You (5)

The name appearing in the air disappeared, and at the same time was erased from everyone's memory.

Xin Jian had been the only one who was mentioned without a title.

Cale stood there in shock as Xin Jian disappeared in the storm of probability, his eyes shaking.

After searching for her for so long, she was dead. Just like that.

The crimson-haired teenager felt difficultly to breathe and paled. Feeling Cale's strange state, Shin Yoosung worriedly looked up at him and tightened her grip on his hand.

As flashbacks from the past came back to his mind, Cale knew that this moment would remain recorded in his head forever.

Were his friends and family always destined to die?

Was it his fault? Because, since his time as Kim Rok Soo, due of the White Star, his soul was cursed to never be able to get close to anyone? Even though it was absurd, in a corner of his mind, he couldn't help but think that she had died because of his existence.

He hadn't protected her well enough.

Cale stood there, his eyes empty for a while.

It was as if his whole world was destroyed.

[Some constellations are recommending your channel to the Star Stream.]

Was someone's death only entertainment for them?

As expected, all gods were hopeless.

Once again, his sponsor didn't send any message.

Why did an apocalypse have to start?

In this peaceful world, why did people have to go through this?

He would murder all the hunters, and all the gods.

He would destroy the Star Stream.

As he was lost in his thoughts, a story was about to bloom.

Cale's first story.

The foundation of his being if he ever became a constellation.

It was a story about revenge.

[Your first story is about to bloom.]

Cale insulted the hunters and the gods.

Whoever it was.

Whatever was in his way.

[Your fable 'The One Who Could Not Forget' has begun its storytelling.]

He would destroy them.

Because that was the type of person he was.

Meanwhile, Zhou Mingrui was still staring at the spot where Xin Jian was previously standing.

Even though the scenario had ended, the Lord of Mysteries wasn't happy.

On the contrary, his heart was heavy.

Around him, he could feel that Xin Jian had slightly suppressed the gray fog on his body so that he doesn't automatically connects to Sefirah Castle and uses its true vision anymore, but he let it that way.

On his knees, he simply stared at the empty air with blank eyes.

He waited, and waited, and continued to wait, but she didn't come back.

Xin Jian did not resurrect.

At that moment, he felt despair.

His fear was only increasing as time passed.

The fear that she really wouldn't come back.

The fear that he would have to live in a world without her.

Was this a form of revenge against him for hating her for too long?

It was too late, now. He had a lot of opportunities to apologize in their fight, but no amount of apology could make her come back.

Maybe she really didn't care about the past and had thought of him as a friend all along.

Maybe she had really sacrificed herself because she didn't want to see him die even though he could resurrect afterwards.

For a moment, it was like the past didn't matter.

As if they were friends again, and Xin Jian had made another stupid decision.

However, it only lasted a moment, and now she had disappeared.

His friend was dead.

Would there be an afterlife here? If he found it, could he meet her again?

He knew that attaching himself to vain hopes was meaningless, but it was the only way to maintain his sanity at this moment.

A tear fell from his eyes, then another.

He didn't know since when, Sharron had abandoned the historical projection of the doll on the side and was squatting down in front of him. It was similar to the situation when Sharron was losing control before, but this time the positions were reversed.

Sharron looked at the emotions swirling in the eyes of the man in front of her.

When Sherlock was about to take his own life, she was shocked.

She remembered the day she had escaped from the highlands, valley and grasslands as her teacher protected her and other members of the Indulgence Faction after an internal war broke out.

She recalled when she watched her all-powerful teacher fall under the siege of Suah and the other high-ranking members of the Rose School of Thought.

She recalled the despair she had felt at that time.

So even though Sherlock was a bit suspicious, when she saw that he was about to die to save the participants of this scenario, she was scared for a moment.

Even though his death may have been the right choice, Sherlock was the only one she knew in this unfamiliar place.

He was the one who had called her a 'friend', even though she doubted if they could really be called friends.

She had observed him in the past few days. She had seen him save the people trapped in cages in the coins farms and pushing his way through in this apocalypse.

She was scared to lose him.

Then, someone appeared and prevented him from dying before disappearing in his stead, and she couldn't help but feel slightly relieved.

Because, even though Xin Jian may think that her decision was meaningless, there were still people who didn't want to watch Zhou Mingrui die in this world and cared about him at least a little.

They were the members of the Tarot Club, Sharron, and Xin Jian herself; and even though it was cruel, they couldn't help but feel relieved that he wasn't the strongest anymore at the last moment and didn't have to die.

Leonard didn't want to lose anyone again, and Mr. Fool was very important to the members of the Tarot Club. That was why Audrey, Fors and Leonard were here.

Fors sighed in relief while looking up at the roof.

Squatting down, Sharron stared at Sherlock in front of her with complicated feelings.

Now, Sherlock was crying. It was the first time she had seen him so vulnerable.

In her memory, he only fought and won battles in a mysterious way. Everything about him was mysterious.

However, she didn't know how to comfort people.

After pondering over it, she finally just took him in her arms and silently patted him on the back.

Sherlock hugged her back, tightly.

So she continued to hold him in silence, then returned the same words he had told her before.

"…We are friends, aren't we?" She murmured.

Since they were friends, they should comfort each other when one of them was in despair.

Since they were friends, Zhou Mingrui wasn't alone.

They stayed like that for a while until Zhou Mingrui regained his senses and awkwardly got out of her embrace.

"…Thank you."

He looked away. Losing control of his emotions as a Great Old One was unlike him; this world was really weakening his Beyonder abilities and divinity.

Sharron scrutinized his face and noticed that he was still not completely fine. However, he seemed to be in a better condition than before so she nodded and stood up before returning inside the doll.

Zhou Mingrui watched the young lady with a pale face, blonde hair, blue eyes and delicate features silently disappear inside the doll with a black Gothic regal dress and soft hat similar to her human form, and picked it up to put her back on his shoulder.

Then, he glanced behind him a last time and disappeared from the rooftop, coming down the building to among the crowd.

Yoo Jonghyuk also decided to leave and gathered with Cale, his sister and Shin Sooyoung. Lee Jihye and Jung Heewon also joined them.

Cale absentmindedly followed him while still holding Shin Yoosoung's hand. Then, he finally felt the child's tight grip and looked down at her.

As the child stared at his empty eyes with concern, he patted his head to reassure her before looking back ahead.

At one point, in front of them, there was the man that his childhood friend had been fighting against. She had seemed to know him.

Yoo Jonghyuk had been heading to Zhou Mingrui after seeing him in the crowd and stared at the person who had been the strongest until the last seconds of the scenarios in silence.

The man looked back at him with dazed eyes, then he turned his gaze away and continued to walk past him.

Even though he had been emotionally shaken, he still continued to walk without a moment of rest.

Yoo Jonghyuk couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity. That man, he seemed lonely.

However, this time, Zhou Mingrui wasn't alone. There was an additional doll on his shoulder accompanying him.

The doll glanced at him then looked back ahead.

She didn't know where they were headed but, as always, wherever he went, she would follow him.

Because he was the only person he knew in this world, and because they were friends.

Sharron couldn't help thinking of Maric and her teacher. She wondered if, after she had disappeared, they missed her, or if they knew that she was currently in another world.

Maybe that wasn't important.

The doll didn't know whether she could ever come back to her world, or why she had been brought here by Sherlock's coin in the first place.

However, she didn't regret it.