"Then, now that introductions are out of the way, I say we start this chapter off with a bit of infodump!" Elegy proudly exclaimed.

"Infodump?" I tilted my head.

"An infodump is a literary term that essentially aims to give the readers answers to some of the more prevalent questions in the story." He continued, "Thus, tell me where you got your pants."

"Is it really such an important matter!?" I felt my Eyes popping out for a second, "Geez, look—I have no clue. I woke up with them on."

"Right, but you had a top on as well." He continued interrogating, "I don't get it, wearing only one article of clothing actually makes you look more naked, so why would you...?"

"I had my reasons!" I folded my arms with a pout.

Well, I'm not exactly lying. Though, I don't think it'd be appropriate to share with these guys what that "reason" is. Right, stating "I had a map doodled on my chest and had to show it to some guy in a shady shed" would probably freak them out. That, or they'd think I'm some kind of easy woman.

"Wait, that makes no sense!" I slammed my foot on the ground, "What's there to be "easy" about, even!? We have no private parts!"

"She's talking to herself..." Hate muttered.

"Don't worry about it, my apprentice." Elegy smirked, "People sometimes do that for the sake of adding flavor to the dialogue. In actuality, she's just continuing an inner thought aloud."

"Ahhh, okay!" Hate nodded along, "...Dumbass!"

"No, not like that..." Elegy winced, "You have to let the readers read your inner thoughts."

Like this, see?

"...I don't get it." Hate could only sulk in response to Elegy's sudden silence.

"Okay, you've gotten your oh so important answer regarding my clothes, so move along now." I walked past them, "I wanna go back to my home and sleep."

"Wait, a-actually...!" Hate grabbed my shoulder to spin me back towards them, but quickly realized he used too much force, "S-Sorry! I don't know my own strength with these!"

"Wah~" I felt dizzy for a bit before giving a wavy thumbs up, "Ish guud..."

"Ignoring my friend's overbearing strength, we wanted to ask you to join us in our investigation." Elegy said with a conniving smile.

"Is Heaven just filled with detectives or something?" I groaned, "No! I'm going back to my comfy bed to have a good cat nap and forget about all of this!"

"Sleep is for the weak, don't you wanna help our poor friend Hate find a way back to the human realm?" He gave a dumb sob story, "When we first met, he was super scared of the people around him. Absolutely wreaking havoc upon the people here."

"Ahem, I think you've told that part already..." Hate lightly nudged him to stop talking, which of course sent Elegy barreling towards one of the houses around us, "Oops."

"Ugh... Just for that, I'm gonna add that you kept whining about how the big bad and scary White Monster made you piss your pants!" Elegy shot back from the crumpling wall.

"I did not!" Hate whimpered before turning to me, "Believe me, I don't even have pants to piss in!"

"Oh, I know." I smirked, "Ah, but now that you mention it, I'd be scared of the White Monster too."

The White Monster, Vastoria explained it to Throne and me when we were in her living room. A being that most resembles a goat skull that makes everyone that sees it go to sleep, forcefully ending their cycle. Said person's face contorts to mimic its own, so whoever comes across the body will have the same happen to them as well. If I woke up thinking I'm surrounded by such monstrosities, I'd be fighting for my life too. But how does Hate know about them, exactly...?

"...You guys do know it's a real thing, right?" I asked, "The White Monster, that is."

"Get outta here!" Elegy sprung up from the rubble with a hardy laugh.

Hoo, boy... Explaining all this to them was a hassle, but it was important to give them a heads up just in case. Besides, Hate doesn't deserve all the flac he's been getting from Elegy, so I at least wanna help with what little info I can provide. The way they took the info, much like their personalities, differed a lot.

"Whoa, new info! Awesome, thanks lady!" Elegy tried giving me a hug, but I was quick to dodge it.

"Oh Gods, no...!" Hate, on the other hand, was practically ripping his hair out, "S-So you're telling me our time here is limited!? W-We'll be sent back to the beginning forever and ever!?"

"That's what the seraphim told me." I shrugged, "By the way, those were the two that were flying over us just a few moments ago."

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"Whoa, you're like an information fountain!" Elegy kept hyping me up, "I wanna drink you dry! Ah wait, yeah I heard that one... Oof, scratch that."

"Dude, shut up for a second!" Hate was having a panic attack, "Don't you get what this means!? There's no way I'll ever be able to find a way to bring myself back to life unless there's a way to do it in less than 24 hours! I'm finished, it's over before it even started!"

Boohoo, who cares? You're already dead anyways, so what were you hoping for? Reincarnation, getting sent back to the moment of your passing? If it's the former, then what's the point if you won't even retain any memories of either your previous life or this one up in the afterlife? And if it's the latter, then what if you get sent back, only to find yourself in a casket buried deep underground? No one's gonna be there to hear the bell, y'know?

"Less than 24 hours..." Elegy too seemed demotivated, "But... there's gotta be some way."

...Oh, geez! Stop giving me the puppy dog Eyes, you damned manipulators! Fine, I'll help, but don't expect this to bear any fruit! After all, we have like, what, 6 hours left?

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***

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"First thing's first!" I commanded, "The rules! Number one, no backtalk!"

"But what if-" Elegy raised his hand.

