Having Perfect Me was a godsend when dealing with mind-controlling special abilities. It could instantly eliminate any after-effects, which could be quite dangerous. I hadn't even considered scenarios like this when I created Perfect Me.

To be honest, I always assumed I would be dead by now.

But this was an unexpected bonus, as the ability wasn't intentionally created for this purpose and didn't come with any drawbacks.

As I contemplated the situation, the waves crashed against the shore. I knew Avalon Island interfered with time, although I didn't fully understand the reasons behind it. It seemed connected to the barrier surrounding the known world.

Despite the weird timezones, individuals still arrived on their own timelines, not from the future or the past. There were also rules governing interactions between people from different times, but I would worry about that later.

The immediate problem was that two people had come from the future. While people couldn't travel from the future, corpses were different as they were technically 'objects'.

Did an undead also count as 'things' too and come out at different timelines? That sounds dangerous.

In the present, the fishermen were alive. Even if I wanted to alter their fate, they would inevitably end up where they were now, trapped in the time loop. Our mere existence was proof that the loop would continue.

Normally, meddling with time was beyond my power and incredibly foolish. But Avalon Island was a ticking time bomb, and it also presented opportunities.

My heart raced as the salty wind whipped against my face, and countless thoughts raced through my mind. Despite how far I had come, deep down, I was still the guy who entered this new and amazing world.

While I could plan calmly, the thought of willingly entering a place where time was distorted and a single mistake could have disastrous consequences sent a chill down my spine. Yet, I couldn't afford to stop moving.

One day, I hoped to rest and enjoy a carefree life, owning a private beach while worrying about trivial matters like whether to have sushi with or without caviar. But that time had not arrived, so I had to work hard to achieve that dream.

Interrupting my walk on the beach, the Kuro Clan Head asked, "Are you coming with us to investigate the fishermen?"

His face bore an indifferent expression, devoid of the emotions he had displayed in the boat.

Since when did I start associating with throat-cutters, thieves, and killers? And now, I was willingly walking alongside someone I would consider an enemy. I was heading straight into the lion's den and expecting him to follow for our mutual benefit.

The changes had happened so subtly that I hadn't noticed them unfolding. Yet, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as it was my adaptability that saved my life.

"Sure," I warned him, "just make sure you don't do something stupid like incinerate the present living fishermen, as that could lead to us becoming specks in existence."

"Of course," he nodded.

Normally, the Kuro Clan Head would never bring me along for something like this. However, he saw that I knew some of the rules involved, ones that no one else did.

It felt like we were playing chess against each other, and the loser would likely end up dead. Well, he would die if he lost. I wasn't 100% sure what plans the Kuro Clan Head had planned for me.

We gathered with a couple of other exorcists and traveled to a small nearby town to locate where the two fishermen lived. Surprisingly, it took little time to find someone, especially since this world didn't have computers yet.

It was just that special abilities made many technologies so obsolete that they never got a chance to develop.

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We stood atop the roofs of some houses in the slums, and even while hiding up there, I could smell the mud. The Kuro Clan Head stood beside me, while an Elite Exorcist knocked on the door of a wooden hut the size of a bedroom. The place looked ready to cave in.

The door creaked open, and a woman came out. Her hair was disheveled, and looked like she could barely afford the brown dress she had on. She had callused hands and dry red skin, showing she had no easy life. "Hello, how can I help you?"

As she asked that, a couple of kids ran behind her, playing tag. A young boy and girl. They couldn't have been older than six years old. Their cheeks were plump and pudgy as they laughed.

Any emotion that came up, I crushed down. There was no way I would intervene in this. Even if the decision was a cruel one, everything was already set in stone.

“Hello, ma'am, my name is Zots, and I am an elite exorcist in charge of a local case. We are here to check the blood of every fisherman, and I heard your husband was one." The elite exorcist smiled and seemed very natural. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, so he likely had a lot of experience dealing with things like this.

Without much trouble, the woman explained that her husband was by the docks during this time, washing his boat and planning the fishing trip next week, where they would be sleeping on the sea.

That was probably when they would die, and the Kuro Clan Head looked at me when that was mentioned. But when he saw I had no reaction, he nodded, and we moved on.

We still sneaked by the rooftops while the Elite Exorcist moved about and found the fishermen. It was surprising how much people trusted exorcists in this world. Although I guess anyone would trust someone who would fight demons and defend them.

The fishermen were on their boats, at the slum's docks. Their fishing vessel didn't have the moss the other had from the future. The two men smiled, with bottles of cheap beer in hand while making crude jokes.

They were simply living their lives, and the elite exorcist didn't even need to ask twice. They willingly offered their blood, which the exorcist collected in a syringe, happy to do so after the exorcist showed them a silver coin.

When we were out of town, we regrouped and met up with another exorcist. He performed about thirty hand signs and then slammed his hand on the ground. Ord flowed out of him, and a laboratory materialized.

"The blood of the two versions of the people, past and present, will be compared," said the man who summoned the lab. He seemed to be seeking my permission, and I nodded in response. He breathed a brief sigh of relief and continued.

After a few uncomfortable minutes of silence, he returned with a frown on his face. "There hasn't been any change in their DNA; they're exactly the same people. There's a possibility that they're clones, and someone went through a lot of trouble to deceive us, even preparing a fake boat."

"Or it could be time travel," added the exorcist who had collected the blood from the fishermen. He smoked a cigarette and glanced around, making eye contact with each of us. "How many people should we inform about this?"

As he asked that, his lips quivered while taking a puff, and his fingers shook slightly.

Judging by his age, he had lived the life of an exorcist for over a decade and knew the consequences that awaited someone like him.

“A secret between four people can only be kept if three of them are dead,” The Kuro Clan Head said.

I interjected. "Nobody is going to die. We need to inform some people about what happened here regardless. Something like this can't and shouldn't be kept a secret. What if whatever caused this is dangerous?"

The Kuro Clan Head narrowed his eyes when I mentioned that. His suspicious expression disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and he nodded. "Kon is right. If we started killing others here, it would only lead to more trouble for us. First, we need to determine if whatever is causing this isn't something that could wipe out humanity with a single blow."

Little did he know how accurate his statement was. While the events on Avalon Island were partly influenced by the creatures outside, the temporal anomaly was caused by the Dragon King.

From what I know, the Dragon King should be on par with Yamata No Orochi. However, when it came to the potential to eradicate humanity, the Dragon King surpassed any creature I was familiar with.

After all, with a mere thought, he could dismantle the barrier protecting the known world, allowing whatever horrors lay beyond to break through.

"After you finish drawing some blood from the bodies, package them up in coffins and send them to their families within a month," I said, shifting my gaze towards the man who was smoking. It was clear he wanted a way out from this mission, so I gave him one. "I will also arrange a monthly payment of one gold to each family. Take the time you need to set everything up. Can I trust you to handle it?"

"Yeah, absolutely, I'll take care of it," the man replied with a smile and a slight nod.

As we walked back to where we had left the boat, the Kuro Clan head pulled me aside and asked, "Kon, can I talk to you for a minute?"

I must admit, it made me a bit nervous. However, with the sea behind me and Carpy nearby, there was no reason to worry. Besides, the Kuro Clan Head didn't seem to have any hostile intentions, so I followed him. Once we were out of earshot, he looked at me and narrowed his eyes.

"Let's get straight to the point," he said, his face serious. "Are you from the future?"