The Truth Behind the Barrier

Max's scream echoed through the flames and smoke.

— Aaaaaaahhhhhhh !!!

He looked at the ground, trembling, his hands stained with his own sister's blood.

— What did I do?… Celica … why?! — Max said trying to understand the situation.

Little Kupi watched him in silence, his eyes filled with tears.

— Max… — said Kupi

"Run, Kupi . Go away, before I… lose control," Max whispered, his voice hoarse and desperate.

Kupi took flight, fighting the hot wind.

— I will save you, my friend. — he said Kupi firm.

I was in the wagon with Kairo , Cassandra, Koharu and Shana , when a shadow passed over us.

A flash of blue—and suddenly a small dragon descended in front of the cart.

— Kupi ?! — I exclaimed .

The small being shrank to the size of a cat and landed on my shoulder.

— Fujimoto … Max… lost control… he killed people… and the city… — Kupi said breathlessly.

We were all in shock.

“What did he swallow?” I asked .

— I… don't know. He did it in secret. — he replied Kupi .

Kairo clenched his fists.

—Then we need to save him, now. — he said Desperate Kupi .

“The potion Filna gave me… might work against whatever’s inside him.”

“Let’s go!” I shouted , and Kairo snapped the reins.

When we arrived in the city, the smell of smoke and destruction was almost suffocating. Amidst the rubble, a gigantic figure roared. It was Max, transformed into something monstrous, over seven feet tall, with empty eyes and pulsing muscles.

— Max… — I murmured, feeling a lump in my throat.

He looked in our direction.

— Kill… demons… — Max roared.

"There's something very wrong with him!" Koharu shouted.

— We already understand! — replied Cassandra.

I took a step forward.

— Max, it's me! Fujimoto ! — I said.

—Fu… ji… mo … to … — he stammered.

He smiled, hopeful.

— That's it! It's me. You remember me. You can fight this! — I said confidently with a smile on my face.

But his gaze changed.

— …kill… everyone… — Max roared.

The punch came quickly. I only didn't die because Kupi grabbed me and pulled me out of the way.

— Thanks, partner. — I panted .

Shana stepped forward, furious.

"Come out, you bastard! I know there's something inside his body!" he shouted . Shana .

Everyone looked, confused.

— Something…? — I asked .

— A parasite. He's the one controlling Max! — he said Shana .

On Max's left shoulder, a slimy black creature appeared, with red eyes and a distorted smile.

— So it's you… The thing that destroyed my friend. — I murmured .

Filna ’s potion ! She said it would work against parasites!”

I lifted the bottle.

— I know how to save him! — I said.

" Fujimoto , no way! He's too tall, and the parasite is on his shoulder!" Cassandra shouted .

— Then I can reach it from above. — I replied .

Kupi spread his wings.

—Get on my back. — he said . Kupi .

— Okay. — I said.

Koharu grabbed my sleeve.

"Please come back alive," Koharu said.

Kairo nodded.

— Good luck, leader. — Kairo said.

Shana closed her eyes.

—Save him, Fujimoto … — Shana pleaded.

— Leave it to me! — I shouted , and we left.

Kupi took off in a quick flight, dodging Max's blows.

—He's out of his mind! — I shouted .

— I know! Hold on tight!

The parasite looked at me, laughing.

"You won't save him. If you try to kill me, the host will die with you!" said the parasite.

“Then I just need to get you out of there!” I said.

Max raised his fist and jumped, smashing the ground in an explosion of earth.

Kupi dodged at the last moment.

"If he falls again, he'll kill everyone!" Kupi shouted.

— Then throw me! — I replied .

— What?! — Kupi asked, unable to believe what he had just heard.

— Play now, Kupi ! — I said firmly.

The dragon grabbed me by the hand and threw me towards Max's shoulder.

The wind tore at my ears.

— Kupi !!! — I shouted , before hitting the target.

I landed poorly, but managed to steady myself. The parasite writhed and grunted.

— This is for Max… — I muttered, and threw the potion over the creature.

He let out a shrill scream and began to dissolve, his body melting into dark smoke. Max fell to his knees, slowly returning to human form.

