The next day, Marc got ready to leave.
The short vacation he had been granted had been just enough for him to lose Nathanaël and Jin. He had expected to lose companions along the way—and he fully understood why.
Still, it didn't stop him from standing in front of the mirror for a solid ten minutes, wondering if he'd end up finishing this journey alone.It made sense, after all. It was way too dangerous.
Suddenly, his phone rang. A cheerful female voice came through.
"I'm waiting downstairs. What are you doing?"
Marc smiled.
Maybe Elie would stay until the very end—or at least until that moment.
That moment he was supposed to save her.
After that… there was nothing. The visions were far too blurry. Just the end of the world, and the man in black. That was all they had seen.
Thinking about it gave Marc chills. At that time, he didn't stand a chance.Maybe not even in the future.
"I'm coming."
He went down the stairs, said goodbye to his parents, and stepped outside.Elie was already waiting for him, hands behind her back, an inquisitive look on her face.
As soon as she saw him, she smiled.
"Shall we go?"
Marc sincerely wondered what could possibly put her in such a good mood.
"Yeah. You told me you could keep up with me, right? Let's test that."
"Uhh… I don't think that's true anymore. Actually, I was thinking…"
"Go on."
Elie paused, choosing her words carefully.
"Shouldn't we take Chris with us? He's the one who wanted to join our search, right?"
Marc frowned, visibly irritated—and surprised.
"What? Chris?"
He had zero desire to bring Chris into this. For the simple reason that he'd be a burden—and a complete pain. Marc didn't like him, but couldn't outright ignore his wish.
If the guy wanted to die trying to protect the world, then… fine.
"So how do we get there, then?"
"He probably has a car."
Marc grimaced at the thought of Chris and his stupid car. He didn't even have a license himself.
Finally, he gave in, grumbling like it was the worst chore in the world.
"Fine. Let's go get him."
Less than five minutes later, they were at Chris's place.
Chris was doing nothing. Desperately waiting for something exciting to happen—One of those weird beings, or a special situation that would finally push him into that so-called other world. But deep down—Deep, deep down, though he'd never admit it, he wanted to see Marc.
Wanted to see how he fought. How he summoned his aura.
Not to admire him.
To crush him.
He hated him from the bottom of his soul.
He laughed quietly, already picturing his victory.
"Tch. Why am I even thinking about that idiot? He's nothing special."
Suddenly, a voice echoed behind him.
"Thinking about what?"
"AHH!!"
Chris jumped, dropping his soda can—The liquid spilled midair, about to hit the floor—But before it could—
"Stop."
Elie's voice rang out. And the drink froze—Suspended in the air as if gravity no longer applied. No—more than that—Time itself seemed frozen.
Chris's eyes widened.
"How… how did you do that?! And how did you get in?!"
"We broke down the door."
"What?! Why?!"
"Not the question. We're going after a mystical book. Might get us something. You coming?"
Chris clenched his fists and pointed straight at Marc.
"What the hell is wrong with you people?! Couldn't you just call me like a normal person? Who do you think you are?!"
Marc couldn't care less. His gaze darkened, already showing how annoyed he was the second he'd set foot in that house. And this whining? It was pushing him.
"Chris. Are you coming or not?"
Chris stopped, calming down. This was a golden chance to see Marc in action. Even if the black-haired guy seemed superior in every possible way,he couldn't back down now.
So he gave a short, reluctant answer:
"Why not?"
"Good. We're taking your car. But I'm warning you—You follow our orders. Got it?"
Chris opened his mouth to protest—But held back.
"...Fine."
He knew better than to risk getting stuck in another world just because he refused to listen. Best to shut up and follow instructions. Even if it meant taking orders from Marc.
"When are we leaving?"
"Now."
Chris's car was actually pretty nice.
He'd only bought it to show off to his friends and barely ever used it—Too afraid of scratching it.
He reserved it for "special occasions."
But today…he had to drive Marc.
So clearly, this wasn't a special occasion.
"Uh, are you sure about this—"
"It's either this or we leave you behind."
Chris growled under his breath and climbed into the driver's seat.
"Fine."
Reluctantly, he drove Marc and Elie to the address Nathanaël had given them.
During the ride, Chris glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed something odd.
Jin wasn't there.
That guy usually stuck to Marc like a shadow. It was weird not seeing them together. Even if Jin didn't talk much outside of fights, his presence was always… noticeable.
"Where's Jin?"
Marc stared out the window, his gaze distant, lost in the blur of the passing landscape.He had zero interest in talking to Chris.
"Went off to take down some kind of calamity."
"...What?"
Marc gave a small, sarcastic smirk. It was honestly kind of fun watching Chris look this confused.
"We'll explain later."
Elie, thankfully, was kinder than Marc.
The place Nathanaël had pointed them to looked nothing like paradise.
"This it? Are you serious?"
Marc shot a cold glare at the young blond.
"Shut up, Chris."
It was a burned-out ruin — a house long ago reduced to ashes. No one had bothered to fix it up, and nobody had dared search inside, assuming nothing could have survived.
The charred blackness ruled the scene, with the wind scattering clouds of black dust across the ground. It was a bleak sight. Debris lay scattered everywhere, and twisted metal beams jutted out, standing out among the rubble.
It was just a pile of filth the size of a house.
"Nathanaël said someone died in there, right?"
"Yeah. A little girl named Alie. They never found her body."
Chris stepped closer, curious, and touched a piece of wood lying on the ground.
"This book must be full of ashes. Look at this — I barely touch this piece and it turns to dust."
Marc and Elie ignored him completely.
"Marc, do you see it?"
"Hey, you're listening to me at least?"
"Yeah, just as I thought. Incredible."
Marc knew it was probably because the book carried a colossal power or had a massive impact on history.
He had noticed it with each of Lavoisi's books — all of them special, each radiating an aura far stronger than a normal book.
The first apocalypse book was even stranger — its aura felt like a living entity's. It moved, influenced the people around it, giving them the feeling of drowning and dying.
A smile spread across Marc's face.
"They couldn't see it. Too bad for them."
Chris stared at the pile of ashes, seeing nothing but dust.
"What are you talking about?"
Marc's smile deepened into almost a laugh as he heard Chris's ignorance.
"You're a lot like them, Chris. Ignorant."
Chris frowned, clearly annoyed.
"Huh?"
Without another word, Marc jumped onto the ruins, moving straight to where the aura was strongest.
"Come here."
He reached out and pierced through the debris. When his fingers brushed something solid, he grabbed it.
"Got it."
Suddenly, a hand as white as snow shot out of the rubble and grabbed his wrist.
"What…"
Before he could react, a second hand grabbed his jacket.
"Marc!!"
Elie had noticed and rushed forward to help. Chris just watched, powerless. The number of hands reaching out multiplied, overwhelming Marc.
"Damn it!"
He struggled, but then a being in white emerged — his eyes filled with galaxies and stars. They locked onto Marc's, and the being opened its mouth wide. Marc knew what was coming: a word that would sound terrible to his ears.
"Elie! Get back!"
But it was too late. Chris started moving. Elie reached out to Marc, but the white figure was faster.
Two words echoed through the air:
"Calis autria."