Reoloy woke up at the crack of dawn the next day, but remained slumped until well into the afternoon.
He wasn't entirely sure he could move and wasn't in any particular rush to find out. That was, at least, until his energy bomb of a companion woke up.
"So," Lohan started sheepishly. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"
"If he wasn't actually a good guy, I would've died."
The lavender-haired teen cringed. "...Sorry."
He could tell from her expression that she was genuinely regretful about being so easily dispatched and staying down until long after everything had already ended.
It didn't matter to him, though. He had come to learn that he was just insanely sturdy.
"If I could get some healing potions, that would be great."
"Ah, right."
She hurried over to where Laurencia had dropped her crate before running off to heaven knew where. The moment Reoloy had confirmed the ruins were safe, a glint had appeared in her eyes, and she'd practically skipped out.
Lohan clumsily grabbed four, then glanced back at him, adding another three to the pile.
"You've been looking like you're reading while staring at nothing," she said as she returned to his side. "...Have I rubbed off on you?"
"Obviously not," Reoloy shot down far too quickly for her liking, prompting an immediate pout. "It's part of my new abilities."
"So that's why your eyes look like that."
Reoloy sat up, taking one of the larger potion bottles and examining it with mild curiosity over where Laurencia had even gotten this particular brand before suddenly snapping his attention back to Lohan.
"My eyes?" he repeated. "What's wrong with my eyes?"
"Well, there's patterns in them..."
Reoloy pulled out Gaiskas's Mirror, for the first time remembering that the laikern had been warped away, and he had no idea if it was back.
'I'll deal with that later,' he thought, opening and angling it at his eyes. "Is this permanent?"
Lohan shrugged. "How should I know?"
"No, not you," he said in a deadpan. "I'm talking to myself... mostly."
He stared back at the reflection.
Another thing he didn't know about.
In the game, the only Regalia—that mattered—that was able to alter the appearance of the eyes was Galaplexius. As far as he had seen in his playthroughs, Luvarne never had that effect.
"Did Galaplexius's influence overpower Luvarne's...?"
[Note: The user is currently in analysis mode]
"Hm?"
Reoloy silently willed it off, and the patterns vanished.
He let out a great sigh of relief as Lohan sat by, utterly confused. She then patted his head casually.
"There, there."
He shot her a flat look, then smiled, finding her oddities comforting in the aftermath of that great fiasco.
They had really done it.
About three weeks and all kinds of nonsense, but Luvarne was in his hands.
Reoloy's expression soured.
'We'll have to move soon.'
There was no longer a reason for them to stay here. Plus, he had to be in Academy City in a little under two months. The journey would take maybe twenty days—more if Luvarne's rejection affected anything else.
He shoved the thoughts aside, resummoning the screen and willing it onto the notifications.
[Rewards have been granted!]
'Let's see what we have...' he mused, opening the message.
[Trait: Potential has slightly emerged from its seal!]
[Trait: Madman has levelled up!]
[Stat: Endurance has risen by 50 points!]
[Stat: Agility has risen by 5 points!]
"Not bad," he muttered, then glanced at Lohan. "Sorry. Still just talking to myself."
[Casis Skill Tree Option: Telekinesis has levelled up!]
Reoloy jumped to his feet.
"For real?!" he blurted, barely containing his excitement. "Just like that?!"
If he were a little more dramatic, he would cry. It made him feel like his struggles weren't all too bad after all.
'Though my actual casis reserves are trash...' He decided to revisit his stats. 'I don't want to depend on that trait every single time... I'll need to start training immediately.'
Scanning the page, his excitement quickly took a downturn.
[Strength: 19]
[Agility: 35]
[Dexterity: 28]
[Endurance: 1119]
[Durability: 2258]
[Perception: 58]
[Mana: 999,993.93/999,993.93]
[Casis: 3.47/6.08]
'Not only has the conversion not gone up by much, the energy replenishment from yesterday's fight is also absolutely atrocious...'
He scanned a bit lower. 'What's this?'
[Soul Power: 100]
[Description: The point of connection between a relic and its user. The lower the SP, the less output a relic displays—some relics are an exception.]
"So this is what drains when I use my glove," he muttered. "There's still so much to learn here—"
"Guys!" Laurencia barged in, absolutely dripping in sweat. "You have to see this..."
