"Harold...?"
In the silent and heavy atmosphere, Erina's desperate voice resonates.
Laid out before her was the sight of her beloved Harold, fallen with a knife embedded in his heart.
"It can't be..."
Miru too, clenches her teeth and widens her eyes in disbelief.
The two of them, barely grasping reality, stare at the collapsed figure with disbelief.
"HAROLD!!!"
Soon, Erina's scream echoes once more.
"No... no, no!! This can't be!!"
Holding him close, she releases all her sorrow in tears, fervently wishing the scene before her was not real, her screams never-ending.
"No, I hate this!! Harold... please open your eyes!!"
Whispering with all the desperate hope she could muster, but he still didn't open his eyes.
"Ha-ha... is that your boyfriend? I like what I see!"
Amidst all this, a heretic from behind them, struggling to put on a smirk, mocks the grieving girl.
Upon seeing the heretic, Erina's mood shifts from sorrow to a silence that exudes pure hatred.
"?!?"
Even the fanatics, known for their emotional resilience, are paralyzed with fear at Erina's menacing aura. This made him scramble backward, using all his might.
"Monster!!"
Desperately resisting the impending doom, he scrambles away from Erina with a pitiful, terror-stricken face.
No matter how much he tried to escape, he was eventually caught by the silent-approaching Erina...
"Wait...!"
Snap!
The heretic's plea was cut off by Erina's swift action, and his body shattered into pieces with a gruesome sound.
"How... how can this be..."
Miru, witnessing such a scene, mumbles to herself, unable to accept reality.
"I was supposed to prevent this... I promised to help Dad..."
Recalling some past promise, she continues her soliloquy that no one could hear, clutching her head with both hands.
"But this scene... surely it's what Morione mentioned..."
"?!?"
She suddenly stops speaking, heaves a nauseated gag, and then a voice distorted by despair emerges.
"Did Dad really die because of me?"
"Temporal anomaly."
In a temple that seems like a paradise on earth, calm and peaceful, yet the atmosphere is disrupted by a loud, deep voice.
"Miru...?"
And with that heavy, threatening aura, yet how menacing can a cute puppy be?
Miru tried her best to retaliate against the goddess who was berating her, but her innocent appearance made it seem like a tantrum.
"No matter how much you struggle, I won't be scared of you. Maybe if you were the dragon who will become your mother in the future, but with your current power, you can't kill a god."
She calmly but ruthlessly belittles Miru, descending step by step with a smile laden with mockery.
Despite her arrogant demeanor, Miru grits her teeth and glares...
"Do you think this favor will continue? Do you know why you're here?"
She reveals a secret that should have been kept hidden, making Miru suddenly compliant.
"That's a better attitude now."
As if to say if the other is polite, she too will reciprocate, she recedes her intimidating aura.
"Never forget I'm helping you because of the God of Time's request. Just by you being in this timeline, you're a thorn in my eye. Remember that. Your very existence distorts everyone's fate and time so much that it becomes a major issue, and ultimately, I'm the one who suffers."
Click-clack.
The clear sound of high heels approaches Miru, and soon the goddess stands before her, staring intently.
"Still... due to your major mess-up, things are progressing according to my plan. So, are we in a symbiotic relationship now?"
After the goddess's words, the temple was filled with an eerie silence, broken only when Miru finally spoke. "Morione... tell me where my father is right now and what I should do."
The person Miru has been conversing with is none other than the goddess of destiny, Morione. She is an exceptional goddess, capable of glimpsing the fates of all beings, the past that has occurred, the ongoing present, and even vaguely predicting the future.
"I want to help my father."
However, upon hearing Miru's words, the goddess sighs and shakes her head. For the goddess of destiny to refute someone's actions means that their actions are gravely mistaken. So, Morione's sigh indicates that Miru's words carry significant consequences.
"Sigh, how many times do I have to tell you? No matter how much you want to help Harold, every time he confronts you, his fate bends negatively. How many times must I say this?!"
Now seemingly fed up, she reprimands Miru with a voice filled with anger.
But strangely calm, Miru seems to contemplate for a moment before responding similarly as before.
"I can do it! I can help my father!!"
Suddenly fiery, Miru seems to counter Morione's words, but upon hearing them, Morione pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes tightly.
"That's what I'm saying... Staying still is the best way to help him, even if you only do it half-heartedly... No matter how much you try to prevent the tragedy, the more time you spend with him, the sooner his tragedy approaches, becoming an unchangeable destiny."
With that, she throws a jab at Miru, her tone incredulous.
"Why are you so desperate to meet your father? You constantly talk about wanting to help, but your actions are actually leading Harold down a path of ruin."
Despite being adversaries, she seems to side with Miru, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Remember, the more you do this, the more Harold suffers, and the one who benefits is me."
