The rain at the port did not wash away the smell of blood; it only made it heavier, clinging to the black fabric of the coats worn by the three figures standing at the edge of the pier.
In front of them lay what used to be the form of a lean, dark-skinned man, the Level 53 hunter Kevin.
His death was a silent testament to the fact that in this world, levels were not merely numbers, but survivability itself.
The woman at the front sheathed a rapier that seemed to be made of solidified sunlight.
Her golden hair caught the moonlight as the cold wind blew back the hood of her coat, letting her silk-like hair spill free.
Her golden eyes reflected the light as a small smile escaped her lips, despite the fact that she was staring at a corpse.
"By now, the message should have reached that fatty."
"Hehehe," the girl behind her leaned closer. "So, boss, when are we going to take back the youngest? I miss him so much."
The beautiful woman, Beatrice, tilted her head back to meet the gaze of her companion. "Not now. If we go and get him now, all of you will end up spoiling him unnecessarily."
The girl with black hair and bloody crimson eyes puffed her cheeks. "Why wouldn't I spoil my little Al? Because of you, I couldn't even court him on Earth. Now that we're in a new world, it's my turn."
"Selena, you are acting like a home wrecker now. I told you several times to find a new lover."
"Humph, and why should I? I liked Allen first, but you just won in rock, paper, scissors."
Before Beatrice could reply to Selena, the last coated figure, who had gone to finish off the remaining hunters, landed from atop a warehouse.
"I'm done here, boss! So when are we going to take back the youngest?"
Beatrice let out a long sigh, covering her face with her palm. Then she raised her head, her eyes filled with quiet fury. "Why are you guys so obsessed with my husband?!"
Both Selena and the muscular man holding a large bronze hammer spoke at the same time. "But you aren't married, though."
Beatrice let out a huff. "Why are you even putting your mouth in this, King? You're married."
"Allen's like a son to me, though."
Beatrice waved her hands dismissively. "Each and every one of you is above Level 50, and I'm at Level 77. Do you think Al can grow if he sticks with us? Not even talking about the dangers, the only thing we can do is help him from the shadows, like we did when we wrote the story of this world for him. Besides, I don't want a fight with Zeno. You know how she acts when it's about my husband."
"He isn't your husband."
Beatrice did not respond. She simply jumped into the sky and flew away. Selena and King followed suit, leaving the port empty once more.
—
The moment the system windows flashed before my eyes, I felt my consciousness slowly fade away.
I did not know where I was exactly, or how I got here.
If this black space was indeed my inner world, did that mean I was pure evil?
Hahaha, like a saint like me could have a black world.
The moment those thoughts entered my head, stars began appearing. The closer I looked at them, the more I recognized them.
They were my memories. I could not come closer to them, but somehow I could still see them.
As I floated through the empty space filled with glimmering stars, I saw visions of beautiful memories, happy memories, sad memories. Yet they were all wonderful memories. They felt warm, comforting.
Gradually, I finally understood why I still frequently recalled my crew in this world, even though the code of the underworld said otherwise.
I loved each and every one of them. They were my friends, my family, my loved ones. People I could not replace for anything.
Names like Beatrice, King, Zeno, Selena, Eze, Neko, Elizabeth, and Reozaki all rang in my heart.
I missed the eight of them, but there was not a way to bring them back… right?
Huh?!
A certain dread coursed through me.
I knew they could not be brought back, so why did I not believe my own words?
The system's words about anomalies resurfaced in my head.
Did the fact that these thoughts came up mean they were not dead?
If so… did they have something to do with my transmigration?
Slowly, things began to make sense.
In a normal scenario, it might have seemed far-fetched, but this was a fantasy world.
Plus, if I rethought it, certain things in the past were a bit inconsistent.
Why did my cautious boss suddenly tell me not to investigate that guy?
How could a crew that no one could catch fall so easily?
Why did the boss give me that novel a week before her death, even though I had missed many big events previously?
Did they plan it?
Come to think of it, the novel was supposedly new, but it already had such a large fan base, complete with fan art and edits.
When I came to this world, many things did not match.
Then could it be that they came from this world?
Some legendary group of Aberrants? Was that why Aoki taught me?
A sharp pain tore through my head.
I gnashed my teeth so hard my eardrums ruptured.
Did I do anything to them?
Why did they let me go through such pain?
Why did they have to die?
All sorts of thoughts flooded my mind as tears ran down my cheeks.
I could not even scream or speak. I could not move or slam my hand against a wall.
How could they do that to me?
Why did they do that to me?
The silent sounds of sobbing slowly vanished. No, they were still there, but I found myself... laughing.
It was hilarious. None of it was. But… they were alive, right?
Those idiots were still alive. I thought they would end up dying again in heaven because of how useless they were at taking care of themselves, but they were still alive.
Still…
Why did they lie to me?
They should have just told me that they were not from this world. That they needed to go back. Why break my DAMN heart?!
I knew deep down that it was to protect me. I knew they loved me. If not, why would they even bother making a way for me to enter this world?
My hand, which could not move before, rose to cover the face of my astral form made of absolute darkness.
The ache in my heart, born from overthinking how I got here, began to disappear.
It was not some grand god who brought me here. Neither did some eldritch being decide to turn a novel I read into reality just to mess with me.
It was just a bunch of idiots who decided they had to take me to their world like it was a damn excursion trip.
Hehehe…
A small laugh finally escaped my lips.
The astral form began breaking apart, giving way to my normal skin.
I had not noticed before, but my body was hot, and my fingers were red.
"Am I blushing?"
'Well…'
The darkness around me shattered, and a black stone stretched beneath my feet, smooth and reflective like obsidian polished by time.
Above me was no sky, only an endless canvas of shifting colours bleeding into one another slowly. Crimson melted into gold. Gold faded into violet. Violet drowned in deep, unfathomable blue.
"It seems I'm the most loved man in the world. Two worlds, actually."
I did not know the full story of what happened, but the fact that the world reacted to my deduction meant I was right to some extent. As long as they were in this world, I could find out more.
I stared at the ever-changing sky and took a breath.
I was not even wearing clothes, but I felt calm and safe.
Ding!
[Congratulations Allen Park on your second awakening!]
[Your Geass has been formed.]
[You have earned the title: Most Loved Man In Two Worlds.]
[Wake up, Allen Park! Your trial is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal…]