While Skyler and Riruru were eating dinner under many eyes, he got a notification that his delivery had arrived at the academy.
"That was fast. I guess the guild who owns the website owns teleportation devices."
He finished his food and rushed out of the building. A burly man in a uniform met him just a little distance away from the building he gave as his address on the website.
The man furrowed his brows when he saw a young man, thinking if Skyler would even be able to pay for what he had purchased.
Fortunately, his worries were unfounded. Skyler paid upfront through his phone. He hurriedly transferred the 50,000 star coins he got from Jenny to the delivery man. At least, she was helpful in one way.
After paying, he received a storage ring from the man with his order. The man left. And Skyler returned to his room to quickly sort out everything. He had to leave early tomorrow to encounter the people of the Queen who would come to the academy.
Skyler set an alarm on his phone and quickly slipped under the blankets.
"Let's sleep early, Riruru."
Shuffling, he put a bracelet-like artifact through her head. It clung to her body the moment it touched her skin. With that, she could now change into a human anytime, and clothes would form to cover her.
It was a useful artifact created from the power of a mix of technology and some unique items found in the crystals.
Then, cuddling the snake, he closed his eyes, yawning and muttering softly.
"You can change into a human without worry now. The artifact will cover you."
He only said this to assure her that he wasn't angry when he told her that she should change back into a snake.
However, his eyebrow twitched when a brilliant golden light flashed in the room and a soft voice sounded next to his ear.
"Okay..."
Skyler did not open his eyes, letting out a sigh as he released her from his grasp. It seemed he wouldn't be able to cuddle her now that she had changed into a human.
He was reluctant but still forced himself to turn his back on her. Unlike him, Riruru had other plans. She played with his hair, gently waving her fingers through the ash-brown strands, giggling softly when he groaned.
Skyler opened his eyes and turned back, relieved to see her in a loose-fitting dress. Grasping her wayward hands, he forced her to lie down on his arm, exasperated.
"Sleep."
Riruru blinked her lashes, watching him close his eyes until his breathing evened out. Mimicking his earlier actions, Riruru wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his neck, inhaling.
"You smell nice... smells like mine..."
Skyler shifted in his sleep, but he didn't dislike the feeling of the slightly cold body clinging to him like an octopus. Instead, he shifted closer, instinctively holding her waist. Half-asleep, he muttered softly.
"Don't cause trouble..."
Riruru's eyes crinkled, mirth dancing in the glowing crimson depths. She chuckled at him and closed her eyes to sleep as well.
However, after she fell asleep, she found herself in an unknown place, inhabiting an unfamiliar body. Tears streamed down her cheeks. The fragment of her soul, her core, which had grown stronger after consuming another small fragment residing within the old pendant, pulsed violently within her.
Confusion clouded her senses as she tried to move, to do something, but the body she was in refused to follow her command.
The only thing she could do was watch the scene unfolding before her, with no control over anything, like a bystander. It was as if she were watching something from a time or lifetime that no longer existed.
All around her, the ravaged landscape was littered with the bodies of winged humans, monsters, and ominous beings with horns.
Seas of blood flowed everywhere. The air was thick with an acrid scent of death and decay, making it difficult to breathe.
The space was divided into two. One side was filled with beings who looked so pure, as if they were made of light. Their wings fluttered behind them like thick curtains.
On the other side, a single man knelt with his head bowed, and numerous powerful weapons, each shimmering with a golden light, protruded from his bloodied body. His trembling hands, slick with blood, clutched the weapon that had pierced his heart.
Riruru's heart sank at the sight. She hadn't even seen the man's face, but she wanted to rush forward. Only to discover that her crying form was trapped within a barrier.
Floating next to her, one of the winged beings, a male clad in armor, sneered. His mocking voice made her blood run cold.
"You filthy spawn of hell! How dare you forget your place and trespass in heaven!"
Riruru's breath hitched at the words. Yet, the winged man's smirk stiffened when the kneeling man let out an eerie laughter. His trembling fingers violently yanked out the weapon stabbed in his heart. Although, it was clear his body was beyond saving.
He snickered with a grin that made every single person flying in the sky clench their weapons in fear. Even when he was dying, they were equally afraid of him, knowing what he was capable of. Wiping the blood off his chapped lips, he raised his head to stare at the winged man who had spoken.
His eyes crinkled in amusement.
"What a cheater... You didn't even put a single scratch on my body. So, it's funny hearing you talk so big now."
Riruru's eyes dilated when she saw the familiar face. Only the blue pupils and hair were pitch black. She let out a strangled cry inwardly to free herself to go save him. Yet, she couldn't even command the body she was in, let alone interfere in the event.
The winged man beside her trembled with rage, hearing the kneeling man's words. But he composed himself and smiled softly.
"So?! It was I who made your own stab you in the back. It's more painful. I am sure you would never forget this moment, even after dying. Well, it's not like I am going to let you be reborn. Filth like you needs to be wiped out of existence with no second chance."
The kneeling man tilted his head. His gaze was hazy as he turned to look to his right. Far away, there stood many familiar faces inside a gray dome that protected them.
"Oh, they...? I helped them grow and come so far, a place they would never have been able to reach on their own. Yet look at me now. I should have never trusted anyone to begin with. My fault... My fault..."
He muttered under his breath, his voice fading. As his consciousness began to slip, he looked up once last time. This time, his gaze fell on the trapped, crying figure.
Her eyes, covered in a blindfold, were bleeding. His heart ached at the sight.
"I am sorry... Don't cry. I will come..."
His words trailed off, unfinished. Riruru jolted awake on the familiar bed, her eyes snapping open in alarm. She gasped softly, clutching at her chest, tears welling up. The empty room only amplified the suffocating feeling that had taken root within her.
She scrambled out of bed, her gaze frantically searching for Skyler.
They had been sleeping together!
Where had he gone??