop, but contrary to its expectations...
SPURT!
The knife reached as it stabbed at the Jester's abdomen, black blood spilling out of its body.
Almost as if it wanted it to happen.
".....?!"
The doppelgänger's eyes widened for a brief instant before it forced the blade in deeper, driving it into the Jester's body without hesitation. He didn't fully understand what he was trying to accomplish, nor what the outcome would be, but its resolve had already been set long ago.
It was going to get rid of the Jester!
For it... had already turned useless.
"——!"
But at the same moment he drove the blade forward, the Jester's hand shot out toward the doppelgänger.
Despite its terrible state, the hand moved faster than expected.
Swooosh!
It swallowed the doppelgänger's vision completely, fingers closing in until everything went black.
As its hand reached the doppelgänger, a faint, hoarse voice echoed through the darkness...
"You're... the exact copy of me."
The doppelgänger froze, its mind processing the words.
"The same as me just before turning. Everything is the same."
The words thundered into the doppelgänger's mind, its body freezing as the words repeated in its mind.
.
.
.
Exact copy?
Same before turning?
Everything is the same?
.
.
.
Within the darkness, the doppelgänger's eyes slowly started to widen as a certain thought crossed its mind. But by the time it understood what was happening, it was already too late.
"Perfect."
The voice whispered into the doppelgänger's mind once more. Unlike before, however, there was something different about the tone of the voice. It had a certain element of amusement in it, and as the realization finally settled in, and all the pieces fell into place, the doppelgänger could only mutter to itself, '...I've been used.'
The realization came too late.
From the very start, the Jester, or to be more precise, Seth, had never lost control. It had only pretended to do so.
Perhaps... the entire scenario, the chaos, and the outcome had all been exactly what he was aiming for from the very beginning.
Thinking about it, the usually indifferent doppelgänger felt secret shudders run down its body.
Even so, it was all already over. There was no time to be shocked.
It had fallen for his ploys.
"Our dealings end here."
Seth's voice whispered into the doppelgänger's mind. This time, his voice was a lot clearer than it had been before.
"I hope in your last moments, you remember something..."
The Jester's hand squeezed tighter onto the doppelgänger's head, rendering its entire body immobile as a strange glow manifested over the Jester's body.
"...I detest when people try to use me."
The grip tightened, Seth's voice growing hoarse.
"The only one that can ever hope to use me is myself. Let this be a warning. There won't be a next time."
Swooooosh!
These were the last words the doppelgänger heard before its world turned black.
-x-X-x-
It all felt like a fever dream.
One that seemed to be both a nightmare and a long dream.
I couldn't remember much.
Fighting...?
Yes, I remembered fighting.
I also remembered setting up a gate to hold back the demon while perfectly assimilating with my newfound body and power.
I also remembered holding so much power that it felt as though the entire world rested in the palm of my hand.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of different abilities at the palm of my hands.
Fear, unlike anything I'd ever seen before.
Awe.
Worship.
Power...
I felt it all.
And for a moment, I almost lost myself to the sensation.
For just a moment... I thought about letting the power consume me. But I quickly discarded such thoughts.
There was more to it than this power.
I had surrendered myself to it in order to accomplish one goal.
'Yes, I can't let this power take over. I can't...'
There was more that I needed to accomplish. This wasn't where I wanted to die. I had done so much in order to avoid death.
Why would I turn into a mindless anomaly if I didn't want to die?
Even if I did survive, it would defeat the entire purpose of living.
I wanted to live.
Not just in body, but in mind as well.
I didn't want to die.
And in order to live... I had done what I did.
Blink!
As my eyes opened, a large shadow loomed over me. Something brushed against my face, light but unsettling, and the first thing I noticed was the smell. Smoke hung thick in the air, mixed with a faint, dry warmth that clung to my skin.
Sensations I hadn't felt in a long time crept back in as I weakly lifted my hand. My fingers brushed against whatever was clinging to my face, and with slow, unsteady movements, I pushed it away.
It didn't resist my movement.
...It was almost as if it didn't have the power to resist my movement as I continued to pull the hand back, slowly revealing a white, ceramic mask.
But the mask was different than in the past.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the mask, spreading in all directions.
Cra Crack!
More of it came into view as I looked closer, and soon, my gaze drifted upward until I met its eyes.
I stared straight into them. The dark eyes behind the mask looked empty, distant, as the mask continued to watch me in silence.
Jingle~
Even as the bells jingled under the soft breeze, the Jester didn't react.
It probably wouldn't react even if it wanteed too.
Lowering my gaze, I noticed an all too familiar blade lying on the ground. I silently smiled to myself as I reached out slowly, my fingers brushing along the cold blade as I traced its edge.
I raised my head to stare at the figure standing before me.
In that moment, the world appeared to be entirely quiet. I could see and feel the eyes of many fixed on me. Nobody was moving. Perhaps they had all realized that it was over, and the effects of the demon's powers had disappeared; they all stopped.
I paid no mind to it as I continued to keep my attention on the Jester.
Eventually, however, I brought the blade forward.
Towards the neck.
SPURT!
One clean movement.
Thud!
The jester's head fell a moment later, followed by its body.
A notification rang in my ears a moment later, the knife in my hand trembling slightly. I ignored it. Using what little strength I had left, I willed the Realmwaker to store the blade away, only then lifting my head.
Seeing the drones in the air and the numerous eyes, I could only close my eyes and raise both hands.
"...I'm done."
The words started a chain reaction.
Thud!
It started with one anomaly.
But soon, the numerous anomalies that were standing still and had been controlled by the 'Jester' all started to fall one by one.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sight caught many off guard, but this was just the start.
"Look!"
"....!!!"
"Wait... they're turning back!"
The anomalies that had been attacking everyone just moments ago now lay scattered across the ground, their twisted bodies slowly reverting to what they had once been. And as if one looked closer, they'd notice their chests rising and falling.
