–Now I'll interrupt this idyll and ask the question directly, – Sol suddenly said while their "vehicle" was moving calmly. – Ludwig, your last name. What does all of this mean?
Ludwig took a deep breath, scratched the back of his head and took a light sip from his seemingly endless flask. Marren, not understanding what was happening, looked around at the other heroes. Martha looked away, knowing that sooner or later everything would become clear. Shubby looked at Ludwig with interest. She knew what kind of name it was, but she didn't want to ruin Sol's joy of discovery.
–Eh, I guess I can't hide it forever, huh? – Ludwig finally answered.
–Penright is the ruling dynasty of the Northern Empire. At least it was before the coup. And you two are refugees. Would I be right if I said that you are the former Emperor, Ludwig de Penright III? – said Clain.
–Well, I don't need to hide it anymore, right? All like you said, Clain. I was on the throne for only 5 years, but yes, I managed to be an emperor. I was crowned when I was 20, I ruled until I was 25, and then, when the Order of the Oval Table made a coup, I fled to Arai and lived there for a little over ten years. Martha... was my royal mage. Although I had no idea that she was from another world. Basically, she gave a ran with me, – having said this and take another sip, Ludwig put away the flask.
–And then the business that you have in the Empire... – Marren began to say.
–Yeah. I will reclaim my throne. At any cost. For the sake of my late father. He led the Empire to prosperity, conquering all the surrounding kingdoms... but in the end, when it was time to hand over the crown, he asked me to keep peace with the rest of the countries of the continent... I cannot allow the Oval Table to destroy his dream of a prosperous Empire that can finally take a break from wars... oh, sorry, I got carried away. It's not in my habit to speak so sublimely, is it? It's more yours, Sol.
Ludwig laughed, although everyone understood that he was doing this only to brighten the situation. It turned out quite well to lighten the situation – everyone laughed along with Ludwig, except Sol himself. Clain closed his eyes and began to massage his forehead. He knew perfectly well that Ludwig was not lying. It was his goal, indeed. So naive, but...
–I agree. Your motivation... is perfect. It is well suited for the emperor. I will help you to the best of my ability... after we complete our main task.
These words took everyone by surprise. Did Sol agree with Ludwig on something? It is first time it ever happened. But what was even more surprising, it is that Sol smiled. Not in a pretentious or sarcastic way. He looked truly joyful. Realizing what had happened, Sol cleared his throat and shook his head. After that he looked completely calm again. The others laughed a little.
–I didn't know you could experience anything other than... nothing. So you're just pretending to be oh-so-edgy, huh? – said Ludwig.
–You all. Saw. Nothing, – Sol said.
–You know what? Sure. You're still a narcissistic egomaniac who makes terrible decisions and says complete butllcrap. So yes, I'll pretend that I didn't see it – it will be easier to hate you this way, – deposed emperor answered and, grinning, closed his eyes.
The platform with legs moved slowly. It was in no comparison with the car the heroes had used before. The travelers talked about that and this, while Clain simply listened. Shubby didn't listen at all – she unfolded the map in front of her and looked at it, scratching her chin. Suddenly, she clapped her hands and said loudly:
–Decided!
Immediately after this, the small tame cosmic horror, without turning around, went to the left, leaving the road on the plain somewhere into the forest forest. Besides, it was finally moving fast... probably too fast, with such a sudden change in direction and increase in speed that nearly caused Martha and Ludwig to fall.
–What are you doing?! Can't control it or what?! – Martha shouted, somehow staying on the edge of the platform.
–Hm? Oh, no, I sent it there myself. I decided to turn around and ask my friends in one village for a favor. Don't get me wrong, this little guy is good, but... you saw for yourself that he is quite slow, and when he goes fast, it's uncomfortable to ride on him, – having said this, Shubby bent down, allowing a branch to fly right over her head and hit Ludwig on the face. – Actually, I don't quite understand. All of you are capable of simply running at speeds many times greater than the speed of sound... but you definitely need a vehicle. I do not understand this.
–You know, not everyone here has endless stamina! – said Martha.
–Fair enough.
After a short amount of time of such movement, the travelers opened up a view of a small village. Judging by the number of houses, it is unlikely that more than a hundred people lived here. In addition, all exits were cut off by the forest, which means there is unlikely to be a trade route between this village and the rest of the world. Shubby rose to her feet and, stretching, stepped off their temporary transport. When the others did the same, she clapped her hands a couple of times and the creature burrowed underground.
–Don't be afraid, the soldiers of the Empire are unlikely to be waiting for you here. Let's go, I'll arrange a cart with the locals, but it's still my creature that will carry it forward, if guys don't mind.
