Chapter XLV

The Assassination Stone.

There was very little known about its creation, and the true potential of the talisman wasn’t discovered by Ijiria for quite some time. It was first found in the laboratory of a rogue researcher far in the south, in a small town near the Ijirian-Noranian border. Investigations learned that the man had once been a well-respected mage who, against the wishes of those around him, began to dabble in mind magic, and like most users who practice that affinity, he slowly began to lose his sanity. After lashing out and killing a handful of his coworkers, the man vanished and wasn’t located again until his death, when the local authorities went looking for him and found him dead in his home, seeming to have passed due to a sickness that his immune system couldn’t fend off. It was in their attempts to learn if he had any family or friends to contact that his laboratory was found and his identity revealed.

Everything in his lab was quickly claimed by the Citadel and brought to Erika so it could be properly studied, and while most of his research was pure hypothesis, most of it even bordering on mere conspiracy theories he sought to prove, there was one item that caught the attention of the Citadel due to its oddly high mana levels. A small orange stone had been in the pocket of one of his coats and it caused quite the debate among those in the investigation force as to what properties it might possess.

The answer was gained by pure accident.

Two of the investigators happened to touch the stone at the exact same time and suddenly switched bodies with one other. This was a startling discovery as there wasn’t any known magic that could do such a thing. There were higher level spells that could possess a body, but nothing that could swap two souls into opposite bodies. They knew it had to be some sort of mind magic involved, and after months and months of testing, they found that the rogue mage had, in fact, imbued an already mana-dense stone with mind magic that would trigger the moment it sensed the contact of two individuals, forcefully taking their souls and using the stone as a catalyst to swap them.

The amount of mana contained within was a source of intrigue as well, with such a reservoir that it would be able to replenish itself within mere minutes even if it were to be in a magicless realm. Yet, as fascinating as the talisman was, they couldn’t figure out why the rogue mage would have created such a thing, or what he would have used it for. After all, using it to steal a body would be too difficult considering the fact that whoever’s body was stolen would then find themselves in the body of the stealer. It was risky and could really only be used for recreational fun as opposed to anything else, but one of the investigators proposed a theory.

Through past studies of mind magic, it was learned that the soul and the body are bonded together, and so if something were to happen to the soul, the body would suffer as well. But what would happen if the souls were switched, the investigator asked. Based on what was already believed, it would stand to reason that if the body a soul inhabited was killed, then that soul’s original body would feel the link severed and would die, but what would that mean for the other soul? If somebody died in another’s body, would that body die as well? Or would their original body die?

To finish their investigation, this question was put to the test on two prisoners in the dungeon that were set to be executed the following day. The two men were forced to touch the stone and their bodies were swapped, and once they were, one of the prisoners was killed on the spot. And to the shock of the investigators, only the one whose body was killed died. The man who inhabited the body that died simply returned to his still surviving form, though he retained memory of the experience of inhabiting a dying body.

What this experiment told them was that the stone could be used to potentially defeat powerful enemies without having to combat them. If the target was caught by surprise, they wouldn’t even realize what was happening before they met their end.

They dubbed this talisman the Assassination Stone and declared it worthy to be considered one of the Ijirian relics. After that, it remained in the Vault unless it was needed, and there were plenty of times where it was called upon. The most notable instance, though this was only known by the most elite figures in the Citadel, was during the Second Trovian War, where that era’s Masters of Wind and Water departed for the Trovian Capital under the guise of seeking a diplomatic end to the war. They remained there for a few months, slowly earning the trust of the king’s eldest son, and once the time came, the Master of Wind stole his body and rushed to meet with the king, all the while, the Master of Water kept the first prince in her captivity.

The Master of Wind then met with the king, who didn’t ever realize it wasn’t his son he was speaking to, even when the prince’s sword was plunged through his chest. The Master of Wind then killed himself while in the prince’s body, ending the boy’s life and returning to his own form where Water awaited him. As far as Trovia and the rest of the world was concerned, the eldest Trovian prince grew sick of the war and killed his father in an effort to end it, but wasn’t able to live with the guilt of what he’d done before impaling himself on his own weapon. With the second son now in power and grieving the losses in his family, he sought peace with Ijiria and the war ended in Ijirian favor.

