On the road toward Arlam Village, the trio consisting of Xeno, Rem, and Ram traveled in surprising harmony.
Rem and Ram chatted animatedly in the front while Xeno walked behind the two sisters, completely silent.
Glancing back at the man, they noted he looked like he didn't want to take part in their conversation. Not only that, he had an expression Ram had recently become familiar with during his studies.
Ram: 'His mind wandered off.' She was disappointed, to say the least.
While Rem found it strange. Xeno, from what she had seen, was very sociable, yet the person in front of her looked like he didn't want any human interaction.
Rem: 'How strange.'
Meanwhile, Xenophanes was really returning to his old roots. His abnormally anti-social self.
The reason for this change was simple: he wanted nothing more than to end this nightmare, then waste away both of his days off doing absolutely nothing.
Arriving at the bustling village, the same thing happened as in the previous loop. The villagers looked at him curiously.
Rem and Ram turned to Xeno.
Rem: "Sister and I will be buying everything we'll need."
Ram: "So, try not to make a fool of yourself. Your idiocy still reflects on Lord Roswaal himself."
In response, Xeno nodded, watching as they left toward the village center.
Xeno: "..."
He wordlessly moved toward a field which, if his memory served him correctly, was where he spent time playing with the children.
Making himself a chair and umbrella, he sat down under the shade and quietly watched the villagers go on with their daily lives.
Xeno's red pupils quietly followed the villagers as they went on with their day, lost in his own imagination.
The way they smiled and interacted so joyfully, full of life.
Unlike a normal person viewing this scene, who would feel a need to be included in such a radiant atmosphere, Xenophanes only felt contentment, satisfied with only watching this time.
How gluttonous.
It appeared some of the villagers eyed him back, very curious about him.
All of them were female.
Once was a coincidence. Twice was intentional.
Xeno: 'I guess I am attractive, then?'
Xeno had looked at himself in the mirror plenty of times, but he didn't think he was all that good-looking.
His beauty standards clearly needed a lot of work.
That aside, it appeared Xeno had to come out of... whatever you would call his current actions.
As a group of children seemed intent on swarming him. Looks like he had to play with them once again.
With a sigh, he got up and said, deadpan—
Xeno: "If you snooty kids ruin my clothes, I can and will drop kick you."
This actually made them stop. Because Xeno sounded like he really would do that.
Xeno: "What do you kids want?"
Petra: "We just want to play, mister." She replied sheepishly under Xeno's gaze.
Xeno: "Is that any way to do that? What you were about to do was highly disrespectful."
All the children looked at the ground in shame.
Xeno: "But sure, I'll play with you. I don't really have anything better to do."
That made the children brighten up.
Lucas: "Really, mister!?"
Xeno: "Yep, and I already have a game in mind. Also, call me Xeno. Now then—"
Xeno created a tennis racket, giving it a good spin. He pointed it at the seven children present.
"I hope you're quick on your feet."
...
It looked like Xeno had won over the village once again.
Were they just that easy to please, or simply bored?
Either way, a light crowd had formed, watching a tennis match between Meili and Petra against Lucas and Mild.
It was going well, with the score being 3 to 3.
Everyone was having fun. What was Xeno doing, you may ask?
He was lazily lounging in his chair under the shade, leisurely drinking something one of the villagers (female) had given him.
Proud of himself after winning a 1 v 3. In which he totally didn't cheat. Much to the three's annoyance.
He had somewhat made it up to them by making plushies for them again.
Even though he was relaxing, he wasn't being careless. He kept a close eye on Meili and her mutt.
He ensured it didn't bite one of the children.
It had tried several times, but Xeno stopped it each time.
Afterward, Meili apologized for her puppy's actions.
Xeno: 'The kid's playing it cautiously. Looks like she already figured out I know that's a mabeast, and probably about her as well. I guess I don't have to worry about her trying something for now. Though—'
He looked at his waist, where the evidence of a dog bite was clear.
'She's probably wondering why I haven't done anything about the mana-draining curse.'
Xeno turned his head to the side, noticing both Ram and Rem arriving at his location. They held a big brown paper bag in their arms.
They looked at the children playing, then at Xeno. Ram was the first to speak.
Ram: "Ram is impressed. She was sure you would have made a mockery of yourself by now. Ram gives you 5 points for behaving."
And by speaking, I meant she cast Vicious Mockery on Xenophanes.
