Aaron was startled; everything had happened exactly as he had expected.
'Seriously, he said that? Was I just dreaming?'
He blinked rapidly, making sure that all of this was real.
"You're right," he said softly, the gloom in his heart beginning to fade.
'I thought I was the only weird one for suddenly thinking about that woman again. Turns out Actitus feels the same way, haha, damn it!'
Aaron could not hold back a small laugh as his gaze sharpened. Then, in a low voice, he asked, "So, do you want to hear my story?"
Zavi raised an eyebrow.
"What story?" He paused for a moment before realizing where the conversation was heading. "Hmm, all right," he continued enthusiastically.
Aaron stood up and asked again, "What would you like to drink? I'll make something for both of us."
Zavi felt slightly awkward but gave a brief answer, "Sweet tea, if possible."
"Of course. Give me a moment, just two minutes." Aaron turned around and walked quickly toward the kitchen, rubbing his forehead before gently massaging his neck.
Zavi, realizing that there was something strange about Aaron's behavior, tried to trace the cause back to the previous night.
Although they were not the only ones involved, Aaron had been the most affected among the group, the only one still trapped within the "fairy tale" of history created by Loki Wesborn.
None of them realized, or rather, had yet understood, the impact that still felt so real even though their bodies and souls had long since been freed from that "fairy tale."
In short, their minds told them that it had merely been an illusion, yet their senses insisted that the events had been real. As a result, they could not distinguish whether the experience had been a dream or reality. None of them knew what kind of supernatural power had dragged them into that world, whether it came from a supernatural ability or the power of an entity from another world.
The three of them, Zuhen, Felina, and Celvira, had left at dawn to search for information about the events of the previous night. Of course, it was a difficult task, but the burden felt lighter for Celvira, who shared her senses with Zavi.
Although Zavi's memories of the battle were vague, he could still remember the name Loki Wesborn, the man who had spoken with him.
After reaching his destination by breaking through the "fourth wall," Zavi found himself in an unfamiliar place where a vast expanse of water stretched as far as the eye could see.
The first thing Zavi saw was a man wearing a flat cap, staring at him in complete confusion.
All of this happened outside the flow of time, yet in the real world, the events experienced by "them" lasted approximately three hours.
Once they regained consciousness and emerged from the "fairy tale" after Loki Wesborn closed his book, "they" were randomly displaced so that the "Puppeteer" whereabouts could not be traced.
This ability was truly extraordinary, unique, and cunning at its fourth level. While other abilities at the same level possessed destructive power, and even the "Spreader" type included an ability capable of enveloping a dimension at that level, this particular ability possessed a uniqueness of its own.
It might sound invincible, but the fundamental nature of these fifteen abilities, including the four opposing types, maintained a true balance among them all. However, there was one anomaly: one of the fifteen supernatural abilities belonged to two categories at the same time.
The ability in question was "Prefence." This ability had more levels than the others, with a total of eight levels.
Two minutes later, the rich aroma of coffee and the fragrant scent of herbal tea filled the air, reaching Zavi's senses and making his head spin with pleasure.
Zavi's eyes widened; his previously chaotic thoughts became clear as the aroma drew closer.
"Right on time," Aaron said as he glanced at his watch.
He took a glass of tea from the tray and placed it in front of Zavi. Aaron then returned to his own seat, placed the tray beside the sofa, and reached for his cup of coffee.
"Can I start now?" Aaron asked as he brought the steaming cup of coffee toward his mouth.
He blew on it gently, waiting for Zavi's response while taking a careful sip.
Instead of answering, Zavi raised his hand as a signal that he was ready to listen to the story.
Aaron nodded, set down his cup, wiped his lips with his sleeve, and adjusted his sitting position.
He remained silent for a moment, carefully arranging his words before beginning to speak:
"The first emperor in the world, no, more precisely, the first in Chynoria. Emperor Celeste Samano of the Sheak Empire. You know that the Empire is located in the southern part of the continent of Chynoria, right?"
Zavi nodded and picked up his cup. The liquid stirred gently as he blew on it, then Zavi stared intently at Aaron as though he did not want to miss a single thing.
