Chapter XLVI

When Eric finally stepped through the portal into the erased realm, the first thing he realized was that they were on a perfect replica of the beach where he first found the stone all those months ago. For a moment, he wondered if he accidently entered the real Wilham before reminding himself that Album didn’t have the power to travel between realms without a dagger. However, his mind only dwelled on that subject for a moment as the realization of what was happening processed. He had expected to find Nigreos waiting for him so he could finally finish things, and while the Master of Darkness was present, he also found individuals that he never expected he would see under these circumstances. Off by the cave, Liz, Vinny, and his father were standing still, gaping at him in shock. Closer to where he stood, Damien was holding a gun that he aimed at Nigreos, and just ahead was Lilly, except it didn't look like her. Her skin was black and white, as were her eyes, hair, and the large bursts of mana protruding from her back. Her clothes were tattered and she was bleeding in places, and one look at Nigreos and the shadow he had encircling him told him who was responsible for those wounds.

What in the living hell is going on?! Why is the club here?! What happened to Lilly?! And why is my father, of all people, with them?!

He could feel himself beginning to panic, but he knew he didn’t have that luxury. Figuring out how to get into the erased realm himself had taken far longer than planned. Whatever was happening could be explained after Nigreos was dealt with. No matter how desperately he wanted to rush over and hug them, to greet the people he thought he lost and that he was doing all of this to get back, he forced himself to remain in place, not only reminding himself that he didn’t have the time, but also that he was currently in Albums body. They wouldn’t even know who he was just yet.

“Stand down, Nigreos!” he ordered, his hands still raised in preparation to fire off another burst of light. “I don’t know what’s going on here, but this doesn’t concern them! This is between you and me, and you know what I’ll do if you hurt one of them.”

He expected the Master to flinch back at his threat, but to his unease, Nigreos merely scoffed. “No, you’ve screwed yourself over, boy. You no longer have that card to play.”

Eric felt his face twitch but he refused to let his surprise show. “Meaning?”

“If you kill Album,” he spat, “then you’ll be leaving me here alone with them, unable to get back, and if you do that, they will all die, that I can assure you. You shouldn’t have put me in here. By doing so, you’ve lost your only advantage over me.”

The realization of his mistake made his legs feel weak. He hadn’t expected Lilly and the club to be right at the entrance to the realm so getting Nigreos out of the Citadel had seemed like the ideal choice, so what were his friends and father doing there? Ryokumo told him that their memories would have been replaced once they arrived in the erased realm, so were these different versions of them? Or…?

No… No, they’re real…

The horror on their faces as they looked between the two of them, as well as the way they clearly had been standing up to Nigreos before he arrived, was enough to confirm that they were the versions of his clubmates that he knew.

God, it's really them. Vinny, Damien, Liz, Lilly…

Even the sight of his father was calming, but they were all staring his way with hatred and anger, reminding him that this wasn’t a real reunion. He wasn’t himself at that moment. Instead, he took the form of the very woman who put them in here in the first place. Yet, when he turned back to see Lilly, he didn’t see that same fear. Instead, there was a confused expression, as if she knew he wasn’t Album but didn’t understand what was going on.

It was you, wasn’t it, Lilly? You promised me that you would escape the erased realm, and you were making good on that promise. I should have had more faith in you. You weren’t as helpless as I feared you were. Perhaps you guys didn’t need me after all.

Her final words to him before vanishing had been a promise to get out, and now, they could both fulfill those words. That knowledge made him swell with pride, and he knew they could be relied upon to finish the fight once and for all.

“Lilly!” he called out sharply. “I know not what you and the club have been up to, but I used the stone to steal Album’s body! She‘s back in Ijiria, under close watch of somebody I trust!’

“Shut up!” Nigreos snarled, sending blades of shadow straight for him, but Eric immediately responded with “Ilumine!” Recalling everything he read on light magic over the past few weeks, and relying on the muscle memory of a Master in that affinity, his body became light and sparked to the left, avoiding the shadows with ease.

“It’s me, Eric!” he shouted, white light glittering around his arms. “I’m sorry it took me so long but I’m here now! Damien! Vinny! Liz! I didn’t abandon you! I would never abandon you!”

“COREAS!”

