Jevan advanced toward Iris and raised the Wave blade high. Despite his deteriorated state, he could still handle the sword with agility. He knew he could release a massive burst of water authority all at once. And if he got close enough to Iris, he might be able to extinguish the flames around her.

But that method was useless, just as Lionel Gray had told him.

At the moment the flames went out, the flame of life inside Iris would also be extinguished.

And it would not end there. When releasing all that authority power from the Wave blade in such a way, he would unleash its negative effects all at once, and Jevan's body would turn into an empty shell before vanishing.

But now, where there was no hope of survival, he decided to grant her last wish. He raised the sword high, water surged around him, then he stepped closer and embraced her. Iris's eyes widened in shock, and her cheeks flushed red.

The water clashed with the fire, and at that moment Jevan said:

"Since we are about to die, can I ask you just one question?"

The instant he touched her, Iris felt as though the shackles that had bound her had completely shattered. She regained control over her body, tears poured down her eyes, and unlike before, they did not evaporate this time.

Then she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, and murmured:

"Just one question?"

Jevan patted her back gently, then said:

"I know, an emotional reunion. But it would be annoying to die before knowing the answer."

She slowly lifted her head, looked into his eyes, then said:

"And is this the time for questions?"

He smiled and said:

"First: yes. Second: we have only a little time, so would you answer before we turn to ash?"

She muttered:

"Ask your question."

Then he said:

"Why were you helping me?"

Iris laughed, then said:

"Curiosity, boredom, maybe a hidden desire to save some miserable soul... who knows?"

Silence followed. Neither spoke. And in that moment, the water and fire that floated around them began to merge in a strange harmony.

Down below, Raven was silently watching the sky, his eyes fixed on the scene forming above, the fire and water swirling and merging into a vortex in the sky. A few seconds passed, then that mixed mass began to shrink until it disappeared completely. Then the sky filled with steam, and from within the mist, two bodies began descending.

Jevan was holding Iris, and the water wings still extended from his back softened the fall. He opened his eyes before they touched the ground, adjusted his posture, then landed quietly on his feet. For a moment he stared at Iris's face, now free of burns, then laid her gently on the ground.

He had no idea how he survived, or how his body was still able to stand. He could barely lift his arms.

Nearby, under some rubble, a human body was moving slowly, its form gradually shifting until it took the shape of Valentine Crow. In that moment he heard a strange voice whispering in his head:

"Eliminate the man with the brown hair now."

Without hesitation, Valentine extended his deformed hand, which stretched horribly, and shot it like an arrow toward Jevan. Raven, who had been watching everything closely, spotted the attack. Using the Authority of Silence, he leapt, vanishing completely, and appeared in front of Jevan to shove him aside, taking the blow in his stead.

The arm pierced through Raven's chest, blood sprayed everywhere, splattering across Jevan's face, who could not believe what he was seeing. He looked at the hand, then at its source, and saw Valentine standing there, hundreds of souls swirling around him, screaming for salvation.

But before Jevan could even comprehend what had just happened, a group of men appeared, wearing long dark coats, approaching quickly. The men of the Bureau of Investigation had arrived. As for Valentine, he had vanished from the scene.

Several men surrounded Jevan, pinned him to the ground and bound him without a word. Then they dragged him from the ruins while he stared at Raven lying on the ground, blood pooling around him.

The rest began sweeping the area, searching, and erasing traces of the battle.

***

Elsewhere, far from the chaos of the Eighth District, Lionel Gray had fled the moment he spotted the Bureau men and headed straight to the "The Broken glass" tavern. The tavern was unusually empty. He sat on one of the chairs at the old wooden table.

Garrod was sitting there, reading a bundle of handwritten papers. The table before him was covered with different sheets, each written in a different hand.

Lionel pulled a chair and sat across from him, swallowed hard, then said:

"Sixth Master... the task is complete."

Garrod did not lift his head, he only gave a curt reply:

"Good work."

Lionel exhaled in relief, but Garod swiftly shattered that brief calm:

"What do you know about Jevan?"

Lionel froze, then swallowed again and said:

"I do not know much, but he is strange. He has an unnatural ability to control system Pieces, even after I partially unsealed the Wave blade. And it seems he has some kind of authority linked to granting wishes."

Garrod murmured, as if recalling something:

"Granting wishes...?"

Lionel nodded:

"Yes. He asked me if I knew of an authority that carried that kind of power."

Garrod made no comment. He simply raised his hand. From between his fingers, golden threads stretched through the walls and outward, interwoven with many people in the lower district.

Then he spoke in a deep voice:

"I think the time has come for a new chapter of the play with a new protagonist."

Lionel trembled where he sat, retreating into the corner like a frightened cat, terrified that he might be that new protagonist. For he had seen for himself how the previous protagonists of the play had ended.

***

(Jevan perspective)

The Bureau men carried me indifferently, then threw me inside a dark cell with no windows. Before shutting the door behind them, they bound my wrists tightly with metal cuffs.

When they left, I leaned my back against the stone wall and slowly slid down until I sat on the ground. My clothes were torn and stained with blood. I am alive... I am supposed to feel grateful for that, right? But I did not.

I failed to save Iris. I was supposed to die with her there. But somehow, I am the one who survived. And to make things worse, the image of Raven is still carved in my mind. That moment he rushed forward, shoving me aside, taking the blow to his chest instead of me.

Why? Why did he do that? Who gave him the right to sacrifice his life for mine? Wasn't he the one who said we are not heroes of a fairy tale? He is a gangster, cold, ruthless, that is how he introduced himself. So why? Why did he act like a hero? If you intend to be cruel, then you had better play that role well.

How ironic it is to have so little, and lose it before even understanding why it mattered.

I looked around. The place was extremely dark, but I could still see. Since failing to save Iris, failing to die, my senses had sharpened.

I guess I did not leave empty-handed after all? I lost the two closest people to me since I took over Jevan's body. And in exchange I gained the ability to see in the dark. What a wonderful deal.

In this cell there was no one but me, and those souls. Those souls that began circling around me since the moment I met that man. They never stopped. They wanted one thing only, salvation. They demanded it from me as if I held the keys.

I placed my palm against my head and shouted:

"Can you be quiet for a moment?!"

But they did not. They did not give me a single moment of rest. I could not sleep. Sorry, but you are asking for salvation from a man who can barely grant it to himself.

Days passed with no one visiting, no one bringing me food or drink. At some point I began to think they had forgotten me. But in any case, I did not feel hunger.

I did not want to leave. I just sat there, staring at the stone wall before me. And one day, which seemed no different from the others, the iron door opened.

I raised my head slowly, looking toward the person who appeared at the threshold. The lamp light behind him hid most of his features, until he stepped forward a little, and then I could recognize him.

Then I said when I recognized him:

"You?"

End of Volume One: The Lost

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