Ed closed the door softly and froze outside for a moment. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

Icabold was still alive - not surprising at all, they never thought Icabold was dead in the fog of Collins...... That person would never die so easily.

But why did he appear at such a time in Stonebuch...... Or was he actually here all along? Where were the people who disappeared with him? Does Sean know?......

Sean Fletcher was surprisingly quiet during this time, which made him nervous. Even now he was able to know Sean's whereabouts inside out......

Ed's heart trembled, and he tiptoed back into the room and found a small crystal bottle.

There was a dead worm in the bottle, lying motionless at the bottom of the bottle like a drop of dark red blood. Relying on this, he can know where Sean is at all times...... This was brought by Isis from the Valley of Ambition, and Ed suspected that he had intended to use it on Scott, but somehow changed his mind.

This is not a forbidden technique...... But it doesn't seem to be very bright, and maybe it's better not to be discovered.

A moment ago, he thought that maybe he should try to fight side by side with more people, but now he was already carefully guarding his secret...... Ed was a little ashamed and a little helpless, and wondered if he should touch the scroll too......

――Let's forget it.

He thought about it and thought that this crystal bottle would only be safe if it was hidden in Is. However, when he pushed open the door of Is's room, he almost smashed it out.

Isis was putting the crooked iron ring on his head with a look of disgust.

Ed flew over with a agility he had never seen before, holding his friend's arm firmly.

"What are you doing?!" he growled, angry and anxious, but worried about being heard by Naria.

"Give it a try. Isis glared at him, "How else would you know if it's useful or not?"

"What if it burns out your brain?!"

"Is that stupid priest's brain burned out?"

“...... It doesn't seem to be ...... But he doesn't remember anything about that rabbit hole or this hoop!"

“...... It's not a loss at all. ”

"What if it could have been worse?!"

"I'm a dragon - I'm much stronger than you humans in soul and body, how could it be worse?"

"If you really believe that, why did you put this thing on my head when I walked to the door?!"

Isis was stunned.

"Don't tell me you can't hear my footsteps. Ed took the opportunity to take the "crown", "You hope that someone will stop you when something really goes wrong?!"

“...... Not really!" The exposed dragon was annoyed, "I just didn't expect you to rush in without even knocking on the door!"

He covered Ed's mouth without saying a word when he tried to retort, pushing him aside.

“...... What are you doing?" asked Narya, puzzled, as she appeared at the door.

"Nothing. Isis pretended to be calm.

Ed broke his hand away and quietly hid the hoop behind him, squeezing out a smile at Naria.

“...... I've got to get a door. Naria raised an eyebrow, "You'd better explain it to me when I get back...... Also, help me look at Tess a little bit...... There's something wrong with her. ”

The two men who had escaped for the time being each breathed a sigh of relief, silently listening as Narya descended the stairs and the door opened and closed......

With lightning speed, Ed quickly put the iron trap on his head and held it firmly.

Caught off guard, Iss glared at him - if it weren't for the fact that Nalya hadn't gone far, he would probably have toppled the roof with a dragon's roar.

Too childish smugness completely overshadows the fear it should have. Ed couldn't help but smile and straighten his "crown".

“...... How?" Iss asked, looking even more uneasy than he was.

"Uh...... Nothing to feel. Ed narrowed his eyes and tried to feel it, but he couldn't feel even the slightest fluctuation of magic, "Maybe you need some more spells?...... Or do you have to see those symbols to be useful?"

"Maybe it won't be useful at all. Iss scoffed, "How can such an ugly thing be useful!"

That being said, he got up and took out the slate he had brought back from the Enshi Valley, hesitated for a moment, but then stuffed it back and placed the bone piece that had "belonged" to him in front of Ed.

The symbol on it has not changed - two slightly curved lines stretch symmetrically to the sides, like raised wings.

It made him feel safe...... So it probably wouldn't hurt his friends either.

Ed looked down at the symbol, still vigilantly guarding his crown for fear of being taken by Is. He figured he wasn't attentive enough...... Or maybe I'm so sleepy that I don't see anything after a while, but I can't even open my eyes a little.

His head nodded unconsciously, and his mind was confused.

Something came in at that moment...... Or pumped out. He couldn't tell, he just felt like he was following with all his might...... Or dragged by some force through the noisy crowds of the city in the afternoon, through the green meadows of summer, through the waves of the wind, through the clouds of thunder and lightning, and into the thick darkness and eternal silence.

For a moment, countless stars surrounded him in silence, twinkling silently where he could reach them, constantly being born and dying like all living beings in the world, never stopping for a moment. He floated in it, bathed in the light of every star, and in a trance it seemed that he could hear the first and last movement of the universe, grandiose...... And silently.

In the next moment, however, the stars spun wildly, drawing bright trajectories in a chaotic intertwining of their light, dazzling him...... But they are strangely separated, as if they will never meet.

He was out of breath. Or he doesn't need to breathe at all. He lowered his eyes blankly, and saw the deepest darkness under the brightest light.

The waves of the Sea of Nothingness licked against his ankles, cold to the bone like the breath of an ice dragon...... It's like a lover's most tender kiss.

He leaned down and saw his own shadow. His face was indistinct, except for the silver gray of his hairline, like snowflakes, and like he was wearing a crown.

Then he heard a call, distant and clear. It calls out to his truest name. That name was engraved on the stars before it all began, but one day it sank into nothingness, and no one would remember it again.

...... That's not the only calling.

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