I will not die a Villainess's death

"Then, if we are all in agreement, I will send the letter for our arrival at the temple. Lord Dirac, what will you do? You are in no condition to come along and we need a guardian for the young crown prince."

Lucas Dirac was the one who knew this point better than anyone else. He knew he was in no condition to be moving around and it was frustrating to him as well.

Sending children into battle was not something Lucas had ever come to terms with. Not now and not back in his past life. But it was what would happen and he knew it.

He recognized the signs of what was happening in this world better than anyone else. It was getting ready to invade another world and gain its powers. It would not be the first time it would happen as well.

But he was not sure if these children would believe his words or not. And Lucas did not want to drag them into this conflict if he could help it. However, he was powerless against the current situation as well.

"Fine. You should go to the temple now. But also take Sorias with you since he's already here and heard everything."

Sorias came out from the door of the room. He looked a little put out at being left out of the conversation but he was ready to take up his role as well.

He was not alone since Enma and Emma were with him as well. Although, Emma did look a little pale and her eyes also looked flustered.

"Don't worry. I have Sara keep an eye on the temple for me so I will know if anything big is about to happen. But we cannot ignore Elysia and the threat on this world anymore."

Eve sounded worried about too much. She had too much baggage on her shoulder for someone this young and Lucas felt sorry for her. She did not need to deal with whatever was happening.

She reminded him a little of Noctis and that was a thought he did not want to have right now. He was sure that Eve's fate would be different from his old friend's.

"Hurry up and go. I will take care of Adrian in the meanwhile."

Since this child was special, Lucas could not help but want to keep him close. He felt like something would change if this kid remained by his side.

Besides, he was also sure that Adrian had been the reason he had not forgotten anything that happened when everyone else forgot about Elysia's existence. Adrian needed to be with him to make sure nothing like this happened again.

"Umm, can I stay behind as well? I mean, it's not like I will be of any help to you people and there needs to be someone here to take care of Lord Lucas's needs."

Enma proposed as he finally spoke up. Adam seemed ready to deny him when Lucas stopped him. Enma was too young to get mixed up in this situation as well.

Besides, who knew what would Enma's interference result in? It was better to keep him out here. And Adam caught his meaning as well.

"Very well, you can stay behind for now. But don't get in trouble or you will have to pay for it later."

Enma flinched after hearing those harsh words from Adam. But he did not talent them to heart. He just wanted to stay out of the danger as much as he can.

So much of the story had changed already but most of it had also remained the same. This world was still falling apart due to the magical rift that had something to do with Elysia Dirac. But there was no 'power of love' this time to save this world.

He was afraid of what would happen next.

"Then, we will all be heading out now. Take care of yourself and this place."

Adam finally left along with Eve and Sorias. Even Emma went out with them with a hesitant step. Things were finally moving along the way and Enma collapsed on the seat. He could finally relax.

"And how long are you going to hide back there? You better show yourself and explain what is going on, Noctis. You cannot hide from me."

Enma jumped in his seat when Lucas Dirac first spoke. He was afraid that Lucas was talking to him and that scared him before Lucas finished speaking.

And then Enma was horrified once the name registered in his mind. It belonged to a man who had died a long time ago after all.

"So you did know where I was? Then, I hope you do not mind if I come close to you. It has been a long time since we last talked like this, right?"

Noctis walked out from the shadows. It should have been impossible for him to hide in such an obvious place without being spotted. It meant that he had used magic without being detected.

"Do you mind if I see Adrain's face? I cloud not stop myself from coming here once I heard the news. I apologize for taking this long to come through."

Noctis did not look apologetic when he approached Lucas and the kid Lucas was holding. Noctis looked interested and sharp as he reached for the kid.

He did not even seem to have minded it when Lucas slapped his hand away and pulled Adrian closer to his body. There was some obvious tension in the air between the two.

"Keep your hands away from Adrian. There is no need for you to come here like this. I hope you are not here to cause me any kind of trouble."

Lucas sounded pissed off but not so much as to send Noctis away. He was more curious than anything about Noctis's decision to show himself.

"I am not here to cause any trouble. In fact, I am here for the opposite. I want to help you out in finding Elysia and bringing her back. Would you still not hear me out?"

Enma would be happy to say that Noctis was lying right now but he could not find anything in Noctis's tone that suggested that he was lying. He sounded dead serious when he spoke and his voice was laced with a promising power.

Enma took a hesitant step back from him but Lucas seemed unhinged.

Meanwhile, Adrian decided to approach this new man with a happy expression. He leaned forward toward Adrian and cupped his sleeve. Noctis's expression softened as he looked at the kid but Lucas was not having it.

He pulled the kid back into his embrace and hid his face from Noctis's gaze.

"You have no right to demand such a thing. I don't need your help to bring Elysia back and I want you to step out of my life. Whatever would happen from now on would be for me to decide later."

Noctis and Lucas locked eyes, their wills clashing. And Adrian decided this time to protest against this.

His cry caused Lucas to lose his focus on Noctis and pay attention to Adrian. It was also the time Enma decided to interfere.

He could guess some of the reasons why these two were fighting this bitterly but he also knew that they could turn out to be great allies. He had read a little about their relationships.

Besides, Noctis looked like someone from his original world and that was also what gave Enma the confidence to be on his side. It felt like he was helping someone who was in a similar situation to himself.

"L-Lord Lucas, I think we should hear this man out. Even if you do not want to do anything with him, information is always crucial to have."

Noctis looked surprised to see Enma interfere on his behalf but his look softened greatly as he saw Lucas considering Enma's words.

"That's right. Our fight can wait once we are all safe and sound. Our first action should be to bring Elysia back, am I right?"

Lucas still had a bitter look on his face but he finally seemed to be agreeing with Enma and Noctis's words. The worry for his sister was making Lucas soft.

"Fine, let's help Elysia out first. But don't think we are done with each other. I don't think I will be able to forgive you anytime soon."

Noctis felt relieved after hearing Lucas's words. He had said 'anytime soon' and not 'forever'. It meant that he still had a chance to gain Lucas's favor and make their relationship go back to what it used to be.

"I agree. And since I agree with you, I should tell you a few things about who is behind everything that happened. I noticed it as soon as I sacrificed myself last time. These worlds, they have consciousness and it's what is causing everything."

"It all started with these consciousness's will to survive and a battle for supremacy…"