Arou suddenly realized something.
He was standing in a void—
white, endless, and covered in thin mist drifting slowly through the air.
"I'm here again..." he muttered.
A clap echoed through the emptiness.
Zata emerged from the fog, looking as relaxed as ever.
"Yo, protagonist."
Arou turned toward him, exhausted.
"Now what is it about this time?"
Zata chuckled.
"Relax, man. Haha."
Arou let out a long sigh.
"I can't relax."
"So what's this one about, huh?"
Zata thought for a moment, staring at the white sky.
"Hmm..."
"Honestly, I'm out of ideas."
Arou blinked.
"...What?"
Zata smiled.
"Maybe you've got a suggestion?"
Arou fell silent.
"Uh..."
"Probably not."
Zata pointed at him.
"Exactly."
He snapped his fingers.
The mist split apart, and a gigantic board appeared from the void.
Its surface was pitch black, covered in glowing lines and shifting symbols.
Zata stood beside it.
"In the Eighth Game..."
"I'm going to show you..."
"the rankings of your companions."
Arou raised an eyebrow.
"Rankings?"
"From the strongest," Zata continued casually,
"to the weakest."
Arou stared at the board.
"...So I just watch?"
"Yup."
Arou nodded slowly.
"That's... actually nice."
For the first time,
he didn't want to fight.
Zata grinned.
"This board will evaluate all of you..."
"in several categories."
Glowing words appeared one by one:
• Strength
• Battle IQ
• Speed
• Defense
• IQ
Arou studied the list.
His chest felt strangely heavy.
"And don't worry," Zata added,
"this isn't meant to embarrass anyone."
He glanced at Arou.
"It's meant to show who they really are."
The board began to glow.
The first category slowly appeared.
Zata turned toward him.
"Ready, protagonist?"
Arou sighed.
"...Go ahead."
The mist swirled.
And the first evaluation began.
The giant board shifted.
Glowing letters slowly formed.
IQ
Arou stared at it.
"...IQ?"
Zata nodded.
"Yep. Starting with IQ."
Arou crossed his arms.
"Who do you think is number one?"
The board trembled.
Names appeared one after another.
IQ – Ranking
• Hikari Mikami
• Nova Reed
• Shi Morgan
• Nora Whitley
• Akari Mizuhara
• Airi Mikami
• Shion Carter
• Lumina Hayasaka
• Rei Ashford
• Emi Sikita
• Feeth Sasoriyu
• Arou Sikita
Arou froze.
"...I'm twelfth?"
His voice rose.
Offended.
Annoyed.
Zata turned toward him with a huge grin.
"Wow. You figured that out immediately."
Arou glared at him.
"Don't mock me."
"Yeah, yeah," Zata replied lazily.
"Relax. Next category."
The words faded.
New letters formed.
BATTLE IQ
Arou frowned.
"Battle IQ?"
The rankings appeared instantly.
Battle IQ – Ranking
• Arou Sikita
• Nova Reed
• Airi Mikami
• Shi Morgan
• Emi Sikita
• Rei Ashford
• Hikari Mikami
• Feeth Sasoriyu
• Shion Carter
• Lumina Hayasaka
• Nora Whitley
• Akari Mizuhara
Arou blinked.
"...What?"
He pointed at his own name.
"I'm first?"
Zata glanced at the board.
"Ah."
"Maybe it's broken."
Arou immediately turned toward him.
"You don't even care?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"Moving on."
The board cleared once more.
A new title appeared.
DEFENSE
Names began arranging themselves.
Defense – Ranking
• Rei Ashford
• Arou Sikita
• Emi Sikita
• Nora Whitley
• Hikari Mikami
• Akari Mizuhara
• Shi Morgan
• Nova Reed
• Lumina Hayasaka
• Feeth Sasoriyu
• Shion Carter
• Airi Mikami
Arou fell silent.
His eyes stopped at the final name.
"...Huh."
"Airi's last?"
Zata looked at him.
"So?"
Arou slowly clenched his fist.
"Isn't she strong?"
Zata shrugged.
"She is."
"But when it comes to defense..."
He pointed at the board.
"She's incredibly fragile."
Arou lowered his gaze.
The rankings didn't change.
They weren't lying.
And somehow...
his chest felt heavier.
Zata glanced at him.
"...We're not done yet."
The board shifted again.
The next evaluation began.
The giant board glowed brightly.
This time, the light felt softer.
A new title appeared.
STRENGTH
The names formed one by one.
Strength – Ranking
• Nova Reed
• Nora Whitley
• Hikari Mikami
• Airi Mikami
• Shi Morgan
• Arou Sikita
• Feeth Sasoriyu
• Shion Carter
• Akari Mizuhara
• Emi Sikita
• Lumina Hayasaka
• Rei Ashford
Arou stared at it for several seconds.
Then he spoke.
"Explain."
Zata glanced at him.
"Hm? What?"
Arou pointed sharply.
"Why is Nora, the support, ranked second strongest?!"
Zata sighed.
"Hah... fine."
"I'll explain."
He turned toward the board.
"Nova Reed. Rank one."
"She can manipulate time."
Arou's eyes widened.
"And that's not all."
"Nova can also create and use entirely new forms of magic."
Arou clenched his fists.
Zata continued.
"Nora Whitley."
"She can copy the magical abilities of her opponents."
Arou blinked.
"Which means," Zata said calmly,
"Nora can even copy Nova's magic."