Another wave of shadow lunged toward him, but this time, before the full incantation had left Nigreos’s mouth, a different surge of light blasted across the beach, and within the blink of an eye, the shadows were torn apart and a figure made of that same light appeared right in front of him. Her body then returned to flesh and blood, and despite the drastic differences in her appearance, the smile on her face was one he knew well.

“Eric,” Lilly uttered, the sense of relief in her voice clear to him. “I knew I’d see you again. I knew you were alive.”

He chuckled. wryly “You’ve got a lot of explaining to do, my friend, but before that…” He could already see more shadows rising up into the sky behind her, indicating that another attack was coming their way. “We’re going to finally finish off Nigreos Noctis, once and for all!”

““Ilumine!””

At the exact same time, Lilly Harper and Eric Reiner snarled off incantations and both blasted off from their spots in opposite directions, moving at the speed of light. He didn’t know how she could suddenly use magic, but his best and only guess was that it had to do with the syringe that his mother left to him. He had been under the impression that it hadn’t done anything, but now, it was clear that he should have had more faith in the words of his mother.

Thank you, Mom. Thank you for protecting Lilly. That syringe is going to save us!

Eric could already tell that Nigreos was holding his ground in an attempt to wait for the sun to set, so his first instinct was to break past those defenses. He could already see Damien rushing back to rejoin the others, so with his good friend now at a relatively safe distance away, he felt comfortable using as much power as Album’s body would allow him to use. Because his preferred affinity was wind, Eric incorporated his more familiar style of combat, even when using light magic. He used Album’s incredible speed to ricochet around the beach, constantly hurling simple light bursts at Nigreos in an attempt to strike him down, but with all of the man’s power put into defending himself, nothing was landing.

However, this time, he wasn’t fighting Nigreos alone. Lilly was attacking with not only light, but with shadows of her own. If anybody were to stumble upon the sight of this battle, they would see flashes of black and white constantly appearing and disappearing as Lilly and Eric hurled spell after spell at their enemy. This wasn’t going to be simple, even with their powers. Nigreos Noctis was a powerful and terrifying enemy, one that couldn’t be easily beaten even by other Masters of Ijiria. That was why Eric had hoped to get the jump on him before he realized Album’s body had been stolen, but there was no longer anything he could do about that.

But unlike back then, I’m no longer facing him without help. I have Lilly, and the club and even my father. Just having them here reminds me what I’m fighting for! I want to free them from the erased realm! I want to save the woman Ryokumo lost! I want to make my masters proud! And I’m going to retake the life that was stolen from me!

With his determination gathered, Eric Reiner put everything he had into defeating Nigreos Noctis.

***

“You’re a goddamn idiot!” Liz snarled the second Damien reached them, though she didn’t hesitate to throw her arms around him and hug him. When he’d rushed out there and confronted Nigreos himself, she had been terrified that he was going to die—that she was going to watch the boy she just got back get slaughtered right before her eyes. “Never do that again, you hear me?!”

“I’m sorry,” he murmured as they pulled back from each other. “I was just hoping I might be able to draw his attention long enough to get Mr. Reiner an opening.”

They both glanced over at Scott, who was still positioned in the same spot with his gun clutched in his hands. Liz knew that the minute he had a chance to shoot Nigreos with the anti-mana bullet, he would take it, but the problem was that the Master of Darkness had been keeping shadows up between him and them, as if expecting, or even fearing, that they had some trick up their sleeves that might be able to harm him. Nigreos was being cautious, and that caution was getting in their way. However, now that a second combatant had arrived, Nigreos’s defenses were more spread out.

“So guys,” Vinny chimed in hesitantly. “Do you really think… Er, do you think that’s actually Eric, or has Album come back?”

Damien clenched his teeth and turned his attention toward the battle. “I… I don’t know, honestly. I mean, she’s fighting him, sure, but how in the living hell could Eric have ever gotten ahold of her body. It’s so damn insane, but then again, this is Eric we’re talking about, so if anybody could pull such a thing off...”

“It’s him,” Liz said firmly, and without any doubt. “Lilly would not have saved him from that attack if she wasn’t absolutely certain that he was who he claimed to be. I don’t know what happened, but somehow, Eric stole Album’s body.”

The three club members stood quietly for a moment as they watched the almost hypnotic spectacle of light and shadow, and Liz could only smile softly to herself at the knowledge that Eric Reiner had come riding in at the last moment to help them. He had done so much for them over the course of their friendship, and while she was sad that she couldn't see his actual body, just the knowledge that he was there mentally comforted her a great deal.