Xeno: "So, Rem, did you two get everything you need?"
Unfortunately for Ram, she rolled a one. Xenophanes was unaffected.
Rem: "Yes, Sister and I did. Xeno, do you want to return to the mansion with us?"
It seems, Rem was amused by their banter. Her sister and Xeno got along well.
Xeno got up and stretched his back.
"Yeah, someone has to spend time with a certain shut-in." He put his hands in his pockets.
But before that, he turned toward the children.
Xeno: "Sorry, kiddos, but I gotta go now."
They stopped what they were doing, looking saddened by the news.
Lucas: "Come on, Mister Xeno, can't you play with us a little longer?"
Xeno could only shake his head, muttering a small apology to them.
Petra: "But you'll come back, right?"
He just smiled and gave them a thumbs up.
"Tomorrow is also my day off. I'll come back before you know it."
With that, he waved them goodbye while they did the same.
Watching Xeno and the sisters leave, Meili narrowed her eyes.
'I need to finish this quickly.'
...
On the road between the mansion and Arlam, the trio moved peacefully.
This time, Xeno was in the front, with Rem and Ram beside him.
The silence was broken when Rem took the initiative to converse with Xeno.
Rem: "Those children seemed pretty fond of you." She asked curiously.
Ram: "They must have found you easy to push around."
Xeno: "Of course. I'm good with children. I easily won them over with my gentlemanly demeanor."
Ram didn't hesitate to take a jab at that.
Ram: "You, a gentleman? I didn't expect you were this deluded. I've seen ground dragons with better manners than you."
Xeno fully turned toward Ram, walking backwards.
Xeno: "I have better manners than you, that's for sure."
Ram: "Oh really? A true gentleman would have taken the burden off a maiden's hands by now."
Hook, line, and sinker.
This was Ram's real intention all along, and now Xeno had to carry her bag just to prove himself right.
Xeno: "That's low, even for you, Ram."
He said deadpan to the proud Ram.
"Sigh, you win this time, Ram. I'll—"
Xeno reached out his hand. Ram instantly sensed danger incoming, but it was too late.
Xeno gently ruffled her hair.
"Take pity on you and carry your load."
He quickly took the brown bag from her hands.
Ram stiffened. But not for long. She retaliated almost instantly, crushing Xeno's foot beneath hers.
"AAAAH! The heck's wrong with you!?"
He complained, jumping back on one foot.
Ram: "My apologies. I was merely crushing a bug."
Xeno: "Bug, my ass! You're just salty I got the last laugh."
They began to argue. Despite that, they didn't mean anything they said.
All the while, Rem giggled at the entire interaction.
...
By the time they reached the mansion, the sun had already set, and darkness began shrouding the surroundings.
Xeno was almost about to succeed. He had tried his best to be himself and pretend nothing was wrong, but he had to hurry before Meili escaped or did something.
Entering the mansion, they were interrupted by the sight of Roswaal coming out.
Roswaal: "Weeeell, well. I see the three of you are together."
Stepping outside, he could be fully seen, yet instead of his normal attire, he was wearing formal wear along with a top hat to boot. Though he still had his clown makeup on.
"That saves some time."
Upon seeing Roswaal, Rem and Ram bowed.
"Lord Roswaal." Both said in sync.
Xeno: "Since when did you have formal wear?"
Xeno didn't bow, instead commenting on Roswaal's clothes, as he didn't remember ever seeing those before.
Roswaal: "Why yes, I dooo, Xenophanes. I'm suuure you're wondering why, correct? You seeee, I'm visiting someone who's a hassle to appear before in my casual attire."
He replied, taking off his hat.
"So I'm forced to dress for the occasion."
Rem: "A visitor?" She guessed.
Ram: "Or are you going out?" She guessed.
Roswaal: "Ram is correct. I will be heading out. I received a message that's quite troubling, which means that I'm off to make rounds outside."
The three absorbed the information carefully. Different thoughts went through their minds.
Xeno was very confused by this series of events. Roswaal had never left the mansion in the previous loops. Why the sudden change?
You see, Xenophanes was a hardcore Undertale fan. It was because of being a hardcore fan that he knew the ins and outs of how timelines and butterfly effects worked.
He could confidently say his actions couldn't have caused such a butterfly effect. Something else must have happened.