This only meant one thing...
"They're still alive!"
It was a sight that made many pause.
But not long after, every gaze turned in my direction once more.
That was also the moment when I knew that I couldn't escape. But I didn't need to escape.
I saw no need to escape.
And thus...
Looking back at the numerous stares directed my way, I raised both hands.
"...Do as you wish."
***
The aftermath of the fight was brutal.
It had all happened far too fast. Even as Seth was detained and dragged away, nobody truly knew how to react. Nobody even understood what had happened. The reporters, the members who had taken part in the raid, even the Paragons themselves, no one fully understood what they had just witnessed.
"It's... over? Just like that?"
"Is it really over?"
"I..."
Shock and confusion hung heavy in the air, tangled with a deep sense of disbelief, and an unsteady relief that no one dared to voice aloud.
For many, this had been an event unlike anything they had ever experienced in their lives. The mere thought of the Jester, and everything that had come with it, was enough to make them shudder, unease crawling down their spines at the memory alone.
Yet amid that unease, one image refused to fade.
The image of the boy standing before the Jester.
The boy who had... killed the Jester.
"Just who in the world was he?"
"Which side was he on?"
"I... I don't understand. What even happened? How did that boy kill something like that? It doesn't make any sense."
"Worry about that later! Help me escort the injured!"
No one knew who had said it, but the moment someone pointed out the victims who had reverted to their human forms, the crowd surged into motion. People rushed forward all at once, scrambling to provide whatever first aid they could.
"Over here!"
"Here too—!"
"I need help! They're still breathing, but barely! Hurry!"
With the BUA handling the individual responsible for killing the Jester, attention shifted at last to the wounded. Menders appeared in droves, weaving through the chaos as they did everything they could to stabilize those who had been transformed back into human form.
But amid the noise and frantic movement, a small group broke away, rushing toward a single figure lying motionless on the ground.
"Kyle!"
Zoey was the first to reach him, her breath heavy as she dropped to her knees beside him. Clara and several others followed seconds later, their faces pale, eyes wide with dread.
"Kyle, Kyle, Kyle..."
Everyone present remembered the final moments all too clearly.
They had all heard the sharp crack echo through the air when the Jester's hand closed around Kyle's face.
They had all seen him collapse, his body going limp as he hit the ground.
That memory weighed heavily on them now, dark thoughts settling in as they stared at his pale and frozen body. Zoey pressed her trembling fingers to his neck, desperately searching for any sign of life.
Seconds passed.
Then more.
Her expression stiffened. Her lips began to shake.
"I..."
She swallowed hard, her head tilting to face the others.
"I c-can't..."
Her voice turned hoarse.
"I can't... feel a pulse."
-x-X-x-
Tzzz—! Tzzz—!
A faint, whispering static murmured through my mind, subtle yet insistent, like an old, worn-down TV.
Accompanying the static were certain voices.
'...What do you make of the situation?'
'I don't know. He's still unconscious for now. His condition isn't very great.'
'But are you certain he had nothing to do with the situation?'
'I don't know. I really don't know... The entire situation is fucked up in more ways than you can imagine. Nobody can really tell what the hell is going on. Just let the Bureau sort out the situation. We're just here to escort him there.'
'Alright.'
They whispered in and out of my consciousness.
I could hear the words, but I couldn't quite make sense of them. They simply went from one ear to another.
Despite this, I was keenly aware of my surroundings.
From the subtle roar of the engine to the bumps that it would take from time to time. I was currently being brought away somewhere. Most likely by those from the Bureau to question me.
Despite being fairly sure of this, it was all a guess.
After all, I couldn't see a single thing.
I wasn't quite in control of my body. My vision was dark, and I could tell that my body was not in the greatest of condition.
I—
DING—!
A familiar notification sounded within the darkness.
Hm?
What followed was a series of notifications.
[Escape!]
[Quest Completed]
[Calculating Rewards...]
Catching sight of them, I felt the darkness recede. But only for a short moment as a series of new notifications appeared.
[Calculation was met with unexpected variables. Re-evaluation Quest completion.]
[Quest requirement... Escape! Avoid the body getting taken over by Demon Dantalion.]
[Task complet—]
[Error!]
[Quest requirement... Escape! Avoid the body getting taken over by Demon Dantalion.]
[Recalculating!]
[Task complet—]
[Error!]
[Quest requirement... Escape! Avoid the body getting taken over by Demon Dantalion.]
[Recalculating!]
[Task complet—]
[Error!]
[Error!]
[Error!]
[Error!]
[Error!]
The notifications were endless.
The moment one notification arrived, a series of new notifications arrived. They were relentless, growing faster and faster with each subsequent notification.
'What's...?'
I stared at the numerous notifications in confusion, but at the same time, I wasn't surprised by what was happening. Thinking about what I had done, I could see why there were so many error messages.
The way that I had completed the mission...
It wasn't quite what the system wanted me to do.
[Error!]
[Error!]
But staring at the numerous error messages, I started to wonder if there was going to be an end to this. After hesitating for a moment, I tried to move towards the notifications, but the moment I attempted to do so, the notifications came to an abrupt stop.
DING!
A loud chime followed shortly after.
And soon, a new notification appeared. One that was different from the [Error] messages from before.
[Why?]
This time, the system was communicating with me directly.
'.....'
Staring at the notification floating before my eyes, I basked in the silence around me. The silence felt nice after all the chaos that had just occurred. At least, that was until a new notification disrupted that very silence.
[...Why?]
Yet again, the same notification.
Knowing that this would repeat over and over again, I decided to speak.
"For a system that has been with me for quite some time, I'm surprised that you don't know the answer. I thought I had made it clear from the start."
No, not just the start...
"Even towards the end. I'm sure I told you the reason."
