Dusk was now closing in the town. Parents called in their children inside, and lamposts illuminated throughout the streets. In the park, fireflies flew about. Tokino caught twelve with the help of her power, and she set them free high up in the air. The lightning bugs flew around Haruto’s face, and he drove them off with his hand. Tokino continued her bug-catching affairs for two minutes; she caught fourteen more and walked back to the bench beside Haruto. He did not mind her resting on his shoulder.

Haruto sighed with eyes closed. “Alright, confession time. I did feel something about Adel’s death….”

Tokino opened her eyes, got up, and looked at him.

Haruto looked at the fireflies above. “It didn’t ache—but it did sting a little. I still don’t regret his passing. Adel was like a father to me—but he was an emperor first and foremost. He loved us all….”

Tokino witnessed Haruto’s happy-go-lucky glow. His smile was very childlike, filled with nothing but joy and serenity. Deep within, it ached Tokino’s heart—even when she knew nothing of his past in detail. She neared her hand toward Haruto. When he closed his eyes for the inevitable tap, Tokino gave him a head par instead. “See…? I told you. You’re still human….” she smiled intimately at him.

Unfortunately, Haruto’s heart ached as well. Just by looking at her smile, he felt impending doom. Instead of smiling back, he sulked in and looked down. For Tokino, it was as if he carried the whole weight of the world. “What’s wrong…?” She held Haruto’s right shoulder.

He sighed again. “Tokino… from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for everything you’ve done for me, but remember what I told you? I’m better off back in my cell. Deep within, I would choose jail. I can’t be with you for too long. Sorry….” his eyes lowered.

Tokino’s eyes frowned, filled with concern. “But, I-I don’t understand…. You’ve never told me why you’d think such things. I want to know you better. I can—” She interrupted himself after hearing a familiar voice in front of her.

“‘My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.’” The man walked closer. “Is it any wonder why earthly scholars invented the word ‘bardolatry’ to describe admiration for him? Even in my darkest days—he never failed to thrill me.” he showed a stern smile.

“F-Feuer…!” Tokino looked at him, surprised. “I-I-It’s not what you think… I was just—” she interrupted herself again, witnessing Haruto beside her showing a death glare with eyes lit up. At that moment, he looked as if he was ready to pounce on his prey at any time. He looked as if he would leave Feuer mauled to death than devoured.

Tokino thought she could probably hear his breathing two yards away. Haruto’s teeth clenched so hard they could have chipped away. He stood up immediately and walked toward the defector. “You!” He flash-stepped.

At that moment, Tokino failed to stop his assault. With Haruto going bare-fisted, Feuer fortified his body with magic and runes.

The vicinity fissured all around, scaring away the old man and other citizens nearby. Fifteen seconds in, Feuer started to realize that he could feel tingling sensations from his enemy’s punches. He decided to deliver his moves to the face. It threw Haruto several meters away.

As he got up and flash-stepped toward Feuer again, Tokino restrained him in front. “Haruto, stop! Why are you doing this?!” Her feet dragged on the ground slowly as she tried to push him back.

Feuer walked closer. “Hmmm… I seem to recall your face, young lad. Where are the other two?” he stopped in his tracks.

Haruto grunted and struggled. “WHY WOULD YOU ASK?!!! YOU KILLED ONE OF THEM!!! YOU KILLED RUBIO IN COLD BLOOD!!!” He struggled again.

“I beg your pardon?” Feuer raised an eyebrow. “In all of my years alive—I only ever saw Alaric’s prince lying on the ground on his final days—even before I stepped into that accursed valley. And I knew of his true killer. I sought to destroy him back then!” he walked closer.

“LIAR!!! Why should I believe you?! I saw magma lying around that place when I found Rubio left for dead! ATONE WITH YOUR LIFE, MURDERER!!!” Tears began flowing out of Haruto’s eyes.

“Haruto, please! Please stop! He’s telling the truth!” Tokino kept pushing him away.

“WHAT?!!! LET GO OFF ME!!!” Haruto struggled once more.

“No!” she shook her head, “Listen to me! I was there, too!”

Haruto continued shouting “let go” multiple times.

Feuer still stood by, and he pulled out a small rectangular black object that turned into a device similar to a smartphone. If anything else went awry, he would be prepared to detain Haruto.

Tokino kept pushing forward. “Listen to me, please! Give me a chance! I beg of you!”

Haruto grunted the loudest at that moment. “I SAID LET GO!!!”

“NO, I WON’T!!!” Tokino grasped his forehead. With complex runic arrays covering him to his neck, Haruto could not move or talk. At that moment, literal memories flashed before his eyes—memories of Tokino fighting Ted Manson alongside another mysterious, shadowy figure.

After the experience, Haruto fell to his knees and breathed heavily. Flying vehicles surrounded the area; Novusian mages stood by on alert.

Tokino witnessed Haruto tearing up even more. As she tried to hold his shoulder—he flash-stepped again—nowhere to be found. Everyone else stood perplexed. Tokino flash-stepped to search for him; Feuer failed to stop her, reaching out a hand.

She looked far and wide in town for hours until it was nighttime. Then, she realized something inside her head. Just as Tokino imagined, he locked himself in the detention center. The guards told her they never even knew when he went inside the facility. With a guard opening the cell, Tokino went in.

