"I'd love to think you were the one behind all of this." Cyrus took a swig of his ice-cold beer and let out a long, satisfied sigh. "Problem is, are you even capable of that?"
After years of separation and complete radio silence, Irezumi was now sitting beside him, legs crossed, also holding a beer. His expressions, the way he spoke, his walk, and even his self-cut, uneven hair were exactly the same as before he disappeared. Not a single thing had changed.
1
"I just don't get why people enjoy drinking this stuff," Irezumi grumbled after finally swallowing a mouthful. He immediately exhaled, mouth wide open, as if hoping the wind would blow away the taste of alcohol. "It's awful—huh? You looking down on me?"
It was as if all those years of wandering alone in the Shadow Hall had been nothing more than an illusion, popping like soap bubbles under the sun. Cyrus couldn't help but laugh, almost uncontrollably. "Then tell me, where the hell have you been? What's going on?"
Irezumi scratched his head sheepishly. "We haven't seen each other in years, and you're already asking for a beating."
"Talk," Cyrus barked.
Irezumi talked for a long time.
Cyrus listened intently. Sometimes he was taken aback by what he heard; other times, he burst out laughing—he couldn't even remember the last time he laughed like this. Irezumi explained how he had infiltrated the Shark Nexus, why he had been unable to contact Cyrus all this time, and how he had ended up being the one sent to meet Pete by pure chance. But honestly, who even cared about Pete now?
They just needed to head up the mountain, retrieve Pete and the [One-time Pocket Dimension], and be done with it.
2
Irezumi was back now. As long as the two of them were working together again, what could possibly stand in their way?
1
He also filled Cyrus in on the parts of the Shadow Hall that the Shark Nexus had yet to infiltrate, as well as the people who could still be trusted. As expected, his assessment matched Cyrus's own suspicions almost perfectly.
Cyrus finally let out a breath of relief. Thankfully, only a small part of the Shadow Hall had been compromised. The core structure remained intact, and there was still time to turn things around. After this ordeal, perhaps the Shadow Hall would emerge even stronger, more resistant to future threats. His home was still in its rightful place, and it would remain there in the future.
"I've been on edge these past few days," Cyrus said, sighing. "It's almost ironic. The Shadow Hall has always operated by pulling strings in the dark, controlling other organizations. And now, somehow, we're the ones being swallowed up, reduced to an empty shell? Hearing you say all this... I finally feel at ease."
Irezumi sighed along with him, patting his shoulder.
"By the way, do you remember Lin Sanjiu?" Cyrus asked. "Do you know what happened to her?"
Today, their roles seemed reversed. Cyrus was the one asking all the questions, while Irezumi held all the answers. The thought made him smile again.
"I do," Irezumi said, his yellow eyes widening. "Man, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw her. Can't believe that woman's still alive. She's got some luck, huh? Don't worry, she's fine."
"Oh? Where is she? Why haven't we heard from her?"
"She ran into an old friend, some guy named Yu Yuan, the one she's been looking for all this time." Irezumi chuckled. "She was probably so happy she forgot to check in. Just wait, I bet she'll contact you any minute now."
1
The two helped each other up, and for once, Cyrus didn't feel the urgency to rush to the mountaintop. Instead, he and Irezumi strolled leisurely. He could hardly remember the last time the weather had been this good. The sky was the bluest he had ever seen in his life, the wind the lightest he had ever felt. The summer grass and flowers smelled unbelievably sweet, and the sunlight was warm and bright. Walking through this world felt like sinking his teeth into a ripe, juicy peach.
"I don't know why," he mused, "but ever since doomsday started, this is the first time I've felt so... comfortable, so content. Now, all that's missing is Lin Sanjiu—"
1
As if on cue, his communicator rang.
Lin Sanjiu apologized, then shared her good news. She had found her friends and successfully retrieved the rental records.
"They had someone waiting for me at the rental office, but I still got what I needed!" she said with a laugh. "With this, we can track down the Shark Nexus right away. Honestly, the Shark Nexus doesn't even seem like a big deal anymore. Once this is over, have you thought about where you want to go? What do you want to do?" ℝ𝘼ℕÖＢĘṨ
Cyrus had assumed he had no particular plans, but her question brought a flood of ideas to his mind. Once everything with the Shadow Hall was settled, he could find a peaceful world and build a small cabin. He had wanted a cabin like that for ages—nestled between the woods and a lake, where he could wake up every morning, open the windows, and see the snow-capped mountains reflected on the water.
Birds would skim across the surface, deer would stretch their legs and bound past. Irezumi and Lin Sanjiu would be in the backyard grilling, along with a few other friends he had met over the years. Cyrus would haul a fresh case of beer into the yard and set it on the table, only for Irezumi to grumble again, "Don't you have any juice?"
3
"It's strange." Lin Sanjiu stretched out her arms. "Doomsday transmissions have been gone for so long. I never thought I'd get to live such a free and peaceful life again."
Cyrus sat among his friends, flipping the meat on the grill. He thought back to that day years ago when he reunited with Irezumi after so long and chuckled with a sigh. "What did you say to me back then? Where had you been? Why can't I seem to remember any of it?"
"With your memory, you have the nerve to say I'm the one getting slow?" Irezumi's hair now had streaks of white, proof that even posthumans aged eventually.
Every morning, when Cyrus washed up and looked in the mirror, he almost couldn't believe the face looking back at him was his own. But he had nothing to complain about. The first half of his life may have been full of struggles, but the latter half had been as smooth and fulfilling as he could have ever hoped for.
Yet, he truly couldn't recall what Irezumi had told him that day.
He had said something about infiltrating the Shark Nexus, about being unable to contact him, but the details had faded.
After all, that was half a lifetime ago.
Did it even matter anymore?
Forgetting was natural.
2
What mattered was that he had found Irezumi again, reclaimed the Shadow Hall, and spent the most satisfying years of his life in that little cabin. Looking back now, every day felt as fresh and vivid as a new blessing. He had nothing left to ask for.
Slowly, he bent down, slipped off his slippers, pulled back the blanket, and lay down in bed. Every movement was heavy with age, his joints dry and aching. It was hard to believe he had once been so nimble, so skilled. Tomorrow—tomorrow, he would wake up early and visit the spring stream, where the last of the winter snow had melted into the forest.
Cyrus smiled, closed his eyes, and slipped into eternal darkness.
2