With these words, Shubby walked towards the villagers' buildings, and the rest followed her. The villagers turned out to be surprisingly friendly, and the guards were really nowhere to be seen. Following Shubby, the heroes entered a large two-story house, where the horned maiden was joyfully greeted by an elderly couple. It must have been the village Elder and his wife... or vice versa, the Elder and her husband, it made no difference.
–Oh, Shubby, we haven't seen you for 3 years! What brought you here? – said the elderly man.
–You see, my friends and I need a carriage, without horses... and also preferably provisions. Of course, I'll pay for everything.
–No, why! Shubby's friends are our friends! – said the old man and looked at the heroes. – Whoever you are, travelers, know that you are always welcome in...
But he didn't have time to finish. There was some noise and shouting from outside the building, and the sky in the windows turned crimson. One of the villagers opened the door of the elders' house and shouted in a desperate voice:
–Elder Ligma, we are under attack! They...
A sharp meat tentacle pierced his head and dragged him back. The elderly people retreated a couple of steps, but then suddenly ran out into the street as Shubby shouted: "Wait, it's dangerous there!" Marren and Sol immediately took up arms, Martha summoned pistols into Ludwig's hands, and Shubby took a fighting stance. The heroes also rushed out of the building, only to find the village in a state of complete chaos. High in the sky, which was barely visible behind the clouds, a man in a white robe with a red pattern was levitating. The sky around him was turning crimson.
–This is Notredame! – shouted Marren.
On the streets of the village the situation was no better, but only worse – "people" dressed in white robes carried out a massacre. Their bodies changed and they stabbed, chopped, tore and beheaded villagers.
–This... we have to stop this! – Ludwig shouted, but Sol grabbed him by the shoulder and didn't let him leave.
–No, we're leaving. If we fight Depari, we will spend a lot of time and...
–Shut up! People are dying, and you, "messiah", don't want to help them?! If you want to go, then go! And while you are there "saving the world", people will die!
Having said this, Ludwig sharply pointed the gun at Sol and fired. The shot missed – the deposed emperor did not want to harm Clain now, it was rather a warning shot. Sol now took on Ludwig's role and grabbed him by the collar and slammed his back against the wall of the elder's house. The building was destroyed.
–So what? Why should I care? If this is how you want to waste your time... then go on!
Sol, having released Ludwig, turned away from the company of heroes and now looked north. When he was already walking away, or rather running away, Shubby said:
–I am going with you!
–But the village elders are your friends! How can you?!... – Ludwig began.
–I... no, they would want me to help Sol if we were in this situation! So I... I'll leave these guys to you!
Having stated her reasons as such, Shubby ran after Sol, leaving the village. Maybe Ludwig wanted to shout something after them, but now he was already busy – the flesh monsters switched their attention to the remaining heroes. Sol and Shubby didn't seem to be noticed by the creatures at all... or they were allowed to leave. Casting a bitter glance at the collapsing village, Shubby, just like Sol, stepped into the thick of the forest. Clain ran ahead. He waved his arms on either side of him, instead of running with his hands in his pockets or on the hilt of his sword, and he wasn't moving fast enough to end up on the other side of the earth. He was not calm. He was not indifferent. He was scared. Perhaps that is why he did not answer a word and did not even turn around to the one who decided to follow him.
He could run as long as he wanted. By changing reality itself through changing the Narrative, he could create infinite stamina for himself, or make his speed faster than light in order to already end up in the Temple of Source... but he did not. Why? Would that be perfect? Yes, before it was precisely this reason that stopped him from finishing this journey before it even began... but what now? What's stopping him from touching the Narrative now? Why is he out of breath and his legs are giving way? Why does Sol Clain slow down and then stop completely while leaning on a tree? Why? Why that day? Why again?
Shubby, approaching the out of breath Sol, who was leaning against a wide oak tree, puts his hand on his shoulder and, hiding his concern behind a sweet smile, says: "Don't be afraid. Just relax and breathe." However, instead of following the advice of the wise-cracking Black Goat of the Woods, Sol covers his face with his right hand and waves at her with his left. The reason he covered his face was not because of some terrible force that was consuming him, not because he didn't want to see her himself... but because he couldn't allow her or anyone else to see him like that. Scared, eyes wide and crying.
–Everything is fine. I'm... I'm fine, Shubby, – Sol said in a trembling voice, although it was clear to a fool that he was not fine.
However, the Black Goat did not try to convince him. She waited humbly for Sol's breathing to return to normal, which did not happen quickly. Perhaps it was worth staying there and helping his comrades in an unequal battle, if he still wasted time standing here? In truth, Sol was already in such a state when he saw the state of the village. He was unable to fight. Finally gaining control of his breathing and emotions, Sol took a deep breath in and out. Closing his eyes and putting his hands in his pockets, he moved away from the tree and continued on his way, now actually walking, and not running, although even walking significantly exceeded the speed of sound. Shubby wanted to ask what was wrong and why this particular scene caused such emotions in Sol, considering that before that he himself had cut out an entire checkpoint of innocent people and did not feel any anxiety... but she didn't.