“So that’s my son, eh?” Scott muttered. “Is that what you guys are saying?”

Damien nodded with a proud grin. “Yeah, that’s him. And I’ll be really curious to hear his stories when all of this is done, but what now? Do we just stand here until the fight is over or—?”

Just as he asked that question, a flash of light nearly blinded them, and the four couldn’t help but jump back in surprise, yet when their vision cleared, Lilly Harper was standing just before them, breathing heavily and with blood dripping down her monochrome face.

“Eric’s…gonna hold him off…” she managed to tell them. “So I’ll…destroy this port… You guys get ready…to shoot Nigreos the second…he gives you an opportunity.”

“S-sure, yeah, we’ll do that, but are you okay, Lilly?” Vinny pressed anxiously, but the girl merely smiled weakly and shrugged.

“I will be.”

With that soft response, Damien, Liz, and Vinny stepped aside as Lilly hobbled toward the floating ball of mana, suddenly appearing far weaker than she had seemed to be while in battle. The fight was taking a toll on her and Liz began to worry if she might be reaching her limit. Her screams when her arm began to reform were enough to cause Liz to fear for her life, but now…

When Lilly finally reached the mana port, she carefully raised her hand and placed it against the ball. Liz flinched back, expecting some sort of reaction from it, but nothing happened as her friend placed her second hand against it as well.

“It recognizes my power,” Lilly whispered. “It knows I’ve got some of Album’s energy inside of me, so it knows I’m a friend. I can open it. I can…finally end this.” She smiled softly, then chanted, “Dimiitio.”

By this point, Liz had borne witness to so many impossible, terrifying, and enchanting sights because of magic, yet each time she saw something new, there was an odd sense of awe. The mana began to circle around Lilly’s arms, fusing with her body in translucent ribbons before disappearing inside of her, as if rejoining with her mana. At first, it seemed like such a simple task, but when Lilly suddenly grunted in pain, Liz feared something was wrong.

“What? What is it?” Vinny pressed.

“It, uh… It hurts like hell.” Lilly’s features tensed up and she was clearly biting back pain, but she didn’t break off the spell, and the mana port was growing smaller and smaller. “But I’ve…got it! Just a little…longer!”

With that cry, the mana port finally vanished into nothingness before Lilly dropped to her knees and collapsed in the sand.

***

Nigreos Noctis did everything in his power to try and prevent Lilly Harper from destroying the mana port, but Eric was persistent, and every time he tried to send shadows in her direction, the boy was there to cut them down with light magic, and soon enough, the sky had begun to crack open like glass. But that phenomenon was not limited to the sky, and as Nigreos looked around, he could see the beach itself beginning to tear apart as the erased realm started to destroy itself. Beyond those cracks looked almost like the night sky, and some of them were pulling farther and farther apart, and if they were breaking in such a way, that could only mean one thing.

Somebody else has already broken the second port?! Does this mean they’re not the only ones to get their memories back?! Did Harper save everybody?! No! What the hell has been happening all this time?! I have to stop this! I have to do everything I can to stop this!

Yet, he couldn't do it. He knew exactly what needed to be done, yet his fear kept getting in his way. He couldn’t go all out against Eric, both because of the fact that he was in Album’s body and because of who he was inside. Ever since the QuaerBasim registered the relic as being in Omaruo and the possibility of Eric Reiner being involved was brought to light, Nigreos had feared that his past with Abigail would get in his way. This was the son whose existence he hid from the king, just because Abi begged him to. This was a boy who reminded him of the women he loved—who had the same confidence and charisma and power that she had, and who he promised he would protect. To kill Eric Reiner would be to betray the last piece of Abi that he had left.

But what choice have I been left with? I tried! I TRIED, DAMN IT! I reached out to him and tried to show him that I wanted to put our pasts behind us and try to move forward together. I wanted to help him! I wanted to guide him and make up for how I failed Abi! But he wouldn’t let me! Instead, it was Ryokumo who became his mentor and I only continued to be the monster that he believed I was. I murdered his mother. I terrorized his friends. He truly does hate me with all his being. And now, he’s got Album at his mercy and I don’t have the strength to finish him off! Why is this how it always ends?! Why am I here again, fighting a Reiner—fighting somebody I don’t want to fight! Am I just forever condemned to be a goddamn monster?!

