Haruka was a bit nervous.
It was sudden, and in his mind, he was hating himself for many reasons.
But he managed a smile anyway. After all, he can't let his jester card slip away; the mask shall be neat and clean.
He looked at Yume as she was standing right in front of him.
Haruka: "Oh, Yume... Sure. I was thinking of you."
Yume: "Huh? Thinking of me? For what reason, Mr. GoodAtHunches?"
Yume and Haruka were both surprised. Yume felt astonished because the nickname for Haruka sounded foreign yet nostalgic in her mind. On the other hand, Haruka was amazed, as Yume shouldn't have known this nickname—it belonged to a completely different universe or reality.
Haruka: "Mr.GoodAtHunches? What—... no.. How do you know that?"
Yume: "I don't know... It just came to my mind and then— and then I just said it, you know..."
Haruka: "Oh..." In his mind, he thought: "Maybe this... is what they call deja vu?... Yume shouldn't remember the name, but she said it... like that. Is it possible for her to regain her memories from my verse?"
Yume: "But judging by your expression, it must be a nickname given to you by someone too close to you, eh? Coincidence, I guess? Back to the point, others are waiting, so let's go to the park now."
Haruka, who was a bit taken aback because of her sudden question, regains his composure and replies.
Haruka: "Yeah..."
Haruka kept wondering what it was. Was it the same gift that had been promised to him in his universe? He pondered this to himself.
After all, he wants to know what the gift was, in his universe and also in this one.
As they went to the park, Aurel and the others saw a tall figure, as tall as Haruka, maybe a bit shorter, covered by a white blanket.
Saito: "Where'd you even get this old ass blanket from?"
Fuyuki: "In my grandpa's garage, that place is like Doraemon's pocket, you will find everything except a Ferixo stone or Alastor stone."
Naoki: "Oh, does it have a por— wait, there they come!"
Aurel: "Oh! Oh! Take your positions, everyone!"
Yume and Haruka enter through the gate, and they walk closer to the covered object.
Aurel: "Pull it, Ruka, you will love it!"
Haruka, without a second thought, picks up the staff that was resting on the bench. It's made of a unique wood mixed with Ferixo stones.
Haruka: "Wait... This is—"
Marcus: "Yes, sir! That's your brand new... or rather, your first staff. Curious about where we got the stones? They came from the C-ranked mine near my house."
The staff was crafted from a special type of wood, not just any ordinary wood—it originated from the Zerythal bloodline. This unique material was created by their mages who wielded the "Wood" element. However, the real question remains: how did they manage to acquire such rare wood?
Haruka: "It looks fancy..."
Marcus: "Well, it should; after all, it's not just any ordinary wood."
Haruka: "What do you mean it's not ordinary wood? It's still wood."
Saito: "It's unusual for you to ask that question... I thought you knew more about the Zerythals than we do, considering you used to talk about how their mages sacrificed themselves for future generations..."
Naoki: "Indeed. Haruka doesn't seem quite like himself right now."
Their jokes about not seeing him as the real Haruka made him feel a bit uneasy. There was truth in their words, and it only caused the jester's makeup to fade away.
Haruka: "Come on, isn't it normal for a human to forget things?"
Fuyuki: "Are you a normal human? I thought you were some autistic obsessed with Ferixo and Zerythals," he teased Haruka.
Haruka was taken aback, wondering if they suspected him of being an imposter. Nevertheless, he tried to remain calm.
Haruka said, "Sure, keep teasing. Thanks for this... gift..."
Yume responded, "See? I told you... You won't just like it; you will LOVE IT!"
Aurel added, "It was Saito, Yume, and Naoki's idea all along. They know you well—I do, too, but not as much as they do."
Aurel continued, "WELL! Let's go to the amusement park—"
Haruka immediately interjected, "No... I'm a bit tired... BUT HEY! THANKS FOR THE GIFT!" He grinned widely.
Haruka said, "I'm really tired, so I can't go... but THANKS for the gift!"
Aurel remarked, "That's unusual for you, but okay."
Haruka then returned home, shutting the door to his room and the windows. He pulled the covers over himself and collapsed onto the bed.
Haruka: "I am a murderer... a wretched soul adrift in a world that no longer has a place for me. I inhabit a body that is not truly mine, a vessel that carries the weight of another's existence. Yet, here I stand—an echo of myself, a shadow of what I once was, burdened by the abhorrence I feel towards my own being. I am trapped in this fractured identity, despising each breath that echoes in my chest, each heartbeat a reminder of the life I've extinguished, the innocence I've shattered. I loathe myself, not merely for my deeds but for the hollow shell I have become, a self I can no longer recognize nor escape."
He punched himself...
Haruka: "Pathetic..."
Haruka was consumed by a relentless longing, an ache that gnawed at the very core of his being. The thought of Saito and the others, their fates tangled within the unfathomable chasm of his reality, haunted him. He yearned to know if they were alive, to grasp any semblance of hope that they still breathed, but with each passing moment, despair tightened its grip around his heart. A suffocating weight of self-loathing pressed upon him, a cruel reminder of his insignificance in their lives. In his mind, he could only picture their laughter fading into silence, as he wrestled with the bitter truth that he was fundamentally unworthy of the bonds he once held dear. The suffocating darkness of uncertainty tormented him, leaving him adrift in a sea of existential dread, desperately questioning whether he had ever deserved to know them at all.
He suddenly had an idea. He could use his Erythal Crimson, but he considered that it might only work on the versions where the alternate Haruka was still alive. Either way, he decided to go ahead and use it.
A red flicker appeared in his left eye.
For the first time in the Alexo-verse, he activated his Erythal Crimson. However, it was pitch black, just like the last time he had attempted to take over a body. Then he realized something important.
He was controlling his own dead body... and the reason it was pitch black is that he was buried deep inside a grave.
But somehow... he managed to control his (dead) body using Erthal Crimson fully...
The vision was light red like last time... but his body was aching and his head too... he could feel the pain of his own dead body.
He looked left and right only to realize his body was now rotting...
Slowly and steadily, he tried to escape his grave...