In the middle of the night, while Rex was asleep on his bed, Rose—who was sleeping on a futon on the floor—kicked Ruby next to her. "Uh," Ruby groaned, squirming. She opened her eyes to see Rose sitting beside her with her arms crossed, glaring at her. Ruby sat up and rubbed her eyes, glancing behind her at the bed to make sure Rex was still sound asleep and unmoving. Then she turned back to Rose with an angry expression.
"What do you want, grandma?" Ruby muttered in a whisper.
"Follow me, we need to talk," Rose whispered back.
Rose stood up and walked quietly toward the door, and Ruby stood up to follow her just as silently. The two of them snuck out of Rex's apartment and climbed the stairs at the end of the hall leading to the rooftop. They stood facing each other under the moonlight.
"So, what do you want to talk about that's worth waking someone up for?" Ruby asked, annoyed at being disturbed.
"Before we start talking, listen to this," Rose said.
Rose replayed the conversation between Rex and Katie discussing the marriage of Katie and Nora to John. In the recording, Rex could be heard asking Katie all sorts of questions about the unwritten rules of human relationships and what the city government considered legal. After listening to the clip, Ruby stared at Rose with a questioning look, her brow furrowed.
"Where did you get this recording?" Ruby asked, curious, studying Rose's face closely.
"There's a bug on Rex's smartphone," Rose answered.
"So you're spying on Rex?" Ruby asked, her anger rising.
"Like you aren't. You're the one who put a tracking device in his boxers, so don't give me that crap," Rose snapped back.
The two of them fell silent, staring at each other with their arms crossed. Ruby ran a hand through her hair.
"So, you woke me up just to listen to that? What exactly are you trying to say?" Ruby asked.
"Listen, kid. Because Rex talked to that woman, he started looking into marriage laws. I've been trying to keep him inside specifically to avoid this, but it is what it is. Right now, the only ones by his side are me and you. I'm asking for us to cooperate and play nice in front of him. You don't have to pretend to like me; this is for Rex. Understand?" Rose asked.
"Huh... so that's what you wanted to talk about. I've already been thinking the same thing... fine, I get it," Ruby answered.
"Hoh... this little punk is actually quick on the uptake... good, very good," Rose said with a cynical smile.
"But... if you ever hurt Rex, you'll have to answer to me. Got it?" Ruby asked, pointing directly at Rose's face.
"Ha... I know your magic is fairly strong, but you think I'm afraid of you? The same applies to you. You hurt Rex, and you're dead," Rose replied.
"Hahaha... you think I'm scared of your threats? You've got the wrong girl, grandma," Ruby mocked.
Suddenly, a black energy aura surged from Rose's feet, swirling upward to envelop her entire body. It was followed by a white aura as a pair of massive wings—one black and one white—sprouted from her back. Half of Rose's black hair turned silver and horns emerged. Then, the white energy condensed into an angel halo above her head, while the black energy formed a dark cloak that immediately hooded her face. Finally, the combined energies formed a massive, two-toned scythe in Rose's hand.
"So? Still got something to say?" Rose asked from behind her hood, her face hidden and her voice echoing with a terrifying, dual tone.
Seeing Rose's horrifying Grim Reaper appearance, Ruby didn't flinch at all. Instead, she smirked and casually crossed her arms.
"What are you laughing at?" Rose asked, her voice distorted and haunting.
"You know? Before I came to this world, I lived in a world called Valandia. Life there was just like it is here, but with one difference: there were no humans. There was only this,"
A white-blue aura spiraled up from Ruby's feet, forming a tornado that encased her entire body. "Crack... crack," the sound of shifting bones echoed from within the storm. When the tornado vanished, Rose's eyes widened behind her hood. The Ruby standing before her was no longer the usual girl. Her short frame had grown tall, a white split-tail emerged from her lower back, a pair of wolf ears sat atop her head, and her face had transformed into that of a white wolf. Gradually, her face shifted back to her human features, but her eyes had changed from blue to a piercing yellow.
"So, still want to talk?" Ruby asked with a savage smile.
"Beastman... figures," Rose answered dismissively.