Xeno: 'Gluttony compared RBD to the [RESET]. Could it be either he or the person he's meeting is experiencing déjà vu, hence the massive change?'
Xeno: 'Actually, why am I overthinking things? It'll be easier if I just use Gluttony on Ros.'
Speaking of Roswaal, the man put his top hat back on.
Roswaal: "I do not expect to be home tonight, Rem and Ram. Please take care of things in my absence."
"Yes, Lord Roswaal. As you command." The sisters replied.
Moving past them, Roswaal placed a hand on Xeno's shoulder.
"I'll be counting on you, Xenophanes." He ominously said.
Taking his chance, Xeno used Gluttony on Roswaal.
[Ass hat over here wants you to be strategic, competent, and used to stress at all times, so won't be helping you unless you almost fail.]
In that moment, Xeno muttered something only Roswaal could hear.
"Fuck you, Ros."
To which he only smiled, amused.
The magician slowly started to levitate and soar into the sky. From there, he boosted toward the northeast.
Upon entering the mansion, Xeno handed the groceries back to Ram. The two sisters went to sort the items out while Xeno beelined straight for the library.
Xeno: "..."
Xeno: 'Whatever. So what if he can't help? I still have the others. Alright, Xeno, you rehearsed this. Just act like yourself.'
He quickly reached the Forbidden Library and opened the door.
The familiar sight of a library came into view, along with the tsundere loli sitting on her stool.
Xeno: "Heya, Betty. Your favorite and only friend is here to spend time with you." He cheerfully said, coming closer to her.
Beatrice knitted her brows, annoyed by the sudden intrusion.
Beatrice: "Betty doesn't remember even being friends with—"
She paused as if sensing something. After a moment, she looked surprised.
Beatrice: "Traces... of a curse?"
Xenophanes stood in front of Beatrice and tilted his head, feigning confusion.
Beatrice: "You've been cursed, I suppose." She clarified.
Xeno: "...I'm sorry, what now? Cursed? No way." He asked, worried.
Beatrice: "Hmmm. You're taking this rather well."
Xeno slumped.
"Well, complaining won't do me any good. But Betty, can you please remove the curse?"
Beatrice: "..."
She didn't move.
Xeno: "Ummm, Betty?"
He could see it. She was hesitating.
But why?
Unknown to him, Beatrice's emotions were in turmoil.
Normally, if someone else had been in this situation, she wouldn't have cared enough to save their life.
But with Xeno, she wouldn't be able to make that choice.
Be it the kindness he had shown her, the time he spent with her, all the sweets he made for her every day, or even this strange feeling of trust she'd felt since meeting him.
She wouldn't—
No.
She couldn't bring herself to let Xenophanes die.
Beatrice: "Hmph, what a troublesome man you are, in fact."
She glanced away from him like a classic tsundere.
Getting up from her stool, she closed her eyes and extended her palm, which started to glow.
Xeno held out his hand and watched curiously as Beatrice removed the curse.
A black mist came out of Xeno's palm. Beatrice gripped the mist before making it disappear.
Beatrice: "There. Betty has removed the curse, so you're fine now, I suppose."
She placed her hands on her hips and looked at Xeno expectantly. Waiting for him to speak.
You see, Beatrice had developed that habit due to Xeno's constant sincere praise that bloated her ego whenever she did something cool.
Yet that praise never came.
Because when Beatrice looked into his eyes, all she saw was emptiness and a slowly dawning realization.
Beatrice: "What's with that look?"
She asked curiously and slightly disappointed.
Xeno: "Betty, the only person who could have cursed me was a puppy."
Beatrice: "A Wolgarm." She concluded immediately.
She was about to say something, but was interrupted when Xeno grabbed her shoulders and brought his face close to hers.
Beatrice: "W-What are you doing, I suppose!?" She said, flustered by the close proximity.
Xeno: "Beatrice, I need your help. I know this is sudden, but this is urgent."
He looked her directly in the eyes and spoke seriously and slight pleading.
"There's a Wolgarm in the nearby village. Worse, a little girl has been playing with it all day. I'm scared that it has cursed her as well. I need your help to remove the curse, Beatrice. Please."
She gazed into his red pupils, which sparkled like gemstones with tiny stars around them.
And Beatrice once again hesitated.
She should say no.
Why should she help?
But once again, the good memories they shared and that indescribable feeling of trust made her unable to satisfactorily deny him.
