Chapter 101 — After the Door
Three days had passed since Shinokuni-01 nearly fell.
The city was still standing.
Barely.
Smoke drifted between damaged buildings. Soldiers worked along the southern Wall, replacing sections that had been shattered during the attack.
There were no celebrations.
No speeches.
People were simply trying to put their lives back together.
Brook stood on the highest section of the Wall.
Below him, workers carried stone through the streets.
He watched them for a while.
Then he looked beyond the Wall.
The world outside was enormous.
And for the first time, Shinokuni-01 didn't feel like the whole world.
It felt like a small piece of it.
Footsteps approached.
Henry stopped beside him.
"You've been up here for hours."
Brook didn't look at him.
"I know."
"You planning on coming down?"
"Eventually."
Henry leaned against the Wall.
"Kael used to hate heights."
Brook smiled faintly.
"He hated anything that made him look down."
Henry laughed.
"Yeah."
The smile disappeared.
Neither spoke for a moment.
Then Henry looked at him.
"You okay?"
Brook thought about it.
"No."
Henry nodded.
"Fair."
Brook looked beyond the Wall again.
"I keep thinking about Elias."
Henry's expression hardened.
"You shouldn't."
"Why?"
"Because that's what he wants."
Brook looked at him.
"You think he wants us thinking about him?"
Henry nodded.
"Everywhere we look."
Brook considered that.
Then he smiled slightly.
"He's going to be disappointed."
Henry frowned.
"Why?"
"I'm not thinking about him."
Brook looked toward the horizon.
"I'm thinking about what's next."
Inside Xcution's headquarters, Crowley stood over a table covered with maps.
Sera was studying a collection of damaged documents.
Henry entered first.
"Brook's coming."
Crowley nodded.
"Good."
Brook walked in.
"What did you find?"
Crowley didn't answer immediately.
He moved one of the maps toward Brook.
"This was recovered from the underground prison."
Brook looked at it.
It showed Shinokuni-01.
Then the surrounding territories.
Then—
nothing.
A huge section of the world had been deliberately erased.
Brook frowned.
"What's this?"
Crowley pointed toward the blank space.
"That's the problem."
Sera looked up from her documents.
"There's supposed to be something there."
Brook looked at her.
"How do you know?"
"Because the writing doesn't line up."
She turned the document around.
"Look."
Brook leaned closer.
Ancient symbols ran across the page.
Some were damaged.
Some were missing.
But one word remained.
REMUS.
Brook stared.
"What's that?"
Crowley answered:
"We don't know."
Henry looked at him.
"You just said it was supposed to be there."
"I said something was."
Brook looked toward Crowley.
"Then how do we find it?"
Crowley pointed toward another symbol.
A circle divided into twelve sections.
"This."
Brook recognized it.
"The twelve."
Crowley nodded.
"The protected places."
Sera placed another document on the table.
"This was hidden beneath the prison."
Brook looked down.
It showed twelve symbols.
Only one had been identified.
Shinokuni-01.
The others were unknown.
Brook's eyes moved to the second symbol.
Beside it was a word.
REMUS.
He stared.
"There's another civilization."
Crowley nodded.
"Apparently."
Henry looked confused.
"Like another Shinokuni?"
Crowley shook his head.
"No."
He looked at Brook.
"Something else."
Brook studied the map.
"How did nobody know?"
Crowley leaned against the table.
"Maybe they did."
"Who?"
"The people who built the Walls."
Sera looked at the documents.
"They erased it."
Brook frowned.
"Why?"
Crowley shook his head.
"That's what we're going to find out."
Henry pointed at the map.
"Where is Remus?"
Crowley tapped the blank region.
"Somewhere beyond the northern territories."
Brook looked at the distance.
"How far?"
"Far."
Henry sighed.
"That's helpful."
Crowley almost smiled.
"You'll survive."
Brook looked at the map again.
"When do we leave?"
Crowley looked at him.
"Tomorrow."
Henry stared.
"Tomorrow?"
Crowley nodded.
"If Remus exists, we need to know whether the people there are allies."
Sera gathered the documents.
"And if they're not?"
Brook answered before Crowley could.
"Then we'll find out."
That night, Brook couldn't sleep.
He stood outside the headquarters.
The city was quiet.
Michael appeared beside him.
You're thinking too much.
Brook smiled.
"That's rich coming from you."
