**A Noble Sacrifice for World Peace and Science**

CID

Doem woke up to the delightful sensation of a dull throb in his skull.

"Ugh... where am I...?"

The scenery was great for a kidnapping—dark, gloomy, and filled with the sound of wind whistling through the trees. We were deep in the forest.

He was propped up against a large rock, looking like a man who had absolutely no idea how he’d ended up as a guest in my impromptu interrogation room.

"Finally awake, are we?" I asked.

I looked down at him, doing my best to project my 'mysterious yet perfectly average' aura.

To him, I was just some black-haired, black-eyed, Ordinary boy. Your standard background extra. I’d suppressed my presence so thoroughly that I basically blended into the scenery. Even looking right at me, I bet he could barely believe I was actually there.

"Who... who the hell are you...?"

He tried to scramble to his feet, but his body was leaden. I’d already messed with his internals, so his Magic Power wasn't going to behave no matter how hard he tried to knead it.

"I know you. And you know me. Come on, use those brain cells. Think back."

"I know... you?"

Doem seemed like the type who made a point of memorizing faces, probably to keep track of who to backstab later. I could see the gears turning as he looked at my perfectly mundane face.

"You... you’re that kid who was sitting next to Princess Iris at the Bushin Festival."

"Ding-ding! Gold star for you."

"A Midgar Kingdom affiliate? Do you have any idea what kind of international incident this will cause?"

Back at the festival, I was just a mob character. I certainly didn't look like someone with the stones—or the sheer strength—to abduct a high-ranking official like him. He's probably thinking I was playing the long game, hiding my true power while meticulously planning this strike.

"Who knows?" I gave him a thin, enigmatic smile. Nailed it.

"What’s your goal here?"

"Let's say, hypothetically, there was a girl whose life was about to be snatched away for no good reason. Would you think that’s a pity?"

I looked down at him, keeping my Jet-black Eyes as empty as possible. No emotion. Just the cold, hard gaze of a protagonist who’s seen too much.

For some reason, Doem looked like he was glued to the spot.

"Is this about revenge?"

"Nah. It’s just a simple question."

"Who cares? Maybe I’d pity her, maybe I wouldn’t."

"Well, for the record, I think it’s a pity."

"Hah... and?"

"See, I have these rules I made for myself about killing people. I’ve followed them pretty loosely until now, but one of them is: 'Try not to kill people if it feels like a waste.' You know, if it’s too much of a pity."

"How touching."

"The thing is, I almost broke that rule just now. My aim was a little off. So, to balance the scales for world peace, I’ve decided to kill you instead. On a global average, it’s a net zero—or maybe even a net positive. Not that I actually care about world peace or anything."

"...What are you even talking about?"

He looked up at me, clearly wondering if I was joking or just insane. He couldn't wrap his head around my logic. Typical NPC.

My unchanging Jet-black Eyes continued to stare him down.

"You're a bad guy. I can smell it on you."

I gave a loud, theatrical sniff. Sniff, sniff.

"Hah... ridiculous."

"Maybe. But that's the reason you're going to die."

"Liar. If you wanted me dead, I’d be a corpse already. What do you really want? Money? Information?"

"Half-right, half-wrong. I’m keeping you alive for a reason. You’re a big shot in the Oriana Kingdom, so I figured you might have some 'interesting' info tucked away."

"Information? What, are you going to torture me for it?"

"I'm not really into torture. I’ll do it if I have to, but it won't be necessary. Even without all that messy stuff, I’m pretty sure you’re going to spill everything."

I said it with total confidence. In my head, the scene was already written. I didn't have a single doubt that I’d get exactly what I wanted.

It clearly creeped him out. To him, I looked like a normal kid, but everything coming out of my mouth was pure 'final boss' material. For the first time, I saw real fear flicker in his eyes.

"What do you mean by that...?"

"Your head is thumping, your body feels like lead, and you can't knead your Magic Power worth a damn, right? Do you want to know why?"

It was exactly as I described. No ropes, no wounds, yet he was completely paralyzed. He couldn't run, and he couldn't fight back.

The fear in his eyes was growing.

"Y-you... you did something to me..."

"I tried streaming some Magic Power directly into your brain. Just a little bzzzzt. It worked out better than I expected."

I gathered my Bluish-purple Magic Power into my palms, letting it glow.

"So I got to thinking... if I do it again, maybe you’ll start talking about all sorts of fun things."

The magic crackled like miniature bolts of lightning. It was dense, delicate, and controlled with the kind of terrifying precision that only I can pull off.

Doem actually shuddered. He realized he was looking at Magic Power from a completely different dimension.

"W-wait, wait! This is torture! This is definitely torture!!"

"How rude. This is an experiment. It’s science. Think about it—your sacrifice might help doctors cure brain-dead patients in the future. Now, try to stay calm. If you struggle, your brain might turn into literal mush."

I reached out and grabbed his head with both hands.

"Alright, here we go. For world peace and science!"

"St-Stop—!"

"Bzzzzt."

"STOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!"

And just like that, Doem’s consciousness was dyed in a lovely shade of Bluish-purple Magic Power.

Doem disappeared that night, and the Doem Faction Army didn't waste any time. They struck their tents and retreated before the sun even came up.

The Royalist Faction marched across the empty plains without a single soul to stand in their way.

Inside the Doem Faction, nobody had a clue where their leader had gone.

On the other side, the Royalist Faction didn't even realize Doem was missing yet. They spent the whole march being paranoid, constantly bracing for traps that never came.

Eventually, the Royalists reached the Capital of the Oriana Kingdom, and the stage was set for the Final Battle.

As for the Mystery of Doem? Well, that was one riddle nobody was going to solve anytime soon.

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