My first impulse was to deny it all. The words were already on the tip of my tongue.

What are you talking about? Were you hit in the head too hard? How could I have gotten this far in this damn situation if I couldn’t see?

It would be easy to shut him down.

It was just…

If I kept going down this road, things would turn out the same. And I wanted to struggle to the end.

I’d spent too long deceiving others; it was hard to be honest right off the bat. So instead of a direct confirmation, I said, “How did you guess?”

“A few things,” Luka replied. “The eyes. The glasses. The coat you’re wearing. Veric found it strange that you thought it was hers, even though she’d already been wearing one.”

Did she just tell him anything? “Why did you even give it to me in the first place?”

“Also,” said Luka, “I recently reached the Trajectory realm.”

Ah… just like Linden. He must have sensed my movements just now.

I laughed dryly.

“You’re right. I can’t see anything without someone else to look for me.”

I reached out, felt carefully for his face, and wiped the blood out of his eyes.

“So keep your eyes on me.”

Luka blinked up at me, looking first at the kaleidoscope in my eyes that hadn’t stopped spinning since I started going blind, then at the truly wretched smile on my face.

I pulled my hand back and hastily tucked that smile away.

“Where is your sword?”

Luka’s eyes flickered to the side, bringing the sword into view. But when I got up to move, he grabbed my shoulder.

“Wait. There’s something else we can try.”

“What?”

“You’re using the Eye of the Kaleidoscope, aren’t you? It also has the ability to perform perspective magic. You might be able to do it too.”

Maybe if I hadn’t been knocked out during our free exploration time, I would have known what the hell that was.

“I don’t know how.”

“It’s fine,” said Luka. “Hold your hand out.”

I did. He closed one eye and moved my hand until it covered up the green sword in his remaining field of vision.

“Hold your hand here like this. If you can’t see the sword, then it’s not there. My arm isn’t pinned down.”

“The hell are you saying?”

“Try to believe that. And then pull my arm up.”

That sounded like bullshit. Was I really going to use our precious time on this?

I clicked my tongue and reached for his arm with my free hand.

“If this doesn’t work, I’m cutting your arm off.”

Okay, Eunseok.

You’re good at pretending, so just pretend it isn’t there.

I grabbed onto his wrist and pulled.

The power of the [Last Genesis]’ core moved, and a strange sensation flowed out from my eyes.

I took away the hand blocking Luka’s field of view and dropped his arm. It fell to the grass, still bleeding, but no longer impaled by the sword. The green sword remained planted in the dirt next to him, with the only sign of its terror the dark smear that remained on its blade.

…

No, fuck, I hadn’t actually expected it to be that easy. What the hell?

Luka pushed himself to his feet and hooked his arm under mine, hauling me up. His withered hand was curled and stiff, like a corpse.

“Let’s go take care of Veric, too.”

I grasped onto him. “How?”

“I’m not sure yet.”

I was momentarily speechless.

“…So we’re just supposed to figure it out along the way? You’re so optimistic.”

“You don’t think you can?”

I thought for a moment and said, “Maybe if I was ‘taking care’ of her…”

“That seems more optimistic than me.”

Startled, I barked out a laugh.

Luka pulled me over to get his sword first. He couldn’t make his fingers to do much more than twitch slightly, so I picked it up and slid it into his grip for him.

As I did, I checked Ozias’ status through Hanan’s eyes.

Her needle wasn’t stitching a faithful depiction of Ozias’ leg. Instead, it had embroidered a metallic prosthetic with thorny protrusions that dug into his flesh, running red with blood.

Why were Hanan’s skills so scary?

“Hanan’s tapestry is almost complete,” I said. “Ozias will be back in just a few moments.”

Luka considered and nodded. The shadow wolf reformed out of the darkness beneath his feet.

“You go free Veric. I’ll buy time for a little longer.”

“How long can you hold out?”

“The longer I use this skill, the more dangerous it is for everyone,” he said vaguely. “And Ozias isn’t an easy an opponent.”

The wolf came up to me and placed its head under my hand.

“Follow it to Veric. I’ll trust you to take care of the rest.”

