I stood there, disoriented as exhaustion had caught up to me. Keinz handed his soiled lab coat to Alfred, and began walking towards me. I wanted to shout each of my questions at him… but my breath wouldn’t allow it. My vision had gotten hazy, and I struggled to maintain my footing. 

 

“You don’t look so good.” Keinz now stood before me as he took hold of my arm. “Let’s get you taken care of. Your hard work will be rewarded.”

 

My panting wouldn’t cease, and my mind kept racing. The stench from Keinz’s lightly stained skin and dress shirt had forced the imagery of the medical tent back to my mind. Instead of my reflexes going off, my vision finally blacked out… I could feel my body give in, and I could no longer hear Keinz…

A dim orange light pierced my eyes, as they began to crack open. The sun was setting with its beautiful glow, and a comforting chill crawled through the air. I felt a light rocking motion sway my body up and down as my consciousness came back to me. I looked up to be met by Keinz’s worried face. He was carrying me in his arms, marching through a familiar road.

 

“Ah, perfect. You’re up.” He changed to a smirk. “You were starting to get heavy.”

 

“Shouldn’t you be saying ‘Good morning, princess’ instead?” I laughed in return. “Can you put me down now?”

 

“Right away, your highness.” Keinz dropped his support for my legs, causing them to fall to the ground. He used his other arm to support my back, making sure I was able to stand before pushing me in front of him.

 

With a pique look, I shook my head. Keinz kept his same smirk plastered on his face, and we continued down the road in silence. It took no longer than three minutes to reach his humble abode. Keinz opened the door, allowing me to enter before him.

 

“Come down to my lab, after dinner.” Keinz whispered while we removed our shoes. 

 

I nodded in understanding. Finally... After all this, I can finally have all these questions answered.

 

“Ahhah!” A loud voice that could only belong to one giant of a man appeared beside us. “I was wondering when you two would make it back here. Say, Keinz… Where’d the coat go?”

 

“Oh… I did not expect an intruder at this hour. I suppose I need to fetch Alfred. I’ll be right back, Michirin.” Keinz’s fake tone reminded me of Livie. He jokingly began to put his shoes back on.

 

“W-wait! I was here to make sure the kids were okay.” Jerry panicked, unable to take the joke. “I even cooked them dinner!” His panicked expression shifted into a proud smile.

 

“Ah, that saves me a lot of trouble. Thanks, friend.” Keinz stood, then patted Jerry’s shoulder in approval as he made his way upstairs.

 

It took me a minute to notice the pleasant aroma filling the house. It may only be due to having not eaten anything in nearly 24 hours, but this savour smell made my mouth water. I followed Jerry towards the dining room, where I was met by familiar faces. All of my friends had nearly finished their meals.

 

“Hey! welcome back, Mimi.” Yusha who sat facing me was first to notice my arrival. Gentle waves were thrown my way as the others heard Yusha mention my name.

 

I nodded in return, then sat down in an empty seat beside Ollie. “Welcome back, sis.” Ollie gave me a short hug before returning to his meal. “This is all ammphzing!”

 

“Ollie, manners.” Arashi scolded. “Find out what you needed?” He curiously  tilted his head towards me.

 

“No… unfortunately. However, I will after dinner.” I leaned back in my chair, and looked towards the ceiling with a sigh. 

 

Keinz entered shortly after. He had washed the sludge from his face, and changed into a new outfit which looked no different than the last.

 

“Why do you have so many chairs if you live here alone?” I asked Keinz, as he took a seat across from me.

 

“It’s all for the sake of decor, your highness.” He said expressionlessly, then cupped his hands on the table.

 

Jerry walked back to the table before I could comment further. He placed two plates on the surface, then slid them to both Keinz and I. The plate was packed with delectable meats and corn. Grilled sirloin steak, showing the perfect amount of red as I cut into it. Roasted gold corn, seasoned with butter and herbs. A barbequed kabob lined with cucumber, onion, bell peppers, and some kind of meat. The brilliant taste of it all had me locked in silence.

