You Already Won

Chapter 158 154: Thanks For Answering

"You can't leave yet! You just woke up!"

North didn't even slow down.

"Thanks for the concern, Mey," he said, "but I'm not staying here another minute."

Myerthie huffed and immediately launched into a list of everything still wrong with him.

His wounds.

His instability.

The fact that he still couldn't use Ryun.

And how it was heavily recommended that he stay where he was and stop acting like an escaped experiment.

North listened to exactly none of it.

Instead, he reached out and lightly tapped her on the head with his pinky finger.

"Wanna bet I'll be fine?"

Myerthie froze.

Then her eyes widened.

"We have a no personal relationship clause!"

North blinked.

"Personal?"

He looked genuinely confused.

"I just wanna win some money."

Myerthie looked horrified.

"It's not money, idiot boy. It's Xelecti."

Then her face tightened.

"And I would rather you not bring up the gambling thing I told you about."

North pointed at her like she'd just proven his case.

"See what happens when you get too excited?"

She exhaled hard through her nose.

Then crossed her arms.

"Well. Fine. You still have to sign the release forms stating you left against recommendation."

North stopped walking.

Then slowly turned his head.

"Oh my god."

He stared at her in genuine disbelief.

"Why are there so many forms in a world that is literally a divine meat grinder?"

Myerthie blinked.

"Who do you think makes sense of the chaos?"

North tilted his head.

"Does it need to make sense?"

Myerthie opened her mouth.

Then paused.

Then frowned.

"Well…"

She thought about it way too seriously.

"That's actually a very difficult question."

North folded his arms.

"The nature of meaning itself could imply several contradictory frameworks depending on whether—"

North immediately held up a hand.

"I'm still sticking with no."

Myerthie stared at him.

Then narrowed her eyes.

"You're a savage. That's why."

North shrugged.

"Eh. I've been called worse."

Then he held both hands out dramatically.

"Bring on the clipboard, Mey."

Myerthie's eye twitched.

"It's Myerthie!"

North nodded once.

"Fine. Mayearthy."

She just stared at him with those huge eyes.

Unblinking.

Judging him with her entire tiny being.

Then she smiled.

A very fake one.

North immediately knew that was bad.

"Oh no—"

She smacked him in the chest with two small hands.

A sharp pulse of energy shot through his entire body like a divine taser.

North jolted.

"AH—shit!"

His whole body locked for half a second before he nearly folded in on himself.

Myerthie smiled sweetly.

"I could undo the stitches and Ryun keeping you together, you know."

North glared at her through the aftershock.

She gave a tiny shrug.

Then, with one last smug look, she poofed away to go get the papers.

North stood there for a second.

Then laughed to himself.

Maybe I bring the worst outta women, North thought.

He paused.

Then thought back on… everything.

"…Eh," he muttered to himself. "Nah. That was definitely them."

So he leaned against the wall and waited.

A few minutes passed before Myerthie popped back into view.

Her tiny nurse uniform was somehow crisp and professional despite the fact that she looked like she should be helping kindergarteners with glitter glue instead of patching together survivors of divine warfare.

She said nothing at first.

Just stared at him.

Then—

"Did we think about the things we say?"

North looked at her.

Then looked at the massive stack of papers floating beside her.

Then back at her.

"You're like the size of a pencil," he said. "How are you holding all that up?"

He squinted at the stack.

"The papers look like a house next to you."

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Myerthie narrowed her giant eyes.

North blinked.

Then nodded.

"Okay. I see."

He pointed at the forms.

"Ryun."

Myerthie folded her arms.

"Duh. Idiot boy."

North straightened and pointed right back at her.

"Listen here, pencil bitch—"

Myerthie gasped.

"—you gon' stop calling me idiot boy."

She stared at him for exactly one second.

Then burst out laughing.

North laughed too.

Still smiling, she floated the mountain of paperwork over to him.

North took the stack with visible regret.

Then immediately started flipping through it with increasing disbelief.

"Why," he muttered, "is this longer than some holy texts?"

Myerthie floated beside him with her hands behind her back like she was giving a guided museum tour instead of watching a near-dead man sign his freedom away.

"Because unlike holy texts," she said, "these have actual legal consequences."

North gave her a flat look.

Then kept reading.

His eyes narrowed.

He paused.

Then looked back down.

Then looked back up at her.

"…What the hell is 'waking up dead'?"

Myerthie blinked.

"Oh. That."

North stared.

"How do you wake up dead?"

She shrugged.

"It happens."

North just looked at her.

So she elaborated like that somehow helped.

"It's usually a soul-anchor delay issue. Or delayed biological failure after forced spiritual stabilization. Sometimes the body technically wakes up before the person does."

North stared harder.

Myerthie nodded seriously.

"Sometimes they even sit up first."

