Case 10: Story of certain siblings.

Case 10: Story of certain siblings.

''Ugh... Huh?''

Opening my eyes again, an unfamiliar scene greets me.

Instead of the dark cave that I was in a moment earlier, I'm in a middle of a city, with a blue sky and a bright sun. The road that I'm standing on is lined with buildings that seem to be from the medieval era. People, normal people, around me all moving and chatting normally, ignoring the clear anomaly - me, completely.

What I'm seeing looks undoubtedly real, but also fake at the same time. If I have to explain it, I would say that it feels like I'm looking at the world through a camera filter, a bit dreamy, a bit... Old.

Looking around a bit more, a certain pair of a man and a woman sitting on a nearby bench catch my eye.

''Is that...?'' I mutter.

Her atmosphere and clothes are a little different, but it's definitely Ariel. On the other side of the bench is a handsome man with the same black hair color and a pair of silver eyes as Ariel, wearing a simple black robe.

I walk over to the bench and sit between them, and as expected, they don't even register me.

''Hey, brother.'' The woman speaks up, her voice is like a spring breeze, warm and gentle. ''Are you really going?''

The man smiles for a second.

''Of course.'' He replies with an unexpectedly deep voice.

''But... It's dangerous.''

''If it's for you, then it's all worth it.'' He reaches out and strokes the woman's head lightly.

In response to that, the woman just smiles bitterly, and the two fall into silence again.

''You know what? I'll go with you.'' The woman suddenly stands up and walks in front of the man.

''No.'' The man says firmly.

''It's fine.'' The woman shakes her head. ''I will die if you don't make it back anyway. Might as well have me as an additional support, right?''

Hearing that, the man frowns heavily, clenching his fists in frustration.

''And if something happens, I can at least make sure that you can come back.'' The woman smiles brightly. ''You have the Princess waiting for you.''

''I don't care about her.'' The man looks up at the woman with eyes of complaint.

''Fufu, I see, I see.'' The woman giggles, raising her hand to stroke the man's head. ''Regardless... We'll just have to do our best, alright?''

"!!''

The scene changes abruptly, making the bench I was sitting on disappear, and consequently causing me to fall.

Ouch... Wait, it doesn't hurt.

Either way, it seems like I'm back in the cave again, except this would be one of the pathways instead of the room where I fought the golem. I don't see anyone else though.

Another green fireball forms from her fingertip, slowly inflating like a balloon.

Ariel hugs her brother tightly, while the man himself just looks down and mumbles something, seemingly accepting his fate.

''Boring.'' The woman mutters.

''!!''

Suddenly, an ominous purple aura explodes from the man, blowing away the fireball along with the woman. She quickly stops herself midway by using the bone wall and stares at the man in disbelief.

''You madman...!'' She exclaims. ''Turning yourselves into undead, even at the cost of your very consciousnesses... Hahahahah!''

''Shut up, old hag.'' The man smiles wildly, giving his opponent a middle finger.

''Keep barking.'' The woman sneers. ''But you certainly have potential. How about this? You both become my subordinates. I'll have you two join my undead army. Interested in signing a contract?''

''Like hell I would.'' The man replies, and purple cracks begin to appear on both siblings' bodies.

''Fine then. I can just lock you two up and collect you later.'' The woman snaps her finger again, and a pathway instantly appears on the wall.

She throws them into the path roughly and casts a transparent barrier to block the entrance before calmly walking away. Along with the intense purple light, I can hear faint groans inside the path.

'''' ...''''

I... see. So this is the story of those two. But what happened to that woman? She said she's going to pick them up later, but based on Skely and Ariel I've seen-

''AGH!'' Suddenly, the woman's terrified scream echoes through the cave.

I immediately turn my head in the direction of the scream just to see two intensely glowing eyes and a pair of outstretched horns on a pitch-black body. I cannot make out the true shape of its body, even with my eyes that can see in the dark, but I can definitely see that it is holding the woman in the air.

''!!''

Right when I'm about to run to them, the scene changes once again. This time, it seems like I'm really back in reality, judging from Skely, Ariel, and Smiley in front of me.

'''' ... ''''

Skely drops the notebook and turns to face Ariel, his jaw slightly open. Likewise, Ariel turns her head toward Skely, small tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

''Brother...!'' Ariel exclaims, her body turns 'real' as she hugs her brother tightly.

''A-Ariel...?'' Skely mutters, shakily hugging his sister back.

'''' ... ''''

''Congratulations.'' I smile lightly, crouching down to stroke Smiley's head.

I'm glad I was able to help them regain their memories. Though I thought they were supposed to lose consciousness entirely when turning into undead? So how come they still act like humans...

Oh, well. I guess I can ask that stuff later. For now, I should let them have their reunion first.