Agami looks back at Aktur, who is walking toward him. He doesn't have enough time to ready his weapon, nor can he use his armament. Is this how his journey ends?

  Aktur stops in front of him and says, “I cleared the lower levels, so you shouldn't encounter any resistance or cultists. Sora is at the top. I broke the lock to the stairs and the Sky Pen. Use them.” Before Agami can say anything, he flies in the direction Gearfried was thrown.

  He looks at Aktur fly away, wondering for a couple of seconds if he will be okay. They seemed to know one another. Putting his worries aside, he returns his focus to the hotel. Agami stands up and looks around; the destroyed remains of buildings and corpses surround the skyscraper. He looks at the top; in the centre, he can see space. He can't help but stare for a few moments. The strong gales blowing around him, the dark clouds. It feels surreal. He focuses for a second and hears the choir…they're singing in harmony. Where are they coming from?

  A loud rumble from the Pen snaps him out of his admiration, the floor shaking violently around him. He shakes his head and slaps his face, psyching himself up for the battle ahead. He readies the Sharpshooter, wielding it like a sword. He can feel his hands tremble as he approaches, his heart racing.

  “As Stella said– have fun,” he unconvincedly encouraged himself.

  He carefully steps through the shattered glass door, arriving in a lobby that is falling apart. The golden walls are just a reminder of the luxury this building once had. To his right, he can see a casino. The lights are flickering as the building shakes. The noise of the slot machines is somehow louder than the booms and cracking sounds heard from above. As he looks over the railings, corpses litter the floor, and a pungent smell washes over him.

  Unable to handle it, he falls to his knees and pukes. The smell. The corpses. Their faces. When Imino cut through people, the corpses were eviscerated, but here, they were mutilated to different degrees. Some experienced more brutal deaths than others.

  After a couple of minutes, Agami pulls himself together and stands up slowly.

  I can't afford to slow down now.

  He covers his nose and focuses solely on the door to the stairs. He walks carefully through the casino, trying his best not to feel the texture under his shoes.

  That stranger… Akter? Actur? Actor? Did he do all of this? Agami struggles to remember the man's name with his racing thoughts.

  After several minutes, he finally reaches the stairs. In a swift motion, he opens and closes the door behind him. He takes a deep breath and readies the Sharpshooter.

  He climbs up the stairs slowly, hands on the railings to withstand the occasional tremors. The dust that falls off the top sometimes panics him, afraid the building will collapse with him in it. With each step up the staircase, the tremors become stronger while the choir becomes louder.

  It feels like he has been climbing these stairs forever. He leans over the railing and looks up, seeing how much torture he still needs to withstand. Suddenly, the choir stops, and the shaking subsides. Agami looks up.

  Why did the singing stop?

  “I need to get up there,” Agami says out loud.

  “Still so many flights?” Stella complains.

  “I know, I still–” He turns in surprise to find Stella next to him. “WH– How– how long were you walking with me?!”

  “Like for the past three flights,” she grins. He was too focused on the choir and his thoughts to notice her.

  “Aren't you supposed to be at the safehouse with the Slayers?” Agami asks as his nerves reel.

  “Yeah~ but I didn't want to miss this, so I snuck out.”

  “I–I have a lot of questions, but for now, I need to reach Sora. In the meantime, head back, it's not safe here,” Agami suggests while continuing the climb.

  “No way. I'm not missing the end of the world!” She says as she follows.

  “I'm serious.”

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  “I'm serious, too.”

  Agami tries to stare her down, but from the smile on her face, he isn't winning. After a few seconds, he concedes, “Ugh, fine. Just don't get hurt. And don't come crying to me if something happens to you!”

  “Sure thing~” she says in a happy tone.

  They continue up the stairs, getting closer to the tremors and choir.

  “So what do you think is going to be at the top?” She asks.

  “I don't know.”

  “Are you going to fight the big bad boss?”

  “I hope not,” Agami answers, his patience being tested.

  “By the way, what happened to the old man?”

