The ex-shopkeeper let out a long, tired sigh and lowered himself onto one of the chairs, folding his hands together as if bracing himself.
"Go on. Ask whatever you want. I won't stop you. I cannot promise to tell you everything, but I will try and tell you as much as I can."
He said.
I remained standing for a mont longer, watching him. He looked relaxed, but there was a tension beneath it, like soone who already knew the outco of this conversation and was simply waiting for it to end.
It seed like this man already knew that I had questions for him. But whether he would be willing to answer or not was a different question.
"…Why ? Out of everyone you could have chosen-why did you choose as your successor? Surely there was a better option available."
I finally asked.
He blinked, clearly expecting that question.
"That's what you want to know first?"
He asked mildly.
"Yes."
He leaned back slightly, eyes drifting toward the ceiling as if searching for an answer written there. When he spoke again, his voice was quiet, almost apologetic.
"There was no grand reason."
I frowned.
"No prophecy, no hidden lineage or even special fate written in stone. You weren't chosen because you were extraordinary. You were chosen because you were there."
He continued.
"That's it?"
I asked flatly.
He nodded.
"You were the right person, at the right ti, in the right state of mind. I saw you and I knew that you would replace at that mont if I played my card right. So I approached you and asked you if you wanted to take the role I was offering."
The words landed heavier than I expected.
"So I was… convenient tool for you to get out of the situation?"
I said.
"If you want to put it that way. In the end, it would not have mattered who I chose, as long as the person was suitable. But the system was especially partial toward you so I figured that it would be fine to give my task to you."
He replied calmly.
I didn't know what I had been expecting. Anger, perhaps. Or disappointnt.
Instead, all I felt was a dull, hollow surprise, like confirming sothing I had already suspected.
"…Then what did you want? From . From all of this."
I asked.
He looked back at , eting my gaze directly this ti.
"Freedom. I just wanted to be able to live my life as I wanted to."
He said simply.
I stiffened slightly.
"I had walked that road long enough. The shop, the system, the responsibilities-they wear you down. It was not a life I could live comfortably, no matter how much I tried. So I ran away from it and gave it away to soone else."
He continued and his fingers tightened together.
"I wanted out. And the only way out was to find soone willing to step in."
I clenched my jaw.
"Then why didn't you explain anything to ? About the system. About the shop. About what I was really inheriting?"
I asked.
A shadow crossed his face.
"…Because I couldn't."
I waited for him to continue to give an answer.
"I was bound by the system to keep it a secret. You have experienced the system yourself, so you should know as well- the system does not make mistakes like. If it wants you to keep sothing a secret, it will keep it a secret."
He said at last.
"And after?"
"After you took over, my authority vanished. The mont the shop accepted you, I beca… irrelevant."
He said quietly.
I studied him closely.
He wasn't lying.
But he wasn't telling everything either.
"And that's all? You expect to believe that was the only reason?"
I pressed.
He smiled faintly.
"No. I expect you to realize that even if I told you more, you wouldn't know which parts were true."
That confird it.
He had lied to before. He could lie to again. And there was no way for to force the truth out of him-not without crossing a line I had no intention of crossing.
I exhaled slowly.
"…I see."
He relaxed, as if relieved I hadn't pushed further.
"You've already started walking your own road, whether you like it or not. The shop changed you to beco what it wanted. But what you beco from here on out…that part is yours."
He said.
I looked away.
"I don't feel like I belong here anymore. This world… it feels wrong now."
I admitted.
He nodded, unsurprised.
"If you've found a place that feels like ho, then accept it. Don't deny yourself that comfort just because it scares you."
He said,
"And if I haven't?"
I asked.
"Then find soone else. Soone who can replace you when the ti cos. Just like I did."
He replied gently.
The words settled between us, heavy and unresolved.
He stood, picking up his coat.
"I won't interfere with your choice. That part was never mine to decide."
He said.
He paused at the door and glanced back once.
"You're stronger than you think. The fact that you are still alive and speaking to is proof of your strength. Now, I should take my leave now. I am sure you have a lot you need to think about."
He added before he left.
The door closed softly behind him.
I remained standing there, alone in the quiet house, conflicted thoughts swirling in my mind.
Outside, snow continued to fall.
And for the first ti, I wondered whether the countdown I had been obsessing over was leading back ho… or toward a future I hadn't yet decided to accept.
Fenrir's presence announced itself before he spoke. I felt the familiar weight of him at my side, heard his claws click softly against the floor as he stepped inside.
"…Is it over? Did the other person head ho?"
He asked, ears twitching.
I turned to him and nodded.
"It's over. I got the answers that I wanted…mostly anyway."
I said.
He studied my face for a mont longer than usual, as if searching for sothing. Whatever he saw must have satisfied him, because his shoulders eased and his tail swayed once.
"That's good for you."
He muttered.
I let out a quiet breath.
"I figured so things out about myself."
"Good things?"
He asked carefully.
"Not really good, but…Necessary things. It was sothing I needed to figure out sooner or later."
I replied.
Fenrir didn't press further. Instead, he moved closer and sat beside , solid and warm, grounding in a way nothing else in this world ever had been.
"That's enough for . In my opinion, you should not think too much about such things."
He said simply.
The days that followed passed more quietly than the ones before. The countdown no longer made anxious. Each day that ticked away felt less like waiting and more like preparing.
I stopped wandering aimlessly. Stopped trying to force enjoynt out of a world that no longer answered .
I packed what little I wanted to bring with . The modern world had a lot of stuff but most of it could only be used through faith points.
Fenrir stayed close, unusually calm, as if he too could feel the pull of what awaited us.
When the final day arrived, I didn't feel excitent.
I felt ready.
I stood in the living room, phone in hand, watching the last seconds drain away as the cooldown reached zero. The air shifted-subtle, but unmistakable. The familiar pressure blood in my chest, warm and welcoming.
"It's ti."
I said.
Fenrir's ears snapped up.
"Ho?"
He asked.
"Yes."
The gate responded to my will instantly. Light folded inward, space tearing open in a way that felt natural to now.
The Gate of Enesis stood before us, steady and patient, as if it had been waiting all along.
Fenrir didn't hesitate and neither did I.
We stepped through together.
The modern world vanished.
The scent of old paper and ink filled my senses the mont my feet touched solid ground again. The familiar weight of the air settled over , rich with magic and quiet power.
Fenrir exhaled deeply.
"…Ah. I missed this. I missed the shop. And I can't wait to see everyone else."
He said, stretching his limbs.
I allowed myself a small smile as I reached for the door.
"Yes. too."
I murmured.
I pushed it open, but there was no one around.
The store looked unused and lonely, and it even gave off a sober feeling. I tried to sense if anyone was around, but I was not able to feel any presence in the store itself…
At least, not a human one.
Fenrir stiffened beside .
"…Shopkeeper?"
He said slowly.
I stepped inside fully, my heart sinking as the truth settled in.
The shop was empty.
Where had everyone gone?
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