"I don't like beating around the bush, and I don't know what will happen after I tell you this," Aaron continued.
'Yes, there will definitely be consequences once I say it. Whatever they may be, my instincts are telling me to say it as soon as possible.'
"The continent of Karanda is the largest of them all, but that continent is not part of this world. You must know this fact from your studies in Havanuheta, right?"
Zavi hurriedly put down his cup and extended his palm toward Aaron, while his right hand stroked his chin.
"Something isn't right..." Zavi's gaze swept across the entire room before he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned forward.
'Strange, do the people here possess something different? Let's see: Karanda, BlackLand, Chynoria, Najasma... These continents are densely populated; each is inhabited by at least hundreds of millions of people, or even more. But that's not what I'm looking for.'
Zavi stared at Aaron; his lips moved from side to side before stopping, and finally, he spoke.
"Aaron, may I ask you something?" Zavi murmured, wanting to confirm his hypothesis.
Aaron lowered his gaze slightly, thought for a moment, then said firmly, "Go ahead. I'll answer as long as it doesn't burden me."
Zavi relaxed his grip and nodded before asking for confirmation, "Do you live in Synomia?"
"Yes," Aaron replied, confused.
After confirming one fact, Zavi tried to verify another detail, attempting to connect one thing to another.
"So, you can speak Wana, right?"
"Yes, it's the main language in Synomia," Aaron replied with a frown.
'What exactly is he trying to dig up with these questions?'
Aaron remained silent, waiting and indulging Zavi's questions. However, his assumption was wrong; Zavi was not playing around. He was trying to solve a puzzle based on the previous statement.
"Just answer my questions, okay?" Zavi said calmly. "I'm not the person you think I am; I'm only trying to understand the situation. At least for now."
At the end of his sentence, Zavi lowered his voice.
Aaron let out a long sigh, brushed the thought aside, then chuckled; he realized how embarrassing it was to misjudge someone.
After several minutes of silence, the atmosphere in the room changed, becoming vast and deep like an ocean at night.
Zavi remained silent, his fingers rhythmically tapping against his chin. The ticking of the clock in the distance made his mind race toward the answer he was seeking.
Meanwhile, Aaron slowly sipped his coffee while observing Zavi's every movement; there was something about the man's behavior that genuinely made him uneasy.
For some reason, the movement reminded him of his older sister, specifically the way she used to move whenever she was thinking about how to survive the next day.
Aaron clicked his tongue and gripped his black trousers so tightly that his fingernails turned white.
Zavi raised his head, his gaze locking onto Aaron when he heard the click that escaped the man's lips.
'All right, I think that's enough.'
Upon looking more closely, Zavi finally noticed the watch Aaron was wearing on his right hand.
He chuckled, his mouth slightly open, then said clearly, "I'm looking for an answer, or rather, I'm curious about the emperor you mentioned earlier. It seems I need to hear your entire story before revealing my own thoughts. Once again, I'm sorry for making you wait."
Aaron froze; those polite words nearly made his consciousness drift away. 'Since when did that strange man become so polite?'
Lost in his thoughts, Aaron tilted his head slightly. His gaze shifted downward; he realized that his legs were now still, unlike before, and his knuckles were no longer white from the tension in his mood.
'Am I overthinking this? Damn it. What have I actually been looking for all this time? Who am I, really?'
Brushing aside the emptiness he felt, Aaron adjusted his position, raised his head, and said, "I don't know exactly how to put it, but after the emperor's death, I sensed a presence from outer space, something that became the trigger for why we are all here."
"What do you mean?" Zavi asked, seeking an explanation.
Aaron blinked, the light in his gray eyes fading for a moment.
"The fifteen supernatural abilities. If my memory is correct, those abilities appeared gradually between the years 700 and 800," Aaron explained hesitantly.
"So..." Zavi still did not understand what the statement meant.
"So, the fifteen supernatural abilities did not originate from this world. Considering that non-human creatures had inhabited Sichuten before the lunar calendar even existed."
Zavi silently considered those words.
'Sichuten, the name of this world. Yes, you could say it's the Earth of this world's version. Is that right?'
