The forest fell silent.
Even the horses stopped shifting.
The masked man turned toward the officers and walked straight.
As if it were already over, but my hand moved.
Trembling, weak, burning.
I wrapped my fingers around the sword's hilt.
And pulled.
A sharp breath tore from my chest as the blade slid free, but I stayed upright, leaning heavily on the weapon as electricity flared again around my arms.
"You'll nee d to d o..mo re..tha n th at…" I rasped, forcing a grin even as my vision dimmed. "To ki ll me…"
My knees buckled, but I caught myself, using the sword as a crutch. My eyes felt heavy, unfocused, but I kept them locked on the masked man.
The masked man turned his head slightly, as if reassessing me.
This was all the time I needed. With a final push, I vanished into the trees, every step agony, every breath fire— but I was still alive.
Behind me, the officers tensed, ready to give chase. Their reins tightened. Their horses pawed the ground.
The masked man lifted a hand. "Let him flee."
⪻────────𖤓────────⪼
[ ? ? ? ]
The forest felt tall, my feet were being sucked into the soil. Heavy pression dragged me down. Sucking me in. My eyelids closing in.
The world dimmed as I took my last breath—
Then in the mist of all terror, a single golden thread unraveled in the darkness.
It shimmered like a crack in reality, humming with a warmth that didn't belong here.
[ "let the veil of worlds be torn, let the lost be found, and in the union of souls, let reunion be eternal." ]
The words resonated, vibrating through the forest. Tiny sparks of golden light burst from the soil, rising like fireflies awakened from a long slumber.
「 Revertar Ad Te 」
A pulse of light ripped outward.
[ I shall return to you — Skill Unlocked : Destined Union ]
The thread shot forward, weaving through branches and ancient trucks, leaving streaks of golden in its wake.
Before I could move, it curled gently around my wrist—warm, steady, and alive.
It tightened around me, pulling—lifting me from the sinking mud. The crushing weight on my chest burst open, like something had just lost its grip on me.
The warmth spread through my arms, legs, torso. Soft. familiar.
The mist parted.
Through the haze of golden rays, a silhouette stepped forward. Each step slow, steady and unhurried, as if the forest had cleared her path.
Her blonde hair scattered in the wind, glowing brighter than sun.
She reached out.
"I knew you were alive."
- - -
"So… that's what happened." Anny lowered herself beside me. Her eyes stayed fixed at a leaf she had picked up.
"They took the student of the Academia… But why?"
"You know Cody?"
Anny nodded quickly. "Uh-huh. During my day time, Victor made me watch over Cody to see if he was actually doing his trainings while Victor was away."
A smug grin appeared on her face. "Hehe. Sometimes, I teased him and he wouldn't be able to concentrate. And when Victor came…" she let out a silly laugh. "Victor's face was all red!"
"No—seriously! Victor face turns red when he's angry. Like a cartoon character."
I sat, leaning against the tree. Lost in my own thoughts.
"Victor… is a teacher?" I asked.
"Yep! Or… I think..?" She scratched her cheek.
"I'm sorry."
"What?"
"I'm sorry about your mother. I failed to rescue her."
The leaf slipped from her hand. Anny did not speak, and I couldn't bring myself to look at her. Just—not at this moment.
I was ashamed.
After a long pause, her voice softened. "…It's fine. I'm not mad at you."
She swallowed. "I heard Victor tell Andrew that he'd be heading to the camp where the execution is being held at. And… it is almost seven. The execution will begin in a few minutes."
"There's still time. We can rescue her this time."
Anny stood up. "We have to go. My mom must be waiting for me."
[. . .]
"Give me a few minutes, my body is still recovering". I groaned as I stretched my legs, feeling the dull ache pulse through them.
She paused and looked back at me. "Are you.. alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." I lifted my hand. "That thread—it helped me."
"Speaking of it, how did you manage to unlock it? I didn't tell you the incantation."
Anny's body jumped. "Uh—that. Um."
Her eyes widened. "Oh! I think it's best if you see it with your own eyes." She suddenly brightened, as if she remembered something important.
She swipe across the air with her finger, drawing a pattern. "Take a look at this!"
