Eliza caught him a moment later, catching Gemini as he tumbled back, repelled by the violet passage. The searing sensation on his left hand receded, but even in his stupefied state, the Constellation knew that the brand the Demon God had cast on him wasn’t just a physical one — it was one that touched all the way into the spirit.

Instinctively, he understood that even amputating his hands wouldn’t do much good.

“Gemini…the Demon God has marked you,” said the Demigod. “The World’s Blight has personally moved. What happened?”

The violet portal above their heads vanished, reappearing in a far smaller form as Eliza gently landed onto the ground. In her hand was the Violet Regret Crystal, the key to opening the passage that linked the Five Lands to the Wildlands.

He hesitated for a moment, and then began to explain the events of their escape. Eliza’s expression twisted with every word he said, only to be replaced at the very end with regret. “I should have stayed behind, then. I didn’t expect the Demon God to ignore the passage I opened up.”

“No use regretting, Demigod Eliza.” Gemini raised his left hand. “This mark seems to prevent me from leaving the Wildlands.”

“Yes.” She closed her eyes. “Like the link between the Violet Regret Crystal to this land. Gemini…do you think the Five Lands are ready to fight the demons now?”

The Constellation knew why she asked that question. In fact, he’d already suspected the events that would take place the moment the Sentinel of Space had shown up. Hereward had warned him, informed him about the choices he would have to make…and Gemini knew that the great god already made his choice long ago.

“No.” Gemini smiled. “They aren’t.”

He took out the Severing Cube. “This artefact was given to me by Hereward, the Sentinel of Space, although I’m beginning to suspect his identity at this point. Maybe he’s someone like me?”

The Demigod didn’t respond to his joke, and the Constellation continued his words after a brief pause. “With it, I can sever any link. The passage between the Wildlands and the Five Lands. The bond I still somewhat share with the Human God. And the chains the Demon God’s brand created that shackle me down to the Wildlands.”

An abnormal calm flooded every fibre of his being. “But I can only use it once. I have my own reasons to live, to escape. I have Lila waiting for me. I have my friends. I have a hero’s welcome.”

“And yet, all these are ephemeral in the face of a premature assault by the Demon God’s forces,” Demigod Eliza continued.

“Yes.”

She looked away from Gemini. “I’ve heard so much about you, really. I was in deep seclusion during the Second Extermination, but there were so much to hear about the Constellation Heroes, who served as the hounds and blades of the Human God. Everyone hates them. And I know that they hate themselves. But you’ve done more than enough already.”

A small violet portal appeared in front of her. “You do not need to sacrifice yourself for the sake of the world. You’ve already atoned for your sins. You’ve protected the children and family of those who fell at the Second Extermination. And it was, perhaps, never your fault alone.”

“Your sacrifice here will sadden your friends and your family,” continued the Demigod. “If you die, they will be all the more reckless in the war to come. And they will follow your footsteps.”

The Constellation clenched his fist, and with a single thought, his clone appeared.

“Gemini, you—”

“Quinn,” Gemini spoke out loud. “You’ll control my clone from now on. You shouldn’t go down with me, at least. This has nothing to do with you. This is an order.”

With a hint of unwillingness, someone from his mind vanished. A moment later, his clone moved on his own accord. “Gemini, are you insane?”

“I’m not,” he replied. “I’m incredibly rational now. The Demon God’s mark was branded on my soul, not my body. Even if I were to occupy a clone, I would not be able to pass through it.”

He turned to Demigod Eliza. “Thank you for your words. But this isn’t about me anymore. This is about the future. The more time the Five Lands have to prepare, the better. Help me apologise to Lila.”

“Gemini…”

“You should go, Eliza.” Gemini gripped the Severing Cube tightly. “I’ll close the door behind you.”

A small smile crept up his face. “Besides, this is what the Sentinel of Space wanted me to do. From the very start, I have never disappointed him. Or else, he would never have given me the Severing Cube to begin with. My only regret is that I haven’t spent enough time with Lila and the others.”

“Gemini,” said Quinn. “I cannot go against your orders. And I know you’ve made up your mind. But at the very least, you should know that your chosen course of action…will make a better future for Lila and your child.”

Gemini froze at the last two words, and felt his body relax a moment later. Breaking out into a hearty laugh, he gave Quinn a hug — which was simply hugging himself, when he thought about it — and then shoved him into the violet portal. “Tell her that I love her. And that I’m sorry.”

He turned to the Demigod. “Eliza. I have yet another reason to buy the Five Lands’ one more year of time.”

“Yes.”

“There is little point in trying to convince me, then.” Gemini turned away from the portal. “The Demon God’s powers are mighty, and the Sentinel of Space has his own plans. But I suppose you protecting Lila and Ark City won’t matter much to them, right?”

Shaking his head twice, he walked away from the violet portal. “Go, then. And protect them for me.”

There was a subtle ripple in space, and the Demigod vanished. A small violet gem fell onto the ground, and moments later, the violet circle vanished. Gemini picked it up with his left hand, where the brand on its back was burning. He could sense the approach of the Demon God’s forces, a mad tide that desired to drown him.

His time to swim would come soon.

There was something he had to do first, however. The Severing Cube in his hand began to float in front of his chest, coming apart into countless smaller pieces like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. In its heart was a grey, formless power, one that Gemini could control with his will.

His vision changed as he came into contact with the grey-coloured divinity, revealing a world of black and lines. After spending a moment or so to think about it, Gemini had a feeling that these things were called meshes, the spatial framework for which all existence was built upon.

The grey power, in his newly-reshaped vision, had taken the form of a huge chopper. He could see chains that tied him down to the Wildlands in such a state, as well as a giant channel that connected the Crater of Purple Rain to another place.

Smiling, Gemini held the chopper gently, and felt a power that surpassed even that of the Human God’s in his hand. It was weightless, ethereal, but he knew that when used for its intended purpose, even the toughest of connections would break.

When I first came to Orb, I had no place to call home. Now, at the close of my life, I look back at my heart’s homeland, and it is you, Lila. You gave my life meaning, comforted me, gave me hope. Today, I shall burn it for you.

Gemini looked at the gem in his hands, the tears in his eyes streaming down freely. His hand moved with an ethereal grace a heartbeat later, severing the spatial channel…and his way out with it.