Nigreos felt his body just going through the motions as he continued casting dark spells in a futile attempt at beating Eric. He could see the club members and Scott Reiner off by the cave, and he knew that Lilly had finally collapsed from the pain The Angel caused her. The battle was now between him and Eric only, and that was how it would end.

Is there any way I can reason with Eric? No. What a stupid thing to think. I already tried that and it failed. Maybe…I should just surrender. I lost my chance to wipe out the Omaruans and cut him off from his old life, and now, there’s nothing that will keep him in Ijiria. The erased realm is already falling.

Shards of the sky were beginning to glide down to the ground, the black expanse beyond becoming more and more visible. Should he just give himself over and allow Eric to kill him? Would that finally satisfy the boy’s desire for revenge?

But if I do that, then Album will die, too, and I can’t sacrifice her for my mistakes. At the very least, if I’m going to lose, then I have to kill as many of the Omaruans as possible! I can’t let those magicless bastards best me in the end!

Eric was moving so fast around the beach that Nigreos was only barely following him, and while the sun was almost completely below the horizon, he knew it wouldn't matter. By the time night fell, he would be back in the Citadel and the targets of Omaruo would be released—the first known victims to ever escape the erased realm.

His shadows were sharpening as they defended him from the light attacks, and knowing that things had to change, he prepared to divert every part of his power toward where the magicless were standing.

“COREAS!” he shrieked, the giant mass of darkness lurching toward the group huddled b y the cave, prepared to enter into their bodies and tear them apart from the inside. He felt Eric cry out in horror then felt a burst of light shoot straight through his chest, puncturing one of his lungs and sending blood spilling from his mouth as he stumbled backwards. But he didn’t care that Eric had gotten a shot on him. He would know the price of his betrayal as he watched those he loved the most shredded by shadows.

But the attack never reached them.

“NEX!”

The darkness collided with an invisible wall, preventing them from finishing the attack, and giving Eric the second he needed to send a wave of light into the middle of them, bursting them apart. Nigreos could only gape in utter confusion as the shadows dissipated and revealed a young man standing just between his spell and the magicless, a sword grasped in his right hand and his left extended out before him.

“You…” Nigreos uttered as yet another surprise arrived to stand in his way. “Rista…Pine?”

The young Child of Reiner who first set them on this path once again definitely challenged him, his once fearful features firm and resolute and he raised his sword up in preparation to fight. Utter fury raged through Nigreos’s body, his only instinct to cast another dark spell, but with his focus now on Rista and Eric, he only saw the brief flash of light when it was too late, and by then, he was already stumbling backward as something slammed into his chest.

What…? What was that?

His eyes flickered to the left as he gazed straight at Scott Reiner, an Omaruan weapon aimed right at his chest and a smug grin on his face.

“Checkmate.”

He could barely make out the word that Scott mouthed at him and Nigreos’s features contorted in rage. “Devare!” he shrieked, desperately trying to get at least something, anything, to strike an opponent, but the shadows that came from his body barely reached a foot ahead of him before vanishing into the air. “What? Why did it—”

“Luminetta!”

“Coreas!”

Hearing Eric’s chant, he frantically spun around and brought his darkness to his defense, but the bust of light cut through the pathetic spell with ease and once again blasted through his body, this one sending him flying backwards before landing in the sand with the wind knocked out of him. His breathing was raspy from the attacks and his brain felt hazy as he desperately tried to process what had happened to him.

How…did I lose? My magic… It didn’t work… What the hell…did they do to me?

***

Eric slowly crossed the distance between where he stood and where Nigreos was laying, the Master’s blood seeping into the sand as the sky continued to fall around them. Off in the distance, Eric could see those same cracks opening up in the ocean and on the sun, and not knowing what would happen if he fell into one, he carefully stepped over the spots already forming in the sand. He didn’t know why Nigreos’s magic suddenly weakened the way it did, nor did he know who the magical individual was that saved his friends, but when he looked over at them, the expressions on their faces told him that whatever happened was a part of their plan. So trusting the Magic Club, he decided to finally finish things with Nigreos as he stopped a few yards from where the Master was frantically trying to push himself to his feet. Breathing heavily from the pain, blood staining his black suit, Nigreos’s white eyes slowly shifted and instead of the composed and confident man he normally was, all Eric saw was regret, pain, and fear.