I simply didn't want to be used.
I didn't like the feeling of getting used. I didn't like going along with the whims of someone or something that I didn't know, like some sort of puppet. It was for this reason that I did things my way.
...And thankfully, it all worked out.
"Still, I've got to thank you. At the end of the day, it's still because of you that I managed to succeed."
I had long been aware of the 'doppelgänger' that the system used on certain occasions. Of course, this wasn't surprising. The 'doppelgänger' never tried to hide its existence from me, nor anyone else within the Guild.
That was also how I was certain that it wasn't an anomaly.
Had the 'doppelgänger' been an anomaly, it would've been found out regardless of how good its disguise was. In that sense, I was certain that it really couldn't be a proper anomaly.
In that case...?
A copy.
The doppelgänger was an exact copy of me.
A copy of me belonging to a certain 'time'.
"There is, after all, no reassurance quite as nice as knowing a flawless duplicate of my own body stands ready at my beck and call, ready for me to take over once my previous body deteriorates beyond any hope of repair. It... made matters considerably easier for me, you see?"
It was also the main reason why I went all out. Why I held no regard for what I did. Why I chose to let cognitive shard take over.
Because I knew that, regardless of what I did, there was a perfect copy of me that I could take over.
The system wanted me to run... Figure things out until later for a new quest.
But I didn't want to run. I wanted to go to a point beyond that.
I... wanted to eliminate the demon while I had the chance!
"Knowing full well that the demon would come back to bite me later down the road, I chose to end things quickly. Especially since I knew full well that this would be the best chance for me to do so. Am I wrong for doing so?"
The demon needed a proper vessel to use its power.
That was my original body.
Without the vessel, it could hardly display its true abilities. Even when it took Kyle's body, it needed time to completely take over. Had things gone the way the system had planned, things would've progressed to a very annoying degree.
I simply decided to get rid of future trouble in advance.
"...If you ask me, I deserve a better award than what you were originally planning on giving me. I also know that you've taken the demon somewhere. I do not know where you've taken the demon, but whatever the case is, it's all my credit."
Staring at the floating notification in the darkness, I watched as the darkness clung to it like some sort of mist.
"Do you not think that's the case?"
Silence.
My words seemed to drift listlessly in the darkness as the notification remained floating before my very eyes. I waited patiently, expecting some sort of response, but... the response never arrived.
Eventually, the darkness swallowed the notification away.
'We're here.'
'...Get several agents to wait outside. We don't know what might happen. Its best to be cautious.'
'Yes, of course.'
Voices drifted from the background as the sound of the engine stopped.
It was in that same moment that I felt the darkness deepen, growing thicker and heavier as it seeped into every corner of my vision, until at last it reached out and settled upon me. I didn't reject it.
Instead, I let it consume me as my consciousness started to slip.
'He still looks to be unconscious.'
'Let him be. Let's bring him inside first. We can figure things out later.'
'Yes.'
The voices grew fainter in my head. To the point where they almost felt like whispers as my entire vision turned black.
...Or at least, that was until one more notification arrived.
One that I had been expecting.
Ding—!
: [Basic Node: Containment Vessel Activated!]
Ranked Spirit: Kyle.
-x-X-x-
The darkness stretched from all directions.
'What's... going on?'
Through the haze in his mind, Kyle could just barely keep himself conscious.
He could hardly recall what had happened. Despite this, in that hazy state he was in, bits and pieces of memory began to resurface in Kyle's mind.
Ah...
Memories of the last moments replayed in his mind.
Seth. The Jester.
And everything that came from his last moments. But such memories were hazy. He could just barely make sense of them. They felt more like hazy photographs than memories.
'...Did I... die?'
It felt like it.
The world around him felt incredibly cold, and he barely felt his own consciousness.
Barely...
Kyle could still feel something, albeit faintly. He couldn't quite make sense of what was happening, falling into this strange limbo as he sank further and further into the darkness.
It was cold.
So cold.
Time seemed to move to a crawl. Kyle lost complete track of it.
It felt as though he had been trapped within the darkness for days. Perhaps even longer.
He wasn't sure.
All he knew was that he was sinking deeper and deeper, with seemingly no way out. He felt completely lost, and as the darkness thickened, he began to lose sight of himself. Despite not being fully aware of himself, Kyle could feel it.
The slow and gradual fading of his mind.
He didn't have much time left.
'Am I...'
It was amidst such realization that Kyle finally spotted something within the darkness. It was faint, but he could see it.
A faint light.
Without a second thought, Kyle moved towards the light.
He didn't know what he was doing, nor did he know what the light was, but he understood that he needed to go to the light.
And so he did.
Even as the surroundings grew darker and darker, he continued to move towards the light.
The light grew brighter and brighter.
So bright that it almost felt blinding, but Kyle ignored the sensation as he finally started to feel a certain warmth covering his body. The more he basked in that warmth, the more he started to feel his mind clear, and that was also the moment he started to move faster.
'I need to... I have to...'
Eventually, the source of the light became clear to him.
It was a large white sphere.
One... that he felt was vaguely familiar.
Coming to a stop, Kyle stared at the orb in confusion as his thoughts became clearer and clearer until he finally figured out what the orb was.
'A... node?'
Swooosh!
Light blinded him from all sides.
He barely had any time to react before the light completely enveloped him.
"....!!"
By the time his vision returned, he found himself staring up at a pair of bright lights above. Alongside the light was a constant, yet repetitive, beeping sound.
Beeep! Beeep!
Blinking a few times, Kyle caught the sterile scent lingering in the air, and as it registered, he slowly turned his head.
"Ah..."
He finally realized where he was.
'Hospital?'
The memories that he had struggled so much to make sense of a moment prior finally sank back into his mind, and his previously calm expression started to change.
"That's... Ah, but... H-how could...?"
