As the party settled back into noise and celebration, Amelia noticed I was gone.
By then, I was already moving through the city.
Alexander had the book.
And I needed it.
I used mirror magic to slip past the estate's main entrance, phasing through reflections just long enough to avoid the guards. But I knew the rules — one more spell inside, and the warding system would detect me.
So I walked.
Quiet.
Careful.
That's when I saw her.
Sara.
The blonde girl I'd spoken to earlier about ancient symbols. She was standing near a concealed opening in the floor.
She lifted the stone panel and descended.
I followed.
"What are you doing here?" she asked sharply.
I stepped fully inside—
And froze.
This wasn't some hidden hallway.
It was her room.
Soft candlelight. Personal belongings. And Sara, standing there in light pajamas, cheeks flushed red.
"You can't just walk into a maiden's room like this!"
"I'm looking for Alexander."
"If you're done with your business, leave."
"Where is he?"
"…Dining hall."
"Thanks."
I left immediately.
No hesitation.
No apology.
I slipped through the corridors unseen, checked a guard's pocket watch as I passed.
Almost sundown.
Soon the nobles would gather.
I stepped into the dining hall—
And the floor lit up beneath me.
A magic circle flared.
Darkness swallowed everything.
No sound.
No air.
No ground.
Just endless emptiness.
Then a voice echoed through the void.
"What brings you here?"
Alexander.
"My book."
He laughed.
"Your book? That's amusing. Do you even know who it belongs to?"
"I'm not here for jokes," I said. "You either give it to me, or I take it."
"Know your place."
I tried earth magic—
There was no ground.
Air.
Blocked.
Fire.
Extinguished.
Water.
Absorbed into nothing.
"Have you given up?" he asked calmly.
I removed my coat.
Then my shirt.
The cold of the void brushed against my skin.
"Just started."
He burst into laughter.
"You think you can defeat me without magic?"
"I don't need it."
He accepted.
We charged.
His fist struck my chin before I could react.
Pain exploded.
I fell into nothing.
I tried to rise—
His foot crushed my back.
"That's it? I can't believe you're my child."
Rage tore through me.
"BECAUSE I'M NOT YOUR FUCKING CHILD."
Silence.
His foot lifted.
"Then whose child are you?"
"Adrian Atlas."
He paused.
Then slowly removed his foot.
"So… you're not from this world."
My blood ran cold.
How does he know?
If he's from Earth too—
I'm finished.
From the shadows, another figure stepped forward.
Sara.
"It was only a matter of time before you ruined our plans."
"What the hell is going on?"
"You still haven't figured it out?" she said calmly.
"Is everyone from the real world?"
"Hold on," Alexander interrupted. "I never said I'm from your world. And stop calling mine fake."
Sara sighed. "You're stubborn, Xiver."
I stood up slowly.
"Explain."
She nodded.
"Fine. You deserve that much."
Alexander crossed his arms. "He does."
Sara continued.
"Me. Alexander. The man you killed. And several others. We're trying to defeat the Fate Dragon and his army."
My mind stalled.
"The Fate Dragon brought us here," she said. "Across dimensions. For some twisted reason. Maybe to 'save' this world. Maybe something else. I don't want to be here either."
"How do you know that?"
"Would you let me finish?"
She exhaled.
"The man you killed… he started questioning things. Then he met some very bad influences. People from your neighborhood."
My stomach tightened.
"He got reckless. Dangerous. So I killed him."
"Was he human?" I asked.
She frowned. "What?"
"I'm not talking about the creatures here. I'm talking about one of us."
Alexander smirked.
"Interesting. You're here to save someone you once claimed isn't even 'real.' Yet you're worried about who counts as human."
Sweat ran down my neck.
"I—"
"So deep inside," Alexander said softly, "there's still a child."
Sara continued.
"We knew you weren't from here the moment you spoke. Others took three years to adapt. You? Days."
"That doesn't matter."
"It does," she replied. "After I killed him, we leaked information. Created bait. He used divine magic to trap me, knowing you'd come."
"And you played along."
"Yes."
"He planned to take your body," Alexander added. "Use it for his own benefit. That wasn't part of our plan. We needed you."
"So you helped me win," I said slowly.
Sara nodded. "And pretended to faint."
I stared at both of them.
"Your story has holes. If you needed me, why not just tell me? Why not fight me together?"
Alexander sighed.
"There's so much you don't understand."
"I understand enough to know you're both full of shit."
Alexander smiled faintly.
Then, from thin air, he pulled out a book.
Mine.
"I am a sorcery user," he said calmly. "Lion rank. The most complex discipline. This book allows me to steal abilities. Every power you've seen me use was taken from someone else."
He held it out.
"I was going to give it to you. Until you decided to act tough. I needed to humble you first."
"Then give it."
He did.
The weight of it felt heavier than before.
"What do I need it for?"
Sara's eyes sharpened.
"You're going to fight the Fate Dragon."
My heart thudded.
"And when you do," she continued, "you'll steal his power."
Alexander finished the sentence.
"And we'll use it… to send you back to your world."