Puff–
Atsuku puffed out smoke from the potion cigarette. There was nothing better than smoking it after a battle.
This time, Yamada didn't ask for one because the boy knew that his friend couldn't produce the cigarette yet, and it was limited in stock.
Walking down the Shibuya that turned noisy once again, both were looking around without much thought, watching people pointing at the sky with smiles on their faces.
"Look at these people," Yamada smirked. His hands were inside his pockets, humming in amusement. "They thought the countdown disappeared because everything was over."
Atsuku looked at the group of people across the street. A couple was hugging in happiness, with the boy saying that the catastrophe was over.
For him, seeing people be happy after the countdown disappeared was normal. Rather, people in Fantasia would even hold a party when they survived another Trial, no matter how small or easy the Trial was.
"Let them celebrate this moment," Atsuku said, taking a puff of his potion cigarette. It kept his mind focused on his goal and kept him sane. "Once a few years have passed, they probably won't have that chance again."
Yamada nodded in agreement, "I guess you're right. Still, it's a shame. I haven't had enough fun yet."
"You will be able to have fun in the future."
"Hahaha, I hope so."
Humans were unexpectedly resilient creatures. A small happiness was enough to keep them moving. And they would be able to find that small happiness one way or another in a different form.
Without a doubt, the world would change starting now. No one knew when the next Trial was. Not even Gaia, the Voice of the World in Fantasia, knew. Her influence on Earth was limited, and she wasn't as omniscient as before. Currently, she was just a pretty smart girl.
But that knowledge was still important. She knew something even Atsuku didn't know back in Fantasia.
'I need to keep her close. She also knows my adventure in that world. And… it should be here soon.'
***
Arriving at the Fujiwara House, Yamada immediately went to the open bath to warm himself. Meanwhile, Atsuku went to the dojo beside the main house.
His purpose for visiting the dojo was to train, but it was to find a room someone seldom visited. He took off his shoes at the entrance and entered the training area, sitting in the middle of the room with a wooden floor.
Closing his eyes, Atsuku tried to recall what happened in the past Fantasia to seek a clue when the second Trial would arrive so he could prepare for it.
When he got his Devil in Fantasia, it was already the 7th Trials, so he missed six of them.
However, Atsuku had the record he read and remembered the content as well as when it happened, as he also wrote about them. So he could calculate the time between them and make a rough estimation by comparing it to the Trials he experienced himself.
Inside his mind was a library with four doors with different designs. He appeared in the middle of darkness with his soul taking his most familiar figure, a man with long hair, John. Looking toward his chiseled and scarred hand, he couldn't help but smirk.
"I guess my soul is shaped like this because I lived there for 20 years and have gone through far more than living as Fujiwara Atsuku. Still, it is a bit surprising. Maybe that's why the Devils immediately recognize my soul." He nodded, solving one mystery that was slightly bothering him.
Before he assimilated with Iblis again, he couldn't access this place where his subconscious was located. He called this place 'Mind Archive,' a technique developed back in Fantasia to protect his memories using Arcane.
In Fantasia, where people had many strange abilities, the most problematic thing one could face was having their mind infiltrated by their enemy. This technique was developed to counter that, and the design differed for each person. For Atsuku, it was eternal darkness with four doors floating around.
However, it wasn't that simple.
Behind these four doors were his memories and traps. Starting from a normal wooden door to a door with many spikes and an eerie design. The traps hidden inside also differed from one another, and they would activate automatically if someone other than Atsuku entered his mind.
The memories behind the first door, a wooden door, it was filled with his unimportant daily life. The second door was made from metal. Inside, important memories filled with how to fight and how to survive were hidden and guarded.
As for the third door, it was made from a literal Hell Fire. One's hand would be burned to cinder if they tried to touch this. Even a soul without any physical mass would also be burned.
This particular door hid his secret, including his technique and his weakness. The memories he kept inside weren't something that he would reveal to other people, not even to those he trusted.
Then, there was the last door. It was pitch black, as if melting with the darkness, and was filled with spikes.
It was the door of death. Even Atsuku didn't want to enter it, and he only put it on the corner so he didn't need to get close.
Because what lies behind the door wasn't something a human could handle. He had tried it before, and not even he, in the Eight Stage, could handle it. The door hid and sealed Iblis' memories and secrets.
And now, thanks to Arcane that allowed him to access 'Mind Archive' again, he would be able to regain his forgotten memories of the past that he kept inside.
"Probably I can enter once I reach Ninth Stage. I will definitely do it, or I will survive alone this time without being able to stop the countdown again."
Sneering, Atsuku began to walk toward the second door. He reached for the handle and opened it, wishing to see the memories of the first, second, and third Trials in Fantasia.
A surge of memories rose to the surface of his mind. It filled his mind instantly, and the door was closed with a loud bang.
But Atsuku wasn't surprised or anything. He had experienced this many times and began to process the information that surfaced in his mind.
"First Trial happened on 17th August 195 Fantasia Year, and the second Trial happened on 18th September 195 Fantasia Year. There is actually a month gap between the two Trials, and the third one happened on 21st September 195 Fantasia Year, three days after the second Trial.
"This will be troublesome. Based on what I experienced of the 8th and the 9th Trial that only had a week delay, the time of the Trial is random, just like how I wrote it back then. I can survive in Fantasia because I have the information needed, but… I doubt the Trial on Earth will be similar."
For now, he would think the second Trial would begin on the third day. Atsuku ended the dive into his mind archive and opened his eyes again. He exhaled softly, releasing the exhaustion he felt from bringing up information from the deep of his mind.
"I guess I need to reach the Second Stage in two days… Just to be safe." He muttered alone and stood up, silently walking out of the dojo.