— I discovered it while.. I was mourning you both. While I was at The Saint Golden Loaf, I remembered the card you told me about and how this card helped us reunite no matter the distance, and all that crap. I specifically remember when you told me [Destined Union] belonged to me.
So, for the past few days after we left the wall, I began practicing to unlock the card—the card that I saw shimmer of pure golden light.
I tried everything I could possibly think of, every trick, every method, every action—motion. But it all ended in failure.
BUT! Just when I was about to give up and accept everything and the fact that you really did die this time, for sure. I… manage to uh open this up!
『Activation Window Command 』
Anny pointed, her face said it all. She was really proud of herself.
— Pretty cool, isn't it? It allows me to see pretty much everything. Look, I can even cast the mirage like you did.
— ouhououhou! Tell me, Zack! Is this how you level up the card?
I couldn't help but smile.
— You know, I knew you weren't dead. Even from the beginning. Before seeing [Destined Union]. Victor and Andrew nagged and stopped me, they kept telling me that you died. That it was impossible to survive the chamber exploding, but after seeing how the knight card glow, I knew you were alive. Otherwise, the Knight's light would go dim.
"You're absolutely right on that, Anny. You studied the card very well."
"Although for the
I opened my own with a blink of an eye.
— You won't be able to see mine.
Anny observed me quietly, taking in every word.
[. . . ]
— Unless…
I swiped.
— I showed you the window of [Destined Union].
[No one can see each other's
If and only if, you did manage to get a hold of the legendary card.]
A faint, sly grin tugged at my lips.
[It's not a bad card… and I know exactly where it is.]
[Maybe, I should get it.]
Anny placed her hand on her chin and said, "huh. That's strange. But, it is safe to say it would be scary if other's can view my cards."
"Not only cards, Anny."
"They can pretty much view everything. Think of the
…There exists one card that allows the holder to see the window command of others. Very useful for combat and spies.
It is a legendary card that the
The skill is very weak at first, and has a long restriction that resets after years. You'll only be able to use it once. However, once you start leveling it up, it goes up by 1.
You'll also need a strong rank card. It's a requirement in order to unlock the seal.
Once reached its peak, the user can even use it unlimited."
[I'm not worried about that skill. To be honest, not a lot of people will be able to meet the requirements. And if the
[Even in the original timeline, only one person managed to locate the card which soon disapeared due to the requirements not matching.]
Anny's eyes swirled in confusion, and a thin wisp of smoke steamed off her head.
"Alright, enough. I'm sure everything will come clear."
"Let's head to the camp, I've recovered enough." I pushed myself up as she grabbed my arm to help.
"You pretty much manage to correctly use [Destined Union], and I'm sure you'll be able to unlock and collect other amazing skill cards in the future."
"I can teach you after we rescued your mom." I gently patted Anny's head.
I could see the excitement shining in her eyes.
[But, my heart felt heavy, and that familiar weight pressed against my skull again. The burning on my wrist never stopped. Every muscle ached, but I could still fight for a few hours if I had to, and that was all I needed. ]
- - -
I glanced at the
[ Activation Window Command ⓘ ]
───────────────────
Name : Zack Inori(?)
Age : 27 years old
Rank : A-rank
Title Card : 2 of spade
- - -
⌗ Additional Info (?) : None (?)
⌗ Technical Power (?) : ■■■
- - -
[ Cards ]
→ Spell card (unlocked) : Thanatos Forbearance (F-rank)
↳ Incantation : ■■■
→ Spell card (unlocked) : The Last Breath (D-rank)
↳ Incantation :■■■
→ Spell card (unlocked) : Duality's End (C-rank)
↳ Incantation :■■■
→ Spell card (unlocked) : Destined Union (B-rank)
↳ Incantation : ["let the veil of worlds be torn, let the lost be found, and in the union of souls, let reunion be eternal."]
→ Spell card (ⓘ) : ■■■ (S-rank)
↳ Incantation : ■■■
⌗ View additional info and attribution? :
(Y/N), |Select a card |
⌗ View sub-cards : [. . . ]
|Click to view more |
- - -
→ Spell card (ⓘ) : ■■■
⌗ [Error]
→ Spell card (ⓘ) : ■■■
⌗ [Error ]