When he came out of the forest, he met someone on whom he could pour out all the emotions that overwhelmed him. A man in a white mask, "The White Noise," without taking out his blade from under his cloak, stood on the edge of the forest, with his back to the forest itself. Without turning to Clain and his companion, without saying a word in his white-noisy language, he took off and ran away. Sol had no reason to fight him. However, the wounded pride that this was the only one in his entire life against whom he had not won, coupled with the turbulence of emotions that suddenly overwhelmed him, played their role. Sol, leaving Shubby perplexed, muttered through his teeth, "You won't get away this time," and chased after the masked man. All that remained for Shubby was to pick up maximum speed from the spot and run after Sol and the one who copied his powers last time.
Countless landscapes flew by in an instant as Sol chased "White Noise". Traveling an incalculable number of kilometers in an incalculably small period of time, Sol was moving east, and not north at all. The fatigue that had overcome him seemed to cease to exist. Finally, Sol seemed to have reached his nemesis – the elusive silhouette of a masked man ran around the corner of a rock that rose among the stony nothingness. There were no people, no plants, no animals. Only some stone ruins, and in the middle of it is a huge boulder, rising for kilometers. Drawing his sword, Sol immediately, without any epic poses or words, created one white wing of his Emotional Turbulence behind his back. Having done this, he hit the stone block with the blade of his sword once, causing it to literally turn into dust, and not even rubble, like the last time.
Among the small pieces of stone, a man in a white mask who seemingly had been sitting on the ground before stood up and put his hand on the guard of his sword, which was on his belt under his cloak. Suddenly for Sol, the unknown person spoke. And not with white noise, but with completely comprehensive speech:
–What are you doing here, Paradox? It seems you were heading north... and now you suddenly changed your route just to find me? How did you even find me?
The voice of the unknown person was suspiciously similar to the voice of Sol himself. Clain decided to ignore this, as well as the fact that the masked man called him Paradox.
–Not only did you copy my abilities... now you also speak in my voice? You have no shame at all. How did I find you? You were just next to a forest where your friend destroyed an entire village... and you thought I wouldn't catch up with you?
The masked man tilted his head slightly to the side and said, "I don't know what you're talking about." However, it seems that this did not matter – he took out a sword and pointed it at Sol. Sol did the same with his sword. "This time we fight to the death," Sol said. "White Noise" did not respond. Knowing Perfection wouldn't work, Sol rushed towards the masked man, sword raised. When Clain began to lower the blade, everything froze. The masked man's Perfection activated. However, as if following the laws of honor, he did not instantly kill Sol, but instead simply hit him in the stomach, like last time.
This time Clain withstood the blow and remained on his feet. At the same time, both duelists switched their swords to the mode of cutting the concepts and began to fence. From above, from the side, lunge, from the side, lunge, from above, retreat and lunge... no matter what Sol did, the unknown calmly repelled the attacks, and then, when he himself went on the attack... Clain was able to parry the blows just as easily. It seems they were fencing in the same style... but how is this possible if Sol was taught fencing by Oliver, who invented his own style? Did this person even copy the sword style?
This made Sol doubt for a second, which the unknown took advantage of. He grabbed Sol by the throat with his left hand and slammed him hard into the ground. Throwing his sword aside and continuing to choke Clain, "White Noise" raised his fist and delivered a direct blow right to Sol's face... at least he tried. Sol pierced the stranger's right hand with his sword, thereby stopping it millimeters from his head. Pain shot through the masked man's body, causing him to let go of Clain's neck and jump back, creating a new sword in his hand. At the same time, he broke off Sol's sword, and the fragment remained sticking out in masked man's hand until he pulled it out himself. Clain threw the sword, broken at the beginning of the blade, aside and created a new one in his hand.
When both of them were already holding not their own, but newly created swords in their hands, both duelists ran at each other and clashed blades again. Now no one attacked or defended – they tried to overpower each other by crossing swords. The forces were absolutely equal, so neither of them could emerge victorious from this... and both were too stubborn to admit defeat. The forces were equal until the moment Shubby finally came to where Clain was. Her fist went through the air as the masked man disappeared when she attacked. Now she stood opposite him with Sol... and a beam of energy shot from her body into the sky – scarlet energy enveloped her, covering mostly her limbs and head, creating a silhouette on the top of her head of much larger horns than there were before. She activated her Emotional Turbulence.
