Endside (Part 3)

Zent was led out by Mary, appearing next to Rayven, still swaying to finish his dance before turning his body to face Mary, giving a finale.

Mary applauded. "Truly an intriguing dance. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can do it due to my old age. If only I were young, I would definitely join you."

Wiping sweat off his forehead, Zent combed his hair back with his fingers, unaware that his action made the faces of the four women behind him blush. They didn't expect Zent to look even more...

Rayven cleared his throat several times, trying to divert attention from the heated atmosphere that made him feel slightly uncomfortable. "Since you're back-"

He paused as he noticed the object in Zent's hand, which was now blowing wind. Rayven cleared his throat again and stepped to the side, wanting to feel the refreshing breeze as well.

"I'll repeat the question," he said, savoring the gust of wind. "Since you're back, we want to ask if Mary can find out how much Glory we have?"

Zent increased the speed of his mini-fan, turning to Rayven with a momentarily elated expression, "Haa? Mary? Oh, you mean her?" He looked over there, finding the old woman smiling warmly. "Why would you need permission? You're not part of Scattered Brains."

Rayven reflexively touched his chest, feeling hurt. "You... How could you?"

"I never said you guys would be allowed inside," Zent replied.

"You're leaving us behind? Are you willing to leave Celine alone without your protection?" Rayven quickly looked at her, blinking his eyes, giving a signal.

Celine immediately turned her face away, making a sobbing sound. Strangely enough, it sounded so convincing that Zent rushed over there.

"You want to join? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked gently.

"I thought you would already know without me saying it."

"I won't understand unless you tell me anything. Next time, please let me know your wishes, okay?"

Celine nodded softly, hiding her broad grin.

With this, she would continue to stay by Zent's side, protecting him from three women who were currently looking at them with burning jealousy in their eyes. Ahh, how happy Celine was to make them feel envious.

Rayven smiled contentedly and asked, "So, are we joining now?"

"No," replied Zent.

"But-"

"Did I say you would join too? Besides, you already told her. Why ask for permission again?"

Rayven wanted to speak but was silenced by the fact.

Zent smiled at him and nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes, you can join us too."

Mary cleared her throat.

Their attention returned to her, and then to Zent, who was now walking ahead. "I will tell you the reason, as well as the reason each world is here now. However, never tell anyone else, or panic will ensue. And we don't need that right now."

"Alright, I promise,"

"World-"

"Are you not going to ask something from me? A condition or whatever as a sign of our promise?" Mary interrupted, puzzled.

Zent shook his head. "No, I don't need to do that. If a great chaos were to happen, you would be the one feeling guilty, and I believe you're not someone who likes that kind of thing."

Mary's eyebrow raised. "Oh? How do you know?"

"From the way you trapped me. You didn't resort to violence; you just left me alone in there to self-destruct from within. Unfortunately, it won't work on me because I am already broken from the inside."

She observed those eyes. Eyes that apparently held deep sadness. Mary hadn't expected this young child to possess it, to have something that could drive adults to take their own lives.

"I can see it in your eyes. You're right, I wouldn't be able to bear the guilt if that were to happen," she nodded her head. "Now I understand why they chose you as a leader."

Zent began telling the story from the beginning. He recounted everything he had been informed by Hexas, including the arrival of creatures in this dimension shortly. Therefore, they had to quickly gather Glory to save the world.

During the explanation, no one spoke a word. They listened to Zent's explanation, knowing they had a great responsibility for this world.

A responsibility that might cost them their lives.

Mary's facial expression remained unchanged until the end of the explanation. She simply nodded in understanding with a smile on her face. "I understand. So, this is the reason why we are all in this world.

Alright, you can keep the bracelet you stole. I won't ask for it back. I believe the bracelet will help you someday."

"Y-you... You're not bothered by all of this?" Celine asked, concerned.

"Why should it be a bother for me? Didn't you just say you would resolve it?"

"You believe it so easily?" she asked again, seeking reassurance.

This time, a small laugh came out from her mouth. Mary picked up a glass ball, gently caressing it like a pet. "You surely didn't come here just to say something nonsensical.

And...

I think it's time for this world to reveal the hidden big secret. It won't be a shocking thing if something happens soon. We've been in this world for too long; it's time for all of this to begin, isn't it?"

They felt strange hearing the last sentence. Mary noticed it and smiled.

"So, what can I do for you, the future heroes?"

Their eyes widened, not expecting to be called that way. The atmosphere instantly changed to normal, no longer tense.

Rayven scratched the back of his head and answered, "We need your help to break the curse of dark magic."

"Oh? A curse? What kind of curse are we talking about?"

It was Sheila's turn to step forward and explain, "Our kingdom, Clockheart. All its inhabitants have turned into terrifying creatures due to dark magic that makes them crave blood. None of them managed to escape. Everyone was affected, from children to the elderly." Sheila sighed, steeling herself. Then she lowered her body, "I beg you, please save them all. Save my two younger siblings."

They were taken aback by Sheila, who usually presented herself elegantly, doing this. Even Mary was startled.

Mary approached, lifting her up with a warm smile. "No need to plead, I will definitely help you. I can see that you're not evil, just people who have lost their way in the darkness of life."

"Thank you," Sheila replied, holding back tears.

Mary nodded.

Sheila stepped back, embraced by Zent, and rested her head on his shoulder, asking Zent to let her stay there for a while. Zent, of course, accepted.

He hugged Sheila, gently stroking her hair, trying to provide the comfort she needed at the moment.

Mary pondered for a moment, searching for what she could do against the dark magic she guessed came from the Heretics. No one could wield dark magic as skillfully as they did. However, to confront such magic, she would need ingredients that were equally difficult to obtain.

Mary hurriedly searched through every shelf, hoping that the ingredients were still there, and smiled with joy when she found three of the components for the antidote she intended to make.

She continued searching, opening drawer after drawer, but still couldn't find the fourth ingredient. With a heavy heart, Mary returned to the table, placing each ingredient there, and turned to face them.

"The antidote is difficult to make. I'm not even sure if I can create it or not. The good news is that I've found three of the required ingredients for the antidote," she said, and their faces brightened. "The bad news is that I couldn't find the fourth ingredient."

Their faces momentarily showed disappointment before Zent's words brought back the sparkle. "No problem. Where can we find the fourth ingredient?"

Mary thought for a moment, unsure whether they should go there or not, especially since the headmaster was somewhat crazy. However, seeing their hopeful faces, Mary gave in. "The last ingredient is located in the Lightheart Academy."

"You mean the academy where teenagers of various races study together?" Rayven repeated and then sighed heavily. "We will be in big trouble."

"Why?" Zent asked, confused.

"Look at yourself in the mirror before you ask," Rayven replied.

Hearing this, Zent's smile widened. "Isn't that a good thing? We can shake up the academy with our arrival."

"There's another problem; I think I know where the ingredient is," Rayven said weakly, looking at Mary, who then nodded in agreement. "I think we should pretend to be students there and take it."

"Take it?" Celine asked, puzzled.

"The ingredient is in the headmaster's office," Mary replied.