  “Gearfried?” Stella nods her head in response. “Some guy– Actor or something– is fighting him. He wasn't interested in me, so he let me pass.”

  “Whoa, there is someone else here that can fight Gearfried, that's cool.”

  They continue in silence for a few steps before she asks, “So that time you were fighting with that ghost or something… You mentioned that you didn't ask for this or anything. What's that about?”

  Agami glances at her for a few seconds, hesitating on whether to explain things to her.

  “My right arm can take out these powerful spirits called Benefactors. According to Tenmei, when I was born, it was given to me,” Agami answers.

  “Interesting… so you're some kind of secret weapon, huh?”

  Agami looks at his arm, and a hollow pang passes through him for a moment. “I–...I never thought about me being the weapon…” He remembers Tenmei's scolding.

  His sacrifice and my role. I never had a say, did I?

  “You alright?” She asks.

  “I– I don't know– but I can’t– huh…I guess it…it was always like this…” Agami says as he stares at his arm.

  “The unfortunate consequence of being the chosen one,” Stella bluntly tells him.

  They continue, climbing the stairs slowly. Suddenly, stopping the Ascension no longer feels as important. “What–… Where do I go once the Benefactors are gone? Is this my role in life? Help the Slayers defeat them and go on?” He thinks out loud.

  “Hmmm, I'm guessing you never saw the full picture before.”

  “When I was with Marik and Erina, I didn't mind becoming the head butler or steward, but since–” as he tries to remember, a massive migraine erupts, and a bloody tear forms. The ice passing through his nerves nearly causes him to fall over. Stella gets ready to catch him, but he grabs the railing. “Ugh– I’m… I'm alright!”

  “Are you–”

  “I said I'm fine!” He takes a moment to regain his composure and wipes the tear before continuing. “As I was saying, after I came back to life, I was just thrown into this mess. At first, I thought Tenmei had my best interests in all of this, but now it feels like I'm more of a– of a–”

  “Means to an end?”

  “Yeah…” Agami sadly answers. “After I came back, I didn't know what had happened to my old life. If it's even there.” He turns to Stella and asks, “I don't-... belong anywhere… I don't have a proper education. I don't have friends. My family… my family still feels like strangers. I don't know my dreams. I– I don't think– No–... I have nothing besides this.” His hands tighten on the Sharpshooter's grip.

  “Agami…” Stella says, her expression for once showing concern.

  “As I said, my life was decided long ago. Once this is over…it's onto the next one. And once they are all gone…Maybe I should disappear?”

  The two remain silent. The hollow feeling in Agami's chest preoccupies him as they continue.

  Before they reach the top floor, Agami feels Stella's arm on his shoulder. She turns him around and hugs him, whispering, “I'm sorry for your life.”

  She steps back and continues, “How about during this adventure, we try to fix you?”

  Agami isn't bothered by her hands on his shoulder and asks, “What about our deal?”

  “Eh,” she shrugs, “We can always alter it.”

  Agami gives a weak smile as he gently nods.

  Stella smiles and declares, “Alright! Let's continue!”

  Upon reaching the top, large, steel double doors stand in front of them. The tremors stop as they walk towards the door. On the side, a warning reads, “Writer-Exclusive Members Are Allowed Beyond This Point.”

  Agami places his hands on one of the handles and opens it slowly.

  Before he opens the door, he asks, “Did– Did you also hear singing?”

  “Singing? What are you talking about?” Stella asks.

  “Never mind.” Hearing her answer leaves him with an uneasy feeling.

  He slowly opens the door and peeks through the gap. His heart trembles at the idea of what is behind it. But he will need to face it. As the door widens, he sees a lone man sitting by the head of a table, calmly drinking a cup of tea, unbothered by the wreckage surrounding him.

  The man has strange markings on his face. His white hair stretches past his shoulders. Despite the colour of his hair, his face is young and gentle. The man is wearing a white suit with a black undershirt. He has three eyes.

  The man places his cup down and looks at the two. He smiles and greets, “I have been expecting you, Agami.”