 

Before I knew it, I was finished. The others had already turned in their plates, and all but Livie had left the room. I stood to turn in my plate as well, but Jerry sat me back down and took my plate for me.

 

“Glad you enjoyed it. Mind giving me a rating?” Jerry stood proudly behind the counter.

 

“Five stars.” Livie and I simultaneously gave our unbiased opinions. Jerry’s brow furrowed at that response. 

 

“How can you have high quality food like this out here in the middle of nowhere?” I questioned with a gluttonous glimmer in my eyes. From what I had seen, there was no livestock nor suitable grazing area anywhere nearby.

 

“Well... This is a special occasion. We don’t usually have large meals like this.” Jerry timidly scratched his head. “We have good friends with good transportation, I guess you could say.”

 

Special occasion… is that because...

 

“It all came from a city to the west of here, Nemus. They’re blessed with good soil for agriculture.” Keinz took over Jerry’s explanation, interrupting my thought process. “Just don’t ask where the kabob meat came from.”

 

“Ah, nonsense. Nothing wrong with a little Cimex meat here and there.” Jerry boasted with a grin.

 

Cimex… My mind went back to when I first arrived... re-seeing those worms and small bugs in the water I drank. My stomach began to churn. Reluctantly, I held back. Cimex here couldn’t possibly mean the same as in our world… could it?

 

“Bahahah!” Jerry slapped the table in a fit of laughter. “That’s the same reaction I had after hunting one of those things myself. Those huge buggers truly are a freak of nature, but at least they taste good.”

 

“The heck is a Cimex?” Livie sat there bewildered. “That some kind of deer? It was just as chewy.” She spoke as though she wanted seconds.

 

Oh, Livie... I wish you wouldn’t have asked that…

 

“Cimex is what we use to refer to an abominable species of bugs. They’re rather large and disgusting creatures that live in droves near larger settlements.” Keinz answered, holding back a twitch. “It disgusts me to even consider eating it myself, but in times like these you have to eat what’s available. Just so happens that it tastes more than edible.”

 

I blanked out for a moment after my worst suspicions were confirmed. This world appears to be more and more like a nightmarish version of ours by the hour. I’ll have to get over the puddle incident if this is the kind of food we’ll have to eat from now on.

 

“Giant mutant bug meat? Cool, always wondered what those would taste like.” Livie sat up from her chair and stretched her arms, followed by a lengthy yawn. I simply shook my head, pretending I didn’t hear that.

 

Knock… knock.

 

Keinz stood to go check the door. Moments later he walked back into the dining room, followed by Julie and Eir.

 

“Well, this simply won’t do…” Julie mumbled, looking perplexed. “Jerry, would you kindly gather the boys together and have them stay at your place? I’ll keep the girls here in one room, along with Eir in his own.”

 

“Oh, uh… sure, Julie.” Jerry scratched the back of his head. “I guess I do have plenty of spare room now.” His usual boasting laugh hadn’t come out, nor did his joyful smile. Instead he left the dining room, and headed towards the lounge. “Alright, boys! You’re with me.” 

 

Moments later, Jerry walked past the dining room with Ollie snuggled up in his muscular arms. Yusha and Arashi soon followed behind, each giving us a wave as they walked out the door. 

 

“‘Aight then. Off to bed I go.” Livie yawned once more. “Ya comin’, Mimi?”

 

“No, sorry. I have a few things I’d like to ask Keinz about first.” I patted her head, and she gave me a hug in return.

 

“Oh, well then don’t keep me waiting~” She let out a devilish wink. I could only hope there’ll be no trap set for me once I return from the lab.

 

“Follow me, dear. I’ll show you to the guest room.” Julie guided the demonic entity out of the dining room. The impish girl blew a kiss before heading up the stairs.

 

All that remained were Eir, Keinz, and myself. “Is Eir’s room not also upstairs?” I raised my brow towards Keinz.

 

“Nuh uh.” Eir shook his head with a tired expression. “I sleep in the basement.” His head drooped as he struggled to remain awake.

 

“With that out of the way… shall we get going, Milady?” Keinz bowed with an arm showing the way out of the room. I picked up the sleepy Eir and wrapped his arms behind my shoulders, then proceeded to the basement.