The Gate.
The Boss. The supervisor. Seth's strange movements.
The Gate explosion.
Memories...
His body getting taken over.
Everything finally sank back in his mind at once.
With the last memory being that of the Jester... grabbing onto him and shattering his node. Remembering those moments, Kyle's heart started to beat faster. But above all, and most importantly...
"It-s... all a fake. A ruse..."
Seth...
He was innocent.
He was definitely innocent!
Beeep! Beeep! Beeep! Beeep!
The sudden spike in his heartbeat was immediately reflected on the electrocardiogram, the beeping growing faster and more erratic. The change didn't go unnoticed. Moments later, the door swung open, and several figures rushed in, their movements urgent.
Clank!
"What's going on?"
"I'm picking up an irregular pulse. What's go—"
The moment the figures came in and caught sight of the wide-awake Kyle, they all stopped.
"Patient is awake."
"N-nurse...!"
A moment after, they quickly realized what had happened as they moved closer to him and started to change his IV fluids while also detailing to him the situation.
"Please calm down."
"No, I can't. I need to... I need to—!"
"I can understand the confusion, but there's no need for you to be confused. We'll explain everything to you shortly. I've already called your colleagues. They will be with you shortly."
Sure enough, not even a moment later, several familiar figures appeared by the entrance of the room.
"Kyle...!"
"Looks like you're finally awake."
From Zoey to the Section Chief and even several other figures that Kyle didn't know too well. He saw at least a dozen people entering the room at once.
If not for the nurse stopping them, Kyle would've probably been overwhelmed.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, one of the nurses spoke up.
"He's just woken up! Please don't crowd around him like this! Give him some space to breathe. This situation isn't good for him. Let's have a visitor at a time, okay?"
The nurses' words brought everyone to a silence.
Eventually, everyone looked at one another before everyone's gaze settled on the Section Chief.
"...Let me have the first round. I'll fill him in on the situation."
"Okay."
"Yes."
Zoey hesitated, but she eventually nodded, leaving alongside everyone else as the Section Chief grabbed a chair and sat down. Or at least, he tried to. The moment everyone left, Kyle spoke up.
"S-section Chief...! About Seth, I think that—!"
"Alright, calm down."
The Section Chief pressed his hand against Kyle's head and pushed it down the pillow.
"I know what you want to say, but for now, calm down."
"No, but—"
"Relax. We are all aware. He is fine right now. Nothing has happened yet. Just relax for the moment and speak to me."
Kyle's lips trembled, but eventually, he calmed down.
The Section Chief finally smiled.
"How are you feeling?"
"L-ike... I've been hit by a truck."
Kyle answered honestly. He felt like absolute shit at the moment. Although he didn't feel much pain, that was mostly because he was currently on several dozen painkillers.
"To be honest, getting hit by a truck would've probably been better."
"I know."
The Section Chief replied, massaging his face. Looking closely, Kyle finally took notice of the Section Chief's haggard expression. He looked like absolute shit. Even worse than usual. This also made him think about the current situation, and just as he was about to ask, the Section Chief grabbed a paper and began reading it to him.
"Cranial fracture present. Evidence of puncture trauma to the kidney and lung, accompanied by multiple rib fractures..."
Hearing the Section Chief's words, the smile on Kyle's face began to fade. Especially when he recalled the very last moments.
Although he wasn't quite conscious back then, as his body had been taken over, he could still recall most things.
That was also how he recalled the state of his node.
His heart sank.
Maybe, this was the end of his—
"Surprisingly, the only thing you've suffered is bodily injuries."
"Huh?"
The Section Chief placed the papers down, his brows furrowed as he scratched the back of his head.
"...There's been no reported fractures on your nodes. In fact, all of your nodes appear to be in great shape."
"What?"
Kyle blinked a couple of times, struggling to come to terms with what the Section Chief was saying. Although his memories weren't perfect, as his body had been taken over, he couldn't recall everything perfectly.
But at least...! In the very last moments, he could recall the Jester's hand reaching out for his head and his node shattering.
In that sense, how could...?
"How is it possible?"
-x-X-x-
"I am not sure myself."
The Section Chief replied honestly.
"We were all there. We... we saw what happened to you. I thought you'd lost your node, just like everyone else. Worse than that, I thought you were dead, and well..."
The Section Chief's lips tugged into what could only be called a wry smile as his gaze dropped to the papers resting on the bed.
"Somehow, you only came out with these injuries. I say only, but considering everything you went through, I suppose it's fair, wouldn't you say?"
"Haha, right...
Kyle scratched the side of his face, only for him to stop as he suddenly recalled what he wanted to say to the Section Chief.
He looked at the Section Chief with a hesitant expression.
"About Seth..."
"He's currently detained at the BUA. The Guild Master has also been brought into the headquarters."
The Section Chief replied honestly, his expression turning a little bit more serious.
"The Guild Master?"
"Yes."
The Section Chief replied as he set the papers aside, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. "They're interrogating him about what happened during the incident. I don't know how clearly you remember it, but it was during the moment he chose to side with Seth. They just want to understand why he made that decision."
"Oh, right."
Kyle had a sort of idea of what he was talking about. His memories weren't perfect, but he could still recall that much.
'If I don't remember wrong, I also did push for it...'
"There's no need to worry about the Guild Master. He's going to be fine."
"But what about Seth?"
"....."
The Section Chief fell silent a moment after.
Kyle's heart sank at the sight.
At the same time, he sat up.
"Section Chief, I don't know what you know, but Seth is definitely innocent. You... must get the BUA to contact me. I can testify for him. I... don't know exactly what happened, but I am certain that my body was taken over by a sort of entity. Seth... He's innocent. He was just trying to—"
"I know, I know! Stop talking!"
Pushing Kyle back onto the bed, the Section Chief cut Kyle off.