Silence followed.
"Hikari Mikami."
"She possesses the power of dragons."
"You already know this."
"Dragons are the strongest creatures."
"So powerful that they are no longer considered animals."
"They're considered mythical beings."
The board shimmered.
"Airi Mikami."
Zata's voice became quieter.
"She possesses the Red Threads."
"Those threads target a victim's fatal point."
"And anyone struck by them..."
He paused.
"Dies instantly."
Arou swallowed hard.
"Shi Morgan."
"She wields a massive scythe."
"And despite its size, it doesn't slow her down at all."
"Her nickname is..."
A faint smile appeared.
"The Grim Reaper in human form."
Arou looked away.
Zata glanced at him.
"And Arou."
"I'm pretty sure you already know your own abilities."
Arou clicked his tongue.
Zata shrugged.
"Well, it's you. Surely you know what you can do."
Arou raised a hand.
"Enough."
He took a breath.
"Let's move on to Speed."
Zata nodded.
"Alright."
The board faded again.
A new title appeared.
SPEED
Names slowly formed.
But the top three spots were blank.
Speed – Ranking
• —
• —
• —
• Shi Morgan
• Feeth Sasoriyu
• Nora Whitley
• Akari Mizuhara
• Lumina Hayasaka
• Shion Carter
• Arou Sikita
• Emi Sikita
• Rei Ashford
Arou immediately looked up.
"Huh? I'm tenth?!"
Zata burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Your speed is good..."
"For a normal human."
Arou frowned.
"And everyone above you?"
"Their speed is monstrous."
Arou looked at the board again.
"But why are the top three hidden?"
Zata crossed his arms.
"I want you to guess."
Arou turned toward him.
"Guess?"
"Yep."
"If you get it right, I'll reveal them."
Arou sighed.
"Fine."
He studied the board carefully.
"The only missing names are Airi, Nova, and Hikari."
He thought for a moment.
"Hmm..."
"First place Airi."
"Second Nova."
"Third Hikari."
He looked at Zata.
"Right?"
Zata shook his head.
"No."
"You're wrong."
The board flashed.
The top three rankings appeared.
1. Nova Reed
2. Airi Mikami
3. Hikari Mikami
Arou was stunned.
"Wait... why is Nova first?"
"Why not Airi?"
Zata looked at him calmly.
"Did you forget?"
"Nova manipulates time."
Arou frowned.
"So?"
Zata smiled.
"No matter how fast Airi runs..."
"Nova can simply stop time."
"And walk."
Arou fell silent.
"So," Zata continued,
"Nova's speed is unmatched."
Arou nodded slowly.
"That makes sense..."
"But then why isn't Nora in the top three?"
"Can't she copy Nova's magic?"
Zata sighed softly.
"Nora can copy Nova's magic."
"But..."
"She can't copy Nova's time manipulation."
Arou's eyes widened.
"Why?"
"Because Nora can only copy spells Nova created."
"Not the source of her time power."
Arou nodded.
"Oh..."
"I see."
He looked up.
"So what now?"
Zata smiled.
But this time...
the smile felt strange.
"Wake up."
Arou frowned.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Wake up, Arou."
His voice was gentle.
"You've been asleep for a long time."
"What?"
Arou looked around.
"I'm standing right here with you. Why are you acting weird?"
"With me?" Zata asked quietly.
"No."
"You've been alone this entire time."
Arou froze.
"What are you talking about?!"
"Do you truly believe..."
"that you're not alone right now?"
Arou clenched his fists.
"Of course I'm not alone."
"You're right here."
Zata stared at him.
"Actually..."
"None of us ever existed."
He took a step back.
"So..."
"Wake up."
"You've been asleep for a very long time."
Arou exhaled slowly.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"But you're acting really strange."
When he opened his eyes again—
Zata was gone.
"...What?"
"What happened?"
"Zata?"
"Where are you? Stop joking around!"
Silence answered him.
Darkness.
Then—
Arou suddenly jolted awake.
"Zata..."
He realized something.
He was already in his room.
Alone.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window.
Silence.
Arou slowly sat up on his bed.
He stared at his hands.
"So all of that was just... a dream?"
His chest tightened.
He stood and walked toward the mirror.
The face staring back looked exhausted.
Puffy eyes.
Heavy breathing.
"Nova... Hikari... Fushiku... Setsuna..."
The names escaped his lips softly.
Like prayers with nowhere to go.
And then—
the one name that shattered him.
"Airi..."
Arou grabbed his chest.
The memories felt far too real to be called a dream.
The pain felt too deep.
He remembered the sword.
The red threads.
Her final smile.
Arou turned toward the corner of his room.
Empty.
Only himself remained.
Alone.
"So all of you..."
"...were just creations of my own mind."
A weak laugh escaped him.
Broken.
Bitter.
"Funny, isn't it?"
"Even in my dreams..."
"...I still couldn't protect anyone."
He sat on the floor beside his bed.
Head lowered.
Tears slowly fell.
"I miss all of you..."
Arou took a long breath.
Deep.
Heavy.
He wiped his eyes.
"If it was only a dream..."
"Then I'm the one who has to keep living."
"With all of this pain."
He stood once more.
And looked out the window.
Blue sky.
A normal world.
Life moving forward.
"Thank you..."
"...for existing."
Even if only inside his heart.
Arou walked toward the door.
His steps were unsteady—
but they never stopped.