The road to Ather City was quiet.
Too quiet.
Dust drifted across the path as the wind moved lazily through the fields. The sky above was clear, painfully normal — as if nothing extraordinary had ever happened in this world.
Leo walked beside Null, hands behind his head, eyes restless.
Only one thought repeated inside his mind.
We're supposed to be world-wanted criminals.
They had stood before beings that shaped reality itself.
They had been judged.
Almost erased.
And now…
They were just walking down a country road.
Leo swallowed.
"Null," he muttered, lowering his voice, "don't you think something's wrong?"
Null glanced at him briefly. "Everything is wrong."
"…That doesn't help."
Ahead of them, wooden houses appeared one by one. Smoke rose gently from chimneys. Children ran through the streets laughing.
A village.
The entrance sign read:
ATHER OUTSKIRTS VILLAGE
Leo slowed his steps.
He expected alarms.
Guards.
Whispers.
Fear.
Instead—
A farmer passed them carrying vegetables and nodded casually.
"Morning."
Leo blinked.
"…Morning?"
No reaction.
No panic.
No recognition.
A woman walked past with a basket of bread, completely ignoring them.
Two boys chased each other down the street, nearly bumping into Null before running off laughing.
Leo stopped walking entirely.
"…Wait."
He turned in a slow circle.
"No one cares."
Null observed the surroundings silently.
No tension.
No hostility.
Just ordinary life.
Leo exhaled deeply, relief flooding his body.
"Okay… okay that's good. That's VERY good."
He laughed nervously.
"I really didn't want to spend my life running from magic police."
Null didn't reply, but his shoulders relaxed slightly.
For the first time since the white void, things felt… normal.
They entered a small general store near the center of the village.
Bells jingled as the door opened.
Behind the counter stood an old man with round glasses and an expression that suggested he trusted absolutely nobody.
He looked up.
"…Customers?"
Leo stepped forward confidently.
"Yes! We would like to conduct business."
The shop owner narrowed his eyes immediately.
"That sentence alone makes me suspicious."
Leo ignored that and pulled something from his pocket.
A smartphone.
The screen was cracked, battery nearly dead, but still intact.
The old man leaned forward.
"…What is that?"
Leo smiled proudly.
"A revolutionary magical artifact."
Null glanced sideways at him.
"You said magic doesn't exist where you're from."
Leo coughed. "Details."
The shop owner poked the phone carefully.
"It has no mana flow."
"It runs on… invisible lightning energy."
"…That sounds fake."
Leo quickly pressed the power button.
The screen lit up.
The old man jumped back.
"IT GLOWS!"
"Yes!" Leo said triumphantly. "Portable light source! Entertainment device! Knowledge archive!"
The old man squinted suspiciously.
"…Can it cook?"
"No."
"Can it defend against monsters?"
"…No."
"Can it predict rain?"
Leo hesitated.
"…It used to."
The shop owner crossed his arms.
"Useless."
"HEY!"
Leo rapidly scrolled through old photos before the battery warning flashed.
Images appeared — cities, cars, strange buildings.
The old man's jaw dropped.
"…Are those illusion spells?"
"Memories," Leo said dramatically.
The phone shut off instantly.
Dead.
Silence filled the shop.
The owner stroked his beard.
"I will give you… five silver coins."
"FIVE?!" Leo nearly collapsed. "This is advanced technology!"
"It stopped working while you were advertising it."
"…Fair point."
After several minutes of dramatic arguing, exaggerated sighs, and Leo insisting the device was "historically priceless," they finally settled.
Ten silver coins.
Leo walked out victorious.
"I am a master negotiator."
Null replied calmly, "He pitied you."
"…Let me have this."
They rented a small room at an inn near the village square.
Two beds.
Thin blankets.
A window facing the street.
Leo dropped onto the mattress instantly.
"We survived gods and now we're broke travelers."
Null sat quietly near the window, watching people pass outside.
Normal conversations.
Normal lives.
It felt distant.
Unreachable.
That night passed peacefully.
Too peacefully
NEXT DAY.
Morning sunlight filled the streets as they entered Ather City proper.
The city was alive.
Merchants shouted prices.
Adventurers walked in groups wearing armor.
Magic tools glowed faintly in shop windows.
Everything looked ordinary.
Leo noticed something strange first.
He slowed near a crowd gathered around a storyteller.
"…Hey," he whispered.
Null stopped.
"No one is talking about it."
"About what?"
Leo stared at the crowd.
"The kingdom."
Silence.
The storyteller spoke about trade routes and monster sightings.
No mention of destruction.
No rumors.
No fear.
Leo grabbed a passerby.
"Excuse me! Did you hear about the kingdom incident recently?"
The man frowned.
"What incident?"
"The destruction! The attack!"
The man laughed awkwardly.
"You must be mistaken."
Leo released him slowly.
Another person gave the same answer.
And another.
And another.
The same response every time.
It never happened.
Leo returned to Null, unease growing.
"…They're all saying the same thing."
Null nodded slowly.
"I noticed."
Their eyes met.
Something was deeply wrong.
"Let's check," Null said quietly.
The journey back felt heavier.
Neither of them spoke much.
When the kingdom walls appeared in the distance, Leo stopped walking.
"…That's impossible."
The walls stood tall.
Perfect.
Undamaged.
Guards laughed at the gate.
Flags waved proudly.
No ruins.
No ashes.
No scars of battle.
Null's breathing became uneven.
He walked faster.
Then faster.
Then he ran.
"Null—!"
Leo chased after him.
They entered the city streets.
People smiled.
Vendors sold food.
Children played.
A peaceful kingdom.
As if destruction had never touched it.
Null rushed through familiar roads, turning corners without hesitation until he reached a modest house.
His home.
He pushed the door open.
A woman he had never seen stood inside.
She screamed.
"Who are you?!"
Null froze.
The room was different.
Furniture changed.
No memories remained.
No trace of his mother.
His hands trembled.
"…Sorry."
He stepped back slowly.
Outside, a royal parade began.
Trumpets echoed through the streets.
Citizens cheered.
Leo and Null turned toward the procession.
The king rode past on a decorated carriage.
Leo felt chills crawl down his spine.
"…Null."
Null already knew.
The man on the throne—
Was not his father.
A stranger waved proudly to the crowd.
New guards.
New nobles.
New faces everywhere.
It was an entirely different kingdom wearing the same name.
The cheering sounded distant.
Muted.
Null lowered his head.
For the first time since Leo met him, he looked completely lost.
Leo placed a hand on his shoulder.
"…Don't worry."
Null didn't respond.
Leo continued softly.
"We know what happened to them."
After a long silence, Null nodded once.
They left the kingdom without looking back.
they walked toward Ather City again.
Neither spoke.
Wind moved through the grass.
Then—
BANG!
A sharp sound tore through the air.