Haruto curled up in a fetal position on the floor, sobbing.

She sat down in front. “Please tell me what’s wrong…. I can’t help you if you won’t.”

He sobbed harder. “You’re wrong, Tokino…. I’m not human. I killed so many—all in Rubio’s name. I exploited so many hearts all in his name—including Adel’s.

“First, the world spat on me endlessly, and then it lied to my face. Someone—already told me this before. I’m a monster. A fucking monster!” He paused for a moment as his sobbing was unbearable. “Why—are you even here?”

Tokino sighed with her eyes closed. “Because I know another truth…. You’re not a monster. Easier said—yes—but since when did I ever lie to you? Your eyes never did, so why should I?”

Haruto got up to sit as well and dried his eyes out. “It doesn’t matter how you view me, anyway. There’s still another problem at hand….”

“Then just tell me.” She placed her hand on Haruto’s right cheek.

He lowered his head. “Everyone close to me… either died before I even knew it—or died in front of me. I can’t even fathom what would happen to you. I had my second chance. I even had a third—and I wasted it on petty revenge.” He looked away and sniffled.

Tokino smiled. “No, Haruto… I won’t die,” she shook her head. “Because I died long ago. A beautiful angel saved me. Even now—I owe my new life to her. Please, listen…” She lifted her left hand to hold his other cheek. “…There’s no such thing as second or third chances. We’re the ones who drive our lives. And I can assure you—we can always make a right turn.” A single tear flowed out as she smiled at him.

“Come here….” she moved her arms.

Tokino gave the one thing Haruto needed more than anyone else in the otherworld. With such an astounding familiarity thrust upon him, Haruto thought he could fly at any moment; a familiar happy-go-lucky came back. Even though Tokino never said a word, Haruto uttered one, hugging her back.

“Okay….”

Thirteen days in, the tapping was still nefarious and relentless. Haruto’s irritability became more and more comedic. However, he finally found out about Tokino’s weakness. Amplified by magic, he quickly moved his hands unto her sides. As he moved his fingers about, Tokino uttered the words, “Okay, okay!” and “Stop it! I’m sorry!” while she laughed uncontrollably. He even did it after dinner.

The next day was New Year’s Eve. Haruto wondered for a bit why so many earthly concepts exited in the otherworld—but he eventually brushed it off and followed Tokino from behind. While the familiarities of sparklers and firecrackers were present all around him, there were some things new to him. Firework cannons occasionally shot out huge billows of colorful smoke—forming into various creatures he had never seen before—along with earthly, mythical creatures.

The fireworks themselves also worked differently. With every bang midair, it would start another short trail, creating another bang so on and so forth. Eventually, this formed a chain reaction way up high, showing a web-like effect in the sky.

Haruto followed Tokino uphill for a better view and sat beside her. Looking up, she rested her head on his shoulder. “Ever wonder why you get nightmares from time to time ever since you’ve slept here…?”

“Yeah… I do….” He looked up in the sky.

She sighed with her eyes closed. “Those were my memories…. I gradually gave you bits of it with every tap. Because if I couldn’t know you better—I wanted you to know me better.

“You’re not the only one who cried so much you would drown in it, Haruto. I tried to kill myself so many times before she rescued me. My new mother told me—that her love for me shall live on—forever till the end….” Tokino shed another single tear.

With a sigh and a smile, Haruto got to see the fireworks up close. Tokino stood up, as well. For a barely brief moment, they mesmerized their wide eyes on every explosion that appeared in the sky.

In Haruto’s mind, he heard a familiar voice, saying, “Go for it, little boy….” Still smiling, he looked at her. “Tokino… there’s something I wanna do….” He held her left hand.

She giggled. “Funny you should say that….” she held him back tightly.

“…Me, too!”

The grand explosion occurred. The townsfolk from afar cheered at the top of their lungs, and children jumped up and down.

At that one spectacular moment, it both dawned in their minds; they made the first move. Even with their first touch, the heat between them intensified quickly. Not just on their lips. They rolled on the ground and eventually let go. The two blushed beyond belief and panted, looking at each other.

“Forever till the end… Tokino….” he laid on his back.

“Always… my Haruto….” She made another move.

One year went by for them. Haruto fought to the top of Vetus’ elite and became the city’s archmage. Whether by fate or miracle, the couple became even closer just within that time frame.

As the City of Origins’ church bells rang, their beautiful daughter caught the flowers they threw at the crowd. Outside, Richard Tregajorran waited by in his Pegasus carriage. Back in their new home, Haruto’s birthday commenced.

As this story went—the troubled, vulnerable, lost little boy finally found the brightest light in his life. And to think he would find another—under the name of Yukino Minagawa.

With all that, the sorry child grew up to be the White Swordsman. A king.

However, at present, the world gave the king one last ultimate challenge, along with his loving family. The challenge to tolerate the existence of a savage commoner. The Peerless Champion: Hokori Udemeno. No other epithet suited him well. His steps alone trembled everything before him—even the nonliving.

Getting up to stand in front of the queen, he uttered a few words. “Damn…. I feel like a total jackass now. Not gonna lie.” he shook his head.