My mouth felt dry.

I tightened my grip on the shadow wolf. It was cold and silken, and at the same time strangely immaterial. It felt as if it would slip out of my hand at any moment.

“Don’t die too fast.”

Luka looked at me a moment longer. I couldn’t see what expression he was making. He turned around and raised his sword.

The tapestry finished, and Ozias materialized in reality again. He let out a guttural snarl as his modified leg touched the ground. Blood flowed down. Hanan backed away, hand reaching for the inside of her vest.

Outside Ozias’ field of vision, Luka charged.

I followed the wolf by touch as it led me away.

Roxana hadn’t been idle; she’d made a solid effort at digging up one of the stakes. After clearing away the moss and dirt, though, she’d only managed to reveal that the stake had embedded itself deeply into the bedrock.

She sat there on her knees, covered in blood and dirt, staring at the stake in blank despair.

“Roxana, calm down. It’s okay,” Veric was saying urgently. “We’ll find another way.”

“We’re going to die here,” Roxana mumbled. She began laughing hysterically. “I was going to do better than her, be better than her, and here I am. Dying earlier than her. I’m so stupid!”

“Roxana!”

“I’ve ruined everything! Because of me!”

“Don’t blame yourself. None of this is your fault! If it’s anyone’s… I’m the original target, remember? So—”

“Shut up, Verica!” Roxana wiped her eyes furiously. “You don’t know anything!”

Frustration flashed across Veric’s face. She slammed her hand against the barrier again, then rested her forehead against it, as if she wanted to give up.

I finally came close enough for Veric to see me through the barrier, so I patted the wolf and pushed it away.

“Go back to your owner.”

It tossed its head and disappeared out of Veric’s sight.

Now it was up to me to figure things out. I recalled the description of the [Last Genesis of the Kaleidoscope].

Passive Effect: The power of the Kaleidoscope is vested in you. That which is “seen” must surely become true.

Perspective magic, and that which was “seen,” huh?

I reached out and grabbed Roxana by the shoulder.

“Roxana. I might have a way to get Veric out.”

She sobbed. “Can you break stone? Then it’s hopeless. We can’t even touch these stakes!”

“We might not need to. But I’ll need your help.”

Roxana sniffed and wiped her face. She hauled herself up and glared at me with reddened eyes.

“You better not be lying to me.”

“I’m as screwed as you are if this all goes wrong,” I reassured her. “So, Luka and I just realized that I can use perspective magic, but I can’t use my own eyes to cast it, so I need to borrow your eyes to do it. With me so far?”

“Perspective magic?” Roxana said.

“Your eyes?” Veric repeated.

I pulled Roxana back a few steps. “I need you to close one eye and hold up your hand to the other like this.”

I curled my hand as if gripping an invisible telescope and held it up to my eye. Roxana skeptically mirrored me. I put my hands on her shoulders and nudged her a few paces to the right, until she was looking at Veric straight on through one of the panes of the hexagonal barrier.

Her hand limited her vision so that she couldn’t see the angles or changes in color that delineated the shape of the barrier. It was as if Veric was standing right in front of her in a dimly lit room.

“Hold still and keep looking at Veric like that,” I said. “And Veric, close your eyes.” I wasn’t sure how she might affect perspective magic if she could see the “truth” of what I was doing.

Veric blew out a breath. “Okay. I’m trusting you.”

A moment later, her perspective winked out.

I didn’t really want to hear that from her when I didn’t know if I could even save myself, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on that. I stepped into Roxana’s field of vision. Because I was outside the barrier, the lighting on me didn’t match Veric.

Although common sense said that two different frames couldn’t be used at the same time, I’d used 6E and aura abilities while accessing the [Last Genesis]’ perspectives. Perhaps, since the Kaleidoscope’s abilities were bound up in the [Last Genesis]’ title, it counted as a title’s ability, not a separate frame. Or was it because the Fantasm World’s native abilities were considered a “fundamental” power?

Either way, it meant I could 6E magic and perspective magic at the same time, right?