2 Clain, although Shubby was one many iterations ago, in Emotional Turbulences against one masked man. The chances were not equal, but "White Noise" did not even think about retreating. He raised his hand and the light fell on Clain and his companion. Incinerating rays of light fell from the sky towards the two, but they were both able to take a swift step in different directions, although Shubby could barely keep up with the speed. Without saying a word, but still acting in unison, Sol and Shubby ran towards the masked man and, finding themselves on either side of him, began to press hard on him. Sol, who was on his right, was blocked by the unknown person with a blade in his hand, which was now gold with both hands, and Shubby's fist attacks were blocked by a sword flying in the air, which the masked man had just created. Judging by the fact that he didn't even look in the direction of the Black Goat of the Woods, he saw everything that was happening around him without his eyes... which is not surprising, considering that there were no gaps for eyes in the mask.
However, even though White Noise successfully defended himself, he was stepping back under such a barrage of attacks. But soon there was nowhere to retreat – a wall of thin but very strong tentacles appeared behind him. It was probably Shubby's creation. Removing his left hand from the hilt of his sword, the masked man struck Shubby in the solar plexus, causing her to take a step back. Since he now held the sword with only one hand, Sol began to overpower him... but the unknown person rushed to the left, past Shubby, and avoided the attack.
Before his two opponents had time to figure out how to proceed, the masked man raised his sword upward. White light filled the sky to his left, and black darkness to his right. It seemed that this was his last attack in an attempt to confront Sol and Shubby, however, this attack was not destined to happen. A wall of hundreds of thousands of swords appeared between "White Noise" and his opponents, and when it just as suddenly disappeared, it became clear that upon seeing this, the stranger canceled his attack prematurely. In the place of the wall now stood none other than the King of Arai of this world, Oliver Clain. The black-haired blade master held a special sword in his hand – its guard was in the form of the coat of arms of the kingdom of Arai. 2 wings, one black and one white, on the right and left respectively.
–Are you the who I think you are? – he said to the masked man.
Sol and "White Noise" reacted at the same time. Sol shouted, "Oliver?!" while the stranger shouted, "Father?!", which earned a confused look from Sol and Shubby... but not from Oliver. Closing his eyes and exhaling, Clain Sr. instantly found himself next to the masked man and struck an upward slashing blow. The unknown tried to stop him, but the sword of "White Noise", when he just touched Oliver's sword, disintegrated into pieces... and therefore the unknown met Oliver's blade differently. From under his cloak he took out another sword. It was very similar to Oliver's sword – its guard was also a work of art. This guard has a white wing on one side and a black flame on the other. Only this sword could stop Oliver's attack.
However, causing harm was not his goal. The kinetic energy from the impact could not move the stranger even a centimeter... but the white mask on his face first cracked and then fell apart into two halves. It was immediately clear why his style and abilities were the same as Sol's. It wasn't copying. Blue and green eyes, which had just been covered by a mask, glared at Oliver. The facial features, the eye color, the hair color, the fencing style, the abilities... it was Sol. Definitely.
–Father, why are you defending this ungrateful?!... – this other Sol began.
–Eh, I wish everything wasn't as complicated as I expected. All I ask is that you control your anger, Sol. It was not proper for a prince to behave this way.
With that said, Oliver hung the sword on his belt, and the other Sol followed suit, putting away his and his special sword. He said something like "It's not over yet, Paradox" and disappeared. Taking a deep breath, Oliver turned to Sol and Shubby. Judging by his face, he had never met Shubby. No surprise – it was Oliver from this world, and not from the original universe. With a cheerful smile, looking at Prince Arai and his companion, the king... bowed.
–Sorry, Sol. It looks like you were right all along.
–What are you talking about, Oliver? – Sol asked, sheathing his sword.
–You really are not from this world... Sol... well, the one who wore the white mask... he is my son. From this world. The one who disappeared 8 years ago. About the same time you were found. I apologize for thinking you were him, – Oliver said and stood up to his full height again.
–So this "White Noise" is... Me? – Sol said and took a step back. – Me from this world?
–Well, I don't know what "White Noise" is... but if you're talking about this masked man, then yes. I feel like this is my son... even though I'm seeing him for the first time in 8 years. It's a pity that we met him under such circumstances, haha, – Oliver scratched the back of his head and winked at Sol.
–I... I don't know what to say, – Sol said, still unable to comprehend the truth.
–But I know! I'm sure that Sol... I mean, this Sol, and Sol... I mean, Sol from this universe, your son, will still face each other in battle... perhaps one of them will kill the other, Mr. Oliver! And... You're not going to do anything? – Shubby asked, puffing out her cheeks towards the king.
