Director Edward

Chapter 209: Episode 5 · Paradox Spiral! (7)

As Ryougi Shiki prepared to accompany Enjou Tomoe to his apartment, every audience member found themselves on edge.

After all, with so much buildup, it was obvious to anyone that something was wrong with that apartment—or, at the very least, with Tomoe's family.

Shiki heading there so boldly was bound to invite danger.

Still, tension is what makes a story gripping. After the somewhat slow-paced earlier segments, the audience now watched with eager anticipation.

"What could possibly be inside that apartment?"

"Tomoe's parents might not even be human. They could be some kind of otherworldly entities."

"But if that's the case, why is Tomoe himself just an ordinary person?"

"Not sure, but it's possible the issue doesn't lie solely with the Enjou family."

"Hmm, I don't think it's that straightforward."

"..."

As these speculations filled the room, no one dared to look away from the screen, their focus entirely captured by the unfolding events.

Meanwhile, at the top of the Alchemy Tower, where the archmages had been watching the film for hours, even they couldn't help but start debating.

"It seems this incident isn't as simple as it looks. Whether it's the peculiar geographic location of that apartment or the strange dynamics within the Enjou family, everything points to something far deeper behind all this."

"Indeed. At the very least, if Tomoe's parents are truly abnormal, it's all too bizarre. Were they putting on some kind of act in front of their own son?"

"I doubt it. Doing so wouldn't serve any purpose."

"But if Tomoe's parents aren't the issue, none of this makes sense. There's no logical reason for them to stage their own deaths."

"Do you remember the dream Tomoe described? He said he dreamt every night of being stabbed to death by his mother, and in desperation, he killed her in return. But what if… it wasn't a dream at all?"

"..."

With that remark, silence fell among the archmages.

If Tomoe's experiences weren't dreams, it meant he was truly being killed by his mother every night, only for everything to return to normal the next day. But how could such a thing even be possible?

"Reincarnation…"

The word hung heavy in the air, leaving everyone in deep contemplation.

As Dean Hohenheim's words echoed through the chamber, all the archmages froze in place.

Indeed, if everything within that apartment was caught in an endless cycle, repeating the same events day after day, then it would all make sense.

However, the conclusion was so extraordinary that it was difficult for the archmages to accept.

"You mean, if the apartment is repeating the same events every day, how is that even possible? Are you suggesting someone tampered with the flow of time in that space, causing a perpetual temporal loop?"

"No," one archmage responded. "If it were a true time loop, Enjou Tomoe wouldn't have been able to break free and take the initiative to kill his mother."

"Then if it's not a time loop, how can this be explained? Could it be that the people inside aren't truly alive but are instead puppets under someone's control?"

Archmage Warton fell silent as soon as the words left his mouth.

And then, as if struck by the same realization, the other archmages widened their eyes in shock.

Of course, since everything at this stage was mere speculation, they had no way to confirm or deny these theories. The archmages could only fall silent, choosing to wait patiently for the story to provide its answers.

...

In the film, Ryougi Shiki and Enjou Tomoe rode a magical alchemical vehicle, resembling a motorcycle, through the biting cold to the apartment.

The next moment, the camera switched to a high-altitude, bird's-eye view, revealing the apartment's bizarre structure to the audience.

It formed a perfect circle, with the East and West wings standing independently yet eerily connected in the middle.

The strange design caught the attention of some viewers familiar with architecture in the Eastern Region, who immediately noticed its abnormality.

However, since the film only briefly showcased the detail, most viewers didn't dwell on it.

"We're here. This is the place," Tomoe said as they arrived.

Getting off the vehicle, Tomoe led Shiki into the apartment.

They walked through a path dividing the courtyard into two halves before entering an elevator.

Inside, Tomoe pressed the button, and as the elevator ascended, the sound of his heartbeat grew louder.

He shut his eyes tightly, his anxiety palpable.

Suddenly, Shiki murmured, "—It's distorted."

The elevator stopped at the fourth floor. Tomoe, clearly nervous, pointed to the end of the hallway. "The room at the end, 405, is my home."

Approaching the door, Tomoe took a deep breath but hesitated to open it. Instead, he cautiously reached for the doorbell.

However, Shiki suddenly stopped him and said firmly, "Don't ring the bell. Just go in, Tomoe."

"What are you saying? You can't just walk in like that!"

"This is your home, isn't it? Stop overthinking it. Give me your key, and let's go inside."

With that, Shiki unlocked the door and stepped into the apartment.

As they walked through the corridor, a chilling sight greeted Tomoe, making his pupils contract in terror: his father and mother were sitting at the table, interacting as they always had.

"Hey, has Tomoe come back yet? It's already eight. He finished work an hour ago. Ugh, he's probably out fooling around again!"

"Yeah, what should we do?"

"That kid never sees us as family. It's all your fault for spoiling him! Damn it, if he doesn't hand over the money soon, I'll deal with him myself. Never gives me a single yen! Who does he think raised him, huh? That brat!"

"Yeah, what should we do?"

Tomoe's father, drunk and domineering, and his mother, meek and submissive, were acting almost exactly as they had in the past. But this familiarity only filled Tomoe with a paralyzing sense of dread.

What made it even more horrifying was that while the two continued their conversation as if everything was normal, they didn't even glance at Tomoe as he entered the room.

At that moment, Ryougi Shiki spoke beside him:

"Tomoe, what time do you usually come home?"

"About an hour from now."

"Then let's wait here until then."

"What do you mean?"

"If you didn't ring the doorbell or knock, there's no reason for your parents to react to a guest. Right now, they're simply acting in their 'no guest' mode, living their routine lives."

Tomoe was increasingly bewildered by Shiki's words. However, lacking the courage to leave, he ultimately chose to sit in that eerie environment and wait with her.

Time passed—he couldn't tell how long—until suddenly, the front door opened.

What appeared before Tomoe stopped his heart in its tracks: someone who looked exactly like him, an identical version of himself, stepped into the room from outside.

Meanwhile, outside the film, the audience was equally stunned, frozen in shock at the surreal sight.

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