"Shut up!" Hate hastily shut his mouth, "The leader is speaking!"

"Thank you, private! Gold star for you!" I pointed with a thumbs up.

"Mph! Sthmhbt!" Elegy barely freed himself, "What the hell, aren't you MY apprentice!?"

"Only in fourth wall breaking." He shrugged, "She's the leader of our group though, since she knows the most."

"You sure there aren't any emotions mixed in there?" Elegy glared back at him.

"Well, she did also loudly start explaining the rules..." Hate timidly twiddled his thumbs, "Usually the main character is the only one that does that, right?"

"...Good point!" Elegy begrudgingly handed it to him, "Gold star!"

"Awesome, you guys are really good role models!" Hate smiled like a kid being given candy for the first time ever.

"Whatever, now where was I? Ah yes, rule number two!" I raised two fingers, "Do as I say, not as I do!"

"Eh? Wait, really?" Hate cocked his head back.

"Ahem?" I raised an Eyebrow.

"...O-Oh yeah, doy! Rule one!" He shut back up.

"Good boy." I nodded.

"Hehe~"

This childish naivety is quite refreshing, I must say! Coming from a muscular man also makes it quite the funny gap. We don't have much time at all, so people who ask too many questions and don't listen to absolute orders are really tough to work with. Though I may sound unserious, we really are cutting it close if we wanna survive this without ever seeing the White Monster. We've got no time to waste.

"To finish it off, rule 3." I raised the third finger before rushing off into a sprint, "Catch up to Throne and Vastoria! Got it!? Go go go!"

"Whuh-Hold up, who are...!?" Elegy yelped.

"Rule number one, dumbass!" Hate retorted.

"Gah, shut up, I wasn't talking back!" Elegy shot a glare before climbing on his back, "This was just a question, know the difference! Gods, do you want me to take away your gold star, apprentice!?"

"Anything but that!" He whimpered.

"Then hot foot it towards that direction!" Elegy commanded.

"On it, excuse me, leader!" He quickly caught up to me, eventually scooping me off my feet as he carried both of us like the trooper that he is, "Now, where to!?"

"Ah, this works. I've been getting carried a lot today..." I remarked, "Anyways, Throne and Vastoria are the two seraphim I mentioned earlier. They're headed towards the Gods' Abode, which is apparently a very important place."

"Ooh, I'd wager if there's any way to bring us back to life, then it's gotta be that!" Elegy grinned, "Talk to the big bosses themselves! Hell yeah, they better not have forgotten about me!"

"You've met them before?" I glanced back.

"Heh, don't freak out too much." He proudly pointed to himself, "But you're looking at the first male angel in Heaven 2.0!"

"Yeah, he mentioned that to me as well." Hate grumped, "I don't believe it for a second. Anyone who'd make that claim is dead stupid-"

"Eh? Wait, you're that guy I met before?" I jolted before pointing to myself, "Well I'm the first girl in Heaven 2.0 as well!"

"Whoa~! That's so cool, miss!" Hate sang a song of praise for me.

"No one likes a bootlicker, apprentice..." Elegy pouted.

"You too, Elegy!" He turned back, "The only reason I didn't believe you was because you were the only one saying it, but now that there're two separate people, I can admit I was wrong!"

"...Gold star, apprentice."

"Hell yeah!"

Okay, these two's comedy act aside, isn't this super important info? This guy, whose guts I previously hated to no end, is one of the two men that were in the sky overlooking Heaven 2.0. Yes, before we got our gilded parts. Makes sense I couldn't recognize them, since even now those are the only ways to distinguish between two angels, barring our initials. But then, who exactly is Elegy? And the other guy, who is he...?

"But why would the Gods choose you two?" Hate pondered.

"Maybe 'cause we're awesome and super cool and perfect beings without flaws?" Elegy surmised.

"I can name ten thousand flaws about you off the top of my head." I shot back.

"I only need one to deal equal damage." He smugly replied.

"And that would be?" I suddenly felt something touch my back, "Eep! Don't do that!"

"I only have scratch marks and a pinkie." He looked all smug as he said, "You have a whole spine to look out for. Trust me, you don't wanna start this."

"L-Leader, quit squirming around." Hate bashfully reminded us, "Both my arms are pure gold, so carrying you is already ticklish enough for me. But with you moving about, well..."

"On second thought, I'm running the rest of the way there." I immediately hopped off.

"Aw, what? No way, now I just look like the jackass that's abusing his apprentice!" Elegy demanded, "Dammit. Hate, I'm getting off as well."

"I don't mind carrying you guys if you get tired, just stop fighting while I'm doing it." He pleaded.

"Nah, no way that's happening." I groaned, "This guy flashed me before we had our privates removed, so I'm absolutely gonna make his life here his own personal Hell!"

"You did the same, lady." Elegy sighed, "Ah, Somber too."

...Somber?

"What?" He glanced back after that, "You know Somber, right? The guy that was with us?"

"You've met him after that?" I furrowed my brows, "No wait, he named himself Somber? That's such a cool name!"

Cool name or not, why the hell isn't this Somber guy with them? If you already found out each other's identities, then why in the world aren't you sticking together!? Ugh, we'll talk about that later. For now, we just gotta keep running. Time is ticking!