~Chapter 127~
The world that revealed itself was nothing like the one I had known.
“…!”
A world of black and white.
No trace of color anywhere.
Except for me.
—Ah, no. Two of us.
The child standing before me waved slightly.
Though calling him a child might not be quite right. He was small, about Penny’s size, but the voice was Arkan’s.
And his face was painted pitch black.
“Not bad.”
Not that it was pleasant either. It felt like a cracked window finally shattering completely.
And yet, strangely, there was a certain sense of relief in my chest.
Maybe because I had escaped that suffocating illusion.
No more distorted voices. No more broken scenery.
It felt as though only Arkan and I existed in this silent world.
“…”
The ground was black, the sky was pure white.
In the distance, trees appeared only as black lines swaying in the wind.
Arkan walked without a word. I followed him absentmindedly, clenching and unclenching my fists.
Then, he spoke casually.
—Look at the sky for a moment.
“The sky…?”
When I lifted my gaze, something long and black fell from the white sky like shooting stars.
Snakes?
I couldn’t find the right word.
That was when Arkan suddenly started running.
“W-wait for me!”
Still as unkind a guide as ever.
I hurried after him, not wanting to be left behind.
After running for a while, Arkan climbed a hill. He bounced on the spot, pointing his finger at the sky.
—This is what I wanted to show you.
Taking on the form of a child had even changed his tone and behavior.
—Isn’t it beautiful?
Tch… your sense of beauty is questionable.
Honestly, it was more creepy than beautiful.
“Haha, sure. It’s… beautiful.”
Maybe it was like seeing rain fall?
In a world of monochrome, that sounded like a reasonable guess.
—You don’t need to lie here.
Arkan grumbled, as if offended. Then, sighing briefly, he reached out a hand toward the sky.
The black shapes drifting there responded to his call, falling down toward us.
“…!”
And then I realized what they were.
[‘Strange.’ Even as Penny left Tyrannian with Idette, she couldn’t stop thinking. Was her sister really okay? That pale face, looking at her like she was a monster… But that couldn’t be true, right?]
They were black letters.
Long strands of text wrapped around Arkan’s arm.
“Then… all of those are…?”
—Well? Do they look a little more beautiful now?
He laughed and, as though pulling from a bookshelf, drew something from the air.
Soon, a book made of black lines appeared in his other hand.
—Watch closely.
On the white pages, black letters carved themselves into lines of text.
—This is how the present is recorded. This is the most important function of the library.
He shrugged lightly.
On the page, I saw written the continuation of Penny’s story.
“…It’s written here—Penny’s future.”
—Correct. This is the foretold future. But if the present is disrupted, the record automatically changes.
I lifted my eyes. The sky was filled with countless letters raining down.
—Those that never reach the ground—those stories meet their death. But the letters that return, they are reborn and continue to write new lives.
—Countless stories weave together to form a world. How could that not be beautiful?
…Fine. I had to admit it.
Arkan’s sense of beauty really was exceptional.
—We use these to see the future of the world. And based on that, we guide adventurers.
“So, you’re saying the future is destiny?”
—No!
Arkan instantly denied my words, stepping closer lightly.
—Before this system was formalized, those were the futures that were foretold. Futures that never accounted for disruptions in the present.
—We call that “destiny” in human terms. Rules that should never have changed.
He snapped his fingers.
“…!”
Bookshelves appeared one after another on the hill, each filled with tightly packed books.
Arkan strolled leisurely among them, running his hands across the spines.
Following him, I suddenly stopped before one shelf.
In the black-and-white world, I saw a third color.
—Want to read it?
Arkan noticed and suggested gently.
Hesitating, I reached out and turned a page.
“Ah…”
A sigh escaped me.
It was a story I already knew.
The original story I once read.
The one they had called “destiny.”
[…From then on, laughter would fill the Orphedia Empire.
By the wise Emperor’s side stood the greatest Archmage of all.
And Idette knew, in this moment,
she was happy.
—Fin]
There was no mention of Ricardo, the second male lead.
And of course, no mention of me, the outsider.
I bit down hard on my lip and shut the book, turning away.
“…Then, can I check the book that has my story?”
—Do you want that?
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious.”
—Ha-ha!
He laughed brightly and led me to the very last bookshelf.
Unlike the others, this one was completely empty.
Only on the bottom shelf sat a single book. He handed it to me.
Thump, thump.
My heart pounded violently.
I took a deep breath and opened it.
[]
…The pages were blank.
My heart sank. I looked at Arkan.
—……
He said nothing.
I wanted to read his expression, but his black-painted face gave me nothing.
So… my future can’t be seen?
[Too bad, but I can’t help it. I sighed and was about to close the book, when suddenly letters began forming into sentences on the page. What… Am I imagining things? That thought barely finished before—]
Snap!
I slammed the book shut, heart hammering in my ears.
Then, Arkan finally spoke.
—It’s alright. You can keep reading.
“….”
Encouraged, I forced myself to open it again.
[]
Blank once more.
As if nothing had happened, just empty pages.
But soon, letters appeared again, slowly filling the space.
[Will Ricardo be alright? I know I’m in no position to worry about him, but my thoughts keep drifting that way.]
[No, more importantly… Who tampered with the timeline? If Arkan is right, then this situation works in my favor. If I just stay put, I could return home—and my goal would be complete.]
[But… could all this really be coincidence? Was it really just luck?]
I shut my eyes, then opened them, watching the page fill further.
[Think carefully. Who stands to gain by meddling with the timeline? And what are they after?]
[Damn it. I really don’t know! But in this situation, the only possibility that comes to mind is… someone trying to send me back home.]
Am I being too self-centered?
[…Or maybe, someone who knows about the timeline. That would mean only Peril. But he wouldn’t… would he?]
I froze.
The one who once targeted Arkan. The one who knew of the Library.
Seiren.
Left for dead, yet somehow still alive.