Beatrice: "...Fine! Betty will help you just this once. But she expects to be compensated sweetly for this. Now back away, I suppose!"
She exclaimed, embarrassed. Their closeness was feeling far too intimate for her liking.
Xeno brightened up immediately upon hearing that. He picked her up and spun her around joyfully.
Xeno: "Thank you, thank you, thank you! Betty, you're the best!"
Beatrice: "S-Stop it this instant, you insolent man!"
Xeno: "Alright, alright. In that case, let's get going then."
Xeno held Beatrice in one arm and dashed toward the door.
Beatrice: "W-Wait a minute, put Betty down first!"
But her words didn't reach Xeno as he tackled the door open, then slammed it shut and sprinted away in a hurry.
...
After hearing a loud door slam from the second floor, both Rem and Ram made their way from the kitchen to the main entrance and toward the stairway.
Until they saw Xeno, along with an embarrassed Beatrice in his arms, rushing down.
Ram: "Must you always be noisy? And here Ram was hoping for some peace and quiet."
Rem: "Lady Beatrice?"
Xeno: "Rem, Ram, bad news. There's a mabeast on the loose in Arlam, and it potentially bit a kid as well. We have to go now."
This put the two on high alert.
Ram: "Are you certain about this?"
Xeno: "Absolutely. Just ask Betty."
He used his free hand to point toward Beatrice.
Beatrice: "Hmph, he is right, I suppose. He was cursed by a Wolgarm."
She crossed her arms, still very much displeased about her current position.
Beatrice's words were all the confirmation they needed. Still, Ram found this situation suspicious.
Ram: "Wait a moment. This could be a ruse to target Lady Emilia. Specifically, with Lord Roswaal gone, it could be meant to lure us out."
Xeno: 'I mean, yeah. Meili was hired to cause chaos here.'
Xeno: "Well, in that case, you two hold down the fort. We're going to go deal with that Wolgarm."
After saying that, he propelled himself toward the door.
Rem: "Xeno! Wait—"
"I literally have a Great Spirit in my arms! I'll be fine!" he shouted to dispel their worries.
Ram: "Rem, I want you to accompany them."
"Sister?" Rem turned to Ram, confused.
Ram: "We can't allow anyone in the village to die. Otherwise, the village will hold Lord Roswaal accountable for any deaths due to his absence, so please, go with them. Just be careful."
Rem nodded and, after a bit of discussion, went after them.
A momentary silence overtook the place. One that was only broken when Emilia descended the stairs after hearing the commotion.
Emilia: "I heard a commotion, so I came down to check. What happened?"
Ram: "Lady Emilia, this is an urgent situation. But the others are going to try and get it sorted out."
Emilia: "How urgent?" she asked, worried.
Ram started to elaborate and explain the situation to her.
Emilia was cornered after hearing about it. She wished she could help them, but Ram shot down that possibility completely.
Emilia: 'Everyone, please be safe.'
She wished their safety instead.
...
By the time Xenophanes and the now-floating Beatrice made it to the village, it was fully night. It made it difficult to see, but they managed, and something was immediately wrong.
Multiple villagers were scattered around with torches, looking for something.
"Xeno! Lady Beatrice!"
The two turned around upon hearing their names and were surprised to find Rem approaching them.
Xeno: "Rem! What are you doing here?"
Standing in front of them, she replied—
Rem: "Sister sent me to help."
Villager: "Hey, did you guys say that you're here to help?"
A resident of the village had overheard their conversation, and once he recognized the two of them from the mansion, he went toward them.
Even though there was a floating little girl beside them, the villager chose to ignore that for now. He had more important things to worry about.
Rem: "Yes. That's correct."
Villager: "Oh, thank goodness... We don't know where all the children went, and all of us are trying to find them. Have you seen them anywhere?"
Xeno: "No, we just arrived. But don't worry, we'll find them. Tell me, where did you see them last?"
The villager nodded and quickly brought them to the children's last known location.
It was on the outskirts of Arlam. Beyond this point was the forest.
Xeno's pupils shifted into purple as he began looking around, trying to sense the children's envy. Even though it was small, it was still there.
His eyes landed on eight lanterns that illuminated an emerald-colored light. They were positioned on various trees.
However, one of them wasn't casting any light.
Beatrice: "The barrier is broken, I suppose."
Her words brought the attention of both Xeno and Rem to her.
"What!?"