"Hey... don't go talking out of your ass. I'm a Snow Fenrir, daughter of the Beast God, and I was an S-rank adventurer. Don't you dare lump me in with common beastmen; I'm royalty and a demigod," Ruby shouted, clearly annoyed. "Even though at the end of my life... ah, why am I remembering that," Ruby muttered in her heart.
"Yeah, yeah... okay. So? Am I supposed to be scared? I'm the Saint chosen by the God of Light and the heir to the God of Death's power because I'm his daughter in a world called Phanteos... you aren't the only demigod here," Rose snapped back. "Even if in the end I was... ugh, why is that memory coming back," Rose muttered to herself.
"Fine then. Let's just prove it," Ruby said, dropping into a stance as claws extended from her hands and her face shifted back into a wolf's snout.
Rose spun her scythe and took a combat stance. "Bring it on," Rose said, giving Ruby the signal to strike.
"So it was true. You two are the ones behind it—getting rid of everyone close to me or anyone I know, just like the news has been saying for the past month,"
Hearing a man's voice, Rose and Ruby turned around. They were confused because they didn't see anyone in the direction the voice came from.
"Look up,"
Both of them immediately looked toward the sky, and their eyes widened to see Rex floating above them. He was wearing a grey hoodie and jeans with no shoes. His entire body was shrouded in a gray aura that swirled like a vortex of mist around him, while flashes of lightning flickered in his eyes. He looked down at the two of them with his arms crossed.
"I caught a glimpse of what you two were talking about. Don't think for a second I can't kill demigods like you. In a world called Arendel, I am the son of the Sword Knight God and the Moon Goddess—which makes me a full god, not a demigod like you two. I don't care who you are. Now, give me back Rose and Ruby you kidnapped from my room... or I'll take your heads right here," Rex said, his voice calm but ice-cold. "If I hadn't been betrayed, I never would have died," Rex muttered as his own memories surfaced.
Hearing Rex's words, Rose and Ruby glanced at each other, then looked back up at Rex, who looked furious with his hair disheveled.
"Wait... he doesn't recognize me," they both thought at the same time.
The two of them stood frozen, staring at Rex. Seeing that they weren't moving, Rex finally descended, landing gracefully in front of them.
"So... where are Rose and Ruby?" Rex's voice grew deeper, though it remained calm. The gray mist swirling around his body began to crackle with white lightning, and he looked absolutely furious.
Ruby, in her upright white wolf form, took a step forward and opened her mouth to speak. But before she could say a word, Rose grabbed her hand and immediately bolted, taking Ruby with her. Rex, watching them flee, took to the air again.
"So you want to play games with me... fine," he muttered to himself.
"Boom!" Rex lunged after them, flying so fast he carved a path through the air. Meanwhile, Rose kept a tight grip on Ruby's hand as they sprinted, leaping over the rooftops of houses and office buildings. They looked panicked, seemingly at a loss for what to do. Ruby looked at Rose, who was still leading the way.
"Rose, you have wings—why aren't you flying?" Ruby asked as they ran.
"Are you crazy? Didn't you see how fast he is? There's no way I can fly at that speed," Rose answered without slowing down.
"Oh... right. Well, try this," Ruby said.
Ruby grabbed Rose's hand and immediately teleported them, reappearing in a park directly below where they had been. Rose was startled, glancing around at the dark, night-shrouded park. She turned to Ruby.
"What are you doing?" Rose asked.
"Teleporting. Quick, change back into a human and pretend to be unconscious," Ruby said.
"Oh... smart," Rose replied.
They immediately shifted back into their human forms and lay down on the grass near some trees, faking a dead faint. "Boom!" A moment later, Rex made a heavy landing in the park. He scanned the area and was shocked to see Rose and Ruby lying on the ground. He quickly knelt beside them to check their condition. When he realized they were only unconscious and unharmed—unaware they were faking it—Rex let out a massive sigh of relief.
"Thank God, they're still alive... damn those two monsters... I'm going to hunt them down until I find them," Rex said in his head.
He then hoisted Rose and Ruby over his shoulders. He began to leap and run across the rooftops to get back to his apartment; he couldn't fly while carrying both of them because if one slipped, the fall would be fatal. Meanwhile, with their heads hanging behind Rex's back, Rose and Ruby turned to look at each other. This time, they both smiled, winked, and gave each other a secret thumbs-up.