I placed my hand on the barrier, feeling out where it was and shaping my ether domain to match its shape. Then I converted a thin layer of ether into a shadowy haze, layering it over myself until the relative lighting on me matched Veric’s beyond the barrier.

The resistance from the barrier disappeared, and my hand passed through as if it was open air.

It worked.

As I extended my arm forward, I was careful not to extend my ether domain with it, so as to maintain the illusion of consistent lighting.

The [Last Genesis]’ power flowed as I grabbed Veric by the arm.

Slowly, I pulled her forward, once again layering ether over any part of her that extended into my ether domain. I backed up until I was sure we were beyond the border of the barrier, then further until we were entirely out of Roxana’s line of sight.

I let out the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and released my ether.

“It’s done.”

Veric opened her eyes and looked around in amazement, taking in the barrier that had trapped her just moments before. Then her gaze shifted over my shoulder to meet eyes with Roxana.

Roxana burst into tears and turned her back, wiping her eyes. “Don’t look at me!”

Veric stepped past me. She took off her coat and placed it around Roxana’s shoulders.

“Roxana,” she said. “Thank you for worrying about me. You did well. I’ll handle everything from here.”

A moment later, her dragon phantom materialized again. She set her eyes on the distance where Luka and his wolf were engaged in a fierce battle with Ozias.

“Wait, before you go.” I reached out and pressed Hanan’s bone needles into Veric’s hand. “If you can, hit Ozias with these. Hanan used one to buy us time and cripple his leg just now.”

Veric nodded. “Thank you, Acacius. For everything.”

She leaped forward to join the fight.

Roxana wiped her eyes and took a deep breath.

“O lady of sorrows, have mercy on our souls.”

Her field of healing rippled out once more.

When Veric joined the battle, Luka dismissed his wolf shadow, but Hanan’s mysterious technique tipped the battle in their favor anyways. It clearly pained Ozias to use his new prosthetic leg; his footwork could no longer keep up.

So when Luka tangled up Ozias’ sword, Veric was able to slip in and jam another needle into his arm.

Ozias snarled, but it was too late; the technique activated once more. Veric and Luka backed away to catch their breath, watching as Hanan’s needle began sewing an iron prosthetic in place of his forearm.

Perhaps because this prosthetic was simpler in design or because Hanan was already extremely tired, this time, the technique took less than a minute to complete.

Luka circled behind the rippling tapestry, and as soon as Ozias materialized in the real world, he struck at Ozias’ neck.

Ozias brought his arm up reflexively. Ironically, the iron prosthetic that Hanan had given him saved him from Luka’s attack.

However, Veric struck almost simultaneously. Her claws tore through his robes and shredded his side, carving out chunks of bloody flesh. Ozias let out a guttural scream. He threw his other arm out and flung his sword at Luka.

Luka dodged easily. But the sword let out an eerie glow, transforming into a familiar stake, and it nailed his shadow down. As he moved, the shadow stretched taut and jerked him to a stop, as if pulling him on a leash.

It gave Ozias enough time to call two stakes from the formation that had sealed Veric. They transformed into swords in his hands, and he unleashed a desperate series of attacks on Veric with strength that belied his injuries. Despite her best efforts, Veric was pushed back.

Ozias parried her dragon claw strikes with one sword and threw the other sword out, nailing her shadow to the ground too. He leaned back, dodging the aura slashes that Luka sent out from where he stood. Then he dug his good foot into the dirt and made a hard pivot.

He ran for the exit.

Crap. If he escaped, who knew what kind of trouble he’d stir up.

“Roxana, look his way!” I urged.

She did.

Using her perspective as reference, I reached out and pinched.

The [Last Genesis]’ power stirred, and I felt a resistance against my grasp . From Roxana’s point of view, Ozias’ running figure was caught between my fingers. I lifted him up until his feet no longer touched the ground, feeling the power draining rapidly as I did.

I pinched harder, wanting to crush Ozias completely, but a sense of vertigo struck me.

I didn’t have enough power to make it real.

“Hurry up and do something!” I shouted.

Luka glanced down at his withered hands. He strained against his shadow and stretched his arm out.

