’I need a way to lose Kaiden as soon as possible.’

That was Shuu’s first thought as he walked in front of Kaiden to get to the bathroom. He knew that if Kaiden followed him, then he would not get a chance to escape.

But Kaiden was not giving him a chance to get away from him.

In fact, once Shuu paid attention, he was sure that Kaiden was taking care of sticking even closer to him than necessary.

’What a pain in the ass. Is there anything I can say to Kaiden that won’t make him suspicious of me?’

Shuu thought about this for a moment, but his mouth and his mind had separate filters. While he was busy thinking up excuses, his mouth had already started asking questions.

"Are you sure you should be here? There are a lot of monsters out there. Should you not be helping out with that stuff?"

Shuu asked, and Kaiden raised his brow in surprise. He did not seem to have expected Shuu’s question, but he was not afraid of answering him either.

"It will be fine. Other people have taken over the shift. Besides, these people need to adapt in order to survive once we are gone."

Kaiden reminded Shuu, and it was a brilliant point Shuu had forgotten about.

These people were not special to Shuu, but he still felt concerned for their safety. He was so concerned that he had even forgotten the fact that he won’t be here for much longer.

His worry must have shown on his face because Kaiden grabbed his face and made him turn it toward himself.

"Shuu, what is wrong? You feel worried. I have not seen this look on you before. At least, not like this. Can you please talk to me?"

Kaiden asked in a gentle voice, but he was not leaving any room for questions with his tone. This was not a request but a demand for Shuu to tell him what was wrong.

Shuu opened his mouth and then closed it in quick succession. He was not sure if he wanted to tell Kaiden or not.

But he did need to distract him...

"I am just worried about this world and its people. I just feel like none of this would have happened if I had not gotten involved."

Shuu confessed, and Kaiden’s grip tightened around Shuu’s hand. He squeezed Shuu’s hand, causing Shuu to look up at him in wonder.

"None of this is your fault. If you go by that logic, then the one you need to blame the most is me since I brought you here. Why don’t you stop blaming yourself and blame me instead?"

Kaiden asked, and Shuu felt helpless. There was no way he could hate Kaiden. After all, Kaiden had not only saved Shuu’s life, but he had also been the reason Shuu had managed to keep himself alive for this long.

Shuu was sure he would have done something by now if it were not for Kaiden’s involvement.

His silence made Kaiden sigh, and he straightened his back. He suddenly looked determined, and that gave Shuu a bad feeling.

"Would you feel better if I help out with this mess? Facing Goddess Astoria’s forces is not something I want to do, but if it makes you feel better, then I can take care of this problem at its root."

Kaiden promised, and Shuu felt startled. He did not want Kaiden to sacrifice his time for something like this. But at the same time, he did not want to leave the people of this world in trouble.

Shuu did not know what he wanted, and it made him feel lost. He clutched Kaiden’s sleeve to show his discomfort, and Kaiden patted him on his back.

"It will be fine. You don’t have to give me that look. All you need to do is smile."

Kaiden assured Shuu, and once he made sure Shuu was heading back to the meeting, he left. Shuu waited until Kaiden had left before he hardened his heart and headed out.

He headed straight toward Loki since he had a deal to propose to him.

Loki did not look surprised to see Shuu, and he gestured for Shuu to come in and take a seat.

Shuu felt a little hesitant, and he did not trust Loki either. But he decided to follow Loki’s lead and sit down.

The pair kept looking at each other, neither being the first one to bring up the sensitive topic that had brought them both here. Finally, Shuu spoke up.

"Your offer from before...I am considering it. And I have come to the conclusion that it won’t be a bad idea to get your help. As long as you agree to not involve either Kaiden or the kids, we can have an alliance."

Shuu promised, and Loki pretended to look troubled.

"Hmm, that would be a bit difficult. After all, the one with any real power is Kaiden and the kids. What can you even offer me to keep them out of this situation—"

Shuu felt his nerves tense, and the next minute, his power started to unseal and explode.

The stress of everything that was happening, as well as his own desire to gain power, made him seek out the power he had sealed inside him. And since he had a few memories of his time in Goddess Astoria’s army, he was starting to get a sense of how to use these powers.

"You are...able to use your power now? It’s not to the same extent as I recall in the past, but this is still impressive."

Loki’s eyes had gone wide, and he looked at Shuu with a newfound light. Shuu felt flustered by his interest, and he looked aside. But he did not keep Loki waiting for much longer either, and he forced himself to look back at Loki.

This time, Shuu looked him in the eyes with a strong sense of self.

"I know that you do not trust my powers, but I can assure you that I will be a fantastic ally. Moreover, it will be much easier to work with me compared to Kaiden and the kids."

Loki nodded at Shuu’s words, showing that he understood where Shuu was coming from.

But he still did not look convinced, so Shuu needed to do more. He took in a deep breath and continued.

"I want you to keep them out of it, and I also need your help to regain the rest of my powers. If you agree to help me with these two things, then I will do what you want me to."

Shuu promised, and Loki smiled back at him. But it was not that soft and reassuring smile that he gave most of the time.

This one was predatory and made Shuu feel like he was making a mistake. But he kept looking at Loki without backing down.

Finally, Loki sighed and gave Shuu an answer.

"I like your resolution, but even I am not sure I will be able to keep those three at bay. I can try my best, but I take no guarantee."

Loki spoke softly, and Shuu nodded.

He had a feeling Loki would not be able to keep his companions in check for much longer, but Shuu did not need a lot of time.

He just needed enough to make sure this world and the other worlds were safe. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"That is fine. As long as I regain my memory and get to push Astoria back, it will be enough. You can tell Kaiden and the others after that."

"Ugh, you are demanding too much, kid. I will practically die if I try to deceive that demon...but I do like your guts, so I will try this plan once as well."

Even though Loki pretended to shiver in fright, he looked ready to cause mischief. His expression made Shuu feel glad that they were on the same side and not enemies.

Loki’s expression turned grave in an instant, and he looked at Shuu with a worried expression.

"This is not likely going to be a pleasant experience for you, so I would like to beg for forgiveness in advance. I do hope you will not hold it against me."

That was all the warning Loki gave Shuu before he tapped Shuu on the shoulder. Shuu shuddered before his eyes rolled into the back of his mind, and he closed his eyes.

He fell asleep within seconds, and Loki looked at him with a grim expression.

"Hey kid, I am doing this for your own good, so don’t you dare die. I have a feeling that a madman would actually kill me if anything were to happen to you."

Speaking of that madman, he was currently doing a great job repelling Goddess Astoria’s forces. But Kaiden had not made a full assault on the Goddess’s forces yet, and he likely never would until he was forced to.

And that possibility scared Loki. He was not sure how far Kaiden would take it if he snapped. Worst case scenario—unrelated worlds would fall under his sword, including his own.