---
Reoloy burst out laughing.
"Well, isn't that crazy?"
"Shouldn't we help her?" Lohan asked, staring at the figure on the floor. "How long has she even been here?"
"The other two showed up not long ago, so maybe a day or three."
"Is she even alive?" Laurencia asked, keeping her distance.
"She is. Her mana's depleted, though," Reoloy said, opening one of the potions that had been meant for him. "If we're lucky, she'll wake up with this."
After Laurencia had raised alarm of her discovery, they had backtracked all the way to that corner one floor down, where Lohan had previously dispatched a patrolling golem.
Taking the other route—the one leading toward the cluster of doors—they had ended up inside what appeared to be a bedroom.
And, surprisingly—they found Selene.
Much more than Laurencia when Reoloy had first seen her again, she was in rough shape. He reasoned that enough potions would likely bring her back to consciousness, but she would need proper medical treatment afterwards.
"Yeah, we probably need to get her out of here." Reoloy rose and looked toward the door. "We're done here for now, so let's go back to town."
Lohan perked up, while Laurencia remained sceptical, wondering about the Cardanians she had only heard of through them.
"There's someone there who can do more… and the clinic isn't too bad either."
"We have to hike down?" Laurencia groaned.
Reoloy grinned. "Of course not. I, my friend—and by extension you—have gone up in the world."
---
The wind whipped through their hair as they flew over the mountains that had once seemed so treacherous.
Reoloy found it almost laughable how stark the contrast in experience was.
"Yoouuu basssttarrrrd!" Laurencia cried, barely holding on to her mode of transportation.
"Careful, Miss Laurencia!" Lohan shouted. "You'll fall!"
The trio soared on the backs of crow monsters—artificial creatures under Reoloy's command now that he owned Luvarne. Well... for the most part.
'What a pleasant surprise,' Reoloy thought, gears spinning in his eyes as he reviewed the main detail page for the Regalia's faculties. 'I was going to try it anyway, but who knew that I had control over the store of beasts inside Luvarne after attaining Rank Two Access.'
He had apparently skipped over the last of his rewards earlier. Like his telekinesis, his authority over his new Regalia had levels—or ranks, as the system itself defined them.
After being denied, he had fallen all the way from Master Control to Rank One. To regain full authority, he had seven ranks to climb through. Though he was still unsure how.
'It rose after I beat Romas, so maybe I defeat other strong people and monsters, and it goes up?'
His attention snapped back as they cleared the mountains, the forest coming into view.
The speed surprised him—by his understanding, even with the Cardanians' hovers, it would take at least two hours to cover this distance.
Reoloy let out a quiet, odd laugh. 'All these benefits are mine!'
"I can see the chieftain's building!" Lohan called. "Where should we land?"
The reincarnator paused for a moment, then smiled at the faint tingling sensation he felt as they drew closer.
"Follow my lead!"
He leaned forward, patting the side of the bird's head, prompting a dramatic descent. The others followed suit, trailing behind their master—much to Lohan's amusement and Laurencia's visible dismay.
As they entered the town, the creatures weaved effortlessly between the taller buildings.
The wind carried the sound of their flapping wings, Lohan and Reoloy's laughter, and Laurencia's piercing screams—until Reoloy's bird finally signalled their arrival by stopping abruptly and hovering two metres over the surface.
He jumped off first, stepping forward.
He glanced around, an awkward smile forming at the eccentricity of it all.
"We're back."
Cheers erupted as the crowd rushed toward him. Amali and Aylo descended on him immediately, firing off a thousand questions—chattering too quickly for him to properly follow.
And soon, everyone was there.
"You actually did it in one day," Roy said, a wide grin stretching across his face. "I'm honestly shocked."
"It looked bad at one point," Reoloy replied, shrugging off a playful punch to his shoulder. "But we managed."
"One?!" Laurencia yelled, picking herself off the ground. "There were barely any moments we weren't almost dying!"
Everyone went quiet.
"...Who is this?" Amali asked.
Lohan pushed through the sea of people, carefully carrying Selene on her back.
"She's a friend of ours," she said. "Oh, this one too—kind of."
Amali perked up. "Lo-lo! You're okay!"
