After several more hours of sailing, they finally spotted the island. The majestic, yet clearly ruined, structure at its center instantly captured their attention.

  "So that's the library, huh?" Carol murmured, astonished by its immense size.

  Revir gazed intensely at the ruins, a raw mixture of guilt and dread churning within him. He gripped his arms tightly, remembering Irlia and the outrageous claim she made right before the incident occurred.

  Hindrey, Dulcinia, and Erick only watched his behavior from behind.

  After arriving on the island, the group started walking toward the library. They saw the ruin's structure towering in the middle of the forest. But suddenly, the group was slammed to the ground as an overwhelming gravity effect locked them in place.

  "W-what is this...?" Aria said, shocked greatly.

  Then, Hindrey, Erick, and Dulcinia casually walked past the trapped group.

  "Y-You did this, didn't you, Captain Hindrey...?" Hana said, slowly raising her head to look at him.

  "Sorry if I had to betray your trust. But we can't risk letting another Margias step inside. Cannot let that incident occurs once more, am I right?" Hindrey replied, offering only a cold smile.

  "Even so, we're not like them! There's no need for you to do this!"

  "You think I'll listen to any excuse you have, woman?!" Hindrey snapped, his anger exploding outward. "I'm not going to tolerate any lies from you, especially from a Margias!"

  "That's..." Hana fell into a silent struggle, unable to find the correct answer.

  "Do you want to follow us, Revir?" Dulcinia asked, concern coloring her voice as she looked at him. Revir alone remained unaffected by the gravity.

  Revir didn't answer. He only clenched his hand in anger as he walked toward Dulcinia. In that moment, he had made his decision, a decision he knew he would regret afterward.

  "Re-Revir...?" Carol looked slowly to him, surprised.

  "I'm sorry, Carol, everyone. I don't have any choice left," He threw his wand onto the ground near the trapped group, a physical act of rejection. "I have to finish her debt. I can feel her presence in this library, calling to me."

  "What kind of debt...?"

  "To remain by her side," He closed his eyes, then opened them, his expression hardening into grim resolve. "No matter what."

  The four of them walked into the library, leaving the group and Hana trapped and crushed under the gravity effect.

  "Damn... Damn it...!" Carol mumbled, struggling to reach her wand. Although she managed to grasp it, it was useless. The gravity crushed her more fiercely. She couldn't fight back.

  Despite that, she didn't want to give up. She used all her remaining energy to thrust her wand to the ground, trying to use it as a tool to move past the gravity manipulation area. The harder she tried to move, the more crushing the impact became, until her body simply couldn't withstand it anymore.

  Frustration and hopelessness slammed into her heart. She furiously gripped her wand. The Dark Ender surged from the wand, travelled through the ground, and erupted in a vast explosion that hurled the group into the air. Thanks to that, they managed to break free from the gravity effect and land heavily on the ground.

  Carol, however, immediately lost her balance, utterly exhausted by the immense power she had just channelled. Rein caught her in his arms, concerned, noting that this was the most exhausted he had ever seen from her.

  "I-I'm okay, really. We have to get Revir back. That guy has one mess of a problem inside his head," Carol reminded him.

  He sighed at her statement. "Fine. Just don't push yourself too hard. You look more fragile than before, you know?"

  "Heh, you don't have to worry about me, Rein. Just focus on yourself, like always."

  Rein didn't reply, only closing his eyes as he silently accepted her words, knowing they had a bigger problem to face now.

  Revir, Dulcinia, Erick, and Hindrey walked casually inside the library. Three of them felt nostalgic as they looked around their home, while Revir’s face was filled with cold fury, reminding him only of his bad memories.

  "It's been a long time since we set foot here, hasn't it, Revir?" Dulcinia said, a grin of satisfaction spreading on her face.

  Revir didn't reply, falling into his own thoughts.

  "Revir?"

  "Y-yeah. You're right, Dulcinia," he said, nervousness striking his heart.

  "But, man. Look how ruined this place is," Erick said, surveying the messy, burned library. "That attack from Margias really scrapped everything, huh?"

  Revir walked to a half-burned book, knelt, and read its remaining content with a hard expression. It was a storybook-the book the man gave to him and Irlia, the key where everything began.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  (A shift happened, showing a forgotten childhood memory.)

  Young Irlia walked alone down a long corridor inside her castle, needing a private spot to read her book.

  "Irlia? Where are you going?" Young Revir said from behind, confused.

  "N-Nothing!" Irlia nervously laughed, trying to hide her book.

  Revir deeply sighed. "You're going to read that old Sealer history book again, aren't you?"

  "That's what I don't like about you!" Irlia pouted, annoyed. "You're too good at reading people!"

  "I have to. It's crucial if I want to be worthy by your side."

  Then, a creak of a door echoed from afar. Irlia and Revir became wary, their curiosity driving them to look for the source. Now closer, they carefully inspected the suddenly opened room, webs and spiders lurking, a clear sign the room had been abandoned for years.

  There, they saw a man, a casual, sleepy figure leaning by the window. Revir tried to warn the patrolling guard, but the man immediately awoke, grabbing Revir's hand before he rushed away with Irlia.

