Later
"Ugh..." Phil groans as he slowly wakes up and blinks in confusion upon realizing he's lying on top of the bed. To confuse him even more, it's not the same bed he'd lain on before, whatever dream he had.
"Oh, you're finally awake!" Phil stiffens before he turns to see a gorgeous red-haired woman with bright blue eyes, wearing an elegant white dress and gold accessories. Compared to most women in New Eridu who have crazy body proportions, this lady's are modest but somehow look more attractive than anyone he has met. "Hello, little bunny. My name is Tribios, and I heard quite a lot from our friend, Caelus."
"Caelus...?" Phil mutters, his head still feeling dizzy. "H-how did you guys meet?"
"We met," Tribios says playfully, earning a slight frown from Phil. "Oh, don't give me that look. Show us more smile."
"Excuse me for being slightly cautious..." Phil says hesitantly before, suddenly the door is slammed open and Castorice enters the infirmary while gently pushing Polyxia on her wheelchair. Phil blinks when Castorice looks at Phil before she rushes towards Phil with her sister and starts rubbing his cheeks playfully.
Phil tries his best not to look blissful, but her warmth and gentle touch is so effective that Phil can't help stumping his legs like bunnies. The girls let out an 'aww' after witnessing such an adorable scene before they pull him into a hug.
It didn't take a second for Phil to realize his condition, and his face turned bright red. He is still a young adult who is attracted to women, and having three beautiful women hugging him from different sides makes him flustered. He tries to ask them to let go politely, but no voice comes out of his mouth.
"What are you doing?" The trio yelps before letting go and turns around to see Cerydra approaching them with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you all went to welcome Dux Primarius for his visit in the Eternal Page."
"W-we did..." Castorice says meekly before she and the others move aside, revealing Phil, who looks completely flustered. Cerydra widens her eyes slightly before she regains her composure, glancing at Phil for a second, then looking at the others.
"Why is there a rabbit in the infirmary?" Cerydra asks with a raised eyebrow.
"T-that was my fault," Mem suddenly bursts through the door before hastily bowing to Cerydra. "H-hello, Cerydra."
"Mem, it has been a while," Cerydra says with a nod. "May I ask why you brought him here?"
"It...wasn't my intention," Mem says sheepishly. "I was simply planning on bringing Caelus here, but it seems that since I haven't regained all of my strength, I accidentally dragged him along."
"...let's make sure that never happens. You don't want to bring the wrong person into this world, do we?" Cerydra says sternly, earning a nod from Mem. "So, what is his relation to Dux Primarius?"
"He's his friend," Mem says simply, earning a silence from Cerydra before she merely nods.
"...can someone tell me what is going on?" Phil squeaks as his face remains red. Cerydra blinks before she looks at everyone incredulously.
"Did you all keep everything from the bunny?!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WIth Caelus
"Hello, little..." Hyselins pauses when he notices Caelus' new appearance, blinking in confusion as she tilts her head. "What...happened?"
"Fool's Mask, an item given by Aha to any Masked Fool. Let me turn into my ideal self, or my true self," Caelus explains as Hyselins nods.
"I see, then calling you little gray fry wouldn't fit you, little foxfish," Hyselins nods approvingly at her nickname, causing Caelus to blink.
"There's a foxfish?" Caelus asks in surprise, and Hyselins nods before summoning some water and shaping it into a fish. Caelus stares at a huge fish with a specific spot right at the top back of its body.
"Huh...the more you know..." Caelus mutters before looking at Hyselins. "So, how are you?"
"It has been good. Walking alongside the Imperator while socializing with her subjects," Hyselins says before she looks at the crowds. "It's peaceful..."
"Indeed," Aglaea nods with a smile as she leans her head on her hand. "How long has it been since the last time our people experienced peace like this?"
"A long time..." Hyselins says as they go silent, while Caelus looks slightly uncomfortable at how heavy the topic is. Everything is ruined when Phainon suddenly falls right in front of them with a giant smoking bruise on his head.
"Gru~!" Junior lets out a small giggle as Caelus snorts and pets Junior on the head.
"O-ouch...." Phainon gets up as the bruise instantly heals before looking at Caelus with the biggest smile on his face. "Partner! It's been a while! And what happened to you?!"
"He is simply wearing a Fool's Mask that shows either his ideal self or his true self," Anaxa explains as he puts the gun away. "I have to say it is an interesting item. Unfortunately, I am not curious enough to take the Path of Trickery to find out."
"Good, because with Aha, things can be unpredictable," Caelus says before he pauses. "Also, I never got to ask, but how does some of you seem to know about my adventure while some look clueless?"
"The fool over here once again performs a dangerous Alchemy to hack through the system and let him watch everything that happens outside," Aglaea says in exasperation. "He used his left eye once again to pull it off, and despite his sister's and my interference, he successfully pulled it off while his left eye somehow remained intact."
