Standing beneath the rush of the shower, Skyler gazed at his reflection in the mirror.
The handsome face looking back at him hadn't changed—but he knew he had.
Yes, in just some weeks.
A faint, genuine smile tugged at his lips as droplets traced down his body, shimmering like silver threads, before he reached out to knock on the crimson gem glowing on the chain resting on the vanity before him.
"Are you still sleeping?"
No response.
"Hmm?"
He poked the gem with his finger, causing it to glow even brighter. A wind surged from it, making him chuckle—telling him the one he was attempting to reach was annoyed and indeed sleeping until he disturbed them.
His smile faded, replaced by a frown, as a faint whisper echoed softly from the gem.
"I... want to die... to vanish completely. I was never alive to begin with..."
The words struck him like a cold blade. He ran his fingers through his hair, frustration and anger bubbling beneath the surface.
How many times had he heard that plea?
Too many.
It weighed on him—a heavy reminder of the pain the other carried—pain he truly wished he could erase but never seemed to reach.
"Ha, not again."
He muttered bitterly, the sharp sting of helplessness tightening around his chest. Yet despite it all, he couldn't turn away.
"Listen to me—if I hear those words one more time, I'm dragging you out of there, and we are settling this face to face. And trust me, I won't hold back this time—I will make sure you remember exactly what it means to be alive, in every single way."
The gem fell silent, and he smirked.
"Good."
Skyler glanced down at his bare body. The blood that once covered him was gone.
His injuries had also healed, thanks to his self-healing skill that worked instinctively—but this time, the aftermath was different.
Scars—deep, jagged, and accompanied by multiple burn marks—remained etched into his skin like grim reminders. He knew they would not fade anytime soon—not unless he used some treasure or a strong potion.
"Yeah… walking through the Gate of Hell and diving into the Sea of Blood? Definitely not an experience I would recommend."
He grimaced as he recalled everything he had gone through over the past few weeks.
It had all begun with him sleeping soundly, curled up in bed with Riruru after a long day spent completing missions with Charles.
It was Saturday night—a peaceful night.
But he was jolted awake in the middle of the night by the soft murmur of a voice.
Riruru had shifted into her human form, muttering incoherent words in clear pain.
He panicked instantly. He scooped her up, ready to rush to the academy healers or the nearest hospital available when he realized his healing skill wasn't working. Then she spoke—her words freezing him in place.
"I want to die..."
Hearing that, he stared at her pale face in horror. Was she truly in so much pain—so much that she wanted to die?
"No, no, no! You're going to be fine—"
His words were cut short by the crimson eyes staring back at him blankly—cold and completely emotionless. They belonged to Riruru, yet different, almost unrecognizable. His Riruru would never look at him like that.
"Riruru...?"
The beautiful woman in his arms tilted her head, gazing at him—as if to know who he was. Then came her quiet, detached voice.
"Who...?"
Skyler's grip on her tightened, his mind racing. Had someone possessed Riruru?
That was his first thought—but he quickly dismissed it, because deep down, Skyler's instincts told him she was still his Riruru.
He was confused, shocked, and panicked—all at once. So overwhelmed by emotion, he didn't even notice when the cold, unfamiliar eyes staring at him slowly faded, replaced by the warm, familiar gaze he knew so well.
Riruru gripped his clothes tightly.
Her voice came just as a sudden, familiar hoarse voice echoed in his subconscious.
"I don't want her to die. It's painful."
'You need to stop her from dying!'
Skyler took a deep breath. The two figures staying in his subconscious seemed just as panicked. He stopped Riruru as she tried to slip from his hold and go somewhere.
'First, tell me what is really going on!'
He focused, trying his best to talk with the figures in his subconscious. But their only response was vague and unsettling.
'It's that time already. We both missed the time because time here flows differently.'
Skyler snapped, fury blazing through him. He hated being kept in the dark—being left confused. This was his life! And how dare they withhold anything about Riruru?
