Adam twisted the fan once through his fingers and stepped sideways just as another vector-marked page cut through the wind near his shoulder.
Zenon stood opposite him, notebook open in one hand. Neither looked exhausted.
Adam exhaled slowly.
"Dammit, this whole thing still feels stupid."
Zenon redirected a falling slab midair with a page.
"It is stupid."
"…That easy?"
Zenon frowned slightly.
"What did you expect? A speech about destiny?"
Adam almost laughed despite himself.
"Honestly? Yeah."
Their clash resumed instantly.
Cherry blossom petals burst outward from Adam's fan. Layered in spiraling patterns that changed direction depending on air pressure.
Zenon immediately rewrote their vectors through marked pages, redirecting half into nearby walls while stepping around the rest with frightening precision.
Adam clicked his tongue.
"You always overthink."
Zenon answered immediately.
"We both don't think enough."
"Worked better for me so far."
"No. You just survive consequences better."
Adam rushed forward quickly.
Zenon forced the momentum sideway.
Adam turned midair anyway, catching himself through a petal-generated foothold.
Zenon sighed quietly.
" Heh, you are exhausting. "
"You are welcome."
A brief pause between exchanges.
"You really never wanted this throne either, huh?" Adam spoke.
Zenon looked quiet thoughtful, he didn't answer.
The fight stopped the moment footsteps entered the room.
Adam lowered his fan slightly. Zenon closed half of his notebook.
Ophelia and Redmond stepped into the destroyed hall.
Tian Lang slowly came out from Redmond's shadow behind them, calm as always.
Ophelia looked between the two candidates.
"…Are you both insane?"
Adam raised an eyebrow.
"That depends."
"You two are tearing the whole organization apart! People are killing each other downstairs! If this escalated it might harm public and properties!"
Redmond stepped forward.
"There's a third party involved. Someone planned this chaos from the start."
Tian Lang crossed his arms.
"They are planning in the shadows. We have proof."
Adam and Zenon looked at each other. A moment of thoughts passed between them. There was nothing special in their expressions.
"We know." Adam sighed.
Nobody answered immediately.
Ophelia, Tian, Redmond stunned from what they just heard.
"…What?"
Zenon couldn't help but force a grin.
"We already know."
Redmond's face changed slightly.
"You knew?"
Adam rubbed his forehead.
"Not everything. But enough."
Ophelia stepped closer.
"Then why are you still fighting? Why let all this happen?"
Zenon looked down for a second.
"Because this was always supposed to happen."
Tian Lang stepped forward observing the surroundings destruction.
"Elaborate."
Adam looked at the broken floor.
"This conflict was planned long ago. Before today."
"By who?" Redmond asked.
Adam and Zenon stayed silent for a moment. Then Zenon answered carefully.
"King Julius knew."
"The previous King?" Ophelia asked quietly.
Adam nodded his head.
"He knew this day would come."
Ophelia looked confused.
"That makes no sense."
Zenon closed his notebook completely.
"It doesn't to us either. However, Julius prepared us for this."
Adam's voice became quieter.
"He told us one day the Order would split. He said we would be forced into conflict."
Redmond narrowed his eyes.
"…Forced?"
"Yes."
Zenon added calmly,
"And Julius' death… was not an accident or natural death."
The room turned silent.
"Well, well. Don't get it wrong. We didn't kill him at all. We had reasons to hate him. But not that." Adam added immediately.
Zenon looked toward them.
"Everything happening right now… someone wanted this."
"That beast is hiding somewhere near, I can tell. How foolish, we are already trapped inside the cage with the beast."
Ophelia looked between Adam and Zenon, trying to understand if they were serious or simply exhausted enough to stop making sense.
"So that's it? You already know someone planned this, people are dying and both of you are still standing here fighting for nothing?"
Adam let out a slow breath.
"You think we didn't try?"
Redmond stepped closer.
"Then change it."
Zenon's expression stayed calm but tired.
"If it were that simple, we would have already done it."
Tian Lang narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What exactly is stopping you?"
Then Zenon finally answered,
"We don't fully understand it."
Adam looked toward the shattered floor.
"The only thing we know for sure…is that the person behind this shouldn't even exist in the way they do."
Three of them looked confused.
"What does that even mean?"
Zenon's fingers tightened slightly around the notebook.
"They traveled back."
Redmond was the first to speak.
"…Backwards?"
"In time, yes." Adam answered quietly.
Tian Lang crossed his arms thinking like a deep thinker notching his chin with two fingers.
"You expect us to believe someone traveled through time and planned this whole disaster?"
Zenon looked directly at him.
