Seeing Serafall crying while Sona slowly began to breathe again made something inside my chest finally loosen, like a tightly knotted rope that had been strangling my lungs had been cut through in an instant.
My own breathing, which had been shallow and uneven for what felt like an eternity, finally normalized.
First a shaky inhale, then a deeper one, and then another, until the world stopped spinning and my thoughts no longer crashed into each other like broken glass.
With each breath, the thick fog suffocating my mind retreated bit by bit, and for the first time since stepping into this nightmare, I felt a sliver of clarity.
I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, surprised when it came away wet, and forced myself to stand.
My knees wobbled, half from exhaustion and half from emotional whiplash, but I steadied myself with a long exhale.
I wasn't done.
I had someone else to bring back.
Without hesitation, I snapped open the system interface again.
The blue translucent screen flickered faintly, its glow reflecting off the frozen ground.
Before the system could even finish loading, my finger already hovered over the "Max Revive" entry like a lifeline.
I bought it.
The golden-tinted star-shaped crystal materialized in my inventory, then on my hand almost instantly—but the moment it did, my heart hammered violently against my ribs, because holding hope in your hand is the most terrifying thing in the world when you're afraid it won't work a second time.
It was the first time I realized how scary some things can be, even if you know it will work.
I hurried toward Kiba's headless body lying on the ground.
Seeing him like that—cold, limp, empty—sent a sharp twist of pain through my chest.
The kid always had the softest, most earnest fake smile, yet now his face was expressionless, devoid of life, color, or anything remotely human.
Even if I personally hated him and thought he was some kind of playboy or something...
Swallowing hard, I lowered the Max Revive to his chest.
The crystal dissolved instantly into shimmering golden fragments, sinking into his skin like stardust.
A wave of warm light spread across his body.
His neck reformed.
His skin regained color.
His fingers twitched.
His chest rose in a small, steady breath.
Only then did I exhale, a shaky, relieved breath I didn't even know I'd been holding.
It worked.
It actually worked again.
But as relief washed over me, something new settled beneath it—an odd hollowness.
Sona and Kiba were alive, yes, fully restored in terms of flesh and bone… but their bodies still felt lifeless in another sense.
Their complexion was pale, their energy nonexistent. It was obvious that Max Revive restored health, not stamina or magical reserves.
"Figures…"
I muttered under my breath, rubbing my eyes with a tired sigh.
"Never thought I'd be using Pokémon items as real-world medical supplies… but here we are."
I forced myself to focus and purchased several Ice Heals next.
The frozen air around the others shimmered as I sprayed them over Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and even Tsubaki.
The layers of frost encasing their bodies cracked like brittle glass, sliding off and evaporating the moment it touched the air.
"Hm… frozen status effect," I murmured.
"Since they were all clustered close together, the Ice Heal probably counted them as one big target."
They weren't too injured—just stiff, cold, and magically drained.
So I bought Energy Roots next, using them to restore their stamina and magic flow.
Their breathing steadied, their muscles relaxed, and the color slowly returned to their faces.
But then I turned toward…
Asia.
Irina.
Xenovia.
Nothing.
The Energy Root's glow shimmered faintly over their skin, hovered… then faded uselessly.
I clicked my tongue, jaw tightening.
"Tch. As I feared. Doesn't work on pure humans."
They weren't critical, thankfully—they were scratched, pale, and shaken, but not fatally harmed.
Still, the sight made my stomach twist uncomfortably.
I turned toward Ravel.
"Oi, Ravel. If you've got healing magic or potions—anything—handle those three."
It was like she suddenly snapped awake.
Her eyes widened with horror and realization, and she practically threw herself forward, digging through her storage space—probably hidden one she thought I didn't know existed—and pulling out several glass vials filled with shimmering liquids.
"O-On it!"
She declared, rushing to Asia, Irina, and Xenovia.
Finally, I dragged myself toward Serafall.
She hadn't moved.
Not once.
She held Sona so tightly it looked like she feared her arms were the only thing keeping her sister anchored to this world.
Tears continued to fall silently down her cheeks, but there was something new behind those tears now—a fragile, trembling hope that she was almost too scared to believe in.
I knelt beside her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.
"Serafall," I whispered, keeping my voice soft.
"Let's… go home for now. Everyone is safe. We'll talk about what happened later—after everyone is warm and resting. Please. Let's get them somewhere comfortable."
She didn't speak.
But she nodded slowly, her hands tightening protectively around Sona's.
I called to Giratina, and with a soft ripple of shadow, she teleported all of us—myself, Serafall, Sona, Rias, Akeno, Koneko, Kiba, Ravel, Mashiro, and the others—back to my house.
We filled every room we could.
Sona is on my bed.
Kiba on another.
Rias and Asia were placed right beside Sona, both unconscious but stable.
Others are in another bed.
Serafall didn't leave Sona's side even for a moment.
She slipped into bed beside her, curled around her almost instinctively, her fingers intertwined tightly with Sona's as if letting go even once might steal her away again.
I breathed out slowly, letting my shoulders slump for the first time since this disaster began.
Then I turned to Mashiro, who stood awkwardly near the doorway, her pale hair tousled, her eyes unfocused, and her posture stiff with confusion and fear.
Even with her usual emotionless face, the tremor in her hands gave everything away.
"…Mashiro," I said gently.
"I… I'm sorry you had to see all that. Honestly, you've witnessed more insanity in one hour than most people experience in a lifetime."
She blinked, tilting her head in that strangely innocent way she always did since I met her.
"Zevion… what is happening?"
She asked, her voice soft and uncertain.
I sighed, pressing a hand to my forehead.
"I don't even know myself," I admitted.
"A lot went wrong really fast."
I forced a tired smile.
"I'll take you home once things settle down. Just… give me a little time, okay?"
She didn't answer.
Not because she didn't hear me—because she simply didn't know what to say.
And honestly… I wasn't in any condition to explain.
Instead, I turned toward Serafall.
"Serafall," I said quietly.
"Tell me everything. From the beginning."
She still didn't look at me.
Her gaze stayed fixed on Sona, her fingers squeezing her hand gently.
When she finally spoke, her voice trembled—not with fear, but with grief sharpened into something feral and violent.
"It was Kokabiel…" she whispered.
"He killed Sona right in front of me… and I—"
Her voice fractured into something cold and murderous.
"I'm going to skin him alive. I'm going to tear off his limbs one by one. I'll grind his bones into dust… and feed his remains to pigs… slowly."
A chill crawled down my spine.
Serafall Leviathan.
One of the strongest devils alive.
And an older sister pushed past her breaking point.
Not a good combination.
And honestly?
I felt the same.
If someone killed a person precious to me in front of my eyes…
I would've done worse.
In fact, even now, my instincts are screaming at me to do worse.
But still—
Now wasn't the time.
I clenched my fists, staring at Sona's sleeping face, the steady rise and fall of her chest grounding me like nothing else could.
"No rushing in blind," I muttered to myself.
"Not yet. Not until everyone wakes up. Not until I know they're okay. Not until I'm sure…"
Not until I'm strong enough to make sure this never happens again.
Not until I can act… without losing myself completely.
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