The desert was dry and destroyed, and many ruins of cities could be seen in the distance. Far away, there was a huge mushroom cloud. Everything pointed to a large-scale war taking place there long ago. Behind Haoyu, a familiar voice reached his ears.
— Haoyu, it's not your fault. It was my choice, to keep my secrets to myself.
He turned around. Jing was smiling at him, her wrists bleeding.
— Jing...
— Do you see these? I cut them. I've done this many times, but you never noticed.
— You... you were killing yourself all this time?
— Why do you think I always wore a hoodie, even in the summer? I didn't want to take my problems to you or Haoran. We made a promise, remember?
— Promise...?
— To be friends for eternity! Humans die after a while, don't they? If I die being your friend, I'll be fulfilling my promise!
— You gotta be kidding...
— Remember Huang? That girl who tried to befriend you and Haoran?
— She... went missing right before you...
— What do you think? Our promise was to be friends with each other, right? If there was another party, karma would affect us because we broke our promise.
— You... you didn't...
— Yes, I ended her life... gently. I tried not to be too harsh.
Suddenly, he was inside a bedroom. The lights were off. It was night, silent. The door opened slowly, and someone came in with a syringe. She turned on the light.
— W-Who are you?! How did you enter my house?
— Shh... your family is safe... for now...
Before the girl could scream, Jing covered her mouth with a cloth and pressed the syringe to her neck, immobilizing her. Then, she tangled the cloth and pressed it into her mouth as hard as she could, forcing her jaw open. She began to slowly cut off her fingers, until Haoyu began to vomit. He returned to the church tower. Jing was gently stroking his head.
— I'm sorry for keeping this a secret from you all this time, Haoyu... I just thought you would abandon me. Then I would have broken our promise.
— You... you're not Jing...
— Of course I am, Haoyu! People can be unpredictable, right?
Ria appeared in the middle of the desert, with many corpses around her. She was used to seeing death and war, but she wished she wasn't. She was looking at the mushroom cloud, remembering her deceased friend.
— Ria... this was my choice, not yours.
She turned around quickly, her eyes widening in surprise.
— Tetsu... shi...
— I've always loved big explosions. The bigger the better. My dream was... to experience the biggest explosion mankind has ever seen. I couldn't see it with my own eyes, but... I know I caused it. And... that's enough. My life feels full.
— Tetsushi, stop...
She began to cry visibly.
— I know I'm selfish, and that I've caused thousands or even millions of deaths, but... it was my choice. People can be selfish sometimes, can't they? I saved as many people as I could, to make up for my sin.
— No, it could be different...
— If I survived, would you forgive me?
— Of course I would!
— I feel good hearing that, but... you're a hero. You should care more about people than me. I'm a criminal. You're a criminal. But in some ways I'm worse than you. That's why you should forget me. To live and not let me drag you down.
— Tetsushi, stop... you can't do this to me...
— I know I'm being selfish, but... that's the way it is. You don't sympathize with criminals, do you? I'm not saying you should be hard on yourself, but obsessing over me isn't doing you any good. So... let me go. It's not your fault.
She hugged him, crying desperately.
— Don't leave, Tetsushi! Please... I love you...
— I love you too, Ria. That's why it's time to say goodbye.
— Wait, don't leave me!
— I'm not even alive, you know? I'm just an interactive recorded message, you could say. Nothing you do can bring me back. And that's not your fault, nor is it bad. It's the natural cycle of life and death.
— No... please... don't go...
— Goodbye, Ria. Promise me you'll remember me, but not as someone you need to live. You don't need me, you never did. You're strong, Ria. You can do it.
— ...
He gradually disappeared, along with the mushroom cloud.
— Good... bye...
A loud sound could be heard. She turned around and saw a red flare in the sky. She slowly stood up, silently wiping away her tears. Then, she began to walk towards her destination.
Haoyu lost the strength in his legs. Everything he knew was wrong. Or was it? He couldn't accept it.
— You... you are a monster...
— You're right again, Haoyu! But promises can't be broken, right? Otherwise, karma will come back to us.
— You're a liar! You couldn't do all that shit! Do you know why? Because I knew you. You were not a worthless psychopath!
— Oh, I was. I could not be redeemed from the start. But karma is one the strongest forces in the universe, right?
— Killing someone would bring you the worst of karma!
— That's why I killed myself! If I'm dead, nothing will hurt me!
He quickly stood up and tried to punch her, but he phased her body.
— Haoyu?
— Shut the fuck up! I don't want to see you anymore in my fucking life, understood? So get the hell out of my sight!
— Hao... yu...?
She began to cry silently.
— Where did I... go wrong...?
He started looking for a way out. The tower was very high, and there were no stairs anywhere. She tried to touch him, but he ran away.
— You won't... abandon me, right...?
— I won't say it again! Don't get close to me ever again!
— But you can't leave... you're stuck here with me...
— Oh, am I? Well, fuck you!
He promptly jumped off the tower. When he hit the ground, nothing bad happened. He just landed on his head, with nothing cracked.
— I can't let... my guests die...
— I'm not sure if I should thank you...
— Trail your... own way...
The mysterious man pointed in a random direction. A red flare flew into the sky.
Is it the others? I should go. I have nothing left to do here.
Haoyu arrived at the scene before Ria. What he saw betrayed everything the man had said. Haoran was lying on the ground, dead.
— Hao... ran...?
He shook his body in disbelief, trying to wake him up.
— Hey, God of Infinity or whatever, do something!
— I'm afraid there's nothing he can do, my dear.
— What?
He turned around, trying to find the woman talking to him. There was no one.
It was not Ria's voice.
— Who are you?
— Well, before we ask questions, how about a little introduction?
A portal opened beneath him, causing him to fall. He was now inside a building, in the middle of the sea. It was a skyscraper half sunk into the ocean. No other buildings were tall enough to be seen. He was on a floor just above water level. He was in a restaurant, sitting at a table across from a woman.
She had an innocent smile. Her hair was pink and long, her eyes also pink. Her dress was white. She looked like a princess. Her pose, however, was smug and arrogant, like that of a delinquent.
— You're Haoyu, right?
— How do you know my name?
— I know everything. It's related to my power.
— You have a power?
— I am the Demigoddess of Observation. Nice to meet you.
She held out her hand to him. He hesitated, but took it. Her smile changed to an evil grin.
— Now, why keep up appearances? It's not like you can do anything against me.
— What do you mean?
— Your friend Haoran or whatever... he was weak.
— What... did you do...?
— He was weak not only physically, but also mentally and karmically.
— WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?!
— Oh, calm down there, bro, I'm just explaining why-
He stood up and punched her with all his might, but she didn't budge.
— Don't worry, I won't hurt you if you're a good boy from now on.
— SHUT THE FUCK UP AND ANSWER!!!
— Do you want me to shut the fuck or answer, huh?
She stood up and stared into his eyes.
— I can observe anyone and anything. What you feel now is fear, more than anger. You can't hurt me, and you know that. So...
She touched her finger on his chest teasingly.
— Be quiet for a moment, will you? I just had a little fun time with your friend, that's all.
— You... I will kill you, I swear...
— Humans can't kill deities, darling.
— I will find a way...
— Your friend tried to find a way to fight me... It was refreshing to step on his pride and see his life force leaking away.