–Well, I'm now going with one of my familiar governors on a diplomatic mission to the Emperor. I know that my son... both that Sol and you. You're both reasonable people and won't fight without a reason, right?
–But... but he's the only one I couldn't defeat... how can I... – Sol began, but Oliver also didn't let him finish.
–But isn't that good? The only one who is equal to you is yourself. Sounds good, doesn't it? Hmm. But judging by his words, he has some kind of grudge against you. So, if he doesn't want a truce, hit him hard at the head, he'll come to his senses right away. This is what usually happens in eastern comics. Don't be afraid, he's resilient, like me, like you, like... okay, it doesn't matter, – Oliver said, laughing. – Oh, and to make this easier for you... here you go!
Oliver again took the sword with a beautiful guard hanging in the air next to his belt and, approaching Sol, handed him this sword.
–This sword, Unity... when it touches anything... – Oliver began to speak, but now Sol interrupted him as soon as he looked at the sword.
–When it touches anything that is considered a "weapon" in the Narrative, it destroys that "anything", and this sword itself is indestructible according to the law of the story. I see, – Sol said and took the sword, after which he asked a rational question. – But why?
–In the end, Sol... I mean, that Sol blocked by strike with Unity from some other universe. Instead of a black wing there was a black flame. Does the white wing and black flame mean anything to you?
–They do... On your Unity, the white wing symbolizes Cirael, and the black wing symbolizes you, right? – Sol asked and Oliver nodded. – Oliver from my universe, during his Emotional Turbulence, manifested wings of black flame behind his back. I think... I think this is Unity from the original universe.
The smile left Oliver's face and he scratched his chin. This news clearly did not please him.
–So my son met your parents... I think I can guess why he hates you, although I don't feel the same... I'm sorry that you met under such circumstances, Sol, – after these words he smiled again and looked at Shubby. – I don't know who you are, lady, but I'm glad that my son... my son from another universe found himself a worthy girl.
Sol immediately glanced displeasedly at Oliver, making it clear that there was nothing between them, and Shubby blushed, but smiled, saying the following:
–So, I can consider this an official blessing from his parents?
–He is not my father! – Sol shouted, not really understanding what Shubby meant.
–If you say so.~
While Shubby rejoiced at Oliver's words, Oliver himself waved to the carriage approaching from the south. The governor with whom Oliver was traveling came out... and the other two immediately recognized him. It was Sean. Sean also noticed Sol and... Shubby. He immediately grabbed a knife from under his jacket and said:
–White woman spotted... Misogynist Install!
Black energy, under Oliver's surprised gaze, enveloped Sean's body, and time froze. He rushed towards Shubby... but Sol hit him on the head with the hilt of his sword.
–Misogynist Uninstall. Shubby is my comrade.
Sean looked at him, his eyes wide, and let time go on. The black energy around him immediately dissipated. Shubby sighed and bowed, saying:
–I... I'm sorry, I had to do it that time, those were the orders of Necronomicon.
–Oh, forget it... we'll settle it later, in a fair duel. Now both you and I have more important missions, Sean said and shrugged, putting the knife back.
–I don't really understand what happened between you all, but... should I give you to a ride? – said Oliver.
–No. It will be faster for us to move ourselves, – Sol answered and looked at Shubby; she nodded.
–Okay.
With these words, Oliver, followed by Sean, got back into the carriage and it drove on. Sol turned to Shubby and sheathed the sword Oliver had given him from this world, after removing the previous sword from it and thrusting it into the ground. Shubby stretched and nodded to her companion. Now there were no ones with them who were limited by stamina – Shubby has it infinite overall, and Sol can make it so by changing the Narrative. Having taken the starting position to run, they immediately took off and, moving faster than light, rushed through the mountains, forests, water surface of the seas, cities, fields, meadows and everything that was in their way. They left behind them a trail of earth, which became covered with craters from such fast steps. Given that they were outrunning the light, no one even saw them, although they undoubtedly ran past a huge number of people.
–Oh, well, this is much easier, right? And why didn't you do that right away, leaving them behind, huh? – Shubby asked as she and Sol stopped at the ice-covered northern end of the Northern Empire.
–I... and tried to do everything perfectly. Be ideal in everything. It's so easy to ignore the whole path, but what perfection there is... but it doesn't make sense in the first place. My desire for ideal... okay, forget it. I... don't know how to say this.
The destruction of the village and then meeting himself from this world somehow changed Sol. He still looked very calm and cool, but he no longer manically brushed every speck of dust off himself, and he didn't shy away from using Emotional Turbulence right away, just as he didn't tend to use Perfection all of the time. Something has changed in him...
