First Followers...

A wry smile crept onto my face, and I eyed each of them carefully, gauging their reactions.

Strangely, except for Lauire, their faces held intense scepticism—especially Kharn's—but there was no outright denial...

_So they don't know of it... Or maybe an inner-world is just that rare._

_Even still, looking at them now, I doubt that the idea of me taking over Adrian's body has even crossed their minds... Even if it had, that idea is simply too far removed from reality. Maybe it's never even happened before; as far as I know, it's a complete impossibility without the system._

_Regardless, this is great for me._

_Hmm... then how do I want to play this exactly_

"What happened to Arshe? And why did you bring us here?"

Laurie's voice was the first to break the silence.

My smile faded away, and I made a slow, exaggerated show of looking up at the sky.

_To an extent, these are the reactions I'd naturally have, only more purposeful; manipulative too, sure, but I'm not reserving many more of my scruples for these Angels..._

Thanks to the still-torn-up earth, I looked down at them from a higher vantage and began to speak in a cool tone.

"How rude. Has history forgotten me? Or is everyone this belligerent now? Adrian wasn't much different either... And I even saved your lives."

_This is rather fun._

_Of course, I'm just spouting random bullshit, but seeing their faces contort into that slew of emotions, I'm finding this quite gleeful._

A hint of fear, a sprinkle of curiosity—the glances they shared between each other seemed to convey a telepathic emotional barrage. Not one of them held certainty in their eyes, and this only seemed to exasperate the situation in their minds.

Simultaneously, their gazes changed to ones of ever so slight respect, but most of it was obviously feigned to me.

_I think they're more convinced that this place is not an illusion, and so the strength I displayed is totally real. Well, it is real, but only here._

_Regardless, something like this wouldn't be enough to dismantle their world view, but still, they're taking me much more seriously than before._

_Hah, they better get used to it..._

Kesef took a slight step forward and opened his mouth.

"Then... how should we speak with you?"

He seemed to have a practiced rhythm of speech, likely the same used for the higher-ups at his outpost.

I smiled slightly and dropped into a sitting position on the edge of the cliff, letting my carelessly crossed feet dangle over the sharply sheer face.

"You're quite lucky; I'm not too serious about things. You can call me..."

_Hmm..._

"Lady Syr."

I paused for a moment, letting it sink in... and also giving myself more time to relish this experience. _This shortened name has so much more... mystique—how exciting!_

"Heard of me?"

_Of course, I have to keep the character rolling._

They each looked at each other in turn, abject confusion on each of their faces; which was to be expected of course.

"I can't say we have... Uh, lady Syr."

_Oh, Kesef sounds so much more respectful—truly a good team leader—when he's not emotional anyway._

_Damn, I could get quite addicted to this, although... I probably shouldn't._

"A shame, but not unexpected..."

They all seemed to relax, seeing my apparent good mood, but their burning distrust laced with curiosity didn't waver in the slightest; in fact, it appeared to only grow stronger.

_Perhaps curiosity is the tinder of the mind._

"I allowed Adrian to use my magic; I saved your lives; then I brought you here. This 'Arshe' had already breathed his last."

They looked as if they were about to say something, but as I finished, their faces abruptly darkened, especially Kesef's, whose fists were so tight that his hands had gone white.

I remained silent, letting them digest... what was probably confirmation for them.

He plonked himself on the ground, sitting, any veneer of a façade falling away; tacitly, he allowed the other two to steer the ship of conversation without his input.

"W- Lady Syr, why did you help us?"

_The other two seem like they were already prepared for this outcome; after all, my attack was rather brutal at the time._

I raised my arm and vaguely gestured to the world around me.

"As you can see, it's rather small right now, but this place needs people... I'll tell you the truth: I won't let you return, not that I even can. The only way to save you was to bring you here; you owe your lives to me, but I won't force you to stay; you have the freedom to jump down there if you're not interested."

My voice had a tone of pure honesty, and I enunciated each word with crystal clear clarity while I spoke, with my finger pointed down into the abyss below.

_I can't possibly make the situation they're in any more obvious._

Lifeless and hollow, their eyes seemed to silently scream.

"You... you can't be serious."

Kesef uttered laboriously, his face growing more ugly by the second.

He began scratching at his beard skittishly, like being contained within his own skin had become uncomfortable.

A frown crossed my face.

"And you all looked so ready to die before... This world is safe—a paradise in comparison to what's out there. Is it really so disgusting to you?"

For some reason, a part of me actually took a little offence at their reaction, even though I knew it was coming and it didn't have much to do with the inner-world itself.

"That's not the same..."

"No... it's not about that."

"It's just too much to take in."

They each spoke in turn, forcing themselves to stay calm and appease or argue with me.

_It looks like they're stabbing themselves just to speak coherently, and it's actually making me feel a little guilty..._

_Do I want to be maniacal like that...? No, it's better to be more understanding in the long run—that much is obvious, I think._

Taking a few moments to ponder it over, I began to speak again.

"I see... perhaps I've been alone for too long. Think of it this way: you've all died and been reborn here, body and all. That world you knew is gone; you've played your part, made your choices, and... mistakes, but you have the chance to keep going somewhere else."

I paused.

"Well, it's not much right now, but, as the first ones here, you can play a role in shaping its future."

I looked away from them for a moment, appearing as if I were in deep thought.

From the corner of my eye, I could see they all still looked a little lost.

Nodding slowly, they all inspected their armour and weapons, as if it were their only connection to the lives they've lived; however, both Laurie and Kharn broke away from their stupor, instead turning to look into each other's eyes.

They took each other's hands, and I could visibly see a faint spark of possibility alighting in their hearts.

A cool wind then arose from below and snapped everyone out of their thoughts.

Laurie turned back to me and prepared herself to speak.