That was the true strength of the Assassination Stone.

What was most likely created for simple entertainment had a secret ability and it was through that secret that Ijiria had dealt with many adversaries in the past. And while there were many who knew of the stone’s ability to swap bodies, there were few who knew it could be used to kill. That was why it had been so crucial for Nigreos and Album to retrieve that relic and return it to the Vault, but in the end, Ryokumo Caeli sought to use that stone to unravel them. After all, Album Luz was the only one who could open the erased realm, and it was only through the Assassination Stone that she would.

***

Ryokumo breathed a sigh of relief when he finally arrived at the door to Iris’s classroom, the pouch containing the Assassination Stone concealed within his cloak. He silently prayed that Album wasn’t already inside before knocking softly and seconds later, the door slid open just enough for Iris to peek outside. Ryokumo then slid his left hand out of the distortion so she could see it. The Master of Nature smirked as she stepped back and pulled the door open wider and motioned for Ryokumo to enter. He hurriedly obliged, slipping into the room and only dropping his distortion spell once the door had closed. He quickly scanned his surroundings until he spotted Eric standing on the opposite side, leaning up against the large window that covered most of that wall. The boy stood up straighter once Ryokumo was visible again, and the anxiety was clear in the way he held himself.

“I have it,” the Master said simply, reaching into his cloak and producing the small leather pouch. “I have the stone.”

Eric exhaled softly with obvious relief. “Thank god. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to get into the Vault. Are you sure you weren’t spotted?”

“As certain as I can be,” he replied. “Though, while I didn’t notice any charms in place that would have alerted anybody to my presence, that doesn’t mean there weren’t any, so we need to be quick about this. Nigreos and Album may already be down in the city, and if that’s the case, I’ll simply have to draw them back here myself.”

Iris cocked an eyebrow as she sat down on one of the many desks placed throughout the room and regarded the two of them with a grin. “So are either of you planning on telling me what exactly you’re going to do? Caeli wasn’t very forthcoming when I asked him back in the city and I didn’t even know you needed to go to the Vault until we were on the lift. What do you boys have up your sleeves?”

Ryokumo glanced back at her, still feeling hesitant about telling her anything despite Eric’s assurance. But at the same time, he knew there wouldn’t be any going back, and if he wanted Iris’s help, she needed to know what they were planning to do. So, Ryokumo untied the pouch and reached inside to produce the small orange gemstone before holding it up so she could see it. Her catlike eyes went wide as she stared at the relic, which sparkled in the dim lights of the room’s torches, before her smile returned.

“The Assassination Stone?” she murmured. “How poetic.”

“Like I said back in the alley,” Ryokumo began, “Album is the only one who can open the erased realm willingly, and she is going to do so. Once we have her cornered, I intend for Eric to steal her body with this stone. An interesting detail about this little thing is that some memory remains locked in the body. If Eric becomes Album, we theorize that he will innately understand the method by which the erased realm can be opened, as well as some of her more used light spells. Although, he has been studying light magic on his own, which means that if he combines that knowledge with Album’s muscle memory, he will have the strength to confront Nigroes. However, if we can succeed in claiming her body, no matter what goes down with Nigreos, we will have Album defeated.”

“So you’re going to assassinate her,” Iris stated, only speaking once Ryokumo finished his explanation. “Yes, that would be effective. Though, you would have to keep her from turning this ability against you and killing Eric while in his body.”

Ryokumo nodded. “I know. That’s where we come in. Ideally, I would like to take her down in this very room, and while Eric deals with Nigreos, we can keep her in our capture. Originally, I planned to deal with this matter alone, but I suppose I can’t complain about having the aid of a second Master.”

“Well, I guess I see where you’re going with this,” she muttered. “But then I have to ask, what’s the plan with Noctis? If he believes Eric is Album, I doubt it would be all that hard to simply walk up to him and blow his head off. Is that what you’re going to do?”

