[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
[You have leveled up!]
Ezra was back in the real world, holding the Dark Seal in his hands. It was a shiny black box reflecting his face.
Such a small thing.
Mist sprayed out of his eyepatch. Instantly, his wounds began to heal.
Thanks, Prise. He’d need the boost.
“One-Eye, what happened?” Charles said. “The thing exploded, and now you’re just… here?”
[Use the Dark Seal?]
Y/N
Ezra looked at everyone. Dorian was staring at the Dark Seal. Yuki and Pete were looking directly at him, concern in their eyes. Charles was watching as well, curiosity written on his face.
Ezra slipped the Dark Seal into his pocket. “I’m afraid that I’ll be taking this.”
Charles laughed.
“I didn’t know you were a comedian, One-Eye.” His eyes flashed. “Now seriously, hand over that box.”
Pete took a step back. “One-Eye, you’re just messing with us, right?”
Dorian raised an eyebrow and scooted to the side. “Yeah, I’m not about to get into the middle of all this.”
Yuki’s eyes seemed to flicker. “Please, don’t do anything stupid, One-Eye.”
Ezra scanned around himself. Some of the Otherworlders had moved to encircle him. Damn.
He didn’t want to just use the Dark Seal here.
He needed somewhere that was at least a little safe, in case the aftereffect left him crippled or something.
Ezra cracked his neck. Time to get to work.
He summoned Filamenta to his hand. Polymorphism activated, extending her out to the size of a long rapier.
Charles’s jaw dropped. “You’ve got to be KIDDING ME! EZRA!?”
[Thread Manipulation] and [Restrain] activated at the same time thanks to [Mind Partition]. A dozen threads burst out of the ground, wrapping everyone and preventing them from moving.
A flash of power erupted from Charles and the threads blew apart. His straight razor appeared in his left hand and he dashed toward Ezra.
Ezra dodged the first strike and stabbed forward with his needle-rapier. Charles knocked the strike away and ran in close toward Ezra.
Ezra dropped Filamenta and reached out to grapple Charles. There was a flash, and Charles avoided Ezra’s hands. He slashed out, cutting Ezra.
Ezra jumped back, disabling most of the power of the strike… but still.
1439/1500
Pete stood off to the side. His eyes flickered back and forth between Ezra and Charles as if trying to decide who to help.
“I knew it was you,” Charles said. “Even through that disguise. You barely tried to hide it!.”
Ezra shrugged. “I had bigger things on my mind.”
“Whatever. I’m taking back the Dark Seal, damn it!”
Ezra snorted.
“No you aren’t,” he said.
“Is that a bet?” Charles’s eyes glanced behind Ezra. “Now!”
Ezra had heard the people sneaking up on him ages ago. The threads were underneath the snow, waiting. One of the Otherworlders stepped on it, and he felt it flicker over his connection to them. He mentally raised the threads and wrapped them around his would-be attackers.
Ezra walked forward and slapped the straight razor out of Charles’s hands.
Charles dove at Ezra, only for him to dodge and punch his back, sending him flying into the ground.
Ezra looked around.
This was the group he’d been so scared of?
He began to walk off.
Pete rushed over. Ezra turned around sharply.
“Hey,” Pete said. “Um, good luck.”
They stood for a moment before Ezra nodded. “Good luck to you too, Pete.”
Yuki walked over as well. She bit the inside of her cheek before sighing. “I hope you don’t die, Ezra. Try to stay alive, okay?”
Charles pushed himself off the ground. “What are you guys doing!? We need to fight him—“
“Oh, shut your trap,” Dorian said. “He was holding back. I don’t feel like throwing our lives away on a suicide mission.”
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Charles’s hands twitched. “He… he was holding back?”
“Nobody’s dead,” Dorian said. “Do you really think that would’ve happened if he went all out?
Charles looked at the ground.
Ezra looked back at Yuki. “I hope you stay alive too. Best of luck.”
He turned around and walked into the forest.
----------------------------------------
Where was he going? He wasn’t sure. He walked on and on, to the cold north.
After a few hours, he pulled out the Dark Seal.
[Use the Dark Seal?]
Y/N
This was his last chance to back out. No one would know. Filamenta would likely never awaken again, and she didn’t even want him to do it.
The consequences would be severe. He’d be on track to become a servant of the Demon Lord. Was it a wise decision?
No, it wasn’t. That’s why Filamenta was against it.
He looked up at the sky. It’d begun to snow.
…
A long time ago, it’d been snowing just like this. His father had been busy, as he always was, while his mother was in the kitchen.
Father was a gun enthusiast. He usually kept them locked up in a vault.
Except for one. An antique revolver. It didn’t work, anyway, right?
So Ezra had snuck in and taken it.
He didn’t know if he pulled the trigger or if she did.
But she was dead, and it was his fault.
Father managed to avoid a conviction, somehow. The whole thing was swept under the rug.
Mother didn’t forget. She left, taking Ezra with her.
Deep down, Ezra knew, though.
She blamed him.
And why not? He blamed himself. It was his fault, no matter how much he tried to convince himself.
A snowflake touched Ezra’s cheek and turned to water. He usually didn’t think about that whole… event. He tried to bury it deep, deep inside where no one—including himself—could see it.
And Filamenta had dragged it out into the open.
Not only that, but she’d found out about it by prying into his brain. It was an enormous breach of privacy.
He smiled dryly.
She did it because she cared.
“What the hell am I supposed to say to that?” he said.
Filamenta had gone above and beyond to protect him. It was about time he repaid the favor.
Y/N
His finger reached out.
