BRAND NEW WORLD

The place that had seemed empty only moments ago was now filled with people.

Ringga, Rima, Shana, Shany, Radhimar, Rania, Bartasz, Lu, and Abi stood before me, showering me with flowers. Behind them were Kardol, Mbah Dukun, players I knew, and many of those who had fought alongside us in the recent battle.

Ishtar, Tiamat, Randgris, Aul, and Azrail were there as well.

I could only stand there, frozen.

"W-What’s all this?"

Before I could even begin to understand what was happening, Daisy darted past me and ran straight towards Ringga.

Ringga welcomed her with open arms and lifted her small body into his embrace.

"We did it!" Ringga declared.

"Mm!"

Daisy nodded enthusiastically.

The two exchanged a high five.

"..."

I pressed a hand to my forehead and let out a long sigh.

So this little girl knew from the very beginning?

Rima then walked over and immediately pulled me into a hug.

"Welcome back home. Welcome back to your family."

I fell silent for a moment.

Home and family, huh...

For some reason, those two simple words sounded a little different now.

A faint smile touched my lips.

"You’re making it sound as though I’ve been away on some long journey."

Rima released me with a smile.

This time, Shana and Shany came over and hugged me from either side.

"Big Sis Luna, you really had me worried," Shana said.

"She’s right, Mum. Mother couldn’t even concentrate on her work," Shany chimed in.

"Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you."

"What matters is that you’re back with us," Shana replied.

"Mm!" Shany nodded in agreement.

I gently stroked both their heads before turning my attention back to the crowd in front of me.

Then a question occurred to me.

"By the way..."

I turned towards Ringga.

"Whose doing was this?"

Rima, Shana, and Shany immediately shifted their gazes towards him.

Ringga approached while carrying Daisy in his arms.

I narrowed my eyes at the two of them.

"All right. Tell me. Whose idea was this?"

"Dad!"

"Daisy!"

They answered simultaneously while pointing at each other.

"..."

A moment later, the two of them burst into laughter.

"Hahaha!"

"Hehehe!"

The people around us joined in.

I rubbed my temple once more.

For some reason, seeing the two of them like that made me feel that investigating the true mastermind behind this whole thing would only be a waste of time.

I made my way towards the back garden.

Only then did I truly realise just how large a celebration they had prepared.

One after another, people approached to congratulate me on finally waking up after seven days of unconsciousness.

The area surrounding Lake Dewata had been transformed into one enormous picnic ground.

Strings of tiny lights stretched from one place to another, bathing the lakeshore in a warm glow. Large blankets and rugs covered the grass, while tables overflowed with food and drink.

Meat was being grilled, fried, and roasted directly over glowing coals.

The scent of spices and roasting meat drifted through the night air, mingling with the smell of grass and lake water.

Conversation and laughter filled a place that was usually so peaceful.

I watched them all for a while.

Only a few days ago, many of these people had stood on a battlefield.

Some had been wounded.

Some had nearly lost their lives.

And yet tonight, they were here.

Eating.

Drinking.

Laughing.

Alive.

For some reason, realising something so simple brought a smile to my face.

While I was still busy shaking hands and talking with several people—

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

The sound of someone tapping a glass rang out.

I turned.

Ringga stood not far from me with a drink raised in one hand. Daisy stood beside him, while Rima, Shana, Shany, Radhimar, Rania, Bartasz, Lu, Ana, and Abi had gathered behind them.

"Everyone, may I have your attention!"

Ringga’s voice gradually brought the surrounding conversations to a halt.

Every eye turned towards him.

"First of all, I’d like to thank all of you for coming to this little last-minute celebration."

Several people laughed at the word little.

I looked around as well.

What part of this is little?

Ringga continued.

"I didn’t invite you here merely to celebrate our victory over the Devil."

The atmosphere slowly grew quieter.

"But also because, after everything we’ve been through... we’re still standing here, able to look towards tomorrow."

I fell silent.