“Veric!”

Veric only hesitated a moment before she snatched the sword from his grip. A silver-gray aura rose up around her as she pulled her arm back.

“O lady of sorrows, allocator of all suffering, may you grant our pain to the sinner before us.”

Blue light suffused Luka’s black sword, winking like the ocean depths. She threw.

The sword shot out like a javelin and pierced Ozias through the back, a near perfect mirror of Roxana’s wound.

I let go, and he fell.

Ozias’ sword and the stakes shimmered before reverting to their base form as copper-green beads. Now free, Luka and Veric cautiously approached Ozias, watching as he coughed up blood and bile onto the ground.

His vision was dimming.

Ozias raised his head and locked eyes with me. Then he looked at Hanan. He began laughing, low and mild at first, then increasingly uproarious, until he was choking on so much blood he couldn’t laugh anymore.

With one last rattling breath, he went silent, and his perspective faded out and disappeared.

The black swords from Hanan’s sealing technique dissipated into nothing.

Veric stared at his glassy eyes.

“Is he dead?” Roxana whispered next to me.

When I nodded, she began to laugh, too.

She walked forward, then skipped, then ran. She kicked Ozias’ head so hard the neck snapped and crushed her heel into his face.

“Look who’s laughing now, you bastard!”

Luka glanced at Veric. She shook her head slightly as she watched Roxana vent her emotions, but she looked relieved anyways.

Then Luka turned his gaze my way.

Thanks to that, I could walk over without tripping over anything on the ground.

“Hey,” I called. “Destroy his body later. Check it for anything important first.”

Whether because I asked or because she was out of breath, Roxana stopped kicking Ozias’ corpse.

We found a booklet of cards that had turned blank after he died. Roxana commented that they must have been personal contracts, so no one could inherit them.

We also found a lens tucked into his pocket. We couldn’t unlock it, but Hanan said, “Let me try,” and used some kind of back door to reset the lens and browse its data in some kind of troubleshooting mode.

“It seems he was the coordinator of the Order’s attacks,” she said with a sigh. “Ozias has hid himself quite deeply all these years.”

“We should keep the lens. That information will be useful,” said Luka. With difficulty, he pulled his sword out from Ozias’ back and sat down in the grass. “For now… let’s rest.”

There was a chorus of agreement all around.

One by one, everyone sat down. Roxana pulled her knees to her chest, and Veric collapsed next to Luka, pulling one arm over so she could inspect the state of his hand. Hanan tucked her legs in with a sigh.

Only I remained standing.

“What’s wrong?” Veric said.

I shook my head, unable to answer.

Ozias was dead. We had survived. Luka’s arm was intact, and the future had been changed, at least by this one measure.

So why did I feel so certain that I’d missed something?

I couldn’t get Ozias’ last laugh out of my head.

“If you can’t solve it on your own, you can tell us about it,” Luka offered. “We are working together, after all.”

“And alliances are made with people you trust…” I muttered.

So if you were allies with someone, that meant you could trust them.

Just like Hanan said.

Hanan, who had survived the initial attack and been discovered in the company of the Order. Who was holding onto Professor Raoul’s card, had sealed Ozias’ mouth and broken into his lens, and had led us straight into this fight. Who knew the most about this world but had seen my eyes and said nothing of it.

Who was my ally.

Who was someone I could trust.

So everything was fine.

The back of my neck was crawling.

“What’s on your mind?” Veric asked.

I couldn’t bring myself to sit down, so I paced a little instead, rubbing the handle of [Caller] to calm myself.

“I don’t know. Logically, everything seems reasonable. It just… doesn’t feel right.”

“What doesn’t?”

“The fact that we’re here. It’s not… But we had our reasons for coming here. And we’re all allies.”

“And we can trust each other,” Veric finished with a nod. “Then maybe the problem lies somewhere else. Do you think we could have been influenced unconsciously by something in our environment?”

“Didn’t Ozias specialize in information communication? Could he have planted a memetic hazard?” Roxana mused.

But why? For what purpose?

