Chris had just gotten home from a night out with his friends.
He hadn't enjoyed it as much as usual because he kept thinking about the whole situation.
Marc's dark aura kept haunting his mind. He hadn't imagined it. It had been real.
However, he was the only one who hadn't been to the other world, and so, he had no way of doing anything extraordinary.
He sat down on his couch and turned on the TV. But there was nothing interesting on, so he turned it off almost immediately.
Chris had always been someone preoccupied with keeping his popularity. He had never really thought about doing anything else.
He had no clue how to search for clues or find passages to the other world. He wished he could watch Marc in action, just to copy him—but the exciting events always seemed to happen without him.
He spent a while just staring outside. The rain was pounding hard on the ground.
And Chris suddenly realized something strange.
He frowned and got up hastily from the couch.
"Wait. Was it raining a second ago?"
The water was hitting the ground so violently that the drops were leaving holes in it. Chris backed away from the window he had been observing through. The sight was terrifying. He had never seen anything like it.
"What the hell is going on?"
He scanned the outside in a panic, trying to understand what kind of weather phenomenon could be causing this—and then he saw it.
The silhouette made of water was staring straight at him.
He didn't move an inch, afraid it might kill him. His heart was pounding like crazy.
Water floated in the air, and two eyes seemed to peer into the depths of his soul.
If he hadn't already had visions, Chris would've probably thought he was just drunk.
"So this is the kind of being they've been fighting…"
But something felt different.
"But…"
Chris slowly began to move, as if defying the intimidation of his enemy. Step by step, he advanced, even though the pressure from those two eyes was attacking him from all directions.
The silhouette seemed surprised—its eyes opened wide.
Chris had already faced worse pressure before. This one scared him, yes—but he had the experience now.
He slowly raised his head and spoke directly to the silhouette:
"Marc was better."
The silhouette stared at him, stunned—then after a moment, it smiled.
A woman's voice came out of it.
"You're all quite the interesting bunch, aren't you?"
Then the rain stopped suddenly, and the silhouette vanished. Everything returned to normal as if nothing had ever happened.
Chris kept staring at the spot where the strange being had stood, a sudden regret rising in his chest.
"I just complimented that idiot. What the hell…"
"You can fly?"
Elie replied, hesitantly.
"To be more precise… I walk on air."
But Marc had stars in his eyes.
Nathanaël also looked genuinely delighted.
"That's amazing. I didn't know the other world could grant us powers."
"I think it's incredible too. It might actually help us."
"By the way, I was thinking, Marc… what if the time shown on the hourglass is just a specific moment in the other world—and it has nothing to do with us?"
Marc looked at his friend, suddenly serious.
"You think we shouldn't worry that much? Nathanaël, those things crossed over into our world, and you think they won't do anything to us?"
"You may not have noticed, Marc, but every time we had problems with the other world, it was because we were the ones looking for them—not the other way around. What if they leave us alone… if we stop digging?"
But Marc didn't agree. He raised his voice slightly.
"And the library, huh? I was literally pulled in, remember?"
"You were looking for information about the other world."
"And the visions?"
"That… I don't know. Maybe they wanted to show us what was coming just for fun?"
"Manon was hanged."
"I know, Marc. I know. But you're forgetting something: we don't belong to that world. Knowing what's going to happen won't do us any good—aside from knowing the truth and standing powerless when the day comes. I don't want to set foot in that world again and risk dying. Last time, my house was torn apart. If my mom or dad had been there… or even you guys..."
A silence fell across the room.
This time, Nathanaël had a point.
Everything was spiraling out of control—they were only reacting, and so far, it hadn't ended in disaster. But one day, it probably would.
Still, Marc didn't want to lose hope.
"That's even more reason to get stronger and stop them. They've already come this far—it's too late to pretend we didn't see anything."
The tone was rising in Marc's room, and Elie didn't know what to say anymore. Nathanaël looked at his friend with tired eyes.
"I don't even know if you want to protect people, get revenge, or try to redeem yourself. But in doing this, you're dragging us all down with you. Marc, I honestly don't think you're trying to protect the people you care about first. I think you just want revenge—on the man in black, who, by the way, hasn't actually done anything to us."
