Viktor knew he might have been too careless. He had thought that after the Outer God invaded his world and sent monsters, sealing them away would be enough. But now he realized that not only had the Outer God set its gaze on him, but other entities had as well.
They could break through into his world. He wasn't surprised that the Outer God could do this, after all, they were Outer Gods, feared even by the beings of the Outer Dimension and by the mysterious owner of the letter. What puzzled Viktor was how these monsters from the Outer Dimension had managed to create a portal to his world in the first place.
So Viktor decided he had to make his world stronger. But how?
To level up his world, he needed to absorb one hundred living beings and one Level 1 monster soul. But simply leveling up wasn't enough. It would strengthen his own soul and perhaps grant him new abilities, but what he truly needed was something that could protect his world while he was away.
Because he could only enter his world while sleeping, Viktor still didn't know how to enter it willingly.
So in the end, he turned his attention to the book. Within its blank pages, Viktor would create a new ability, an Evolution Page.
This ability would allow all living beings in his world to evolve. That way, when he was away or if some unexpected crisis arose, these evolved beings could defend their home in Viktor's stead.
Viktor began channeling World Energy, sacrificing all the remaining insects. After the Nyxwing attack, almost all insects in the world had gone extinct. At first, Viktor had been using the surviving ones as a reserve, but now there were only a few left. He hadn't created these insects himself; he guessed they had been placed there by the owner of the letter.
Now he would use their life force for an emergency, and this was an emergency.
The Evolution Page would allow all living beings in his world to grow stronger the longer they stayed there, absorbing the world's energy and breaking the natural limits of their species. To ensure safety, Viktor restricted this power to only those he approved of as part of the population. Any living being that stepped into his world, whether a monster or a Nyxwing, would automatically become part of its population, but Viktor didn't want his enemies growing stronger.
So he flipped to the Population Page and used World Energy to divide the population into two groups: Official and Unofficial. The Official population consisted of those he allowed or had personally absorbed into the world, while the Unofficial population consisted of invading creatures.
After refining the power of the Evolution Page for some time, Viktor forced himself to wake up. There was still an enemy chasing them in the outside world.
When he blinked, his eyes opened. He was back.
Viktor looked around and saw that he was in his dorm room. Sitting behind him was Agnes, holding his hand as she slept. Feeling his movement, Agnes stirred, raising her head. There was a small tear in her eye, and a fleeting smile bloomed on her face before vanishing.
"Big brother, you're such an idiot!"
"I'm sorry..." Viktor felt a deep guilt in his chest before asking softly, "What happened? Where's Wednesday?"
"She went back to her dorm. She brought you here—" Agnes shook her head in disbelief. "Wednesday brought you back… I don't even know how she managed it alone. But if she hadn't…"
Then her voice broke, and she shouted at him through tears, "You stupid, idiot big brother! You're the only family I have, and I don't want you to leave me alone like Father and Mother did!"
"That... you know I'd never do that. And I really am sorry." Viktor patted Agnes's head gently. He knew it was his fault. There was no point making excuses—none of this would have happened if he hadn't left school grounds.
"Next time you leave," Agnes said, wiping her tears, "I'm coming with you."
"What? No. It's too dangerous out there." Viktor frowned. He didn't want to expose his sister to the cult; he wanted her to live peacefully in Nevermore, make friends, and have a normal life.
But before he could say more, Agnes cut him off.
"If you say no, then I'll just… pretend you don't exist."
She turned away and started walking off.
"Alright," Viktor called after her, smiling faintly, "the next time I go on an adventure, you can follow me."
Agnes turned back to look at him. Seeing him smile made her own lips curve into a small grin.
"Promise that?"
"Promise."
But deep down, Viktor knew he only meant trips to Jericho Town, never anything dangerous like investigating the cult. He would never put Agnes in that kind of danger.
"Are you done listening?" Viktor asked after a long pause.
