The monster crawled out of the wall. His face was cracked from where Black had punched him, and debris was falling off his shoulders onto the ground.

"GiVe... hIm... BacK..."

Hearing it, Black stepped forward and tried to assure him, "Relax. We aren’t harming him."

But the dad ignored him and just attacked him. With a single leap, he had landed in front of Black and this time he didn’t just use his gravity.

He made slick needles of concrete using his powers and used them to hit Black. However, Black wasn’t that weak to be hit with such an attack. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

He kept blocking and counterattacking it.

"Stop. We misunderstood. We aren’t here to hurt you." Black’s voice rang out between the exchange of gravity blows.

"liEs," But it wasn’t going to work. If we wanted to make the monster stop, we had to find out about the Gate’s Goal first.

I looked down at the child and saw something written at the back of the picture he was holding.

’What is that?’

It looked like an address. But where does it lead to? Whatever it was, it looked like a clue so I had no choice but to act.

"Hey Black. Keep him busy."

I said to Black and he replied with a mocking sound, "What do you think I am doing?"

After hearing him, I begin to run away as fast as I could. Behind me I could also hear the monster’s voice calling his child but I can’t leave him here because I need him for something.

From all the places that came to my mind, only one place stood out. It was home. The child’s and the father’s home. I think that is the address which is written behind the pic.

"Hey kid, do you know where your house was when you lived with your mother."

I asked and the child didn’t speak up. He had his eye closed tightly and was shaking slightly.

He is scared but I need him to tell me.

"Hey, If you want to help your father, then tell me." I asked again and he opened his eye and for a moment pondered about telling me or not.

It isn’t gonna work. At this rate everyone will die.

"...Please."

That word made him soften up and tell me about the directions.

"HoMe... tHiS... wAy."

He said and after taking a few turns we were able to reach a small house.

Inside, most of the furniture was broken, some of the walls were destroyed. A few toys were scattered on the ground and most importantly, an intact table was placed in the middle of all this. On it were placed two empty cups.

This must be the place where they were living even now.

As I walked a bit further in, I was able to see what I needed. On the ground, alongside the broken airplane and car toys, I saw a cassette recorder laying without a scratch.

"MOm... CaSte... wHy... sHiNe..."

The kid said. Unlike all the other things, it was shining with an ethereal white light which confirmed that this is the key to solving the puzzle.

And the kid’s words just made me more sure. He talked as if it never shined before but now it was.

I quickly grabbed it and went back to Black and others.

There I saw Black bleeding from a wound on his shoulder and Tan unconscious on the ground. The battle was in its last phase. As for Fox, she was also laying half dead far away.

I walked up to the monster and Black.

"Black. You can stop now."

Both his and the monster’s attention was drawn toward me.

"And, Monster Daddy. I have got something for you."

I said and pressed the play button on the cassette. However, it didn’t start playing anything.

Black glanced at me with clear doubt. "You better know what you’re doing."

’Why is it not working. Is it broken?’

I thought that everything was over now. We can’t convince him. And now we are stuck in this world.

But to my surprise and to ease my worries, the cassette player began to make some screeching sounds.

’Is it playing now? At last.’

<Harry,>

The first word was a name and when the monster heard it, he froze in his actions.

<If you’re hearing this... then somehow this recorder survived longer than I did.>

The monster’s face slowly turned toward the cassette.

"mInA..."

<Hey, don’t make that face. I know exactly what expression you are making right now.>

After that, the recording went on to tell everything she had been through. How the dungeons appeared here too. People got powers but were unable to protect the earth. And while saving her child for more than a year, she died too.

<You probably ignored my advice again. You promised me you would live. Not just survive.>

"mOm..." As the recording continued, the child also spoke up.

<So, stop running away. I told you to take care of our son until you can’t anymore.>

After that sentence, there was a pause.

<And when that day comes... let go.>

That was the line, the permission the father needed. It made him fall on his knees.

"mInA,"

As he said that word, his body slowly began to dissolve into small crystallized particles.

"sOrRy," He apologized to both his wife and the child in my hands.

"dAd gOiNg?" The child let out as he watched his father being reduced to ashes flying up in the sky.

"tO... mOm."

Then after looking at his father, he turned toward me and said two words, "tHaNk... yOu..."

He thanked me and just like his father, he also started turning into dust.

Soon, there was nothing of them and the photo fell on the ground. If I wanted, I could have grabbed that picture but I realized that somethings are better left in the past. Just like my old life.

’At least they got to say goodbye to each other.’

Immediately after their departure, the world also began to collapse. The buildings began to fall and the ground began to crack even further.

"Run," Black shouted and lifted Tan from the ground and began running away. "Quick. Get Fox."

I saw Fox lying near a wall and after grabbing her, I also ran after Black.

This world is now collapsing since the last people on it have also perished.

’Let’s get out of here as fast as we can.’