"Didn't I tell you? In the future, for some reason, Harold falls from grace, is abandoned by the goddesses, and comes under my wing. The more you intervene, the sooner his downfall, and the quicker my plan progresses."
She tries to convince Miru, confused as to why she's explaining all this to an enemy.
But the more Miru tries to understand the situation, the more she senses some inconsistencies in Morione's words. Even though Morione herself declared Miru an enemy, why is she revealing plans that might help her?
Noticing this, Miru immediately counters after Morione's hateful words.
"Then wouldn't it be better for you if I interfered more? The more I meet my father, the closer he gets to the fate you desire... Why are you angry?!"
Morione, seemingly frustrated, brushes her hair back and looks even more vexed.
"Yes, as I said, the more you interfere, the faster Harold's downfall... but..."
With an inexplicable silence, Morione whispers something into Miru's ear.
"In order for me to take him as a seed, he needs to face tragedy at the right time. Only then can I save him."
Her eyes darken, and she speaks in a threatening tone to Miru.
"But, if due to your interference Harold's downfall comes too soon, everything will go awry. If he doesn't face ruin at the right time, not only will my plan be skewed, but he'll also face a meaningless end."
Upon hearing this, Miru momentarily feels choked up and dominated by despair. However, she soon regains her confidence.
"My father will never die. I'll certainly be of help and prevent his fated downfall. And I'll make sure he doesn't become a reality where he's your seed."
The conversations between Miru and Morione always seem to run on parallel lines.
Both are stubborn, neither considering the other's position, so their discussions always seem to circle back to the starting point. "Sigh... Really..."
In the end, every conversation concludes with the person who tires first reluctantly agreeing with the other.
"Alright, I was a fool trying to persuade you... I'll look into what will happen to Harold today and the worst possibilities due to you."
This time, Morione is the one who gives up, and reluctantly agrees to heed Miru's request.
As Morione prepares to glimpse the future, she glares at Miru with a warning before revealing the truth.
"I've repeated until I'm tired... The more you intervene, the sooner Harold's downfall will come, and the closer my plan to make him my seed progresses."
She speaks with a somewhat indifferent face, but what follows is a threatening tone towards Miru, as if she won't tolerate any more.
"But... if Harold faces a meaningless downfall too soon because of you..."
For the first time since she met Morione, Miru feels a chill of fear.
"I won't leave you be."
But that fear is momentary. Shaking off the negative feelings, Miru declares with determination to Morione.
"I won't let my father die because of me. I can guarantee that." I found myself somewhere far away.
In an endless abyss, reaching out, nothing touches the void, and an unnaturally calm inner self...
Despite recalling the last memory, I just let myself go with the flow.
"I was definitely... defending Miru when I was stabbed in the heart by a knife thrown by the heretic."
Oddly enough, I casually mention my death.
"So, is this some sort of afterlife... or am I being transported to such a place?"
While it's definitely an alarming situation, I surprisingly easily accept the reality.
Thinking I'm dead and seeing the aftermath, I surprisingly accept everything so easily that I doubt myself.
"I don't know... I'm dead anyway..."
Perhaps I've quickly accepted and given up on the reality.
Right now, I feel lethargic and unmotivated, just letting everything go with the flow.
I've heard that people's thought processes change dramatically just before death and after... is this it?
If it was just before death, I would have been desperate to survive, but thinking that it's irreversible now, my heart feels lighter.
"I wonder how Erina and Miru are doing..."
As my senses gradually fade, natural questions arise.
Would they be saddened by my death?
How would Eleona react upon hearing the news?
Though I didn't have many acquaintances, would those who knew me be saddened by my death?
Thinking about it, what happened to my original reality... is it truly irreversible now?
With such thoughts, I reach a senseless realm, looking up at the sky.
And then...
"Huh?"
A faint light appears at the edge of my vision.
"What's that..."
With that simple thought, I blankly watch the growing light.
"Huh...?"
The bright light, now large enough to fill the sky, descends upon me, granting me a warm sensation...
Blinding!
A flash so bright it steals my vision forces me to shut my eyes tightly.
"Ugh..."
When I open my eyes, a rather familiar sight greets me.
It's the reality I faced just before I lost consciousness.
"Huh...?"
The unexpected turn of events momentarily confuses me, making my head spin with returning rational thought.
Even I don't understand how this happened, but I clearly understand the situation I'm in.
"Am I alive right now?"
Regardless of the process, the reality is that I'm alive.
Although I was stabbed, it felt as if I was pricked by a toy knife, and there was no sense of threat. In fact, my mind felt eerily clearer than before.
Relieved by the fact that I'm not dead, I gently lift my head...
"Brother...?"
"Harold...?!"
As my vision focuses, the reality I perceive is two girls, with tear-streaked faces, looking down at me. Both had widened eyes, having witnessed something surreal, but life slowly returned to their previously listless faces.
"Uh... Erina? Miru?"
Contrary to their mood, I call their names in a calm tone.