Massaging his forehead while mumbling, 'You've just woken up from a coma, and you're already worrying about Seth.'
With a big sigh, the Section Chief brushed his hair back.
"Regarding Seth's situation, you don't need to worry too much. As I said before, I'm aware of the circumstances. The entire Bureau is. I don't know exactly what happened, but after the Jester was eliminated, something changed. The memories of several people changed. No... that's not quite right. You could say their original memories of the events returned."
"Returned?"
Kyle blinked a couple of times, struggling to follow along.
"Think back to the events that occurred within the Gate. Try to recall your moments with Seth."
Blinking once more, Kyle did as told, and in that same moment, his eyes widened as he looked at the Section Chief.
"That's not all. The footage we previously believed to be accurate has also reverted. And it was through that footage that we finally noticed the discrepancies in what we once thought was true."
"In that case..."
"Yes, it's very likely that Seth was aware of what was going on, and he was actively trying to stop it while the entire world was against him."
"....."
Kyle took a deep breath, trying to force his expression to stay composed as he looked at the Section Chief.
However, despite his best attempts, he was doing a very bad job at it as he found the entire situation to be unbelievable.
To some extent... It was unbelievable.
The Section Chief was essentially saying that not only was Seth going up against a terrifying Gate of the SS Rank, but he was also doing so while fighting against the top members of the entire world?
Make it make sense!
"Although I can't be completely certain, it seems Seth was working with the Jester right up until the very end. I don't know what kind of entity he was actually fighting, but..."
The Section Chief paused, taking a deep breath. His expression gradually darkened as his thoughts sank back to everything that had happened, and his tone turned heavy.
"For something to deceive so many of us... I can only hope this was a one-time occurrence. Because if it wasn't..."
He trailed off before finishing quietly,
"...I don't see much hope for us at all."
***
BUA Headquarters.
Following the events in Malovia, the entire Bureau was thrown into chaos. From dealing with reporters to compiling damage reports and calming public outrage, the Bureau found itself buried under a mountain of responsibilities.
It had been quite a long time since they had been busy to such an extent.
"Haa..."
A long sigh slipped from Jensen as he stared at the pile of documents in front of him, one hand lifting to scratch the back of his head in frustration.
"I don't think I'll be able to get done with these anytime soon. Don't tell me I won't be able to sleep for the next week or so?"
Pinching the middle of his brows, Jensen considered quitting on the spot. Although the pay was good, he had enough savings to retire.
"Yeah, maybe I should ret—"
CLANK—!
Just then, the door to the room opened, and a cold, authoritative voice followed from beyond the threshold.
"No, not on my watch."
"Haaa..."
Jensen sighed again, his head lowering in exasperation as he turned back.
"Why are you doing this to me, manager?"
"Because the bureau is in need of talented people like you."
Patting Jensen on the shoulder, Rosanne's clear blue eyes briefly caught onto the numerous papers on the table.
She licked her lips briefly before turning her gaze away, pretending to miss them.
Jensen opened his mouth, but eventually gave up.
There was no point.
In fact, there was even a chance of her adding to it.
Rosanne wore a light brown coat that matched her curly brown hair perfectly as her eyes moved over every detail. The room itself was simple: a plain window set into the wall, a large metal desk positioned at the center, and several chairs arranged around it.
But despite the plainness of the room, this was no regular room.
"How is he doing?"
"He's doing alright as of now. As things stand, he didn't sustain a lot of injuries. They were mainly superficial."
Jensen replied, walking up to her and staring at the window before them. The two of them stood in silence, neither speaking a word as they stared at the window.
Eventually, Rosanne turned her head to look at Jensen.
"It looks like he's finally waking up. Do you want to take it?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really."
"....Ah, fuck."
Jensen covered his face, trying his best to suppress his groan. In the end, he could only shake his head before walking back to his desk and grabbing several papers.
"Although I have a rough idea of the entire situation, I still find him to be suspicious. We both saw what happened. I don't—"
"Get on with it. Stop trying to procrastinate."
"Tsk."
Clicking his tongue, Jensen glared at Rosanne's back before heading towards the door.
His expression turned sharp.
'Suspicious. He's definitely suspicious.'
-x-X-x-
Swoosh!
A strong, bright light awakened me.
"Hmm."
Groaning slightly, I blinked a couple of times while looking around me.
'Where am I...?'
My mind was still quite groggy. My vision was hazy, and a constant ringing sound echoed inside my mind.
I was struggling to recall what had happened.
Thankfully, this memory lapse merely lasted a few seconds before everything became clear to me and I started to calm down.
'Right, I should be detained.'
I looked around me.
Indeed, it looked like I was in some sort of interrogation room. The concrete walls surrounded me from all sides as I sat on a metal table, my hands bound by handcuffs that were connected to it.
The overhead lights shone sharply from above as a dark glass I couldn't see through appeared on the sides of the room.
This situation...
I closed my eyes and leaned back on the chair.
'Not surprising.'
Clank!
Not long after, the metal door opposite me opened, and a series of steps echoed.
I kept my eyes closed while waiting for the steps to stop.
A tense silence followed, and I felt a powerful gaze settle on me. It pressed down through my closed eyelids, as if it were trying to pierce straight through me.
But I remained calm.
Calm until I heard a soft scraping sound, and I finally opened my eyes.
Krrr!
"Seth Thorne."
A deep voice reverberated a moment later.
Sitting on the chair opposite me was a man clad in a dark [BUA] uniform. He had a clean-shaven face, neatly parted hair, and glasses, his long fingers tapping softly against the metal table.
His gaze bore down on me with a powerful intensity, and under such a gaze, I felt my body begin to tense.
Clearly, there was something about his gaze that created this weird sense of oppression.
"...There's a lot that we need to talk about."
So he said...
"Do I need to start?"
