The room fell silent again.
The medical monitors hummed softly.
"You might not realize it yet," Kotori continued, her tone calmer, "but you're already on the same playing field."
She lowered her hands and spoke with the formal authority of a commander.
"Because of that, I'm giving you a choice."
"We—Ratatoskr—can protect you. Give you access to information. Support. Even training, if necessary."
Her gaze was no longer just firm, but serious.
"Join us."
Gabriel remained quiet.
He lowered his head slightly, his long hair covering part of his face.
His thoughts raced, and a few seconds stretched longer than usual.
Then he lifted his head.
"…And if I refuse?"
"We will still keep an eye on you," Kotori replied without hesitation. "But you'll face DEM alone."
Silence followed.
Gabriel exhaled slowly.
It wasn't fear that showed on his face—but consideration.
This wasn't really his intention.
And after the Origami matter was resolved, Gabriel planned to return to the Infinity Room.
Even so, joining Ratatoskr wasn't a bad choice.
Finally, he nodded.
"All right."
Simple. Without dramatics.
Kotori watched him for a moment, making sure he wasn't joking.
"…A wise decision."
Yet behind her professional tone, there was a glimmer of relief she didn't entirely hide.
***
The clock struck exactly midnight, and darkness gripped the skies over Tengu City.
In an abandoned district on the city's outskirts, a thin mist crept low, weaving between half-collapsed buildings and rusted fences on the verge of collapse.
The streetlights had long since gone out, leaving the area bathed only in the pale, dim glow of the moon—as if the world there had been forgotten by time.
The sound of a piano echoed.
Clear.
Faint, as if coming from everywhere at once.
It was Golden Brown by The Stranglers.
The melody was sweet.
Yet beneath that sweetness lay a subtle bitterness—an unhealthy kind of melancholy. Like nostalgia for something that should have already been let go.
Its rhythm was odd.
Its sway was unusual.
Hypnotic.
On top of the cracked concrete fence, Sith sat alone.
One leg dangled lazily, the other bent atop the railing.
Her black hair was stirred by the night wind, moving slowly in rhythm with her impatience.
Her expression looked displeased. Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if calculating every disturbance that passed. Yet her pointed ears caught every note—nothing escaped her notice.
"At least the noisy Lowly Prey still sounds somewhat pleasant," she murmured quietly, her tone dismissive but unable to completely hide the faint enjoyment she felt.
The piano continued playing in the distance.
In truth, Sith didn't really hate Gabriel. She simply disliked how close her mother was to him. Because of that, her attitude toward Gabriel was always sharp, cutting, and uncompromising.
Sith turned her gaze.
Floating in the air before her, a transparent holographic screen lit up—casting a bluish glow across her face.
Attribute Status.
Title, Job, Race, and a series of attribute parameters were neatly displayed.
________________
Name: Baobhan Sith
Race: Faerie
Title: Tristan
Job: Archer
Authority Level: 4
***
Strength (STR): 200 (50+) {50+}
Vitality (VIT): 150 (50+) {50+}
Agility (AGI): 260 (100+) {50+}
Intelligent (INT): 190 (100+) {50+}
________________
"No matter how many times I look… it's truly impressive," Sith muttered softly, as if reluctant to admit her own admiration.
"But…"
Her tone dropped. Half an octave lower. Colder.
Her gaze fixed on a single line of data on the hologram.
Level Authority: 4
"The total attribute limit allowed at Level 4 is 300 points," she stated flatly. "And I've already reached it from the start."
The statistics bar on the screen was nearly perfect. There was no room to increase.
"To raise it… I'd have to undergo a level-up trial."
The word trial sounded like something she disliked.
Slowly, she shifted her gaze.
Not far from the area, on the rooftop of a taller building, Gabriel sat before an old piano—its origins unknown—amid the abandoned cityscape.
The notes of Golden Brown continued to flow from his fingers.
Steady.
Precise.
Calm.
"Lowly Prey is still content staying in this boring world," Sith hissed softly, clearly irritated. "Mother listens to him too much. It's annoying."
She turned her face slightly away, though her ears still caught every single note.
"I don't like you."
Yet she didn't leave.
On the other side—Gabriel played the piano without opening his eyes.
His fingers moved lightly across the keys.
The strange rhythm of the song flowed naturally, as if it had merged with the pulse of the night.
The mist, the moonlight, the cold air—everything felt synchronized.
He was enjoying the atmosphere he had created himself.
But behind that calm expression, his mind was moving quickly.
A list.
One by one, the things he wanted to do in this world had already been completed.
Small experiments.
Interesting interactions.
Controlled chaos.
The role-playing as "Ash."
He had enjoyed all of it.
There were only a few things that had not been completely accomplished.
However, Gabriel didn't mind.
He was already satisfied enough.
The final note of the refrain was played with gentle pressure.
In the near future, he planned to return to the Infinity Room.
A place without coordinates.
Without linear time.
And from there—he would explore other worlds again.
Searching for new entertainment.
Or perhaps a new meaning, if he felt like pretending to look for one.
A moment later, he returned from his thoughts.
"Even so… I still have to return to the Date A Live world to turn Melusine and Barghest into Servant Heralds," he murmured softly. "I don't want to leave them behind."