Jass peeked over the edge of his bed, grinning. "You and your sister have a good relationship. You should cherish it while you can. Anyway, what happened to you? I thought you were just going to the zoo, but you came back unconscious, making Wednesday carry you through the woods in the middle of the night! What happened to the legendary Viktor?"
Jass's eyes suddenly widened. He jumped out of bed and pointed dramatically.
"In the dead of night, a girl carrying an unconscious boy through the woods… Viktor, when did you start setting your sights on Wednesday? As expected of an Addams, even men can't help but collapse at her feet!"
"You should throw that thought away." Viktor shook his head with a sigh. But Jass didn't stop teasing, so Viktor suddenly said, "Wednesday, what are you doing here?"
Jass's eyes went wide, and he spun around so fast he nearly tripped, only to find no one there. When he turned back, Viktor had vanished from the bed.
...
Later, Viktor grabbed some food and sat beside Agnes in the canteen. He quickly noticed how many stares he was getting.
He glanced around at the onlookers, then leaned toward his sister.
"Why is everyone looking at me?"
"Check your phone, big brother."
Viktor opened the Outcast Book and scrolled to the Nevermore group chat. There, he saw a picture of himself and Wednesday.
Apparently, someone had taken a photo of Viktor and Wednesday from their dorm. Even though his face wasn't visible, anyone could tell it was him just by looking at his build. The photo showed Wednesday carrying him, her expression sharp and icy.
It looked like a wife carrying her drunk husband home. That was Viktor's first thought, only to realize someone else had written the same thing in the chat.
"WHO TOOK THIS??? WEDNESDAY CARRIED SOMEONE???"
"LMAO is he dead???"
"No way that's Viktor???"
"Bro looks like a drunk husband carried home by his scary goth wife 💀"
"I KNEW IT. First day, first girl. KING BEHAVIOR 👑"
"Imagine being so HIM that Wednesday Addams carries YOU."
"He tamed the demoness. Respect."
"Viktor, teach me your ways!!!"
Viktor's lips twitched. He started typing, trying to explain himself.
Viktor: "It's not what it looks like—"
"HE'S HERE."
"THE LEGEND SPEAKS!"
"SILENCE! LET THE KING DEFEND HIMSELF!"
"Bro, no excuses, you're officially Nevermore's first male lead."
Viktor groaned, closed the phone, and sighed. But almost immediately, a new notification appeared, this time from Enid and Elias.
Enid's message read:
"O-M-G! Do you even realize who you're hanging out with right now? That's Wednesday Addams we're talking about, literally the hardest person in this whole school to even say hi_ to! And now she's just… casually carrying you across campus? Like, what alternate universe did I wake up in?"
"What the heck is wrong with everyone..." Viktor muttered under his breath. He put his phone down on the table and tried to keep eating, determined to leave the canteen as soon as possible.
His phone kept buzzing with notifications, but he ignored it. Glancing briefly at Elias, he couldn't help thinking:
'Poor guy.'
He shook his head slightly.
"Big brother..." Agnes suddenly tugged at his T-shirt. She looked up at him, holding out her own phone.
There was a single message on the screen:
"I see you."
Viktor's expression darkened. He immediately took the phone, stood up, and scanned the room with narrowed eyes. After a moment, he sat back down and read the message again. It was simple, too simple, but it sent a chill down his spine.
"Do you know who this person is?" he asked quietly.
"No," Agnes said with a puzzled look. "Why are you so worried, brother? It's probably just a prank. I do that kind of thing all the time. Maybe they even like me."
"Right..." Viktor nodded absently. He didn't want to tell his sister about the cult, not yet. Better to keep her out of it.
"Anyway," he said firmly, "if you go out at night, you tell me first. Or at least have your friends go with you. Got it?"
"Why are you so worried, big brother?" Agnes asked, frowning. She was used to Viktor being quiet and calm, always smiling, always responsible. But the serious look in his eyes made her feel tense, too.
"Big brother… are you hiding something from me?"
"I'm just worried about you," Viktor said with a shrug and a forced smile. "Who knows, maybe the people you prank will prank you back one day."