He nodded to himself before continuing his thoughts.
'As for what he said, I know a little about the fact that the ability I possess... did not originate from this place?'
After thinking for a while, Zavi fell silent and closed his eyes, attempting to speak with Celvira.
'Hey, can you hear me?'
Celvira, who was far outside the city, specifically on the outskirts of the major city of Kuranda, stood frozen beneath an umbrella for several seconds before regaining her composure.
'I hear you. Well, your voice is a little broken because of the distance... So? Aren't you surprised that I can alter this communication?'
Zavi groaned softly.
'I am surprised. Wait a moment, there's something I want to ask you. It's important.'
Celvira looked for a place to sit right by the roadside before replying through her thoughts, the umbrella swaying before she pulled it lower.
'Go ahead and ask.'
Her gaze swept across her surroundings; rain drenched everything ahead of her while the scent of wet earth filled the air, sharp enough to sting her senses.
After arriving at this place, the rain had suddenly begun to fall. The clouds that had previously been heavy with pollution were swept clean by the downpour, and the air became fresher than it should have been.
Walking in her soaked dress, a woman approached her and offered her an umbrella for free out of pity after seeing a beautiful girl like her walking without any concern for herself in the middle of such heavy rain.
At first, she refused, but because the woman kept insisting, Celvira eventually accepted the umbrella, even though at the time, she did not understand how to use it.
"It's raining heavily here too," she murmured as she adjusted the position of her umbrella.
A hurried and panicked voice pierced her thoughts. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you."
Celvira immediately turned toward a man who was taking shelter beside her; the man appeared busy cleaning his black suit.
She tried to smile and greet him.
"Did you just get off work, or..."
The man cleared his throat before cutting her off. "No. I'm trying to get home. Yes, I'm on my way home."
Noticing that the neatly dressed man's reaction seemed uneasy, Celvira drew a conclusion based on the wet brown paper folder he was carrying, remembering how she had often seen humans carrying such things with sour expressions as though their lives had no meaning.
"I'm sorry if this sounds presumptuous," Celvira said gently.
"Yes?" The man raised an eyebrow, trying to conceal the folder from view.
"Did a company just reject you? I'm sorry again, you don't have to answer."
The man chuckled softly, acknowledging the bitter reality he had just experienced.
"Actually, I was just called in and arrived at that company. But once I got there, after an interview that lasted only a few minutes, they rejected me."
Celvira responded with a nod, her expression somewhat flat. "Then why didn't you force them, uh, I mean, why didn't you apply somewhere else?"
The man's lips twitched slightly upon noticing the woman's change in attitude.
"Forgive me, Miss. May I ask, are you here alone?" Celvira frowned as she looked at him.
'Is he stupid? Obviously I'm alone. Patience, patience, I mustn't lose my temper. Remember what that man said about being polite to the people I meet. All of that can save my life, right?'
"My name is Celvira..."
"Huh?" The man was startled, wondering why the woman had suddenly introduced herself.
Celvira immediately corrected herself and added:
"You can call me by my name. It feels awkward to keep saying 'you' or 'Miss' while we're talking."
The man rubbed his chin, realizing that the woman's words made sense.
"So Celvira has a sense of humor after all," he said while scratching the back of his head and holding back his laughter.
'Hey... Hey... why aren't you answering?'
Zavi immediately severed the connection; Celvira did not notice.
'Damn that woman.'
"Did you just say something...?" Zavi spoke unconsciously.
"Huh?" Aaron looked confused for several seconds, his eyes fixed on Zavi.
'Is he mumbling in his sleep?'
Aaron cleared his throat.
"I saw that creature appear, right at the critical moment when the woman was being attacked by the other six rulers of the world," Aaron said seriously.
"Are historical records from thousands of years ago still intact and preserved in libraries or other important places like that?"
Aaron shook his head, his thoughts seeming conflicted.
"Unfortunately, no. However, in BlackLand, a library from the past still stands firmly in this era, even though it was built during the reign of Rivver Doveres Hueven, the ruler of BlackLand at the time," Aaron replied.