North said nothing for a full three seconds.

Then slowly looked back down at the paper.

"This world is stupid."

Myerthie smiled proudly.

"It's very advanced."

North signed the clause anyway.

And as he kept going, Myerthie just… kept talking.

About her life.

About her schedule.

About which station-level stores were scams.

About why one specific tea place was "good in theory but spiritually inconsistent."

About reward point systems.

And then, somehow—

It became a rant about discount systems.

North paused mid-signature and looked up at her.

"Why haven't you asked about me yet?"

That made her stop.

Just for a second.

She slowly turned toward him.

Her huge blue eyes narrowed.

Then she scoffed.

"Do you want to relive the trauma of the Fortune Holder?"

North blinked.

She pointed at him with full offense.

"Millions of deaths. Fighting for your life every day. Probably at least twelve emotional breakdowns. Missing people. Broken bones. Divine and cosmic nonsense."

North stared at her.

Then laughed.

"…Good point."

He signed another page.

"Continue."

Myerthie nodded once like that was the only reasonable answer.

"As I was saying," she said, "it is not couponing."

North glanced at her.

"It sounds exactly like couponing."

"It is not."

"It is."

"It's strategic resource optimization."

North slowly looked up from the page.

Then looked back down.

Then signed his name.

"That's couponing."

Myerthie gasped like he'd insulted her bloodline.

North just shook his head and kept signing.

"Hm."

North flipped to the last page and frowned.

Then looked up at her.

"Give a review?"

Myerthie folded her arms proudly.

"Of course. We are a premium recovery facility."

North stared at her for a second.

Then tilted his head.

"So what happens if I give you a bad review?"

Myerthie didn't even blink.

"I let your body fall apart."

North nodded slowly.

"Hm."

Then signed the form.

"Tempting."

A second later, he gave her five stars anyway.

Myerthie visibly relaxed.

"Excellent choice."

North snorted and handed the stack back.

Then, after a second, he asked—

"What's the chances I'll see you again?"

That made her pause.

She shrugged one little shoulder.

"I'll live for a while," she said. "So the next time you're part of an apocalypse or some highly dangerous event in this realm…"

She pointed at him.

"You'll probably see me again."

North nodded.

"Why?" she asked.

He gave a small shrug of his own.

"I appreciate ya."

That made her freeze.

Just for a second.

Then her expression softened into a smile.

North noticed.

Then immediately ruined the moment.

"Can you call Mehqi?"

He frowned.

"That's his name, right?"

Myerthie's eyes widened in betrayal.

"So you remember his name but not mine?!"

North pointed vaguely at her.

"Yours is… difficult to say."

"It's not!"

"It is."

"It's not!"

They stared at each other for a long second.

Then Myerthie huffed dramatically and turned to go.

But before she could poof away, North called out—

"Hey. Myerthie."

She stopped.

Then turned back.

North looked at her for a second.

Then smiled.

"Thanks."

Her wings fluttered once.

North rubbed the back of his neck.

"And I'll try my hardest not to mess your work up."

A beat.

"But I definitely gotta go."

Myerthie smirked.

"Idiot boy."

And with that—

She zipped off to go get Mehqi. Papers floating behind her.

North leaned back and rested his head against the wall.

He already knew what gift he wanted.

Whether it would work?

…That was a different question.

But if it didn't—

He'd find another way.

He always did.

Everyone was stepping into their next paths.

Moving forward.

North smirked.

Yeah.

There was no way he was getting left behind.

He saw Tinsurnae walking past.

Just for a second.

Their eyes met.

Tinsurnae gave him a small nod.

Then turned and kept walking.

North nodded back.

Nothing else needed to be said.

Besides—

He had a feeling they'd run into each other again.

A minute later, Mehqi stepped into the hallway.

He looked at North leaning against the wall and frowned slightly.

"Why are you in a hallway?"

North didn't move.

"I plan on leaving," he said. "So there's no point in getting comfortable."

He lifted a hand.

"And before you say—"

"I wasn't going to say anything."

North blinked.

Mehqi adjusted his sleeves.

"I assumed you requested me because of the gifts."

North pointed at him.

"A man quick to the point. I love it. But I have a question first."

"Yes?"

"The challengers? You left me hanging last time."

"I didn't know the answer."

"Ha."

"And I still don't. You'll receive a package that will give you all the information you need."

North made a face.

Of course.

Mehqi walked closer without reacting.

Then casually lifted a hand and began pressing what looked like invisible symbols into the air.

A code.

Or maybe a lock.

North frowned.

"Where's Myerthie?"

Mehqi didn't look up.

"Apparently another disaster just arrived."

North blinked.

"She and several others were needed."

North straightened slightly.

"Damn. What happened?"

Mehqi answered like he was reading off a lunch menu.

"A sentient black hole fought two Elder Dragons."