Rem and Xeno exclaimed, though Xeno's was more confusion compared to Rem's shock.
Beatrice: "It means mabeasts can cross the barrier and freely enter the village, I suppose."
Xeno: "So that forest is a—"
Rem: "Mabeast breeding ground, yes."
Xeno: "Tsk. Alright, you two, let's go."
Rem and Beatrice were surprised by that.
Beatrice: "You want to go in there, I suppose? That forest is full of mabeasts."
Xeno ignored Beatrice's words. Instead he jumped to the other side of the fence, he turned toward the villager.
"You go gather some people to receive the kids."
Villager: "R-Right." He went to follow Xeno's instructions.
Rem: "Wait! There are mabeasts everywhere. It's too dangerous to go in there."
Xeno: "You think that's going to stop me? I can take care of myself just fine. I held back Elsa. What's a few Wolgarm?"
Beatrice: "I'd rather not have to say this, but it's pointless. You can't even be sure they're still alive, I suppose."
Rem: "Right. And Sister said this could be a ruse."
Xeno: "They're alive. I can sense them. But they won't be for long, so if you two aren't going to help, then just stay here while I bring them back."
His purple eyes stared back at them defiantly. Then four appendages manifested from his back. He turned away, saying one more thing before vanishing into the forest.
"I refuse to let them die no matter what."
...
Beatrice shook her head disapprovingly.
"He truly is reckless, risking his life like that. How troublesome, I suppose."
But still, she flew over the fence as well, intending to follow him.
Rem: "Lady Beatrice, do you also intend to go in there?" she asked, surprised by her actions.
"Betty made a promise, and she fully intends to keep it."
Just like that, Beatrice disappeared into the forest as well.
Rem: "..."
...
Running through the forest, Xeno kept his guard up in case any Wolgarm attacked. He tracked their envy, though it was difficult due to how small it was.
If a normal person's envy appeared as a dark purple aura surrounding them, then the children's was merely a small cluster around their chests.
But he pushed forward. His attention was cut off by the crushing of leaves behind him. He glanced back, his appendages at the ready.
Fortunately for him, it was two familiar faces.
Xeno: "So, you two came after all."
Beatrice flew to his left side, crossing her arms. Meanwhile, Rem caught up to his right, flail in hand.
"Someone had to make sure you didn't get yourself killed, I suppose."
"And Lord Roswaal instructed me to keep an eye on you," Rem commented right after.
Xeno merely shrugged with a smile.
"Hey, I'm not complaining. Now let's go find those kids."
Rem's inclusion truly did wonders. With her sense of smell, they were able to locate the children pretty quickly.
Going through the forest's exit, they ended up running along grassy hills beneath the moonlit sky.
Where they finally found them.
All of them looked to be unconscious. This caused a sense of worry to overtake them.
Xeno checked their breathing and let out a sigh of relief. They were alive. Weak, sure, but alive nonetheless.
Xeno: "Phew, they're alive."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Beatrice: "There's a curse on them as well. And with how shallow their breathing is, they wouldn't have lasted much longer, I suppose."
She softly landed on the ground before getting on her knees and dispelling the curses. While Beatrice did that, Rem used water magic to lessen their pain.
After making sure the children were safe, the two girls looked relieved.
This entire incident was strangely going well.
Beatrice turned toward Xeno. She expected him to be delighted by the news.
Yet he didn't look happy. In fact, he looked even more serious.
This obviously confused her a lot, and before she could ask him—
"M-Mister..."
The weak voice of Petra drew their attention toward her.
She was conscious, albeit barely.
"O-One... one... is st-still..."
She couldn't finish her words before falling unconscious again.
But the message still got through.
Rem: "Wait! Weren't there seven children present in the village?"
Xeno: "Meili. She's not here." He said seriously.
Beatrice: "The perpetrator must have taken her away to use as a trap, I suppose."
Rem nodded, completely agreeing with Beatrice's deduction.
But Xenophanes knew the truth. The perpetrator was Meili herself.
And honestly, this actually worked out in Xeno's favor.
'Heh. This is a good chance to catch her. I really don't want to hurt a child, but since you want to play so badly, then let's play.'
Xeno: "Alright, Betty. Take the children back to safety. Rem and I will go retrieve Meili."
The two ladies nodded. With that, they split up.
Rem once again used her sense of smell to locate Meili.
After ten minutes of searching, they found her lying in an open clearing, unconscious, breathing shallow.
