It was a small room but it was better than nothing. Sleeping on the hard ground of the dungeon made me realize how blessed humans are to be sleeping in comfortable beds. Even little things like showers or spices for food were something I missed while inside of the dungeon. Fifi lays on the pillow right next to me and I remember that today is the day I’m supposed to give her some blood.

“Fifi, its feeding time.”

“Oh, I totally forgot.”

She sits up and opens her mouth as I cut my finger. We’ve done this so many times that it has become a weekly routine. Four drops of blood come out and Fifi joyfully savors the taste. I’ve tasted my own blood before because Fifi makes it seem so delicious but it doesn’t taste that good to me. Hearing Kurulu’s slight complaints from the bedside, I being explaining to Fifi everything that happened with the cursed spear.

“Don’t use her again, Jude. She’s too suspicious and I’ve never heard of someone named the Blood Empress, Kurulu. Just let me purify her soul then it’ll be fine.”

“Hmph, don’t even think about trying it. You’re just half-bred fairy.”

Kurulu’s voice was quiet but I could still hear her from the spear. She sounded quite angry but it didn’t seem like Fifi heard her. I guess only I can hear Kurulu’s voice.

“Please don’t purify her, Fifi. I already made an agreement that I’ll help Kurulu find someone and in return, she’ll teach me how to use blood magic and spear techniques.”

“You what!? Ahh, Jude, you’re too innocent. She’s obviously tricking you, I should really just purify her right now.”

Light magic appears around Fifi’s hand and she was serious about purifying Kurulu. I stop her as I already made an agreement with Kurulu and I didn’t want to break it. Fifi complains about how I’m too easily tricked by women but she eventually concedes. Kurulu laughs in triumph and I’m sure Fifi with be angry if she heard her.

I lay back down on the bed and think over Kayla’s words. It’s not like I haven’t thought about it before but I wonder if Fifi and these monsters are beings from another world. There are many things I don’t know about Fifi but there are times when she talks about legends I’ve never heard before. I don’t know all the legends in the world but many of the legends she has talked about seem unfamiliar. Suddenly I’m reminded of that demon in Ostemapl words.

“None of you believe me do you. You all think I’m making up lies, but I’m not. I’ve seen them, the aliens...The aliens didn’t come. Was I wrong? No, I can’t be. The aliens should have realized it by now since everything is waking up. Even the ancient ones should be waking up so why aren’t they here then!?”

I didn’t understand it at the time but were those aliens referring to beings from a different world. What kind of beings would make that demon so afraid? If he’s speaking the truth then the future is going to be filled with struggles. I begin to dose off as a feeling of unease fills me as I think about the future.

|......|

Are you done listening in on Jude’s conversation?

“Yeah, he seems to have fallen asleep.”

Alright, rest up and let me take over.

“Ok, don’t get yourself into any trouble.”

I know.

{Mei 1 heads back to the White Room and the body comes under my control. She’s been fighting for so long and I can tell that it’s taking a toll on her. It’s been quite a while since I have control and there’s something I want to test out. I pass by other rooms as I head for the exit. Many of the rooms were filled up which shows that this area wasn’t as safe as I thought. Walking by, I see a large room where the women we had saved were in.}

“Hey, how are you guys feeling?”

“Oh, you’re the girl that was with Jude. My name is Ruka.”

“Nice to meet you, I’m Mako.”

{It was the girl Jude had first saved when we entered that filthy breeding house. She looks around expectantly but I tell her that Jude wasn’t with me.}

“Where are the other girls?”

“Some of them have gone out to look for their friends and family. Those that are here weren’t able to find them.”

“Are you ok? You and your mom can go look for your family while I watch over them.”

“It’s fine. We don’t have any other family living here and my mom has gone out to look for her friends.”

“Don’t you have friends to look for?”

“...”

{She didn’t answer me but I could tell what happened to her friends through her teary eyes. Her friends must not have made it out.}

“I’m sorry.“

“Hehe, it’s fine. I have to stay strong if I want to live in a world like this.”

{She was trying to put up a tough facade but I can tell she’s pushing herself. The horrors she and the other women is something I could never imagine. The only thing I can do is to lessen their pain the only way I know how to. I grab Ruka’s hand and put a big smile on my face.}

“Let’s be friends then. This way you won’t feel lonely.”

“Oh, sure.”

{Ruka was awkward at first but she begins to open up to me as we talk. Her full name was Ruka  Derinny and she was 29 years old. Before she was taken captive, she was an author that had written multiple web novels. She became a writer because both her mother and father were writers, but since her father passed away 6 years ago she stopped writing.}

{I asked her a bit about her novels but I could tell that she was hesitant to talk about it. It must a tough topic for her to talk about but her name sounds familiar. Searching through my memories I finally remember.}

“Wait, are you FeRuka DestRuka, the author of Love in a Bleak World.”

“You know one of my novels?”

“Yeah, I love Love in a Bleak World and my friend is also an avid reader of your work.”

{Mei 2 has read all of FeRuka’s works but I’ve only read Love In a Bleak World. It was such a heartwrenching novel where a boy was sent to an apocalyptic future. Humanity’s future was bleak because they became prey to giant animals, but through the main character’s kind actions, he gave the people around him hope for the future. There were many twists and turns, but he was eventually able to live happily.}

“Ahhh, the ending was so sad when his wife left him so he wouldn’t see her die from her incurable disease.”