  "Ah, Ah, Ah. No need for you to find them," the man said, his tone casual and calm. "I'm just a humble traveler, looking for a place to sleep."

  "Why should we believe you? There's no way a traveler can come here just like that. Our place is literally in the middle of the Sea," Revir explained, his expression hardened.

  The man whistled, amazed at Revir's observation. "Looking good, new generation! Seems like I was worried over nothing."

  "Rather than worried about something, I think you should worry more about yourself. " Revir harshly pulled his arm away from the man's grip. "Let's go, Irlia! We must inform the guard before it's too late!"

  Despite his call, she didn't respond. Only astonishment and admiration lingered in her eyes. "Uhm, Irlia?"

  "Are you perhaps the Margias?" she asked excitedly.

  "Y-You really have a keen eye, don't you, young lady?" The man said, smiling nervously. "But yes, I'm a Margias... but not entirely."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  The man answered her question by commanding a wand and a book to materialize from his pocket. Both Revir and Irlia were shocked, especially by the book.

  "That book... How did you...?" Revir said in horror.

  "I know. I'm an anomaly within your community, just like you, boy."

  "Just like me? You mean that you're... a half Sealer, half Margias? I thought that I'm the only one..." Revir said in disbelief.

  "Seems like the discrimination is still happening these days, huh," the man said, commanding his wand and book back into his clothing. "You have it rough, buddy. Don't worry, it will stop eventually, right, young lady?"

  "Of course I will! I'll make sure that our community becomes much better than before. Just you watch!"

  The man smiled in relief. "Do you want to hear the story of my adventure, then? It might be a good reference for the future."

  "Your adventure?" Both Revir and Irlia said in unison.

  "The discrimination, everything—from all the pain and happy memories I've been made when I went outside from my home for the first time. Who knows? This tale might be a key for your goal."

  The man pulled out a storybook, a creation of his own tale.

  "Yuno. Is that your name, mister?" Irlia asked, confirming the name.

  "It's a forgotten name, but yeah." He opened the book, sat down on the floor alongside Revir and Irlia, and prepared for his storytelling.

  "I hope... Both of you can make the dream come true. A dream where the Sealer and Margias can be together without any discriminate." he mumbled to himself, making both kids confused.

  "Revir, are you okay?" Dulcinia said, kneeling down as well. She was surprised that Revir was daydreaming, still touching the half-burned book without noticing. Hesitantly, she took the book away from him. Revir immediately snapped back to reality and grabbed Dulcinia's neck as he stood up in a silent burst of fury.

  "Re-Revir...?" Dulcinia struggled to control her breath as Revir's grip tightened.

  Erick, panicked, harshly shoved Revir aside to stop him from hurting Dulcinia. Dulcinia, collapsing into Erick's arms, coughed as she tried to replenish her breath.

  "Why did you do that, Revir?!" Erick roared, consumed by anger and confusion.

  Revir slowly stood up, a faint bruise already on his face. "It's not your problem to know, Erick. You're not that important, anyway."

  "You..." Erick clenched his fist, annoyed at Revir's taunting.

  "Just let it be, Erick. Revir has a reason for doing so," Hindrey said, attempting to calm the situation. "It's no good if the Sealers battle against each other. You must remember that he's Irlia's childhood friend. She's been missing him for ages, alone in this filthy place."

  "Why does your voice sound like she's actually alive, Sir Hindrey?" Revir asked, disbelief written on his face.

  "Sorry if I didn't tell you sooner, Revir." Hindrey walked slowly toward him.

  But Revir backed away, his expression a mix of disgust and annoyance at his mentor's words. "No... There's no hecking way she would be alive against that bunch of powerful Margias! I saw it... I saw it in front of my eyes as you pulled me away from her!" he roared in uncontrollable rage.

  "During that incident, I noticed a massive explosion of Ender around Irlia. It might have been her awakened Sealer power," Hindrey said, showing a sinister smile that made Revir shiver in fear. "Isn't it that good? With you two reunited, we can finally rise and destroy those Margias back with our own hands!"

  "Does the death of your son and wife back then still hurt you, Sir Hindrey?" Revir countered.

  "I wouldn't say that I've moved on from all the pain that Margias just inflicted on me, or even us."

  Then, a sudden echoing voice across the library appeared, calling to Revir repeatedly.

  "That voice... impossible..." Revir, without hesitation, rushed toward the source. Hindrey snorted at Revir's impatient behavior while Erick and Dulcinia watched, confused.

  (No... no, no, no, no! There's no way, right? There's no way she still survived after that incident!) Revir thought, rushing closer as the voice grew louder. (But if it's true... that she managed to survive. I might be... I might be able to repay her debt at last!)

  The light became overwhelming. He shielded his eyes with his arms as he entered the hall of the library. As he slowly lowered his arms, he saw a shocking figure that made him lose all words.

  A girl with violent-colored hair sat reading a book, utterly casual. Although her clothes were messy and tainted with old blood, the grace of a princess still illuminated her.

  "Welcome back," she said, closing her book and turning to face him. "Revir."