Chapter 29 [Arc 3]

'How is the progress, Lucian? Of the world so far.'

'You have made substantial progress. It's at 89%. Carry on working hard and soon you'll be closer to getting home, to your original world.'

'But you originally said that I wouldn't be able to, did you not? Are you lying to me?'

'[System has gone offline.]'

[Name] sighed. He looked around his room, getting up slowly he crosses his room and settled at his desk, opened his laptop and opened up a tab to do some research on the facility that kidnapped him, and did a deep dive on Kumiko.

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A group of armed guards was standing outside an office door, armed to the teeth with weaponry. A single raised voice could be heard from outside the door. Although muffled it was still quite a feat to even be heard through the soundproofing of the room they were guarding.

Within the room, Ayano stood behind her desk, chest heaving from the fury and desperation that simmered in her. She needed [Name] back into her grasp, they were on the cusp of a scientific breakthrough, but Akimistu just had to take his brother back.

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Lucian watched his Host; this world was a bit more dangerous for them. One of the characters was on the verge of an awakening. She even got close to finding out that world travelling is possible because they had started experimenting (torturing, his mind unhelpfully added), [Name] needed to hurry and finish this world as soon as he can because it is impossible to terminate one of the main characters of the story itself.

The report in his hand was bundled tight, Lucian was reluctant to give any more results. As any more results would soon result in the termination of his host. He was stuck, but he knew he had to continue.

His host was nothing to him. Just another one in the system. There was no place for feelings, he wasn't allowed any feelings or time for consideration.

(Then why does his heart hurt so much at the thought of [Name] never coming back?)

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[Name] woke up startled, as the ringing of the phone rang loudly in his vicinity. Groaning, he turned to find the noise until it stopped suddenly and there was the quiet shutting of the door as hushed voices spoke outside his room.

[Name] settled back onto the pillows and waited until the ding of a notification sounded and a holographic exclamation mark appeared in front of him. He raised his hand and it changed into a notice board, giving him explicit orders on what to do in this world. There was a weird sense of urgency in the notice board. Essentially telling him to wrap up with this world to hurry to the next. Although confused, he followed what the notice had given him.

So on that day, he was discharged even though many of the medical personnel were heavily against it. That didn't stop [Name] nor did it stop Aki from fulfilling his brother's wishes.

There was even a time limit now, he had two years before his situation would be put into play, and although there was a punishment protocol hanging above his head that he had no idea of when would be implemented. Or what the punishment would be. So he continued doing things as he would, working hard and preparing, setting up new allies for Aki and sending the big clients to Ayano's firm. He needed to make sure they would all have the stability that would not only last for them but their families also.

Because of his continuation with work, he was so immersed that he had neglected hanging out with his brother and Ayano; they wondered why he was so busy and haggard-looking at times. But they were just always brushed off, with "I am well" or "Meh, I am fine". And they were getting vexed at the brush-offs.

There were plots to get him recaptured too, people have been tailing him, hacking his devices leading him to start writing down everything on paper. He knew of them, [Name] himself tortured people for that information. He was more desensitized from it now, but it still ends up getting him in his dreams. The screams and everything, his lucid dreaming also didn't help him much in that regard. But it was nothing coffee couldn't help.

[A/N: Said every college student ever.]

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Lucian watched as the girl scream for him, her bloodied hand was reaching out to him. Another one that didn't pass the test, meaning that their soul will be facing termination.

"Lucian! Please! Let me-"

Her voice was resounding off the walls in the room. He could still hear her screams, yet there was an empty expression on his face. It was a nonchalant expression like it was just another Monday or something. Not a torturous test, that left the other mutilated, once a beauty but now reduced to a twitching mass of pain.

Once the body on the floor stopped moving, a little light flew out of the body and frantically started darting around the room. Trying to escape, but every hit on the wall seemed to leave the ball almost shaking in pain.

'The runes are holding this time,' thought Lucian.

Lifting his hand which held a little bag, it started floating and glowing before it the ball was trapped into the bag. Lucian watched it fall gently to the group, twitching for a moment before he opened it again, turning it on its head shreds of glowing pieces fell out before disappearing completely.