“Haha, I’m embarrassed. My novels weren’t particularly popular so its embarrassing to hear a fan praise it.”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It was a great novel.”

{She was twirling her green hair and beneath her glasses, I could see her blushing. I feel a sense of closeness as we share a hobby and maybe she felt the same as she begins to open up even more. I’m sure Mei 2 would also be great friends with her.}

“Ahaha, I didn’t expect you to be a fan of romance novels.”

“Do I not seem like I would like them? I do like my action novels and movies, but romance can also be seen as a battlefield. A battle of LOVE.”

“Speaking of love. Do you know if Jude has a girlfriend?”

“Oh!”

{The conversation had suddenly turned into talks about love. Ruka was twiddling her thumbs and her eyes were filled with hope as she stares at me.}

{Should I tell her the truth or not? Mei 1 really likes Jude and if I tell Ruka that Jude doesn’t have a girlfriend, she might go for him, but I also didn’t want to lie to her. If only Mei 2 was here, she would be able to help me with this situation.}

“Oh, am I making things awkward. Sorry, Mako.”

“No, why are you apologizing?”  

“Well, don’t you also like Jude?”

“Me!? No. No. No. It’s not like that.”

“Really? You’re always clinging on to him whenever I see you with him.”

“That’s!”

{I wanted to explain the situation to her but I can’t. Mei 1, Mei 2, and I already made a pact that we wouldn’t tell others about our situation unless we all agree on it. Before I could even think of an excuse, Ruka grabs my hands and stares straight into my eyes.}

“You’re cute, Mako. You don’t have to hide your feelings.”

“W-what are you talking about!?”

“You finished Love in a Bleak World, right?”

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with this situation.”

“Well, don’t you remember that the main character had multiple lovers throughout the novel.”

“Yeah, but that’s just fictional.”

{Her eyes were gleaming and something was telling me that she was a lot similar to Mei 2 than I thought. Maybe that’s why we got so close so fast. The situation was starting to get out of hand and I didn’t know how to handle it. From the corner of my eye, I found my savior.}

“Oh, you’re Mom’s here. I don’t want to get in the way so I’ll get going.”

“Fine, we’ll talk about this later, Mako.”

{I get up from my seat and introduce myself to Ruka’s mother. She seemed like a nice lady but I had to get out of here as fast as possible. If I stayed any longer Ruka was definitely going to try something. I rush out of the building and I could still feel my face burning up.}

“Haah, it’s complicated having three people in one body.”

{Misunderstandings happen all too often and it’s hard to explain other people. Even topics about love are complicated. Mei 1 likes Jude and Mei 2 is quite fond of him, but sometimes I wonder if I’m holding them back. It’s not like Jude’s a bad guy but I don’t like him as much as they do.}

{Ruka shook my mental state but I slap my cheeks to calm down. I need to find a place where I can train. Walking through the town it was a surreal experience to see frogmen and humans coexist, but the atmosphere was lively. The frogmen selling items at their stalls were nice and didn’t seem that much different from humans.}

“Excuse me, is there a place where I can train.”

“Train?”

“Umm, a quiet place where I won’t disturb others.”

{The purple frogman points off towards the distance and I thank him. I pass by mud huts and modern buildings until I reach a clearing. There were some trees and boulders, but other than that it was empty. It was quite far from the town so whatever I do wouldn’t bother others.}

{I stand in front of a tree before taking a solid punch. The tree cracks and a large dent was made. Now that I’m in control of my body, I can tell that it’s stronger than before. The mana pool has grown and the strength of the body has improved. I guess experience from fighting in life and death situations really helps one grow. I take a deep breath and practice some fighting techniques to get used to the body.}

“Let’s try it.”

{I concentrate and release one of the locks in the White Room. Energy surges through my body and I punch another tree. This time the tree breaks in half but I wasn’t done yet. In the span of about 5 minutes, I destroyed multiple trees and boulders. The power was stronger than an average human but it isn’t enough to deal with monsters like a lizardman.}

{Time was running out but there was still something else I wanted to try. I rouse the mana inside of me and rapidly let it course inside of my body. Unlike how Mei 1 or Mei 2 uses mana, I don’t release it outside of the body. Just like what happened when I released that one lock, energy courses through my body again. I stand in front of a larger boulder and with one punch it disintegrates into pieces.}

“Hahaha, it works! They’ll all be surprised when I tell them that I learned how to use mana to reinforce my body. With this, I’ll definitely be able to fight against monsters.”

{I’ve been practicing this within the White Room but its best to train with an actual body. The idea of body enhancement came from something Jude had discussed with Fifi. I’ve been working on enhancing my body through mana but it wasn’t easy. It was only when I saw Gorou envelop himself in that black aura, was their progress. I was able to imitate that with mana and it works.}

{The energy was sapped out of me as the lock in the White Room was sealed up again. This time I was able to make it last at least 10 minutes long. It was an improvement from when it used to only last a single minute. One day it’ll become more usable.}

“Haah, training is the best.”