This time, it was Eric who chimed in to answer the question. “No, we’re not just going to rely on that. While I have been studying light magic, I’m not good enough at it to take Nigreos down in one shot, and I don’t think Album’s body will be able to change that. His instincts are sharp, and if I falter in that first attack, it will come to a battle.”

“A battle?” Iris frowned. “Do you think so? I can’t say I’m terribly sure about that. Do you honestly think he would risk killing Luz?”

Ryokumo firmly shook his head. “No, but he won’t be trying to kill Eric while he’s Album. He’ll simply seek to incapacitate him so that he can alert the rest of the Citadel to what’s going on. We can’t let that happen, which is why we have decided that if our first strike doesn’t work, we’re going to erase him.”

At that, Iris tilted her head and glanced between the two of them. “You’re going to erase him? Can Eric even do that?”

“I believe so,” Ryokumo said. “Album once told me that erasure had become like second nature for her, and it’s memory like that which Eric should be able to use if he concentrates enough. Should that succeed, he can send Nigreos away from the Citadel and into one of the erased realms. If he contains Nigreos in there, he can deal with him without worrying about the rest of the Citadel going on alert. This needs to be done as quietly as possible.”

“And how will that affect our memories?” Iris inquired. “If he erases Nigreos, we won’t remember him. In fact, it could potentially change everything that’s happening right now. You do realize that you don’t simply erase a Master and not expect repercussions.”

“Very true,” the Master of Wind conceded. “However, the eraser can cast the spell in a manner that won’t affect memory. After all, most of Album’s erased victims in the past are still remembered by myself and Nigreos, and Reigious has ordered her to never erase anybody from his memory as well. As long as Eric simply focuses on putting Nigreos in there, he won’t need to tamper with memory. In fact, that should make the spell easier to cast, and will increase the odds of success.”

Iris twisted her lips in thought, seeming to take in everything she was being told, then jumped off the desk and stood up straight. “You’ve really thought this all through. So then Eric kills Nigreos in Album’s body and then kills himself as Album once he’s opened the realms, thus killing both Masters and saving Eric’s friends. It’s risky but…clever. I just have to ask…” She paused, and for a moment, there was a look of sadness in her eyes that she failed to mask. “...are you really okay with this? Can you really stand by and watch as your oldest friends are killed?”

Ryokumo glanced away, instead turning his eyes up toward the numerous vines that covered the walls and ceilings. “I don’t have a choice. This needs to happen. For both Eric and for myself.”

“But—”

The knocking at the door stopped Iris midsentence, and as she turned to glance its way, Ryokumo uttered “Disto”, concealing Eric within a distortion. He didn’t know who would have arrived and he feared it would be Prince Reigious, one of the only people powerful enough to sense past his distortion magic. If the prince had stopped by to speak with them, their planning would go up in flames that very moment. Ryokumo and Iris exchanged fearful glances before the Master of Nature turned and pushed open the door in the same way she had when he arrived.

“Good evening, Mackia,” Album said sharply, and in that single instant, Ryokumo’s fears were replaced with euphoria as the very person he sought to lure to this classroom arrived of her own volition. “I hope Caeli’s here, yes?”

“Oh yes, he’s here. Do you need to speak with him?” Iris asked innocently.

Yes! I don’t know what you intend to accomplish by coming here, Album, but you’ve walked right to the very place I needed you to! We end this here and we end this now!

Ryokumo subtly turned and tossed the gem into the air, watching as it vanished into nothingness and when he didn’t hear it hit the floor, he knew Eric had successfully caught it. The Master of Wind then moved back to face forward just as Iris stepped out of the way, giving Album space to enter the classroom. The two of them stared at each other, and Ryokumo could already tell why she had come to speak with him. She knew he had possession of Aniextium so when Nakoma revealed that he had been defeated by Seiras’s vision spell, she would have known at that moment that Ryokumo himself was involved with Eric’s betrayal.

