The next day.

I woke up rather early and got dressed nicely. Today was an important day, and I couldnt be late for it. For that reason, I woke up earlier than usual to go out and buy the necessary equipment for the upcoming Summit.

This should be enough.

Holding onto two bags, I channeled my mana into the ring and entered the white world within.

.

A tall and grand palace greeted my sight the moment that I entered the space within the ring.

It was a sight I had grown accustomed to as I walked into the empty hall, my steps quietly echoing throughout.

The lack of decorations made the place look extremely empty, but I was helpless on the matter. I was at my limits with how many things I could bring into the ring.

Perhaps in the future

Tak, tak

As I walked forward, I was suddenly reminded of what happened the previous day and Kieras parting words.

Shell kill me, huh?

Her words still lingered in my mind. From the chill that her tone contained, to the firmness in her gaze.

She meant every word she said, and I knew that if she learned of the truth, shed keep up with her promise.

.At least for now.

With that being said, I wasnt too worried.

There were only a few people that knew the truth. My only worry was her aunt who could reveal everything to her, but I also knew that Kiera detested her aunt to the point where shed ignore all her words.

The thing I was more worried about was the sudden increase in percentage.

Especially since I still didnt know what exactly it did upon reaching 100%.

Will she become the same person as in the first vision? Or something else?

The more I thought about the matter the more my head throbbed in confusion. Eventually, I decided to drop the topic and continue forward.

Its been a bit since Ive last seen Owl-Mighty and Pebble. I wonder how theyre doing.

The last time I saw them, they looked like they were happy with the arrangement of staying within the ring. Throughout the entire time that I practiced for the play and performed it, the two of them had been rather quiet, never leaving the space of the ring.

It made me curious about what they were doing.

Creak!

Reaching for the door of the furthest away room, I pushed it open to enter in hopes of seeing how the two of them were doing, but

..

The sight that greeted me left me at a complete loss for words as I stood frozen on the spot, unable to fully digest the sight that greeted me.

Trrr! Trrr!

A subtle buzzing sound lingered in the air as two silhouettes stood before two circular objects.

..Today will be the day that I vindicate myself for the past humiliations!

Pebbles voice echoed loudly within the small room.

Next to it, Owl-Mighty gazed at Pebble coldly.

.

It didnt say anything, but its gaze told more than a thousand words.

I wont hold back. Ill make sure to completely destroy you.

.

The look of disgust on Owl-Mightys face only grew more apparent as it shook its head in disappointment.

This didnt sit well with Pebble whose face scrunched up in anger.

Just you see!

Then, as I watched the entire scene in disbelief, Pebble shouted,

Go!

Rooooar

A loud roar followed after. It reverberated throughout the entire room, shaking whatever little furniture was present.

After that, the two circular objects the two stood on started to move.

Trrr! Trrr!

Owl-Mightys feathers flapped under the wind, and so did Pebbles fur. Or at least, that was how it appeared to be to them.

..

Standing in silence, my eyes traced the two circular objects that moved at the pace of a snail.

Go! Go!

I recognized them in an instant.

They were mana-powered cleaning devices. Sort of like the ones back on earth. The robotic ones. I had bought them for Delilahs since her room was quite a mess and had dropped them here.

Who wouldve thought that they

Trrr! Trrr!

Go faster! Dont shame my name as my mount! Pick up the pace!

..

Pebble appeared to be the most vocal of the two as Owl-Mighty simply stood with its back straight as the cleaning device moved forward and surpassed Pebbles.

As Owl-Mighty surpassed Pebble, its chest puffed up as disdain appeared clearly in its gaze.

You want to beat me?

No!!! How is this possible?!

Pebble started to frantically beat the device with its paws, but it was no use.

In the end, Pebble ended up losing.

With its body lying motionless on the floor, it blankly stared at the ceiling with an empty look.

Gaze : What is life?

Julien.

Finally, Owl-Mighty took notice of me as it hopped off the cleaning device. I thought about asking about the situation, but for the sake of my own mental health, I decided to drop the topic.

The two of them

Who would believe they were a horror Eldritch Tree and a Rock Dragon?

If not for the fact that I had fought against both then I wouldve had a hard time believing those facts.

Well, its fine. At least I now know those cleaning devices work.

The floor was pretty spotless.

What brings you here?

..

I looked down at Owl-Mighty before eventually answering.

Ill be leaving for the Mirror Dimension soon.

Oh?

Interest piqued Owl-Mightys cold eyes.

What for?

Some political stuff.

I was still not sure exactly. They said it was a competition between us and the other members of the four Empires.

Some sort of tournament?

I wasnt too sure.

Political?

Owl-Mighty frowned, unable to fully comprehend what I meant.