They, unlike me, were still struggling to grasp the reality. They stared blankly at me for a moment, but then...
"Brother!!"
"Harold!!"
Upon facing reality, they realized I was alive and rushed towards me at an alarming speed.
"Ugh!!"
The force with which they leaped was so strong that I, barely having risen, was pushed back onto the ground.
"Harold!! It's really you, right?! I'm not seeing things, am I?!"
"Brother, are you really okay?! What happened?!"
The two girls, tears streaming, clung to me like children.
"Uh... I think I'm fine... probably..."
I provide an explanation to calm them.
"Are you really okay? You were definitely stabbed deep in the heart!!"
"When you were stabbed and lost consciousness, it felt like my world was collapsing...!!"
Hearing this, I gently touch the spot where I had been stabbed.
However...
Huh...?
I realize something - my body feels strangely fine.
Surely, as Erina and Miru said, the dagger would have pierced my heart. Yet, I feel no pain, and my consciousness is perfectly intact. Even the wound isn't there, and although my clothes are torn, my body is unharmed. The dagger that had pierced my heart had vanished without a trace, and it's nowhere to be found.
"To be honest, I'm also feeling a bit strange... At first, I honestly thought I was dying, but now I can't understand how I've ended up in this situation..."
If they asked, even I wouldn't know the reason. If there was someone who could tell me, I'd ask them right away.
"But... seeing that I'm alive, it seems things turned out okay..."
I say with a hint of relief, which seems to soothe their sadness a bit, but it wasn't enough.
"I'm so glad... really..."
"Brother, you're really okay, right...?"
Still in my embrace and shedding tears, they cling to me.
Then, they open up about the emotions they felt when I had fallen.
"The moment it happened, I thought I knew what had happened to Harold, and it felt like you were gone forever. It was unbearable, even for a brief moment."
"I was so heartbroken... Thinking it was because of me, wondering if I'd never see you again... The sheer terror of losing you again felt like it was eating me up..."
They embrace me even tighter, expressing their feelings.
But... did Miru say "again"? Was I too out of it and misheard?
Maybe I misunderstood...?
Anyway, back to the situation. Their voices, laden with sorrow, gradually regain composure over time.
"Please... never do something like this again. You know I can't live without you..."
While there's still lingering pain, there's now a sense of relief in her voice.
"I'm really sorry... I really wanted to help..."
Miru still seemed tormented by guilt, thinking it was because of her that I got hurt.
"Well... I'm fine in the end, so don't worry about it."
I try to console Miru, who seems particularly upset, but there's no sign of improvement.
"But really, just like Morione said..."
Suddenly, she murmurs something that others couldn't hear and becomes even more distressed.
"Huh? What did you say?"
I ask about the words from Miru I failed to catch, but she just shakes her head in anguish.
In the end, after spending quite some time at that spot, consoling and comforting them, I was finally free. With a heavy body, I rise. However, questions that have been bothering me since earlier are leaving a bitter aftertaste.
How did I really survive that near-death experience?
Considering Erina's abilities I've seen before, she does have healing powers. Could she have revived me?
But their reactions seemed too genuine in their grief for that to be the case...
For a while, these questions might prevent me from focusing on anything.
Rewinding time a bit to Elreona's temple.
"Really... what were you thinking, bringing a girl to me!"
She was still grumbling about the events of yesterday.
"Do I need to inscribe it onto your body again?!"
She casually makes a chilling remark that would have startled Harold had he heard it.
"I won't let this slide!"
In many ways, it seemed Elreona wouldn't leave Harold alone after he reappeared.
"Hmph! Harold, who doesn't recognize the favor he's been given, easily ran off to another woman!"
She was in a constant state of annoyance. Though she had opened a book to read, she hadn't turned a page since.
"The more I think about it, the angrier I get-"
Just as she was about to vent her anger again...
"Cho... Choke?!"
Suddenly, Elreona choked.
"Cough! Cough!"
She coughed painfully and spat out blood.
Though momentary, she lost her sense of direction, staggering, but soon regained her balance and touched her chest.
"My heart stopped... but it's not enough to kill a deity. A simple biological death?"
She murmured to herself. Her previous rage was gone, and with a face full of worry, she looked up at the clear sky.
"Harold... what on earth are you up to?"
She patted the area near her heart and resumed her activities as if nothing had happened.
Tears welled up as she lamented over the person she cares about more than her own life.
"Is it because I spoke harshly to you? Why such reckless actions..."
She said with a shaky voice, wiping away her tears.
"If I hadn't secretly cast a spell, I might never have seen you again..."
She clutched her chest, conveying her apologies that won't reach him.
"I'm sorry... It's true I had complaints about you, but I never disliked you..."
With that, she brought her hands together and prayed fervently to the heavens, despite being a deity herself.
"Please let me apologize for everything... so please... come back safely..."