Ch. 223 The Path Where All Things Flow
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 223: The Path Where All Things Flow
At the time when a fierce battle was raging behind them—
—Boom!
—Crackle!
Deafening noises shook the space, yet everything felt distant. Though they stood in the same place, this spot felt strangely isolated.
Perhaps it was because they stood in silence.
“…”
“…”
How many years had it been?
He didn’t know how long it had been since this reunion. He didn’t know how long he had waited.
And yet, now that they were face to face, this hollowness—what was it?
Trace silently tore away and severed the roots binding the woman. Louveci, too, offered no resistance, quietly letting him do as he pleased.
Beside them were Vivi, her consciousness flickering, and Sugar’s spacious bag—where a mirror rabbit peeked out its face—making the distance between them and the others feel even more pronounced.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“So much… time has passed.”
Then, the one who broke the silence was his former student.
“And yet, you remain exactly as you were back then. While I’ve grown old.”
“…”
“I heard you betrayed the cult.”
“…”
“You abandoned all your positions in Sky Island, your disciples… You, who were once the cult’s apostle… Now, of all times—”
“…”
“Was it for her? That girl… Did you betray the cult for her sake?”
The old man’s voice was calm, but an unextinguished ember burned beneath it.
In response, Louveci spoke for the first time.
“Yes.”
A simple affirmation.
There was nothing more to say.
Trace turned his head. His gaze fell upon the white-haired girl treated as the Evil God’s saintess—a strange relationship where she stood in opposition to the cult’s members yet was undeniably favored by the Evil God, securing her position. And now, she had gained some kind of power.
A dark energy spread from Sugar’s body, sweeping away the enemies before they could even react.
As he watched, he reached a conclusion.
The answer to the question he had when he first entered this space.
‘Why did the mirror rabbit in the boys’ dormitory mimic Sugar’s appearance?’
Now, he understood.
A natural, rational defense mechanism of a living being.
It had mimicked the most terrifying existence it had ever seen.
Instinctively, it had recognized the true nature of that student.
Look at her—wielding a power no human should possess.
A horrifying force capable of corroding geometric creatures several times their size in an instant.
The dark energy’s influence reached even here, suffocating in its intensity.
Trace, feeling as though he were witnessing something monumental, lifted his head and watched blankly.
Soon, the situation settled.
As the smoke cleared, only the two students remained.
Just as Trace began to relax and turn away—
“Hm…?”
A strange sensation suddenly gripped him. He raised his hand.
It felt as though his mana was draining away.
His body felt oddly hollow.
When he glanced at Louveci, she had already opened one eye, assessing the situation—but her expression was grave.
Looking back, something seemed to be happening around the girl.
“Sugar…!”
A frantic voice escaped Louveci’s lips as she realized something.
“I” am disappearing.
Scattering.
Merging with all things, becoming one.
Losing. Forgetting.
What… was I?
Even that question was crushed beneath an overwhelming tide of information, vanishing into silence.
Drowning, sinking deep.
The cracks in the wall that had held everything back had spread—this was the inevitable result.
It was hard to grasp what had just happened.
It was sudden.
Just as they thought it was over, just as they exchanged relieved sighs and faint smiles—
Sugar’s expression froze.
As if struck by shock, her uniquely colored eyes widened before locking in place.
Then, a phenomenon began.
‘Mana is draining away…?’
Riley lifted his palm.
There was no reason for his mana to be leaking now—the battle was over, and he wasn’t even using flight magic. Yet a steady loss was occurring, and if he traced its path, it led straight to his childhood friend standing before him.
Riley decided to calmly analyze the situation.
“Sugar.”
Sugar was breathing, but she wasn’t conscious. Her eyes were open, yet her gaze was distant, unfocused.
“Sugar… Sugar!”
No matter how many times he called, there was no response. She was only absorbing the mana saturating the space—whether from the atmosphere or from people, indiscriminately. And then, a portion of it leaked back out, forming a cycle.
As if her body had become a path for mana.
As if she had become the hub of all natural things in this world.
A premonition struck him.
The forest within Sugar.
The existence said to reside within her.
Something had tangled because of what happened today. Some kind of accident had occurred.
“Why is it always…!”
Why was the fate tied to this girl so unyielding? Why wouldn’t it let her go? Riley gritted his teeth, forcing his racing heart to calm down.
What would happen to Sugar if things stayed like this?
Would she remain like this forever, a lifeless doll? Or would something else happen?
No matter what, he had to bring her back.
He had to return her to that foolish, chattering girl she was supposed to be.
Holding her tightly, he flew to the doorway, where Trace urgently called out to him.
