Whoooosh…
“Aion.”
Above the pure-white snowfield hung a sun that never set.
A world without night. Beyond the Wall, it was always like that.
Aion approached the mage, carrying two cups of warm cocoa.
“Most men here ward off the cold with strong liquor, but this is more to my taste.”
“Thank you.”
The mage accepted the cup. Then, after hesitating for a moment, she asked,“About being my Hand… are you still refusing my offer?”
A Hand.
A sworn personal attendant to a mage.
A presence like the mage’s own hand—one and only one.
“…It is because I am lacking.”
“I don’t understand.”
Aion did not believe he was fit for that position.
“But I like you, Aion.”
“…….”
This unpredictable woman.
At times, Aion found it hard to believe she was truly a mage.
Slurp….
Warm cocoa seeped through his body.
Then the mage carefully opened her mouth, as though asking a question she had held for a long time.
“Aion….”
The wind passed by once.
“Have you ever thought about becoming a mage?”
Pfffft—!
In that instant, Aion spat out every drop of cocoa in his mouth.
***
A sweet, familiar scent drifted from somewhere nearby.
That was right. Cocoa.
“……!”
Aion opened his eyes.
A white ceiling came into view first, followed by the faint smell of disinfectant.
On the bedside table sat a mug, a thin stream of steam rising from it.
Cocoa.
For a moment, Aion simply froze, unable to understand the situation.
Creeeak—
The door opened, and someone entered.
“…You’re awake.”
Seria von Kreutz.
A face that was neither familiar nor unfamiliar.
There was the faintest trace of fatigue on her, but her expression remained as composed as ever.
That composure only made it clearer that she had been here for a long time.
Seria glanced at the mug, then at Aion, and spoke as though it were nothing.
“…How do you feel?”
“I think… I’m all right.”
Seria replied in a slightly sulky tone.
“Then that’s good.”
“……”
“Don’t you have something to say to me?”
Something to say?
Even while sorting through the pain throbbing in his head, Aion searched for a topic to bring up.
There was nothing.
He thought they had cleared up the misunderstanding last time.
After a brief pause, Seria shot him a glare.
“Apologize.”
“Apologize?”
“Your utterly disastrous social skills wasted my precious time.”
“……Ah.”
Aion immediately understood what she meant.
“How have you failed to make even one friend in all of Exion? Because of that, I had to stay by your side.”
“…I’m sorry.”
He genuinely felt sorry.
Come to think of it, despite having no connection to him, she had ended up taking on the role of his caretaker.
“…It’s fine now that you’re awake.”
Seria turned her head away.
“I’ll let the infirmary know you’re awake.”
She turned toward the door.
It seemed as though she would simply leave.
But just before her hand reached the doorknob, Seria’s shoulders stiffened slightly.
She looked like she had much to say, yet was swallowing it all back.
“…Please stop doing reckless things from now on.”
Her voice came out clipped.
“Because it worries me.”
“…It worries you?”
At Aion’s words, Seria’s voice rose just slightly.
“No, that—! I-I phrased that wrong….”
Even her ears turned bright red.
Her skin was so pale that it stood out all the more.
“I mean, it isn’t as though I’m especially concerned about you, or that you linger in my thoughts, or anything like that…!”
Then, perhaps realizing how strange she looked while flustered, Seria instead grew angry at Aion.
“Simply! Because of you, Aion, who doesn’t have a single friend, I end up having to take on bothersome work! That’s all!”
“……”
When Aion showed no particular reaction, Seria spun around with an irritated huff.
“Anyway! I’m leaving!”
“Seria.”
Aion stopped her.
Then, after a pause long enough to take a breath, he said,“…Thank you. I mean that sincerely.”
Seria turned her head only slightly. Her gaze was still cold, but she did not look angry.
“…That’s for you to drink.”
Aion looked at the steaming cocoa and asked,“…Can I drink it?”
“It’s already gone cold.”
With that, she opened the door and left.
Click.
“…….”
A brief silence followed.
【Flame: …Is she gone?】
【Water: …I think so?】
【Earth: Huuuu….】
As though they had been waiting, the Terminuses began to chatter.
【Flame: What do you mean, it’s cold? It’s still steaming like crazy.】
【Earth: They’re sensitive youths. We can’t just interfere carelessly… what a troublesome situation.】
The moment Seria disappeared from sight, pain surged through Aion’s body.
Throb—!
“Urgh….”
【Water: Your body will not be in good condition. You may need to remain in bed for several more days.】
【Lightning: Heeheeheeheehee! You used far too much mana at once!】
“…How long have I been like this?”
【Water: Two days.】
“Whew… I feel as though I came back from the dead.”
【Earth: You fool, it isn’t a feeling. You truly did come back from the dead. Why are you so reckless?!】
【Water: His head must be pounding. Try not to raise your voice.】
【Earth: Tch… Hmph. In any case! Now that this boy has awakened, we must settle this properly, once and for all! What we are going to do from now on.】
【Lightning: Hihihihi! We have to decide! Properly!】
“…What are you talking about?”
【Water: It is something we must decide. You need only listen.】
“……”
【Earth: It is nothing complicated. Flame caused a major incident this time. Because of that, we realized something. We need rules between us.】
【Water: It is simple. We will decide now whether we should warn you about events that will occur in the near future—or prohibit such warnings altogether.】
“…What?”
Aion asked back, clearly flustered.
“Of course you should tell me, shouldn’t you?”
【Earth: Why?】
“Well… so that I can change that future.”
【Earth: And can you be certain that the changed future will be better than the one before it?】
“That is….”
He hesitated, left speechless.
Naturally, he could not be certain.
It was a future that had not yet come to pass.