"Calling me a fool while I perform something no scholars could comprehend is a sign of true foolishness, you violent woman," Anaxa says with a scowl. "To think you would try cutting my arms with your oversized barbaric scissors to stop me..."
"If I don't go overboard, you would simply dismiss me," Aglaea says with a smile that never reaches her face, shadows covering the upper half of her face. "And calling me a fool while you refuse to take care of your own body is quite ironic. What I did is based on the conclusion I made after witnessing you foolishly sacrifice half of your terrible eyesight."
"..." Caelus sweatdrops while watching sparks clash between Anaxa and Aglaea, while Mydei picks Cifera up before she could get away with Hyselins' blades on her hand and takes a sip of an Ambrosia. "Geez, I've never felt both romantic and sexual tension coming from a couple this bad. Have the both of you finally decided to seal the deal?"
Mydei uncharacteristically spits all of the Ambrosia at Cipher, who meows in panic and drops Hyselins' blade. Hyacine almost drops her staff while trying to 'heal' Phainon, who looks at Caelus in confusion. Hyselins stares at Caelus in surprise before she covers her mouth to hide a snort.
The most shocked of them are Aglaea and Anaxa, who both turn uncharacteristically red and look at Caelus with a rageful expression.
"There's nothing between us!!!" They both yell in unison, earning another snort from Hyselins while Cifera starts laughing her ass off. To make it worse, Mydei and Hyacine even snort.
"Yeah...sure," Caelus says in a dry tone before dodging a bullet and a thread from the (unofficial) couple and starts running away. Both Anaxa and Aglaea start chasing after him, with Garmentmaker and Trailblazer Jr. joining. The Garmentmaker was there to assist Aglaea, while Trailblazer Jr. believes this is just a game.
Cipher can be seen banging her arm on the ground, wheezing as she slowly ran out of breath. Mydei tries his best not to react, but he can't help but let out a small snicker. Hyacine lets out a giggle while watching the scene, and Hyselins simply chuckles. Phainon seems a bit clueless about what's going on, merely scratching his head.
They watch as Caelus is chased by Aglaea and Anaxa, and somehow, Caelus manages to keep a far distance from them. It's either that his physical transformation from the Fool's Mask affected his strength, or it's just one of the perks Masked Fools get upon wearing the mask, allowing them to escape from enemies easily.
"There you all are." Everyone turns their head around and sees Cerydra approaching the group. At her back, Castorice, Polyxia, Mem, and Phil can be seen following her.
"Imperator, it seems that you found the others," Hyselins says as Cerydra nods.
"I found them gathering in the infirmary with our new guest," Cerydra says as she gestures to Phil, who looks dazed. The others notice the weird state he's in and can't help but blink in confusion.
"Uh, what's wrong with the little bunny?" Cipher can't help but ask in confusion.
"Amphoreus is real...everything in As I've Written is real..." Phil mutters in a daze.
"...our guest is merely processing all the truth we revealed to him not long ago," Cerydra says as she looks at Hyselins. "Dux Gladiorum, may you use your beautiful song to calm him down?"
"Of course," Hyselins says before she sings a beautiful melody, causing everyone except Phainon to feel relaxed. Mydei tries his best to resist it by pinching his arms, watching Phil look relaxed before he shakes his head. Hyselins notices this and stops, letting the poor Thiren regain his composure.
"...you guys are real," Phil mutters in realization as he stares at everyone. "You all are real."
"Indeed," Cerydra says with a nod. "Welcome to the Eternal Page, where our consciousness is stored after the destruction of our home."
"Oh..." Phil feels a bit unsure of how to react.
"No need to feel bad for us. What happened to us is our decision to prevent the birth of Irontomb. All of us knew the risk," Phainon says as everyone nods.
"Not really. We all knew only at the final recurrence," Cipher says before earning a bonk from Mydei. "Hey!"
"...still, this is a lot to take in," Phil admits.
"Then take your time," Cerydra says plainly. "You have all the time you need."
"...okay," Phil nods before he looks around. "Uh, where's Caelus?"
"Over there," Mem points north, causing Phil to glance in that direction. He blinks in surprise as he watches Anaxa and Aglaea still chasing after Caelus.
"Uh...what happened?" Phil asks in confusion.
"Grayie points out how Lady Aglaea and Professor Anaxa should solve their tension by 'sealing the deal'," Hyacine says before she starts giggling. Castorice, Polyxia, and Mem start giggling while Cerydra raises her eyebrow.
"Dux Primarius is merely telling the truth; why are Dux Goldweaver and Dux Sagax mad at him?" Cerydra asks, earning another round of laughter from everyone.
"...I truly don't know anymore," Phil mutters while shaking his head in disbelief.
To be Continued