His consciousness had returned, and the vision he'd seen through Initium Bahamut's eyes was now haunting him. Simultaneously, Infori felt a strange, overwhelming sensation.
"Ahh...! My head feels like it's on fire!" he muttered, clutching his head and closing his eyes to try and endure the pain.
The pain wouldn't go away, and Infori had no idea what was happening.
It was now spreading throughout his body.
(What's happening to me? My mind feels heavier in every direction...!)
Infori opened his eyes, reached for his sword on his right side, and managed to grasp the hilt, though his hand felt a little weak. But forcing himself to his feet, Infori tried to stand.
With a slight push from his feet, he managed to pull himself back up.
He then complained about his current condition, which seemed to be in pain. (Why does it feel so heavy? I really want to go back to sleep...! How can I continue my journey in this condition?)
The memories of Initium Bahamut couldn't be accommodated by the body of a normal Nephilim who hadn't exercised like Infori, because a Nephilim body couldn't withstand the visions and memories of a Core race.
As a result, Infori lost his balance and tried to stay standing. His body and legs forced themselves to fall, unable to hold his any longer.
Finally, his legs couldn't support his weight anymore. He fell to the grassy ground, lying limp.
"Ack!"
A soft sound escaped her lips as her back hit the ground. His chest heaved with labored breathing, while his arms felt so heavy that even moving his fingers became more difficult than before.
Infori understood his body's condition and finally decided to obey the unspoken desire of his entire being.
"..."
Infori stared blankly at the leaf-covered sky above for a few moments. He realized his body had truly reached its limit. Forcing himself to continue would only worsen his condition.
(Well, I guess I can't hold it in anymore... I'll take a short break. I can't hold it in much longer... A short break might not be a bad idea.)
With a slow sigh, Infori closed his eyes. He surrendered his entire body's weight to his temporary resting place, and let his fatigue overcome him for a moment.
Finally, he fell asleep peacefully, a gentle breeze caressing his face and his brown hair, which was growing longer by the day.
Infori also had a dream in his sleep, but not a perfect dream. Instead, it was a dream with no meaning.
*
— Infori walked quietly along the expanse of the path of destiny, a long, transparent path that stretched until its end was completely invisible, its sides lined only by lines of white light glowing in the void.
From his perspective, there wasn't just one path of destiny. But thousands—no, millions, billions. No one knew how many there were, and no one knew the end.
Because it was an infinite possibility.
Several paths led to an archway shimmering with white light, each door revealing a vision of destiny that had already ended.
Right at the end of his path of destiny, Infori stopped in front of the archway. He stared inside with a blank, meaningless gaze. But then, his eyes suddenly opened wide.
What lay inside the door was a vision of Infori's destiny, which had already ended.
Then, out of nowhere, a familiar female voice whispered to him. [This is not your end, but it's time for you to turn to the dark side of the Akashic Record.]
"...?!" Infori was shocked.
[You will see for yourself, that the Underworld is part of the Akashic Record.]
The voice kept appearing in his mind, repeating the same words over and over. This disturbed his thoughts a little, but Infori remained silent.
"...?"
However, just as he was off guard, Infori turned around and was surprised to see a familiar woman. She was holding a long sword, which she then thrust towards his neck.
"Arrrkhh!"
The blade pierced his skin and neck bone, shattering it internally. The blade continued its advance until it finally passed the edge of his neck, allowing fresh blood to flow down the blade that had penetrated his neck.
The fresh blood fell down, piercing the path of fate until it plunged freely into an endless void.
Infori felt an itch, a burning, and a burning sensation as if his neck were blistered. His wide-open eyes could still clearly see Noya, staring at him with a cold gaze that seemed unconcerned with the condition of the Nephilim before him.
There was no smirk, only a powerful murderous aura.
Only faint words escaped his mouth. They were different from those spoken before; this time, they were a declaration.
"I love you, Infori."
Moments after saying that, Noya continued to thrust her sword until Infori neck touched the crossbar that separated the hilt from the blade.
*
Infori gasped.
"...?!"
His eyes flew open, his breathing labored as if he had just escaped something terrifying. His chest rose and fell rapidly, while cold sweat beaded on his temples and the back of his neck. For a moment, his vision wavered, trying to distinguish between the dreamlike image and the reality unfolding before him.
But before he could process it all, Infori felt the strange phenomenon again, recognizing the strange atmosphere.
"...?"
He looked restlessly from side to side, his breathing still erratic.
"What the...?" he muttered anxiously.
Infori raised a hand to his forehead, wiping away the sweat that was slowly rolling down his face. Even though he was awake, his heart was still pounding, as if the imagery from his dream had been carried over into the real world.
Then he gently touched his neck, and thankfully, it was still as normal. There were no wounds or pain from the dream. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haah... Thank goodness," he whispered, relieved.
(Speaking of pain, it seems like my condition is getting better. The pain in my head is also starting to disappear. But...)
Infori sensed something strange had just happened around her.
(What happened while I was asleep?)
Without warning, an arrow with a small, pointed tip shot with terrifying precision. His instincts quickly alerted him, and in a split second, Infori jerked his head back so the arrow missed him.
"...?!"
Reflexively turning to his left, he saw a horde of short, black-furred monsters, wearing masks and carrying weapons—Morak.
Shocked, Infori immediately gripped the hilt of the sword lying on the ground and stood up straight.
(How did they get here? Could it be...) Infori finally realized something. (Danger zone...?!)
Yes, the zone that was supposed to be a safe zone had now become a dangerous zone with an increased rate of monster appearances.
(Damn... I haven't even digested the dream I had yet!)
Infori immediately prepared himself and steadied himself.
(I don't know anything, but... I'll finish this!)
Not wanting to waste any time, Infori also ran towards them. Once he felt close enough, Infori swung his sword hard.
"Haaa!"
⟨⟩ ⟨⟩ ⟨⟩