The Splinter of Delusion; Last Part

"Where is... son?" The voice slithered out of the eye, sharp and furious, like something straight out of a nightmare.

"Did you hear that?" Kiaan snapped, eyes darting around.

"Obviously," Zero muttered, scanning the area. There was nothing there. Nothing.

"So you two hear it but can't see it?" Thalia's voice hitched as realization struck. Her eyes widened in horror. The eye... it twitched.

"Foolish... humans!" The eye shook violently. Then, without warning, a wild burst of fire shot from its pupil, aimed straight at Kiaan, who was still blissfully unaware of the danger.

Thalia didn't think. She dove. Shoving Kiaan out of the way, she narrowly avoided the blast. The slime-slick ground where it hit burned like acid.

"Shit!" Zero whipped around, his eyes finally catching on. "There's definitely something here!" He fired black energy blocks at the spot where Thalia had pointed earlier—just in time to see the eye move.

It crawled. And by crawled, I mean the slime around it formed into spider legs, dragging the eye out of the line of fire like it was some kind of grotesque insect.

Thalia froze, her stomach lurching. "Did that thing just—move?!"

"Did it hit?" Zero asked, turning to her with a raised brow.

"No, it didn't," she said flatly, her disbelief palpable.

Kiaan blinked, his mind racing. (Why the hell can only Thalia see this thing?)

Zero frowned. "It's probably not visible to mana users... maybe?"

"Could be..." Kiaan muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't get it, but... what do we do now?"

"I-I..." Before Zero could finish, everything disappeared. The floor, the walls, the slime, the monster—gone. The building itself? Vanished.

"What the hell?" Kiaan shouted, staring at the empty space. A giant spiral had appeared, sucking everything into it—everything except the building's remaining area.

And then—gravity.

They all started falling, the world spinning around them.

"Thalia!" Zero yelled dramatically as he flung himself toward her, stepping on Kiaan's chest to push himself forward.

"Ugh!" Kiaan grunted, trying to push Zero off as they plummeted. "Get off me!"

With a violent thud, they both hit the ground. It should have crushed them, but somehow, they just had a few scratches.

Zero scrambled to his feet, scanning the area. "Thalia?!" His voice was full of panic.

And then—wham—Kaia and the kid came crashing down from even higher.

"Ahhh!" Zero screamed, feeling his back nearly snap under the impact.

"Safe landing," Kaia said casually, while the kid laughed like they'd just played a game.

Zero didn't have time to deal with that. A tall figure approached them, dressed in a uniform like Kiaan's. And—of course—he was carrying Thalia.

Zero's eyes narrowed, a wave of jealousy hitting him. "Kai? You wiped out everything, and now you're—PUT HER DOWN!"

Kai gently set Thalia on the ground, and she immediately rushed to Kaia's side.

Kai's voice was cool and serious. "How inefficient. Two splinters, and you still couldn't handle a B-level monster? Shameful."

Zero's face flushed with anger. "Oi! You wiped out my house, my stuff, my games! Everything I owned is gone!"

Kaia blinked and looked around. "House?" Her expression shifted to disbelief. "My house? Wait... no, no! That was all corporate property! All that free stuff! Gone!" She collapsed to her knees, clutching her head dramatically. "Why? Why is life so cruel?!"

Kiaan sighed, clearly annoyed. "We're not like you. We try to avoid mass destruction, you know, because of the casualties?"

Kai shrugged. "Casualties? Human lives are nothing more than a fleck to me." He leaned in close to Kiaan, his voice lowering to a dangerous whisper. "And don't forget your place, lowly human. Speak like one."

Kiaan stiffened but couldn't find the words to respond.

"KAIIII!" Zero shouted, but Kai didn't even acknowledge him. He just turned and started walking away, ignoring them completely.

Zero threw up his middle finger at Kai's retreating back. "Well, fuck you."

 ***

"Uhm... so, like, I still don't get what's going on," Thalia said, crossing her arms and looking around, still a bit confused.

Zero sighed dramatically. "I think we all have questions, right? Let's just get them out one by one before my brain explodes." He plopped down on the ground, and the others followed suit, forming a circle.

Thalia tilted her head, still trying to piece it all together. "Okay, but... what's the relationship between you two?" She pointed at Kiaan and Zero, looking from one to the other.

Zero blinked, eyes wide. "That's your first question after all that CHAOS?!" he exclaimed, his voice rising in exasperation. "I'm meeting this guy for the first time, just say, he's been sending people to grab me for ages!"

Kiaan raised an eyebrow. "Who even wants to grab you? It is just....you are a shithead."

Zero leaned in, narrowing his eyes. "What did you just call me?" he asked, his tone suddenly sharp. "I didn't realize Apostle's team was so... disorganized. It's exactly why I didn't want to join!"

Kaia, clearly tired of the back-and-forth, raised a hand. "Alright, enough with the shouting," she said, her voice calm but firm. "My turn. What are you doing here, Kiaan? And what happened to that Chameleon? Did he get sucked into that spiral thing?"

Zero threw his hands up in the air. "I'm right here!" he groaned. "I can't deal with these people."

Kiaan ignored him and responded to Kaia. "I came because I knew you needed help," he said, sounding casual.

Zero rolled his eyes. "Help? You couldn't even handle that tentacle monster and—"

Before he could finish, Kiaan grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to face him, his eyes serious. "There was no tentacle monster," he said, his voice low. "If you say another word about it, I'll make sure it's your last."

Zero's eyes went wide, and he nervously chuckled. "Okay, okay, I get it." He quickly turned to Kaia. "But hey, I've got a question too. Why are you keeping a monster like it's your pet?"

Kaia glanced at the little creature perched on her shoulder. "Oh, you mean Shortie? He's been really helpful, so I'm thinking of keeping him."

Zero blinked, his jaw-dropping. "Keeping him? My ass" he asked, bewildered. "What, is he your... emotional support monster now?"

"Oh!" Thalia suddenly exclaimed, making everyone jump. "I almost forgot! I have special cooking lessons today. The students are waiting for me, so I'll have to go now."

"Wait!" Zero called out, his voice slightly panicked. (I can't let her go with those memories intact. I don't want to do this, but... I have to). He thought to himself as mana particles danced around his hand, ready to act—but then, just as quickly, it stopped when Thalia started walking toward him.

"Uhm... please take this!" Thalia said, holding out a white handkerchief, its corner decorated with a ladle and pot design. "Sorry, it's used, but I saw some blood on your forehead. Please, take it."

She handed it to him and quickly turned to leave.

Zero stood there, completely frozen in place. Not a single muscle twitched.

Kaia leaned over to Kiaan, whispering, "Do you think that forehead injury has affected his brain? Like, really affected it?"

Kiaan shot her a deadpan look. "Maybe it's something worse than that. I'm starting to think he's getting even more ridiculous than before."

Meanwhile, inside Zero's mind, chaos reigned: planets exploded, new universes formed, and flowers bloomed in an endless field. Through it all, Thalia, glowing like a goddess, walked toward him in slow motion. His mouth nearly watered as he daydreamed.

Then, with a snap, he turned back to Kiaan and Kaia, his face suddenly stoic and serious. "I'm joining the team."

Kiaan and Kaia exchanged a long, silent look.

Hopeless.