In front of Sol and Shubby lays an icy wasteland, where there was not a single living creature. According to Sol's calculations, the temperature here was at absolute zero – -273.15 °C... well, absolute for anyone, but not for these two – they stood calmly here and did not feel any discomfort. In front of them was, seemingly, the Temple of Origin – a huge glacier, at the bottom of which a passage inside was carved into the ice. This immediately reminded Sol of something, but it was probably just a coincidence. After looking around and making sure that there was no one around, Sol and Shubby went inside this glacier.
Inside, the passages were surprisingly smooth, as if a block of ice was originally built as a building. Beyond the small corridor was a huge hall with several pedestals... and a wooden sign that was driven into the ice next to the central pedestal. The text on the sign read: "We have already taken the Orb, you're too slow!" Sol immediately pulled the sign out of the icy floor and glared at it. A second later he threw it back, thereby destroying it on the floor.
–Let's leave this place. There really is no Sphere here.
–And...you'll just believe those who wrote it? It could have been anyone and... – Shubby began, but Sol interrupted her.
–Or maybe you'll think for a change? Who could go into a glacier in the middle of a wasteland, where it is already absolute zero, and survive? It is obvious that our goal was taken by the "heroes" of the Empire... as I thought, fate has predetermined my rivalry with the White... no, with the Sol of this world. Let's go to. It's time to pay the Emperor a visit... a little before Oliver and Sean can.
~*~
Ludwig woke up on the cold floor. Marren lay unconscious in the same cell with him. Martha was not around. "Damn, I knew that he was too tough for us, but I decided to play a hero, what a dumb guy I am... it's strange that they didn't kill us, just imprisoned," Ludwig thought, starting to lightly shake Marren's shoulders so that he would wake up. Marren, who even unconsciously remained in his plague doctor mask, after Ludwig's actions, shook his head and sat up abruptly, looking around.
–Where are we?!
–Where I definitely didn't want to end up. Right under the capital of the Empire, – Ludwig replied.
–And... where is Martha?! – Marren asked, realizing that there were two of them here.
–I have no idea. She was probably taken away by that pervert. Whatever it is, Heathkilt or something like that...
–So she... okay, let's not assume the worst. How will we get out?
–Ha! That's a funny joke. I know the capital of the Empire like the back of my hand... at least I did about a decade ago. The walls and bars of any cell are made of a material that absorbs magic. We are powerless here, – Ludwig said, taking a deep breath.
–So nobody can escape...
–What do you mean, "nobody"?
A sudden male voice interrupted Marren. In the cell opposite sat and meditated a non-human already familiar to these two with green hair that reached almost to his feet. Ktul opened his red eyes and looked at the two unfortunate heroes.
–Oh, how did you end up here? Marta spoke as if you were some kind of invincible undefeatable fighter, but they defeated you, and even put you in a cage? – Ludwig said mockingly.
–I was not defeated. I sat down to meditate and they built a prison around me, – Ktul answered calmly.
–Yeah of course. As if I'm not from here and I don't know that this prison is older than me, – Ludwig replied.
–Hmm... that means I've been sitting here longer than you've been alive.
–You obviously have no problems with a sense of humor, winged one.
–If I am a prisoner here, how do you explain this?
Ktul stood up and, going to the bars of his cell, broke it open. The sound was very loud, so that all the guards of this world probably heard it. However, when they arrived and saw who had broken free, all the guards ran away in fear. Ktul, despite the pleas of all the prisoners to destroy their cells, began to simply leave, saying:
–Hmm, I need to meet with Shab-Ni***rat...
Marren's sensitive ear caught this, so the guy in the mask immediately shouted after him:
–Shab-Ni***rat is Shabby, right?! The one who ran the inn south of here, right?!
Ktul stopped and stepped back to stand in front of Marren and Ludwig's cell.
–Hm. You are right. Now what?
–She's traveling with Sol now. She came with us, we split up... well, it's a long story. She's probably already far to the north... – Marren said.
Ktul turned pale. Without further ado, Ktul tore out the bars in the cell of these two.
–This is a gesture of goodwill for helping my friend find a young man. But pray to Azathoth that I never meet you or him again. Because then you will die.
Marren and Ludwig shrugged. The representative of the Great Old Ones then left the dungeon... flapping his wings and flying through the ceiling, which was hundreds of meters underground. There was no time to figure it out; I had to get out of here. The unfortunate heroes, unarmed, went up the stairs, trying not to make too much noise.
~*~
–Good morning, wake up and shine!~
Martha came to her senses, lying on a luxurious sofa in a spacious room. She was not bound and her magic was not limited. However, she felt that she could not escape from here on her own so simply. The last thing she remembered was that the cultists, led by Notredame, captured and knocked out her, Marren and Ludwig. And now a familiar and therefore frightening voice greeted her awakening. Heathcliff sat on a chair directly in front of her, looking dangerously close into her face.