“What in the world is happening?”
“I don’t know for sure. I’m going to interfere with her mind—secure the area.”
“You’re going to interfere when you don’t even know what’s happening? You could end up like this too!”
“I don’t have a choice.”
He laid Sugar down gently, brushing her cheek before locking eyes with her.
“Louveci. What do you see?”
“…The mana—the flow of all mana in this space is converging toward Sugar. And what’s leaking back out… it’s far less than what’s going in. At this rate, within five minutes, the mana overload will cause a disaster.”
“…”
Without another word, Riley lay down beside her. Pressing his forehead against hers, he clutched his grimoire and began chanting. He had done this a few times before. So, this time would be fine too.
Steeling himself, he attempted the connection.
A floating sensation, as if his body were weightless. His consciousness rose high, then plummeted—falling, falling into a deep and endless void.
In that emptiness, he forced his eyes open to avoid losing himself.
He had been wondering what he would do if that white woman stood in his way again.
“…!”
Splash.
The moment he thought he saw light, he was submerged in water.
At the same time, an overwhelming flood of information invaded his mind!
The air moving, people breathing, blood flowing, fingers twitching, dust scattering—countless fragments of simple data, piling into an ocean of information.
Was the knowledge of all existing things flowing into this place?
Just as his unyielding rationality faintly grasped the thought, Riley—the individual—nearly drowned in the tide. Instinctively, he raised his hand.
The grimoire.
If something incomprehensible or complex happens?
Summon the grimoire first!
Responding to its master’s call, the bewildered book shot out, acting as a shield. The maddening waves of information crashed into the grimoire instead of him.
The grimoire was linked to Riley’s soul. To prevent a two-way overload, he severed the connection temporarily, turning it into a one-way barrier.
Immediately, the book trembled violently, convulsing—but what could he do? It would have to endure. He trusted the bond they had built.
Catching his breath, Riley surveyed his surroundings.
‘A… sea?’
Though it resembled a sea, the terrain within was more like a forest, making it eerily strange. Trees, grass, saplings, vines—as if a forest had been swallowed by a tidal wave. The sight of it all submerged in blue water was devastating.
The inner world of Sugar he had glimpsed before had been an ordinary forest. There hadn’t been this much water.
Thinking he needed to find the master of this world, he looked around—until he spotted a glass bottle drifting leisurely toward him. It looked suspicious, so he approached it.
Snatching it up, he found it contained a stone and a letter. The stone must have been added for weight.
He quickly uncorked it and pulled out the note.
- Find the wall.
- Seal the broken gap.
- Wake the dreamer to drain the water.
‘Find the wall?’
He dug through his memories. Though the grimoire was protecting him, information kept leaking into his mind, making it hard to focus.
‘Now that I think about it… the trial. When it ended, the Evil God told Sugar to break through the wall.’
The note said to seal the broken gap. Had some wall been breached, causing all this water?
Turning it over, he saw more writing on the back.
※When you get out, scold her for “using too much mana past her limits!!!” (Mandatory)
Had she used so much mana that the wall cracked? He didn’t know the details, but he could tell the note’s author was furious.
The messy, frantic handwriting looked… oddly familiar.
“…”
Pocketing the note, Riley scanned the area. When that didn’t help, he closed his eyes—and sensed a steady current flowing from one direction.
He followed it. Before long, a white stone wall came into view.
And there, leaning against it as if asleep, was Sugar.
‘Sugar.’
Overjoyed, he pinched her cheeks repeatedly. Of course, she didn’t wake. She must have been directly exposed to the flood of information.
Riley glanced at his trembling grimoire. It wouldn’t hold out much longer.
Knowing he had to finish this quickly, he left Sugar for a moment and examined the wall. Upon closer inspection, a thin, elongated crack ran along its surface—the source of all this water. The sheer volume was absurd.
‘Behind this…’
The truth of the water swallowing the forest. The flow of all things that the wall had been holding back.
Was this the secret of her constitution?
A mana that assimilated and merged with everything—was this why her body so readily yielded control when Riley held her hand?
‘Is this why the Evil God wants her…?’
Countless theories swirled in his mind, but he forced himself to focus on the present.
He had found the wall. He had found Sugar. Now, he had to seal the gap.
But… how?
There was nothing to block the gap. What in this desolate forest could possibly seal a broken wall?
Time was running out. Riley, staring grimly at the crack, suddenly turned his head.
In his peripheral vision, he spotted the grimoire—shivering violently as it doggedly followed its master.
“…”
…
“…”
…
A silent exchange of glances.
Execution was swift.
