Revend And Retournement

Reina, Luth, and Nam flinched at the sudden voice. It was eerily familiar to Nam. The room fell silent again, the stillness pressing upon them. Nam swallowed hard and turned around.

Luth and Reina hesitated, afraid to look back. Standing at the entrance of the throne room were Larod and Ay. Their clothes were slightly torn, but they still looked fine.

Nam's lips parted slightly. "Larod?"

A strange exchange of glances followed as if they were speaking telepathically. Reina and Luth, sensing something unusual, finally turned around.

Upon seeing Larod, who bore a striking resemblance to Nam, both instinctively stepped back. Reina drew her sword, while Luth positioned himself protectively in front of Nam, ready to sacrifice himself if needed.

Nam pinched himself, ensuring he wasn't dreaming. When the pain confirmed reality, he rubbed his eyes. "How... How are you here?" His voice was as sharp as a blade.

Larod casually brushed off the dirt from his clothes. "You don't know much about souls, do you?" Ay, meanwhile, was busy organizing her potions.

Reina kept her sword raised, eyes filled with suspicion. Larod glanced at her indifferently.

Nam stepped closer to Reina, placing a hand on her sword. "They are not our enemies."

After a moment of hesitation, Reina lowered her weapon. Luth quickly moved forward, standing beside them.

Nam fully turned his body toward Larod. "What exactly is going on here?"

Larod crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly. "We're under the effects of Expiria magic."

The three of them exchanged confused glances. None had ever heard of Expiria magic before.

Luth immediately stepped in. "And what exactly is Expiria mag—"

"It would take too long to explain," Larod interrupted, his tone unwavering. "What you need to know is that we're trapped here."

Ay finished sorting her potions and spoke up, "We need to leave. There's nothing left here anyway." Without another word, she walked out of the throne room, Larod following closely behind.

Before exiting, Larod turned slightly, glancing at Nam. "You can trust her."

Nam lowered his gaze for a second before silently following.

Seeing Nam leave, Reina and Luth exchanged a wary look and then followed as well. Reina, however, still didn't trust them.

No one spoke until they left the ruined palace.

Outside, the landscape remained unchanged—ruins stretching as far as the eye could see. However, right in front of them stood a large dog.

It resembled a shepherd dog, its black fur thick and sleek. Its deep, dark eyes were intelligent, its body muscular and athletic—clearly a guard dog.

Luth immediately ran forward and embraced the animal. "Brutus! You're okay!"

The dog wagged its tail, panting happily as it licked Luth's face.

The others approached, Reina being the first to step forward. The dog sniffed her before accepting her presence, allowing her to pet it.

Larod and Ay soon followed. Brutus acted cautiously toward them but wasn't openly hostile.

As Larod ran his hand over the dog's fur, he muttered, "Why is this dog here?"

Luth stood up and shrugged. "I don't know. But as long as he's alive, that's what matters."

Nam, standing at the back, was frozen. His breathing became unsteady, his pupils constricted, and cold sweat trickled down his back.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Larod tilted his head. "Nam, why aren't you coming closer?" He gestured with his hand for Nam to approach.

Nam couldn't even form a response. His entire body was trembling. "N-N-No, I'm fine."

Reina stopped petting the dog and looked at Nam with mild amusement. "Are you afraid of animals? For someone as cold as you, that's pretty embarrassing."

Luth blinked in surprise and glanced at Reina. "That can't be right. He used to love Brutus."

Brutus finally noticed Nam. Their eyes met.

Nam stopped shaking for a moment. The dog's gaze felt as if it was piercing into his very soul.

Not wanting to stay any longer, Nam turned and walked toward the ruined structures ahead.

Luth grabbed Brutus's collar and followed him, with the others close behind.

The ruins remained eerily quiet. There wasn't even a clue as to how this place had fallen apart.

Nam slowed his steps until he was walking alongside Larod. "Do you have any idea how we get out of here?"

Larod placed a hand on his chin, deep in thought. "There are multiple ways to break Expiria magic, but all of them are incredibly difficult."

A heavy silence followed, a strange sense of unease settling over them.

Meanwhile, Ay entered the ruins of a collapsed house, rummaging through the broken remains. Luth joined her, moving debris aside.

Eventually, they found a passage leading underground.

A memory surfaced in Nam's mind—a horror movie he had watched before. In it, a group of friends descended into a hidden underground passage…

It wasn't particularly scary, but it had been an exciting film.

Ay peered down into the darkness and simply said, "Follow me." Without hesitation, she descended.

The others glanced at each other before following her down.

—

Elsewhere, in the vast emptiness of darkness, Black returned to his domain. With a swift motion, he hurled his scythe toward White.

White smirked. "What's the matter? Did you fail to kill our prey?" His voice was mocking.

Black's expression darkened, veins pulsing on his forehead. "I killed him in one timeline, but…" His body trembled as he collapsed to the ground, fists clenched. "I couldn't make him suffer!"

White watched him writhe on the ground as if it were nothing more than a passing inconvenience. "Well, that's unfortunate. But next time, invite me along." His tone carried a hint of irritation.

—

Back underground, the air grew thick with dust and the faint stench of decay. At the end of the passage, they found a wooden door.

Ay pushed it open.

The room was old and rotting, filled with the scent of mildew. A single table stood in the center, and bookshelves lined the walls, their contents in disarray.

Brutus walked to a corner and curled up, resting.

Everyone else instinctively covered their noses, except Ay, who casually sat on a chair.

She grabbed a book from the table, flipping through its pages. "Alright. Here are the ways to break the Expiria magic."

Holding up one finger, she began, "First, we kill the one who cast the spell. But considering that the caster is likely a god or demigod, that's impossible."

She raised a second finger. "Second, we use an opposing force to counteract the magic. But only the Chronis race can manipulate time, so that's out of the question."

A third finger. "Third, we destroy a specific object tied to the spell."

She closed the book with a dull thud. "Even if we break the spell, not everything will return to normal. Some things will remain unchanged for those trapped inside."

A heavy silence filled the room as everyone exchanged uncertain glances.

Then, their eyes turned toward the exit.