The girls took that news about as well as could be expected. They stared open-mouthed at him like somehow it was his fault that Ajay was about to lose his leg. Well, yes, in the past it was his fault, but he hadn't done that yet, and now that he knew what to do, he would make sure it didn't happen again.

  Still, the look that Kassandra gave him was downright murderous. Almost as if she, too, could see the past and was blaming him for the things he hadn't done. On the other hand, Filomena was basically all doom and gloom. She was probably already picturing him without his leg. Like she, too, could see the past and knew how difficult things had become after Ajay lost his leg. Just sealing the wound had cost them all their Healing potions. The less that could be said about creating a crutch for him, in this scorched wasteland, the better. This was why Ajay had volunteered to stay behind and fight off those Luthrols.

  Wait, is this Ajay's canon event? He pondered, totally missing Kassandra, who was coming towards him. He noticed at the last moment and swayed away from her blow.

  "Whoa, what did I do?" He cried.

  "Everything. I had forgotten how mad I was at your leaving, but this was a neat little reminder."

  Rey scratched his head. "I don't understand."

  "Oh, now, you don't understand. For an all-seeing and all-knowing guy, now is the moment you chose not to understand. When you left, didn't you see this? Didn't you see how we were struggling? How those tigers killed Sergei and Bahar. The doctor didn't even lay a hand on them, and they still snapped her neck like it was a twig. Then, thank you for cleaning up the city for us, because that was a great help, by the way."

  "Uh…thanks." He felt like she was being sarcastic, and he was walking into a trap.

  She gritted her teeth and scowled with such intensity that Rey thought he was going to self-combust.

  "Shove your thanks up your asshole. When you killed the Black Hand, you opened the city to a gang war, where every little thug was vying for power. We came into the city because you said it was safe, and for the next ten days, we became the target of a city-wide manhunt. We barely escaped with our lives. Didn't you see that?"

  Rey's jaw dropped. He had no words.

  But she still had more to say. "You think that you told us our fates, and if you left that, they wouldn't come about. Well, you were wrong. Leaving was also a choice. One that you made because you didn't want to see us die. Well, Rey, leaving didn't change a damn thing. With or without you, we were still headed for that end."

  "I'm sorry," Rey whispered. "I didn't know."

  "Oh, that is a convenient excuse," Kassandra snapped. "You told us of our deaths, but how would they come about? Nothing at all. If we had known that Ajay was going to lose his leg in this dungeon, we never would have come here."

  He had seen this side of her more than a few times, and once she was mad, it wasn't easy to calm her down. The best thing he could do was apologize and give her time.

  "The truth is…" No, anything but the truth. They're not ready. "My abilities are limited to my future and those whose lives I influence. Once I removed myself from your lives, I lost the ability to look at yours."

  "She's right," Filomena added. "That is no excuse. When you left, you took with you all the knowledge of the future that had been keeping us one step ahead of our deaths. Maybe, if you were here, then Sergei and Bahar could've been saved."

  That stabbed him in the heart and right in the vein that hurt the most. He could've changed things, but his leaving was not for naught. If he hadn't left, he wouldn't have met Fate or learned how to truly save them and not just extend their lives for a few weeks.

  When he left, he had hoped they would make different choices and not reach the same conclusion, but that kid with the dolls was playing his games. He knew them intricately, so he knew that if they were put in the same situations without Rey's knowledge, they would make the same decisions, and he would have his prize.

  Not anymore, kid. I'm back to ruin your peace like a raccoon in a kitchen.

  "I can't change the past," Rey said. "But I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere, and I will fight like Hell to make sure that you three make it to the end."

  Kassandra scoffed. "Until you decide that you can't take it anymore and leave again."

  "That's not fair, Kass," Filomena said. "Besides, we've talked enough. Let's go before this hedge changes its mind, or Ajay loses his leg."

  Rey gripped his scythe. "Not while I have my scythe. Everyone, stay close together. We can't get separated anymore."

