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"...? Where am I...?"
By the time I came to my senses, I was in an unfamiliar place.
Before my eyes stretched a White Chalk Horizon, a vast, featureless expanse reminiscent of an ice field. The sky above brought to mind the colors of daybreak. Near the surface, the horizon was illuminated by a glow like the first light of dawn, while the higher reaches transitioned into a darkness as deep as the night sky.
My feet felt as though I were standing atop clouds, with a pure white mist swirling around my shins. This surreal scenery lacked any sense of reality; I could easily have mistaken it for the world after death.
"...For now, I need to make sense of the situation."
I took a deep breath to steady my heart and began tracing back through my memories.
"My name is Shion Nasturtium. ...Right. I can remember my name and my past perfectly."
As far as I could tell, I was still myself. I felt a wave of relief at the realization. I couldn't be absolutely certain—not with an Ability like Perception Alteration in existence—but if I thought about it paradoxically, the very fact that I was worried about Perception Alteration suggested I wasn't currently under its influence. If even that doubt had been anticipated by an enemy, I was already at my wit's end, so there was no point in dwelling on it.
"Now then, let's see... My last memory was..."
I delved into my mind once more.
My final memory was participating in an operation launched by Amunzaas, based on information provided by Titania. During that mission, I had infiltrated the Minagania Kingdom, a vassal state of the Empire, to raid a Labyrinth known as the Farm—one of the Cyclamen Cult’s primary bases.
In the innermost area of that Labyrinth, I had encountered a detestable man who looked to be in his early twenties, carrying the air of a nobleman. And then—
"That's right. I fought a Majin called Due, who possessed the traits of a Mana-eater. During that battle, I touched the 'Outside,' and I reached the Logic of Magic. I successfully defeated Due and then lost consciousness. ...And when I woke up, I was here."
...In the end, I still didn't know where "here" was.
Immediately after touching the Outside, I had done something reckless—interfering with the Principles of Magic to activate Fimbulvetr. I had been exposed to a staggering amount of information regarding both the Logic of Magic and the Principles of Magic in a very short span of time. I suspected I had lost consciousness so my brain could organize that data, similar to the way sleep works. Of course, I couldn't rule out the possibility that I had simply collapsed from reaching my physical limit.
"Hmm... I'd like more information, but..."
I muttered to myself as I turned in a slow circle, scanning my surroundings. No matter which way I looked, the scenery remained identical. There was no visible sign of change.
"...Wait. The movement of the Seirei is a little strange."
Seeing nothing with my ordinary vision, I looked again through my Seirei Eyes. While normal mana merely drifted aimlessly, the Seirei—mana that had undergone transformation—were all moving toward a specific spot, as if they had a clear destination in mind.
"...It could be a trap, but this is the only lead I have. All right! Let's go!"
Hardening my resolve, I took a combat-ready stance and began walking in the direction of the Seirei.
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I must have been walking for quite a while, yet I felt as if my sense of time had been paralyzed.
As a possessor of the Time Rewind Ability, I was usually able to determine the exact time no matter how long I stayed in an unchanging environment like a Labyrinth. My sense of time was normally immune to dulling. And yet, while my intuition suggested that about two hours had passed, I couldn't say so with any real confidence.
...This place really wasn't normal.
With every step I take, the angle of the Seireis' movement narrows, if only by a fraction. The realization that I’m slowly getting closer to my destination is my only saving grace.
I continued walking until I lost track of time entirely. Finally, something other than the white horizon and the unchanging daybreak sky appeared in my field of vision.
I approached with caution, my guard fully raised, when a sound like muffled sobbing reached my ears. Getting closer still, I saw a person crouching on the ground, their hands and knees pressed against the white surface. Their face was obscured by the rising mist, but I recognized them instantly from their clothes and silhouette.
"............Orun?"
At the sound of my voice, Orun slowly turned his head toward me. His face was drenched in tears.
"What... happened...?"
Finding Orun in a place like this when I hadn't expected to see him at all—and seeing him so utterly broken—made my mind go blank. The Orun I knew, both as a child and after our reunion, had always been resolute. No matter how dire the circumstances, he had always maintained his composure and never showed a hint of weakness.
Now, that same Orun was sobbing uncontrollably like a child. It was a profound shock to my system.
"...Shion, huh? You came at just the right time. Please... kill me."
"...What?"
"Grandpa disappeared right in front of me, and when I realized it, I was here. No matter how many times I try to kill myself here, I can't die. You were trying to kill me before, weren't you? Please, I'm begging you... kill me!"
The sheer desperation in his voice as he pleaded for death made it clear that he truly meant it.
"I can't do that. I could never kill you, Orun."
There was no way I could ever do such a thing.
"Why not...?! I have to die! Because of me, so many of my friends... Even my father and mother were killed because... And yet, why did Grandpa give his life for someone like me... someone with no value in living...! Damn it!!"
Anger, sorrow, hatred. Orun was being consumed by a torrent of negative emotions far too heavy for any one person to carry.
My head was spinning from the suddenness of it all. I didn't know why Orun was in this state, nor did I know what the right words were to comfort someone in such pain. But there was one thing he said that I couldn't let slide.
"You mustn't say you have 'no value in living.' I've taken many lives, so I have no right to preach about the sanctity of life, but I don't believe there is a single human being who has no value in living."
"...! What do you know about me?!"
"—I don't know anything! I was told you were dead, and ever since then, I’ve lived with our 'promise' as my only support! And yet, you were actually alive. But when we finally met again, you had forgotten all about me... There’s no way I could possibly understand what you're going through right now!"
"............"
In the heat of the moment, I let my emotions take over and shouted back. Seeing me snap so suddenly, the look of agony on Orun's face shifted to one of pure bewilderment.
I knew I was being irrational. But if it could make him forget his suffering for even a second, it was worth it.
"Even so, to me, you are my benefactor and the person I love most. I want to be on your side, Orun. So tell me. Tell me about the 'you' that's here now. If you're in pain, throw it all at me. I want to shoulder it with you."
Speaking the words as they came to me, I stepped forward and gently pulled him into an embrace. Orun, whom I thought I would never be able to touch again, was here in my arms.
As I held him tight, I could feel his body heat. Before I knew it, my own tears were falling.
"I'm so happy just knowing you're alive that I could cry. So please... don't talk about wanting to die..."
"Shion..."
Orun's voice was thick with tears as he spoke my name. But this time, his tears felt warmer than they had a moment ago.
Thank you for reading to the end.
I apologize for the short chapter this time. I felt that putting all the information into a single chapter would make it too dense, so I've decided to split it up.
From here, we will once again delve into Orun’s roots, so please look forward to it!