"Can... Lady Syr, can you bring Arsch's body here?"

"We want to bury him."

Kharn chimed in.

"How are you two so accepting of this?!"

Kesef cut off the conversation. He had tried to speak angrily, but his voice cracked and betrayed his inner turmoil—it seemed like too much for him to process all at once.

"Can you even trust her? This... this is ludicrous!"

He stressfully ran his hand through his hair while looking at the ground.

"What choice do we have?"

Laurie replied quickly.

"And if helping her makes her stronger? Gives her the power to kill our friends?"

She didn't respond immediately; instead, she looked around the room, at the crystal orb behind me, and finally into my eyes, which were carefully watching the scene unfold.

"I... I've already given enough. If all it takes is a couple of us to create a catastrophe, then it's inevitable anyway. Our entire lives were just servitude; we wouldn't have gotten any freedom, and probably would have just died alone at a desolate battlefront. If after giving all that, something as small as this could break it, then it's a waste and doesn't deserve to stand at all."

She paused, letting her words sink in.

"I want my life back. Even if it's just for a short while."

Kesef stared up at her, astonished.

Apparently, she'd never voiced her discontent so openly like this; in a way, she's been freed.

Nobody said anything for a while; it seems that, deep down, they all understood her feelings. _If they'd all died, did they really need to hold onto all of that? Hold on to the pride of a tool?_

"This is rude, but... your race?"

Kesef, clearly caring far less about consequences right now, threw his blunt question into my face.

_This is what I get for being nice... He gets all brazen._

I flicked my head behind me, and his gaze followed where I pointed.

"How do you think I stole that? Obviously, I would decide to take some Demon characteristics to get it done... The eyes are from getting my healing alignment, finally."

I let his attitude go and made up a story on the spot, as if I could just pick and choose characteristics as I pleased.

"It's hard to change once it's set, but I'm starting to grow attached to the look anyway, and I don't really care for the associations you have with it."

_I'm getting more and more into the role; I should definitely be able to keep this up in the future._

He stared at me a few seconds longer as if gauging the truth of my words before finally looking down and nodding.

"Alright then, I can bring the body of your friend over, but I ask only for your loyalty; this place is my home, after all."

_Despite all that's been said, they still flinched at the word loyalty. I guess they can't really help it, and I still look mostly demonish in the end._

_Considering how Rena treated that Demon earlier, these three might actually be quite reasonable..._

After a moment, Laurie and Kharn nodded their heads.

Kesef didn't respond, but he gave the impression of someone who'd tacitly agreed with them.

A warm smile finally graced my lips.

It was genuine, and I'm quite happy with this result, to say the least.

_The idea of bringing people here had sat in my head since the first moment I saw this place; I could have my own personal town or even city to help with Botany, maybe even runes, and whatever else I discover requires a large and concentrated effort, and all of it basically in my own pocket._

_I might just be a genius beyond words._

"Lady Syr, so that crystal..."

Laurie eyed the white crystal behind me, clearly having recognised it.

"Ah... I don't really have the time to get into it all right now, but yes, I stole it from the Demons. We can talk about it next time... Also, you should bathe in this water; it'd do you all some good."

I waved my hand in a nonchalant manner, and from their perspective, my form began to turn to stone.

...

It wasn't long before her entire body solidified into a smooth, milky beige. Even her clothes had turned into this stone-like, marble-like substance.

"How much were you telling the truth?"

Kesef suddenly asked with a dull tone.

"Mostly, I don't really trust her, but we don't really have any power here, so I'm willing to see where it goes."

She was quieter and sounded tired now, the high-energy façade she had been wearing fading.

"I agree..."

Kharn succinctly replied, equally worn out.

"You do realise it was probably her who put Adrian up to it all. This is practically all her fault; she likely even directed it all from the beginning for this outcome."

Kesef made his thoughts clear, and his tone was a little disturbed.

"That seems far too convoluted, and something tells me that isn't the case."

She looked at Kesef, who didn't seem convinced at all, and sighed.

"If she can weave such a tale all for a goal like this, then you can't ever be certain of anything, and you could blame anything you want on her... It's just not enough on its own. Besides, we're just some of the many she could have chosen to take here. We were probably convenient choices because we were so weak in the moment."

Kesef looked away.

He knew she was right, and he couldn't just blame everything on her simply because he was willing to believe anything at this point. Besides, it was better that he or other Angels were brought here. If the Demons populated this space and it's actually possible to send them back, then...

He didn't want to think about the possibility.

In a way, Kesef began to develop a sense of purpose over having been brought here.

...

"Well, I'm going to take a bath—you two better wait here."

Laurie abruptly stood up and elegantly leapt across the bottomless ravine.

"What kind of person do you take me for?"

Kharn's helpless voice sounded out into the expanse of the inner-world, to which Laurie only turned around and raised an eyebrow at him.

The look on her face made him choke on his breath, but he quickly relaxed after seeing the teasing smile that formed not a moment later.

On the edge, Laurie looked down at the statue now to her side—at this apparent goddess who was so much shorter than her now that she was here. There was a welcoming look carved onto her face, a semi-permanent fixture within this tiny world...

She was so close to the edge, and like an intrusive thought, the possibility of being able to just... push her off surfaced in her mind.

However, she quickly shook her head; it wasn't even something Laurie actually wanted to do; it was only that she had felt so powerless these past few days, and being sent here was figuratively pushing her over the edge as well.

Turning back to the water, Laurie stared at her reflection on its pristinely smooth surface.

Her smile faded away, and the more she looked, the more tired she felt.

She had been so ready to die in his arms back there, and now she was empty inside, lost, and even guilty at how little she really felt over Arsch's death...

Perhaps a part of her really had died back there.

However, she wanted to believe that, finally, she would have just a little freedom over her life here.