"Who interfered with our plan? That was our only chance."
The little girl growled.
The boy beside her remained silent.
"Gojiy, why are you so quiet? Our plan is ruined!"
The girl shouted angrily.
"Shut up, Sojiy."
The boy named Gojiy finally spoke.
Sojiy snorted.
Why did the Death Wolves and the Half-Cat Tigers suddenly freeze?
Something stopped them.
Was it the power of a magician?
If that was really his power... how are we supposed to kill him?
Gojiy wondered to himself.
"Everyone, return to the castle. Tell the king that we need a new plan."
Gojiy ordered before disappearing into the darkness as a black shadow engulfed him.
Meanwhile, Sojiy climbed down from the balcony.
The Death Wolves welcomed her, and moments later, they disappeared together into black smoke.
The bird park became silent and empty, as though no one had ever been there.
Kei and Shima had just arrived at Shima's house.
They both got out of the car.
Shima turned to look at Kei, who had just walked in front of her.
A smile appeared on her face when Kei looked back at her.
"Why are you smiling? Didn't I put your life in danger just now?"
Kei asked, confused by her sudden smile.
"Thank you."
Shima replied, still smiling.
"Thank me because I almost got you killed? Isn't that strange, Shima?"
Kei slowly shook his head.
"No. Thank you for saving me, Kei. You always find a way, even when we're in real danger."
Shima said honestly.
Kei remained silent for a moment before turning toward Shima's mother, who was standing at the front door with a warm smile.
"Your mom is waiting outside. Go inside now. Take a shower and get some sleep. Don't think about what happened today. Just pretend nothing happened."
Kei gently urged Shima toward the house.
Shima let out a soft snort.
"Even though I still have a lot of questions to ask you... it's okay. There's always tomorrow. You can tell me everything then."
Shima patted Kei's shoulder before walking toward her mother.
Kei smiled politely at Mrs. Zuiey before getting back into his car.
A few seconds later, he drove away from Shima's neighborhood.
"Have you been spending time with Keishii? Are the two of you in a relationship?"
Mrs. Zuiey asked her daughter.
"Eh... We're not in a relationship, Mom. We're still just friends."
Shima replied, pouting.
"Even if the two of you started dating, your father and I wouldn't mind. After all, we both like him. He's a good young man."
Mrs. Zuiey smiled.
Shima simply shrugged, pretending not to care.
"Hmm... I'm going upstairs to my room and take a shower first. Kei told me to take a shower before going to bed."
Shima smiled at her mother and gently kissed her on the cheek.
Then she walked upstairs to her room.
She lay on her bed for a moment, trying to recover from everything that had happened earlier.
Shima closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind.
However, the more she tried to forget, the more the image of the strange creature appeared in her mind.
Without thinking any longer, she grabbed a towel and headed straight to the bathroom.
She needed to wash away the fear she was still carrying.
Meanwhile, Kei was still on his way home.
The roads were completely empty.
There were no cars, motorcycles, or pedestrians.
Every restaurant and every shop had already closed.
Kei couldn't help but think...
Because of those creatures...
Our city has completely changed.
When he arrived home, Kei parked his car in the garage.
He entered the house through the garage door.
His mother, Mrs. Junyi, who had been sitting in the living room with his father, immediately ran toward him and hugged him tightly as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Mom... What's wrong?"
Kei asked in confusion.
"Where have you been? You know our city is in danger. Don't stay outside alone, son."
His mother's worried voice made Kei smile bitterly.
I've made Mom and Dad worry...
"I'm sorry, Mom. But I had to investigate where those creatures came from."
Kei replied apologetically.
"We know... but you said you'd only be gone for a while. It's been three hours. We were so worried that something had happened to you."
Mr. Siumi spoke calmly.
"I'm really sorry, Mom... Dad."
Kei realized he had made a mistake.
He gently hugged his mother, who was still crying.
A few minutes later, Mrs. Junyi finally calmed down and told Kei to go to his room and clean himself up.
Kei nodded.
He entered his room and walked straight to the window, looking out at the night.
But tonight was different.
The entire city was dark and silent, as if no one lived there anymore.
Kei let out a quiet sigh.
He tried to calm his confused thoughts.
Tonight had been exhausting.
Even though they had only been running away from those strange creatures, it felt as if they had run a marathon.
As he closed his eyes, Shima's face suddenly appeared in his mind.
He immediately opened his eyes.
"Shima... I'm sorry."
"I put you in danger again."
"Next time, I won't involve you."
"Those creatures are after me."
"I won't drag you into this again."
Kei silently made that promise to himself.
Perhaps...
Tonight would be the last time he put Shima in danger.
Kei sighed once more before turning away from the window and walking toward the mirror.
He looked at his reflection.
Slowly, he took off his shirt and carefully examined his body.
"Maybe... there's a mark that proves I'm a magician."
He murmured to himself.
For more than an hour, Kei examined every part of his body—his arms, chest, shoulders, and neck.
There was still no sign that he was the Last Magician.
Kei sat weakly on the edge of his bed with his head lowered.
If there's no mark...
How do they know I'm the Last Magician?
Kei ran his fingers through his hair.
Finally, Kei picked up a towel and walked into the bathroom.
As Kei shampooed his hair, the back of his neck was exposed, revealing a faint mark shaped like a bird with its wings spread.
However, Kei remained completely unaware of its existence.