And yet, she still hasn’t turned me over to Reigious, or at least as far as I know. But what is she hiding within that erased realm that would cause her to refuse to risk the possibility that Reigious becoming aware of it? Why would she confront me herself?

Part of him wondered if she already had told Reigious and he was waiting somewhere else to ambush him, but quickly brushed that idea aside. Prince Reigious Iiji would have never allowed her to speak to him in his place. If Reigious knew what was going on, it would be him at the door instead of Album. Just the fact that Album was there meant that she had kept that information to herself. He could see the hatred in her eyes and he faced her with a similar level of spite, knowing that this would ideally be their last confrontation.

“Good evening, Album, my friend,” he greeted. “You know, I had an odd feeling that you would want to chat.”

The women sneered at him before addressing Iris. “Mackia, would you mind stepping out for a bit. I want to speak to him alone.”

Iris shrugged and giggled, pretending as if she didn’t know what was going on, but when she looked back at Ryokumo, there was excitement in her yellow eyes that told him she would be ready the moment he gave a signal.

“Sure, but only a few moments, okay? I’m supposed to be his babysitter, you know?”

Album didn’t reply as Iris skipped from the room, and it was only when she perceived the two of them to be alone that her features turned furious and she rounded on him, a ball of light already glowing in the palm of her hand. In turn, Ryokumo quickly brought his own mana to his right wrist, the one not currently distorting Eric, and met her threat with one of his own.

“What the hell have you done?” she hissed venomously. “I know you were the one who cast that spell on Taurus. Are you honestly foolish enough to help Reiner protect the Children?!”

He smirked confidently, enjoying the sight of her anger. “Of course I am, though I would argue whether my actions have been foolish or not. My apprentice is among them and I can’t let anything happen to Hannah. Not to mention, they’re Abi’s adoptive children, so of course Eric would want to be there for them. It’s only natural that I would prevent Taurus from killing Kirisan.”

His old friend just gaped at him, as if she couldn’t believe that he would be so blunt about his intentions, but to him, there wasn’t a reason to beat around the bush. He wanted to see how Album would react when he admitted to what he was doing, and with any luck, he could manipulate her into revealing more details about Ilirianna.

“Then you’re truly lost,” she uttered. “There’s nothing more Nigreos or I can do that would change this outcome. You’ve lost your mind if you think it’s smart to walk the same path Abi did, and to make matters worse, you’ve chosen to pull Eric Reiner along. You know this can only end in your death, don’t you?”

He chuckled softly. “Perhaps it will. But you’re mistaken if you think I’m following in Abi’s footsteps. I am not doing what I’m doing to make a statement or even to overthrow the government. I do not care what becomes of Ijiria. I only want those I love to be safe. I want Hannah to get out of this city and I want Eric to be able to reclaim the happiness that you and Nigreos stole from him.”

Album scoffed, taking a threatening step toward him, though he didn’t miss the subtle flickering of her light. “I will not pretend that you have any love left for me. You’ve already made it clear that the Album you cared for is gone, but what of Nigreos? Have you really abandoned him, too? Do you really not give a damn what these actions are doing to him?! You saw him at that meeting! Eric’s betrayal might just be too much for him!” She clenched her teeth. “I went with him to his quarters before coming here, and when I left, he was an emotional mess. He honestly believed in the boy, and he desperately wanted to avoid a repeat of what happened at Noctalus!”

When she finished, her voice had been raised to a near scream, and he realized at that moment that she was desperate, too. It only served to show him that he didn’t really understand Album anymore. Her emotions and her actions constantly contradicted themselves, and where she pretended not to care about anybody, here she was, speaking on Nigreos’s behalf.

“I’m sorry,” Ryokumo whispered. “As I said this morning, I wish it hadn’t come to this, Album. But I’m willing to make a deal with you. I can negotiate…but I know that you won’t tell me what I want to know, no matter what I offer, will you? You’ll refuse to bring Ilirianna back.”

Her jaw tightened and this time, she moved away from him, almost as if she suddenly wished she could turn and run. “Is that what this is about? Are you doing this for that?”