Squealing, Martha jumped up and fell over the back of the sofa, simultaneously breaking off a piece from the back and taking it like a club, preparing to defend herself. But Heathcliff did not attack. He didn't see the point.
–Why fight? You are already with me. Yes, I understand that your feelings are difficult to understand, but I am sure that soon you will realize this deep love.
Rising from the chair, he approached the girl, who broke this piece of the backrest on his head. He lightly rubbed the impact area and shrugged. It clearly didn't cause him any serious damage. Instead, he walked a few steps to the side and took a sphere from the table that shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow.
–Do you see this? This is the very Sphere of the Sun that you have been looking for. With its help, Sir Mordred and Sir Arthur will create a weapon that will bring the rest of the continent to its knees. And after this you and I will become feudal lords in one small province, wherever you want.~
–You... you're a damn madman. And not only are you crazy, everyone in the Empire after the coup is just crazy... seriously, is that your entire motivation? Thirst for power?! – Martha asked, pressing her back against the panoramic window.
–Not at all! This may be the motivation of our leaders, the Emperor and his son, but personally, I am only interested in you! The brains of our group...what was his name again? Anyways, the 4th of us said that you will be together with the heroes of Arai, and if I help Empire, then I can take you as a trophy... but you came to me yourself, I didn't even have to take you by force. As for the others... Notredame is here only because of Marren, and this 4th... well, he has a personal matter with Sol. He wants revenge or something like that.
–You're not a psycho, you are an entire asylum... just what have you monsters done to our Empire...
–Yours? But you're not from here! You are from another universe, completely different from this one... and there you were the one who made me feel comfortable for the first time, and then also promised to marry... how could I forget about my muse?
–I regret that I didn't strangle you with my hands while you sat alone in your depression... but I'm glad for one thing... in your naivety and self-confidence... you're still an idiot!
Martha slammed her fist on the window behind her, breaking it. After that, although they were on the 11th floor of a huge tower, she jumped backwards, probably thinking that it would be better to die than to stay with this freak. Flying down, she looked at the tower, painted with stripes of different colors. Yes, no doubt only Heathcliff could have come up with such an ugly design. But now, soon there will be earth... soon...
–Everything's ok! I caught her!
This time the familiar voice was a joy for Martha. Marren caught her in the fall and, without reducing his running speed, he and Marren ran through the streets of the city, even though now Marren was carrying Martha in his arms. Ludwig, seeing that Martha was safe and close, nodded to her. Not understanding why, she responded to this sign by summoning a pistol in Ludwig's hands. Without saying a word, Ludwig began to turn around every now and then and shoot somewhere. Turning around, Martha also understood everything – a whole crowd of Empire guards was chasing these two.
–How... how did you know that I would be here? – Martha asked.
–Huh? This is what we wanted to ask – how did you know that we would be running here? – Marren asked in response.
–Wait... so you seriously wanted to fall to death?! – Ludwig shouted, not forgetting to shoot back in pursuit.
–No, I... I just knew that someone would save me! Now let's run, this crazy guy will probably join the chase soon!
~*~
A joyful shout broke the silence. Schrodinger returned to his pocket dimension in an excellent mood. Margarita, meeting him, bowed and asked:
–I assume that since you are in such high spirits, the negotiations were successful, Master?
–No, he told me to go to hell, – Schrodinger replied and shrugged, which was not very convenient to do in his kimono.
–Then...why are you so happy?
–Oh, this is...
Schrodinger took out from his inner pocket something resembling a modern smartphone. On it, he showed his friend, who was also his maid, a screen on which it was clear that he had pulled a five-star character in some gacha.
–I got an exclusive five-star event character, what's not to be happy about?
–And... how much of our money did you spend on this, Master? – the girl asked uncertainly.
–Er... no comments! Okay it does not matter. So I told Sol what he needed to know... but he said he wasn't interested. But he had not yet left Arai, when I met him he was still in... what was that city's name again?... in Berul, right. Given that time moves differently, several days have probably already passed in that world.
–And what exactly was "what he needed to know"?
–Well, multiverse, blah-blah-blah, Narrative layer, blah-blah-blah, Story Devourer, blah-blah-blah, the war between Gerda and Kai, blah-blah-blah... well, you get the idea. It seems to me that he listened to music in a magic headset throughout the entire dialogue... and then he still had the impudence to say that he was not interested in this, what an awful man!
–Well, I understand... but I think you should still try to talk to him again when he's finished his journey and...
