"Haaa! That crazy old man was right all along!"
Kuzon instantly crumbled to the ground the moment he heard call his name.
He sat on the bare ground, not minding the dirt, and his face depicted pure relief.
"Kuzon...?"
I was still very surprised to see him just pop out of nowhere, and I had plenty questions, but there was one thing that bugged me above all else.
"What in the world are you putting on?" I asked, twisting my face in surprise as I stared at his bizarre outfit.
At the moment, Kuzon was putting on a Mage outfit—having the whole cloak and wizard cap on.
The whole getup.
The problem was the way the outfit was designed.
"Blue and green, with white stars? And why is it oversized?" Words could not explain how ridiculous I thought he looked in the thing.
"W-well, it wasn't my fault. He forced me to put it on."
"Hahaha! Is that so? Someone forced you to put something like this one? I wonder what Ana would think if she saw you?"
I was a bit curious about who could make Kuzon subject himself to such shame, but I had to make fun of him first.
"Ha ha, real mature of you, Jared. Won't you stop him, Neron Alter?"
"Alter?" Neron muttered, rubbing his chin a little in confusion.
"Ah, don't mind me. That's what the crazy old man called you..."
"Well..." Neron stared at me for a moment, but then shrugged not long after.
It was hilarious seeing Kuzon's shocked face turn to disappointment.
"Pfft." After going through all the crazy things for months in this world, it was finally time to have some comic relief.
No one could blame me for that.
"In any case... who are these people that are closing in on me? Friends of yours?"
Just as Kuzon said that, the Outers gathered with flashes of light bustling around them. They took their respective positions, surrounding him, while maintaining a safe distance.
I saw caution written on their faces, but it only lasted for a moment.
"Guys, relax. He's a friend of Jared." Neron raised his hand and calmed them down.
'Phew! Tough crowd.' I thought to myself with a smile.
To think they would all leave their respective locations and rush to this place at the slightest hint of danger.
It was a good thing I taught them teleportation and all. This way, they would be alert if their world was ever to be in danger of any external threats.
"H-hold on... Kuzon?! Ah, so it's like that..." The Outers quickly adjusted to the logic of my Midas friend being a doppelganger
After all, after encountering me and hearing me out, they had become more open to the idea.
But what about Kuzon?
"Oh? Aren't these members of the Nether Cult? Looks like you've had an interesting adventure, Jared."
"Haha, well... I guess. I even fought an evil version of myself." I grinned.
"Oh, wow. Lucky you." It seemed like Kuzon was nearly in tears when he said that.
Just what did he have to experience? How did he even know where I was?
He seemed awfully calm about everything—even seeing the uncle he despised so much as a doppelganger.
"You're not even going to react to an alternate Ana?" I asked him teasingly.
"H-hey, what's that supposed to mean, Jared?" Ana yelled, her cheeks flushed with pink.
She was most likely embarrassed for no reason at all.
"Meh. Mine is prettier."
"What in the—?! I don't understand!"
Seeing Ana in so much confusion brought a couple of chuckles from both me and Kuzon. It seemed, no matter what, we both enjoyed watching our favorite Loli in a state of panic.
"As much as I would like to stay here and hear your story, as well as regale you with the tales of my adventure, there's no time." His chuckles slowly died down, revealing a serious expression on his face.
It seemed Kuzon knew something I didn't know. I was honestly extremely curious about all he had been through, but there was something more important on his mind.
"Legris separated us by transporting a bunch of us to separate worlds. We still need to find the others."
'Wait... really?' My face twisted a little in confusion.
"I heard Neron's voice in my head, though. He told me it would all be fine. That's what made me less worried and hurried about returning home."
Kuzon sighed, placing one of his hands on my shoulder.
"I figured he would tell you something like that. His message to me was different, though."
"Oh? What did he—"
"Try your hardest. Win 'his' approval. Everyone is counting on you!" Kuzon repeated the words Neron must have told him. "It seems Neron knew I'd be the one to reach out to you first."
My eyes widened a little. Just how far did Neron see? Was he playing a grand game again?
I was totally confused.
"In any case, you need to come with me so we can get the others. I'll tell you what happened to me on the way. I also want to hear all about your side."
I nodded slowly, still trying my best to digest all I had just heard.
Still, something couldn't leave my mind.
"What of our home world? How is it? Do you have an idea?"
Everyone who was left... I was immensely worried for them.
Just how many of us got sent in the alternate worlds? What about Maria? What about my parents? My family? My comrades?
I was beginning to get worried that it started to drive me crazy.
"Relax, Jared. It's going to be alright... hopefully. That's why we need to hurry."
Upon hearing Kuzon's words, I steadied my breathing and calmed my heart.
He was right. No good would come.out of getting too worked up.
"Alright then. I understand. You have a way to track them down, right?"
"Yeah. The crazy old man gave the coordinates and the tools to me."
Who was this crazy old man Neron kept referring to? I wanted to ask him, but since he said he would tell me everything eventually, it was more pertinent to leave now.
"Looks like this is goodbye, Neron. Everyone." I looked behind me and saw all of them giving me warm smiles.
Neron Kaelid.
Ciel
Edward
Karlia
Stefan
Vaizer
Reed
Beruel
Ana
The other Outgroup members were also present.
I felt my chest tighten a little. I wanted to spend a little longer with them—at the very least to see this world thrive.
However, my own world and people needed me too.
"Looks like we're going to have to postpone that party." Neron smiled at me, a twinkle in his eyes.
I wasn't even sure I would ever see him, or anyone here, ever again. However, my lips curled up to form a smile regardless.
"Yeah. Definitely."
>BZZZZTTTTTTTZZZZZZZZ!!!<
A blinding light shone, revealing the same portal that Kuzon came out of. I saw him holding an orb, which glowed ever so brightly.
It seemed to be connected to the golden portal in front of us.
"Alright, Jared. Let's go." With that, he entered the golden pool in front of us, and I trailed after him.
With one final look at this alternate world, a smile formed on my face and I remembered all I had experienced.
'I'm going to miss you all...'
And with that, I completely vanished from the alternate reality... making it lost to me.
Maybe forever.
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[A/N]
I need a very big favor from you all.
I just started a new book. Yes, I know, this is like the millionth book.
But please just give it a try, will you? Or at least just add it to your library.
Title: Only I Can See The End
Thank you all for your help and support.
Also, I'm making one final chapter to show what happens after Jared leaves.
I hope you enjoy it.