A world without you there (3)

Zhou Mingrui was also overcome by a haze and the scenery was distorted.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool."

He heard the familiar voice of Miss Justice.

Looking around, he realized that he was in front of the long bronze mottled table above the gray fog. On his left, a silver mirror was put there.

Miss Justice tilted her head in worry.

"Mr. Fool, is there something wrong?"

Zhou Mingrui, no, Klein's trauma wasn't 'something that had already happened' but 'something that could happen'.

Actually, his spiritual intuition even told him that it was 'something that would happen'.

Curious, Klein observed the scene, wondering what the problem was.

Now that he thought about it, weren't there quite a few seats that were empty?

He turned back to Miss Justice.

Wasn't Audrey Hall dead?

At the moment he realized this, the image of Miss Justice disappeared, replaced by other scenes.

The first one was the police knocking at his door and peacefully interrogating him instead of directly dragging him to Chanis Gate.

The moment where Xin Jian rolled on the floor so that him, Leonard and Xin Jian could live at 7 Pinster Street together was replaced by him cooking and chatting with his siblings in Tingen.

When he died and saw Xin Jian waiting for him at his tomb, it was replaced by him going to Backlund alone.

At the Tarot Club, Xin Jian's seat didn't belong to her, but to his trumpet.

When he laughed with her at 15 Minsk Street, it was replaced by him talking to his neighbor's cat about being lonely.

When he felt betrayed by Xin Jian and made her leave his house before laughing like a madman was replaced by him killing Lanevus.

In the haze, the one who smiled at him wasn't Xin Jian but the Evernight Goddess's divine container.

Instead of only Audrey losing her life in the war, countless soldiers died.

There was no one to pick up Daly and bury her when she died, except Leonard.

There was no one to lure Amon away from him and save him in the Abandoned Land of the Gods.

There was no one watching him talk with Adam while his heart was pierced in the Bone Church.

There was no one…

Klein took a deep breath.

In front of him, every moment she had been involved in was replaced.

It was a world where he hadn't killed Xin Jian.

A world where he hadn't fought Xin Jian.

A world where he hadn't resented Xin Jian, hadn't befriended Xin Jian and a world where he hadn't met Xin Jian.

It was a world without her.

Then, Klein was back to the gray fog with Miss Justice. The latter calmly looked back at him.

There were also others there, but somehow… He felt that there were far less people than there should've been.

Where were Leodero, the Evernight Goddess, Lilith, Medici…?

When he first saw this scene, he first thought that it was a vision of after the end of the world, when a lot of them would have died while fighting.

However, seeing Audrey alive, he felt like he understood what it represented now.

That's why he couldn't help but ask…

"Where is Miss Devil?"

That was 'her' nickname at the Tarot Club.

Miss Justice made a confused expression.

"Miss Devil…?"

'Her' nickname.

"Yes, Miss Devil."

'Hers'…

But what was 'her' name already?

Klein was unable to recall it, his memories of 'her' becoming increasingly blurry…

"It is… Miss Devil." He repeated, looking at the seat at the other end of the table, where she should've been.

"Who is Miss Devil?"

His eyes widened while everyone wore confused expressions.

Under the table, his hand trembled.

"There is no Miss Devil here." Someone else added.

Klein had difficulty to breathe as he grasped the mirror and questioned it in a cold voice.

"Arrodes, where is Miss Devil?"

Words swirled on the surface of the mirror as it gave its reply.

"I'm sorry, Great Master. There is no Miss Devil."

There was no Miss Devil.

The words echoed in his head, again and again, while it was Arrodes's turn to ask him something.

"Great Master, can this humble servant ask who Miss Devil is?"

Klein swallowed his saliva and gritted his teeth.

"It's… a friend…"

A friend whom he didn't even remember the name of.

The Lord of Mysteries now knew what his worst fear was.

Maybe this scene was one of the numerous dreams he had before.

His trauma wasn't to foresee a future where his acquaintances would die, nor his captain's death or the moment he learnt he had always been in his hometown…

Klein's worst fear was to live in a world without her.

He had been obsessed with hating her for so long that he didn't notice how important she had become to him.

However, as everyone forgot her name, Xin Jian's existence was slowly fading away.

Zhou Migrui opened his eyes. He hadn't even realized he had closed them.