But Margarita did not have time to finish. The boundless walls of Schrodinger's pocket universe began to cover with white cracks. Suddenly, the space itself was destroyed and fell down like thin opaque glass. Now Schrodinger and Margarita stood in the middle of the streets of that same Berul, where just recently, right after Sol left the city hall, Schrodinger called him around the corner to talk about something important. Local residents looked at them in bewilderment – these two literally appeared out of nowhere, in the middle of the main street.
The epic music started playing from unknown source. From the other end of the street, a man they knew well was walking towards these two. His broken sword was pointed to the side, but the brown-haired youth did not care. Kai, putting his left hand in his pocket, walked towards Schrodinger and Margarita to the accompaniment of music. Suddenly, the townspeople froze. They turned gray and froze in time.
–K-Kai! Long time no see! And... what do you need and was it necessary to drag us out here, friend? – Schrodinger said, trying not to show how much fear was squeezing him.
–Schrodinger-Schrodinger-Schrodinger. You already know that you did something that you shouldn't have... you tried to talk to Sol and ruin my plans... of course, it didn't work out for you, but bad children need to be punished, right?
–W-what do you need from my Master?! – Margarita shouted.
Immediately after that, she opened her eyes and mouth wide. From surprise and pain – the next moment her body was pierced by countless chains that came from the ground. Being quite literally Schrodinger's cat, she could not die, because she was always between life and death.
-Although, why do I say "Schrodinger"... I don't understand why you two need this masquerade with names, if I know perfectly well who you really are, the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat. An eternally being late ruler of space-time and a clumsy cat who violates the laws of that very space and time.
Schrodinger, or as Kai called him, the White Rabbit, abruptly drew his katana from its sheath and stopped time. Even the quantum-immortal Margarita, or as Kai called her, the Cheshire Cat, stopped... but Kai did not. The first Clain calmly walked towards Schrodinger.
–Did you really think that this would stop me, White Rabbit? You know who I am, – Kai said.
–I know... Gerda's Mary Sue, – Schrodinger replied, stepping back.
–You could say so. In any case, I don't particularly like it when people put a spoke in my wheels... even if it never works out.
–But... but I saved Oliver and Cirael, as you asked! I have returned my debt to you! What I was speaking about with Sol has nothing do to with you!.
–And I think it does.
–Ha... look at this, you goddamn Mary Sue!
Suddenly, Schrodinger took a pocket watch from his belt with his left hand and showed it to Kai.
–On this clock, the hands count down the time that remains to live for the Clains of the current iteration, as well as me, Margarita, Kayen... and you, Kai. Oliver and Cirael are dead, as is Kayen, so their arrows are at 12... but Sol still has a lot of time to live, just like me and Margarita! You won't kill us today! On the other hand, look at your hand, it's already at 11:45! You have near nothing left to live.
–Mm... look at this watch again. They are already striking midnight... but not for me.
Fear paralyzed Schrodinger. He slowly turned the watch in his direction, only to find that the hand labeled with his name was pointing to 12 o'clock. At the same moment, Kai's broken sword pierced Schrodinger's chest. He struck this same clock, and through it pierced the body of the pseudo-samurai. Schrodinger fell to the ground, but this seemed not enough to Kai. Countless black spears, despite time being stopped, fell from the sky to the ground and pinned Schrodinger's legs, arms and the edges of his kimono to the ground. After that, Kai said, in a completely serious voice:
–You may think that your servant, as you call her, Margarita, still loves you. But you ignored her too much... and now she's dating Joe Ligma.
–Who the hell is Joe Ligma?... – answered Schrodinger, forgetting about the bartender in the original universe, because of pain he was enduring.
–Joe mama ligma balls. Gottem, – Kai answered.
After that, time started moving again. Because Schrodinger lost all the strength to keep it in a stopped state – he died. From cringe. Although time passed, the townspeople remained stopped. It was probably the work of Kai. But Margarita saw the death of her Master right here and now.
–I... I will take revenge on you, Kai!
–Oh, good luck with that! For now, well, uh, bye. My job here is done.
The next moment Margarita was already in a white void. The chains that pierced her were gone. She probably ended up in another world. She tried many times to create a passage into Schrodinger's pocket world... but the door did not open. Kai personally destroyed all the universes created by Schrodinger at the very moment when he pulled the "White Rabbit" and "Cheshire Cat" out of their world. Another multiverse died with its creator, as it happened with Kayen before...
–But does this matter in the bigger picture? – Kai said.
~*~
–Why... why are you doing this?! After I gave them true freedom... why are you doing all this?! How many more will you kill?! – Gerda shouted, reading the text that had just appeared in her book.
"And as many as I need to, even if I have to destroy everyone you created. And those whom you did not create, but with whom you are connected. And even those who are not connected with you. I will kill as many as necessary." This was exactly the text that appeared immediately after she finished screaming. Gerda lay down on the bed again, realizing that now she would not sleep again today.