"We don't expect you to believe anything. Julius believed it."
Adam continued,
"The previous King knew something was wrong. He told us someone had already interfered with events before they happened."
Redmond's expression darkened.
"Why you are only telling us now?"
Adam gave a tired smile.
"You ever wonder why we are suddenly honest?"
Then Zenon spoke plainly,
"Because we are probably going to die anyway."
Ophelia stared looking with wide eyes.
"…Excuse me?"
Adam slowly opened his fan.
"We are not trying to hurt anyone."
Cherry blossom petals quietly formed around him.
"We are telling you the truth."
Zenon opened the notebook again.
Arrow marks slowly moved across them like something alive.
"If this fate could be changed, we would have done it already."
Tian Lang stepped slightly forward.
"You still plan to fight? There is no meaning to all these anymore."
Adam lowered himself into stance.
"We don't have another choice. This is where our fate lead us. Even if we give up, nothing changes at all."
Zenon raised a page.
"Maybe this fight was decided long before any of us were born."
They took combat stance again.
Ophelia stepped forward quickly.
"Then tell us the plan, If you already know all this, what are we even supposed to do?"
Adam gave a small shrug. "Survive, maybe."
"Or stop us." Zenon extended.
Adam's petals burst outward instantly while Zenon's black pages scattered into the air like blades changing direction mid-flight.
"Shadowport."
The shadows beneath everyone spread like roots unnaturally.
Ophelia disappeared from Adam's attack path and reappeared several meters away.
A page flying toward Redmond vanished into shadow and returned behind Zenon instead.
Zenon tilted his head slightly.
"You look a tough one."
"Defensive doesn't mean harmless. You can bet your lives if you have doubts."
Adam was already in front of Redmond.
The fan came down. Redmond blocked.
Metal struck hard enough to shake the floor.
Neither stepped back.
"You fight well for somebody your age."
Adam muttered. Redmond smiled back.
"Thank you. You remind me of a teenager who thinks skipping sleep makes him mysterious."
Adam frowned immediately.
"…What?"
"You have that tired face." Redmond continued casually while blocking another strike. "Like you haven't eaten properly either. Did nobody parent you correctly?"
Adam clicked his tongue.
"You are wasting time."
"It is working."
Adam attacked harder. Petals sharpened into violent spirals.
Redmond ducked and parried another hit.
"You know that anger causes wrinkles."
"What am I supposed to do with it?"
The next attack came furiously.
Redmond spread his hands widely chanting words,
" Oh Lady, my Lady, Charm the man who awaits for your dearie. "
Adam's body suddenly began to freeze in the place.
What heck is this? What is this chill crawling up my torso?
An unknown darkness surrounded him.
Only endless ocean stretching in every direction. He looked around slowly.
"…What?" bubbles floated upwards as Adam tried to talk.
Above him, a distant star shone in the view of a jewelry hung above in sunlight.
The figure was standing there.
His gesture was different now.
Scarlet-orange robes heaved gently. A long scarf drifted around him in impossible currents.
His voice resounded strangely in the ocean.
"You should rest."
"What is this?"
Redmond raised one hand.
"Oh Lady, My Lady, watch me defending the glory. FLAG OF BRIGADOON!"
A ray of bright light descended from the distant star shining above. Splitting the ocean itself in half.
Straight through the ocean itself.
Adam's body split apart beneath it in an instant before he could even notice it was launched.
After a bright light covered the area, reality snapped back.
Adam hit the floor hard.
Ophelia in sudden realization.
"…You beat him?"
Zenon looked once. "How weak. You are worthless as always."
A quiet laugh followed. Adam sat up. Eventually stood up casually.
Redmond stared at him in disbelief.
"Impossible..."
Adam dusted himself off.
"I can't deny, you almost got me."
The petals around him shifted strangely.
"As preparation. I placed a Rewinding spell on myself earlier."
Zenon glanced sideways. "Moses?"
"That old man's miracles messed with timing and recovery. I figured… if things went bad, I would force myself back. Old man never disappoints."
Redmond's face darkened.
"My Astra should have shattered your soul. It passes through blank-time to hit the target in invulnerable conditions."
"It probably did. Only because of the Miracle. The buff Moses applied on me left a fraction of divinity inside me temporarily."
The building shook. The walls trembled. The floor began to crack.
Adam looked at Zenon casually.
" Don't tell me you are planning to blast the entire building. "
Zenon lift his left eyebrow and thought for a moment.
" But what wasn't me. So only they remains."
Redmond, Ophelia and Tian exchanged faces.
" It wasn't us. "
The whole Building shook again.