Forcing my vision to stretch farther into the future always comes at a price. Blood leaks from my body—sometimes from places I don't expect. It usually starts with my nose, then my mouth, and sometimes even my eyes. Yes, my eyes bleed when I push it too hard, like I did when I fought that Professor.
"Hey, why are you so quiet?" Olivia says. She's already finished eating and drinking.
"That's just how he is," Rose replies, having finished her meal as well. "Quiet and cold. Hard to talk to, you know."
I'm almost done with my food. My shoulder feels heavy with a sense of unease—Olivia's presence, her aura. What she said earlier lingers. Her potential, paired with her master's technique, is terrifying.
I finish eating and drinking without answering either of them.
Silence settles in, but Rose's expression shifts—like she's holding back something serious. Of course. Oliver. The man taken away.
"You know Uncle was worried about you, Olivia. That's why he—"
"I know," Olivia cuts in, falling silent for a moment. "I thought about the risk. But I had no choice, Rose."
"Why?!" Rose presses. "Quenstown is your home. What's so lacking that you had to leave?!"
"You know, Olivia… your uncle—" Rose hesitates.
"Hm?" Olivia turns to her.
"Your uncle was taken. By someone he called a Vanguard."
"W-What?! That's impossible!"
"I'm sick of this," Olivia says quietly. "Things I never wanted keep happening to me." She looks up at the sky, her eyes empty. "I worked so hard since that day… and it still ends like this." Her voice trembles at the end. "I'm scared, Rose."
"Of what?" Rose asks quickly. "What are you afraid of, Olivia?"
"Oliver. My father." Olivia clenches her hands. "He's a Legend. A fugitive with an enormous bounty. I'm afraid he'll be executed, Rose."
Rose goes silent.
"So that's one of the reasons you disappeared from Quenstown?" she asks.
Olivia exhales. "Yeah. I was prepared for this from the start. I'll face it." There's a hint of resolve in her voice.
"Hm?!" Rose murmurs.
"Anyway," Olivia adds, changing the subject, "where are you two headed?"
A pigeon perched on a nearby branch flutters down and lands on Rose's shoulder.
"E-Eh? Santiago's pigeon?!"
Olivia raises her hand to chest height. The pigeon hops neatly from Rose's shoulder onto her hand.
I pull the crystal necklace out from beneath my clothes and close my fingers around it.
"The plan was Oliver's," I say. "But something went wrong. The journey has to continue. We're finding another way—to Nimurelle."
The crystal doesn't hurt anymore. Its warmth settles deep inside me, like its power has finally merged with my soul.
Rose nods slowly.
"I see now… Father," Olivia says softly.
"Hm?" I murmur.
"What?" Rose blurts.
"What's your name?" Olivia asks me.
"Hiroshiki," I answer.
"Hiroshiki…?" she repeats.
I let out a breath. "Raze."
"Raze?!" Rose echoes.
Olivia smiles faintly. "My father wanted to help whoever obtained that crystal. Turns out that person is the child of my father's old friend."
"Why?" I ask.
"To stop absolute dominion by the magi," Olivia replies. "The absolute power hanging around your neck is the key to how this world ends, Hiro. That's what your father and my father fought against long ago."
"I see," Rose says. Then her brow furrows. "But then… why did they become fugitives?"