.Its something related to the human leaders.

Oh.

It nodded in understanding.

In any case, I wanted to drop some stuff here before leaving.

I lifted a small bag and tossed it to the side. But just as I did, I was reminded of the scene that I witnessed upon coming into the room and felt compelled to stare at the two of them.

Theres important provisions for me inside so dont mess with it.

.Oh.

For a brief moment, I thought I caught a hint of disappointment from Owl-Mightys expression and my head cocked to the side.

Ive been so busy recently that I havent been able to hold my end of the deal with helping him understand emotions, and yet it seems to have understood something while I was gone.

Gradually my head turned in the direction of the dragon who was still lying down on the floor with a lost look.

.Could it be?

Do you know where exactly you will enter?

Hm?

In the mirror dimension. Do you know which area you will enter?

Not exactly.

I was still unfamiliar with the Mirror Crack present in Bremmer.

Why are you asking?

Its nothing for now.

Owl-Mighty hopped back onto the cleaning device.

.I will see for myself when you enter. I will tell you then.

And then

Trrr!

As the device turned on, Owl-Mightys body turned slowly before it started moving around the room. My gaze lingered over its body for a few seconds before I stopped whatever words I was about to say.

Since it wasnt willing to tell me yet, I didnt push.

Perhaps, its nothing big.

And even if it was big, it probably only mattered in certain locations.

Moving my stuff and making sure to warn the two of them, I eventually left the space within the ring and came back out.

Hoo.

Letting out a long breath, I brushed my hair back and headed for the door.

It was time for the Summit to officially start.

***

Grimspire.

One of the major strongholds within the mirror dimension.

Located within the Mirror Crack located within Bremmer, Grimspire was almost the biggest city within the Mirror Dimension.

Tall spirals pierced the sky while the citys thick, enormous walls were covered in intricate carvings and ancient runes that glowed beneath the white ball of fire that stood in the air.

It was a world without much color, and within the heart of the city was a gigantic hand.

Hand of Independence.

It was one of the many statues that were littered throughout the entire city, with this one being one of the most popular ones as it stood before the creation of the city.

The hand appeared to be holding something, but over time, whatever it once grasped had long since broken down. It was now just an empty hand.

One that was closely attached to the ground.

Everyone knew that there was more to the hand, but none tried to dig deeper due to how fragile it was. In the end, the city council decided to let the stature be and built the city around it.

Still, the hand was an important location for Grimspire.

Especially since that was the location where the main plaza was located, and where the members of the Four Empires were gathering.

Who wouldve thought thered be such a city in such a grim place.

Evelyn mumbled while looking around her. The city looked quite packed, filled with all sorts of people. Unlike the previous supply stations they had been in, the air wasnt as gloomy as those places.

It felt like a proper city.

Youre right.

Even Kiera seemed to be in agreement as she rubbed her eyes. Her hair was a mess, and black circles appeared beneath her eyes.

It looked like she was hungover.

Youre hungover.

My ass is hungover.

Kiera rolled her eyes at Aoife who was holding onto a small notepad. Probably a list of all the cadets in their group.

.I just couldnt sleep.

And that had nothing to do with drinking, right?

Fuck, I dont drink. At best, I smoke.

As if thats any better.

Please.

Kiera dropped her hands and looked at Aoife in disgust.

If theres anyone that drinks, its you. Do you seriously think we dont know you secretly sneak beers here and there?

Eh?

Aoife flinched, her face turning white.

What are you talking about?

She turned her head to look toward the others who turned their heads away from her.

That was when her eyes widened in realization.

You knew!

Yeah, you werent very good at hiding it.

Kiera said, rubbing her ears with her pinky.

In any case, when are we starting?

When everyone gets here.

And how long will that take?

Maybe ten minutes?

Ahhh.

Kiera leaned back and groaned. She hadnt slept a wink since yesterday and wanted nothing more than to get this part over with so that she could sleep.

As her eyes wandered around the plaza, her gaze eventually settled over another stature. It rested on top of one of the buildings around the place, overlooking the plaza from above.

Her expression froze for a brief second as her gaze lingered over the statue.

Ba Thump!

Kieras heart began to race as she locked eyes on the statue. It wasnt large, far smaller than the Hand of Liberation, roughly her own size. The figure depicted an angel, its wings outstretched and hands cupped forward in an unsettling gesture.

At first, it seemed unremarkable.

Until she saw the black tears streaming down its cheeks, dark and viscous, like ink bleeding from a wound.

It trickled down the side of its cheek, creating a long and black line.

Drip!

As the tear dripped onto the ground, Kiera felt something grip her neck and her face turned pale.

Before she knew it, she couldnt breathe.

Ah.