Veric was the Order’s primary target, and Luka had an unknown Kaleidoscope-related spirit granting him abilities. I had the [Last Genesis], and I’d kept them close to disguise the fact that the Order was searching for me. All the most desirable targets were in one place. Had Ozias somehow influenced my choice to do that, from the moment we met?

But if he knew I had the [Last Genesis], why wasn’t he prepared for us?

No, the one who’d sent him to get me was…

I could trust her. So it had to be something else.

“It doesn’t make sense,” I muttered, running my hands through my hair. “What am I missing?”

“Wait, Acacius,” said Veric. “What’s that on your face?”

I lowered my hand and turned towards her.

There were tattooed flames slowly crawling out from the back of my neck, over my throat, pulsing red and gold, creeping up my cheeks.

Ah… [Inevitable Survivor of Disaster].

The more I observed, as long as I wanted to survive, the more accurate my instincts would become. That was what my title had promised.

Instantly, I felt a sense of relief.

If I couldn’t trust my reasoning, then I should just trust my feelings.

As soon as I made my decision, the flame tattoo receded. I ran my thumb over [Caller]’s handle one more time before I turned to face everyone.

“I think I’ve had a pretty good track record in KP-04 so far. How about you trust me one more time?”

Luka and Veric glanced at each other before nodding in near unison. “We’ll follow your lead,” Veric said. Roxana hummed in agreement.

Good. I gestured for them to get up and turned to face Hanan.

“Hanan, let’s end our cooperation here and go our separate ways.”

It took a moment for my request to process.

Luka scooped up his sword awkwardly, pinning it under his arm. He moved to my side, keeping an eye on Hanan all the while. Veric and Roxana stood up, looking betwen Hanan and me.

Hanan slowly got up with a frown.

“What is the meaning of this?” she asked. “Have I not provided my timely assistance in many ways?”

“Yes.”

“Am I not your ally?”

“You are.”

“Then why the sudden separation? Do you blame me for suggesting that we find Ozias for help? It was your choice to come along.”

“Does it matter why?” I said. “Everyone, let’s go.”

But although they’d stood up, they hesitated to follow me as I backed away towards the nearest cavern exit.

“Acacius, could you… elaborate?” said Veric finally. “It doesn’t seem right to just abandon someone who’s helped us so much.”

Haha, fuck. I didn’t know how to explain either. Should I just leave?

Still, I couldn’t help but remember the way Veric had looked at my body in my dream.

I turned towards Hanan.

“You know, Professor Raoul’s card has black swords in the background of his picture, and his skill is called [Lotus of the Betrayed]. After Ozias backstabbed you, you used black swords to seal his abilities.”

“Luka has a black sword as well,” Hanan refuted. “And you yourself possess a black knife.”

“Right. It doesn’t have to mean anything,” I said. “But so what? I just don’t like it. If I’m being unfair, I’ll apologize once we all escape, so let’s just part ways here.”

Hanan looked around at the others.

Luka gripped his sword, not yet pointed at her, but ready to move. Veric stood in front of Roxana with feet planted in a firm stance, prepared to spring forward or move back at any moment. Roxana clasped her hands, watching Hanan unblinkingly with her pale eyes.

Hanan sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Sometimes, it is not good to be too perceptive.”

At the cave entrances, brightly glowing walls materialized from the ground, sealing the way out.

Fuck. I’d forgotten about the lines Hanan had drawn there at the beginning!

Everyone retreated quickly, putting distance between themselves and Hanan.

It was the wrong move. A card flew out from her robe, shattered, and transformed into a barrier that shielded her from anyone coming close.

Seeing that, Luka and Veric immediately moved. Their attacks bounced off the barrier without a single scratch. Inside, Hanan pointed at Veric. The leather booklet she’d been holding onto flew out from the inside of her coat, entering the barrier to hover before Hanan. The pages flipped, and a card floated out mid-air.

“Verica of the Dragon Temple, [Alleviator of Shared Sorrows]. Roxana of the Dragon Temple, [Arbiter of Solace and Relief]. Luka of Nithemoore Academy, [Sword Adept]. Acacius Duval, [Flame Adept]. By thy names I call thee, and by thy deeds I bind thee. [Weaver of What One Denies], bestow thy power upon me!”

