Milos embraced and kissed her deeply. She wasnât Maximilia now. She was Jade herself.
Milos
Alex
Whoosh!
Maximiliaâs body started falling apart. As if she were porcelain, her body slowly shattered into small
pieces. She was smiling, with a faint layer of red on her cheeks. She stared at Milos as her life was put
to a haltâ¦
Milos
Alex
Milos watched as Maximilia vanished into thin air. Pieces of her fell down like petals, crumbling into
dust. The sight saddened him quite a bit. Suddenly, a ray ofwhite light shone onto him. It would seem
that he had to leave this illusionary realm as well.
Milos
Alex
âNo way⦠I got the eggs. Should I hand it to the woman in the painting?â
âIâd still like to find Ynesâ ancestors! Heyâ¦â
However, the light didnât care about his wishes. It opened up a portal and separated Milosâs soul from
his current body. His soul was then sent through space, reaching the second step with the white light.
Milos
Alex
Whoosh!
Milos found himself back in his own body.
Milos
Alex
Joe then moved around, turning to look behind. Jade seemed to be standing at the bottom of the stairs.
At the time, she stood there quietly, as if she were in a trance.
Joe
He
âSheâs not Maximilia anymore! Sheâs now the real Jade in this reality! Everything that happened was
just an illusion!â
Joe turned back to the front and lifted a leg.
Joe
He
Stomp!
With this, he got up to the second step. Initially, Milos thought it would be just like the first step. Joe
would be sent into a special illusionary realm, where he would be playing a persona and completing a
random mission. However, nothing happened, no matter how long they waited.
Milos
Alex
Joe
He
âNothing?â
Milos took another step, going up the third step. But, again, nothing happened at all.
Milos
Alex
âWhatâs happening?â
âDoes the illusionary realm only appear on the first step?â
Milos was hesitant for a short while, then immediately started dashing upwards.
Milos
Alex
âFourth⦠Fifth⦠Sixthâ¦â
Joe reached the thirteenth step in mere seconds, which was Eustaceâs limit. However, he just stayed
on that step for half a second before ascending further.
Joe
He
âFourteenthâ¦Fifteenth⦠Sixteenthâ¦â
Lorelei, Nebula, and the others were absolutely stunned. They had lived here for three thousand years
and had tried going up the stairs thousands of times. Even so, something this weird had never
happened in the past. Every step had its own story and mission, always in a constant pattern. Despite
all this, Milosâs current speed was simply unbelievable. It was something that they had never
experienced before.
Milos
Alex
âCould the stairs be broken?â
Without exerting much strength, Milos could ascend over five hundred steps. Moreover, he seemed to
be moving quicker and quicker, going as far as the thousandth step. After that, he ran straight into the
clouds. No one could see him.
Milos
Alex
Jade smiled brightly. âThis guy is always so remarkableâ¦â
Gilbert asked, âCommander Benmore, did you end up in the same illusionary realm as Milos when you
went up the first step? What did you two experience there?â
Milos
Alex
âWhat did we experience?â
Jadeâs heart thumped slightly when reminded of their little âsessionâ. Nevertheless, she remained calm
on the outside.
âWe had to do a mission in the desert. It was way too hard. I couldnât even get through the first step. It
looks like Iâd have to work harder from now on. Would you like to give it a try too?â
Gilbert nodded. âAlright!â
Joe took a step up, but there⦠Wasnât any illusionary realm as they had expected before.
Joe
He
Joe looked back several times, his face filled with disbelief as he went up the second step. âWhereâs
the illusionary realm? Why didnât I get it? Did I walk with the wrong posture?â
Joe
He