Chapter 212: Take Care

Ed sat down where Samuel had been a few minutes ago. "Just tell me the truth; did you come here with a disabled inventory, or did it get disabled after cursing that guy?" he asked, tapping his eye closed.

"Where did you pick up this habit, eavesdropping on everyone?" Moon’s face fell as he asked.

"My ears are sensitive; they keep picking up so many unnecessary things," Ed shrugged.

Moon pursed his lips and thought for a moment. ’Maybe it’s fine to let him know,’ he thought, then let out a deep sigh.

"It’s as you say, this thing." Moon waved his left, sealed hand. "Thanks to it, I couldn’t get the magical hiding spot y’all have."

Ed nodded, leaning back in his chair. "It’s actually good it stopped there without having more system functions disabled."

’You bet,’ Moon retorted inwardly, but decided not to elaborate; he didn’t want the Outers talk to reopen again.

He still didn’t know who or what the Outers were supposed to be or mean.

’Is it related to gates?’ he thought, not sure. ’Gates only pour monsters, though.’

The monsters from the gates were the only thing he could connect to the word Outer; they were the only things that came from outside the Tower.

’If I make a gate monster friend, does that mean now I’m with Outers?’ he thought, joining in, starting to giggle by himself.

"Brat, I’m talking to you; what are you laughing for?" Ed asked, snapping his train of jokes.

"Ah, sorry," Moon said readily. "I just remembered something funny," he said with a troubled face, trying to hold back his giggles.

Ed rolled his eyes. "How are you going to bring these then?" he repeated the question.

Moon shrugged. "Hell if I know," he said in defeat. "Pack them in a bucket, maybe?"

Ed blinked. "Well, I actually realized it a while ago and have a solution." He leaned closer. "Do you wanna hear it?" he asked.

Moon squinted. "I don’t think it’d work regardless," he said. "It can’t be resolved anyway."

Ed leaned back in his chair, looking smug. "Brat, do you know since when I knew about this?" he asked.

Moon protruded his lower lip, not knowing, not answering.

"Since the day we first found out about this." Ed’s smile deepened, pointing at Moon’s left hand.

"Necromancers can’t go around with undead in their inventories; they have special storage items for them," Ed explained. "We expected you’d suffer in one way, considering you don’t count as either by the Tower’s standards."

Moon’s eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Ed to have looked that far ahead at that moment. They had even had a falling-out that day.

"Samuel has been studying these items for a long time, but we couldn’t replicate or make something similar," Ed added. "They are also used as containers for Death Echo, dangerous to carry around."

Moon leaned closer. "So, what’s the solution you came up with?" he asked.

"Samuel did, not me," Ed corrected first. "It was a wild concept that seemed to work to an extent."

Ed opened his hand, and a leather backpack appeared in his grasp. "I made the leatherwork, though," he added.

Moon looked at Ed, then at the bag, then at Ed again. "A bag?" he asked, skeptical.

"Look inside," Ed said, handing Moon the bag.

Moon wasn’t sure what that was; it was going to work to an extent, but not very practical as is. Still, Moon didn’t oppose Ed and opened the backpack to look inside.

"HOLY!" Moon shouted, looking inside; he was greeted by an intersection of seals all around. Gold and shiny, it felt rather deeper than what the bag should allow.

"What’s this?" Moon asked in surprise.

"Spatial expansion," Ed explained. "This was turned into an artifact to expand the storage space."

Moon stood and started filling the backpack with everything he had in the room. He looked at the emblem of the Assault Facility on the desk. "Should I take this?" he asked.

"Keep it and the letter; you can use them to gain help from these guys if things go bad," Ed approved.

Moon shrugged and stuffed them in. "And I was wondering why I have to carry someone’s emblem."

"Did you read that letter?" Ed asked. It was sealed when he opened it.

"Nah, it looked bothersome."

Ed pursed his lips. "It’s a recommendation letter; use it with the emblem," he advised.

Soon, Moon took each and every item that was in the room, including Dara’s proof of authority and the ring of Havoc.

He put on the backpack, shifting his body around. "This doesn’t feel too heavy," he said.

Ed nodded. "Weight is irrelevant here; it’ll always look full and always just heavy enough to feel stable," he elaborated. "Samuel does awesome things whenever he feels like it."

Moon nodded absentmindedly; once again, he was feeling conflicted about the grumpy old man.

"We’re good then, everything is set now," Ed said, before bringing out a box larger than the one Samuel had handed him, far larger.

Moon took it, expecting what was inside.

"You have a good talent for forging; don’t stop now," Ed said with a smile.

Moon looked at the box, then at Ed; he felt his lips shiver uncontrollably. Tears started falling from his eyes without permission.

"Actually, I was thinking for a while," Ed added. "Forget about anything Samuel or I told you."

He came closer and held Moon’s face. "Live a good life however you want, run away from the trial if that’s what your heart desires."

He gently ran his hand over Moon’s hair. "This is also something Samuel gave me long ago. We talk to ourselves, and people might spy on us; this will protect your space," he said as he used an item that looked like a golden hair tie with a black crystal at the end.

Moon kept crying, not lifting his eyes. He didn’t say a word back.

"You look cool," Ed said, looking at Moon’s crying face with his own moist eyes.

Ed left the room for a moment, leaving Moon alone to calm down while he went out.

Before long, he returned with a tray of food. "Let’s have a meal together," Ed said to Moon, whose eyes were puffy and red.

Snot threatened to escape his nose at any moment.

While they ate, Ed took the ring on Moon’s hand and started showing him how to use it now that he had Spark Echo and could handle the item.

Moon listened well. He wanted to stay in the facility and knew it was impossible.

So he only listened to Ed, who showed him almost everything about the ring and its usage. He also showed him where the Havoc Arts were stored, in case one day he came to have Echo that flows and fancied them.

Soon, only a few minutes were left before the countdown ended.

Moon wanted to tell Ed about everything he was hiding. About his past, about the crimson window, about his brothers.

Moon was feeling burdened by everything he was offered and the distrust he held till the end.

"I’ll watch the trial; I will also keep the promise I made when I gave you that quest," Ed said.

Moon looked down at the floor. "Actually, there’s something I wanted to tell you for a long time."

He lifted his gaze and gritted his teeth. "I was actu—

SHUAAA~

A rift opened where he was standing—

Ding!

[Transporting Ascenders]

"WAIT I’M NO—

Before he could say a word, the rift swallowed him, shutting before Ed’s heavy smile. "Take care, brat."

[Death Echo Detected]

[Hidden Quest Triggered]

[Theme: Succeed Where Others Failed]

"DAMMIT, LET ME OUT!"

Volume One - Reborn From Death - End