el felt a chill slowly crawl down his spine.
…Why there?
His heart sank.
Until now, one of the greatest advantages he possessed in this world had been his knowledge of the original story.
Even though events had already started changing little by little because of his existence… he still knew important future events.
But America—
Was different.
He had never reached that part of the novel.
Everything he knew about the continent was merely public knowledge.
Ruins.
Cursed-rank creatures.
A death zone.
And horrors terrible enough to kill even Saints the moment they stepped into that place.
Which meant…
If they went there—
His advantage would completely disappear.
Master Yuji was the first to break the silence.
The handsome man frowned slightly before looking directly at Wein.
"Why America… and why now?"
His voice remained calm.
But serious.
"You don't expect a single Master and eight Awakened to reclaim America, do you?"
Several people in the room swallowed nervously.
Yuji continued:
"Not even all of humanity's Saints combined would be enough to reclaim that continent."
The atmosphere grew even heavier.
Because nobody there believed he was exaggerating.
America truly was that absurd.
Master Wein calmly observed everyone present.
Then he replied:
"Some Nightmare Creatures that recently appeared near the NQSC were traced back to specific regions within America."
Samael's eyes immediately narrowed.
Wein crossed his arms before continuing:
"We want to discover the reason behind these movements."
His gaze slowly swept across the young Awakened.
"You will explore regions of the continent and investigate any anomalies you encounter."
Kafka frowned.
"Then why send Awakened?"
Wein answered immediately.
"Because sending too many Masters or Saints would attract too much attention."
His expression darkened slightly.
"There are things in America… that would kill them."
Then his eyes shifted toward the young Awakened.
"But you are weak enough that those things won't even notice you."
Silence overtook the room once more.
Damn it… not even Immortal Flame and Smile of Heaven made it out alive…
Samael felt his chest tighten with unease.
"If I understood correctly, this is basically suicide?" Elizabeth asked aloud what everyone else was thinking.
"You signed the contract. You have no choice."
After delivering those incredibly encouraging words, Wein left the room.
Because in truth—
None of them had any choice at all.
Nobody felt like speaking anymore.
So they all left in silence, carrying the weight of death on their shoulders.
—
Samael returned home without saying a single word.
The silence inside the apartment felt even heavier now.
For hours, he simply sat on the couch, staring into nothingness while trying to process the weight of that mission.
America.
The word alone seemed to crush his thoughts.
A tight pressure slowly gripped his chest.
…Where do I leave Mister Fool?
The question suddenly appeared in his mind.
And hurt far more than it should have.
Samael had no family in that world.
The only people he regularly spoke to were also going on that mission.
Which meant—
If he died—
The cat would be left alone.
"Aah…"
A tired sigh escaped his lips.
Samael lowered his gaze toward the small white cat lying near the couch.
"Mister Fool… I think…"
The words died in his throat.
He could not finish the sentence.
Because saying it out loud meant accepting the possibility of his own death.
Silence stretched through the apartment for several long seconds.
Then Samael whispered quietly:
"I'm scared."
His voice trembled slightly.
At that moment, he simply wanted some form of comfort.
So he moved closer to the cat.
But Mister Fool immediately avoided him.
Samael blinked in confusion.
He tried picking him up again.
The cat dodged once more.
Again.
And again.
Until Samael slowly realized something.
Every single time he had played with Mister Fool…
He had been in his female form.
The apartment fell silent.
"…"
No way.
Samael stared at the cat in shock.
He's just a cat!
But Mister Fool continued avoiding his male form with absolute conviction.
Samael spent several minutes trying to understand that absurd behavior.
Deep down…
It was merely a way to escape from his fear.
From his anxiety.
From the suffocating weight of that mission.
I know I promised to stop running away…
He watched the cat flee once more.
…But just this once.
And so, he continued distracting himself trying to understand Mister Fool's ridiculous behavior.
Until—
The moon finally rose into the sky.
And together with it…
Came his Flaw.
The familiar sensation of transition spread through his body once again.
But honestly…
Compared to the weight of the mission, it almost felt irrelevant now.
A few seconds later, already in her female form, Samael tried picking up the cat again.
And this time—
Mister Fool simply walked into her arms as though nothing had happened.
Silence filled the apartment.
Then a small tear slowly rolled down Samael's face.
"You… you…"
She hugged the cat tightly against her chest while trembling slightly.
"You shameless cat…"
Mister Fool merely purred innocently.
Samael sniffled quietly.
"I swear… if I come back alive… I'm getting you neutered…"
Even while threatening the cat…
Her voice sounded far closer to crying than anger.
—
Elizabeth.
Elizabeth lay on her bed, silently staring at the ceiling.
Normally, at that hour, she would be studying something.
Nightmare Creatures.
Aspects.
Reports.
Or even useless trivia she found online.
But that night…
Her shoulders felt too heavy for anything.
She was carrying two burdens of her own.
The first was simple.
Fear.
Elizabeth was afraid of dying.
And she hated admitting it.
The second problem was even worse.
She was the weakest person in that room.
That realization had struck her brutally during the sparring session.
Her Aspect did not grant major physical enhancements.
And unlike Layla, Vanitas, or Griffin…
Elizabeth had not been trained by monstrous specialists since childhood.
She was just a normal girl.
An ordinary student.
Everything she had learned came from the basic training provided by society after Awakening.
Which meant…
Out of everyone there—
She probably had the highest chance of never returning alive.
And that terrified her.
—
Liu.
The moment Liu returned home, she found her mother cooking in the kitchen.
The warm scent of dinner filled the small apartment.
For an instant…
The scene felt so normal that it almost made the Nightmare seem nonexistent.
Her mother immediately smiled the moment she saw her.
The first reaction she had after Liu awakened was still one of Liu's most embarrassing memories.
First came shock.
Then…
An endless flood of compliments about her new appearance.
"So? Did they explain how the mission is going to work?"
Liu slowly removed her shoes before answering:
"They did."
Her mother hesitated briefly.
Then asked in a quieter voice:
"It's not too dangerous… right?"
Liu remained silent for a brief moment.
Then calmly replied:
"No. It'll be very easy."
She lied as naturally as breathing itself.
And at that exact moment—
The invisible chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles shifted slightly.
America had already begun before they had even arrived there.