Second floor of the villa, the study.
Yaxiu sat in a brown armchair near the window, holding a comic book in his hands. Beside him, a stylized crescent-moon lamp gave off a soft light, illuminating the fantasy world on the page. Outside, the wind and snow howled, rattling against the windowpanes, but inside the study, only faint whispers of sound broke through, making the room feel all the more tranquil.
Igola actually had no love for reading. His tastes were startlingly close to those of a bored housewife, with a deep fondness for dramatic, melodrama-drenched, prime-time soap operas heavy on conflict—which he insisted on watching at thirty-two times speed. Although his justification was that "only works with the largest viewership can accurately reflect the current state of society and moral values," the fact that Yaxiu caught him passing the time in the bath watching the very same shows rendered all his defenses laughably hollow.
Yet he forced himself to read. After all, when your party consists of an idiot who reads only comics and a necromancer whose brain is pickled in preservatives, it is hard to avoid shouldering the responsibility of gathering information.
It was like a group project where two teammates frankly adopted the slacker attitude of *"no chance I'm doing real work, I've got nothing to lose but my worthless life, at most I'll go up on stage and do the presentation."* Naturally, the only guy who actually wanted to survive had to do the lion's share of the work.
Strictly speaking, Yaxiu and the others had only stayed in this villa for a single night before the three of them were locked away in the Cage of All Stars the next day. But Yaxiu still remembered opening the study door the following morning and seeing Igola sitting right where he was now, flipping through a hefty history tome that Yaxiu himself would never touch.
During their journeys through Gospel and Senluo, whenever there was a lull on the road, the Deceiver would always sit quietly to the side, reading and gathering facts that seemed entirely useless. Yet they had never once lost their way. Igola might not always have had the right answer, but he always knew which direction they needed to head.
Those who are lost have already gone astray; those destined to meet will meet again.
"This really is the first time we've been apart for so long," Yaxiu murmured with a faint chuckle. "I always thought I'd find the two of you in a cardboard box under some overpass."
Though it sounded a bit like abducting stray animals, if he thought about it, hadn't he picked those two bastards up in that giant cage known as Blood Moon Prison? One was a calculating ragdoll cat, and the other was a battle-scarred husky.
Of course, they surely believed they were the ones who had picked up Yaxiu.
Just then, the light flickered slightly. The warm glow quietly shifted into a cool, silvery hue. By the time Yaxiu noticed the change in his surroundings, a pair of arms had already slipped around his neck, and the back of his head was resting against two plump, supple mounds—as though resting upon the most wonderful pillow in the world.
"Any progress?" Weise asked.
"Not yet." Yaxiu gently patted the back of her hand. "Did you need something?"
"Can't I bother you just because?"
"I'm busy searching for traces right now, and you never interrupt me when I'm focused."
"Because I'm not Sword Princess or the Witch," Weise whispered softly. "They have the right to act spoiled with you. I don't."
"While I can't claim everyone holds the exact same place in my heart," Yaxiu said, turning his head to look at her, "you certainly have the right to be a little naughty around me."
"Then do you like it when I'm a bit mischievous?" Weise blinked at him, a flirtatious charm dancing at the corners of her eyes. "Like in the library?"
"So what did you come to see me about?" Yaxiu closed the comic book. "I have to search this villa thoroughly tonight. I might not even have time to sleep."
Weise gave a soft humph. "Even if you don't find a single trace, you still won't give up, will you?"
"Of course not." Yaxiu spoke with absolute resolve. "It's not just for those two, but even more for all of you. If we don't stop the World-Devouring Serpent, we'll all be replaced sooner or later. And before that happens, your personalities will continuously drift—"
"That's the point."
Weise moved around to Yaxiu's front, straddling his lap to face him, her hands resting on his shoulders. "I suspect Dead Frenzy lied to you," she said earnestly.
Because Silver Lantern straightened her spine, she was practically looking down at Yaxiu, placing the azure ribbon tied over her chest right before his eyes. Pressed so close together, Yaxiu didn't know where to look, let alone where to rest his head.