Before he and I plummeted, a red aura flashed below us.

It was Shana , in demonic form. She picked us up in her arms and gently laid us on the ground, exhausted.

“Thank you, Shana ,” I whispered .

Koharu came running.

— Fujimoto … look back . — Koharu said with a pale face.

I turned around. And I felt the ground disappear beneath my feet.

Kupi lay there, his body motionless, the glow of his scales fading.

— Shana !!! — I shouted .

She ran to him, touched his hand… and froze.

“He… is dead.” Shana looked at me, her voice breaking.

The silence was absolute.

Max opened his eyes, staggering.

—Kupi … is he dead? — Max asked desperately.

No one answered.

He stood up, trembling, and walked over to Shana .

He spat in her face.

"This is your fault!" Max shouted.

— Max, stop! — I tried to contain myself.

He looked at me angrily.

"How do you expect me to calm down?! They attacked my city! The demons, her friends, killed my family!" Max yelled back.

Shana took a deep breath and, without answering, walked over to the wreckage. She began sniffing the air, kneeling down and touching the ground.

"What are you doing? Have you turned into a sniffer dog now?" Koharu asked.

"Shut up. I'm tracking the scent," Shana replied.

She was silent for a while, then stood up.

Cassandra awkwardly tried to lighten the mood:

— Shana , can I tell you something? — Cassandra said .

— What? — Shana said.

— You have a huge ass. — Cassandra said, laughing.

Shana blushed.

— Matters like that are not important now! — he said Shana angry.

Kairo intervened:

“So, what did you find out?” Kairo asked.

"No scent of demons. None," she replied seriously.

Max was furious.

"You're lying!" Max shouted.

— Calm down, Max! Who told you it was the demons? — I asked .

He took a deep breath.

— It was… a girl named Alisiya . — Max replied .

I felt my blood run cold.

—Are you… sure about that name? — I asked.

— I do. Why? — Max replied.

My hands started to shake.

“ Alisiya … my sister? No… it can’t be…”

Everyone looked at me, not understanding why I was so surprised.

My body was shaking, my breathing was short.

“It can’t be… not her… not now.”

Max was the first to break the silence:

— Do you… know this Alisiya ? — Max asked me.

I swallowed hard.

— Yes. — I replied.

Koharu then spoke calmly, but her voice made the air freeze:

Fujimoto 's sister ," Koharu revealed to the rest of the group.

The silence that followed was almost physical.

Shana , Max, Cassandra, and Kairo looked at me like the world had turned upside down.

"Wait a minute... How do you know that, Koharu ?" Cassandra muttered.

— Fujimoto told me. He said he found out from the elf assigned to watch Shana . He wanted to reveal it to the group when we were all together. — she replied.

Kairo nodded, understanding.

— I see… — Kairo said.

But I could no longer contain my anger.

— ALISIYA!!! — I screamed in anger.

Shana's eyes widened.

— Fujimoto , what are you doing?! — Shana asked.

—Come out from wherever you're hiding!!! — I shouted , scanning the surroundings with my gaze.

Koharu placed her hand on my shoulder.

— Fujimoto … if she wanted to show up, she would have already done so when we saved Max. — Koharu said .

Before I could answer, Shana let out a short scream and blushed violently as she felt a feminine hand squeezing her ass.

— H- Hey ! Cassandra, I already told you to stop with this … — Shana was saying, but when she turned around, Shana turned pale when she saw that Cassandra was right in front of her, a few meters away.

Max took a step back, his eyes wide.

— She's Alisiya !!! — Max shouted in shock.

We all turned at the same time.

Behind Shana , a young woman with black hair and green eyes smiled mockingly, moving a few meters away from us.

“Hey, girl… What’s your name?” she said , pointing at Cassandra.

— Dolberg Cassandra

— You didn't lie. But you forgot one detail. — he replied . Alisiya , arching an eyebrow.

—What are you talking about? — Cassandra asked.

Alisiya crossed her arms and laughed.

Shana 's ass was big, but you forgot to mention how good it feels to squeeze. It almost felt like I was in a yuri anime . — he replied ALisiya .

