Silence enveloped the vicinity as we all stood, shell-shocked by the undeniable truth that confronted us.


    "Kuzon is… dead?" A voice echoed in the vast, golden room.


    I wasn''t certain whether it belonged to me or not. The voice gave off a hollow sound, almost as though it was straining to speak. I couldn''t understand, but I knew very well the tight and deep emotion locked in the sound.


    "U-uh…?" I felt my vision blur, and my heart tightened in shock.


    Kuzon was the one person whose death I never expected. We weren''t particrly close, but… I hadn''t expected his demise—at least not like this.


    "H… h… no way. I don''t believe it. I don''t… it can''t be…" Ana''s shaky voice was apanied by her sobs.


    Her small frame trembled, and the paleness of her face showed a look of despair mixed with a bit of disbelief. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, and her scrunched-up face depicted the agony and frustrating sorrow that was permeating her very being.


    I had no idea what happened between Ana and Kuzon in the time they were away, but…


    … Her sorrow seemed toe from a genuinely deep ce—much deeper than I, or anyone else in the room, could fathom.


    "Apologies, young Midas…" Beruel whispered.


    Even the Fairy King disyed some degree of sorrow, a face I had never seen him make before. My thoughts tried to consider what could have given him a change of heart, but now was probably not the time.


    "Noooo!!! He can''t be dead! H-he can''t be! K-Kuzon is… he''s invincible!"


    At this point, Ana was crying in Edwards''s broad arms, and Lemi was alsoforting her. I tried speaking, but the lump in my throat prevented me from uttering any word. Rather than speak words that eluded even me, I tried observing the golden statue myself.


    Perhaps we were drawing our conclusions too early. I understood that Neron was brilliant and incredibly skilled, but there were still many tests to run. So many possibilities.


    "Maybe…" I whispered while drawing closer to the statue.


    "Don''t bother. I''ve tried everything. He can''t revert, even with Time Maniption." Neron stopped me with a sigh.


    It seemed he had read my mind perfectly. I was grasping at straws, I knew fully well, but… this was a friend—arade. Was it foolish of me to imagine ways that could work?


    "Wait! You can still try, Jared! We have so many Arcanas, right? There has to be one that can break Kuzon free. Right? Right?" Ana''s eyes were wide open, and it was just like looking into a mirror.


    One close look at her desperate face reminded me of how foolish I was being.


    "None of the Arcanas in our possession can do anything about this."


    Kuzon''s body, or rather, the statue of Kido hadpletely changed properties to gold. There was practically no way to change it back. ording to Neron''s words, and what I was sensing, it seemed like the body had always been goldpletely inorganic.


    Besides, there was no Soul present.


    "I''m sorry, Ana. Kuzon is…" I whispered, a lump forming in my throat.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Why couldn''t I say the rest of my sentence? Hadn''t I lost people in the past? I knew it didn''t get easier, but why was I acting like such a child? Everyone around me was getting emotional and breaking down. As the adult—the oldest—I was supposed to lead by example.


    I was supposed to—


    "DO SOMETHING!" Ana interrupted my thoughts, yelling furiously at this point.


    Her widened eyes leaked out more tears, and I could see her face morph from an expression of sorrow to that of rage.


    "DO SOMETHING, JARED!"


    My heart ached as I stared into her blue eyes, and I wanted to tell her I could figure it out or find a solution, but there was practically no alternative. No way out.


    "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, SO DO SOMETHING!"


    "Calm down, Ana… you don''t really mean that." Edward tried to hold her closer to him, but she pushed him off in a swift move.


    "I-if… if you hadn''t wasted so much time… then Kuzon would probably still be a-alive. T-this is all your fault!"


    Ana drew closer to me, though she was quickly stopped by Edward and Lemi. I could say or do nothing but remain transfixed in my position. I couldn''t argue with her because she was probably right. If I hadn''t spent my time overthinking or doubting the uracy of Ana''s words, then perhaps—


    "There''s no need to cast the me on anyone. There''s nothing Jared, or anyone here for that matter, could have done to help." Neron''s calm tone suddenly intervened.


    I found my gaze resting on hispletely stoic face as he walked between Ana and me.


    "B-but, if not for the dy, then—"


    "Then we would still be toote. I used Time Immersion to check the past. If we had left exactly when you exined Kuzon''s plight, we would still bete." He exined, still maintaining his cool.


    I found myself wondering how Neron could be so calm and logical in times like this. I thought I had just been giving myself excuses, which was why my mind couldn''t bear to raise even a single defence for myself.


    "Besides, Jared is the leader here. He had to consider many factors, and he couldn''t jeopardize the safety of the team or the mission. Besides, Ana…" Neron sighed, now moving closer to the young girl.


    He ced his hand on her shoulder and nodded slightly. I couldn''t see the face he was making since his back was facing me. However, a very gentle aura shrouded him.


    "... You''re not the only one who has lost a friend. Cut him some ck."


    I couldn''t understand why I felt indescribably relieved to hear Neron''s words. It felt like something had finally broken loose from my heart. As a result, yet another thing burst free from within me.


    ''A-ah…?'' I felt them—hot liquids—leaking from my eyes and streaming down my cheeks to touch my sheen.


    My jaws trembled, and I could feel my sweaty hand constantly shaking. The tears blurred my vision, so I couldn''t see anyone else around me, but… I could tell.


    I wasn''t alone in the tears.