Chapter 58: Another Possibility

Staring blankly at the fading remnants of light, I clutched the orb tightly in my hands, my mind swirling with confusion.

“A parallel world… What does that even mean?”

My thoughts were in turmoil, the images from the orb replaying over and over.

Harp’s merciless smile.

Sua’s lifeless eyes.

Liel’s tears and wounds.

It all felt too vivid—like I had lived through it myself.

‘If that’s really what they’ve become in another world… What am I supposed to do here?’

As I stood there, lost in thought, my gaze drifted toward the bookshelf beside me.

Something about it drew me in.

Slowly, almost instinctively, I stepped forward to examine the books.

“…Are these books?”

The shelves were packed with them—countless volumes neatly arranged.

But something was off.

The titles were all blurred, impossible to read.

Instead, only their subtitles stood out clearly.

Tracing my fingers across the spines, I began reading them aloud.

“Becoming a Cat”

“Reincarnated into a Gacha Game”

“Gaining Overpowered Abilities”

“Living as a Ghost”

“Entering a Horror Game”

The more I read, the less I understood.

Each one sounded bizarre—nothing like an ordinary book.

At the far end of the shelf, however, my eyes landed on something different.

Unlike the others, this book was in pristine condition.

There was no title.

Only a subtitle, boldly printed on the cover.

“Seeking Healing in a Dark Fantasy.”

I stared at it for a while.

This book felt different.

Unlike the others, it exuded a strange, almost magnetic energy.

Curious, I picked it up.

But when I opened it.

It was empty.

No text.

No contents.

Just a blank book with nothing inside.

‘Why is this one different from the others?’

Holding it in my hands, I suddenly felt something strange.

A sensation.

As if this book was somehow connected to me.

And somehow, I knew.

This book held something important.

Something I needed to understand.

“…What is this?”

Clutching the book against my chest, I looked around the room.

I had to figure out what all of this meant.

At that moment, a faint light filled the space once again.

I tensed, watching as the glow steadily intensified.

And then.

The same figure appeared.

Once again, it was a child who looked exactly like me.

She stood before me, radiating that same surreal, otherworldly presence.

“…It’s you again.”

Still gripping the book, I met her gaze.

The girl watched me for a moment before finally speaking.

“The visions in the orb… The books in this room… They all exist as part of a greater flow.”

“Flow?”

She nodded.

“This world—all worlds—are like an enormous set of interlocking gears.

Even if they seem separate, each reality and event turns together, forming one vast story.

But right now.

One of those gears is out of alignment.”

I frowned in confusion.

“…Out of alignment? What does that mean?”

“The stories of your world and the parallel worlds are interfering with each other.

Because of that”

She reached out and picked up a book titled “Becoming a Cat.”

“This story has stopped.

And when a story stops, it means the world stops with it.”

I struggled to wrap my head around it.

Everything was happening too fast, too strangely.

“…So what do we do? How do we fix the misaligned gears?”

The girl’s expression turned serious.

“One of the key causes of this distortion is a Witch.”

She met my gaze, her voice unwavering.

“She is creating the cracks between worlds. And if we don’t stop her. The stories will never return to their rightful place.”

“A witch…? What kind of witch are you talking about? And why is she causing these distortions?”

She didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she fell into a moment of deep thought before murmuring softly.

“She has not come here herself.

But her traces remain in this forest.

You may have already encountered a clue without realizing it.”

I stiffened.

“…I’ve already seen it? Where?”

She took a step closer, lifting a finger to point at the book in my hands.

“This book. And the visions from the orb. Everything is connected to her. You need to uncover what she left behind—where she hid her influence, what purpose she serves. Only then can the story begin to move again.”

I clutched the book tightly.

“…But why are you asking me to do this? Who are you? Why do I have to be the one to fix this?”

She met my gaze and smiled.

“Because you made it this far. This isn’t a coincidence. You are the connection that bridges this world and others. You are the one who can continue the story.”