"And Goagi, then? What about him? That bastard trapped us in a loop more than a million times!"
Nathanaël stayed silent.
"You seriously think we can just sit back and do nothing?"
Still, no answer. Marc saw the look in his friend's eyes and slowly turned his gaze away. There was nothing left in Nathanaël's eyes. He had given up. There was nothing Marc could draw from him anymore.
With a heavy heart, he added:
"If you guys don't want to be involved anymore, then I'll go alone. I'll search alone. You don't want to die—and I get that."
Marc sat down on his bed, burying his face in his hands. He was tired too. Tired of this race against time. Tired of this hunt for survival. Tired of not knowing what to do. Tired of not knowing how to make amends… because of all the blood on his hands.
"Marc," Nathanaël said softly, "I already told you… you don't have to die to redeem yourself."
"Then how?"
"For me, the fact that you didn't do it on purpose and that you want so badly to make things right… that's enough. But—"
Marc cut in after a brief silence, voice low.
"Nath… you've always been a good person. You lived in a fair and just way. You smiled at people even when they gave you fake smiles. You helped those who needed it and comforted those who were hurting. Your sense of justice and happiness is admirable, and I know you want what's best for me…
But you're not in my shoes. I've killed people, Nath. I've killed thousands and thousands. I shouldn't even be alive for what I've done. Saving the world… is the only way I can make up for it. Or maybe… I should just die?"
Nathanaël had no answer.
To him, every problem had a solution. But not this one—not without blood. Blood would inevitably be spilled and swallowed by the earth. And the worst part was… that blood would most likely be Marc's.
"You're not saying anything, Nath?"
Nathanaël felt a crushing weight in his chest. Too heavy. He couldn't bear it.
"I have nothing to say. I'll still support you… But please, be careful, Marc. Don't lose yourself."
He turned slowly, walked to the door, opened it, looked back one last time at his friend with a mix of pity and worry, and closed the door behind him.
Elie had only watched in silence, head down. Now that she was alone with Marc, she didn't know what to say either.
But he spoke first.
"You can go too, Elie. It'll be easier for you all if you stay safe at home."
She quickly replied in a panicked voice:
"No! I already told you—I'll stay with you no matter what!"
Strangely, Marc had expected that answer. He had come to appreciate Elie's presence more and more every time she was around. The one person who saw him as a protective savior… never abandoned him.
"And what if the help isn't enough?"
Marc smiled faintly at that thought. Elie wasn't surely necessary—but they'd make it work.
"Alright. We'll keep moving forward, then."
"Uh… Nathanaël left this."
Elie handed him a piece of paper. Marc took it, half-expecting it to be a goodbye note. He read it carefully.
"Marc, I knew you would keep walking the path you chose for yourself, and I can't stop you. I'm sorry for stepping aside—but I can still help. Here's the address of a place where one of the books you're looking for might be. If what Mr. Rodrigo said is true, then this could be useful.Take care of yourself, Marc."
"Nath..."
Marc knew his friend wouldn't be able to stay out of it completely. It was just in Nathanaël's nature. And deep down, that worked in Marc's favor. He was safe now—well, 40% safer at least.
If the end of the world was truly coming, then that gesture wouldn't have made a difference anyway.
"He's sending us to the location of the second book without even asking about the first one."
"Oh, right? Did you find something?"
"Yeah. Now I get why Sanchez was so terrified. This book tells us exactly what we wanted to know."
Elie looked surprised, frowning slightly.
"What?"
"Sanchez only ever searched for information about the end of the world—and that's exactly what he got. But… I think it'll be easier if you try it yourself."
Marc handed her the mysterious book.
The bluish aura clung to it, like a shadow that refused to respect the light.
"You're letting me borrow it?"
"Yes. Either way, I don't really want to read what I'm destined to find out. And I doubt you'll want to either."
Elie stared at Marc, stunned. But he ignored her reaction and moved on.
"Tomorrow, we'll head to the address written on that note. Let's rest for today. There's already been enough turmoil as it is."