Sunwalley was a city of opportunities, freedom, blood, violence, and tears. I got to experience most of that during just the first few days there. I had the opportunity to find the gem, to buy it, yet I failed. I had the freedom to go anywhere and do anything, but whatever I'd do, Jack could ruin it at the very next moment. There was a target on my back. My friend's killer was in the town and he was more than capable enough to kill anything and anyone that would come closer to him. Violence was everywhere. If I made anyone angry, they wouldn't hesitate to bury me alive. And tears... That was the only thing I didn't have up until this point. I was sitting next to the entrance to the mixed goods store. My crying was silent and with my head hidden in my arms, nobody could see the streams of liquid running down my face. I hoped that somebody would show empathy. That one of the bystanders would come to me and ask me what was wrong. But this was Sunwalley. People here didn't care. After a few days, they would try poking me to see if I was still alive, and if I wasn't, they'd just leave me there until my corpse would start to smell. The reality of this place disgusted me.

After a while, when I somehow pushed through the first rush of depression, I wanted to return to my hotel room, but as I reached the lobby, I saw Jack's men installing "fresh water" into my apartment. According to one of the workers, the place would be uninhabitable for the next 2-3 days. When I asked the receptionist for a different room, she showed me the hanging rack with keys. It was completely empty.

"How is that possible? People rarely stay in this place, no offense," I asked the woman behind the counter.

"That Jack fella bought all the rooms for the next two weeks. He's most likely expectin' some hella' important visitors."

I slammed my fist against the wall in pure anger. Everywhere I went, Jack had already been there. His "traps" were set, and I've been stepping in every single one of them. Prices at the bar were doubled for me, I had no place to stay, no other source of water or anything drinkable AND, on top of that, he snatched my goal right in front of my face. That made me incredibly furious. In that wave of rage, I didn't control my strength. My fist went right through the old wooden wall. As it cracked under the force, all eyes landed on me. That finally snapped the negative emotions out of my head.

"Oh... I... I'm sorry. I'll pay you for the repairs." That didn't change anything. Everyone stayed there as if they were frozen, staring right over my shoulder. "Are you... really that angry?" I asked cautiously. Everyone here was dangerous, even the lady behind the counter and the workers in the lobby. If I made any one of them furious, they would just kill me on sight.

One of the workers raised their hand, pointing at the wall but still staying silent. Only now did I look at the damage I've caused. It was no tiny hole. My fist made a solid piece of wood crumble to the floor, revealing a hidden stash. That was a surprise even for me. When I wrote the story, I made lots of hidden caches like these, but none of them was in the hotel lobby. However, the damage wasn't the thing that made everyone, including me, freeze solid in place. What caught out attention was the content of the stash. There was a silver revolver in there with beautiful flowery carvings on its handle. I recognized that gun, but its existence didn't make any sense.

In the story of Sunwalley, there once was a powerful woman. She was known as Elizabeth the Silver Rider. What made her known throughout the entire area were her skills with a revolver. Nobody ever managed to win against her in a duel. And everywhere she went, she carried with her a gun made of silver and miracles. It was said that the weapon never had to be reloaded. Its magazine was endless. That also made the Silver Rider known throughout the entire city as someone who can decimate hordes of bandits without breaking a sweat. No legend can be written forever though. Eventually, somebody did manage to kill her. She grew old and her skills deteriorated as she aged past sixty years old. But up until then, she was still active and feared.

The person who killed her, however, feared the power of her revolver. They thought that such a power shouldn't exist. And so, this "cheat gun" was thrown into the burning flames of a local forge. The silver was melted and put into several special bullets. Then the killer sold them, each to a different person, to make sure such a terrifying weapon would never return. That was why I felt so shocked when I saw it. That thing, in the wall, was her gun. I cautiously picked it up. It was surprisingly lightweight and fit my hand perfectly. Nobody could believe what just happened.

Only one explanation arose in my head - the divine creativity. I got angry and wanted to kill Jack just before I found this. I made a wish and this world answered. Finally, I started to realize what this power was all about. It needed emotions as a spark. Rather than on logic, it was based on feelings.

To seem like an absolute badass and the coolest gunslinger ever, I waved my weapon around the place. "Tell anyone anything about what happened here..." I threw thirty gold pieces onto the counter as a form of compensation. "...and you'll truly regret it." After that, I placed my weapon into the holster I still had around my waist. "Did I make myself clear?" Everyone inside the room nodded. "Good." I pulled the Stetson more into my face and walked out of the hotel. Jack might be powerful, but that doesn't mean I can't fight back. It was clear that he also possessed divine creativity, which made him able to predict my movements and control what would happen, but two can play that game. It was a battlefield of creativity and I was eager to win.

I stepped into the bar. This time, however, I didn't walk in carefully. No, that didn't suit me. Instead, I threw the door wide open as I walked in. All eyes turned to me and I could see some of the gunslingers and brawlers getting ready to stand up. In my head, I tried to picture Jack. I hated that man. Despised him. He made me suffer, made fool of me, and killed my friend. I let all that anger bubble inside me up to the point of a furious breakdown.

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*There will be a knife at the table to my left.

And there was one. I grabbed it without a moment to think.

*Jack's portrait will be hanging there on the wall.

And it was. There, right across the whole room, was a big painting of him. It appeared suddenly, yet it was always there.

*I'll land the perfect throw right between the eyes of that motherfucker.