"Whether you fought directly on the front lines or worked behind the scenes, every one of you played a part in protecting the world we love."

Ringga raised his glass higher.

"So tonight, let’s forget about war, work, rank, and every other problem for a little while."

A smile appeared on his face.

"And let’s raise our glasses to the fact that we’re still alive today!"

"YEAH!!"

Dozens of glasses rose into the air.

Cheers echoed across the shores of Lake Dewata.

I looked at the people surrounding me.

Then slowly raised my own glass.

Because we’re still alive, huh...

After everything I had recently learnt about my old world, those words carried far more weight than Ringga probably realised.

And yet—

I smiled.

Then lifted my glass a little higher.

To tomorrow.

The celebration continued.

We ate, drank, and exchanged stories.

Hours slipped by before I even noticed.

At some point, all of us had gathered around a bonfire.

The crackling of burning wood mingled with the laughter around me.

Someone played an instrument.

Others sang.

Several players even began sharing embarrassing stories from the war, making everyone laugh until their stomachs hurt.

Watching the scene, an old memory suddenly surfaced in my mind.

A school trip...

Back when I was still on Earth, I had once experienced something rather similar.

Sitting together with other people.

Gathering around a fire.

Laughing and joking until late at night.

That memory felt distant now.

As though it belonged to someone else’s life.

Yet strangely...

I wasn’t sad.

I only missed it a little.

As a memory.

Not as somewhere I needed to return to.

The night grew deeper.

Daisy, who had been fighting desperately to keep her eyes open, finally began yawning again and again.

"Mum..."

"Hm?"

"Can I sleep with you tonight?"

I smiled.

"Of course."

I carried her into the house and put her to bed.

It didn’t take long before her breathing became soft and even.

I gently stroked her hair.

Her sleeping face looked so peaceful.

After making sure the blanket covered her properly, I left the room and walked out onto the balcony.

The night breeze greeted me.

From here, I could see almost the entirety of Lake Dewata.

The lights from the celebration shimmered across the surface of the water, while faint laughter could still be heard from the garden below.

I rested both hands on the balcony railing.

For some reason, the sight brought my thoughts back to the two beings I had encountered while unconscious.

Adhama.

Hawra.

Questions began surfacing once more.

Who are they, really?

Why did they come to me?

And there was one question that had continued to bother me ever since—

Have any of the other players met them as well?

Or was it only me?

"What are you thinking about? You look awfully serious."

I flinched slightly.

Someone was already standing beside me.

"Ringga?"

He leaned against the balcony railing.

"You’ve had the face of someone trying to unravel the secrets of the universe for a while now."

"It’s nothing. It’s just..."

I stopped.

Should I tell him?

About Adhama and Hawra.

About Earth.

About what had truly happened to us.

"..."

"Just what?" Ringga asked.

I looked out over the lake.

I had kept too many things to myself for far too long.

Maybe...

This was one burden I didn’t need to carry alone.

I drew a deep breath.

"Ga... there’s something I need to tell you."

Ringga turned towards me.

The teasing tone disappeared from his voice.

"What is it?"

I swallowed.

How am I supposed to begin?

"Yesterday... while I was unconscious, I met someone."

"Someone?"

"Two entities. They called themselves Adhama and Hawra."

Ringga fell silent.

"...Who are they?"

"I don’t really know either."

Then I told him everything.

About the white space.

About Grandpa’s house.

About Adhama and Hawra.

About what they had shown me.

About my death on Earth.

And about the 18,062 players who had apparently lost their lives in the old world.

Ringga didn’t interrupt me once.

He simply stood beside me, staring out over Lake Dewata.

His expression was difficult to read.

When I finally finished—

silence settled between us.

Only the wind and the gentle rippling of the lake could be heard.

"...So, you died," he finally said.

His voice was barely above a whisper.

I nodded.

"Yes."

Ringga let out a long breath and rubbed his temple.

"I..."

He paused.

"...I’ve suspected it for a long time."

I immediately turned towards him.

"...What?"