"Tell me clearly! Stop beating—"
He swallowed his words as a sudden pain surged through his body, and every drop of Evol in his elemental crystals was drained dry. A dark power burst from him, swirling violently as it gathered before him.
"What the actual hell...!"
He groaned, dropping to his knees with the struggling woman in his arms—she wanted to go somewhere but held back from using her full power, not wanting to hurt him. He watched as the space before him cracked open, forming a passage to another realm.
The moment the passage appeared, Riruru instantly shifted back into her snake form.
Taking advantage of his stunned state, she slipped into the passage—toward the dying voice she could hear on the other side.
Skyler's eyes widened in shock.
"Riruru! Stop right there!"
He immediately leapt in after her, not even pausing to listen to the voice echoing in his subconscious—his mind was solely on her.
'Just follow her. She carries the largest fragment within her since she consumed what you found... that is why she can feel the pain and presence of the rest.'
That was how Skyler arrived in front of the massive Gate of Hell, looming before him like a dark nightmare carved into reality.
He flinched as his eyes met the towering gatekeepers—colossal entities draped in tattered, blood-soaked rags, their hulking forms crawling with dark, unblinking eyes that slithered across their flesh as if alive. Their gaze cut through him like blades—cold, merciless, and impossibly ancient.
"You are not one of the dead."
One of them growled loudly, its voice shaking the very air. The other followed.
"Nor one who should enter Hell. A part of your soul I can vaguely feel is far too pure."
Skyler's heart thundered beneath the grim weight of the eyes bearing down on him.
Panic surged as his gaze darted around—searching for Riruru. When he spotted her behind the two guardians, struggling to pry open the Gate of Hell, his heart dropped.
He wanted to shout her name, to stop her—but under the weight of those stares, all he could manage was a faint, hoarse whisper.
"Stop..."
The gatekeepers followed his gaze and fixed their many eyes on the white snake. One of them narrowed its dark eyes.
"You're with her? She's not dead either."
The other nodded in agreement.
"Just incomplete."
They stepped back as Skyler reached for Riruru, watching quietly as he lifted her into his arms. He seemed ready to leave, but the passage he came through had vanished.
Then, suddenly, one of the gatekeepers spoke—its words freezing him in place.
"A part of your soul also carries the scent reminiscent of the King of Hell. I've never met the ruler myself, but I can sense it."
The other gatekeeper spoke up with a different concern altogether.
"That's not the point. He's trying to leave. Wasn't he here to enter Hell? I thought..."
Its loud voice trailed off as its many eyes focused on Riruru's struggling figure.
"...he's here to retrieve the fragment that wandered into Hell some time ago. I was wondering why she smelled so familiar."
Skyler drew in a deep breath, trying his best to steady his nerves. Now that he was here, it was clear—he could not leave until he did what the two in his subconscious wanted.
He attempted a smile, but the gatekeepers were far too grotesque for him to maintain it for long. In the end, he decided to focus on finding whatever Riruru was looking for.
Riruru was clearly in pain, and if finding whoever—or whatever—she was drawn to could ease her pain, he would do it. As for everything else, he would deal with it later. For now, he had to shut his racing mind.
Overthinking would only waste his time—and what if he missed something far too important and then regretted it later?
"Yes, I want to enter. Can I?"
The two gatekeepers exchanged surprised glances, their reactions identical. Still, the duo's response was dripping with derision.
"No, you can't."
Skyler quietly gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to curse the two grotesque creatures.
He knew they could slap him away like a mere insect—they were far too powerful.
Their dark gazes alone made that clear.
"Is there truly no way?"
The gatekeepers' eyes sparkled as if they found his question amusing. One of them leaned toward him, causing him to recoil.
"There is a way. You die as a sinner. Then your soul can pass through the gate behind us. We both will even escort you personally to the deepest part of Hell."
Skyler bristled and snapped back at them instantly, thanks to his natural personality.
"No, thank you!"
He instantly regretted it afterward, sealing his lips shut as the gatekeepers fixed their dark gazes on him, looking very solemn.