The card shattered in dusty starlight.

A pure black light drew an intricate knot with four-way symmetry over my companions’ faces, but not mine. Their movements ground to a stop.

Hanan tilted her head as she regarded me. “Hm? Was that not one of your titles? It would be unusual to have a more powerful synthesis at your realm… Well, no matter.”

She flicked her hand dismissively. For a moment, I saw black threads glimmering like spider-silk between her fingers and my companions. And then it was gone in the light.

Luka turned around to face Roxana and spread his hands out to his sides, dropping his sword and exposing his vitals completely.

Roxana walked forward and picked the sword up with steady hands. Her voice trembled. “Luka.”

“I know,” said Luka. “It’s okay.”

She drew the sword back, aiming for his heart.

And Veric, with that knotted symbol still glowing over her face, came towards me.

“Acacius,” she called, voice strained. “Run.”

With what body? To where?

My fingers felt cold.

What did Hanan want? To kill us? She could have done that at any time. It had to be something else.

Come on, Eunseok. Think.

Professor Raoul’s card and the things Hanan had said. Ozias’ last actions. The vision I’d had.

I cut my fingers on the edge of [Caller]’s blade before raising the knife to press against my eye.

“Hanan, didn’t you want the Eye of the Kaleidoscope?”

Veric stopped scant meters away from me, and Roxana halted her execution, sword tip digging into Luka’s skin.

“Put the knife down, Acacius,” said Hanan. “You will not change the outcome of this affair.”

I laughed hoarsely. This time, I’d gambled correctly.

“Maybe so. But I’m not a very generous person. If I can’t keep it, why should I let you have it?”

I ignited flames along [Caller]’s blade. A clean knife cut might not decisively destroy my eyes in one go, but searing the flesh definitely could.

“So let’s talk terms.”

Hanan was silent.

Then she said, “This skill will only last for another four minutes. If we do not reach an agreement by that time, I will kill everyone and take what I want from your corpse.”

“Acacius,” Veric whispered.

Not like I could see what face she was making at me. I slipped my free, bleeding hand into my pocket and spoke. “I don’t know what agreement you had with Ozias, but you wanted to return to your position in the Broken Kaleidoscope afterwards, didn’t you?”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have played the part of Broken Kaleidoscope staff member around us, even after meeting up. Perhaps a resource-rich research institute, in control of an independent area like Fulsgate, appealed to her desires.

Hanan hesitated. I forged on, feeling more confident of my guesses.

“Now that you’ve acted openly against Nithemoore, to go back to the Broken Kaleidoscope, you’d have to take care of all witnesses. But I don’t see why you should get to go back to your life if I’m about to die. So, in exchange for my cooperation, I want you to give up on returning to the Broken Kaleidoscope and let my companions leave unharmed.”

If everyone died here by her hand, there was no chance I’d come out of this alive. So I had to make sure they escaped.

And after that, I had to believe that Veric would come back for me.

“Think about it,” I said into the ensuing silence. “Why would you need to stay once you’ve obtained the final piece of the Kaleidoscope, anyways?”

In my first encounter with the Order, they’d only wanted to capture me, not kill me. Between that and my vision, I could guess that in order to take the Kaleidoscope’s power from my body, she first needed me alive. And she would need time.

Veric had wondered in the vision if reaching me faster would have changed things, so I had to leave them a way to find me. In my pocket, I flipped open the cap of the compass and squeezed in as much blood from my cut fingers as I could.

Hanan hummed thoughtfully.

“And what guarantee do I have that you will indeed cooperate once your companions have gone?”

My eyes were beginning to water from the heat of the flames. Veric watched a tear well up and draw a clean path down through the grime on my face.

“I’d rather accomplish something with my life, that’s all. If you have a way to make a pact, let’s do it.”

Honestly, Hanan didn’t even need a supernatural enforcer. Any oath I spoke was one I was ready to keep until my death.

But no one needed to know that about me, nor would they believe it just by my words.

“Very well,” said Hanan.