An excruciating pain shot through his brain and his limbs transformed into tentacles. However, as he fought against the loss of control, the visions of that lonely world didn't stop.

"I can make you dream of her. That way, you will be able to be her friend once more, and she won't disappear." Tianzun whispered.

"Do you really think you're worthy of being her friend after what you did? Do you really think she could really forgive you just like that?" Another Klein retorted.

Some ravings were echoing in his ears, becoming louder and louder.

Zhou Mingrui's loss of control had increased.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' orders you to regain your senses!]

Probability sparks floated around him as he bent down in pain.

Xin Jian was sad.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' watches your story.]

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' watches your story.]

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' watches your story.]

This message repeatedly appeared in front of him, but the constellation did not share his probability.

As the probability sparks caused by unleashing his status increased and assaulted him, destroying everything in their path, Zhou Mingrui screamed in pain.

"Aaargh!!"

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' watches your story.]

He struggled to breathe as the pain tore through his body.

What could threaten a Great Old One?

It was simple. It was madness, something every Beyonder couldn't be spared from.

However, the advantage of this probability storm is that it swept away even the specters causing the scenario, leaving Specters' stones behind them.

[You have met the conditions to clear the sub scenario!]

[You have earned 300 coins.]

Zhou Mingrui now had to struggle to reverse the loss of control.

"Hahahahaha!"

He made an exaggerated smile.

"Hahahahaha!"

Actually, a world without Xin Jian was already the world he was now living in.

"Hahaha-"

Zhou Mingrui shut his mouth at the intense pain that shot through his brain.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' watches your story.]

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' supports a part of the probability.]

Now that the probability storm wasn't needed anymore to stop this sub scenario, she didn't need to only observe.

However, no other star accepted to help him bear it.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' supports a part of the probability.]

Finally, a invisible presence appeared in the tunnel.

Bam!

…And hit him at the back of the head.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' watches your story.]

The Oldest Dream had come to knock out Xin Jian's friend.

Zhou Mingrui lost consciousness and fell down.

Thud!

The Oldest Dream looked up into the infinite space. Then, in a voice that was only heard by one person, he inquired:

"Is there anything else I need to do?"

Throughout space, Xin Jian shook her head.

"No."

The Oldest Dream nodded and came back to the subway train.

When he woke up, Zhou Mingrui still had a splitting headache. However, it hurt far less than when he was losing control.

He touched the back of his head.

'What happened?'

He recalled the scene from Welcome Prison.

"Ugh…!"

An intense pain suddenly shot through his brain.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' urges you to go to the next station.]

It was a message from a constellation he hadn't seen before.

Zhou Mingrui shook his head and followed his spiritual intuition.

Then, he saw Chungmuro Station.

[Main Scenario #2 – Meeting has ended.]

[The compensation will be settled.]

[You have entered Chungmuro.]

[The third scenario is currently in progress.]

[#GIR-8761 channel is active.]

[#BIR-3642 channel is active.]

Dazedly wandering around, he observed the people present.

"S-Shit! I'll kill you if you come close…"

A man was in the middle of the platform for subway line 3, waving a knife around and threatening people. At this feet was a tile emitting a green light that stretched into the air.

"Excuse me, what are these green zones?"

"H-huh?"

The man was stunned before continuing to swing his knife around.

"Leave!"

Zhou Mingrui ignored him and decided to do a divination.

'I see…'

So, to summarize the situation, these green zones were essential to survive the upcoming scenario; but did he really need to find one?

He walked around and went upstairs.

"Pildu-ssi! Please accept it! I won't do it again!"

"Please, please! Please let me stay one more day. I'll go into debt to get the coins!"

People were gathered and the leader at the head of the line was facing the heated up people.

"Now now, back off. Back off."

Behind the leader, there was a huge green zone where it was written '57/70'.

Even though a lot of people seemed to want to enter it, he had finally found one where there was still space left.

'So not every zone was filled, huh-"

Zhou Mingrui's eyes widened in sheer surprise as he paused, his gaze fixed on the person who had caught his attention.

It was a young lady with a pale face, blonde hair, blue eyes, and delicate features. However, this time she wasn't wearing her usual black gothic regal dress and soft hat.

It was the first time since he had arrived here that Zhou Mingrui felt so shocked.

"Miss Sharron?"