Two days had passed.
It was already the fourth night.
Samael didn't even know how many days he had been fighting.
Much less how much longer he would have to keep going.
Day and night no longer mattered.
His body and mind had been on high alert for over a month, ever since he had arrived in America.
He hadn't stopped fighting.
Nor had he stopped thinking.
Not for a single second.
And although all of this was tempering his mind and body, turning him into one of the deadliest and most powerful Awakened in the world...
The price was enormous.
By now, Samael was struggling even to crack jokes.
Words that had once come naturally now seemed to require effort.
The weight of that place was beginning to crush him.
He had just left the battlefield.
He wasn't going to rest.
He would simply walk somewhere else.
His body felt as though he were carrying entire continents on his back.
Breathing hurt.
Every step was an effort.
And even in that state...
Samael was heading to Unit 4.
As soon as he left the battlefield, someone completely unexpected approached him.
Bel.
She was probably the last person Samael expected to see at that moment.
"Samael."
Bel's voice was serious.
What she said next was even more concerning.
"The way Elizabeth and Liu are fighting... they won't survive."
At first, only Liu had been fighting recklessly.
But after some time, Elizabeth had begun to follow her lead.
Initially, she had only provided support.
Then she began fighting in increasingly dangerous ways.
Now, Samael was going to see them.
He was worried about those two as well.
After walking for a while, he arrived at a plaza.
Or, at least, what should have been a plaza.
It was now completely deserted.
Who would want to spend time in a plaza in the middle of that hell?
Samael found the two of them there.
Liu was wearing her familiar blindfold again.
He approached and sat on a bench across from them.
A concrete table stood between the three of them.
"It's been a few days, hasn't it?" Samael remarked.
"It has. Why did you suddenly decide to talk to us?" Elizabeth asked.
She had clearly already guessed why Samael was there.
"I'm not going to tell you to change the way you fight."
Samael let out a sigh.
"I just came to tell you that I care about you and ask you not to die."
He looked at the two of them.
"I can't order you around. Nor can I try to change what you've decided to do. In the end, I'm just a friend. I don't have that right."
After those words, an uncomfortable silence settled over them.
Samael looked at the two women.
"This is such an awkward silence..."
He hesitated.
"But it makes sense. After all, we're exhausted, and..."
He paused for a moment.
"Neither of you is exactly the most sociable person, either."
Silence.
Then Samael spoke as though he were commenting on something completely trivial.
"Oh, I'm getting married."
"Huh?"
Liu was stunned.
Her mouth fell open.
That had clearly been a devastating blow.
Elizabeth closed her eyes for a moment.
"Stop dropping incomplete information that can easily be misunderstood just to see how we'll react."
"I'm serious this time, Liz."
Samael smiled.
"A pretty Master proposed to me. We're getting married after these seven days are over, and of course, I accepted."
"How are you going to get married if the Nightmare ends after seven days?" Liu asked.
Samael remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he gave the most logical answer possible.
"That's just a minor detail."
Liu stared at him.
So did Elizabeth.
Then both of them let out a small laugh.
For a few seconds, the three of them stayed there.
Laughing.
Making little jokes.
Talking about ordinary things.
For a few minutes, hell seemed a little farther away.
Then...
"I'm sorry."
Samael spoke suddenly.
Liu's expression changed.
"Why are you apologizing, Samael?"
She sounded genuinely concerned.
Elizabeth simply remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"The Anomalous Nightmare is my fault."
Samael hesitated.
"I..."
He took a deep breath.
"I'm in a complicated situation."
The two waited.
"I'm kind of from somewhere else."
Samael lowered his eyes.
"I had a different name. A different appearance."
He paused.
"And I used to read a book that told the story of this world."
Liu remained motionless.
So did Elizabeth.
"One day, I woke up in Samael's body."
He let out a small, humorless laugh.
"At first, everything was so strange and confusing..."
Samael clenched his fingers.
"I know it might sound absurd. Maybe even make it seem like I've gone insane."
He raised his eyes.
"But I didn't want to keep carrying this alone."
His voice grew quieter.
"Especially after dragging you into something so unfamiliar and dangerous."
Silence returned.
This time, it was different.
There were no jokes.
No laughter.
Just three people sitting in an abandoned plaza.
Liu finally spoke.
"It might be difficult, and it might take me a while to process this information."
She thought for a few seconds before continuing.
"But in a world where, whenever I fall asleep, I end up in another world full of beings trying to kill me..."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Strangeness isn't exactly in short supply."
Samael was surprised.
Elizabeth then asked a question.
"What was your name in the other world?"
"Ethan."
Samael blinked.
"That's all you're going to say?"
He seemed genuinely surprised.
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.
"What did you expect? For me to distance myself from you, act shocked, and say, 'You lied to me!' like in some soap opera?"
Samael blushed.
"Well..."
He looked away.
"I guess so."
Liu let out a small laugh.
Then she asked:
"Which do you prefer? Ethan or Samael?"
Samael remained silent for a few seconds.
"Samael."
He answered without hesitation.
"Actually, I think I'm a mixture of the two. So both names are right."
Samael smiled.
"But I prefer Samael."
"Why?" Liu asked.
"Because, as Samael, I have more to lose than I did as Ethan."
The two fell silent for a moment.
Elizabeth then spoke.
"So that's why you were so weird."
Samael's eyes widened.
"Weird?"
He placed a hand over his chest.
"Slander. I've always been perfectly normal."
"I don't think talking about books with someone you barely know exactly qualifies as 'normal,'" Liu remarked.
Samael pointed at the two of them.
"Two against one. How unfair."
The three of them burst into laughter.
And at that moment, something inside Samael finally relaxed.
He had carried that secret for so long that he no longer even knew how much of a burden it had been.
Now, at least two people knew part of the truth.
And they hadn't walked away.
They hadn't treated him like a monster.
They hadn't called him crazy.
They had simply...
Accepted him.
Perhaps that was what Samael needed.
Not someone to solve his problems.
Just people who would stay by his side even after learning about his peculiarities.
It was a rather satisfying sight for anyone passing through that plaza.
Sometimes, in the middle of hell...
All someone needed was to see three beautiful women smiling together.