"You do not."
The words flowed effortlessly from my mouth. Despite the strange sense of oppression emanating from his gaze, I felt completely unaffected in that moment.
When compared to what I had experienced...
Even he looked surprised, prompting his brows to furrow slightly, but I didn't give him the chance to say anything before speaking once more.
"You've all been fooled from the start."
"..."
The man didn't react; his gaze firmly locked onto me. I couldn't quite tell what he was thinking, but I didn't quite care as I continued to speak.
"The clues were there from the start. From the moment the gate started, there were clues everywhere. I'm sure that by now, most of you are aware of the fact that you've been tricked."
"....."
The silence was all the confirmation that I needed.
'So it looks like they're all aware of the fact that they've been fooled. This makes things a lot easier for me.'
"There were many eyewitnesses who were present back when I was at the Gate. You couldn't have imagined my surprise when I saw them all turn on me."
That was indeed a surprise.
Well, maybe not quite for 'me'.
"Of course, I later learned that their memories had been altered and that I had been made the enemy. That's not all; I've also come to learn that all the footage has been altered to make it seem like I was responsible for everything, but..."
I stopped, my eyes squinting as I stared at the interrogator in front of me.
"I'm certain that if you watch the footage once more and speak to the people about what happened, they'll give you a completely different account from what they gave previously. Isn't that right?"
"...."
Silence followed once more.
The silence once again spoke volumes to me.
'It looks like they've already done that. Good, it looks like they're quite efficient over here.'
From the moment I had accomplished my goal and had taken care of Dantalion, I knew that all the manipulation it had done would vanish. The truth behind what had truly happened within the Gate should've come out, and my name, which had previously been stained, should've been cleared.
To some extent, at least.
'He's probably here for other reasons.'
"You want to know why I did what I did? How I knew what I knew, and who... I was working for?"
This was the most obvious answer. It didn't take a genius to figure this out, and without holding back, I began to explain the situation to them.
"In truth, I was originally planning on conducting a stream on the abandoned factory."
Pausing, I looked at the interrogator.
His expression remained unchanged. I nodded once more.
He seemed aware of this, too.
"Of course, I'm well aware of the fact that you are aware of this. This isn't news I've been trying to hide; I made a large announcement on the internet. The plan was for me to leverage the hype around my game and situation to grow my following and generate more marketing for my game. But who would've thought that place was a hideout for a strange cult?"
There was nothing that I needed to hide from this point. Despite knowing that I was currently being monitored intensely for any possible lies, I didn't feel any pressure at all. In fact, the more I spoke, the smoother my words became.
Excluding some key details, I recounted the entire situation to them.
From the things that I had managed to figure out. The strange cult. The Twisted Man, and everything that I knew about the cult.
I was sure that they knew all about what I was telling them.
They just wanted to hear it from me.
They wanted to know what led up to the situation.
"...It was there that I learned about the demon known as Dantalion."
The tension within the room heightened at the mention of the demon, the interrogator's expression finally changing for the first time. I could even feel a shift from the one standing outside the window, but without paying them much attention, I continued speaking.
"He has a strange power. He seems able to read minds, alter faces, and alter reality to bend it to his will. It probably did everything it did to get rid of me because I knew too much. That was also the reason why I acted the way that I did during the Gate incident. The moment I managed to escape the place and planned on telling everyone about what I had found out, the Gate occurred, and I was swept into the situation. In the end, I knew that nobody was going to believe me even if I told them everything, and as such, I acted on my own."
Of course, that 'someone' wasn't actually me.
But they didn't need to know this, and as I looked at the expression of the interrogator in front of me, I was sure that what I had recounted was pretty much in line with what he had found out.
"Ah, right."
There was something else I forgot to mention.
"The Jester was one of the experiments. He was originally supposed to be the main vessel of the demon, but thankfully, he was able to free himself from its control and decided to work with me. The two of us were working together, and that's why I was targeted by the demon."
I stopped speaking then.
There was no need for me to speak any longer. Staring at the interrogator and seeing his troubled expression, I knew that he was very likely struggling to come to terms with the fact that I wasn't lying.
'...And that's because I'm not lying.'
Everything that I said was the truth.
Regardless of what he tried, the outcome wasn't going to change.
Leaning back, I basked in the silence as it stretched in all directions, my gaze locked firmly on the interrogator. As the moment dragged on, he finally raised his head, his eyes sharpening as his deep voice quietly reverberated through the room.
"You..."
My heart remained calm as the tension in the room heightened.
"From the moment you appeared, all kinds of things have been happening on Malovia Island. From the recent Gate incident to the Conductor Gate not long before that. There's also the situation surrounding your games, and the strange events that have occurred in the short span of time you've been active. I've only just listed a few, but there are quite a few more that I'm still sorting out."
Taking a brief pause, his eyes narrowed.
"...Who the hell are you, really?"
Hearing his question, I opened my mouth but stopped the moment I felt his gaze. I could tell that he had done his research and knew quite a lot about me.
It was also obvious that, despite the fact that I had passed his 'lie detection' test, he was still suspicious of me.
But in the end, none of that really mattered as I smiled.
"Isn't it obvious?"
I looked at the man in front of me.
"...I am the one who killed the Jester."
-x-X-x-
Clank—
"What do you think?"
Jensen looked at Rosanne and lowered his head. He was still trying to process the entire interrogation.
'He didn't lie. I'm sure he didn't.'
Jensen measured everything. Seth's heartbeat. His tone. His sweat. Everything... None of the measurements were out of the norm. Of course, this didn't necessarily mean that he wasn't lying, but Jensen was someone who specialized in this type of interrogation. Even when using his nodes, he couldn't find any flaws with what was being said.
In that case...
'He isn't lying.'
But what was with the sense of bitterness he was feeling?
