The World’s End Chronicle

They all stared at Nathan's frozen face—stunned by the figure standing before him.

Lucian let out a soft groan as he struggled to lift his head, his body still weighed down. His eyes settled on Nathan, standing rigidly, eyes blank and fixed straight ahead.

Slowly, Lucian followed his friend's gaze. Who could possibly shake Nathan like that?—who could make Nathan look so shaken?

Then, from afar, Lucian saw them—shadowy figures slowly drawing near. Ten… eleven… twelve. One of them locked eyes with Lucian, a gaze sharp as a freshly honed blade—cold, and filled with dark intent.

Feeling the threat, Lucian slowly pushed himself up. One hand clutched his chest—he let out a soft groan as that damn curse surged through him again. Yet even through the pain, he smiled faintly. His gaze held steady, locked on the twelve figures with a courage forged by pain.

Slowly, he opened his hand, staring into his palm in silence.

Wait for the right time... if anything happens to me or to them…

The words whispered only in his heart

Meanwhile, the enemy Lucian had fought earlier fell silent. His expression shifted as he saw the twelve figures nearing.

Aurora noticed them too—her eyes narrowing, watching with growing unease.

He no longer attacked. Instead, he leapt onto a burning building, watching the twelve mysterious figures with eyes sharp and alert.

The flames around him turned his silhouette into a shadow from hell—

and something far greater was waiting to be revealed.

Suddenly—like a silent storm—one of them lunged toward Nathan, his blade aimed directly at Nathan's chest, fast and lethal.

But in a flash, Lucian moved. With a swift wave of his hand, a magic circle burst to life—infused with powerful wind magic. It stopped the blade and froze the attacker mid-strike.

Lucian let out a faint snort.

"Tch... just in time."

The attacker turned, eyes locking onto Lucian, who still sat in silence.

One hand opened, revealing a fragment of wind magic—fused with a spell only he could create.

The enemy growled, straining to move—but the wind circle tightened, stealing his breath and freezing him in place.

Lucian reached for his sword.

From afar, Aurora approached, confusion clouding her face.

She didn't fully understand what was happening—but deep inside, she knew: those people were after the spell scroll hidden in Nother.

Lucian stared at the blade in his hand—blue, cold, glowing faintly.

He shifted it to his right hand. Slowly, the hilt revealed ancient writing—part of a spell once scribbled on a torn page, hidden in his robe's secret pocket before it was burned in that surprise attack.

He had fulfilled the conditions.

The power… was now released.

It had merged with the blade he carried.

The others stood frozen, stunned by how easily one of them was stopped.

But what shocked them most—Lucian tossed the sword to the ground, then walked slowly to where his own sword lay… and picked it up.

What was he doing?

They all looked at him questioningly. Meanwhile, Aurora began to realize something. Something that only a few people could understand.

"Could it be… that!"

Her eyes widened, breath catching in her throat.

She knew—Lucian had just awakened something.

And indeed.

Like a swiftly flashing shadow, Lucian suddenly moved. In an instant, he slashed at the strange figures one by one. His movements were so fast, invisible.

Three of them still managed to react, dodging in a split second.

Aurora and Nathan froze, shocked.

They realized— those figures… had been slaughtered by Lucian. And now, Lucian's whereabouts were unknown.

"What kind of attack was that?!"

The three figures who managed to dodge stared, confused by Lucian's almost invisible movements—as if merging with the air itself.

Three of their companions lay dead, their bodies slashed in a single attack. Six others were severely injured—precisely in their vital organs. Only three survived the slash, now standing guard on the domed building.

They immediately warned their companions still below,

"Be careful! Don't act rashly!"

A gust of wind hit Aurora and Nathan's faces—and suddenly, Lucian was standing beside them.

"Ughh..." His left hand tightly covered his mouth, preventing blood from spilling everywhere.

His vision blurred. Everything was hazy. Until finally, he could see nothing anymore.

His body was stiff. Cold. Not a single word came out—except a soft whisper, asking for a potion to make his body move again, even if only temporarily.

Nathan's face looked anxious. Lucian's limp body was now supported by his two hands. Meanwhile, the three figures on the dome still watched them, keeping a wary distance.