This was supposed to feel good, yet all I really see is a broken man. Where’s the satisfaction in this?

“You know, if you’d just left us alone, this wouldn’t have happened,” Eric said softly, brushing a strand of pale hair from his as he regarded his fallen enemy. “We never needed to be enemies. That’s what you always said to me back in Wilham, yet you wouldn’t let up. You just had to take everything from me, didn’t you? And now look where that got you?” The boy shook his head with pity. “If you loved my mother the way you claimed to, perhaps we could have gotten along. Maybe in another realm, we were friends, Nigreos. But not here. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t take back what you did to me and to her. And because of that, I could never forgive you.”

There was blood dripping from Nigreos’s mouth as he finally rose to his feet, and fearing another attack, Eric raised his hands and created two balls of light, prepared to fire them through his chest once more should he try anything. Yet the Master of Darkness only stumbled backwards, his left hand gripping his shoulder.

“Me?” he uttered. “You’re…going to blame me for this? No, no, no! If you’d just listened to me, Eric… You could have stayed in the Citadel and trained to become a Master some day. You could have had a blessed life in Ijiria. There was so much potential within you and you threw it all away…just like your godforsaken mother…”

But Eric was already shaking his head. “I don’t know what was going through my mom’s mind when she betrayed you, and at this point, I probably never will. But I trust that she made the right decision—that she knew what she was doing. And as for me, it doesn’t matter what potential future I may have had back in Ijiria. My future is over there.”

He indicated the mouth of the cave to their right where the Magic Club, as well as his father and the newcomer, were watching them. Nigreos briefly glanced their way before a foul sneer twisted his face.

“Them? You would choose the magicless over magic? You would abandon Ijiria for a place as pathetic as this?”

When the man spoke, Eric realized just how strange it was for him to make that choice. For all of his life, he had dreamed of the magical world his mother had spoken about. He excitedly studied so that he could become a mage someday and he spent his free time searching for any sign of magic’s existence. He never questioned whether it was real, and when he found out that the orange gemstone contained magical properties, it was the happiest he had ever been in his life. Yet there he stood, rejecting the magical world he had longed for and rejecting a chance to be trained for the magicless reality he always sought to escape.

“Perhaps Omaruo isn’t as grand and exciting as Ijiria,” he admitted with a sad smile. “But I do think I took it for granted. Magic is evil…and I no longer want anything to do with it.”

Up above, there was a brief flash of light that shot across the twilight sky and another crack split open, this one much longer and wider than any of the other ones, and with it, a rumbling sound echoed out across the ocean and beach, telling Eric that he needed to wrap things up. He needed to kill Nigreos like he promised Ryokumo he would, but as he stared at the man, broken and desperate, a part of him hesitated.

“At the very least, take pride in the fact that you never got to kill me,” Eric went on, stalling the inevitable act. “You told me you loved my mother, and whether that was true or not, you never got the chance to betray her a second time. You can die knowing that.”

Nigreos’s eyes widened for a moment before his jaw tightened in anger as he hobbled a step forward. “Die? You think…you’re going to kill me, boy? No… You can’t… You’re not strong enough. I don’t…”

“Nigreos,” Eric interrupted sharply. “You’ve lost.”

When the Master’s body went stiff, Eric knew that was the moment he should have let the balls of light loose, finishing Nigreos off, but once again, he hesitated. He knew he shouldn’t have, and as he reminded himself of everything that man did back in Omaruo, he should have been able to do what he needed to in mere seconds. But as he looked at him, his suit tattered and stained with blood, his features contorted in anger, pain, and fear, and his voice desperate, he couldn’t help but see just another human being who had been through hell and lost. Nigreos Noctis was not a man who deserved pity. If their positions were switched, Eric knew he would have been struck down without hesitation, and yet…

“Whatever you do, just obey Ijiria. Hate me all you want, but I beg of you… Don’t put me in the position where I would have to kill you, too. I can’t…have your blood on my hands, as well.”