“It’s part of the reason, yes,” he admitted.

“Then stop!” she snarled. “Please, Ryokumo! Just stop this! You don’t understand the damage that will take place if she’s released from the erased realm! You don’t realize what I changed…what I prevented by doing all that…” Her voice then dropped to a softer tone as her body began to shake. “...or what I caused. It’s for the best that she stays where she is until the end.”

Ryokumo nodded, having not expected anything less. Besides, getting Album to cooperate would no longer be enough to change their plan. Now that Eric had been seen by Sinna and Nakoma, there wasn’t an ending that didn’t result in battle. Yet even knowing that, Ryokumo still wished his old friend could have just done as he asked.

“Then there’s nothing more for us to speak of,” he said. “So what is your plan, Album? What are you going to do to stop me? The fact that you came alone tells me that you haven’t told anybody about Aniextium. So are you finally going to tell Reigious…or even Nigreos?”

She shook her head, raising her black eyes to stare back at him. “And if I am? What are you going to do?”

He grinned. “What I have to.”

Ryokumo watched as she narrowed her eyes and just as a flicker of understanding flashed across those black orbs, the Master of Wind spoke.

“Aniextium.”

Album never got the chance to even scream as she slumped forward, her body going limp and her eyes closing, but Ryokumo wasn’t able to do anything either. Pain far worse than the other times shot through his skull and to the rest of his body, nearly dropping him as well, and he only barely managed to bite back his cries.

“Master, now!”

Eric screamed out the moment the distortion fell. The boy didn’t waste that chance, darting around desks and toward the spot where Album had fallen, the Assassination Stone clutched in his hand. His earlier nervousness was gone, replaced by resolve to do what they set out to do and destroy both the Masters of Darkness and Light, as well as the erased realm.

The second Eric reached Album, he placed the gemstone against her exposed neck, before he, too, seemed to lose consciousness, though only for a second. Both Eric’s and Album’s body seemed to react to the stone’s power, but there wasn’t a chance for either to do anything before Iris called out, “Vino!” as she stalked through the doorway. When the incantation was spoken, it seemed as if every vine in the room came to life. They all lunged for Eric’s body, which would now have Album’s soul inside of it, wrapping around his arms, legs, and torso, with one even circling around his mouth to prevent him from crying out as he was yanked into one of the desks and bound there. There was a panic in his eyes, and when he turned to gaze at Ryokumo, the familiar hatred and disgust of Album Luz reached him.

“It worked.”

Uttering those two words, Eric rose to his feet in Album’s body, a triumphant smile on his face as he surveyed his new form. As for Album, she could only gape at herself as Eric moved toward where she was trapped in the desk and picked up the Assassination Stone laying on the classroom floor. The moment the Master of Light saw that, understanding dawned on her, but there was no longer anything she could do. She was trapped, and Eric could end her life with ease. Fighting was no longer an option for Album Luz. She was at their mercy, and she knew it. The Master immediately began to struggle, her horrified gaze flickering between Eric, Ryokumo, and now Iris, who she would know had betrayed her as well.

Everything had worked against her.

“It’s possible Nigreos is still in his quarters,” Ryokumo grunted through the pain. “Eric, if you hurry, you might be able to corner him while he’s still in the Citadel. But you’ve got to go. You understand me?”

Eric grinned with determination, an expression he hadn’t seen on Album’s face in years, and he found himself feeling nostalgic as he looked upon those features.

“I will. Good luck to you both. I’ll be back soon!”

With that brief goodbye, he rushed past Iris and out into the hallway, leaving both Masters alone with Album, who could only watch helplessly and silently as her own body left her behind.

***

No matter what she did, Album just couldn’t accept what had happened to her. She had believed she had the advantage—that she knew what Ryokumo was doing and that all she would have to do would be to get him alone and erase him. She had known of the possibility that Eric may have gotten back into the Citadel, so she’d been careful to be prepared for any sudden attack from within a distortion. There were so many variables that she had calculated for, and yet, in the end, they succeeded in luring her right where they wanted her. In fact, they hadn’t merely lured her. She’d just wound up walking right into the most ideal location for them to take her down. She’d never even considered that Iris Mackia might have been in league with Eric and Ryokumo, nor had she realized that they would be so bold as to steal back the Assassination Stone and use it to steal her body.

