Not soon after Altera had found her brother, the other guests who weren’t shadows arrived as well.

“I guess we have discovered the objective for this level,” Eric said after he had overcome his initial shock.

“Exactly. The situation is as follows.” Avici stepped forwards and walked towards Geißel’s corpse. “Chieftain Geißel Xion has been found murdered in his own room, and his throat has been slit open. Thanks to the weather, no one could leave or enter the residence, and the police won’t be able to help us either.”

“How original.” Eric rolled with his eyes. “You would think a reality-warping tower would be more creative.”

“As the overseer, I can confirm that the murderer is among those in this room.” Avici continued, not acknowledging Eric’s remarks for a second. “So, please investigate the murder and bring the culprit to justice before the storm clears, and they escape.”

“That means there are eight possible culprits.” Crossing her arms, Altera leaned against the door and closed it with her foot as she counted on her fingers. “There’s Eric and me, Ragna, Quin, Nephthys, you and Priest Shirou, and finally that masked man.”

“That is incorrect.” Avici folded his hands. “As foreign elements, we four aren’t part of the scenario. It’s the same for every previous simulation as well. It has to function without our interference.”

“That’s not what happened when we fought Elvex. And I remember Ragna fighting an assassin and other overseers.” A crimson spiral winded around Eric’s body, pointing at the couple. “Who says you didn’t kill Geißel with some magic ability while we were talking in the dining room?”

“Easy there. You should know being bound by some handsome hunk has been a long-time fantasy of mine.” Priest Amakusa chuckled and in his arm appeared a book with a leather cover. “You would have seen my Ysbryd "Higurashi no Naku" had I used it.”

“Same for my "Karma Paradise".” A golden staff with a trident-like end and a ring at the top through which ten other hoops looped appeared in Avici's hand. “As Utgardians, we have no access to runes, and a Ysbryd is useless in direct contact with the owner.”

Altera nodded, her eyes darting across the room. “He tells the truth.”

“And to refute your other argument, I guess it’s paramount that I explain how these trials work.” Avici clapped his staff against the ground, and it disappeared. “It is true that sometimes, the overseers are part of the scenario, but such is only the case when the trial requires confrontation. The Chieftess and Mimir were your opponents because the scenario required their defeat. As for Miss Kageyoshi, just like I chose to ally with you during your trial, she chose to oppose Ragna Griffin during hers.”

“What about Elvex.” Eric crossed his arms, not letting go of his Fylgja. “He was part of the scenario and clearly there to test us.”

“That I cannot explain, but Elvex was not an overseer. He was part of the simulation.”

“Huh? How?” Eric raised his eyes open. “He knew that this was a scenario and that we were there because of the level.”

Priest Shirou shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose you could call this one of the tower’s many miracles.”

“Sounds like bullshit.”

“I can assure you, Mr. Elvex was not an overseer. Besides the Chieftess and Mimir, all overseers were part of the Samurai. Kaguya Kageyoshi; Kim Jong-hui; Nephthys Mukhtar; Thánh Gióng; and me Boodhi Avici."

"And what about Quin and Mimir?"

"The Chieftess participated because of her fondness for Ragna Griffin while Mimir's existence is bound to the tower."

Altera grumbled. Her eyes peeked at Quin gazing at Ragna.

"And Elvex?" Eric asked.

"Astro Elvex is not one of the seven Samurai, but one of the four heavenly generals alongside my husband.”

“Got it. Two rulers, four generals, and seven Samurai. Though I counted only five. Where are the other two?”

“The Chieftain’s and Chieftess’ netherwolf, Kyrkyogrim, is the sixth, and as for the seventh Samurai…” Avici stopped and looked to the side.

“It’s a state secret.” Shirou frowned. “I pray that you never have to meet him.”

֎

“So, what is this?” The masked man looked around Altera’s room.

“What do you think?” Altera paced over the floor, her eyes never leaving the man for a second. On her back, she had hung her partisan.

“An interrogation, of course. So, let’s start with the basics. Who are you?”

If what Avici said was true – and so far, every piece of evidence seemed to support his statements – it meant that four culprits remained. Going by the way his corpse lay on the floor, Geißel had activated the alarm in his final moments. As Ragna was with her when it went off, that left Nephthys, Quin, and that masked stranger. According to Avici, Nephthys had no Ysbryd, and he was with Eric the entire time. So, only two culprits remained. While Eric was going to question Quin, she would find out who that man was.

Even if he was fake, he had to have a basis within reality and a logical reason for attending the diner. So, who was that person, and what was his connection to her brother?

“My name is Jareth Stardust.” The man sat down on a chair.