  They took off at a run. Rey didn't rush off ahead and instead stayed behind the girls. He could easily catch up if the hedge decided to change its mind about their deal. It shouldn't, but it was a demonic plant, after all.

  They ran in suffocating silence. He kept staring at Kassandra's back, but she didn't once turn to look at him. So, he would have to deal with her silence until she came around. In all sincerity, he had earned it. She was right about many things. He deserved it. But if he hadn't left, he wouldn't have even thought of gaining the blacksmith profession, or met Fate. He doubted the kid would've dared to show his face around if he were with the others.

  They turned a corner, and a trio of demons jumped at them. They were green-skinned, pointy-eared demons, wielding crooked-looking scimitars. They reminded him of Piccolo, if Piccolo had withered and lost his muscles and cool clothes.

  Wait, didn't Piccolo used to be called Demon King Piccolo?

  The answer was yes. However, he became much cooler in Z.

  [Demon (Exiled) – E+6]

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

  [Demon (Exiled) – E+6]

  [Demon (Exiled) – E+7]

  "Ah, look what we have here," said the one in the lead.

  Rey stepped forward. "Ah, look what we have here, a bunch of third-rate Piccolo clones."

  Their eyes widened. "How do you know of Piccolo?"

  Rey paused and cocked his head. "How do you know of Piccolo? Wait, are we even talking about the same Piccolo?"

  Before they could continue this debate further, Kassandra shot the Rank 7 with a glowing arrow, which he caught effortlessly. His fellows snickered as their boss broke the arrow in half with one hand.

  "Next time, try something stronger, girl," Rank 7 said.

  "Oh, how about this?" Rey positioned his scythe for a throw, then activated Gravity's Kiss, dragging the demon towards him.

  The demon dug his heel in and slowed himself, while his buddies roared and jumped for Rey, but the girls took them on. Safe to say, that concluded all chance of a peaceful murder.

  The girls were at Rank 5, which meant the Rank 6s were perfect for them. The girls were handling themselves quite well. He had trained them after all. They conserved Mana, knowing that it would come in handy in the fights to come.

  Rey focused on his enemy and stopped Gravity's Kiss, making the demon tumble backwards. Before he hit the ground, Rey activated Gravitational Attraction, hurling the demon towards the hedge. The plants came alive before the demon was even close. The demon's screams lit up the quiet corridor as the plants started eating it alive.

  Rey wasn't cruel enough to let the demon plants take his kill for him. After all, this kill would give him some nice experience.

  He used Attraction and pulled the demon towards himself. The plant version of piranhas didn't let up without a fight and kept one leg of the shrieking demon. The hedge began to shiver as it grew angry over having its meal snatched away.

  "If you stay put, I'll let you have the leftovers and those two back there," Rey said, and the hedge stilled.

  Rey towered over the demon, who was crawling away from him in terror. "What was it you said, send something stronger? Here, try this."

  Rey slammed his scythe in an overhead arc into the demon's back. It shrieked, stiffened, and was gone.

  [You killed a Demon (Exiled) – E+7]

  "Please give my scythe five stars on Yelp."

  By the time he turned, the girls had finished off their prey as well. Rey didn't waste a moment to fling all the corpses to the hedge.

  "Keep the path clear for us," Rey commanded. "No more surprises like this. I want a straight path to our friend."

  The hedge didn't reply as it was busy chowing down on the demons.

  "Good work, girls," Rey said. "Especially you, Kassi. I always love how you explode their heads."

  Kassandra scoffed, didn't even look his way, and moved on.

  Filomena patted his shoulder. "Nice try, lover boy. She'll come around soon enough."

  He nodded. "Wait, lover boy? When did Ajay and I switch roles?"

  He fell in step behind the girls. The hedge kept true to its word, and it didn't take them long to arrive at the maze's center, where the spicy Biryani was burning the assholes of the demons as he ripped through them.

  Ajay fought alone in the center of a horde of demons, looking nothing short of one himself.

