Path of the Extra

With a groan, Azriel pushed himself up with his remaining hand, struggling to stand. He was drained, exhausted.

Letting out an audible sigh, he tapped his storage ring and drank a health potion. Then tossed the empty vial to the ground.

Then another.

And another.

Until there were none left.

"That feels much better..." he muttered, closing his eyes to savor the peace and quiet that followed.

No one was left.

Everyone who entered this cave had died—all except for him.

And Leo.

Unwillingly, Azriel opened his eyes, seeing Leo standing in front of him.

"I didn't want to use it on him. I tried to find another way, but..." Azriel trailed off.

"There wasn't another way," Leo cut in.

"It's not that it's impossible for you to defeat an advanced-ranked, but it was impossible for you to defeat Instructor Benson fairly."

Azriel nodded as he limped toward the edge of the bridge.

"The strongest mana bomb currently in existence—capable of doing heavy damage to an advanced-ranked at point-blank range—and even then, that instructor of yours survived."

Leo walked forward, standing next to Azriel as he stared down into the darkness below.

"Though it's better to say that falling into the void... that nothingness... is what killed him. Erased him. Maybe his body is still falling, maybe he's conscious, but Benson is dead. He's nothing now."

"That's good to know..." Azriel muttered.

Leo's laughter echoed madly.

"Good, he says!"

"I didn't mean it like that," Azriel clarified. "It's good to know that [Core Reaper] works this way. How else would I know what counts as a kill? If I pushed someone, would the fall count as mine or the height's? Now I know—as long as I'm the reason, it's enough."

A twisted smile crept across Leo's face as he looked at Azriel.

"Still, planting that bomb without falling into the void? That took guts—something you clearly lack."

Azriel didn't respond. He slowly sat down, biting his lip as his body screamed in pain.

He sat dangerously close to the edge, cross-legged. Leo's smile widened as he leaned in, his head almost resting on Azriel's left shoulder.

"You're almost at the end. You deceived the headmistress, fooled the instructors, tricked Grandmaster Thomas into leaving the Frost King's side... You lied to everyone just to get here—all for this reckless gamble."

Leo's grin widened even more as Azriel stared down into the abyss.

"A reckless, stupid gamble. You didn't care about the lives of others or the deaths of others. If you win, you're the hero. If you lose, you're the villain. Which will it be, I wonder?"

Azriel clenched his teeth, glaring at Leo, who seemed even more amused by the reaction.

"You sacrificed your hand, and your trust—all to come out on top. But why?"

"Why?"

"Yes, why? We talked about this at the banquet. Why do you do what you do? You claim you don't know, but that's a lie, isn't it?"

Leo leaned in closer, blinking slowly.

"A lie you tell others... and yourself. Maybe you didn't know back in that boring world of yours, but here? Here, you damn well know what you want."

Azriel's face softened. He sighed and turned his gaze forward, locking onto the giant gate ahead. It would take days for the dungeon to rebuild the bridge.

Leo clicked his tongue and sat down in one motion.

"Oh?"

Azriel turned to him, annoyed—until his eyes widened.

"Oh."

Leo's hands were flickering, appearing and disappearing constantly. Azriel understood why.

"Looks like your time's finally starting to run out," Azriel observed.

Leo nodded slowly. "It seems so. Soon, the original me will regain everything I've learned, and I'll finally be whole again. I'll finally play this fun game... and I'll be coming for you, remember that."

"Shut up. Stop saying it like you're actually going to do it. You still have time left—save your dramatic lines for then."

Leo laughed again.

"I guess you're right."

A silence fell over them, the peace settling in once more. Azriel closed his eyes, savoring it. It was strange—he didn't feel panicked.

He just felt... hollow.

His hand was gone. He had downed all his health potions to ensure his wounds were closed and the bleeding had stopped for now. If he survived today, he could get his hand fixed. It wasn't impossible in this day and age.

But it wasn't cheap, either.

And who was he? A prince who would be scolded by his sister and mother for not getting his hand reattached.

"Well, this is an interesting sight."

A voice sounded behind Azriel, but he didn't turn. He remained seated, eyes still closed.

Footsteps approached silently.

"Well, would you look at that? Your gamble paid off. Though I thought he'd look scarier," Leo remarked.

Azriel listened as Leo examined the newcomer.