I fell silent.

I could feel my grip on the book tighten, my heart pounding with the weight of her words.

‘Find the witch. Stop her. Restore the story.’

She gave me one last smile.

“Now you understand what you must do.

The choice is yours.

Find the witch.

And write the story once more.”

Then, before I could say anything else.

A burst of light filled the room, swallowing her form completely.

When the glow faded, she was gone.

And in the silence that followed, I was left standing alone.

I slowly looked down at the book in my hands, replaying her words over and over in my mind.

“…I have to find the witch’s traces.”

Lifting my head, I glanced around.

The space was still endless, filled with endless white bookshelves.

The visions from the orb, the strange books, the cryptic warnings.

Everything twisted together in my mind, leaving me feeling lost.

Taking a deep breath, I carefully placed the book back on the shelf.

It all felt like a dream.

But the weight of the book in my hands.

The air in this space.

It was all too real.

‘The witch… What is her goal? Why is she doing this?’

Suddenly.

A faint vibration trembled beneath my feet.

At first, I thought I imagined it.

But the shaking grew stronger.

“…What the—?”

I instinctively stepped back.

The bookshelves around me shuddered.

And at the center of the room.

A swirling vortex of light burst into existence.

The glowing spiral expanded rapidly, twisting violently.

Like it was trying to swallow me whole.

“H-Hey! What is this?!”

A powerful force pulled at me, dragging me toward the vortex.

I tried to resist, planting my feet firmly.

But it was useless.

The next moment.

The light engulfed me.

When I opened my eyes.

I was back in the forest.

The familiar trees, the rustling grass, and.

The small slimes still circling nearby.

“Teacher! Are you okay?”

Liel was crouched beside me, her face filled with concern.

Around me, Sua and Harp wore equally worried expressions.

“What… happened?”

I slowly pushed myself up, my head still spinning.

“You suddenly collapsed! You were completely unconscious!”

Sua scolded, hands on her hips.

Harp studied me carefully before speaking in a quiet voice.

“…Are you sure you’re okay, Teacher? You didn’t push yourself too hard?”

I shook my head, offering a weak smile.

“I’m fine. Just… got a little dizzy.”

But even as I said it, I wasn’t convinced myself.

The visions in the orb, the endless bookshelves, the words she said—

“The gears have misaligned.”

“You must track down the witch’s traces.”

Absentmindedly, I lifted my gaze.

And looked up at the massive tree.

That tree.

I knew it held an important clue.

“Teacher, what should we do now?”

Liel’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

I hesitated for a moment—then made my decision.

“…Let’s go deeper. I have a bad feeling.

There’s something here.”

Harp and Liel exchanged brief glances, slightly surprised.

But they soon nodded.

Sua, on the other hand, grinned confidently.

“Alright! Now this is a real adventure!

Come forth, monsters! We’re ready for you!”

With that, we pressed forward.

We circled around the massive tree, cautiously making our way into the depths of the forest.

The further we went, the heavier the air became.

The sunlight filtering through the trees grew weaker, casting long, eerie shadows.

A strange tension settled over us.

“…I know something’s here.”

Liel murmured, sticking close to my side.

Harp remained silent, her sharp gaze scanning our surroundings as she moved carefully.

Even Sua, who led the way with her usual confidence, pressed her lips together—

A subtle sign of unease.

The trees around us seemed… wrong.

Their twisted branches swayed unnaturally, as if alive.

The damp earth squelched underfoot, and the fallen leaves rustled.

With no wind to move them.

Then.

“Teacher, look over there!”

Sua suddenly pointed ahead.

Following her gaze, we spotted a small clearing.

Encircled by trees, perfectly round.

And at its center.

A tree far larger than the one we had seen before loomed ominously.

“…What is that?”

A shadow.

Tall and unfamiliar.

Stood beneath it.

Watching.