An explosion occurred on the third floor of the building.
Amidst the smoke, a human silhouette appeared; Ji Noo.
Or at least, his body.
"We should call the professionals, maybe someone there wants to finish off your friend quickly and save us all." Frederick suggested, but his opinion was quickly dismissed after an intimidating look from Liam and Anser.
And at the top...Ji Noo's hand regenerated after being exploded. The fibers regenerated at an impressive speed, accompanied by a tail behind him, and feathers beginning to cover his forearms. It was obvious that if they delayed any longer, Ji Noo's body would be completely taken over by the demon.
[…Relatively easy,] In a non-human voice, but a clear imitation of one, that was Raum's voice. [It was enough to exhaust his energy with all those deaths he had...]
About to launch itself at them, its tail caught hold of a metal bar sticking out of the walls.
No, he didn't control his tail to do that...
Oh.
[Tsk…] Sharp nails went to his tail, cutting it, and being able to fall back to the ground, regenerating another one immediately. [I guess I have to do it quickly…]
***
Where am I?
I woke up in a city.
Was it...Seoul?
The day was cloudy. Clouds almost completely covered the cold morning. And yet, why did that still make this place look beautiful?
I guess I should explore it...
Where could this place so similar to home take me?
I walked around the city, trying to see something out of the ordinary, but everything was normal. Everything was...like before I left.
By chance, I managed to spot a small sign in a clothing store. Besides discounts and sales, it featured products endorsed by celebrities.
Ah, what memories that brings back...
I remember my first collaboration with a coffee shop so that professional cosplayers could be there and promote my novel. It was...
I got so nervous when I saw the cosplay of…
Huh?
On the poster I was reading I could notice something...strange; «Shop our new perfume brand! The best September 2000s perfume you can find...»
2000? I'm from the year 2030.
I was practically born this year...right?
Still, why does it look so strange now that I noticed it?
Wait, also, I'm stuck in my novel! What the hell am I even doing here?
What is this place?!
"Excuse me, excuse me—!" A man collided with me, "Sorry, excuse me…" I couldn't look him in the eye, but…
Why did I feel...empty…when I looked at him?
Almost immediately, he started running again. He seemed in a hurry.
"Moon! You'll crash if you keep running!" A girl followed him, similar to him, only she didn't feel the same emptiness when I saw her. Maybe, they were both brothers.
Moon.
I've never known anyone to have that name.
But...maybe that «void» is the clue I need right now.
So, discreetly, I set out to follow them, until I reached a university. I couldn't see the letters that marked it name, it was like censorship of some injury on television.
Soon, I followed them into the university, dodging some students, until I was finally able to keep up with them until I reached the rooftop.
I hid in a corner, not too far, but not too close, just enough to be able to hear what they were talking about.
"Damn...if you keep running around like that...you'll be a nightmare for any woman!" The girl said, sounding annoyed. "Now, what did you dream?"
Dream?
The boy seemed somewhat withdrawn, as if...something was going through his mind. And yet, I couldn't figure out what it was.
"An endless dry garden…and him again."
The girl looked confused, but also worried.
"Did you take your pills?"
He nodded.
"And you still feel...depressed?"
He didn't answer.
And his face didn't say anything either.
"No," he murmured. "Just empty."
Empty. That wasn't normal...
And yet...a dry garden? What did it mean?
Maybe he has depression, but...who is he referring to anyway?
«Him.»
Who is he?
Someone who hurt him? Someone who caused that depression? Or maybe, someone he misses?
I don't know what's going on, and I don't know exactly why I followed them...
"…" I suddenly felt someone staring at me, I looked over to where they were, and while the girl was talking to her brother, he...was staring at me. Blue, soulless eyes, without any sparkle that could make him sure he was still alive... "You."
I blinked. He meant...me?
"…?" Instinctively, I hid again after processing the information.
Maybe...I was in a multiverse or something?
With what happened to me when I was transmigrated, anything is possible at this point.
Whatever it is, I mustn't talk to him, I mustn't, do it...
"It's him," he said.
Me?
I am...the him he was talking about?
What?
This can't be real...
A few steps. He's approaching my hiding place.
Quickly, I climbed the fence and threw myself off the building—I don't care if I die, I'm in Elmetron's body, I can't die...
Right?
I fell to the ground, and before anyone could notice me, I hid in a bush, ignoring the branches that stung my back.
I couldn't hear him anymore, but at least I could lose sight of him. "Phew..." Now, the important thing for now is to investigate who he is, and how he saw me in his dreams.
-
The sun was setting, and I was hiding outside the university.
That guy wasn't out yet, nor was his sister.
About to give up, I was able to catch a glimpse of both of them from the campus, on their way out of the university.
At least it wasn't long…
I hid behind a black car, spying on them…
"Ji, I'll go to my part-time job, you go home, do your homework, take your pills, and go to bed early, okay?"