No…actually…perhaps I’m mistaken. Perhaps Nigreos never could have killed me…

“Your mother…” the Master breathed, his breathing ragged. “I did love her, you know? If anything, I need you to understand that. I did everything I could to protect you… More than anything, I never wanted it to come to this…”

Nigreos said something similar the night that they had that dinner, and at the time, Eric had been so worked up with hatred and rage that he hadn’t even bothered to humor those words. But now, for whatever reason, he allowed himself to look the man right in the eyes, and as his sense kicked in, Eric realized that was the truest statement Nigreos Noctis had ever said to him.

He really did love Mom. This man… This unredeemable man…loved her… But then why? How did it ever come to what it did? How did their relationship end in blood and death? What circumstances could have resulted in Nigreos killing her? Was it really because of the rebellion…or was there more in play?

But even with those thoughts going through his mind, with so many retorts he could spit out, he kept them all to himself and instead spoke the truth.

“I believe you.”

There was a brief second where Nigreos’s expression softened and what Eric saw was relief…

…right as a sudden flash of light blinded him. He exhaled sharply, believing Nigreos to have done something before reminding himself that the man didn’t know light magic and it was only when his vision returned that the reality of what happened revealed itself to him. A black hand was protruding from the Master of Darkness’s neck, blood dripping from its fingers before it was violently wrenched out of him. Choking on his own blood, Nigreos stumbled forward, gagging uselessly as he collapsed into the sand, his hands frantically grasping the gaping and bloody hole in his neck as if trying to close it. But he couldn’t form meaningful words and thus, he would be unable to cast a healing spell. Eric watched blankly as he thrashed around on the ground before his body gradually weakened. Those pale white eyes turned up and stared at Eric, but where there should have been anger and fear like there had been before, now there was nothing, as if he’d stopped feeling altogether.

“Abi…”

No sound escaped his lips, but Eric could still tell what he tried to say there at the end before the light began to leave his eyes, his body stopped moving, and the life faded from the body of Nigreos Noctis, the Ijirian Master of Darkness.

There should have been satisfaction and a relieving feeling of victory as the man he hated with all his being was murdered right before his eyes, yet all he could feel was nothing, and when he raised his head from the corpse to see the one who had killed him, he found Lilly Harper standing there, her eyes locked on the dead man with the hatred he should have been feeling.

“Die,” she uttered, just as her form began to tilt backwards.

He wanted to run to her, to grab her and prevent her from falling, but he stopped himself as he recalled who it was he currently looked like, and it was that hesitation that kept his feet firmly in place. Instead, it was Vinny and Liz who reached her just before she fell, both grabbing her arms and propping her up on their shoulders. Damien was also there, his body shaking from everything he had just witnessed, but his concern was directed at both Eric and Lilly. He could tell that his girlfriend had nearly destroyed herself. The monochrome appearance that the syringe probably caused was still there, but she looked skinnier, as if her body was weakening by the second. Above them, the sky was over halfway destroyed which meant that this erased realm was already almost gone.

But he still had one more job to do.

They were all alive, and he trusted that they would be in good hands, however he knew that there was little more they could do for him. Eric closed his eyes and searched through Album’s muscle memory, following the information in the books that Ryokumo made him read, before realizing exactly what it was he had to do. He knew the club would be calling out to him at any moment, but for the time being, they were checking on Lilly, so he had a second to do what he needed to. Raising his right hand and turning his fingers toward his chest, he took one more breath to prepare himself, then shoved it deep inside. He grunted against the pain, and could hear the others crying out to him in alarm, but he pushed those sounds aside and focused only on his current job.

“Erasurai.”

A jolt went through his body as he yanked his hand back out, feeling his chest closing back up, and with that single word, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders that he hadn’t even known was there, and he knew that the erased realms would fall, no matter what happened from that moment on.

“Eric!”

He opened his eyes at the sound of his name to see Damien rising to his feet, the other two gathered around Lilly, who was now laying on her back, her breathing heavy and her eyes closed. He knew she was unconscious and that she could die at any moment, but there was no longer anything he could do but wait for the realm to shatter. However he knew Lilly Harper was tough. She would make it in time, of that, he was certain. But as Damien began to approach, he knew he had to stop him. He wore the face of a woman who had tortured them and thus, it wouldn’t be right to reunite until he was himself.

“Stay there!” he called back, raising his palm out to indicate that he shouldn’t come closer. “We won. We did it, but I still have more to do, and I need to get back to Ijiria. I’m glad you’re all safe. I’m so glad…”

Damien stopped, his features showing surprise, and at the same time, Liz and Vinny had gotten to their feet as well. He expected them to protest and to demand to know what it was he would do, but even with Album’s face, they must have still been able to see through to him and to understand that he didn’t have time to explain.