"Not that we were dead."

Ringga shook his head before I could ask.

"I mean... I’ve suspected for a long time that we might never be able to return to Earth."

"..."

He turned back towards the lake.

"Ever since I first woke up in this world, I’ve been searching for answers."

"Why are we here?"

"Is there any way back?"

"Does another player know something we don’t?"

A faint smile crossed Ringga’s face.

"But years went by, and I found nothing."

I listened in silence.

"So you gave up on going back?"

"Not exactly."

He shook his head.

"I just... stopped hoping for too much."

His gaze fell towards the surface of the lake.

"The longer I lived here, the harder it became to believe that a road home truly existed."

Several seconds passed.

"And now..."

Ringga exhaled softly.

"...I finally know why there was never a road home in the first place."

My chest tightened slightly.

I looked down at the crowd below.

They were still laughing.

Still drinking.

Still enjoying the night, completely unaware of the conversation taking place above them.

"What about the others?"

"Hm?"

"The players."

I looked at Ringga.

"Should we tell them?"

Ringga didn’t answer immediately.

"If we tell them..."

My fingers tightened around the railing.

"...we’d essentially be telling them that they’re already dead on Earth."

There was an enormous difference between suspecting that you could never return and knowing there was no longer a life waiting for you to return to.

Not everyone would be able to accept something like that so easily.

Ringga remained silent for quite some time.

"I don’t know how each of them will react," he finally said.

I turned towards him.

"Some might get angry."

"Some might refuse to believe it."

"And some may have suspected it for a long time already."

He looked at the people below.

"But they deserve to know the truth."

"..."

"You’re underestimating them, Lun."

"Huh?"

Ringga smiled faintly.

"Look at them."

I followed his gaze.

"They’ve survived in this world for years. They’ve built homes and started families. Lost friends. Fought monsters. They even risked their lives against the Devil."

He paused.

"They may not accept the truth easily."

"But I believe they’re strong enough to face it."

I lowered my head.

"I don’t know if I can bring myself to tell them."

"Then don’t do it alone."

I looked up.

Ringga reached out and took my hand.

"If you can’t bring yourself to tell them, leave it to me."

"Ringga..."

"Besides, since when did you have to carry everything by yourself?"

"..."

I stared at his hand holding mine.

Warm.

Then my gaze slowly rose.

Our eyes met.

Perhaps it was the moonlight, or perhaps the night was simply too quiet, but his gaze seemed far gentler than usual.

Neither of us said anything.

Ringga didn’t let go of my hand.

And strangely enough...

I had no intention of pulling mine away either.

The distance between us seemed to shrink ever so slightly.

Then—

"OI! LUNA! RINGGA!"

"?!!"

We both jumped.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING UP THERE?! GET DOWN HERE!"

"..."

"..."

We looked at each other.

Then simultaneously took two steps backwards.

I cleared my throat.

Ringga scratched his cheek.

"L-Let’s go down."

"Mm."

Without waiting for my answer, Ringga vaulted over the balcony railing and dropped straight into the garden below.

"..."

I looked down after him.

Why did you have to jump?

There’s a staircase, you know.

I shook my head and followed him.

The next morning...

I opened my eyes.

No dizziness.

No nausea.

No headache.

Not a single symptom of what people normally call a hangover.

In fact, I hadn’t even felt drunk last night.

I stared at the ceiling.

"..."

So this is how it is?

Back in my old life, I had never tried beer or anything similar because I was still underage.

Now, after finding myself in a new world and finally having the chance to try it—

I couldn’t even get drunk.

It seemed my body’s resistance made me immune to the effects of alcohol.

"..."

I puffed out my cheeks.

That’s cheating.

I’d actually been curious about what being drunk felt like.

I turned to the side.

Daisy was still fast asleep.

Her face was so peaceful that she looked like a tiny angel.

Her cheeks were slightly puffed out.

Her arms hugged the blanket.

So cute...

I wanted to pinch her cheeks.

But I restrained myself so I wouldn’t wake her.