And I did. As I threw the knife across the room, all eyes were watching. It flipped several times in the air and finally hit Jack's portrait right on the forehead. The bar stayed silent.

"The next person that stands up will catch one just like that!" I shouted across the room. Nobody dared to make a move. I took a seat at the bar and slapped the counter twice.

"Misha, two drinks!" I pointed to the menu and threw four gold coins onto the table. She didn't say a word. Her mouth was wide open in awe and it seemed like she didn't even care about the fly that flew inside it. "Come on Mish, make it snappy!" That finally woke her up from her trance.

"R-Right. On it." She brought me my drinks. I was so thirsty I drank them both in the blink of an eye. "Ahh, thanks Mish, I needed that." I turned around to the rest of the saloon. They still couldn't take their eyes off me. I smiled slightly to let them know that I'm satisfied with their peacefulness and went outside again. There was no time to cry over the spilled milk. I had a magical gem to find. It was clear that Jack would take it to his factory. That's where I had to go. I knew where it was and how to get there, plus I had the revolver of Elizabeth the Silver Rider. Tables have finally turned and all the cards in my hands were looking good. At least for now, I was the one winning.

But there was one tiny problem with my plan. My divine creativity was linked to my emotions. The fact that I felt hopeless and lost, made it manifest in such a powerful form. Now that I got my spark back, it all subsided again, and I had to learn that the hard way. Jack's water plant was meant to lie in the desert east of Sunwalley. As far as I knew, it could've been guarded by any number of people but that didn't take away my confidence. If I could throw a knife at a painting with pinpoint accuracy, I was surely going to be able to shoot a gun. But just to be sure that I'll be able to handle any real combat, I decided to practice on some cactuses at the edge of the desert. Several gunshots pierced the air but none of them managed to hit the mark. I counted seventeen bullets before I gave up. I tried imagining Jack's face again and remember the hatred I felt towards him, but it was significantly weaker than right after the incident in the mixed goods store. I felt lost again. Was anger really the only way I could use my abilities?

*Splash!

I didn't even know what happened at first. The cactus in front of me just exploded as a strange glowing bullet hit it. The shot came from behind me. I turned around and froze. The Gunslinger was standing there, at the edge of the city, at least a good ten meters further away from my target and yet still he managed to hit it on the first try. But there was something wrong going on. Jack was standing beside him, leaning against his cane. His face was decorated with a frown that couldn't mean anything good.

But despite having me in clear sight and within the range of his minion's revolver, the bastard still chose talking, over violence. They both walked up to me. I was scared more than ever before. When your sworn enemy who's been making your life a living hell decides to confront you directly, you know something bad is about to go down. Especially if he had a companion that apparently can't miss a shot. But despite my fear, I decided to walk towards them as well. An expression of pure stoic calmness painted itself on my face. I wanted to let Jack know that he can't just pull the strings like that. It was time to fight back. Hopefully, without the use of those guns.

"Eddie... You have been busy." Jack sounded different. His cool attitude finally changed. "That thing in your hand, is that the infinite revolver of Elizabeth the Silver Rider? According to your story, the bandit who found it melted it to sell the silver on the market, not knowing what a waste of a great magical artifact that was." He pointed to the gun I was holding.

"Tell me then, if such a weapon was destroyed as you claim, then how the fuck did you obtain it?"

"None of your business," I replied, trying awfully hard for my voice not to shake.

"Oh, but it is. You see, it took Ifrit a lot of power to create this." He pointed to the gun The Gunslinger was holding.

"This thing has an infinite magazine as well, but it took some of his divine creativity to manufacture. Just because we couldn't find the damn thing you're now holding."

"Well, you can't have this one," I told them, tightening my grip on the gun.

"Funny. I could shoot you right now and just take it. What prevents me from doin' that?" The gunslinger finally spoke. His voice carried so much weight behind it that I could swear it shook the sand around us.

"Maybe the fact that the Council of Deaths is watching over me? You might kill me, but they will be ready to take your soul in return."

Jack started laughing. It was that kind of laugh the main villain makes only when their plan is going perfectly as expected. When he stopped, he pulled out his pocket watch and looked at the time.

"Tell me, Mr. Wright, do you see that bird over there?" He pointed to the sky. I didn't trust him one bit, but I still slowly turned around. There, under the clouds, was indeed a bird. I couldn't identify what kind it was, but that wasn't important. What mattered was the fact that it wasn't moving. No matter whether you're a genius or not, you know that birds can't just freeze mid-air. I turned around again, looking at Jack. My calm expression was gone, and I didn't even realize it.

"Deaths can't save you." He closed his pocket watch and the animal began moving once again. "But I don't want to kill you. When this world burns, all of us will make it better. We don't need you for that. So, I'm giving you this chance." He threw a tiny amulet at me. I almost didn't manage to catch it. "It's a one-use teleporter. Pick a world of yours, go there, and stay there till everything burns away. This is the final warning I'll give you. Walk away from this conflict and you can live a happy life."

And with that, they turned on their heels and walked back into the city. I waited for them to be gone from my sight and looked at the amulet. Living anywhere... It was true that some of my worlds offered a rather lovely place to stay. But this wasn't right. I didn't want to throw my life away like this. Not for a person like him. I couldn't do that to those I created. These were my worlds. Nobody should be allowed to destroy them but myself. And so, I turned around and headed toward the water plant.

*Let's go get our gem back!