---

Upon arriving at a quiet military airport quite far from the Spirit Barrier, James, whom I hadn’t seen in ages, greeted us warmly.

When we left James City, his appearance looked haggard as if he was on the verge of death, but that look had faded considerably.

Standing awkwardly on two feet with a chubby Hungry Ghost costume and a scrunched-up expression, James looked momentarily surprised by my state before he turned his gaze to Yerin and spoke to her.

“First, I have to say this. Thank you. I just got a call saying that the secretary was hospitalized in Korea with serious injuries. It must have been possible thanks to your help. Really, thank you.”

Waving her hands in response to James’s words, Yerin replied.

“No, it’s not. To be honest, I barely survived because of the secretary’s driving skills.”

James then suggested that instead of standing around, we should sit down and talk, guiding us toward the inside of the airport.

Walking slowly with familiar strides, he introduced us to the airport facilities.

True to a military airport, the facilities were simple and bare, but it seemed like they had made some preparations, as there were a few conveniences noticeable.

Entering a lounge area surrounded by temporary walls in one part of the hangar, James led us to some plush chairs inside.

On the table lay all sorts of snacks, most of which were my favorites.

Omnomnom.

I quickly sat down, wrapped my arms around a large pudding container, and began to eat slowly.

Then, sitting down, James took a snack from the table and started the conversation.

“I recommended this tourist destination, but I feel a bit ashamed. I never thought the Spirit Barrier would break down like that. Object-related issues really can’t be trusted, can they?”

Yerin, who was eating a small jelly, shook her head and said.

“How could James predict such a situation?”

“Still, I can’t help but ask this. Do you know anything about what happened? What happened there?”

“I’m not sure either. When I woke up, the barrier was suddenly on fire… The Reaper might know, but I can’t ask.”

Yerin glanced at the back of my head, where I was devouring pudding.

“When I woke up, the sky was painted red, and the Reaper had disappeared. The Spirit Barrier was already ablaze. Then the secretary came and told us we needed to escape quickly, so we hurriedly left the hotel.”

“And then I collided with something and was thrown off the motorcycle, but luckily the Reaper showed up just in time, so I survived, and so did the secretary. That’s all I know.”

As Yerin spoke, I couldn’t help but think it was truly a close call.

What if I had been lazy and taken a bit longer to gather firewood?

Something truly terrible would have happened.

“I see, I guess we’ll just have to wait for the investigation results. The Object Association is currently speculating that it might be related to the ‘Object Drug’ crisis that has been rapidly increasing lately.”

James continued talking while observing Yerin, who was sitting awkwardly.

“Your complexion looks quite alright, but your posture seems uncomfortable. Did you get hurt somewhere?”

“Yeah, I think I broke a rib when I was thrown from the motorcycle, but I’m feeling a bit better now. The Blue Reaper probably did something for me. I’ll likely need to get a thorough check-up when I go back to Korea.”

“I see, so you’re planning to return to Korea.”

In response to James’s calm question, Yerin answered.

“Yes, I have to go back. My body isn’t normal, and the Reaper seems to want me to go back as well.”

Looking surprised at Yerin’s unexpected response, I lifted my head from the pudding container and stared at her.

I thought she would suggest going somewhere fun again with her personality, but it seemed she was in worse condition than I thought.

No matter how I looked at it, she didn’t seem in such bad shape that she needed to be transferred to the Sehee Research Institute through the Mini Reaper Garden.

James glanced at my face after hearing Yerin’s words and then turned back to Yerin.

“Well then, you can take my private plane when you return.”

“Wow, really?”

Yerin beamed at James’s response, grabbing my hand and shaking it in excitement.

“It looks like we’ll be flying on a private plane together again!”

With the thought of traveling together on the plane, Yerin had a big smile on her face.

In truth, I had been thinking of secretly teleporting back alone, but I couldn’t do that now…

Knock, knock.

A quiet knock echoed above the wooden door.

“It seems the plane is ready now.”

As James stood up, he said, “Let’s meet in Korea next time. I’ve decided to build a James Tower in Korea, so we should be able to see each other soon.”

Yerin stood up and lifted me, who was still eating pudding.

“Come on, let’s go home.”

Yerin’s soft voice resonated in my ears.

This was the end of our difficult journey through the US, filled with strong Objects.

*

In the always bright and cozy Mini Reaper Garden, there’s no night, but if there were, it would be now.

The Mini Reapers started returning to the garden after helping people in a city near the Spirit Barrier.

Gathered in the center of the garden, the Golden Reapers shared their tales of valor with one another, boasting about the people they met.

There were sad stories of humans who had died, heroic tales of saving humans, and happy stories about receiving kindness from humans.