But I should have thought about it, damn it! she internally screamed at herself. If Ryokumo and Eric have made contact with the Children then it’s more than likely that one or both would have obtained guideship. And with Ryokumo’s status as a Master, getting in and out of the Vault would be barely a struggle. I was played!

Album raised her eyes to stare across the rather large classroom to where Iris and Ryokumo were talking in the corner, their voices soft enough that she couldn’t make out a word they were saying. She hated them. At that moment, she hated them more than she had ever hated anybody. She was trapped in Eric’s body, and she could be killed at any given moment should the boy decide it. And from the way they were talking, she was terrified that was their plan. Her life could end, and she wouldn’t even have a chance to fight back.

If she didn’t do something, then it would all be over.

And Nigreos… Ryokumo said to go to his quarters. Are they planning on killing him with my body? Is Nigreos going to die, believing I betrayed him?

The image of her partner, broken and distraught, appeared in her thoughts, reminding her of how badly Eric’s betrayal had hurt him. But he hadn’t even realized just how deep this plot went. He didn’t know that his best friend, Ryokumo, was also plotting his death, or that even Iris was working with them for reasons that Album couldn’t even begin to surmise. Album was the only one that was truly on his side, and if she didn’t get out of that room, he would die thinking she betrayed him, too.

The only way I can survive this is if I turn the Assassination Stone against them. I have to find some way to kill myself while in this body. I’ll kill Eric Reiner! I’ll let Ryokumo watch as the boy bleeds out in front of him, and when I get my body back, I will tell Reigious what he’s done! I’ll have both him and Mackia executed for this!

Yet, even with everything her old friend had done to her that day, she still felt a pang of fear at the thought of turning him in. By doing so, she would essentially make it all pointless. Her actions had been to spare him and to prevent his life from being ruined by her, so if he wound up executed by Ijiria, then all the pain and suffering she brought upon the world would have been for nothing.

Damn you, Ryokumo! Why couldn’t you have just listened to me?! Why couldn’t you have left it all alone!

Album tried to struggle against the vines binding her to the chair, but they were tied too tightly around her body, preventing her from moving any significant amount. There was a vine over her mouth so she couldn’t speak, and soon after Eric had left, Ryokumo had taken one of his anti-mana handcuffs, a rather common talisman that Masters tended to keep in their rooms, and clasped them around her feet so that she would be unable to cast any spells. There truly was very little she could do. She felt helpless and vulnerable, and the sensation of being somebody else was jarring and distracting. Everything about her current situation made her sick, but all she could do was sit there.

Finally, Ryokumo turned and began walking toward where she sat, a smug expression of victory on his face. “Mackia, release her mouth. I want to speak with her.”

“On it.”

With a wave of her hand, Iris caused the vine binding Album’s mouth shut to pull away, and when it did, there was a revolting planty taste still in her mouth. Part of her considered just biting down hard on her tongue, but she knew that with Iris there, any benign damage she succeeded in inflicting would be immediately healed. So, she begrudgingly turned and looked Ryokumo in the eyes, wanting him to see the pure hatred she felt towards him.

“Am I right to assume,” she growled, feeling unsettled by the sound of Eric’s voice coming from her mouth, “that you were the one who attacked Cartus down in the slums, Mackia?”

Iris giggled, bouncing on the balls of her feet as if enjoying what was transpiring. “Yup, that was me. Cartus was about to kill Eric and I couldn’t have that, now could I?”

“And what do you gain by working with them?” she asked through gritted teeth. “Why would you turn your back on Ijiria?”

The Master of Nature shrugged. “Well, there are plenty of reasons, but none I wish to share with you. Anyway, I don’t want to take up any of our precious time, so I’m gonna turn this little talk over to Caeli, okay?”

