Back at the scene, a short girl with wild eyes and boundless energy suddenly stepped up—literally stepping on a goblin corpse—brandishing what could only be described as a goddamn musket.
Yes. A musket.
She planted her feet, aimed down the sight like a pint-sized maniac from the 1700s, and grinned.
"Alright, it's time to finish this mess."
She narrowed her eyes at the goblin, all dramatic flair and reckless confidence.
"See you in hell, Mr. Goblin."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Four shots. Four. Right to the poor bastard's dome.
Only after the fourth bullet—because apparently the first three weren't convincing enough—did the goblin finally slump over, chains fading into the air like they were never there.
Silence fell.
No groans. No snarls. No monsters trying to rip anyone's face off.
Just the thick, quiet fog of "holy shit, we survived."
And then, like a switch flipping, the boy who'd earlier performed the Absolute Ruin™ move suddenly burst into loud, manic applause.
"YEAH! That's what I'm talkin' about! Cheer up, puppies! We just won our first battle!"
He threw his arms in the air like a one-man parade, grinning like a lunatic.
"Don't be all gloom like sad puppies—be happy! Like happy puppies!"
And weirdly enough… it worked.
Laughter broke out. Nervous at first, then growing. Smiles crept onto tired, blood-smeared faces.
Even those who had been cowering in the back started standing up, brushing off their fear like it was mud on their boots.
The girl who'd blown a kiss to the goblin dashed toward the boy who'd shackled it like some kind of medieval magician, and threw her arms around him with a laugh.
Cheers erupted again. Others began clapping, laughing, some even hugging like it was graduation day and not a room still splattered with monster guts.
The musket girl—our little walking war crime—closed her eyes with a smug smile, resting her oversized antique like it was a prized violin. You'd think all the applause was for her. Stupid. Adorable. Still stupid.
Kai too joined in the clapping, his hands lazily slapping together as he grinned.
"Damn. I'm in a shounen battle royale. All I need now is a tragic backstory and a demon form."
"Wow, you're still alive. Surprise."
The voice came from behind him. Kai turned to see Marcus clapping too, a wide grin on his face. But something about that grin felt… off. A little too smug. A little too knowing. Kai narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean, 'still alive'—"
"He's talking to me, friend."
Kai froze. That voice... it was Marcus again. But it came from behind him.
He spun around.
There stood Marcus.
Perfectly alive. Perfectly smiling. And very much not the one he'd just been talking to.
"...Huh?"
"Yeah..." the second Marcus said softly, nodding with a solemn smile.
Kai's eyes ping-ponged between them. One Marcus behind him. One in front. Same clothes. Same hair. Same dumb expression he'd grown weirdly fond of.
The others in the room had gone quiet, watching with curiosity.
Kai blinked. Then spun. Then blinked again. Then spun once more, just to make sure.
Then, finally—dramatically—he clutched both sides of his head.
"Oh my god! Marcus! Marcus!"
"Mmhmm… yes…"
Marcus didn't even look up. He knew what was coming. He always knew. He just examined his nails like a bored celebrity at a fan meet.
"Marcus… you can teleport! That's so cool!"
"Huh?"
Everyone and their mother in the hall groaned and facepalmed in perfect sync, like some tragic orchestra of disappointment. Even the Marcus behind Kai smacked his own forehead like he regretted his life choices.
"Stupid! He's my brother! We're twins!!!"
BAM!
Marcus smacked Kai on the head hard enough to rattle a few brain cells loose—if there were any left.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" Kai clutched his head, blinking like a confused puppy. "I mean, how was I supposed to know? You didn't say anything!"
He looked back and forth between the two Marcuses—Marcii?—and gave a sheepish grin, scratching the back of his head.
"Ah… I didn't—"
BANG.
A loud crash hit the door behind him. The same door he and Marcus had oh-so-responsibly locked not five minutes ago.
Everyone froze.
Another BANG, harder this time. The thick wooden doors rattled on their hinges. Dust shook loose from the ceiling. A third hit, and the lock groaned like it had opinions.
Suddenly, all smiles vanished. Swords and spears raised. The laughing and all stopped like someone had yanked the aux cord out mid-party.
Kai slowly turned toward Marcus.
Marcus looked back at him, face pale.
"...What the hell," Kai muttered, voice low.
They didn't need to say it aloud, but the question hung heavy between them.
What was on the other side of that door… and why the hell was it hitting harder than Grub ever could?