On the other side—

Ringga was still sleeping soundly as well.

"..."

I stared at him for several seconds.

Then looked back at Daisy.

Then at Ringga again.

"..."

Well...

Whatever.

I climbed out of bed and walked towards the balcony.

The morning air of Lake Dewata immediately greeted me.

Cool.

Neither too hot nor too cold.

I drew a deep breath.

The scent of lake water and damp grass filled my lungs.

Waking up in the morning and being able to breathe air this fresh was one of the things I had always dreamed of in my old life.

I walked towards the edge of the balcony.

Then—

"..."

My eyes widened.

The garden looked like a battlefield.

Players were sprawled everywhere.

Some were sleeping on their backs.

Some lay face-down.

One was hugging an empty barrel.

There were even two people who had somehow fallen asleep, piled on top of each other.

They genuinely looked like corpses.

"..."

I rubbed my temple.

They survived the Devil only to be defeated by alcohol.

Amazing.

Absolutely amazing.

I shook my head and went back inside.

After changing my clothes, I headed downstairs.

"Good morning!"

I walked into the kitchen.

Lusserina was there with Ishtar.

"Good morning, My Lady!" they replied almost simultaneously.

I glanced around.

"Where are the children?"

"They’ve already left for work."

"What about Tiamat, Aul, and Azrail?"

"Tiamat went out. Aul is feeding the animals. As for Azrail, he’s probably reading in your study."

Lusserina paused.

"He actually wanted to ask for permission, but you were still sleeping soundly."

"I see..."

I nodded.

Then my gaze shifted towards Ishtar.

She was wearing an apron.

"..."

I blinked.

"...And Ishtar, what are you doing in the kitchen?"

"Learning to cook."

Her answer came so calmly that I needed several seconds to process it.

"...Cooking?"

"Yes, My Lady."

Ishtar nodded.

"Now that I am living in this world, I wish to be of as much use to you as possible. So, as a first step, I asked Lusserina to teach me how to cook."

I stared at her for a moment.

A sacred dragon who had fought against the Devil only a short while ago...

was now wearing an apron and learning how to cook.

The world truly was strange.

But there was something in her words that made me slightly uncomfortable.

"Ishtar."

"Yes, My Lady?"

"Just because I’m the one who summoned you into this world doesn’t mean you have to devote your entire life to me."

Ishtar fell silent.

"I’m not going to force you to stay by my side all the time. Nor do I expect you to obey every command I give without question."

I looked directly into her eyes.

"Your body belongs to you."

"Your life belongs to you as well."

"So you’re the one who has the right to decide how you want to live it."

Ishtar said nothing.

"If one day you want to go out and see the world, then go."

"If you find something you want to do, then do it."

"I won’t stop you."

A brief silence filled the kitchen.

Then Ishtar lowered her head slightly.

"...I will give it some thought."

I smiled.

"That’s enough."

I sat down at the dining table and enjoyed a cup of warm tea.

A short while later, footsteps came from the stairs.

Daisy appeared first, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

Ringga followed behind her, his hair still slightly dishevelled.

"Good... morning, Mum..."

"Morning, Lun."

"Good morning."

Daisy walked over to me.

I immediately pulled her close and settled her on my lap.

Ringga took the seat beside me.

Lusserina and Ishtar began serving breakfast.

There was no grand conversation.

No discussion about the war.

No mysteries of the world to unravel.

Just a simple breakfast in the morning.

But as I looked at Daisy sitting on my lap and Ringga beside me—

a small smile appeared on my face.

We ate breakfast together as one family.

"..."

"Oh, by the way, My Lady."

Lusserina’s voice suddenly broke the peaceful silence.

"Hm?"

"According to Miss Rima, the rulers of the kingdoms will be coming here today to visit you."

PFFT!

The tea I had just taken a sip of sprayed straight out of my mouth.

"COUGH! COUGH!"

I thumped my chest as I coughed.

Then I stared at Lusserina with wide eyes.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"