Luis furrowed his brow and took another sip of wine. 'This idea is absurd; we don't even know what the consequences might be.'
Elarara, Clarice's mother, looked at her with a crooked smile. "Daughter... who exactly is going to carry out this idea? I mean, who will be the guinea pig for this plan?"
Clarice placed a finger to her chin. "Hm, well, wouldn't it be me?"
It made sense, as she was the one who proposed it. But her mother's smile vanished, replaced by a firm look of denial. She stood up, pointed a finger, and said, "No, absolutely not. You are not doing this. We have no idea what damage this could cause."
The silver-haired girl with ruby eyes remained calm and cold, as if she had already expected this reaction. "Then who will do it?" she asked softly.
Elarara opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. The sound of a glass hitting the table with force echoed through the room, cutting off their argument.
"Forgive the interruption, but I will do it! After all..." An arrogant smile spread across Luis's face. "...He is my brother's son, and the brother-in-blood of my own daughter. It is my responsibility to handle this."
Clarice stared at him in disbelief. She had wanted to do it, but this man had just intercepted her reckless plan.
"I cannot let a Saint do something so dangerous," Luis continued. "Unlike you, I'm old; losing a few memories won't make much of a difference."
Luis was twenty-nine years old. The memories he cherished most were of his beloved family, but that family was currently scattered. His wife and daughter were back in Kotei County, his best friend had been missing for a year with no news, and Jay's situation was the same—or worse. His only goal was to bring them all together again.
A smile of relief appeared on Elarara's face.
"Lady Elarara!" Luis called out. She looked at him, startled and a bit dazed. "Yes?"
Bowing, he asked, "When will you summon a mage specialized in tracking magic?"
She put her hand to her chin, thinking for a moment before finally answering, "Currently, the ones I know are... occupied, if you catch my drift. I'll contact you in a month or two."
Luis simply nodded. After spending more time sharing wine with Elarara, he departed for Kotei County.
Clarice returned to her room. She huffed as she picked up the book Jay had given her and hugged it tight. Sitting on her bed, clutching the book, she whispered, "Jay... I hope you're okay!"
In reality, he was "okay" in the middle of hell on earth. Blood ran down his forehead, and deep claw marks scarred his arms and neck. Gasping for air, he stared at the werewolf, whose fur was matted with blood and whose frozen arm lay in shattered pieces on the ground.
The two stared each other down while the chirping of birds, the distant roars of battle, and the rustling trees polluted the air. They lunged at the same time.
The wolf lashed out with its claws. Jay swung his frost sword. The werewolf's claws pierced the boy's collarbone just as the icy blade severed the wolf's head from its body. The sound of tearing flesh joined the echoes of the wall for a fleeting second.
Jay collapsed, hoping something would cushion his fall, but nothing did. Instead, he hit the green grass, agonizing in pain. His eyes rolled back as he writhed on the ground.
'Runa, it hurts. Runa, the pain. Runa...' The thought repeated like a mantra.
"AAAAAAhhhh!" he screamed in agony.
After a while in that deplorable state, Jay fell into a silent sleep in a pool of his own blood, arms outstretched. His elemental power had already begun to regenerate his wounds; though it took time, his life had been spared despite the blood loss.
Jay opened his eyes to the harsh sunlight, seeing a dark silhouette with blonde hair. He quickly shouted a name, reaching out and bolting upright.
"Runaaa!"
There was no one there. He looked around; nothing but trees. A breeze made his hair and clothes dance. The metallic scent of iron and blood filled his nostrils.
Getting up, he found it strange that Roh hadn't provoked him, let alone Lillith. Dizzy and stumbling, Jay furrowed his brow. 'Damn it, I need to rest, but I have to keep moving.' With a sigh, he leaned against a tree and stayed there for hours.
During those hours, his thoughts took over. He simulated the past: if his actions had been different, would things have ended differently? It was a question that would likely never have an answer.
'Unfortunately!'
Gradually, Jay began to drift off again. When he opened his eyes minutes later, a sudden, hellish headache spiked through his skull. He pressed his palms to his head, clicking his tongue and muttering. He had to keep going despite the pain; if he stayed, another monster—or perhaps a pack mate of the dead wolf—might come seeking revenge.
'I can change worlds, but...' Jay looked at the wolf's carcass. '...this damn sense of companionship is still present.'
Using the tree for support, he hauled himself up. He began to walk; it was slow and shaky, but it was all he could manage.
'The great black assassin, the most feared hunter, the one even the powerful dread... and now I'm in this pathetic state.' Jay let out a dry laugh. 'This place... it's forcing me to go back to... who I used to be!'
He watched the sunlight hit his face. 'I'm not proud of that.'
If he wanted to survive this cursed place, "not changing" felt like his only option. What Jay didn't yet realize was that he didn't necessarily have to return to his past self—he had to evolve.
Meanwhile, Lillith was lying on a black bed, reading a romance novel.
"Oh," she gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. "These novels Jay recommended are actually quite good."
But suddenly, something clicked in her mind—something that didn't fit. She thought about the timeline of everything that had happened to the boy.
'This is really strange! How could so many things happen to him in such a short time? There's... something wrong here...'
As the realization hit, her eyes widened in shock.
"This... this is a lie, right?!"