Ji? His name will be...Moon Ji? Or maybe, Ji Moon?
Curious...
Besides the fact that she must be his older sister or something, anyway, him taking orders from his younger sister...I doubt it.
He didn't even nod, just sighing in response, then saying goodbye to his sister.
I can't lie.
He's a handsome boy. Blue eyes and black hair. And yet, I don't understand why no one is with him, and only his sister, or why no one looks at him, as if he were invisible...
Maybe he was someone...dangerous?
Even worse...what if he has schizophrenia?
Oh no…
I felt a cold wind on my back—no, it wasn't wind…
A breath behind me.
I immediately turned around, and it was him.
I didn't say anything, he didn't say anything...he just...looked at me.
"Spy." he simply said.
"I'm not?" I said, trying to sound...indifferent. But my nerves got the better of me, and I stuttered. "I was checking that my car tire hadn't gone flat..."
He looked at me, almost judging me.
And then, he looked at the tire.
"Is the tire okay?"
Why do he say that as if the tire were alive? What the hell.
"Yes. So far so good."
A minute of silence. Then ten...
Ten awkward minutes of silence.
And then, he looked at me, again.
"What's your name?" he asked me.
Well, I don't think it's bad to tell him my name... "My name is ■."
…
What?
What does that mean?
Why can't I hear my own name?
"Moon Ji-Hael."
Hael? It's definitely the first time I've heard that name.
Moon, will and...what the heck does Hael mean?
"What does your name mean?"
"Do you believe in those things? A meaning does not define you."
Well, yes, but no.
My name means "Complete" in Jeon, and "to look right" In Kwonoo.
And yet...huh?
I think he's right, there's nothing complete in my life, not even my novel.
Although, the ultimate meaning of my name...
Perhaps, it is the only thing that has truly come true in my life.
Shit, I'd like to give him that example with my name, but I doubt he'd understand.
He doesn't look...very smart.
"Will you use your car?" He asked, interrupting my internal battle.
I would, if it were mine.
"Yes, yes...I'll do it in a few minutes..." I scratched my cheek, a very unusual action for me… "So...go now...go home."
He looked at me, attentive, and then shook his head.
"That's my car." He pointed to the car where I was hiding, the same one I said was mine.
Oh.
"Oh…"
Then, I pointed to the side.
"That was mine, my mistake."
I got up, and went towards that car.
And yet he followed me again.
I went the other way, and he followed me.
On the other side...
He followed me.
And the other one?
He followed me.
Why do you have to follow me around like an abandoned puppy?!
I ended up sitting on a bench, exhausted.
I've never suffered with such a person before...
I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.
He looked...empty, but also...
"I'm hungry."
"…?" He...is he trying to get me to feed him? I don't even have any won with me... "You're a stranger, I can't."
"Hungry."
"I'm going to poison you."
He frowned.
"…Why are you offended? You asked a stranger for food."
Shit, this guy is unbearable.
As I was about to leave, he grabbed my arm, trying to stop me, when I tried to take my arm away...I couldn't.
"Huh?" I tried again. And I got the same result. "What the…"
And soon, my body began to move on its own, taking me in an unknown direction along with this boy.
It was an apartment complex, and then, my hand took a key out of my pants pocket, opening one of the apartments and entering with him.
It wasn't a big place. It was obvious that only one person lived there.
But how did my body know about that?
No, wait...
Was this really my body?
"I'll try to cook something..."
Did I say that? No, I didn't mean that...
What is…happening?
I thought this was my body—well, the body of Elmetron.
But was I wrong?
I looked around, and I could find my reflection and…
No...was it me? No.
Whose body is this?
White hair with blue highlights, as well as blue eyes...a strange appearance. Or at least one that would attract too much attention, especially in these years when this was rarely seen.
Who is this guy, really? And why am I watching this?
Wait...could this be...a memory of Raum?
Yes, sometimes when I sleep I dream about all the terrifying things he did, but nothing like this has ever happened to me. And I didn't even know this was possible.
What's going on?
The dish was served.
That boy, Moon, started eating.
And soon, I lost almost all my vision after that.
Black.
"Agh…?" I felt a wound on my arm.
But I couldn't see it.
I stretched out my hands, and I couldn't do anything.
«Please go, go away ■.»
A familiar voice. It was Moon's voice. That boy.
What does he refer to?
Soon, my vision returned.
A car alarm made me jump up from where I was sitting. I looked around for a moment; I was in an apartment, worn out, as if no one lived there. But still, there were plates on the table, it seems they had a dinner there.
And then I looked at my reflection in the old television in the corner of the room; it was the same unfamiliar body as before.
But, now he was one-eyed.
An eye patch covered my right eye, I touched it instinctively.
Am I...in the future?
I looked at a calendar on the floor.