Her placement and surroundings made it the most obvious trap imaginable.
Xeno placed a hand on Rem's shoulder, signaling her to stop. The blue oni glanced at him curiously, wondering if he had a plan.
Xeno: "I don't think I need to tell you this is a trap, but I've got a plan. You go trigger the trap and try to lure out the mastermind. I'll use the opportunity to sneak around them."
Rem narrowed her brows at the proposal.
There were many things wrong with that plan, but she pointed out the most obvious one.
Rem: "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but Xeno, you're terrible at hiding."
Xeno: "Urgh! W-Well, that's because I haven't been using my best stuff. Trust me, my stealth build is top tier. Just watch."
His pupils shifted from purple to red.
Xenophanes jumped backward, making a peace sign before disappearing into the darkness.
Rem's eyes widened.
She couldn't feel him anymore. She couldn't hear him anymore. Not even his miasma remained.
Rem: 'I guess I have to put a little trust in his plan then.'
With a sigh, she cautiously stepped into the clearing, her flail at the ready.
Seeing that the coast was clear for now, she knelt down to check on Meili.
Her suspicions only grew. She could feel it. There was nothing physically wrong with the girl, nor did she appear to be suffering from a curse.
Snap.
The sound of a twig breaking alerted her. Glancing around, Rem could feel the presence of Wolgarm all around her.
It didn't take long for them to attack.
A Wolgarm, a wolf-like creature, with red eyes, a line of spikes across its back and a single spiked horn on its snout. Leapt from the foliage and lunged at Rem.
Its attack was met with a flail to the face, blasting its head apart.
From there, multiple Wolgarm emerged and began attacking from all sides.
Which proved to be a terrible decision. Rem was a beast in battle.
With a single swing of her flail, she expertly killed three mabeasts. She then tilted her body to avoid another strike before kicking a Wolgarm in the ribs.
A sickening crack echoed through the clearing as the mabeast was sent flying into two others.
From there, she darted forward. Using her flail, she killed two more, uppercutting one into the air and tossing another onto its back before curb-stomping it's head to pieces.
As the battle raged on, she noticed that Meili was gone. Looks like she was the culprit all along.
Meanwhile, Meili hid behind a tree, watching as Rem decimated her Wolgarm.
She carefully gauged her opponent, searching for openings while measuring her stamina.
She contemplated what to do next.
It was at that moment that she heard a playful yet dangerous whisper in her ear.
"Peek-a-boo."
Meili didn't have time to react. A massive hand suddenly clutched her roughly.
She struggled to break free, but it was pointless. Its grip was simply too tight.
The hand moved, bringing her face-to-face with Xeno.
He wore a creepy smile, while his empty eye sockets bored directly into her.
"Finally got you, brat. No more games."
Meili: "Let me go!" She gritted her teeth and struggled.
Using her Divine Protection, she commanded the surrounding mabeasts to attack Xeno.
But his three now blade-like appendages sliced through them with ease.
Stepping out to help, Xeno used one of his tendrils to pierce three of them like a kebab.
His upper-left tendril, which had transformed into an arm, retracted behind him, holding Meili firmly in place.
Standing side by side with Rem, she glanced at the one responsible for this whole mess.
Xeno: "Alright, kid. Make them back off." He commanded Meili.
Meili: "Make me." In response, she challenged him.
Xeno sighed before tightening the hand's grip even further, causing her to almost scream.
She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain while the Wolgarm continued to attack them.
After seeing she wouldn't budge, he loosened his grip.
Rem: "Let's get out of here, Xeno."
...
Hence, a chase began.
Entire packs of Wolgarm attacked Xeno and Rem, trying to kill them or, at the very least, free Meili.
While the two ran at full speed. Well, at least Xeno was running at full speed.
Rem was slightly holding herself back while covering his rear.
Rem: "We're almost at the village. Once we cross the barrier, this battle—" Her words died out.
The reason why was simple.The puppy from before had revealed itself.
A yellow aura surrounded the puppy as the ground trembled violently.
It was earth magic. A landslide came crashing toward them faster than they could outrun it.
Rem didn't hesitate. She pushed Xenophanes out of the way.
Xeno's blank eyes stared in shock as Rem was hit directly.
The attack sent her flying through the air, and when she landed on a small hill, she rag-dolled across the ground.
When she finally came to a stop, she was injured and unconscious.