Y
The system window shattered in front of his eyes. The Dark Seal floated into the air. Ezra watched closely. It spun around in circles, increasing in speed. Sparks of electricity crackled from the center.
A purple blast of magic exploded from the middle of the cube, and Ezra knew no more.
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They rushed back to the guild as quickly as possible. They had an obligation to report the truth to the Crown.
Pete sighed. This whole thing was a disaster. He hadn’t expected that One-Eye—Ezra, he meant—would steal the Dark Seal like that.
He walked outside and sat on the porch of the building and summoned his bow to his hand.
Pete looked it over.
He still couldn’t believe he’d named it Buttermilk…
Behind him, he heard someone walk out. The person sat beside him.
“Yuki,” he said. “How are you holding up?”
“Surprisingly good.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I feel like I got the closure I needed from the whole thing.”
Pete hummed. “That makes sense.”
They sat in silence for several minutes.
“I’m really tired of all this, you know,” Pete said. “People talk about going on adventures, they don’t talk about how exhausted it makes you. We’ve been through so much, and I’m just… tired.”
Yuki turned to him and gave a weary smile. “But we’re not even close to the end.”
“I know, but I wish it was over.”
Snow fell from the sky.
“I wonder if Ezra’s okay,” she said. “He’s using something that he really shouldn’t.”
“He’ll probably be fine. That guy’s more made of solid iron than flesh at this point.”
She swung her legs back and forth. “Still... I wonder why he went to such lengths.”
“Didn’t he say something about defeating the Demon Lord on his own terms?” Pete said.
Yuki put her finger to her chin.
“I don’t buy it,” she said. “There was a desperation about him. It reminded me more of someone trying to protect their loved ones, rather than some silly power fantasy of revenge.”
“Did Ezra have any loved ones?” Pete said.
Yuki chuckled dryly. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“Maybe we’ll meet this mysterious person one day.”
“Maybe.”
The stars were coming out.
It was a quiet night.
Then Pete heard something.
A voice.
“Pete…!” it said.
Pete looked around.
Was it just his imagination?
“Pete!”
Pete stiffened. Where was it coming from?
“PETE!” The voice was crystal clear now. “Your faithful servant, Buttermilk, greets you!”
Pete stood to his feet and looked from left to right. “Who’s there!”
Beside him, Yuki started.
“S-Sakura?” she said. “Who’s that?!”
Pete’s bow began to glow in his hand. “You don’t remember your humble servant’s name? My lord, please, treat me with some respect!”
“What the hell!?” he said. “What are you even talking about!?”
Yuki’s staff appeared in her hand. She jumped back, letting it fall over. “I didn’t do that!”
A moment later, something rather odd began to happen.
Pete’s bow glowed bright white. Yuki’s staff did the same. The colors began to shift and change into that of animals. For Pete’s bow, it started to change into a bird. For Yuki’s staff, it transformed into a horse.
The light went away.
The bird—a hawk—flapped its wings and soared around in a quick circle, heading for Pete. Pete instinctively held his arm up to block.
It slowed down and landed on the arm with surprising grace.
“Greetings, my lord!” the hawk said. “I’m most pleased to see you with physical eyes, rather than the false, spiritual ones I had before.”
Pete blinked. “What.”
“You see, my lord, I’ve been watching for some time now, and I’ve seen your deficiencies. You must be more noble! But do not fear, I shall teach you the ways of knightly valor.”
“What.”
Beside him, Yuki wasn’t having a fun time either. The horse—Sakura?—was chatting away about the color of Yuki’s hair while all she could do was nod up and down.
Glass shattered on the second story above them and a dog jumped out, landing in the snow.
“Why would you do that!?” Steve said. “What the hell is happening!?”
Pete stood up, Buttermilk still on his arm. He opened the door to the tavern building and looked in.
Dorian was standing with a cat in her arms and a grin on her face. Charles had an owl on top of his head. It reached down and picked at his hair.
“I think,” Charles said. “We have much to discuss.”
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When Ezra awoke, sweat covered his body from top to bottom. He groaned and ripped his Chimera cloak off.
The sun beat down relentlessly on his skin. He opened his eyes and looked around.
Sand for miles.
“Map.”
It didn’t work.
He sighed and pushed himself to a seated position. Where the hell was he? In the distance, he spotted what looked like a town.
A feminine groan caught his attention. He turned to the left to see a woman.
Black hair, white skin, elaborate clothes.
Oh god.
No.
Please no. She was supposed to just be a voice in his head. She’d be so much more irritating this way.
She blinked her eyes awake, and they were of pure gold.
Goosebumps traveled up his skin.
“Ezra?” She pushed herself up and stretched out. “What’s happening—“
She froze. She brought her hands back to her body and patted her stomach. Her head swiveled mechanically.
"Ezra," she said, her voice laced with a note of panicked confusion. "What in the nine hells is going on? Why am I-" she paused, glancing down at her hands in alarm. "Why do I have hands?"
Ezra opened and closed his mouth a few times, struggling to formulate a coherent response. "I-I have no idea.”
“Ezra,” she said. “Can you please explain why I’m a human? In the real world? With flesh and blood? Because that’s not supposed to be happening!”
Ezra opened his mouth, then shut it, then opened it again.
“Uh. Nope. I have no clue,” he said.
Filamenta’s eyes sharpened to pinpricks.
“You used the Dark Seal, didn’t you?” she said. “Ezra, what have you done!?” She looked up at the ground, an empty expression in her eyes. “I need to take a piss. I can’t remember the last time I needed to do that. This is all your fault.”
Ezra pinched the bridge of his nose.
He could already tell this would be a long day.