The snow continued to blanket the land, falling without any signs of ceasing, as if it would continue until the very end of the world. Standing amidst the ruins of a town burnt down to its skeletons, three figures stood: A girl with spiraling horns, a warrior wearing black armor, and a young man with a hefty tome in his hand.

"...... So there you have it, the truth of the 'Corruption'."

"That's..."

"Can't find it in yourself to deny it, can you? Now if you don't mind, do hand over 'that' over there."

The young man pointed towards the horned girl standing still in the cold. Upon her hair and her shoulders, snow had begun to pile but she hadn't even bothered to swipe them away. She just stood there, as if she couldn't even feel the chill.

"No."

The warrior gave a short answer and raised his massive sword.

"Even now, you stand against me?"

"I know this is wrong, but even so, I can't leave this world to die."

"But you'd leave a friend to suffer?"

The warrior's face twisted in anguish.

"Enough, I know what I must do."

"Agreed, talking to you any further has no meaning."

From his hefty tome, the young man pulled out a rectangular piece, looking like a bookmark, or perhaps a card, while appearing to be made of paper, but cannot be torn or ripped, burned or cut, it was of a material unknown to men.

"Come forth."

As the young man whispered, the rectangular piece vanishes and from above him, a creature materialized, one with a spherical body and many eyes. It was one of the many creatures in the young man's command, a Beholder.

With one of its many eyes, it gazed towards the warrior, for all that peered into its gaze will be trapped in an illusion for as long as eye contact is maintained. But, upon turning its gaze at the warrior, what the creature saw was itself, reflected on the flat side of the warrior's polished blade. Gazing into the reflection, the Beholder's magic turned on itself, causing it to become confused and came crashing down into the snowy ground and sending flakes of snow into the air.

The warrior had known this to be a common tactic used by the young man when he wanted to disable an opponent with the minimum amount of harm. He expected the young man, no, he believed in the young man, to never wish harm on those he once fought side by side with, and was counting on him to deploy this creature.

Once the creature hit the ground, the warrior cleaved down at it right through the middle with a heavy swing. He felt sorry for it, as he had once fought with the creature as an ally, but he couldn't risk it being used on him a second time.

Having slain the Beholder, the warrior turned his blade towards the young man, who, as the warrior quickly realized, was no longer where he thought, leaving only a trail of footprints. Said footprints lead all the way back to the girl with the spiraling horns. The young man had gotten around the warrior while his sight was obscured by the rising snow. The girl, of course, was no longer in sight by the time. Fortunately, the snow in the ground was deep, and their footprints can still be seen.

The warrior took a great leap into the air, gaining elevating over the ruined leftovers of the burnt houses. From above, his sight traced the footsteps left behind, and eventually he spotted the young man running with the girl in tow. Upon landing, he braced himself once more, and again, he took a leap, this time towards the direction of the young man. His leap was so great, it was as if he was flying, going so far as to soar over the young man's head and land, like a boulder from a catapult, right into the young man's path.

The snow splashed like water and lingered in the air like mist, and though the young man tried to take advantage of the low visibility once more, with a mighty swing of his greatsword, the warrior blew away the fluttering snow.

"Don't make me cut you down."

But the young man did not listen, and instead, he drew another card from his tome.

A bright light flashed between the warrior and the young man, and from the light, a giant crustacean appeared. Possessing eight legs and a pair of pincer, its body was akin to the toughest armor. Still, no armor could stand against the warrior's massive blade. In a single powerful motion, aiming for the joints, the warrior cleaved off both of the creature's pincers with a horizon slash. Without its pincers, the creature was as harmless as a clam.

Leaping onto the creature, using its flat top as a springboard, the warrior leaped towards the young man. This time there would be no warning, and with his blade at the ready, he steeled himself to swing down at his former friend...

But then, all of a sudden, he twisted his body, forcing it out of its momentum and altering the direction of his swing, and just barely, the warrior missed his target. The cause of his action was something neither he nor the young man expected. The girl with the spiraling horns, the being who has been referred to as 'it' and 'that', the girl that did not appear to exhibit any will or even sentience up to this point, she moved. With her arms wide, she stood before the young man, shielding him from the warrior's blow.

"This can't be..."

The warrior expressed shock, and the young man only stared at 'its' back, stunned beyond words. And in the moment in which both men were shocked, from beneath the snow, there was movement. The warrior realized rather quickly what was happening but he could not react in time, and from the snow burst forth a small rabbit-like creature of which smashed into the warrior's abdomen at the speed of sound with its surprisingly sturdy cranium.

For a moment, air rushed out of the warrior's lungs and his vision darkened. Taking advantage of the warrior's dazed state, the young man rushes forward and grabbed onto the warrior's shoulder. Before the warrior even realized what was going on, it was too late as he felt another blow to his helmetless head, right in the nose.

The warrior fell onto his back and so did the young man who had blood trickling down his forehead. And though the warrior was mildly stunned from the young man's headbutt, his nose was intact and at worst it was bruised.

"Your body is feeble compared to mine."

The warrior stood back up, standing over the young man with sword in hand.

"Maybe, but it's not unbreakable."

The warrior reached out and grabbed the young man by his collar, pulling him from the snowy ground.

"Nine... It's time to stop. You can't sacrifice every single person in this world just for one person."