"Handsome face. Nice jawline. Black hair and blue eyes... Damn, I could drown in those eyes."

Azriel's lips curved up slightly before he pressed them together again.

'Idiot.'

Finally, the man arrived and sat down next to Azriel.

"A lot of things haven't made sense since I returned to Earth. The future destroyed. Plans leaked by a sixteen-year-old boy. One of my most useful men turned into a fanatic," the man said calmly.

"...Indeed. Strange," Azriel muttered, glancing at the figure beside him.

'Zoran...'

A walking time bomb. One wrong move, and it would explode, killing him.

"When I entered the void dungeon, I felt its murderous intent. I saw the floor shifts that happened here and on the first floor... A dungeon shift like this only occurs when there are two or more Children of the Gods inside."

"..."

"I know the Child of Life is here, and so is the Child of Dreams. I spotted the Child of War on the surface, making only two in here. Yet the entire dungeon already shifted. That means... either everyone's luck is terrible, or another brother or sister of mine is here."

Zoran turned to Azriel, who did the same, both locking eyes.

"I suppose it's only natural to assume, with all your involvement, that the third child is you, Azriel Crimson."

After a few moments of silence, Azriel's lips curved slightly.

"That is correct."

"A dead man. That's what you were supposed to be. Yet you came back... Now, I know who all my other siblings are, but not you. Still, it's not hard to guess whose child you are. The only one left...

The one who was neutral, uninvolved—blessed none."

Zoran licked his lips.

"The God of Death. Prince Azriel Crimson, son of Death, returned from the grave... You've ruined the future. Destroyed everything I've prepared for the last decade just by being alive."

"That is correct."

"I don't understand why the God of Death chose you, or why it had to be you. But your existence has done irreparable damage."

"That, too, is correct. As expected of you, Zoran, Apostle of Ruin, one of the seven Heptarchs of Neo Genesis."

A smile appeared on Zoran's face at Azriel's words.

"I wonder how much you know. The Supreme Archon only shares part of the books with us Heptarchs. Clearly, he didn't give one to you. So it makes me curious, because I'm sure you knew the future... the one that was supposed to happen."

"The Supreme Archon didn't give me anything, but it doesn't matter. My knowledge of the future is now the same as yours. Basically nothing. I know nothing, just like everyone else in Neo Genesis."

"The Supreme Archon might be angry—or maybe not. I never knew how he thought. But... humor me. Why?"

"Why?"

"Yes. Why? You came back from the dead, and I can understand that, but... why do all of this? What is your end goal?"

Azriel's eyes shifted to Leo, who stood nearby, grinning widely before he turned back to stare into the abyss below.

"I could tell you I don't know," Azriel muttered, "but like someone recently pointed out... maybe I'm lying to myself as well. Maybe I'll say it's to destroy the future and create a better one—but that's just another lie. Perhaps it's because I want to be the hero, but... no, I don't seek that either."

Zoran smile widened.

"Well... we are all liars here."

Azriel allowed a faint smile to creep onto his face.

"But if I'm being honest?" he continued. "I think... I do everything here just to see the end. The end I never got to read. Just like you Heptarchs didn't. No one did.

But I knew where we were heading, and I didn't want that. I wanted to be part of it—to be a real player in reaching a different end. And then see... who would win."

Zoran remained silent, his expression unreadable.

"Yeah... I want to see the end."

"...You're an ambitious person, Prince Azriel. Not many would have made it to the end we were once aiming for, but at least it was guaranteed. Now? You've destroyed our chances—the chances of surviving."

"What does it matter if humans survive, but humanity doesn't?"

Azriel clenched his fist.

"You're all sick in the head, every one of you in Neo Genesis."

"Are we now?"

Zoran's face darkened, the air around them growing heavy.

"At least we, the 'sick,' are doing something. What are the great clans doing to secure a future? The Sovereigns? Nothing. They just hide, rule and conquer, but in truth, none of them care about humanity as well."

"...Four great kings, seven Sovereigns, ten Apostles, and countless other talented people... Yet you Heptarchs decided to follow a cursed book handed down by that Supreme Archon—a book that isn't even half-complete. You barely knew if your plan would work."

"...Do you have a better plan?"

Azriel shook his head.

"No... but I'll find one. One that doesn't require me to give up my humanity."