 

The same walk down, but now with a fluffy cat-like child in my arms. His hair brushed against my cheek, and my heart filled with joy at the fluffy contact. I now see why Livie is so keen on cuddling him every chance she gets, but I held myself back from going as overboard as she does. A few more steps down the hall, and Eir jumped out of my arms. He opened a door to what must be his room.

 

“Ahhhh-hhaaaa… Goodnight, Pa. Goodnight, Mimi.” Disappointingly, he didn’t say ‘nya’ as he yawned. It was cute all the same.

 

“Sleep well, flu-- erm, Eir.” I gave the tuckered out kitten one last pat before he closed the door behind himself.

 

Keinz let out a light laugh as he continued past me down the hall. Once we reached the grand metal door to the lab, he reached into his pocket to take out a key. He then opened a hidden panel on the left wall, inserted the key, then gave it a turn. The door soon opened, followed by us waltzing in towards the same island he had us sit at before. He calmly prepared sets of tea for the both of us.

 

“So, are you and Julie…” I blurted out without thinking.

 

“Hmm?” Keinz took a moment to finish my awkward question in his head. “Oh, heavens no. Our relationship goes no further than a shared responsibility to look after Eir.” He nervously waved in denial after being taken off guard.

 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ask any implications like that.” Already off to a great start on information gathering. “I’ll get straight to the point now.” I sat up straight and focused my eyes on his.

 

“Please, ask away.” Gesturing with his free hand. I was free to begin asking questions that mattered.

 

“Then, I’d like to begin by confirming some things.” I hunched over my chair, and leaned into the table. Slight hesitation and confusion could be heard in my voice. “The Lost... Are they…?”

“Yes, they were all humans. The same as every other lifeform unfortunate enough to become one.” Keinz raised the cup to his lips, as though he were calming his nerves. When he set it back down, he took a deep breath and continued. “As you may have surmised, the god of magic, Nostrum, provides lifecore, otherwise known as mana, to all beings in the world by its sheer existence. However, this mana is not perfect, and comes at the cost of the users own sanity upon overuse.” He stood up and began to prepare another kettle. It seems this would be a long conversation. “Thankfully, the user's mana is replenished over time, so using enough to destroy one’s own sanity is a rare occurrence.”

“But yet, the number of Lost out there say otherwise… Why is that?” I began to think back, when I remembered my time in the tent. The strange and incredibly fast healing, and the ooze that prevented it. “Is it because of those things, the Alces?”

“Partially yes, but also…” He returned the tea tray to the table, then sat down across from me yet again. He picked up a tea cup in his hand, but instead of pouring another cup, he delicately played with it between his fingers. “Because of this!” Suddenly the expression on his face became a stern one. He proceeded to smash the cup against the edge of the stone table, shattering it to pieces. The end of the cup's handle now had a tapered point, to which he used to stab himself in the arm.

 

Blood trickled out of his arm, which left me in shock. As he slowly removed the fragment from his arm, the hole that was left behind began to bubble. In an instant it had fixed itself.

“That damn god of immortality…” He smashed his fist down against the table out of anger.  “Thanks to it… All thanks to that damned false god! We end up using the abundance of mana in our bodys to fix our wounds without wanting to.” He sucked in air between his teeth.  “And oh so easily, does one overuse their mana. Becoming one of the Lost that endlessly roams the wastes! Devoid of sanity, and devoid of meaning…!” He was beginning to strain his voice. His arms now crumpled over, as they helped up his body that was now leaning over the edge. His head was slumped, hiding what was undoubtedly the look of despair that had overtaken his face. “And their corpses… the corpses don’t even deteriorate! The only way to get rid of the corpses… is to feed them… to those… things… That’s the only way they can rest… but no one can bring themselves to feed the very things that killed their relative... or a friend.”

 

Keinz reached to fill another cup of tea. However, he ended up spilling a portion of it onto the floor. I wouldn’t have guessed this would be such a hard subject for a man of his standing.

 

“Our family… our lovers and our friends… doomed to wander, endlessly... awaiting the day that we too join them in that fate...” His teacup slid out of his hands, shattering against the floor.

