"Wait a minute—! You cannot just go in there as you please—"

The guard yelled from outside the door, but it was too late. The door had closed behind us already and in front of us was the mycelium that had guided us this far. Just looking at the bundle of fibers made others anxious.

"S-Shopkeeper, this is…"

Leo tried to talk, his voice filled with awe as he looked at the giant bundle in front of him. But he was not able to speak suddenly as the bundle moved toward him.

[Interpreting the incoming message]

I took out my phone immediately to take a look at what was happening.

[You both feel familiar. You both carry the power of my vanguard. But your essence is no longer pure. Did you both…change fractions and get influenced by someone else?]

The being asked, curiosity lacing his voice as his fibers reached toward Leo and Luna to test them.

Leo and Luna took a step back and my phone beeped with another message.

[Do not feel afraid. I just want to confirm what I am feeling here. Once I confirm, I will pull back.]

The being assured the sibling pair, but neither Leo nor Luna seemed comfortable or aware of what was happening. So the responsibility of telling them what happened fell on top of me.

"Leo, Luna, stop moving around. This being just wants to check something with you. Your life is not in danger."

I assured the pair and they still looked a little worried. But with my reassurance, they stood still and allowed the being to examine them.

The fibers of the giant fungi moved all over the pair, checking them thoroughly before it pulled back with an amused feeling.

[So I was right. The essence of faith in you both has changed. You are no longer my warriors. Proxy of the shopkeeper, I shall ask you to take care of these kids now.]

The message suddenly addressed me and I felt internally startled at that. Not that I showed any of that hesitation on my face.

"Understood. I will make sure to carry out your will to the best of my abilities."

I told the being and there was a snapping sound from somewhere. Both Leo and Luna looked shaken and they looked at their god with wide eyes.

[You both shall be freed from your fate as the groove's weapon. Now go, and live a life that you want. I will update our records regarding you. Not that you can hear me anymore…]

The entity told the siblings, but their confused faces made me decide to translate.

"W-We are free? We are finally free?"

Luna asked in a shaky voice as tears hit her eyes. Leo wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.

I allowed them both to comfort each other. Nyx and Erebus were also standing guard with the sibling pair, making them feel better.

Fenrir, on the other hand, did not take his eyes off me and the being in front of me.

[Proxy of the shopkeeper, I have found the answer to the question you want to ask—how to return home. If you still wish to know, then gather enough fate and open the gate of genesis. It will allow you the ability to travel through dimensions.]

The entity in front of me told me. It seemed sincere but now I had another thing that I needed to look into.

"I understand. We shall take our leave now."

[Understood. I will clear the way for you. No one in the groove shall go after you.]

The entity was the most helpful one I had met so far. I thanked him and decided to leave now. The guard from before glared at us as we exited the room.

"You stupid people—! Do you think you will get away with this—"

He tried to halt us but the energy from the groove shoved him away once more. He looked betrayed as he looked around him.

Leo stepped forward as a protector, his eyes blazing as he looked at the fallen man.

"Unfortunately, your god has decided to help us out this time. If you want to go ahead and cause us trouble, then go forward. But you will only be betraying your god if you do that."

The fallen man struggled to get up, his eyes looking at us betrayed. But he was too hurt and tried to do that in the end.

Even though the guard didn't come after us again, the entire walk back through the library was suffocating.

The news of where we had been had spread to every corner of the groove. People were curious about us but knew better than to approach us.

As we made our way back, no one said anything. We were all busy dealing with out own problems.

The silence was starting to feel a little bothersome, but I did my best to not let it bother me and make our way out of the library.

Luckily, the librarians didn't dare stop us—not after god's intervention. The moment the heavy doors opened, we stepped outside into the open air and the noisy street of the groove.

Only then did the tension break.

People near the entrance turned their heads, whispers spreading like wildfire.

"Aren't those the people the professors lost their mind about?"

"They're outsiders. There is no way our God would ever recognize them."

"They must have bribed someone. Or threatened someone."

I ignored all of it and motioned for my group to keep moving. Luna stayed glued to Leo, trembling occasionally from adrenaline and relief.

Nyx and Erebus positioned themselves protectively beside the siblings. Fenrir stayed a little behind me, still observant, still suspicious of everything—including the god we had just met.

The walk back to the inn was normal, but it was also time to head home now. We all packed our stuff and the innkeeper kept an eye on us as I paid him in full.

"Sir, would you like a discount?"

He asked and I decided to take his offer. After all, there was no point in trying to look down on free stuff.

He could feel the shift in power immediately, but to his credit he kept his mouth shut and urged the horses forward the moment we settled inside.

The door closed.

Silence.

Then, as if a string holding everyone upright suddenly snapped, every single person collapsed against the seats.

Luna covered her face with both hands.

"Is it really over? Are we free now? Just that easily. I thought it would be more of a struggle."

Leo held her closer, his own breathing uneven.

"Yeah. Same."

Nyx exhaled violently, leaning back.

"Are you both…alright? It might be tough for a while, but things do get better quickly."

Erebus nodded in agreement, shoulders stiff with exhaustion. They had had a similar experience so they could understand the siblings.

Fenrir wasn't saying anything, but his gaze lingered on me—sharp, watchful, as if he suspected there was more to the encounter than what the siblings saw.

I leaned back and finally let my heartbeat slow down. My hands were still trembling, so I clasped them together until they stilled.

The food was delicious but the company was not really that good. So we brought the food back to our rooms to eat.

For a few seconds, I just sat there, letting the exhaustion sink into my bones.

But then the system notification blinked again.

[Gate of Genesis — Information available.]

My fingers tightened.

I had been pushing that thought away ever since the god mentioned it.

Going home… was the one thing I wanted more than anything. But that same path could drag these people—who were starting to rely on me—straight into dangerous territory.

Still, pretending I didn't care wasn't going to change anything.

I opened the menu.

A panel expanded instantly, written in the same ancient formatting as the old shop records.

[Gate of Genesis

A dimensional passage that opens only for those who possess enough accumulated Fate.

Purpose: Allows the traveler to cross realities, timelines, and origin worlds.

Price: 100,000 Fate]

My breath hitched.

100k?

I wasn't even able to save up a thousand. It was time to get aggressive now.

Leo sat up slightly, noticing my expression.

"Shopkeeper, is everything alright? You have a weird expression on your face. Do you need our help?"

Luna asked, and I quickly shook my head. I did not want to worry her with something that she had no business worrying about. I just…needed to think of more ways to gather fate points.

The claw machine was the best way, but it was too bothersome to go and always manually collect from it. Was there really not a better way to do this…?

[New update available. Would you like to check the new update out? Cost: 300 faith points]

The system asked and I decided to go broke once more in order to earn more.

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