After having his realm breached by the three invaders, Gutaru immediately collapsed his realm.

  He was returned to the Grand Hall, which was now safe from the Behemoths. Their corpses rested in their respective locations, slowly disintegrating into giant piles of dust. Gutaru looked around. To breach his realm, the trio didn't necessarily have to be close. Still, he wanted to be certain that they were not around.

  After a minute, he guessed that they weren't.

  Outside of the hall, Gutaru could hear the sounds of battle, though they were quieter than before. He had no idea how much time had passed, but all he knew was that he had to get to the City Palace. Doctor Snow was not a man that he wished to face alone, especially since the man had backup.

  He was also desperate to know where Leox was and to keep the boy out of danger. In truth, there wasn't much he could do, but he would try his best.

  The boy doesn't deserve hell.

  The city palace was so filled with frightened civilians that Samson and Marybetha thought it would be impossible to find their friends. Marybetha contemplated heading back out into the streets to help slay the demons. Anything she could do to help regain her honour after failing to defend herself and avenge Adola the blacksmith.

  Then, a voice called out to them.

  "Samson, Marybetha!"

  Samson peered through the busy, noisy crowd to find the familiar orange-haired boy sitting on a staircase. He looked different now, with a white bandage covering both his eyes, and a girl who looked awfully like him standing by his side, holding his hand. The pair navigated themselves through the crowd, making their way over to him.

  "Laughter?" Samson asked with a worried look on his face. "What happened to your eye?"

  Laughter waved a hand dismissively. "Ah, this. It's nothing but a scratch. Is Leox with you? Sis, is the white-haired boy with them?"

  Samson and Marybetha both examine Laughter closely. The bandage had blood on it, lots of it. Surely that is more than a scratch?

  "No, brother. He isn't with them." Rosie replied sadly.

  Laughter let out a sigh. "I guess she hasn't found him yet. Or maybe she has, and they decided to run away together. I wouldn't blame them at all, to be honest. What about Astra? I wonder where he is."

  "Who are you talking about?" Marybetha asked, having to raise her voice for the first time, to be heard over the sound of the chaotic crowd of civilians.

  "Ivy Graceful. When we found her and told her that Leox had gone to find her at the Hawking's estate, she ran off to go and find him."

  "And you didn't stop her?" Marybetha asked, anger evident in her voice. "You could have at least gone and helped her."

  Laughter's face suddenly lost its usual smile. It was as though the boy had wanted to help, but couldn't. Shame was clearly on his face.

  "I should have, and I didn't. I couldn't... But I swear that I will wait here for him until he returns."

  "And how can you be so sure that he will return?" Samson spoke. "You've seen the chaos outside. You've faced it yourself. The city isn't safe for anybody."

  Laughter frowned. He knew that the likelihood of anybody making it out of this safely was incredibly low. He was lucky that he had managed to survive.

  Still, for some reason, he had faith.

  "Leox and Astra will return. They have to."

  When Leox woke up, he was being cradled in the arms of another. His vision was blurry, but still, he was able to make out the blonde-haired girl looking down at him with tears streaming down her face. When she noticed that he had finally woken up, a wide smile spread across her face. She pulled Leox into the deepest hug and cried tears onto his shoulder.

  "You're awake. Thank the Allfather you're awake! I thought you would never..."

  Leox pulled away from the hug and looked into his friend's face. The sight of her forced him to smile too. They were both safe and reunited.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  "Come on, Ivy, you know that I can't die."

  Leox smiled before being pulled into another embrace. The two stayed like that for a few moments, enjoying the comfort of one another. It had been so long since they had last seen each other. Only when they heard a cry from outside were they dragged back into reality.

  "The apocalypse... " Leox said. He had almost forgotten.

  Ivy nodded her head and pushed herself to her feet. She took Leox's hand in her own, the one good one she had, and helped him. But even after that, she never let go. It was as if she thought separating from him for even a moment would risk them being split up once again.

  "The Hawkings, did you..."

  "They've been dealt with," Leox responded with hesitation. Deep in his mind, foreign memories lingered, but seemed to be fading away. He would explain the details to her later, but for the time being, they needed to focus on escaping.

  Ivy looked at Leox with wide eyes. She knew firsthand how powerful the Hawkings family were, so for him to have dealt with them spoke volumes. She, too, had questions to ask and events to explain, but would save them for later. For now, she hurried them over to the door. They needed to get to the palace.

