In the Great Library, just as the Overseers of Scribes and Binders left the study, Plotter felt a tug in his heart and stopped in his tracks. The smile on his lips gradually turned down.
Behind him, Clandestine crossed her arms. "Why did you stop?"
Plotter didn't answer, instead, he pulled a phone out of thin air. Hands trembling, he unlocked it. Right after the lock screen faded, a notification flashed in front of him.
Plotter's body stiffened.
[Propagator is requesting a petal from Incarnation Siel to keep the Stars of Life from running.]
"A petal..."
"Huh?" Clandestine went to his side. "What happened to you? You're pale."
This was the first ti Clandestine had seen him truly looking out of sorts. Even when the World Immortal suspended him and the Minstrels, he never acted this way, but now...
Plotter continued to look at the screen, unmoving.
After a while, Plotter finally moved, glancing toward her. His face was devoid of any happiness from earlier. His eyes were bright and clear with undisguised calmness.
Clandestine frowned.
'What happened?'
"Help take care of them," Plotter said out of nowhere.
"What—"
Without letting her finish her sentence, Plotter suddenly shifted his gaze from her.
He shouted in the air, "Approve."
An excruciating pain hit him. He gritted his teeth, but he didn't stagger.
Then, under Clandestine's eyes, Plotter's figure started disintegrating, turning into motes of light.
...
Rayen was still stuck in the darkness, surrounded by glowing stars.
"Remote Assistance received. Sender: Siel."
Once that familiar chanical, one twinkling star pulsed with bright light as if calling to him. Rayen stretched out his hand, touching the star with his finger.
Imdiately, the star burst, its light enveloping him.
When the light faded, his surroundings had changed.
He was now standing in front of a bed. A person was lying on it, eyes completely shut.
It was ADRIFT's Rayen.
He looked like he was just sleeping, but upon closer look, his bloodless lips and the seeping scarlet from under the blanket indicated sothing else.
Rayen's mind went into turmoil. He wanted to step back and run.
But just like before, his body didn't listen to him and moved on its own. His hand reached out for the chest of the dead Rayen. A point of light gradually sprouted from it.
After grabbing at the point of light, he stepped back, leaving the empty shell alone in the room.
Just as he reached the ssy living room, he heard another person speak.
"He wasn't supposed to die."
His head glanced toward the direction of the voice, where a woman with long, straight hair was standing. Her eyes were staring upwards as a lifeless body swayed above her.
"Yeah," Rayen answered with a distorted voice.
Even though he knew it wasn't his real voice, he had gotten used to it. After all, throughout most of the scenes he had experienced, he was using this voice to speak.
"He was supposed to rot in a ntal hospital after killing his friend while in a state of hysteria," Rayen continued.
At the sa ti, he felt the corners of his mouth stretching upwards.
The woman shifted her gaze from the body toward him and observed his expression.
He was smiling, yet the glint in his eyes betrayed him as he stared daggers at the hanging body in the ceiling.
"Why are you looking at this guy like that?" she asked.
He tilted his head innocently. "Like what, Overseer Clandestine?"
Before Clandestine could even open her mouth, sothing happened to the hanging body that caught their eyes. A point of light had sprouted from its chest.
She imdiately reached and grabbed it.
"Is that a seed?" Rayen asked with his mouth.
'What is a seed? The sa thing appeared from the other one too.'
"Isn't it obvious?" Clandestine said.
"I'm just making sure I'm seeing right."
The woman squinted her eyes at him. "Do you want it?"
Unwillingly, Rayen stuck out his tongue bashfully. "Is it that obvious?"
"What do you want to do with it?"
The body Rayen was inhibiting did not answer right away.
"You know sothing I don't, don't you?" Clandestine asked.
"....." Rayen's mouth remained shut.
"Overseer Siel. If you don't tell any—"
"If I say that I have a plan to cultivate this seed, can you give it to ?"
"... Cultivate? Are you crazy?"
Once again, he didn't respond. His lips repeatedly parted and closed. Rayen could sense that Siel was trying to form words, but he was hesitant to utter them.
Just then...
"Tell . How can you cultivate a seed?" Clandestine unexpectedly asked.
Siel blinked. "Huh?"
Rayen had the sa reaction.
'Didn't you just say he was crazy before?'
"If you have a plan to cultivate it and you tell , I'll consider giving you this seed."
"....."
"Not gonna respond again? Do you want to report you for carrying out illegal experints?"
"... How did you—"
"It's pretty obvious for soone who could even co up with a system for the Entities. You're the type to be a mad scientist."
"Is that an insult, Overseer?"
"No. That was a complint."
'No, that was definitely an insult.'
"That didn't sound like a complint at all."
Clandestine laughed, dismissing Siel's words. "So, if you don't tell , I'll just tell the Old Man—"
"No. Don't. That sounds too troubleso!"
"Then tell ."
Siel sighed. "Alright."
With one pull of his hand, a docunt appeared out of thin air. He extended it toward the woman who read it in silence.
After a while, the woman lifted her eyes away from the docunt. She stared at Siel with dark eyes.
"What's your plan?"
"... I'm planning on making a grand show."
"Is that grand show lacking a director?"
"Huh?"
Once again, Siel was dumbfounded.
The conversation was interrupted when the scene crumbled.
Rayen felt like ti was rapidly passing by. The scenes quickly flashed by before transitioning to another.
Siel and Clandestine joined hands in creating this grand show, collecting seeds from different Entities to make them jump in their plans. At Clandestine's threats, Siel assigned her the show's director's position, while he took on the role of being the writer.
When the preparation was done, the launch of the grand show comnced.
The passing scenes slowed down.
At the garden of the newly created Flower Garden Agency, ADRIFT's Rayen ca back to life.
Rayen watched from Siel's perspective as he danced along the steps shown in the jukebox. His movents were awful.
'His mother was right. He indeed looks like a monkey while dancing.'
Just watching it made Rayen's eyes twitch.
Finally, after the seemingly endless performance, he clapped as though he had been waiting for it to end all along.
Then ca the interview.
The mont ADRIFT's Rayen opened the door to the interview room and sat on the stool, the corners of Rayen's mouth rose through Siel.
The more Rayen stared at the face of ADRIFT's Rayen, the more the darkness blurring his mind faded.
This man, who danced like a monkey, is him.
'Even though I hate to admit it.'
He was once called Rayen de Guzman, his mother's wrinkled little monkey. After becoming friends with Liam and Jared, they created a band called Adrift.
ADRIFT's main vocalist. A rising star in the music industry.
Until he died at the hand of his own best friend.
Like a dam bursting, his mories flooded back to him.
After dying, he didn't just die. Instead, he was forced to join an idol survival show where he had to debut at all costs. In the end, he was able to debut.
He was no longer ADRIFT's Rayen. He was now SEEDZ's Rayen.
The mont Rayen's mind cleared, his eyes opened.
***
"Though beautiful it might seem,
Lies within the cracks,
Slowly growing, blooming—
Until the walls fall over."
[End of Volu 2: Ivy]
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