Finale – Part 2: Catastrophe

Quest 1: The First CatastropheObjective: [Heal or Kill the Demon]Rank: [D]Reward upon completion: New Skill [???]Failure penalty: Death or Debuff
“What... Right now?” Marcus whispered.
“Who knows? Maybe it’s for the best,” the System replied indifferently.
The demon stared directly into Marcus’s eyes.There was something strange in that gaze—something that felt… endless. As if the demon wasn’t looking at a person, but at the void itself.
“Who... are you?” the demon asked, his voice trembling, but chillingly calm.
Marcus couldn’t answer.He stood on the edge, torn between two choices: save Illya, or break his own promise and kill the demon.Both paths were heavy. Both hurt.
The demon walked forward slowly.Thud... thud... thud...Each step echoed in Marcus’s ears like a drumbeat.
“You’re dangerous. I’ll kill you first,” the demon said as if talking to a pawn on a chessboard.
From a distance, unnoticed by others, Kaltey watched.Her eyes were cold, but sharp. She didn’t move.Her logic was simple: "Until I understand the truth, I don't act."
“A demon… So that’s what this was all about. Hmph. Marcus… did he predict this? Or just get lucky?” she murmured to herself.Her thoughts were like blades—precise, detached.“This boy… he’s not simple. But he’s not transparent either. He moves on the edge between instinct and knowledge. Who are you really, Marcus?”
“Let her go!” Marcus cried out, voice cracking but firm.
“Why?” the demon asked calmly.“She chose this. I didn’t force her. You know that. Tell me… who is she to you? Why do you want to save her so badly?”
The question pierced Marcus’s heart.He froze. The answer was there—so close—but he couldn’t reach it.
“Who is she... to me?” he whispered, lowering his head.“Friends? Acquaintances? Why does it matter so much to me?”
“We’re friends... or were we just passing by each other? Who are we to one another...?”He kept repeating those thoughts like a mantra, hoping they would lead him to the truth.
[Thinking: 66 -4 | Clarity: 15 -5]
“…You’re falling,” the System whispered softly, almost sorrowfully.
Just then, Alric stirred awake.He groaned, rubbing his neck, then snapped his head toward the scene.
“Damn it… Marcus? And... a demon?!”
He drew his sword and charged forward.
“Marcus! Move!”
Marcus barely turned his head.He saw Alric—but as if through a haze.
“…Alric…” he whispered, like someone who had lost everything.
He remembered:[12:50 Illya becomes a demon. 12:55 Alric wakes up. 13:00 battle begins. 13:05 Irma Delar appears. 13:10 demon dies...]
“…Everything has already changed,” the System noted, voice unusually quiet.
Alric raised his sword to strike.
And then Marcus understood.He remembered Illya’s words. Their talks. Their small moments.They hadn’t been close... but they were something more than mere allies.
He gathered all the strength he had left and shouted:
“NO!! DON’T KILL THE DEMON!! THAT’S ILLYA!!”
Alric froze.He glanced around—Illya really was gone. The puzzle clicked.
“…Damn it,” he cursed, released the gathered mana, and shifted his stance.“Haa… haa…”
“Why...? Why did she become a demon...?” he whispered, trembling.
Marcus didn’t answer.He wanted to—but the words caught in his throat.All he could do was whisper:
“I don’t know… But it’s true. Illya is the demon.”
The demon looked at both of them… then laughed softly.
“You’re special, Marcus… but he... he’s even more interesting,” he said, turning slowly toward Alric.“So... shall we play, boy?”
“…What even are you?” Alric growled.
Marcus finally snapped out of his haze.He understood now—he couldn’t afford to stay still.Doing nothing could cost lives.
Meanwhile...
Irma Delar approached the hall entrance.Something twisted in her chest.
“…This presence... a demon?”Whatever was happening in there, she had to act.
She pushed the giant doors open.
Creeaak...
Light spilled into the hall.And before her—like a scene from a painting—stood a demon, two students: one with a sword, the other on his knees.
A single moment frozen in time.
“…What’s going on here?” she whispered.
To be continued...