She gestured. Roxana lowered her sword, and Veric stepped back.

“But you must show some sincerity as well. Do not think I have not noticed your little tricks. Empty your pockets.”

I pretended to freeze, then gave an uncomfortable smile.

“Well, it was worth a try.”

Closing the compass cap, I turned my pockets inside out.

The compass, the net amulet, and Hanan’s pen fell out.

“Take off your other artifacts,” she said.

I deliberately hesitated, but finally, with an unwilling mien, I pulled my necklaces off. The 6E and aura force artifacts fell to the ground along with Isul’s amulet. The flames on my knife went out. I pressed [Caller] harder underneath one eye.

Hanan nodded, flicking a card out from her deck. It sailed in front of me and transformed into a small black door with a groove in it.

“Place your hand in the groove and make your oaths. When it asks for collateral, you will stake your soul on it.”

Did that mean if I broke my oaths, she’d still get my body?

She really didn’t like making losing deals, huh.

I placed my free hand on the doorway. Blood smeared on the cool wood.

“So long as the one known here as Hanan does not harm Verica, Roxana, or Luka, and permits them to leave alive and well, Acacius Duval will not destroy his eyes, nor will he attempt to escape on his own. This I swear.”

[The oath has been given,] said a voice from beyond the door. I couldn’t describe anything about its pitch, volume, or tone; it was as if the knowledge of what had been said had simply been inserted into my head. [What shall be the collateral?]

“My soul.”

[As it is known, let it be so.]

The door faded away, but I still didn’t lower the knife. Hanan hadn’t let the others go yet, after all.

Hanan crossed her arms. “This oath still leaves you free to resist and attack in other ways.”

“At this point, what could I accomplish?” I retorted. “Besides, asking for my full compliance is out of the question. I don’t want to personally cut out my eyes just because you asked.”

“Hm. Very well.”

I exhaled in relief. Not for the first time, I felt pretty lucky that with everyone’s eyes on me, I couldn’t see their expressions.

“Veric, make sure to take care of the things I left behind. Remember, don’t go down to the sea.”

“Acacius…” Veric sounded like she was going to cry. “Did you know this would happen the whole time?”

“Are you kidding me?” I said. “Who would want to die? Now get lost.”

“Thank you, Acacius,” Roxana whispered.

“We’ll remember what you said,” Luka said.

That guy was speaking with the same inflection he always had. Not that I wanted a dramatic display of emotions from anyone, but it sort of made me want to hit him one last time.

With those last words, Hanan gestured. Like puppets, the three of them turned and walked away. She let down the barriers around the cavern entrances, and soon enough, they disappeared beyond her sight. I took a deep breath and lowered [Caller]. Not much left to do but hope and pray.

“Now, what shall we do with you?” Hanan said.

“I would prefer it if you didn’t chop off any limbs,” I said dryly. “The [Last Genesis of the Kaleidoscope] is in the process of merging with my body right now, so I can’t guarantee what will happen if you do.”

“Indeed… That power must have been what broke my usage of the Eye of Misfortune at that time. Still, the sequelae of doing so mixed with the Signifier’s power in quite an interesting curse, did it not?”

She pulled out a necklace with a black and gold crystal, gazing into its sinister pupil-like patterns.

“Then let us expedite your transformation.”

A number of paper dolls fluttered out from her sleeve and took the form of the robed members of the Order. They surrounded me and pushed me down to my knees, covering my eyes.

So when Hanan closed her eyes and summoned the Eye of Misfortune, there was no Eye of the Kaleidoscope to break it.

My heart palpitated. By instinct, I struggled. A tide of malice rushed my way, and the emblem of the Signifier’s curse burned on my sternum, swallowing my senses with its red-hot brand.

Pain ripped through me like a tidal wave. I felt hot and cold, like an open wound, like a fever that wouldn’t go down. In a burst of searing agony, something ripped out of my back. I might have screamed.

Somewhere beyond me, Hanan spoke.

“How beautiful. This will be quite worthwhile after all.”

My consciousness dimmed and went out.

Chapter 31 Chapter 33