What now sat before me, was no longer the proud leader of Sos Gearr, known as Keinz. But rather, a broken husk of a man. Brought down by the tragedies he had witnessed, time and time again. Seeing the state of such a person in front of me, I now understood. This world truly was a nightmare. The furthest thing from paradise.

 

Seeing this, I stood up from my seat. I exited the room, as Keinz was no longer in any state to continue my questioning. After existing the room, I noticed Julie was waiting in the hall. Her eyes followed me across the room, as I paced around in thought.

“I’m assuming he wasn’t able to answer all of your questions?” She spoke up, no longer able to watch me in my pathetic state.

“No… not in the slightest… but I couldn’t push him to do so anymore…” Julie had quietly walked past me, and looked inside the lab. An awkward silence hung over the room, until she finally spoke again.

“I understand…” Her back was coldly turned towards me. “Come to me in the morning, I can answer for you what he couldn’t.” She turned her head towards me and cracked a small smile. “Your friend is waiting in the guest room. It’s the second door on the right after going up the stairs. Get some sleep.” As she said those parting words, she slipped inside the crack of the door, locking it behind her.

 

I dragged my feet up the stairs. The weight of the events which transpired, still heavy in my mind. It was only when I was right next to the door of the bedroom that I had noticed Livie standing outside, waiting for me. A rare look of concern was showing on her face. When she noticed me staring, she awkwardly tried to cover it up.

 

“I could have sworn you were half asleep when you hugged me earlier.” I leaned in to stare at her amber eyes. Yep, definitely sleepy.

 

“What’s with you and staring at me? That’s the kind of thing I should be doing.” She poked my forehead, pushing me back a few steps.

 

“Everything okay?” She asked while reaching for the door handle.

 

“Hmm… yeah. Need some rest, is all.” As I went to scratch my cheek, Livie grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.

 

“Then sleepy rest ya get.” She motioned towards the single bed which lay in the middle of the back wall, with a nightstand on both sides.

 

The room was dimly lit by the moonlight pouring through a window on the wall, west of the bed. Under the window, a cozy green sofa with matching cushions. Next to that, a small wooden desk in the corner. To the east of the best stood a well-polished wardrobe, with flowery carvings on the frame. The room felt rather empty besides those few items, and yet… the light from the night sky gave it a nostalgic feeling. It was almost romantic.

 

Oh, Hikari… I miss you all the more.

 

Livie had already undressed, leaving her dress neatly hung-up in the wardrobe. How she managed to wear that thing this whole time is beyond my comprehension. Realizing this… my hoodie is no different. 

 

I didn’t hesitate to do the same, hanging my outfit opposite to Livie’s. I then closed the wardrobe door, and made my way to close the curtain on the window. Livie was already resting in the bed, facing away from me. I slid in beside her, facing the opposite wall. I welcomed the comforting darkness to pull me asleep.

 

A few moments later, a warm hand pressed against my back. “Hey… Mimi.” Livie whispered in a timid voice. “Thank you… for always looking out for us. I know this might be selfish, but I feel blessed to have you here with us… with me. You’ve always been more than just a friend to me.” Her meek, honest words spoke to my heart.

 

“Livie… I swear I’ll find a way for us to get back.” I turned to face her. Even in this dark room, her deep golden eyes still peered through. ‘More than just a friend,’ huh? In the past two years I’ve known her, she’s been the closest to family I’ve had... I gently grasped her hand which pressed against my back just moments ago. “Livie, you’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a sister. I’m more than thrilled to think of you as such.”

 

I could see the amber orbs in front of me wince for a moment. Livie tightened her grip on my hand, and a slight trembling coming from her fingers. “Yeah... Sisters~” Her voice quavered. She must be about to cry from joy.

Livie’s grip loosened, and her breathing slowed. She must have fallen asleep in those short moments. Re-thinking about what had just happened, I closed my eyes with a smile. I made sure to keep Livie’s hand interlocked with my own.

 

“Thank you, Livie.” I gave a light whisper. Slowly… the darkness took me away.