Yet her words immediately commanded his full attention. "She lied to me? You mean... about everything?"
Yaxiu felt a sudden wave of apprehension. Naturally, he didn't put blind faith in Dead Frenzy either. But if Silver Lantern was questioning every piece of information Dead Frenzy had provided, that was less about doubting Dead Frenzy and more about doubting him—if her words were a fabrication, why couldn't Dead Frenzy herself just be a figment of Yaxiu's imagination?
"Of course not."
Noticing his unease at once, Weise gently cradled his head, drawing him into her embrace. "We are all people who once explored the Void Realm with you as teammates. While we might not completely trust your memories, we will at least grant you enough patience until you prove them or give up.
"I believe most of what Dead Frenzy said was true. She only lied about one thing."
"What thing?"
"Personality drift," Weise said seriously. "Over the past week, the Witch, Weixi, and I jointly devised a 'Personality Analysis Model' to determine whether any personality drift was occurring among us."
"What were the results?" Yaxiu asked curiously. "There wasn't any?"
"No, there was," Weise answered unexpectedly. "In fact, it is happening every single moment.
"However, as a control group, Felix and Daidalos were also under our observation. You should be able to guess what we found."
Yaxiu had a faint inkling. "Their personalities are changing every day as well?"
"Exactly."
Weise stroked his hair as if praising a child. "Aside from Weixi, young lives like ours are still growing. Our personalities are nowhere near fully set. Every day's experiences will more or less influence how we develop—especially since we're currently on the run. An extraordinary adventure like this is bound to leave an indelible mark on us.
"Setting aside the fact that I am a god, the rest of you are demigods possessing soul bodies. If 'personality drift' could forcibly rewrite your personalities through infiltration, it would be equivalent to a mind miracle or a soul miracle, and it would inevitably leave scars on your soul bodies. Your souls would resist such an alteration. Demigods are not so fragile that their personalities could be rewritten without a sound."
Yaxiu asked, "What if our souls don't resist?"
"If they don't resist, that means you approve of the change," Weise said, spreading her hands. "Isn't that just the ordinary 'personality development' that countless people experience every day?"
Yaxiu shook his head, rubbing his face into her chest. "You just set up a target that 'personality drift' was fake first, and then hunted for arguments to prove it probably doesn't exist."
"Yaxiu, have you ever heard of a 'self-fulfilling prophecy'?" Weise said. "Suppose someone predicts they will die in a year, and spends the entire year worrying about it day in and day out. In the end, when that day comes, they worry themselves sick and die of sheer anxiety."
Yaxiu froze. "You mean 'personality drift' is the trick of a self-fulfilling prophecy? I told you that personality drift exists, and because you're worried about it, your personalities actually begin to drift?"
"We can't rule that possibility out," Weise said. "More importantly, even without the threat of personality drift, would you simply stop caring about changes in our personalities, Yaxiu?"
Yaxiu blinked, raising his eyes to meet hers. "Right... regardless of whether it exists, I still wouldn't want any of you to be unhappy... I see what you mean."
Weise's point was simple: whether personality drift was real or fake, there was no need to dwell on it, and they certainly shouldn't let it dictate their decisions or dampen their spirits.
When dealing with any psychological trouble, perpetual vigilance and fear were never the answer; living honestly and positively was the only true remedy.
"But Dead Frenzy had no reason to lie about this," Yaxiu said, puzzled. "What good does it do her?"
"Because both the destruction of the world and our replacement are things that will take time to happen. Before then, you have no way to verify them," Weise explained. "Personality drift, however, is different. It's an erosion you could potentially detect at any moment. The instant you catch the slightest hint of it, you'll become desperate to go to Hell. Although I don't know what her ultimate purpose is, she definitely wants you to reenter Hell.
"If the World-Devouring Serpent is a bomb, then personality drift is a fuse laid out right where you can see it. When Dead Frenzy brought it up, it was equivalent to lighting that fuse, forcing you to panic."
