"Michi… you finally woke up.
Or should I say—Utsuya Hayasaki?"
The voice was calm, yet strange—somewhere between distant and familiar.
Michi blinked his eyes open, groaning softly. A ceiling of smooth stone met his gaze. The air felt still, sterile.
He slowly sat up, confused. "No… I prefer Michi."
His voice was sharp now. "So now say—who are you? Where am I? And what is this going on? I have so many questions."
The figure stepped closer. A girl.
"I think you may remember me," she said. "I'm Depri Blackwood. You saved me back in your guild quest days…"
Michi narrowed his eyes. "Hmmmm… I think I can remember you…" He squinted, and then his eyes widened. "Ohh! That rich brat!"
Depri gave a small, almost amused nod. "Yeah."
Without another word, Michi jumped from the bed, landing in a low stance, fists clenched and ready.
"Now care to explain?!"
But before Depri could respond, a white-haired boy suddenly leapt from behind Michi, wrapping his arms tightly around him from behind.
"Wha—?! Let go of me!"
Depri stepped forward quickly. "Zaryon, no need to do this. He's in a lot of doubts right now…"
The boy—Zaryon—hesitated for a second, then released Michi and backed off. His glowing silver eyes stayed locked on Michi, unreadable.
Michi pushed away and turned to Depri again. "What is going on?!"
Depri raised her hand, calmly. "Michi, what can you remember from your last memory?"
Michi's expression twisted. He looked down, his voice quieter now. "World… blackout… all broken like pieces… even Airi?"
His voice sharpened. "Wait—Airi?! Where is she?! Is she okay?!"
Depri's expression softened. "Calm down, Michi. Let me explain all."
He hesitated, then finally sat down on the bed again, fists still tight in his lap, jaw clenched.
Depri stepped closer. "Look, Michi… the experiences you got in your journey are not fake. They're all real."
Michi looked up at her, eyes narrowing. "So… I'm dead? And Isekaid?"
Depri shook her head. "No. I can't say dead… but yeah, you are indeed dead this time. In your real world."
She took a breath. "Okay—now let me explain. Don't stop me in the middle."
Michi nodded silently.
"So Michi," Depri began, her voice even and slow. "There is something—you can call it a deity. Or a cosmic being. It saw your suffering. And when you turned unconscious, that being used your thoughts and all your expectations to create that world."
She raised her hand, gesturing to the stone room around them. "This world, actually."
Michi blinked.
Depri continued. "And all the things… people… events. They're all real. They happened."
"But then—when you were suddenly removed from the world by your real-life events… that being got angry. It thought you betrayed it."
She paused, letting the weight of the words settle.
"And so it manipulated everything. Time. Space. Everything. Warped and twisted."
"But," she added, "that being still opened this way—so you came out here."
She stepped forward now, her voice firm. "Now that being is starting to devour this world… little by little."
She looked him dead in the eyes. "And only you can stop it."
Michi said nothing. His mouth was slightly open, eyes wide.
Depri didn't stop.
"But that being closed all possible routes to reach it. Locked everything down."
"So now—it's up to you, Michi. Whether you want to save everything or not."
She crouched slightly, meeting his stunned gaze. "I'm saying again—all things are real. Even now, time and space are distorted."
"Many people you saw dead… are alive now."
"And many people you saw alive… are dead now."
"You can save all, Michi."
"Please… think about this."
Michi sat frozen. Eyes staring. Lips parted. Not a single word came out.
His body was still.
Expressionless.
Shocked.
Only his eyes trembled—locked on Depri Blackwood.