— A-Anime ?! — Shana screamed, blushing even more.

Koharu leaned over

"Read her status," Koharu whispered in my ear.

— Okay. — I closed my eyes, activating the Hidden Observatory.

But… nothing. No information. No energy. Nothing but absolute emptiness.

— Can you see anything? — he asked. Koharu .

— N-no … It's like she doesn't exist. — I replied .

Koharu turned pale.

"What do you mean by that?!" Koharu asked in fright.

Alisiya noticed.

"Stop it, bro. This cloak I'm wearing prevents the Observatory from reading anything about me." She smiled.

Max took a step forward, furious.

"You were the one who destroyed Seseferin , weren't you?!" Max asked with anger and fury.

Alisiya looked at him indifferently.

—And if it was? Is there a problem with that? — he said Alisiya .

"You killed my family, you bastard!" Max screamed, his energy expanding like an explosion.

He charged at her with all his strength, his fist covered in aura.

But Alisiya caught the blow with one hand.

— What?! — Max tried to force, but she just smiled and squeezed his hand tightly.

— Aaaaaargh !!! — he screamed, kneeling down.

She pushed him away with a sharp kick, sending him several meters backward.

The impact opened a crater in the ground.

" B-But … Max had his body in physical reinforcement… and she defeated him with ease," Koharu muttered.

Shana ran to Max, bending down beside him to heal him.

Alisiya sighed.

— I didn't come to fight. I just want to talk. — he said . Alisiya .

— Talk? After everything you did? — I asked .

She just smiled.

— Yes. Listen… have you heard about the World Barriers? — Alisiya asked.

"These are the barriers that prevent passage between World One and World Two, right?" Cassandra replied immediately.

—Partially true. The system that maintains these barriers is only one. But in World Two there is no need for so many, since the nearby worlds are only One and Three. — he said Alisiya .

Shana narrowed her eyes.

"Why are you telling us this? " Shana asked.

— Because you need to understand what's coming. The system only remains active if there's someone controlling it … an operator. — he replied Alisiya .

— An operator? Who would that be? — I asked .

"That's the problem. The system slowly consumes the operator's life. Even after he dies, the system continues, fueled by the soul, not the body," she replied , crossing her arms.

Cassandra swallowed.

“So how long can a soul last?” Cassandra asked.

— Three years. After that, it needs to be replaced. — he replied Alisiya , with frightening serenity.

—And is there an operator now? — I asked .

She smiled.

— Yes. In fact, I found one even before the Elfherinsei . — Alisiya replied.

The name made Shana jump.

— Elfherinsei ? You said that name… — Shana said scared.

—What does he have to do with it? — I asked .

— Elfsei Elfherinsei , Demonic Lucifito and Angelic Arthur fought for centuries for complete control of World One. Everyone was looking for a way to invade World Two. — Shana explained, her voice deep.

—But they failed, didn't they? — I asked .

— Yes. Because the operator at the time no longer existed as a living being. — he replied . Alisiya .

She then turned her gaze to Koharu .

—And the new operator… is someone you know. — he said Alisiya with a smile.

Koharu turned pale.

— Me? — he asked. Koharu .

— Yes. Yui Sakamoto. — Alisiya smiled sideways.

"What?! That's the name of the son of the family who adopted me…" Koharu staggered.

—That's right. He was a little jealous of you. He knew you were someone important… but still, he kept protecting you. Before he became a soul tied to the system, he told me: "Even if my life ends, I want to make sure it lives on." — he said Alisiya , calm down.

Koharu began to tremble. Her aura suddenly surged, her clothes billowing in the wind of energy.

— Enough!!! — he shouted .

The ground cracked beneath his feet, and a burst of blue light spread across the field.

Alisiya just smiled.

— That's it... Show me , Koharu , how much the system fears you. — he said Alisiya with a smile on her face.

“She’s teasing… but why? What does she really want?”

I took a step forward, trying to calm the situation.

But inside me, a certainty was born and it hurt like a blade in my chest.

“My sister… is becoming the greatest enemy of this world.”