Yaxiu nodded repeatedly. "That's entirely possible. Then what should we..."
"You brought Daidalos and Felix along precisely to pass information through them to the Four Pillar Gods and the Divine Lord of Stars, didn't you?" Weise's voice grew softer and gentler. She crossed her arms, pressing the two supple mounds behind the ribbon closer together, forming a trap that seemed impossible not to sink into. "They should have begun making their moves by now. Put your own plans on hold and wait for word from them first. Let's think this through carefully from the start, all right?"
Yaxiu fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, he raised his hands to encircle her waist, pressing his head firmly against the azure ribbon on her chest.
"You laid all that groundwork just to persuade me not to go back to Hell?" Yaxiu murmured. "I didn't think a god's heart could beat so fast."
A rosy flush crept across Weise's cheeks. She glanced out at the wind and snow. "You have taken enough risks already.
"If you're worried about personality drift, we will monitor everyone's personality models for you.
"If you're worried about us being replaced, you'll have to stop the World-Devouring Serpent from completely digesting the Six Hells. While I believe you will one day become a being who transcends everything, right now, just like us, you are merely a sorcerer who has only recently stepped into the demigod rank... You haven't even condensed your fifth wing yet.
"Besides, if this world is heading for destruction, wouldn't the Divine Lord of Stars and the Four God Lords be the most anxious of all?" Weise added. "Weren't you planning on letting them act as the vanguard anyway? I just hope you don't rush into this so recklessly.
"As for your two friends..."
Weise sighed softly. "Sword Princess and the Witch might want to say this too, but let me be the one to say it... They are very likely already dead."
Yaxiu's body stiffened.
"I know this possibility is hard for you to accept, but you still have us," Weise said. "It is a very painful decision, but we all hope you will choose us... You just need to be a little bit cruel."
Silence swallowed the study. After a long moment, Yaxiu's voice broke it, raspy and low: "What if the one forgotten were you? Would you want me to forget you too?"
"Yaxiu," Weise said, entirely indifferent to the sting in his words, her silver-glowing hand gently caressing his hair. "I want you to know... this isn't just my thought."
It felt as though a basin of icy water had been poured over Yaxiu from head to toe.
Of course. Who would want the person they loved to throw his life away for strangers? Even if they had seen his memories and knew how pivotal those two had been in his life, when it came down to it... they simply didn't care about *them*.
Even if the Witch hadn't forgotten Aunt Bogin and Uncle Harvey, if she were forced to choose between Yaxiu and Igola and Harvey, she would not hesitate to be cruel. She might cry, she might be too grieved to sleep, but she would be more decisive than anyone.
To say nothing of Sword Princess and Silver Lantern. And Weixi... cared only for her own survival.
They had merely been indulging him. He had been stubbornly pursuing his own path the entire time, forgetting that he was no longer the condemned criminal who had just escaped from Shattered Lake Prison... He had forged deep bonds with so many people; his balloon was tied to so many strings that he no longer had the right to float away on his own.
If he barged into Hell purely for Igola and Harvey and something went wrong, Yaxiu might satisfy his own sense of loyalty and honor, but he would also betray their feelings.
Yaxiu had never imagined he would find himself facing such a cliché, tiresome dilemma of life—choose friendship, or choose love?
Such a simple multiple-choice question. Could anyone actually get it wrong?
*"Perfection has only ever existed in fantasy. A sorcerer who chases perfection is like a weeping child, knowing full well something is impossible, yet still staking hope on tears."*
The words of Fanxing pierced his soul once again. Back then, it was as if she had already foreseen that a sorcerer unwilling to let go of anything would inevitably arrive at a moment where he had to be cruel.
"...I'll consider it."
As he forced the words out, all strength seemed to drain from Yaxiu's body. Weise held him tenderly, using a god's softness to soothe his troubled heart. "Thank you, Yaxiu."
"I have a question for you too," Yaxiu said suddenly.
"What is it?"
"Are you all... ostracizing Sword Princess?"
Chapter 1049