Lucifer appeared on the other side.
He's thinking about the fight.
Brook glanced at him.
"I'm not."
Lucifer grinned.
Liar.
Brook looked toward the horizon.
"Do you know anything about Remus?"
Michael shook his head.
No.
Brook looked at Lucifer.
"You?"
Lucifer shrugged.
I've heard the name.
Brook frowned.
"From where?"
Lucifer's smile faded.
"Long ago."
Brook waited.
Lucifer didn't elaborate.
"That's it?"
That's it.
Brook stared at him.
"You know more."
Lucifer looked toward the darkness.
Maybe.
Brook sighed.
"You're impossible."
Lucifer smiled.
And yet here I am.
Death appeared behind them.
Brook turned.
"Anything?"
Death looked toward the northern horizon.
There are lifelines beyond the Wall.
Brook's expression changed.
"People?"
Yes.
"How many?"
Death was silent.
Then:
Many.
Brook stared into the distance.
"Then Remus is real."
Death nodded.
Very much so.
The next morning, Xcution left Shinokuni-01.
There was no grand departure.
No cheering crowd.
Just a small group walking through the northern gate.
Brook.
Henry.
Sera.
Crowley.
And several members of Xcution.
The Wall rose behind them.
Brook stopped once.
He looked back.
Shinokuni-01 was damaged.
But alive.
Henry stood beside him.
"You coming?"
Brook nodded.
"Yeah."
They continued.
The world outside Shinokuni-01 was different.
The further they traveled, the less familiar the land became.
No ruined highways.
No abandoned cities.
No remnants of the old world.
Instead—
forests.
Deep rivers.
Massive cliffs.
Fields untouched by human hands.
Sera looked around.
"This doesn't look like the world we know."
Crowley nodded.
"That's because you've never been this far north."
Brook looked at him.
"You have."
"Once."
Henry frowned.
"When?"
Crowley didn't answer.
Brook noticed.
But he didn't push.
Not yet.
By the third day, they found the first sign.
A carved stone stood beside the forest.
It was taller than Brook.
Covered in symbols.
Sera approached it.
"I've seen this."
Brook looked at her.
"Where?"
"In the documents."
She touched the stone.
The symbols briefly glowed.
Sera pulled her hand away.
"That's Word Magic."
Brook looked at her.
"Already?"
She nodded.
"Whoever made this knew it."
Crowley examined the carving.
"This isn't a warning."
Henry asked:
"What is it?"
Sera read the symbols.
Her expression changed.
"It's a border."
Brook looked ahead.
"A border to Remus?"
Sera nodded.
"I think so."
They continued through the forest.
The trees grew taller.
The air became colder.
Then Henry stopped.
"Did you hear that?"
Everyone froze.
Brook listened.
Nothing.
Then—
a sound.
Not a growl.
Not a roar.
A deep clicking noise.
Something moved between the trees.
Brook reached for his sword.
Sera whispered:
"Don't."
Brook looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because I don't think it's hunting us."
The creature stepped into view.
It was unlike anything Brook had seen.
Tall.
Thin.
Its body was covered in pale fur.
Long antler-like branches rose from its head.
Its eyes were completely white.
It stared at them.
Nobody moved.
The creature tilted its head.
Then spoke.
One word.
"Leave."
Henry's eyes widened.
"It talks."
The creature took one step forward.
"Now."
Brook slowly lowered his sword.
"We're looking for Remus."
The creature stared at him.
Then at Sera.
Then at Crowley.
Its expression changed.
"You carry the old King's mark."
Crowley froze.
Brook looked at him.
Crowley didn't move.
The creature stepped backward.
"Go."
Brook frowned.
"Why?"
The creature looked toward the sky.
"Because Remus is already at war."
A distant horn sounded.
Once.
Twice.
Then a third time.
Crowley looked north.
Brook raised his head.
Through the trees, beyond the mountains, something enormous rose into the sky.
A city.
Not a Shinokuni.
Not a Wall.
A massive stone civilization built into the mountains.
Towering bridges connected cliffs.
Blue lights burned along ancient towers.
And above it all—
a colossal gate opened.
Sera stared.
"That's Remus."
Brook looked at the city.
His expression changed.
For the first time since leaving Shinokuni-01…
he realized how little they actually knew about the world.
Then the creature beside them whispered:
"And its king already knows you're coming."
End of Chapter 101