"Who says I'm sacrificing anybody?"

"What?"

"If this world requires a 'pillar' to keep it in existence, then I'll simply replace it. It's about time, don't you think? Since the current one is so worn and broken."

"That is impossible! No one else can fill that position."

"I can."

"You're out of your mind!"

"That's what everyone says, but it has to be done. The 'Corruption' is getting worse with every cycle, coming back faster each time. 'She' is at her limit. The 'pillar' must be replaced, and I am saying and I will be the one to do it."

The warrior's grip upon the young man's collars tightened and he pulls him even closer, till they could feel one another's breaths.

"Listen, you can't do what 'she' can. You'll only ruin this world, the world that 'she' created."

"The world that traps her... No, we're the ones who trapped her."

"It can't be helped! Nine, we screwed up, that is what it is. There's nothing that can be done anymore."

The young man leaned his head back, looking up to the gray sky, contemplating the words spoken by the warrior, thinking back on the memories that accompanied them. Then, he made his decision.

"No, Zero will be free, and I'll see to it no matter what."

Along with those words, the warrior sensed a presence behind him, and when he turned to looks, he found a great beast, one with feline features, one with a magnificent mane, yet hanging from its back, a long sinewy reptilian tail. The warrior recognized it as a Keeper from the land to the south. For it to be here, up north, appearing alongside the young man who had power over the souls of creature, the warrior knew it could only mean one thing. However, no matter what he discovered, it was already too late, as he saw from the corner of his vision, the beast's massive claws coming at him.

Screaming the name of the young man whose collar he held, the warrior was torn asunder with precision. The last thing he saw was his displaced arms clinging onto the young man and the cold glare he was given as he perished in the snow. In his final thoughts, he knew that there was no going back. The young man, the one given the number 'nine' has made his decision and steeled his resolve. He will bring this world to ruin. Only his death, and perhaps not even that, will stop him.

***

"L... t......go..."

A faint voice rings in my ears, and following that, a dull pain on my left cheek.

"Let go!"

The voice cries out once more, this time, awakened by pain, I can hear it much clearly.

"Let go of me! You're going to tear it!"

My eyes snap open, and as they adjust to the light, I find a figure staring down at me with great disdain.

What an unpleasant thing to wake up to, but the reason for such disdain is quickly understood when I feel a pressure in my palms. With a grip like the talons of a falcon, my fingers grasp the clothing of the person before me, and as I wonder why I would do such a thing, the memories of a dream I was having begin flooding in.

"Nine."

A number... And apparently a name. That man knew the truth of this world. What did he say about the [Corruption]? I can't remember, but I know it's important, that is, if the dream more than a dream.

"I said let go, you horny vegetal!"

Once more, a dull pain spreads through my cheek. This woman, she punched me. Had it not been for my high defensive stats, I would probably go right back to 'sleep'.

"Sorry about that. I was having a dream. It felt like it was real."

I eventually let go and apologized. True, she was needlessly violent, but I can't deal with her this early in the morning. Not to mention, I can't take my mind off that dream. If only I can recall more of the details.

The woman, Asha, sighs and lets her anger fade. It's surprising, I haven't seen her let things go so quickly before. Here I am, half preparing for her to whine my eyes off.

"You shouldn't go chasing dreams, especially if they seem real. Your soul might not find its way back if you try going too deep."

"Oh..."

"What?"

"You actually said something nice for once."

Asha furrows her brows, looking rather offended.

"That sneaky one, Seif, he said that you're being forced to fight and that it's the only way you're getting home. So I thought that maybe I should be nicer, that's all."

Now that she mentions it... I see, in a way, we're kind of in similar situations. Neither of us are doing what we're doing because we want to, and we're both looking for a way home as soon as possible. Well, I'm not at all in a hurry to get back, but I want to at least be able to send Corona back, but that's close enough I suppose. Seif must have realized our similarities and got her to sympathize with me with whatever honeyed words that drip from his freakishly long tongue. Asha is quite right, Seif is rather sneaky.

"You know, I'm sorry too, for drawing my sword on you. I just lost my temper."

Asha looks at me, frowning, likely from remembering what happened. With her slender fingers, she reaches towards her neck, caressing where the tip of my blade was just a small breadth away.

"I thought I was about to die."

"You did say some mean things."

"Yes... I suppose I did say something I shouldn't have."

"Well, let's let bygones be bygones and get all of this over with, so both of us can get home."

"Of course, that was my intention to begin with."

It is surprising how someone could mellow out in such a short period of time. Maybe she was acting like she did before because she just didn't like me? Or maybe having her life threatened shocked her out of it? Both are plausible I guess. I still get the feeling that she's isn't all that fond of me though, which I suppose is a given. After all that has happened, I don't expect us to just suddenly get along, I don't think we'll ever get along. However, at least now we have some kind of understanding and are willing to work together. This is more than enough, and as far as a working relationship is concern, it's likely as ideal as can be. If only more of my coworkers back at the office get that I just want to get the day over with and go home, my life would be much easier.

After Asha, I exit the dirt mound made the day prior and see that the warriors had already gathered. After having a light meal from the leftovers of yesterday, we head out. Today is the day we infiltrate the land of the Beastkins.

***

End of Chapter 57