"The Lord Who Watches From the Castle of Fate."
Yuu sat on his throne.
He'd felt the call.
The true name Yuu had created to connect the Castle of Fate, its master, and the multiverse. The phrase on the back of the ticket was the key to summon him.
"I see... so it was her."
His golden eyes watched the portal forming. Beyond it, he could make out the figure of a girl.
Long, shiny purple hair that fell down to her thighs.
Bangs cut in a triangular shape that barely reached the bridge of her nose. And beneath them, plump, pink lips that barely moved to speak the words of summoning.
She was tall, with relatively long limbs.
Even after being summoned, Yuu could clearly sense her doubts about him.
She wasn't praying with faith.
'Zombies, huh?'
At that moment, the classroom door had been broken down and they were pouring in.
Yuu wasn't surprised that it wasn't Miko who'd called him. After all, before handing out the tickets, he had visited this castle and thrown them personally into the flow of the multiverse.
It wasn't necessary to know exactly who would receive them.
The tickets always found those connected to the Castle of Fate through the bubbles of fate.
Tiny, colorful bubbles floated inside the castle. Each one represented the fortune of those individuals. And when those bubbles lit up, the ticket was delivered.
Yuu stood up from the throne.
With one step, he crossed the threshold of the castle.
×××
The mist swirling in the classroom pulled back and vanished just as it had come.
At the same time the vortex stopped spinning...
In front of Shizuka and Saeko, the white-haired, white-robed young man with golden eyes appeared. His presence alone was enough to stop the world.
And it did.
Time froze.
The zombies, who a second ago were lunging at Saeko—who was already bracing to fight—were now suspended in midair. Dust particles hung frozen. Even the noises from outside had disappeared.
"Saeko-chan, see?! I told you he was a real god!"
Shizuka shouted those words with glee, bouncing in place.
Even the god was tempted to glance at the massive boobs bouncing up and down, but he ignored them to maintain his divine appearance.
A god should not fall into temptations!
Gotta make a good first impression! So his expression remained calm, like a meditating buddha.
Saeko didn't answer right away.
She'd turned to look at the boy.
And saw the true meaning of the words beauty and tranquility.
It wasn't just that he was handsome.
He was immaculate and perfect. It felt like his very existence was beyond reason.
And what he'd just done, she'd seen it too. Stopping time and calming reality just by appearing...
Someone who could do that wasn't human.
Saeko had been skeptical before. She'd only spoken those embarrassing words in front of her teacher because Shizuka truly believed in the ticket, so much so, it looked like she was holding on to hope.
But now, with reality right in front of her eyes...
'...I summoned him. A real god...?'
Considering that the apocalypse, that was fiction just hours ago, was now real, believing in the existence of a god wasn't that far-fetched, right?
This being's presence was intense, but it didn't feel suffocating at all. In fact, Saeko found it kind of peaceful to be near him.
That's why she looked at him with respect.
She felt the kind of awe one only felt before something so vast, not even a sword could cut it.
And then, he spoke.
"Well then, Saeko. What is your wish? I can grant you anything you desire."
Anything.
Was that really something a god would say? She didn't know. Honestly, it sounded more like a demon's whisper.
But more importantly…
'Did he just say my name?'
She hadn't told him.
Then again, she corrected herself. It made sense. If he was a god, it wasn't strange that he knew her name.
Shizuka, who'd been quiet until then, suddenly raised her hand.
"Kami-sama! Please!! I want all those ugly things to disappear, and for everything to go back to normal! Make everything okay again!"
Saeko blinked. That was a pretty logical request coming from someone like Shizuka.
The boy, however, just slowly turned his head toward her. He looked at her with no expression and answered calmly.
"I only grant wishes to the one who summoned me."
"Huh? Huhhh? But I had the ticket! It was mine! Really!!"
"And yet… you weren't the one who spoke my name. You didn't use it when you should've. Saeko did. The summoning belongs to her."
Shizuka puffed her cheeks.
"That's not fair! Gods should be nicer!"
Saeko could swear she looked like she was about to cry.
And then, she sighed and spoke up.
"I don't have a wish as specific as Shizuka-sensei's."
"Oh, really?"
"I don't want everything to go back to normal. I don't want you to fix things for me."
She paused, searching for the right words while the god looked at her with interest.
"I want to be strong. Strong enough to protect myself, and protect others."
Saeko glanced at Shizuka as she said that. It made sense to assume that in an apocalypse, society's rules no longer applied. That meant not just zombies, but also humans could be dangerous.
And falling into the hands of a human could be worse than being bitten by a zombie.
That's why she wanted strength, to protect herself and that naive nurse, who could be so easily tricked.
So...
"I don't care if it's a sword, an ability, or knowledge. I just want a way to fight for myself."
A familiar emotion crossed her chest. She could feel that spark that came with the thrill of combat, and she recognized it as the joy of wielding a weapon, of being stronger than yesterday, and of not being saved by others, but standing strong and proud on her own.
But she held that urge back because it wasn't the time. She lowered her gaze for a moment, then raised it again.
At that moment, she saw the god's lips curl into a smile.
"I accept your wish."
She bowed her head, as was customary in her family.
"Thank you."
He added, cutting her off.
"…However, summoning me comes with a price."
Saeko looked up.
"What kind of price?"
How steep would it be?
But what she heard next was unexpected.
"You must become my Pathstrider."
"Path…strider?"
Yuu nodded slowly.
"It's the title of those who walk the Path of an Aeon. Of me. In other words, you'll wield a part of my power. But you'll also be part of my Path."
'To walk… alongside a god?'
Her pink lips curved into a beautiful smile as she said:
"It would be an honor."
Yuu, who smiled back at her, extended his hand.
"So, do you accept?"
The purple-haired girl raised her hand, and took his.
"From now on, I'm yours."