"Okayyy~"
Caius nodded, gently holding both of Marilyn's hands before pulling her up from the ground so they could stand together.
Once she was on her feet, Marilyn glanced at her left hand, shocked. "Wait… wasn't this broken before?" she thought. Slowly, she started rotating her wrist, then checked her shoulder and elbow joints.
Caius just stood there, smiling softly at his little sister. He didn't interrupt, only watched in silence as she examined herself. While checking her joints, Marilyn accidentally caught Caius in her gaze— and something tugged at her memory.
In her mind, Caius was a 26-year-old man with below-average IQ, working as a clown at a circus, acting more like a five-year-old than a grown man. He was the eldest child of the William family, yet carried none of the responsibilities usually tied to that role. Instead, Caius lived freely, always doing whatever he pleased. But beneath that carefree surface, Caius carried a secret that only Marilyn knew— he had been chosen by The Fool as a Vision Bearer.
According to records from the Fourth Epic compiled by Robert Paleota, the world had faced one hundred and thirty-four apocalyptic disasters, each occurring every thousand years. Out of all those events, one hundred and twenty-two ended in complete annihilation of human civilization— leaving ruins, emptiness, and deep scars across the world.
But in twelve of those disasters, humanity managed to prevail and preserve its civilization, thanks to twelve chosen individuals known as the Pathfinders.
Pathfinders were the first twelve people to discover, enter, and explore a towering endless structure that rose from the heart of a scorching desert— the tower known as the Heavenly Dream Tower of Babylon. Out of those twelve, only two ever came out alive, carrying with them knowledge unlike anything the world had ever seen. That knowledge became the cornerstone of humanity's resistance against the cyclical disasters.
And every thousand years, a new Pathfinder would be born— chosen by the will of a Pathfinder before them.
But this only happened if the person truly lived and embodied one of the twelve Paths in its purest form— no outside interference, no selfish desires, no corrupted will.
When someone met all those conditions, the will of a previous Pathfinder would acknowledge them, granting them the Vision of the Path they embodied. From then on, they were recognized as the Bearer of that Vision.
In the present era, only a handful had been recognized as Bearers— and among them was Caius William, the Vision Bearer of the Path of The Fool.
"So it was your doing again, huh, big brother." Marilyn stopped checking her joints and looked at Caius with a gentle smile.
"Thanks again for saving me. Next time, I'll treat you to ice cream at Aunt Phina's shop."
At her words, Caius lit up, bouncing excitedly like a kid. "Really!? Really!! YAAAY!!"
Marilyn chuckled softly, watching him. She didn't want to disturb her brother's joy, so she busied herself by checking her gear.
Weapon, notebook, pocket watch, pen, and badge— all tucked safely in her vest pocket. "Looks like everything's here, nothing missing—" She paused, reaching up to her head. Her dark-blue fedora, the one she always wore, was gone.
Marilyn quickly glanced left and right, scanning the ground for her hat. Her eyes finally landed on it, lying among the ashes of the tentacled monster Caius had burned.
With calm steps, she walked over, bent down, and picked it up. She dusted off the ashes with a small smile, then placed it back onto her head.
Turning around, she called to her brother, "Let's go home, big bro. Mom and Dad are probably waiting for us."
"Okay, Marilyn!" Caius trotted happily toward her.
Together, they walked away from the wreckage, wide smiles brightening their faces.
"What should we eat tomorrow? Maybe potato soup… yeah, that sounds nice, ahaha~"