As they held hands and shared their wills, the tales were diluted and amplified, fading away.

Sadness dissipated when shared, while joy grew when shared.

What remained were stories about humans, each colored in one hundred different hues.

The Golden Reapers always looked happy and entertained whenever they talked about humans.

Bouncing around.

With bright, happy smiles, the Golden Reapers exchanged their wills.

Then a few Golden Reapers noticed something and started looking up at the sky.

A black, round sphere hovering in the air.

Curious, the Golden Reapers gazed up at the sphere, wondering.

What on earth could that be?

Is it a ride prepared by Mom?

As they looked up at the sky, the Golden Reapers began to look down at each other.

In the gently glowing center of the Mini Reaper Garden, a silent resolve passed among them, and the Golden Reapers dispersed from that spot, starting to create something.

Ding-dong-ding.

The Golden Reapers scampered around, tearing marshmallows into blocks like bricks.

Then they began to stack them under the round sphere.

The hard, stick-shaped cookies became pillars, while thin biscuits formed the base of the staircase.

As many Golden Reapers joyfully engaged in this construction project like playing with clay, a tall tower was completed in no time.

A tower soaring high enough to touch the sphere.

As the tower was finished, the most curious and courageous Golden Reaper slowly began to climb the tower.

Below, the other Golden Reapers held their breath and watched.

With every step, climbing onto the marshmallow, they got closer to the black sphere.

Though the cookie tower swayed precariously, the Golden Reaper rose steadily, relying on its unique sense of balance.

Ta-da!

Reaching the top of the wobbling cookie tower, the Golden Reaper spread its arms wide and smiled brightly, striking a pose.

It was a pose embodying the joy of reaching the top of the tower.

The Golden Reapers below, who had been silently watching, jumped up and down to celebrate their comrade’s success.

Seeing this, the Golden Reaper on top smiled widely and leaped off the tower.

The target was the black sphere floating in the air!

The Golden Reaper let gravity take over as it jumped, anticipating the inevitable collision with the sphere.

But contrary to expectations, the seemingly hard sphere softy absorbed the Golden Reaper.

Crossing that boundary, a vast, desolate space emerged in front of the Golden Reaper.

Inside the black sphere existed an endless expanse.

The ruins of destroyed Objects.

The land polluted with black liquid.

And a massive, enormous, empty something lying flat on the ground.

Cautiously, the Golden Reaper walked slowly through that ominous environment.

As it advanced through a strangely alien yet familiar feeling space, the Golden Reaper discovered a piece that had broken off from the gigantic something.

As it melted away, that piece transformed into a form identical to the Golden Reaper.

Starting from the antennae and ending at the toes, it had morphed to look just like the Golden Reaper.

The only difference was that its skin was black, and the firewood’s light was white.

As the Golden Reaper tilted its head in wonder at the black Reaper that looked just like it, the black Reaper mirrored the gesture, tilting its head in confusion.

If the Golden Reaper raised its arm, so did the black one; if the Golden Reaper jumped, so did the black one.

The Golden Reaper, bemused yet intrigued, broke into a radiant smile and reached out.

Joining hands with the black Reaper, which stretched out like a reflection in a mirror, the Golden Reaper beamed.

‘New Younger Sibling?’

It felt somewhat different, but it felt like a sibling nonetheless.

The Golden Reaper was immensely happy and joyful to have gained a new sibling.

And as if influenced by that joy, the black Reaper’s firewood began to burn brighter and yellower, as it smiled faintly with a gentle expression.

A new child was being born in a place unknown to the Gray Reaper.

*

Late in the evening, at the Sehee Research Institute.

The Cute Puppy walked tiredly and trudgingly to sit in front of its doghouse, looking exhausted.

Having run around with the Golden Reapers, who boasted infinite stamina, the Cute Puppy returned home each day in a tattered state.

A special meal that came once a month was filled in its bowl.

As it ate that food, the Cute Puppy looked up at the ceiling with a wistful expression.

A happy time when it had eaten much better food every day.

A time filled with joy, where every human around moved solely for its benefit.

But those joyful days had all passed, leaving only traces that made the Cute Puppy feel sad.

‘You’re all that’s left now.’

The Cute Puppy lamented as it placed its paws on the huge golden doghouse.

Thud.

But that sensation felt strange.

Light.

Suddenly struck by a terrible thought, the Cute Puppy sharpened its claws and scratched the doghouse hard.

And revealed the cruel truth.

As the golden shell peeled away, the doghouse revealed its bare gray plastic surface.

‘No way!’

Faced with the horrific reality laid bare, the Cute Puppy burst into tears and fainted from the shock.