He recalled his calculations. With their strength, a Bronze-level Contract Letter clearly wouldn't be enough to transform them into Servant Heralds.
That meant he would need to use a higher-level Contract Letter.
Silver.
Unfortunately, those letters were not cheap. He still remembered clearly—at the Auction House, a single letter could reach 200,000 system points.
If it was for two people, then at least 400,000 system points would be required… perhaps even more.
He let out a quiet sigh.
For now, he needed to think of a way to obtain that many points in the near future.
A moment later, an idea crossed his mind.
"…Right," he murmured softly. "My ability in item construction is at a super-elite, ancient-god Grandmaster level. If I sell the results… their value should be high."
A faint smile formed on his lips—almost a smirk. His left arm crossed over his chest, while his right hand covered his face.
"Ash has decided," he declared as he rose to his feet. With a dramatic sweep, his black trench coat rustled as the hand covering his face moved away.
"That shall be the next objective."
Then he stepped forward, a thin pale mist slowly swirling around him, as though following behind.
Gabriel continued walking until he reached the rooftop's edge.
His brows furrowed slightly. A katana still sheathed materialized in his hand, hanging calmly yet filled with quiet menace.
"Have you finished observing?" he asked flatly.
The next second, not far from there—as if emerging from a thin crack between layers of reality—two figures stepped out calmly.
Reine Murasame and Mio Takamiya.
On the other side, sensing the shift in Gabriel's tone, Sith immediately closed her Status Screen and lightly leapt to his side.
"Don't misunderstand," Sith said, her voice casual yet filled with a sense of possession. "I simply don't want anyone other than me… hurting my lowly prey."
At that moment, an arrow appeared in her hand—its form resembling a blood-red harp, decorated with heart-shaped ornaments that sharply contrasted with the cutting aura it emitted.
Gabriel tilted his head slightly. He hadn't said anything yet, but he didn't dwell on it.
Slowly, he turned his body and looked at the two figures standing before him.
"Spirit Origin," he said calmly. "What reason do you have for coming to Ash?"
He stepped forward, subtly positioning himself in front of Sith.
"Even before you arrived," he continued, his gaze hardening, "you had already trapped the Spirits, AST, DEM, and Ratatoskr inside a dream… hadn't you?"
Reine Murasame gave a faint smile.
A gentle smile—yet it felt like a thin blade hidden behind it.
"You interfere far too much," she said calmly.
"Ash."
There was no anger in her voice.
No harsh accusation.
Just a statement of fact.
Gabriel fell silent.
The katana in his hand did not move, yet his thoughts spun rapidly.
Those words… were not wrong.
He had interfered too much with the course of this world.
Changing variables.
Shifting fate.
Disrupting plans that had been set in motion long before he arrived.
Moreover—what they had planned from the very beginning had already drifted far from its original form.
Some pieces had already moved off their intended paths.
Some outcomes could no longer be predicted.
"If that is what you desire," Gabriel finally replied, his voice calm once again, "then rejoice."
The pale mist around him slowed its movement.
"The ruler of the pale mist will be leaving this world soon."
Sith glanced at them briefly but did not interrupt.
Mio Takamiya smiled faintly.
Yet this smile was different.
Deeper.
"However," she said softly, "that is not our purpose."
A brief silence enveloped the rooftop.
The wind did not move.
Even the mist seemed to wait.
"Not your purpose?" Gabriel repeated, a hint of interest beginning to appear on his face.
For the first time since they appeared, his expression shifted slightly.
Mio turned her gaze toward Sith.
Her eyes were calm—yet piercing.
"I can sense reiryoku within that girl's body," she said quietly. "Other than being distributed by me, there is only one way to obtain it."
"Rinkai," Reine continued. "You visited it, didn't you? You even severed that world's connection to me."
Sith did not react verbally, but her grip on the harp-shaped weapon tightened for a brief moment.
Gabriel raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Hooh?" he said lightly. "Does that make you angry?"
"Not at all," Mio replied briefly.
There was no lie in her voice.
If anything, it was too calm.
Gabriel tilted his head slightly.
The mist around him began drifting slowly once more.
"So…" he asked, now clearly interested. "What is your purpose?"
Reine looked straight at him.
"Ash," she said softly.
"Let's make a deal."
At the word "deal," the corner of Gabriel's lips slowly lifted.
The aura around him shifted subtly—not turning aggressive, but rather… excited.
"Fufufu…" he chuckled quietly, lowering his chin so that the shadow of his hair partially covered his face.
"Speaking of contracts… in front of me?" he continued calmly. "That all depends on the price you are offering."
His smile widened slightly—not a friendly smile, but the smile of a negotiator who had just spotted an opportunity.
"Very well."
His tone changed, sounding lighter… yet somehow more dangerous.
"Ash will listen."
___
Author's Note:
A little spoiler from me—soon the story will move to another world. But before that, Gabriel will make a stop in the world of The Eminence in Shadow 😏
Gabriel just wants to have some fun there, because this MC is different from the usual protagonists who end up being anticlimactic. This one simply doesn't care—as long as he can keep playing the role of Ash 🤦♂️😌
Please bear with it. 🙏
By the way, don't forget to keep supporting me! Give all your power stones, comments, and your best reviews!
Don't forget that!
(•_<) tehe~!