Jareth Stardust. That name didn’t ring any bells.

“And who are you…Jareth Stardust? Why are you here, and how do you know my brother?”

“Eh well, that's somewhat of a complicated affair.”

“Try to explain it, then.” Altera stopped her steps and leaned her over Jareth, her eyes looking down on him. “I’m quite curious.”

“Who I am doesn’t matter. I was searching for an object that a dear friend of mine had lost. No, it was stolen from me. My trail led me to this nation hidden in the second world. The leaders of this nation noticed my trespassing and captured me. I explained to them my situation, and we made a pact. If I do a task for them, I can get my item back.”

“A task?”

Jareth nodded. “They sent me to this tower in the fourth world, and I found myself in this festive occasion. I have no idea what was happening. Talking with the male lord turned out to be a waste of time. But I found my item and tried to fulfill the task he had given me. Of course, that didn’t happen when he died, and now…”

Altera raised her hand, ordering Jareth to pause. She pressed her palm against her forehead and sighed. “You came here from the tower. That…That means you’re not part of the simulation.”

“Simulation?” Jareth tilted his head. “Ah. I understand. I have entered a painting of a world. Like a dream, this is an image of amalgamations of realities and perceptions.” He snapped his finger, and rain poured down into the room.

Altera waved her hands around. When the drops touched her fingers, they dampened her skin, and a cold spread.

H…How is that possible? There should…”

“Be a roof?” Jareth shook his head. “You’re right. Rain can’t pour from a roof. You have to realize the truth. A roof doesn't exist. This.” He pointed at the ceiling. “Is a mere image of a roof.”

“That’s illogical!”

“Why? When there is no roof, then the rain would pour into this room. This world isn’t illogical. The only logic that exists is the one you give to this reality. Only then is it illogical. But once you abandon all logic, you can see how it's all logical, and this world can flourish. That being said, your adherence to order makes the chaos graspable. Perhaps, that is a quality of its own.”

Altera raised her hand again. “Look, I can’t even pretend to care about your ramblings. All I know is that you’re not the culprit since you’re a foreign element. Yes. Yes. Yes.” Altera started to giggle and stared at the ceiling. Rain splashed on her face, refreshing her skin. “It’s Quin. It’s Quin. I can keep Ragna away from her.”

֎

“Shouldn’t you be trying to figure out the culprit?” In the dining hall, Shirou leaned against his chair. Holding one arm behind its back, he took a sip of wine from his glass.

Eric blew his nose. “It’s obvious who did it. Though thanks to Avici for keeping an eye on the other guests in the living room.”

“So, what do you wanna know?”

“Who is Ymir?” Eric sat on the chair opposite of Shirou. “What’s the story behind this god?”

“That’s an interesting question for sure.” Priest Amakusa rubbed his stubbles. “I think I already told you that Ymir is the Outer God. That’s because he resided in this realm outside Aes. Even humanity's oldest scripts or wall paintings depicted images of Ymir. Ymir was here in his tower before mankind came into existence.”

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Ymir's older than us puny humans."

“Not just older. Ymir is a god of the chaotic. That means he has full control over the chaos.”

“But that could mean…?”

Shirou smiled and nodded. “You got it. To control the chaos means to create something out of nothing. Ymir created Aes.”

“And then he died?”

“Ymir's dead. The sources are clear on that. What we don’t know are the circumstances. Some sources say he faded out of existence because our ancestors started believing in Twice. Others say that the Trutner siblings rebelled against Ymir’s tyranny. And in his place, they elevated the being known as Twice to godhood. But whatever happened, Ymir is gone.”

Eric adjusted his hat. With his finger, he tapped against the table.

But did Ymir disappear? Eikthyrnir and the Twisted didn’t die and were still around. Who knew what else slumbered in Aes? For all they knew, they could encounter Ymir as they continued their journey.

Beats of sweat formed on his forehead. Eric forced himself to smile.

Oh, boy, in what mess had he gotten himself into this time? This journey had escalated beyond his wildest imagination. They were supposed to find Ragna's father, and that was it. But now, a world war was about to break out, gods crossed their path more often than they should, and reality had gone on a vacation. The world didn't go mad. It dived head-first into the cuckoo's nest.

“But I’ve to wonder about this level.” Shirou shook his glass and let the wine whirl inside it. “If the culprit's that obvious, then solving the case couldn’t be the level’s focus. So, if the whodunnit wasn’t the point, then what could be”

Eric raised his eyes. Oh, crap.

"Ah, you realized." Shirou smiled. "This is going to be good."

Eric jumped from his chair and ran out of the room.