“Does it matter if he’s different in your eyes?” asks Niklaus. “To me, a monster will always be a monster.” “Niklaus, that’s enough.” “Enough? Louisa, are you so blinded by love that you can’t see him for what he is? He destroyed our home. He’s a disaster in human form.” Niklaus turns to me and says, “Why do you impersonate a human, anyway? Do you try so hard to hide your true form? Are you ashamed of your dragon blood?” Louisa slaps him across the face. He stands there, stunned. Then, he turns to Louisa, who glares at him. “Niklaus, I don’t know why you’re acting like this, but you need to stop. I hate that I must agree with that woman, but Ivy was right. Your pride is only holding you back. No one will look down on you if you—” “Shut up.” “What?” “I said, shut up. You and Ivy are too naïve to place your trust in this monster. When he goes berserk again, you will understand.” Niklaus leaves without saying anything else. “I can’t understand him.” A monster, huh? It’s been long

Louisa knocks on the door. “Niklaus, it’s Louisa. May I come in?” He doesn’t answer. But that does not stop Louisa from knocking again. “Niklaus, I’m not leaving until you answer.” A few minutes pass as Louisa stays true to her word. However, she is completely ignored. Louisa turns to me and says, “Maybe we should give him some more time.” “Maybe.” I grab the door handle and push. The door snaps open and I enter. “Haruki!” “I’m coming in.” The atmosphere in the room is so thick I could cut it with a sword. Despite the afternoon sun shining in a clear sky, Niklaus’ room is like a space of its own. A dark, gloomy space where the light seeping through the open door is the only miracle this room wanted. Hidden in the darkest corner he could find, Niklaus crouches in a ball. He looks up at me, his eyes completely lifeless. Then he turns his gaze to the abyss again. “Niklaus, we—” “Get up.” “Haruki!” “Are you just going to wallow in your self-pity for eternity? Or do you want to do

The process makes my thought process come to an immediate halt. Before, though, I send my consciousness into Niklaus, who stares at me in awe, and erase all his guilt. After my consciousness returns, I look down at the river. “It’s complete.” “By the gods, Lizard, ya a unique specimen, I tell ya. Scales as black as the night and a divine aura like none I’ve seen. I’ve never seen sucha beautiful skin before. Ya even brought a tear ta ma eye.” My scales start peeling away. Gaia, as quick as a mouse, jumps to collect them all. One falls before Niklaus, who finally snaps out of his daze. He bends to pick it up. “So, these are dragon scales?” “Be careful, boy. Freshly shed scales are still fragile, which makes em easier ta mould. But that also makes em fragile enough ta break if they land too hard.” After collecting all of the scales, Gaia runs back to his store, saying, “Come in a couple hours. I’ll have ya weapons ready then.” “He’s a busy dwarf,” I say, returning to my human form. “

The wind gusts through the wasteland—formerly known as Mico. The beautiful cityscape Haruki and Louisa shared their date exploring is a deserted land. The clouds overhead mask the sun's light and invite darkness to roam the land. The barren land quakes as two evil entities meet. "..." "Have you made a decision, Elisabeth?" asks a man. The shadows mask him. His voice, deep, causes the earth to rumble. Elisabeth, leader of the Illuminati, stares at the man from under a veil. Everything about her, from her white dress to her golden hair and blue eyes radiate light. "Yes," she says, "I have. And I decided not to." "Despite witnessing my grand victory over Grand Order, you still defy me? Know, Elisabeth, that your measly organisation is like an insignificant bug to mine. And I despise bugs. They only know how to buzz around your ear. Do you know what I do to bugs like that, Elisabeth?" "Let me guess. You crush them, yes?" "Yes. With all my might." "Should I take your words as a threa

Elisabeth has been behind my altered memory for the past two days. The reason I forgot all about my past experiences and interactions is because of her magic—I’m sure of it. Even right now, I can only remember my purpose for being here. But why would she do this instead of attacking me? Emihiko said she loves me, but I find that hard to believe. Did she do this to recruit me into her organisation? She knew I would never join her willingly, so she used magic to manipulate me. Yeah, that can only be the most logical reason for her not attacking… Wait. How did I even recover my memories? Does her ability have a limit? No, I doubt that. If she could manipulate my memories, she can’t be someone normal. “Then can she…” “She? Who are you talking about?” “E-Elisabeth? No, I… It’s just another memory fragment I can’t seem to grasp. It’s nothing important.” She stares at me intensely. Shoot. I accidentally let my thoughts slip. If she can manipulate memories, does she have a mind-reading abili