"Of course I am," Lohan said, puffing her chest. "If I died, Reoloy would be a goner."
"On the topic of your boat friends," Avron cut in. "We found another guy dressed like you. We locked him up with the other two."
Reoloy nodded. "Good. Exactly what I needed."
Then he turned to the blonde who hadn't spoken yet.
"Lavere—"
"The girl needs healing," she interrupted, already walking to the clinic. "I'll help her. Come on."
Reoloy smiled, waving Lohan and Laurencia along.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
---
"Why are you guys acting weird?"
All the core members of the Cardanian youth were packed into one room, pressed together on one side so Lavere and Selene could have enough breathing space.
"We don't know what you're talking about," most of them said in unison.
"They're feeling off because they know you'll be leaving soon," Lavere chimed in, never once taking her attention away from the patient.
Reoloy glanced at them—far too close for comfort. Lohan and Laurencia stood beside him, the latter looking more confused and appalled that he had somehow amassed a following than anything else, completely ignoring even the advanced standards of the town.
"Lav-lav, you're a traitor..."
"Is it that bad?" the favoured outsider asked, slightly confused—though flattered. "This was always going to happen..."
He trailed off as he watched the mood dampen.
"Reoloy, shut up," Lavere said plainly.
"...Okay."
The situation was strange. He'd barely known these people for more than two weeks, yet they felt so strongly about his departure.
'What was it Mel used to say?' he thought nostalgically. 'It's not the long relationships that are worth fighting for, it's the quality ones...'
Though they still fell out despite his belief that theirs had been both.
'Can't blame her...' He scanned the faces in the room, some that he had either never spoken to or had briefly interacted with. 'What do they even see in me?'
A feeling bloomed in his chest.
"Hey."
"Reollie... you'll set her off..."
Reoloy ignored Amali and the sharp glance from Lavere, which seemed to confirm her patience was being tested.
"I'll leave in a week," he started, looking up at the ceiling blankly. "Until then, let's hang out."
Silence.
Then laughter erupted, and all eyes turned to the source. Edam dramatically stomped over and threw her arm around his shoulders.
"That's more like it!" she said. "Speak your mind with your chest! Some of the guys around here should learn a thing or two from you!"
"...Thanks?"
"No problem!"
Aylo suddenly popped up from the back of the group.
"Edaline, from my extensive experience of being told off every day, you're bothering him!"
The room temperature dropped several degrees as a wave of sighs, groans, and mutters rolled through the group.
"Call me that again..." Edam turned slowly, grey eyes glowing with violent intent. "And I'll use you for target practice."
Laurencia leaned toward Lohan, face completely passive.
"Are they always like this?"
The younger girl shook her head. "It's a recent thing."
The merchant laughed.
"I kind of like it here."
The room stayed noisy and lively well into the night. At some point, the clinic staff arrived to tell them they were being too disruptive—especially after Edam had actually fired at her own brother.
And as they went their separate ways, Reoloy felt a tug on his sleeve. Seeing Lavere, he excused himself from his two fellow outsiders, telling them he would meet them at their accommodations.
Not long after, they found themselves in a clearing.
"So?" she asked, standing at one end. "What did you get from your trip?"
Reoloy lifted a hand, palm facing upward, and raised several nearby rocks, shakily spinning them in place.
Lavere's eyes widened—then she laughed.
He wasn't ashamed to admit that he was bothered by the out-of-character reaction—unnerved, even.
"I told you," Reoloy started. "I would come back with plenty to teach you."
In an instant, they both flung projectiles at each other. Lavere's stopped inches from his face, constricted by green energy, while his spun around her neck slowly.
She raised her hands. "I lose."
'My telekinesis is at level two, and I have attack prediction. Of course you did.'
The demonstration guzzled a bunch of his casis, though.
"You know stuff like this sends the wrong message to everyone," Reoloy said with a sigh. "They think you like me."
He could be slow, but he wasn't dumb. He heard the whispers and felt the stares.
"I know," Lavere replied. "I don't really care as long as you teach me new things about casis."
He stared at her flatly and began walking away.
"I'll see what I can do over the next week."
---
~ A week later ~
It had been quite eventful.
