After a long and tiring inquiry, the police finally left, taking the tied-up criminals with them. But a few reporters were still hanging around outside, trying to drag out the story for more attention and higher TRP ratings. They moved around the area, asking nearby villagers for their thoughts and reactions.
Thankfully, none of them dared to bother Scarlett or Irish. That was a relief. Both girls were sitting quietly inside the house, trying to relax after everything that had happened. The living room was peaceful except for the distant hum of voices and cameras outside.
Arthur was lying on the floor, tightly restrained by magical chains that glowed faintly. The chains wrapped around his arms, legs, and chest so tightly that he couldn't move even a little. He looked furious. His face was red with frustration, his teeth clenched, but there was nothing he could do.
Scarlett leaned back slightly on the couch, crossing her legs and looking at Arthur with a cold, amused smile.
"So, are you going to start talking?" she asked with a light but sharp tone. "Or do we need to try some other methods? Just so you know, I've got personal experience with torture. Real stuff, not the fake movie kind."
Arthur glared at her with hatred. "What do you want from me?" he asked, his voice low and angry.
Scarlett tilted her head. "What do I want? Are you seriously asking that? You're the one who tried everything you could to kill me. Poison, traps, weapons... You should be the one answering questions."
Irish spoke softly, still staring at Arthur with a confused expression. "I still can't believe it... Someone actually has the power to go back in time? That's crazy. I don't even remember anything."
Arthur's face twisted with rage. "How would you remember? In the future, you just appeared and destroyed the planet! Everything gone! Why did you do it?"
Scarlett stood up and slapped him hard across the face. The sound echoed through the room. Arthur's head turned from the force, and a red mark began to appear on his cheek.
"Stop yelling," she said sharply. "And about destroying the world — why would I do that? I just want to reach my goal and live peacefully. I don't bother anyone unless they try to mess with me first."
She looked at him more seriously. "Are you really sure it was me?"
Arthur didn't even hesitate. "Is there anyone else like you? I'm sure of it."
Scarlett sat back down and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she thought. For a few seconds, she stayed quiet.
"Hmm... I've done some crazy things, but destroying the whole planet? That seems too much. But... who knows."
She sighed and raised her hands as if giving up.
"You know what? Fuck it. If I do destroy the world in the future, then I must have had a really good reason. If it's going to happen, we'll deal with it when it happens."
She stood up again and looked at Arthur, who was still struggling in the chains.
"Right now, the only thing we need to figure out is how to keep you tied up forever."
Every time Arthur dies, he goes back 24 hours in time.
It sounds strange… almost like a curse.
But unlike Scarlett, Arthur was just a normal human. He needed to breathe, eat, drink, and… yes, even use the bathroom to survive.
And the worst part?
He was strong—really strong. If they tried to lock him inside a cage or a prison, he could just break out and escape. That's why they couldn't simply tie him up or trap him in some magical jail forever.
Even if they somehow managed to lock him up, what about the future? What if he died of old age? Would that also trigger his ability to go back in time?
Scarlett's mind was spinning with questions.
If Arthur kept dying of old age, again and again, and every time he went back 24 hours… then what? Would he just be stuck in an endless loop, dying and rewinding time again and again while still being chained?
No matter how many times she tried to think about it, it made her head hurt.
"I'm not good at science, so I don't really understand this time-travel stuff," Scarlett mumbled to herself, rubbing her temple. "Better to focus on the present. Maybe Avion will have an answer later."
For now, they had to find a way to keep Arthur alive… but also restrained.
While she was deep in thought, Irish suddenly spoke up.
"Should I try using my new unique skill?" she asked, her voice casual but curious.
Scarlett looked up. "Unique skill?" she repeated.
Irish nodded. "Yeah. I actually got it while you were away in the Demon Realm. It's kind of creepy, but super useful. I can't fully utilise it out yet, though."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "What does it even do?"
Instead of explaining, Irish pulled out a small knife.
Then, without warning, she sliced off her own index finger.
Scarlett's heart jumped. Her body stiffened, but she didn't move.
And then… something even weirder happened.
There was no blood.
Instead, Irish's skin twitched and stretched in a strange, eerie way. Then with a soft whoosh, the finger regrew—perfectly, as if nothing had ever happened.