North stared at him.

"…What?"

Mehqi kept entering the code.

"Things escalated."

North just kept staring.

"A few galaxies were affected."

North rubbed the side of his face.

"I figured that part, but—"

He pointed at him.

"Black hole?"

Mehqi nodded once.

"Yes."

A beat.

"It's an Outlander."

North held up a hand immediately.

"Pause."

He frowned.

"How?"

Mehqi finally looked at him.

"Anything that originates from outside of Requiem and enters the two hundred forty-five million realms is classified as an Outlander."

North stared.

Mehqi continued anyway.

"Fiction and nonfiction can both achieve sentience under the proper circumstances. Same goes for inanimate objects."

North raised a hand again.

Then raised the other one too.

"Nope."

Mehqi tilted his head at him.

North pointed forward.

"Just show me the gifts."

Mehqi stood still as the code finished forming in the air.

A doorway unfolded behind him.

He stepped through first.

North followed.

Inside—

The space shifted.

Clean.

Quiet.

Too quiet.

It was also empty. Like walking into a smudged version of reality.

And Mehqi's black suit was still immaculate.

Sharp lines.

Pressed to perfection.

A green tie rested neatly against a crisp white shirt, and stitched into his breast pocket was a single elegant N, embroidered in a darker green thread that shimmered faintly when the light caught it.

His hair—muted green—fell just slightly out of place in a way that looked entirely intentional.

And covering his face—

A smooth white mask.

Marked with a dark, angular symbol over one side.

He looked cooler than North wanted to admit.

Mehqi turned to him.

"I will now explain the nature of the three avail—"

"I just want the favor."

Mehqi paused.

Then tilted his head slightly.

A quiet chuckle slipped through.

"Rude," he said. "To cut someone off mid-explanation."

North didn't even flinch.

"Look, man," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm tired."

He gestured vaguely outward.

"And I still gotta go do some more feasibly impossible shit in a universe that clearly doesn't believe in rest."

A beat.

"So yeah."

He pointed at Mehqi.

"I'm tryna get this moving."

Silence.

Then—

Mehqi stared at him.

And even with the mask—

North could tell he was smiling.

"Very well," Mehqi said.

He clasped his hands behind his back.

"The Favor is the most flexible of the three rewards."

His voice shifted slightly.

More formal now.

"The Narloic Foundation will grant a single request."

North's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Within reason," Mehqi continued.

"And within your current rank and narrative weight."

North blinked.

"…Narrative weight?"

Mehqi didn't elaborate.

"The request must not violate foundational constants, destabilize realm integrity, or directly oppose an active Supreme Decree."

North stared at him for a second.

Then nodded once.

"Yeah, alright."

Mehqi took a step closer.

"What is it you wish to request?"

North didn't hesitate.

"Can I make a phone call?"

He didn't get a phone.

Instead, they told him to wait.

So he did.

The waiting area was different from the lounge—quieter, more contained. Less like a place for recovery and more like a place for… processing.

This place was confusing.

But it worked.

North leaned back and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Until—

"Next."

North pushed off the wall and walked up to the desk.

Behind it sat a woman.

Or… something like one.

A serpent's lower body coiled beneath the counter, while her upper frame carried a chimp-like build, posture relaxed but eyes far too aware.

She slid something across the desk.

A stone.

Smooth.

Dark.

With ripples etched into its surface like frozen waves.

North picked it up and turned it in his hand.

"…This a phone?"

The woman didn't react.

"It is an anchor," she said.

"For the aura of the individual you are attempting to contact."

North frowned.

"…Why would I need that?"

"So it does not leak into you."

North paused.

"…Leak?"

The woman tilted her head slightly.

"The individual you are attempting to reach is a High Ranker."

North blinked.

"…Okay?"

"In the two hundred thousands."

North's eyes widened.

Then slowly dropped to the stone in his hand.

"…I'm in the eight hundred millions."

"Yes."

North stared at it.

"…Oh."

That hit a little harder than expected.

He glanced back up.

"How do y'all even keep track of all this?"

"Your records are being processed," she said. "A full data package will be sent to your listed residence."

North made a face.

"…Yeah about that."

She continued anyway.

"Or any location you remain in for more than four days."

North chuckled under his breath.

He had absolutely just signed whatever they put in front of him.

There was a very real chance he just put his actual Earth address down.

"…They'll figure it out," he muttered.

The woman didn't care.

"Hold the anchor when the connection stabilizes."

North nodded.

Then—

The air changed.

Pressure.

Subtle at first.

Then heavier.

Like something massive had just… turned its attention toward him.

The stone in his hand began to vibrate.

The ripples pulsed faintly.

"Oh," North said, lifting it slightly.

"I guess they answered."

He looked up.

And smiled.

"Long time no see, huh?"