A rumbled city with such a familiar tone on it. Einar had not thought that he’d reached such a familiar city. In the middle of this city was a crater, an endless abyss where there was only dark. The streets were mossed and the wall ill-maintained. The roads had not been cared and the only thing that stood tall was the castle. Alas, the same atmosphere that left no humans about.

“This is a city where the tower should be,” Rubina said, her chin on Einar’s shoulder. “Looks like we had wandered into our world. Yes, our world should be full of green.”

The world outside of the rumbled city was that of black sand. Not a single life was sustained and throughout the world was an empty land devoid of any life. The next entrance was in this city. Einar and Rubina had wandered around the city to find anyone, leaving none.

“It looks like they were reborn as well,” Rubina commented. “Do we stay here or move further?”

“Stay,” Einar said quickly. “Let’s rest for now.”

They found a place where they could camp. Einar set up the portable tents and sat near the fire. The camping gear was from the technologies they had gotten from strangers. Einar felt the tremble of his heart. Even the steel-like belief of dying alone sounded so disturbing to him now, filed until nothing remains.

His eyes stared deeply into Rubina’s red hair. Her red lips and wonderful green eyes. Her beautiful nape and her demeanor when she was focused did not escape his eyes. He thought of the memories of his Old Man. The memories of the Old Man who had striven to find love in the darkness hours. Such emotion was foreign to him in a way that he did not understand. He was twisted and the memories of Nolan Salvatore embodied his personality — the personality of an unyielding determinator.

When did he start thinking of the fear of losing her? She had been with him for so many years and in this lifetime they had grown together. The thought of this road without her made it sound so despairing to him. He could slog into these worlds because of her. She was family and she doesn’t argue against it.

“You’ve been looking at me for quite a while now. Have you finally realized how beautiful am I?”

“I do,” he had agreed without hesitation. “I guess I must be awakening to this now.”

“Why now?” she said asking, her eyes scrutinizing him.

“I thought about how lonely the road would be. Rubi, I had told you that I wasn’t supposed to be anything. I was just a saved vessel that was made for something.”

“Nonsense,” she said to him. “You were reborn and that spiritual father no longer holds you. You have his memories and his way of fighting. But you are what you are now, Einar.”

“Thanks, Rubi,” he said. “I know that you have no real obligation to follow me. I may have sounded ungrateful, but I do appreciate this.”

“And you say after so many years together? Look, I could have married a wonderful knight or a beautiful prince. But my blood calls for adventure and that blood calls me to walk the earth. I’d rather walk this earth rather than stay in my high throne again. Besides, who would keep you forward if I wasn’t here?”

“I thank you,” he nodded his head.

“Spare me that, why are you like this? Is this because of the ruins,” she snorted. “If anything they should have been reborn like everyone else and have lived their own lives without knowing. Some take their own form while the rest don’t. I’ve become far too beautiful, and yet I have my memories because of your bonding of the soul. Do I regret being bonded to you? No, I don’t. Really, seeing you hesitate is terrifying. Just focus on what is in front of you, Einar.”

He crossed his arms and stared at the embers of the fire. He could hear the crying of the infants and the little girl that he had promised to reach. Outside of the tower worlds were another world at the brink of destruction. Was he fighting for the sake of saving the world? No, he was fighting for the sake of one lonely girl crying at the ends of the world. There was no noble act of saving the world here. Just two idiots who had traveled for many years in hopes to save those who cry with despair.

“How long until the ends of eternity?” he asked.

“I wonder?” she smiled. “This task is not so easy, but rejoice that I am here to guide you through this despairing walk. Aren’t you glad that you have such a great lady beside you?”

“True, I cannot deny that,” he said.

Einar continued staring at the skies who he had known. The stars here looked as what he remembered. The crying of the girls was so close and wasn’t too far now.

The next day they took a leap of faith into the abyss below. They fell for hours without no pauses and even in this place, no light would bloom. Only Rubina’s hand was the warmth that he kept holding as he falls further. When they broke through the sky the sight of a gigantic monster that stood over trees looked at them. Einar Elior smiled as he phases through one of these creatures, dissecting the monster into two.

Leaping up back to the sky he used the charm created by Rubina to stay afloat as she rains down hellfire upon this world of monsters. The towering green trees turned into hell. Then, she raised her staff and pummeled water into the forest, creating a downpour that brought forth a flood of water upon his view.

Somersaulting, he gently descended into the mudded ground. Rubina landed on the ground beside him and started releasing wards that allowed them to search the world for the gate floors. However, before she could finish the chant, a stir was in the sky. Figures descended upon one another with their robes fighting against the wind.