  "Hey, look, he still has both legs," Rey exclaimed. "So, no harm done."

  He wasn't even sure the girls heard him as they rushed off to join the fight. He could've ended the fight in two seconds by using his Gravity's Domain, but his friends would be affected by it just the same, so it was best to fight it out properly. Besides, there were more than Rank 5 and Rank 6 demons in there, which should give them enough experience.

  He raced off to join the fight, and with their addition, the demons never stood a chance. Lightning bolts were shot, fireballs exploded, along with roaring columns of flames, and silvery arrows exploded heads as if it were their favorite pastime. Rey let his friends have all the fun this time. He needed to conserve his Mana, and it was nice to see the synergy they had developed in his absence.

  The three fought back-to-back like a well-oiled killing machine. If Ajay threw a fireball, then the girls would protect his flank. When Filomena would shake the world and burst eardrums, Ajay fought like a maniac to finish off the stragglers. Kassandra impressed him the most. Her marksmanship reminded him of that fucking angel—the one who apparently vacationed in Hell just to blast demons, with Rey sitting comfortably at number one on the 'Please Smite Me' list.

  Good. This is all very good.

  Rey didn't even have to do much in the end. He sat on the edge of a fountain and watched the show. When the fighting was done, he clapped his hands.

  "You three have impressed me so much, I was beginning to wonder if you even need me," Rey said.

  Kassandra's gaze turned murderous again.

  "I'm kidding, of course." He quickly added. "I could never leave you…again. If I do, you can shoot me in the rump and drag me with you."

  Ajay wiped the blood and grime off his face. "Rey?"

  "In the flesh, my good man."

  His face split into a grin as he ran towards Rey as if he were an old lover who had been separated from him by his evil father. They embraced amid the bloody demon corpses, and it couldn't have been more romantic than that. It honestly brought a tear to his eyes.

  "See, Kassi, this was what I was expecting," Rey said, and then muttered in a low tone, so she wouldn't hear. "Not the lecture that I got, two seconds after I got back."

  Did he deserve the lecture? Probably. Did he like it? Absolutely not.

  "Huh?" Ajay frowned, but thankfully didn't ask about the lecture. "When did you get back? How did you know we were here? Actually, never mind. Don't answer that. It's great to have you back."

  "It's great to be back. I came back just for you, especially since you're supposed to lose your leg in this dungeon."

  He paled. "W-What?"

  "You heard me. Right in there." Rey pointed to the little palace squatting in the center. It was a domed building about two storeys high, with a door that led into nothing but darkness.

  "You step in there on two legs and come out on one." Rey patted his arm. "But don't you worry, that's why you're not stepping in there at all. I'll go in and kill the thing, and when it's safe, you all can follow."

  "You think you can kill the boss by yourself?" Ajay asked.

  "Yep." Rey grinned. "Now, sit tight and I'll be right back."

  "I'm coming with you," Kassandra called.

  Rey was not going to argue with her. "Okay, I'm going to need a light in there, anyway. You can be my personal fleshlig...Torchlight! I meant torchlight." Nice save, Rey. "Your arrows might as well be as good as his fire."

  Thankfully, no one reacted to that comment, which was great, or he might be the one leaving this dungeon on one leg.

  "Are you sure?" Filomena asked.

  Rey tilted his head to the side. "You know, you're the only one who hasn't hugged me since I got back."

  He extended his arms, but Kassandra grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him away.

  "Let's go, we have a boss to kill," she grumbled.

  He stumbled and nearly fell a couple of times. Kassandra kept pulling him along. The other two came with them to the door.

  "Best of luck, you two," Filomena said. "We'll see you soon."

  Ajay opened his mouth to speak, but two tentacles shot out of the door, seized him by the mid-section, and yanked him into the darkness, leaving the rest of them standing bewildered.

  "Okay, that is not my fault," Rey said. "I fully warned you guys. The guy has a knack for getting kidnapped. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he likes getting kidnapped."

  "Shut up," Kassandra groaned as she pulled him into the darkness.