Nathan opened a bottle of green potion. Without hesitation, he brought it to Lucian's mouth, guiding him to swallow the liquid.

Slowly, Lucian's eyes opened slightly. His mouth began to move—one word came out, sounding like a soft murmur:

"Neorancia…"

Instantly, a magic circle appeared—a wind barrier enveloped the three of them.

And at that moment, they all disappeared from that place.

They had exchanged places.

That unique magic… belonged to Naseki. A magic usually used in desperate situations. To activate it, a natural potion was needed—which had been slightly modified by Nathan.

The exchange point was in the southern region of the Victoria Kingdom, precisely in the city of Piecer. A city with buildings similar to Nother, but its roofs were triangular, not domed. Their location shifted to a slightly elevated street—located right on the border of Nother and Piecer.

Lucian showed a grim face. The potion he had just drunk—vomited back out of his mouth, leaving a bitter and stinging sensation in his throat.

On the other hand, Aurora, seeing this, immediately turned away, her expression showing disgust. Without saying anything, she stepped into the small house right in front of her.

Meanwhile, Nathan was still beside Lucian. Sweat flowed slowly from his forehead. Although anxious, he still smiled faintly, then patted his friend's head gently.

"Tch… next time, please change the recipe to make it easier to swallow," he muttered half-jokingly.

Lucian pushed away Nathan's hand that was still on his shoulder. Slowly, he got up and walked away, towards a cluster of rocks. There, he stood silently, looking into the distance—towards the flames and plumes of smoke still enveloping Nother.

In his heart, Lucian had accepted that bitter reality. The body he possessed now… wasn't Naseki's. But his own.

But he didn't regret it. He no longer fought fate. Instead, he would live this life according to his own wishes.

Lucian smiled. His footsteps began to move—slowly but steadily, approaching Nathan who was still standing there, waiting in silence.

"Huh!? Where's Aurora?" Lucian suddenly exclaimed, surprised to realize that Aurora wasn't nearby.

But Nathan just pointed towards the house right behind them. Without saying a word, they both immediately stepped inside the building.

The door opened slowly, emitting a soft creaking sound. This house was a small base—a place once used by Naseki, Nathan, and their friends. Now the whereabouts of their friends were unknown, but this building had stood strong for over eight years. More precisely, it was built when Naseki was twelve years old, and Nathan and the others were fourteen.

Entering the house, Nathan was immediately enveloped in a sense of nostalgia. So was Lucian—even though he was now in Naseki's body, this place felt strange yet familiar. He swept the room with his gaze, then stopped at a table in the middle of the room. On it, neatly stacked old books worn by time. But one object caught his attention—a gleaming revolver lay there.

Curiously, Lucian picked it up. He raised the weapon, aimed it, and…

Bang!!

A bullet shot swiftly, piercing the cupboard in the corner of the room, followed by the sound of breaking glass from the right side. The gunshot echoed, startling the entire room.

Aurora suddenly stood up.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" she exclaimed in surprise, her eyes wide in disbelief. Her tone was sharp, filled with tension.

Lucian just turned towards them and gave a small smile—a smile that seemed to apologize without words.

Aurora finally sat back down, still with a confused expression. While Nathan just chuckled softly at Lucian's childish behavior.

"Oh yeah," he said, wiping away tears from laughing, "I just bought that revolver the day before yesterday. I deliberately put it on the table… but not to be shot randomly, you know!"

Nathan's laughter erupted, filling the room that had been tense.

Lucian just grumbled softly.

"Tch…"

He looked at the wooden table with four chairs surrounding it. Two of the chairs were empty. Lucian walked slowly and sat in one of them.

As soon as he sat down, his right palm opened. Instantly, a sword appeared—the sword he had previously taken from the enemy who had tried to slash Nathan. He looked at it for a moment, then calmly made the sword disappear back to a place only he knew.

But Nathan and Aurora still had questions on their faces. They looked at each other, then looked at Lucian.

"Lucian… what magic did you use during that fight?" Nathan asked seriously.

Lucian was about to answer—but before a single word came out of his mouth,

Knock knock knock.

The sound of a knock on the door… soft, but clear.

The three of them immediately fell silent. Eyes exchanged glances. In each of their minds, the same question revolved:

Who knocked on the door?

Had they been found by the enemy?