Thinking about everything that he had found out during his investigation, he felt that there was more to it than what was being shown.
And yet—
"...Dantalion."
Rosanne's voice shook him out of his thoughts.
Lifting his head, he turned his attention towards her as her gaze remained fixed on the window.
"If what I heard is not wrong, then there's going to be more of these demons."
"....."
The tension within the room heightened as Rosanne's expression remained calm.
"Recently, there have been strange activities running across several islands. I did receive some reports of strange and mysterious cults appearing all over the world, but I haven't paid much attention to them since they've been here since the dawn of time. However... It looks like I'll have to start paying more attention to these matters now."
Jensens' expression turned grim upon hearing her words. Thinking about what had occurred from just one 'demon', he couldn't even imagine what would happen if several more demons like that were to appear.
One [SS] ranked gate was enough to make the world tremble.
But what about one more? Two? Three...?
The more Jensen thought about the situation, the grimmer his expression became.
"There's no need to pull that face."
Turning around, Rosanne smiled as she looked at Jensen.
"The outcome does sound grim, but that's only on the occasion that we allow for such demons to appear. Now that we're aware of how they operate, we can stop them before it's too late. I'll assign the top Paragons around the numerous islands to take care of these matters."
"...Understood."
Despite her words, Jensen didn't feel much better.
The situation was that grim for him.
"Let's leave that aside. There's another thing that I need you to check up on."
Casually walking towards the table in the middle of the room, Rosanne brushed her curly hair back before picking up one of the papers and giving it a quick scan.
"...I don't know if it's just the trend these days, but I've received reports of certain horror games appearing all over the world. Although they are all harmless, there have been quite a few reports about them causing quite a stir."
"Horror Games?"
Jensen raised his head, his mind churning as a certain figure appeared in his mind.
"Yes."
Rosanne replied, placing the paper down and turning to look at the window.
"Horror Games. Just like the ones he's developed."
***
Following the interrogation, I was soon escorted away.
Clank—!
"This will be your room for now. You are free to roam the surroundings, but you are not allowed to leave the premises of the headquarters."
One quick glance, and I found myself surprised. The room was a lot better than I had originally expected. Not only did it have all the necessary furniture, but it was also fairly large.
"This right here is your ID card."
The agent who escorted me handed me a slick black card.
I reached out for it a moment later.
"With it, you can access the canteen. The food is provided directly by the BUA. The ID card will also be useful for you later down the line when you collect your stuff back."
Looking at the agent, I asked, "How long do I need to wait before I can get my stuff back?"
My phone and everything had been confiscated by the BUA. In fact, I wasn't even sure of where I was.
'Well, I know that I am somewhere controlled by the BUA, but am I still in Malovia?'
It certainly didn't feel like I was.
"I apologize, but I can't say when you'll be released. Given the nature of the situation, it may take some time. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up taking quite a while."
"Hm?"
Some time...?
"How long are we talking about?"
"I'm not sure."
The agent shook his head.
"There's never been a case as unique as yours."
"....."
There were a lot of things that I wanted to say to the agent. In the end, however, I chose to keep silent and just accept his words. I knew that even if I said something, he very likely wouldn't know a thing.
"I understand."
The only thing I could do was accept the situation and wait.
'I'll take this chance to rest.'
I needed to catch up on a lot of sleep. Beyond that, I had to get used to this body. Even though it was an exact replica of my own, my movements still felt stiff. At times, I even struggled to properly control certain parts of it, as if it hadn't fully become mine yet.
'I won't be surprised if I end up peeing the bed today.'
Thankfully, this seemed like a temporary thing. Outside of that, the body was exactly the same as my 'old' one.
'...I hope the system can create a new one.'
Well, maybe not.
The system wouldn't be stupid enough to fall for my trick twice.
"I have accomplished my duty. If there is anything else that you need or require my assistance, please feel free to reach out. You can tap on the bracelet on your wrist, and I will come to assist you."
"Hm? Oh, yes."
Looking at the dark bracelet on my wrist and then the agent, I nodded slightly and thanked him. He proceeded to leave shortly after that.
Clank—!
Silence fell across my surroundings a moment after.
Looking around the room, I didn't relax.
'They may have hidden them, but I'm sure that there are cameras to monitor me. It wouldn't be wise of me to summon my anomalies.'
With that being said, I was curious about their situation. I could still feel my connection with them, but it was a lot weaker than it was in the past. It was almost as if they were struggling to accept this new body of mine.
Thinking about my current situation, I felt that even if there didn't exist means to monitor me, it wouldn't be wise to summon them.
Besides the Conductor, I was afraid that they'd all turn on me.
There was also Kyle...
Thinking about his situation, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
'Yes, let's just wait for a little bit.'
"What should I do, then...?"
Relaxing?
I didn't know how to do that.
But it wasn't like I had anything else to do. Scanning the room, I eventually settled my gaze on the remote on the bed. I decided to watch some TV.
'Let me check out the news. I wonder how the situation in Malovia is.'
I was just about to turn the TV on when—
DING!
A notification appeared across my vision, stopping me in place.
[Calculation finished.]
The system...
[Quest Completed]
It was back.
'Quest completed?'
I was rather surprised to see that.
Given everything that I had done, I expected myself to fail. However, it didn't seem like the system was that petty.
'...I guess that makes sense. I did accomplish the goal, even though I did it in quite the unconventional way.'
DING—!
[Due to unanticipated host behavior, reward calculation exceeded the expected processing window. All variables have now been evaluated. Quest status: completed.]
[Host successfully evaded the demon entity and contributed to its capture. Additional rewards are being processed.]
[Reward 1:
Emblance Shard]
[Reward 2:
■■■■■]
[Reward 3:
200,000 SP]
[Reward 4:
End of Trial Period.]
"Hm?"