Scarlett blinked, stunned. "Is… is that regeneration?" she whispered.
She was completely shocked. Only powerful creatures like dragons, vampires, or demons had real regeneration. Humans could only use healing magic, and even that took time and mana.
No human had ever shown this kind of ability.
Not even the first Hero.
Irish was the first.
Irish laughed lightly. "Maybe. But actually, it's more like soul manipulation."
Scarlett tilted her head. "Soul manipulation?"
"Yeah," Irish said with a smile. "You know how our body protects the soul? It stops the soul from escaping and being sucked into the cycle of rebirth or reincarnation. But when the body dies, the soul becomes exposed. It's fragile, and anyone can use or harm it."
Scarlett tried to remember something. "Hmm… I think Avion once mentioned something like that. I wasn't really paying attention, though."
Irish continued, "So what I did was… I manipulated my soul. I made it stop my body from bleeding and then reshape the flesh to regrow the finger."
Scarlett scratched her head, smiling awkwardly. "I didn't really understand that, but if you say it works, I believe you."
"It is super useful," Irish added. "And it doesn't use any mana unless I want faster results. I think… if I fully master it, physical attacks won't work on me. I might not even need to breathe anymore. Maybe I'll stop aging, too."
Scarlett's eyes sparkled. "No need to breathe? Ageless? That's an insane skill!." She laughed before glancing back at Arthur. "But… how does that help us restrain him?"
Irish smirked and walked over to Arthur. "Didn't I say it's soul manipulation? Just watch."
Without warning, she gave Arthur a sharp jab at the back of his neck. He grunted once—and passed out cold.
"Souls are weaker when the body's asleep or unconscious," Irish said as she turned to Scarlett. "And since I'm still not great at this power, knocking him out helps a lot."
Scarlett stared at her in silence, blinking slowly. She had no idea what Irish was planning—but somehow, she trusted her completely.
Irish raised her hand and gently placed her palm on top of Arthur's head. Her expression was focused, serious.
"Idle Transfiguration!" she announced, her voice echoing softly in the room.
A strange ripple passed through Arthur's body. Suddenly, his bones started to twist and crack, making creepy snapping sounds that sent chills down Scarlett's spine. His arms shrank, his legs bent backward, and his body got smaller and smaller.
In just a few seconds, Arthur had transformed into something that looked like a weird, disturbing child-like creature. His face was ugly and twisted, his tiny arms were almost useless, and his legs bent in the wrong direction. His head… it was way too big—nearly double the size of his body, like a creepy newborn doll.
Scarlett stared at the strange form in front of her and thought to herself, "Idle Transfiguration? Did she seriously get this idea from watching JJK or something?" But she didn't say anything out loud.
Irish scratched the back of her head with an awkward smile. "Oops… I was actually trying to turn him into a teddy bear," she admitted, clearly embarrassed. "Guess I still don't have full control over my powers."
As soon as she let go of him, the black chains wrapped around Arthur vanished into thin air like smoke in the wind.
Irish stepped back and crossed her arms. "Even though I'm not very good at reshaping someone's whole body, I can mess with feelings and intelligence a little bit. I just lowered his intelligence as much as I could. That way, we don't have to worry about him trying to escape or being too smart while we're feeding him."
Scarlett slowly looked down at Arthur's new, disturbing form with a horrified expression. "Wait… we still have to feed him?" she asked, frowning in disbelief.
Irish ignored the question and kept speaking. "He's super strong, you know. Keeping him like this uses a lot of mana. And my body can't produce enough mana fast enough, so I'll need to recharge using other ways."
Scarlett didn't hesitate. "No problem. Here, take this!" she said, quickly pulling out a shiny golden apple from her spatial storage. She held it out with pride.
"Just eat small pieces of it. It's packed with mana—more than enough to help you," she added confidently. "I made it myself. It's called the Golden Apple! Sounds cool, right? hehe…"
Her cheeks lit up with happiness as she showed off her creation, clearly excited to impress her girlfriend.
Irish's eyes sparkled as she looked at the apple. "Wow… it's so shiny! And the mana coming from it… it's really dense,"