The Wolgarm immediately took advantage of this, rushing toward her.
"Get away from her!" Xeno shouted, sprinting toward Rem.
His eyes glowed purple, and his tendrils grew in length, sweeping toward the Wolgarm, slicing and stabbing them apart.
Upon getting closer, he noticed that Rem was slowly rising to her feet in an unsettling manner.
Xeno stopped a few feet away from her, feeling that something was off.
"Rem?"
There was no response. She stood perfectly still.
Then—
A horn emerged from the middle of her forehead, accompanied by a manic grin.
Power radiated from the horn.
She sprang toward her flail and grabbed it before savagely beginning to slaughter the Wolgarm.
"Mabeast! Mabeast! Mabeast!" She chanted continuously.
"What the—?"
Xeno watched in shock as Rem went to town on the mabeasts.
Meanwhile, one of his appendages sliced apart a Wolgarm that tried to take advantage of his distraction.
"That horn again. She's way stronger than before, but her fighting style..."
Xeno observed the way she killed the Wolgarm obsessively, as though she were acting purely on instinct.
Even though the power boost allowed her to cleave them to pieces, the massive downside was how reckless she had become.
She was taking hits she could have easily dodged.
Having had enough of this, Xeno used his tendrils to bind her while she was distracted.
He pulled her closer, letting her hang in the air while she struggled to break free.
With that, he planned to run while carrying her.
But Xeno had clearly underestimated Rem's newfound strength. She broke free with relative ease, destroying his tendrils.
She swung her flail at the closest target. That target being Xenophanes himself. He barely ducked the attack.
Not wanting the situation to go from bad to worse, he used Envy to pin her flail to the ground with a bone.
At the same time, he created cuffs that completely covered her hands, making it impossible for her to hold her weapon.
Rem, undeterred, lunged at him.
Planning to use the cuffs themselves as weapons. Xenophanes grabbed her wrists, trying to hold her back.
And just as Xenophanes feared, the situation became even worse. Multiple Wolgarm swarmed the two.
From Xeno's perspective, it was as though everything had slowed down.
He saw Rem overpowering him. He saw Wolgarm coming from almost every direction.
In that moment, Xeno made a choice that could very well cost him his life.
He kicked Rem away from the danger zone just as several Wolgarm pounced on him.
They bit into his flesh.
Chewed on his arms and leg.
Clawed at his eye.
Dug into his back.
Some of them even targeted all of his appendages, making sure they couldn't reform.
Perhaps it was seeing this scene that finally snapped Rem out of her state.
Her face twisted into horror.
Boom.
A pulse of dark purple knocked all of the Wolgarm into the air.
With a trembling leg, Xenophanes forced himself to stand straight.
He looked down at the stunned Rem.
With a smile, he asked—
"A-Are you alright, Rem?"
Rem felt her heart beat faster and faster at the sight.
He was bleeding from multiple places.
His singular eye looked at her.
His smile was forced, desperately trying not to scream from the agony he was in.
She could see it.
He was putting on a brave face just for her sake.
"Xeno, I—"
Rem spoke with a trembling voice, but—
Her words would never finish.
Tragedy struck.
Shatter.
In that moment, the hand that had been keeping Meili in place shattered to pieces after the previous Wolgarm had damaged it.
Meili wore a slightly sadistic smile. Pulling out a dagger, she struck the back of Xeno's neck.
The sharp blade sank into his flesh like butter.
Then, using her descent, she dragged it downward in his spine column.
Meili softly landed on the ground.
Xenophanes followed shortly after.
"XEEEENO!" Rem rushed toward him.
Taking her chance, Meili commanded the Wolgarm to attack while she attempted to escape.
Xeno lay on the ground, barely conscious. His pupils flickered in and out.
Creak.
The cuffs around Rem's arms creaked before breaking apart on their own.
"Al Huma." With her free hands, she cast magic.
Icicles shot forward and pierced the Wolgarm, killing them instantly.
She dropped to Xeno's level and desperately used water magic to patch him up.
Meanwhile, before his mind completely faded away, Xenophanes performed one final act.
His eye burned a brilliant purple.
A massive hand emerged and crushed the fleeing Meili into the ground, the earth slightly cracking beneath the impact.
The girl was knocked unconscious instantly.
With that, Xenophanes' eye turned blank. His mind went dark. As Rem desperately called out his name.