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Chapter 48: Creeping Shadow

In the room, Dora was being bombarded with questions by his comrades, Lilith holding him by the collar.

"What do you mean, you don't remember?" Are you trying to play dumb?

"But since I told you! You should have asked the other girl!"

"By the way, who is this woman?" Mary asked, holding his right arm. "What is your relationship?"

They all looked at him, eager to hear his answer, but he was unable to come up with anything believable, in fact, even he didn't know about their relationship. A player and her gaming avatar? It didn't make any sense.

"It's...someone I met."

Lilith tightened her grip.

"Someone you met? And she lives with you in... in... This place? Seriously?"

"Technically she forced herself on me but it doesn't matter."

That wasn't enough to convince anyone and his options were dwindling. He considered changing characters but since Beta would be a dangerous gamble, and Gamma would be too violent. He decided to endure the wave, hoping that Midgard would arrive quickly.

His salvation came from the least expected person, Leon grabbed Lilith and Marie and took them from Dora.

"Enough with this bullshit, what exactly are you?! There's no way you're Dora!"

"... Yeah, you'll do. What's the matter? Surprised to see me stronger than you?"

Leon tried to grab him by the neck but stopped, remembering his friend's fate. Dora nodded a cynical smile on his lips.

"Is this a bad time to remind you that this might be your best opportunity for revenge? I threw you off the bus, remember? Come on, get your revenge now... While I'm still reachable."

"You fucking bastard."

Hope approached hesitantly.

"But... Seriously, what was that?... You... You've never fought like that before."

"Of course, I wasn't trying to kill you... Wait... Is that Barron?" He noticed Cid unconscious in a corner of the room, a bandage in place of a leg. Freya sighed and walked over to him.

"He was seriously injured. There was no other choice..." She looked at him, visibly affected by his fate.

No one could say a word, Hope and Mercy were aware that Cid was in this battle because of her, she was probably blaming herself for what happened but nothing could change the situation now, complaining was pointless.

Meanwhile, in the other room, Eryl and Midgard were enjoying a cup of tea. Midgard observed her interlocutor, surprisingly calm and smiling. She finished her cup and placed it on the table, looking thoughtful.

"Hm, excellent quality. It's almost as delicious as what you can find in the capital, but I doubt you can find it anywhere in this world. Am I wrong?"

"Who knows? Since you liked it, I can assume you'll be very cooperative. I have a few questions to ask you."

"I have one too, why is there a sin in the territory of Gluttony?"

Midgard sighed and took a sip.

"You are only allowed to answer questions, nothing more. Why do I smell gluttony on you when you are neither an avatar nor a member of my species?"

"Since you reverted to your old form, does that mean she stopped looking out for you? Or maybe she chose to rebel?"

Midgard looked very annoyed and sighed deeply.

"We're not going anywhere like this. Look, I'm in control here, so either you follow my rules or I send you back to the Rift, do we have a deal?"

Eryl took the teapot and filled her cup, then added 4 tiles of sugar. She elegantly took a few sips and looked around the room.

"I prefer to have it outside, like in a garden. Is there a place like this? I mean here, I doubt we're anywhere in the kingdom."

Midgard's pupils narrowed and she tapped the handle of her chair with her fingers, showing her impatience, making Eryl laugh.

"I'm sorry, forgive my rudeness. If you feel like sending me there, do so. I'm sure you won't have a problem when Gluttony finds out her subordinate died in a battle involving another sin."

They looked at each other in silence then both burst out laughing.

"I think we're at an impasse, and if I let you leave alive, you'll tell her what you saw, right?"

"It's your fault for not being discreet enough, but I have an idea, let's do what you were doing earlier with the others, we ask what we want and we answer as best we can, that way we can get something out of it."

Midgard folded her hands in her seat, staring at the ceiling.

"Well, I guess it's better than nothing. So I go first, are you here because she sent you?"

"No, I'm an examiner from the capital, I was requested here because 3 nobles and 3 knights were participating in their first rift. Now, my turn, what is your end goal?"

Midgard suppressed a laugh at this question.

"What a thing to ask, I just want to do what my instinct tells me... In preparation for the big day."

"Big day? Twilight of the Gods?"

"... She talks a lot, that's for sure, huh?"

Freya laughed but managed to keep her composure. She placed a hand on her chin and whispered.

"... So it's really happening... I stopped believing it but... Oh, You wouldn't lie to me, I guess."

"Who knows? Don't you think this is the perfect excuse to convince her to leave us alone?"

"Hm, you are not wrong, if all 7 have appeared, then it has already begun... Only those blessed by the world can save humanity from that which lies above us. But maybe she will ask to keep the boy alive and get rid of you?... Ah, no, you have already made a contract, pretty smart."

Midgard, with a smug look, triumphantly took a sip of tea. Eryl raised her eyebrows and did the same.

"Now my question, who is he? Pride, Sloth, and Wrath have already appeared, he is not Envy either, therefore Greed or Lust... Seeing his face, I would be tempted to say Lust but..."

She looked up and met the green eyes of the woman in front of her.

"The serpent who wiped out a civilization in the name of his greed..."

Midgard applauded ironically.

"You put it all together with that? I understand why she chose you."

"You really love playing with death, don't you?"

"Please don't lower me to the level of your kind, how could I play with something that's out of my world?"

"Yes... What a stupid question... But I wonder if the current situation suits you. Dora is a good puppet, you two were so cute together, but you know you have no control over Greed, don't you ?"

The atmosphere changed abruptly and Midgard's eyes darkened.

"I'll figure something out."

"Interesting, but does he know... that you're going to swallow him?"

Back in the room, the tension had increased a notch. Leon, fuming with rage, tried to throw himself at Dora, held back by Hope and Morgiana. The latter was sitting on his bed next to Zuri and Marie, ready to intercept the furious Hero.

"Let him go, he needs a quick reality check."

"Idiora, now you stop that too!"

"But he's not wrong, what does he expect?" Zuri was lying down, casually reading a magazine.

"Say that again! Repeat what you said about Erick!"

"Hm? Are you angry about that? I tell you I don't know why Erick won't pick up a banana with his right hand anymore, if it was my doing, I would have cut something else."

"Morgiana, get the hell out of me!!!"

"You idiot, calm down!"

He was struggling like never before but Hope and Morgiana's grip was too strong. His eyes flashed with rage, but what fueled him was not the desire to defend his best friend, but something else. He gathered all his emotions into the single movement his body could express and spat on Dora.

The projectile disappeared before reaching its target and reappeared on Erick.

"Eeew! What's wrong with you?" Zuri pulled away in disgust.

The other people realized that the animosity between these two had exceeded its limits and even Kraim, earlier sitting nonchalantly, had stood up.

The smile on Dora's lips was gone, and for a moment a frail feeling ran through everyone, the feeling that death was coming to them as the boy's eyes turned black.

"Hope, Morgiana, let him go."

A shudder ran through both of them, Marie unconsciously letting go of his arm at the same time as Hope and Morgiana did the same with Leon, death was no longer a possibility but right here, in the room.

"I gave you 5 minutes and you're already killing each other?"

They turned towards the door Midgard and Eryl were entering through. The woman passed Erick to the ground and headed towards Dora, Leon stepped aside without saying a word.

"Hold back for now, remember our goal."

She turned to everyone, the pressure was off once again but the main event was about to begin.

"It's time to finish this rift."

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