Without waiting for a response, Iris stepped back and allowed Ryokumo to take her spot as he regarded Album for a moment, his feelings unreadable.

“So, not to sound repetitive, but I thought I’d give you one last chance to answer my questions, Album,” he began softly. “Who is Ilirianna? Why did you erase her? You say her erasure was for the best, yet you refuse to explain what you mean.”

She smiled mirthlessly back at him. “Burn in hell, Caeli.”

He clicked his tongue. “I suppose I wouldn’t expect anything else, but you must realize that there isn’t any point in resisting. It’s over, Album. Eric is going to kill Nigreos and then pull apart every erased realm you’ve ever created. Your victims are coming back, and so whatever secrets you’re hiding will come to light.”

“Is that so?” she spat. “So you’re going to kill Nigreos? You’re going to betray him and take his life—a man that you’ve called your friend for years! Is that really what he meant to you?!”

“Nigreos…” Ryokumo interrupted sharply, “...stopped being my friend the day he shredded Abi’s body with his shadows. As did you, when I imagine you erased Ilirianna.”

“And why do you care so much about her?!” Album demanded, struggling against the vines in a vain hope that they might release. “You don’t know who she is! You don’t know a thing about her, so how can you claim to care for her?!”

The Master of Wind regarded her with disgust, an expression that only worsened the sick feeling in her stomach. “I can still feel it. When Seiras showed me that vision of her talking to me, I felt emotions that I could not describe. But I know, instinctually, how important she was to me. I know I need to do this, the consequences be damned. I probably will die when this is all over, but it matters not. As long as I fix the world you broke, I don’t care what becomes of me.”

There was conviction in his words that told her he wasn’t lying. Ryokumo wouldn’t be disappointed if his plan resulted in his death so long as she and Nigreos were dead and Ilirianna was brought back.

I need to get out of this! I have to do something and stop this! I can still erase him and make this right! I can kill Eric, reclaim my body, then erase Ryokumo and pin the blame for this rebellion on Mackia! I just need to get out of here! But I’m stuck!

Every plan she thought up couldn’t be enacted because she couldn’t use magic and she couldn’t get out of the vines. It was terrifying, knowing that she could die at any second, but the fact that she hadn’t yet made her hope that Nigreos had seen through the lies.

But if he has, what then? If he tries to stop Eric, he’ll just kill me. He must know that, right? So will he hold back? Or will he…?

She wanted to believe that Nigreos wouldn’t kill her, but she also couldn’t blame him if he took her life in defense of his own. He was emotionally unstable and if he learned what was being done behind the scenes, he might not have the ability to hold his powers back. He might just kill her, if only to protect himself.

“You’re a fool, Caeli,” she uttered. “I did this for you, you know? I erased Liri because of what she did to you! I’m just trying to protect you! I WANTED TO PROTECT YOU SO WHY CAN’T YOU SEE THAT?!”

She screamed at the top of her lungs, letting her frustration and desperation out, wanting to do something, anything, that might get her free. She knew that if she told Ryokumo the full truth then it would only make him want to free Ilirianna more, but she also needed him to understand why she had suffered the way she did.

“She broke us apart!” Album snarled. “She ruined everything we had, and she turned you against us! Liri was a menace, hellbent on her own ideals to the point that she couldn’t see what she was doing to her friends! So I got rid of her! I turned the world into a place she didn’t exist in, because if I didn’t then—”

“Then what?” Ryokumo snapped, his eyes narrowed in what looked to be pity. “Would we have stayed together without her? Look around you, Album. Our friendship crumbled with or without Ilirianna. All you did was take a life and lock it away.”

“NO! YOU DON’T UNDER—”

A sudden sensation spread through her mind, and instantly she felt utter horror as she realized what that meant. It didn’t make sense, after all. If Eric was behind it then it all would have come crashing down that moment. No, this feeling was specific to one realm and it was only a single mana port, which meant…

The Omaruo erased realm… Somebody's trying to get out from within…