I immediately grew confused upon seeing the rewards given to me by the system. Of the three that I had received, the only one that I understood was the SP and the Emblance Shard.
The Emblance Shard in particular intrigued me.
It was an item that I desperately needed.
'Added with the one that I didn't use back in the Gate, I will have two.'
Despite having a 'new' body, the problems with my nodes didn't disappear. I still had the Cognitive Shard, and it was slowly consuming me. It was also for this reason that I was still stuck in the Third Order.
The Emblance Shards would be useful for me to finally move up a level.
'Its a pity that I used all my shards in the Gate, but it's not like I can't find new ones. I have the fax machine to help. Added with the SP that I just received, I shouldn't have any problems reaching the Fourth Order.'
My main issue came with the second and fourth rewards.
One... I couldn't read.
The second...?
End of Trial Period? What did this even mean?
'Wait, don't tell me that everything up until now was just a trail?'
My heart sank at the thought.
If this were merely just a trial period, then what was going to happen during the 'non-trial' trial period? The more I thought about it, the more my heart sank.
DING—!
The system didn't even give me time to process the situation.
[Trial period concluded. The host has advanced beyond the initial stage. Core system features will be unlocked shortly.]
[Please wait a moment...]
The notifications in front of me rapidly shrank.
Subsequently, a wheel appeared.
One that was accompanied by a percentage bar beneath.
[0%]—[10%]—————[100%]
The progress bar advanced faster than I expected. In less than a minute, it reached one hundred percent, and the instant it did, a large panel materialized directly in front of my eyes.
─────
Game Developer : Seth Thorne
Status : Third Order ▶ [See More]
▪ Basic Node : Containment Vessel
▪ Basic Node : Trait Transfer
▪ Intermediate Node : Anamnesis
▶ Dreamwalker
▶ Mirille
▶ Mr. Jingles
▶ Conductor
▶ Kyle
Items :
▪ Blank Mask.
▪ Purity Enhancer
▪ Spectral Glasses.
▪ Quickstitch Outfit
[See More]
Shop : Open
Quests : Unlocked (Available : 0)
Developed Games :
[Gentle Whispers] Rating : ⯪☆☆☆☆(0.5)
[A regular day in the office] Rating : ★☆☆☆☆(1.0)
[A Twisted game] Rating : ★★⯪☆☆(2.5)
[Nightmare Hotel] Rating : ★★⯪☆☆(2.75)
Balance : 221,442 SP
[Game Developer Mode]
[Locked!]
─────
The system interface looked exactly the same as the one that appeared on my computer screen. There didn't seem to be any changes to it. Was this the new feature? At least, that was until I discovered the last area.
'Locked?'
This...
Was this some sort of joke?
'Is this supposed to be the thing that I'm supposed to get at the end of the trial period?'
Then, there was almost no difference between then and now.
'How do I even unlock it?'
Curious, I pressed on it.
Ding!
[The feature is locked!]
No shit...
Thankfully, there was a chat box beneath. I started to immediately type my question.
[How do I unlock the locked area?]
Because I wasn't on my computer, it took me a lot longer to type out the question. Especially since I didn't want to look suspicious, as I had no choice but to lie on the bed and carefully tap on the holographic keyboard.
...The answer arrived in the form of a notification.
[Quest unlocked!]
• Difficulty: N/A
• Reward: Unlock New Feature!
• Objective: Reach three-star rating!
• Location: N/A
Description: Host has demonstrated developmental potential in game creation, with measurable improvement across successive projects. However, a progression impediment has been detected. The most recent game failed to meet the threshold required for feature unlock. System assessment concludes the host is currently unqualified to access the latest feature. Minimum requirement: Reach a three-star rating!
Increased pace recommended. Delays will negatively impact progression.
Time Limit: 1 month.
What?
I thought that my answers would be cleared the moment that I received an answer, but instead, I only grew more confused.
'A new quest? Create a three-star game? Why is the requirement for unlocking the new feature to reach a three-star rating?'
Thinking about my latest game, it did come quite close to reaching three stars.
[2.75]
It was quite a good score.
However, thinking about the [Twisted Game], the rating increase wasn't that much higher. It wasn't so much that I didn't try, but mainly because reaching the three-star rating was a lot harder than I had initially anticipated. Even when I went full VR and added all the extra features, it refused to climb up.
There was also the time constraint that I needed to take care of. In the end, I had no choice but to upload.
But...
'I'm not supposed to create a three-star game? In one month at that?'
Nonsense!
This was absolute nonsense!
'No, wait.'
Cooling my mind a bit, I looked back at the quest. I quickly realized that the quest was for me to reach a three-star rating, not create a three-star rated game.
'...So I just need to somehow upgrade one of my games to three stars?'
I sighed in relief.
This felt a lot more accomplishable. If it was going to tell me to create a new game, then I was just going to ignore the quest.
I was already used to ignoring the system.
Still, while this mission was accomplishable, there was still a problem...
'I don't have my laptop, nor do I know where I am. My team is also not here. Can I even upgrade my game in the meantime?'
The thought gave me a headache.
However, beyond all of that, my eyes remained glued to the quest. Or to be more precise, towards the last sentence.
[Increased pace recommended. Delays will negatively impact progression.]
What did this even mean?
I didn't hesitate to ask the system.
I half-expected the system to ignore me, but contrary to my expectations, I received an answer not long after.
[You may be ahead in some aspects, but you're lagging behind in others. The more you delay, the more you will fall behind.]
Ah...?
I didn't know what to make of the answer. Without a second thought, I began to type once more.
But...
[What are you talking about?]
[What does it mean?]
[Who are others?]
The system ignored me each time.
By the time I realized it wouldn't answer me any longer, I didn't even have it in me to be angry.
Not when a certain thought entered my mind.
One... that made my body tense.
The system...
Was I the only one to have it?
***
Volume 1 has officially ended.