Between getting dragged around everywhere for his impromptu goodbye tour, checking in on the still-unconscious Selene, training with Lavere—which had somehow evolved into training with everyone—and being paraded around as some sort of public figure, something he still didn't quite understand, the week had passed in a blur.
"Why is the big shot himself here to see humble old me?"
Reoloy frowned. "Cut it out."
He clicked his tongue, kicking at the dirt.
"...You're the only one I haven't seen yet."
Gordoi turned from the base of the house he had been inspecting, shooting him a somewhat playful look.
"Really?"
"Really." Reoloy nodded. "I even had dinner with the elders. It was weird..."
Gordoi stood, dusting off his pants.
"You're important now," he explained. "Even to the ordinary folk, your achievements are blinding. They can't help but admire you."
The boy stared at the ground, clearly apprehensive about something.
"I guess."
Gordoi sighed. "What's wrong?"
"I couldn't tell the others, but... after I leave today, I might not be able to come back."
The blacksmith visibly recoiled. "Why?"
Reoloy remained silent.
In RON, after claiming Luvarne, you left—and the region became physically sealed off on the map by a spell. He didn't know why, but if it was an effect tied to the relic, it might be unavoidable even in this real, alternate world.
"Look," Gordoi began. "I think you're misunderstanding something—"
"I'm not..." Reoloy interrupted quietly. "I wish I was."
The teen stretched before lightly punching the man's chest.
"Thanks for everything," he said, turning away with a wave. "I'm going to gather all the people I... kind of brought here and head out. Despite all my frustrations with you, it was fun."
Gordoi watched him leave, confusion written plainly across his face.
"...What was that?"
---
On the outskirts, the entire forest expedition squad, Frusen, Meyer, Leno, and Gordoi stood before Reoloy, Laurencia, Lohan—who was once again carrying Selene—and their "prisoners."
The older men, save for Frusen, looked thoroughly bewildered.
"Why... are we doing this again?"
Frusen raised a brow. "The kids are seeing their friend off. We might as well join in. Though I'm only here because Edaline and Edren are."
"No, no," Gordoi muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You don't get it—"
"I'm summoning our ride now," Reoloy declared, having finished his final farewells.
Leno, Meyer, and Gordoi's necks nearly snapped.
"Right now?!"
"Call... the Great Floating Warship—Dread Seeder: Luvarne!"
Nothing happened.
For a brief moment, some of the teens cleared their throats, desperately trying to suppress the second-hand embarrassment.
"Everyone, get on the ground now!" Leno barked.
Then the world shook.
A tremor beyond all imagination crashed through the land.
Wildlife—monsters and animals alike—burst into motion, abandoning all caution as they scrambled for safety in the midst of what felt like the end of all things.
"What's happening?!" Laurencia screamed.
Reoloy curled in on himself as he was violently thrown about, eventually slamming into a tree and using it to steady himself.
"I don't know!" he shouted back. "This isn't what's supposed to happen!"
The screams intensified.
Some drew weapons. Others utilised skills to shield themselves from harm, but as the chaos escalated, even those efforts began to feel meaningless.
And then—
It stopped.
Each person rose at their own pace; Lohan just so happened to be the first.
Her eyes stretched wide, mouth agape.
For once, she struggled to get words out.
Strangely enough, Laurencia was the next person to see the scene. She froze before rapidly poking Reoloy as though demanding an explanation.
"...I thought you said the ruins were Luvarne."
Reoloy steadied himself, his eyes wide, just like everyone else's.
"...That should be the case."
"Then why are we still out here... and next to the clouds?"
The true spectacle revealed itself.
All of Cardana—from its beaches to the surrounding cliffs, from the forests to the mountain ranges above—rested upon the back of a gigantic grey turtle.
"The whole thing..." Reoloy muttered. "You can't be serious..."
Gordoi groaned. "I tried to tell you. We only finished the preparations earlier today. We were supposed to get everyone under the reinforced buildings before taking off."
Reoloy blinked. "You knew?!"
"Well..." the blond replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Only me, Leno, Captain Meyer, and the elders, but yeah."
The reincarnator slowly fell back onto his backside, immediately opening the system screen—and there it was, the whole map revealed, down to the turtle's flippers and all.
Realisation dawned on him that he had literally stolen an entire mass of land.
"Ha... haha... I'm fucked."