No…
It was still 2000…
September 29th.
The year wasn't even over yet…
And it was still the same month.
Soon, I felt my hands tremble. His hands.
Slowly, I walked towards the balcony, where the car alarm was coming from.
The day was cloudy, like the first time I woke up a few moments ago.
But, there was a feeling...
Empty.
I looked down from the balcony, and, in surprise, I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
Moon Ji Hael had committed suicide by jumping off the balcony.
My body froze in awe...
Just a few moments ago...that guy was eating the food in front of him...what's up with this change of scenery?
I knew that guy was depressed, but he didn't seem depressed enough to jump off a balcony. Much less if...I was here.
I tried to speak, but I couldn't, my mouth and body once again useless to be controlled by me.
And again, black.
This time, I was in a basement. Or what looked like one.
It was dark, until finally a lamp was lit.
"Finally we see each other, ■."
I couldn't hear my name.
But, looking at it out of the corner of my eye...
I swallowed hard.
An overwhelming presence, the man in front of me was dressed in black hanfu, with black hair, green eyes, and black tentacles that moved slimily behind him.
For some reason, I could sense danger when I saw him...
Wait.
If he jumped off the university roof that easily before...that means this guy must have something special going in him too...right?
"Who are you?" This time, my voice didn't stutter; in fact, it sounded more threatening, despite the fear I felt.
The man just looked at me. He analyzed me completely.
And then, he said;
"Haven't you gotten to this part of the story yet?" smiled. "My bad."
***
The sound of several explosions could be heard around the C6 district. All the people who were passing by decided to hide.
And, it was a wise decision.
It was no more than half an hour ago that Anser and Liam were fighting hand-to-hand with Ji Noo.
Anser dealt the blows, while Liam threw potions to poison Ji Noo, and weaken him. Although, with each potion, he was getting stronger.
And, right behind them, was Frederick. Preparing to exorcise him.
Exorcists cannot hunt. But he did it perfectly well.
The exorcists couldn't be on the battlefield. But he wanted to.
Anyway, he's not an exorcist, so he can do it, right?
Well, that's what he always thought.
Being part of a sect where you compete to see who can hunt the most is what matters more than helping others...never felt it was his thing.
Anyway, what he wanted most was to save those towns denied the governor's attention.
Like his.
But now, with a demon loose in front of him, and him being the only exorcist currently capable of doing that after the death of Exorcist Hee...
No, he wasn't ready at all.
He could very well run away, leaving Anser and Liam to deal with their friend, but wouldn't that be betraying his ideals?
If he leave it like this, the devil could go on to cause disaster in other parts of the world.
And that...would be hard to overcome knowing that it could have been avoided sooner.
Right now, they depended on him, all of them, in fact.
And yet, he still didn't feel ready.
He didn't feel ready to tell the truth; 'I'm not an exorcist.'
Perhaps he didn't know how to exorcise, but he knew another of the exorcists' tricks: sealing.
And with the skill of the sect to which he belonged; the shields.
And he was one of the only members who managed to master it.
His arm, which he always kept empty, soon appeared one created with mana; the mana of the shield.
All his defense went to his arm, in exchange for that...
He would use that to get closer, and be able to seal him.
[Get out of here!] The demon growled, now in Ji Noo's body, swatting at Liam and throwing her aside, then kicking Anser's sword, and avoiding a punch from him by grabbing his fist in his hand. [You're the one who bothers me the most...]
He squeezed Anser's fist in his hand, to the point of breaking his fingers, but Anser did not show any sign of pain.
[You're still too weak to be a descendant of the Vulpeculas...]
Anser's eyes opened.
But, he didn't feel the same curiosity he felt when Ji Noo mentioned it, but now...
He felt rage.
He frowned, gritted his teeth until they bled, and then punched him with his other hand, even though it was already broken from having done the same thing before.
And he punched him, ending up pulverizing the bones in his hand, however, this time he managed to land the blow, and get Raum to let go.
He took a step back, looking at the demon standing.
He had no expression, then slowly looked at Anser.
[Are you still angry about what happened?] Slowly, he approached him, regenerating the broken jaw that Anser gave him, and claws appeared on his nails. [Unfortunately, we all rejoiced when your clan was wiped out like pests...] He smiled, seeing Anser's angry face again. [Still, I asked myself...which one was your mother?]
About to attack him again, Raum kicked him, sending him flying into the wall, tearing it down with Anser's back.
About to go towards him, someone pulled his tail…
Liam.
The girl was bleeding, yet she drank her potions, trying to find the strength to keep him from going after Anser.
Raum looked at her. He wasn't impressed, if anything, annoyed.
[Another brat trying to make herself a hero...] Soon, he pulled her by the arm, lifting her off the ground. [You're ugly to waste my time on.]
Soon, he squeezed her arm where he held her.
Liam started screaming in pain.