.
.
.
‘This should do it.’
Before long, Riley admired his handiwork with satisfaction. The white stone wall was now patched haphazardly with torn pages—about ten sheets’ worth.
Each ripped page felt like tearing off a piece of his soul. And rightly so—the grimoire and Riley’s spirit were deeply intertwined. He had literally used his soul as a seal.
The grimoire’s heart was equally torn. It would forever remember this as the day its owner became an unparalleled scoundrel.
But at least the flood of information had weakened.
Now, he had to wake Sugar. His head throbbed—he was reaching his limit. If he lost focus even slightly, useless data would flood in, making his vision spin.
‘Not yet… Hang on.’
He pulled Sugar into his arms and laid her across his lap.
‘Sugar. Sugar.’
Every time he opened his mouth, only bubbles escaped. No sound.
Frustration tightened his chest. How could he wake her? He pinched her cheeks, twisted her nose, even tried kissing her like in fairy tales—but her lips remained cold, her eyes shut.
‘You’re the one who begged for a kiss…’
He even bit her lip lightly. No response.
So he hugged her tightly instead, cradling her small, fragile body.
‘Sugar…’
What if she never woke up?
There was so much he wanted to say. So many questions.
‘What did you mean by “I don’t want to stay friends”?’
The words she’d said earlier refused to leave his mind.
Was she cutting ties? Or did she mean something else?
‘You’re the one who drew the line between us, idiot.’
Damn it.
She hadn’t changed since childhood. She was still the one who twisted his heart in knots.
Making him nervous, making him ache, making him worry—always, every time, without fail.
His thoughts were always full of her. Always chasing her, always pulled along by her—Sugar, Sugar, Sugar—
“— — —”
He wanted to shout her name in frustration, but only bubbles came out.
Why was this the part that had to be realistic? He could move and breathe just fine, but no sound? He wanted to scream her name—to remind himself he was still alive.
Gritting his teeth, he gripped her shoulders.
‘…Wait.’
Then, a sensation prickled in his left hand—followed by a sudden realization about sound.
He raised his left hand. There, on his finger, was the white-stoned ring Sugar had forced onto him in the carriage to Steele.
“It’s really nothing special… Just a regular curse-binding and… a recording function.”
“A recording function? What were you even thinking?”
“I was just… curious. What does Riley do when I’m not around? What does he talk about with others? What does he do alone at night…?”
This obsessive lunatic!
Good job.
When they got back, he’d tell her exactly what he did alone at night.
He activated the ring. Would it work? Probably.
Sugar had brought objects in and out of this space before.
Focusing, he traced the mana back. His grimoire, on the verge of shutting down from overload, made his head pound with stray information—but he pushed through.
‘…Found it.’
The most recent recording.
From just after she’d put the ring on him, right when they’d gotten tangled in the dimensional rift.
If this tiny thing had a recording function, it likely converted sound into mana for storage. Reversing the process manually wouldn’t be hard.
He played it.
“—Sugar.”
His own voice echoed, slightly muffled underwater but clear enough. He pressed his left hand to her ear.
“—I won’t lose you. Never.”
The line she’d loved so much.
“No matter where this space takes us… No matter what tries to tear us apart—I’ll chase you to the world’s end and beyond.”
He’d replay it as many times as needed. Even if her mind was gone, hearing should remain. Especially for her—her ears were always too sharp for her own good.
She could tease him all she wanted when she woke up. He’d cherish even that.
So please open your eyes.
Riley gently stroked her ear and cheek before pressing his lips to hers. Back when he’d said those words, he’d kissed the ring—but now, she was right here.
After pouring his hope into the kiss, he pulled back to replay the recording—
“…”
“…”
—and froze.
Eyes he’d never seen before.
A treasure in the depths.
Sugar’s eyes were open.
Riley exhaled in relief, bubbles escaping as Sugar frowned, rubbing her temples. He quickly showed her the note.
Ah. Understanding dawned on her face, and bubbles burst from her lips as she waved her hands. The water began draining—where to, he didn’t know. Outward?
As his dazed mind pondered, slender arms wrapped around his neck. Sugar pulled him close, her face inches from his.
Now that he thought about it, he’d heard she was afraid of water. Was she okay?
But the worry faded. Underwater, she was as beautiful as a mermaid—her white hair swaying like waves, her irises gleaming like light in the dark, whether sky-blue or pink, he couldn’t tell.
Then she smiled.
Her lips met his again—warm and alive this time, despite the cold water.
No, not a mermaid.
Just Sugar.
His childhood friend.
The one he loved.
LegoMyEggo
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