【Earth: Listen carefully, boy. What future did you change in the fire incident?】
“…Didn’t I save the people who were isolated? People who should have died survived.”
【Earth: That is right. And you woke after lying unconscious for two days, covered in wounds. Do you still not see the problem?】
“…If you mean because I was hurt, I understand.”
【Earth: More precisely, you could have lost your life. And yet, all that changed was that you saved a little over ten lives. No—if we are to be more precise….】
Earth spoke as though making sure someone would hear.
【Earth: You merely set right the regrets of that shameless old man.】
That shameless old man answered weakly.
【Flame: …I’m sorry.】
【Earth: You should be!】
【Flame: …Aion, I sincerely apologize. My unilateral decision nearly drove you to your death.】
Aion replied, flustered.
“What do you mean? Are you saying saving people was wrong?”
【Flame: That was your choice. But… I cannot deny that I pushed you toward making it.】
【Water: …Was that why you had him learn the Art of Heavenly Movement as well?】
Flame cried out in indignation.
【Flame: No! Absolutely not! I, too, wanted Aion to grow stronger. That was all.】
【Water: You deceived us.】
【Flame: …I did deceive you. I should have told you. Or not given any hint at all.】
【Earth: Good grief… What are we supposed to do, then? Should we tell Aion about our future, or should we not?】
【Life: If we tell him, Aion will surely try to correct our regrets rather than save himself. That is too dangerous.】
There was another perspective as well.
【Water: If we do not tell him… what of the victims who will arise if that choice proves wrong? It was dozens this time, but what if hundreds or thousands of lives are at stake?】
“…I’m asking just in case, but is there something in the future that will kill thousands of people?”
【Water: ……I misspoke.】
Just as it seemed no easy answer would emerge, another Terminus opened his mouth heavily.
【Arcana: Stop this unproductive argument.】
【Earth: Unproductive? Hah! You of all people, after staying silent this whole time….】
The Terminus of Arcana brushed off Earth’s objection with ease.
【Arcana: Through this incident, I learned something. More precisely, I verified it.】
His tone was so calm that it was all the more ominous.
【Water: What do you mean?】
【Arcana: When you speak specifically about the future, it affects Aion’s present.】
【Earth: Naturally. Aion will decide what to do after hearing it.】
【Arcana: No. That is not what I mean. You are summoning the future.】
No one spoke.
Not Aion. Not the Terminuses.
【Water: …What?】
【Arcana: I will put it plainly. You are all bundles of catastrophic calamity. Do not speak carelessly about the future. If you do, a disaster that Aion cannot resolve may descend upon him.】
The Terminuses all fell silent at once.
Aion did as well. Bundles of catastrophic calamity. The words would not leave his mind.
【Water: How can you be certain of that?】
【Arcana: Because I was observing it before this incident occurred—more precisely, from the moment Flame mentioned what happened here.】
【Flame: What?! You… did you already know how I would act back then?】
【Arcana: …I was merely watching closely.】
Silence fell for a moment.
The Terminus of Arcana slowly filled it.
【Arcana: When Flame spoke of what happened here, the incident had already all but begun. Temporal energy surged rapidly.】
【Earth: Temporal… energy?】
【Arcana: The power that brought you back to the past. Paradoxically, through your words, even the negative events of the future now cross time and arrive here.】
【Water: That cannot be…!】
His words were concise, but their weight was not.
【Flame: Then what do we do? Even if we say nothing, there must be disasters that have already begun, mustn’t there?】
【Arcana: From now on, we will divide future events that have begun to affect this world into three stages.】
【Earth: Three… stages?】
【Arcana: Omen, Arrival, and Manifestation.】
The Terminus of Arcana continued his explanation calmly.
It was somewhat long-winded, but after Aion condensed the information, it came down to this.
Omen. A known future event has not yet occurred, but signs that could lead to it have been detected.
Arrival. A known future event has reached a state where it is highly likely to occur.
Manifestation. A known future event has already occurred.
【Earth: So what are we supposed to do with those categories?】
【Arcana: An omen is only an omen. In this world, every event from all eight worlds has the potential to occur. Therefore, there is no need to reveal everything simply because an omen appears.】
Aion and the Terminuses considered those words.
【Water: What about the Arrival stage?】
【Arcana: Arrival is the same. So long as there remains a possibility that the future event may still slip past the timeline, there is no need to reveal unnecessary information carelessly. Only at the Manifestation stage will all information be released.】
Silence followed Arcana’s words.
It felt as though everyone was slowly putting the pieces together.
【Water: I understand, more or less. Before Manifestation, we should not disclose every detail. Once it reaches Manifestation, we release all information completely. Is that correct?】
【Arcana: Precisely.】
It was a brief answer.
Yet that brevity made it sound all the more certain.
【Earth: Then we will not be able to offer any help at all! Is binding us with restraints like this all you are capable of?】
Earth’s voice rose.
But Arcana did not waver.
【Arcana: Calm yourself. Though a restriction has arisen, we have gained something in return.】
Earth was cut off mid-retort.
【Earth: ……Gained something?】
A certain benefit that could silence every objection from Aion and the Terminuses.
【Arcana: If Aion overcomes the trials he faces in this refined state, he will grow at an absurd pace.】
【Life: …For example?】
【Arcana: As always, it would be better to see it for yourselves.】
Ding—!
***
[!] Confirming the user’s smooth vital activity.
[!] Granting deferred rewards.
[!] You have escaped the crossroads of fate.
[!] Granting rewards determined from all choices and outcomes.
[!] Rew……
***
One Terminus who saw the reward messages gave a hollow laugh.
【Flame: This is… extraordinary…….】
What Arcana meant by “an absurd pace of growth” was revealed before them all.