And soon, a bullet pierced Raum's arm, causing him to knock Liam to the ground.
Slowly, he looked to his side.
There was no one.
And then he looked back at Liam, at her on the floor, gasping in pain.
He raised his regenerating hand and made a fist, to strike her and finally kill her. And soon, he threw the punch.
The whole place shook from the force of the punch.
No, rather…
The force of the blockade.
The smoke that suddenly rose dissipated, in front of Liam, stood Frederick, using his mana arm as a shield.
Raum frowned, then kicked him, but it was quickly blocked by Frederick. The force was reflected back, and Raum's leg was broken.
[…]
Frederick noticed the demon's discomfort, which immediately began to heal.
"I really hate that regeneration..." He said, simply taking the trigger of a gun out of his bag, from which, a firearm was soon created. "I should shoot you until regeneration is useless."
Raum frowned, then tried to grab it, but instead, he was shot to pieces.
The infinite mana bullets penetrated Raum, as he barely regenerated, there were more holes in another part of his body.
Raum slowly retreated, and Frederick took the opportunity to carry Liam in his mana arm and pull her away from there.
Slowly, he lowered her to the ground, giving her one of her regeneration potions to drink, and then returned to the battlefield.
Raum almost fell to the ground, his body shattered, but seeing Frederick approaching...he reached into his own chest, and pulled out Ji Noo's still human heart.
Frederick stopped shooting, watching, somewhat confused.
[A human capable of using mana in such a way...I'm impressed.]
Soon, from Ji Noo's human heart, another body began to form, while the hole in Raum's body regenerated, without any heart.
"Damn...are you planning to create another demon from that idiot's regeneration?" Frederick said, gripping his firearm in his hand.
[Regeneration is like being born again.]
Frederick frowned.
[That human...Randy Bornman,] looked at the sky. [He put an end to all forms of rebirth, so that he could be reborn...]
Frederick looked surprised.
If he remembers correctly...his people used mana to regenerate mortal wounds, a form of 'rebirth' that they knew, and that was achieved through mana.
There is a possibility that...
Would Randy Bornman have known what would happen to Aria; his people? And yet, decide to do nothing to help?
No, maybe even...
"…He planned to destroy Aria."
No, he was the savior...
Although, the fact that in the cases of the destruction of Aria, the disappearance of the leader of the Eternal people with his sect, or the annihilation of the magical village of La Vie en Rose were ignored by all of them...
It's strange.
And it made Frederick feel a sorrow in his chest.
Perhaps her suspicions were always correct? And it was best not to trust Randy Bornman? Or was it simply a trap set by this demon of destruction?
"Nonsense, you demons destroyed Aria, La Vie en Rose, and I have no doubt you also had something to do with the disappearance of Lord Eternal!" Frederick pointed out, pointing his gun at Raum.
On the other hand, Raum smiled.
[In a month it will be Walpurgis Night…] smiled. [You should assure all those people who know methods of returning to life...]
Frederick gritted his teeth, but, about to shoot him, hesitated.
And Raum noticed.
Information was always precious, especially to him, who always wanted to know what really happened in Aria, so that the entire town had to face a wave of demons.
But, he had no time to doubt.
He reloaded his gun, and after a murmur, looked at Raum.
"Whatever, I don't trust demons," looked at him with contempt. "So I prefer to investigate it myself."
He moved his gun to Ji Noo's heart, before it was completely covered by flesh, he fired.
Raum looked at him, hoping the bullet went to him, and not Ji Noo's human heart.
Before he could stop it, the bullet penetrated Ji Noo's heart.
Inside, it vanished, and a blue light reflected all the surroundings.
He had managed to seal the demon...in Ji Noo's heart.
Immediately, Raum's body vanished, and then his black soul entered the heart that now lay on the ground.
It was all over, for now...
Soon, on the ground, Ji Noo's body was regenerating again, a little faster than normal, and then, finally, he returned to his body.
Ji Noo opened his eyes, confused, and...scared.
"What happened...?" He looked around, seeing Liam on the ground, and Anser crawling exhausted on the ground, he knew that what he feared most had happened...
"You are weak, and the devil took your body." Frederick declared, not caring how cruel it sounded. "I had to seal it in your heart, so don't let anyone stab or shoot you in the heart."
Ji Noo sighed, somewhat relieved, but on the other hand...still somewhat unsteady.
"So what I saw before...wasn't real...right?"
"What are you talking about?" Frederick said, crossing his arms. "Do you think I care to know what you were dreaming about?"
Well, not really...
Ji Noo then stood up, and as she did so, Frederick noticed something unusual.
"…I think you will live a new life."
Ji Noo turned to look at him.
"What do you mean?"
He pointed at Ji Noo's tail.
Ji Noo turned around, and noticing the tail he now had...
"WHAT THE HELL?!"