“When will you be back?” Damien asked fearfully. “You will come back, right?”

Eric smiled back at them, seeing the anticipation in their eyes. “Of course. Just wait a little longer, okay? I will come home. I swear it.”

For a moment, he glanced to his left to see his father and the young man watching from a distance, both eyeing him with distrust, and he knew that neither saw him for who he actually was. Something in the way his father watched him told the boy that he didn’t have his memories like the others did. Content to wait for that conversation until he returned to Omaruo, Eric faced his friends one last time, his eyes specifically focusing on Lilly. She had put up a hell of a fight and had kept Nigreos at bay before he arrived. He owed his success to her as much as anybody.

“Take care, dude,” Vinny said with a grin. “And when you do come home, make sure you don’t have that ugly-ass face on, yeah? It’s hideous.”

He chuckled, having missed his friend’s sense of humor. “I agree.” The boy then inhaled slowly, feeling nervous at the thought that he would have to experience this body’s death, and waved his arms out. “Luminey.”

Bolts of light formed in midair around him, floating just a few feet away from his body, and he knew that they would only attack once he ordered them to.

“Eric?” Liz began nervously.

“I need you guys to turn around, okay?” he interrupted. “I need to finish Album, but I don’t want you to have to see this, so go back to my father and let me end this. Please?”

Once again, there was a clear desire to protest, and he was certain he seemed crazy, but he could tell that Damien had realized what he was trying to do.

“Stay safe, Eric. Come home,” Damien said, and as Liz and Vinny echoed similar sentiments, they all turned around and put their backs to him before making their way toward the others.

And so, it’s going to end. After all of the pain that we’ve suffered, I can finally bring this all to a close. Nigreos is dead, and with one simple word, Album will be, too. When I cast this spell, I’ll have Album’s blood on my hands for the rest of my life. But I can’t hesitate. Lilly took on the burden of killing Nigreos when I hesitated, so I must be the one to kill Album. I don’t have a choice. They started this war when they took everything from me, and now…

I’m going to end it.

“Ilum,” he chanted softly, and seconds later, all ten bolts of light released from where they hovered and blasted straight through him.

***

Ryokumo Caeli jumped to his feet when Album started to violently convulse. After making it clear to him that she would never do as he asked and reveal the information he sought, he ordered Iris to put the vine back over her mouth so they could wait for Eric to finish his part of the plan. It was just as Ryokumo was starting to worry that it was taking the boy too long when she started to spasm uncontrollably, cries of pain breaking through the vine. Iris jumped up as well and the two Masters exchanged looks.

“Mackia, release her mouth now!” he shouted as he strode past desks and over to where Album was bound.

Iris listened without arguing and the vine pulled away, allowing Album to speak. But she didn’t say a word, instead heaving as if she was struggling to breathe. Her eyes were bulging and tears were rolling down her cheeks, and for a moment, Ryokumo feared that she had found some way to choke herself with magic, but the desperate and horrified look she suddenly turned his way convinced him otherwise.

Album was dying.

“Please…” she choked, her lips quivering as she gazed up at him, but there wasn’t even a hint of disdain and hatred she always directed at him.

For that moment, despite her having Eric’s face, Ryokumo saw the young girl he had met all those many years ago at the Academy of Erika—the sweet young mage who had become one of his closest and most treasured friends. And as much as it pained him, he refused to turn away and forced himself to stare back at her as she choked out her final words.

“Please… I did it…for you…Kumo…”

Ryokumo said nothing as he watched her suddenly slump forward before going still. He gently raised his hand to reach out for her, but it was barely a second later when Eric’s body gasped for air and began breathing heavily, and his head raised once more, but this time, there was clearly a different person looking back at him.

“I did it,” he rasped as he caught his breath. “I did it, Ryokumo. Nigreos and Album are dead. We killed them. And I opened the erased realm.”

This was a cause for celebration. Against all odds, they won. Whoever Ilirianna was would be revealed to him shortly, and Nigreos and Album could no longer harm anybody else again. Eric successfully pulled off the assassination and did everything Ryokumo asked of him. His first response should have been to praise him. And yet…

“Ah…is that so?”