  "Wait!" Leox shouted before they reached the exit. He turned back and glanced around the room. "Did you see a brown-haired boy with star-shaped pupils anywhere?"

  Ivy furrowed her brows. "No, I haven't heard a single sound coming from the house. Is someone else supposed to be here with you?"

  Astra...

  Leox shook his head.

  "No."

  Astra, I hope you're okay.

  Afterwards, the pair waddled out into the streets of the Undying City. The name no longer held weight, as corpses of both humans and demons littered the ground everywhere they went. Demons could still be seen feasting on the corpses of their foes and allies, which thankfully distracted them. Now and then, they heard cries from humans in the distance and sounds of battle. However it was much quieter than before.

  The Hawking's estate was far away from the City Palace, which meant they would likely have to fight along the way. Leox didn't mind. His death and resurrection had healed him of his wounds. Even if his mana was still replenishing, if he had to fight, he could do so to his full extent. Ivy knew his secrets, after all. Not to mention, Ivy also seemed to be more than capable herself. When Leox examined her overview, he saw that she had reached the second stage. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her, but would have to wait until they were safe.

  The pair left the estate behind them and snuck through the city. It seemed that Leox would not have to worry about fighting, as he noticed Ivy activating a skill that shrouded them in darkness, as long as they moved with the shadows. She placed a finger on her lip, telling him to be silent. They crept past demons and watched as they behaved as demons would. They ignored the weak who cried for help from the demons, and the thieves who looted the corpses of their fellow men.

  Leox and Ivy both travelled through the city that had descended into madness, both wondering whether it would ever return to normal. It felt unlikely.

  Eventually, they arrived at the City Palace walls. To their surprise, it was quiet outside. The demons seemed smart enough to know that there was no getting past the gate and decided to prey on the civilians who had failed to escape the city.

  The palace gates were being heavily guarded by a dozen holy knights dressed in the finest armour. A glance at their overview told Leox that they were all of Stage Three and four. As they approached the gate, Ivy deactivated her spell. The darkness left them, and the guards stared at them through the gaps of the gate.

  At first, the men's grips tightened around their weapons, but as they noticed that they were civilians of the city, they opened the gates just enough for a human to fit through one at a time.

  "Hurry on in," One of the knights said. "But know that once you're inside, you won't be allowed out until the Council of Ten decides our next moves."

  Leox and Ivy nodded their heads before hurrying on in. They had no intentions of leaving and felt glad to hear that the city council were coming up with plans. Once beyond the walls, they both let out breaths that they hadn't realised that they were holding, before slowly approaching the large double doors leading into the palace. They entered the palace, and the sound of chaotic chatter flooded over them. It seemed as though the entire population of the city had been crammed into the building. They saw all sorts of people, ranging from peasants to nobles.

  Leox suddenly felt nervous. He had never been surrounded by so many people at once. Not to mention, he had the lingering thought of being wanted by the emperor hanging over him.

  Ivy must have noticed his nerves, as she suddenly took her hand in his. She looked at the boy and smiled a beautiful smile.

  "It's okay, Leox, you are safe."

  Am I? He wondered with doubt.

  "Ivy, so much has happened since we were split up. I—"

  "Leox!"

  Before Leox could continue, a familiar voice cut him off through the crowd. The pair both turned towards the voice, to find a group sitting near the entrance.

  Laughter, who now wore a bloody bandage over both eyes. A girl whom Leox guessed was his sister was holding onto his hand, as though guiding him. Samson and Marybetha sat beside each other, too, both unharmed, though Samson's shirt had been ripped off. They all wore looks of relief on their faces, despite being amidst an apocalyptic riot.

  "Guys... You're all safe." Leox said, feeling that same relief.

  He made his way over to his friends with Ivy behind him.

  Before anything else could be said, Samson looked at him sideways. "Has Astra fallen..." His words came bluntly.

  Leox's face lost its smile. "I... I don't know. We were forced to split up, and I haven't seen him since."

  "Pray that the Allfather keeps him safe," Marybetha added from the sidelines. She seemed to be the most mentally affected by the situation of all of them, yet Leox did not yet know why. There would be time for questions later.

  Ivy nodded her head after hearing the woman's prayer. All of a sudden, she felt like she was back at the church.

  "Yes... And let us hope that the Allfather guides the Council to make a sensible decision. Right now, the city lies in their hands."

  As she spoke, the others nodded. She was right.

  The apocalypse had led the entire city to become trapped in their own palace, with no ideas on where to go or what to do. It was up to them to guide the people to safety, if such a thing was even possible.