He had a dream.
In the dream, Yuto was the king of a nation, a hero, a husband, and a father.
He did not know the name of the kingdom he ruled. Nor did he know his wife and daughter's faces or names.
But one thing was clear: it was not a dream filled only with happiness. The Yuto in the dream fought constantly and yearned for something.
What had he fought for?
Even that was hazy. But after every battle, certain things always waited to greet Yuto.
Laughter.
A warm hand.
A small weight nestling into his arms.
He could not see their faces. Their voices reached him as a blur. Yet that warmth alone remained vivid. Yuto fought to protect that warmth and survived so he could return to it.
He was happy.
Surely, he must have been happy.
―But at the end of the dream, the world turned red.
Songs of celebration became screams. Goblets shattered, and the kingdom's banners burned. The hand that had been warm went cold and lay limp upon the floor, while the little weight that had nestled into his arms was carried away in someone else's embrace.
Yuto reached out, but could not touch them. He shouted something until his throat tore. The most precious names in the world. Yet even his own voice was blurred in the dream, and Yuto could not tell what names he was calling.
A blond man stared at Yuto, holding a bloodstained sword.
The stars laughed in the sky.
They cackled, clapped, and laughed as they looked down upon everything collapsing.
They said it had been entertaining, that they had enjoyed it.
So now, they said, it was time to bring it to an end.
“―Hah......!”
Yuto opened his eyes.
His heart was pounding wildly, and cold sweat drenched his entire body. Gasping for breath, Yuto stared into empty space.
An old ceiling met his gaze.
‘A ceiling......?’
Yuto slowly turned his head. Firewood crackled in the hearth, and it was still dark outside the window. This appeared to be a cabin of some kind. Yuto lay on an old bed stuffed with straw, a thick blanket covering his body.
‘Why am I here?’
The things he had seen before losing consciousness. The cemetery he had found after escaping the underground Colosseum. The moon and stars in the night sky. And—the screen that said the Quest was complete. The girl who had stood on the far side of the darkness.
‘That...... wasn't a dream.’
Thump, thump, thump. Yuto placed a hand over his pounding chest. He could clearly feel the ‘power’ that had entered his body before he lost consciousness.
‘Void......?’
It had been given to him as the Quest's reward. Yuto retraced his memories. He had definitely seen a screen saying that the Status Window and Void Skill functions had been unlocked.
The instant he recalled it, a pitch-black screen appeared before Yuto's eyes.
[Status Window.]
Level: 1
Health: 10
Aether: 10
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Charisma: 10
Remaining Points: 100
Void Skills:
Void Step: LV1.
Void Hand: LV1.
‘What...... is this?’
It had been granted as the reward for the Quest to escape the Colosseum. For a moment, Yuto stared blankly at the screen called the ‘Status Window.’ Strangely, as he studied it, he came to understand what the words meant.
‘It's impossible, but......’
Hesitantly, Yuto focused his awareness on the Status Window.
[Would you like to allocate Points?]
New words appeared on the screen. Just as Yuto flinched in surprise and hesitated, the closed door flew open.
“You're awake?”
The one who entered was a woman with a pitch-black eyepatch, carrying a paper bag. Although she had come in from outside, she wore no shoes on her bare feet, and a liquor bottle rested in one hand. A black eyepatch covered her left eye, perhaps because something was wrong with it, and her ears were longer than a human's. Yuto stared blankly at the woman for a moment.
“This One knows perfectly well that her face is beautiful, but you will make her blush if you stare so intently.”
The woman shrugged and strode inside. Yuto continued staring at her with his mouth hanging open before barely managing to speak.
“Who...... are you......?”
“Hmm. Rather than beginning with thanks, you immediately demand my name. What an ill-mannered wretch.”
The woman smirked and dropped heavily into the chair beside the bed.
“Well, This One is kindhearted and would like to answer your question. But This One has so many names, which to choose...... Hmm, yes. Better to make up an entirely new one. Boy, from now on, call This One ‘Sariel.’”
“Sariel......?”
“Consider it an honor. I invented the name just now, especially for you.”
The woman, Sariel, smirked as she opened the liquor bottle and raised it to her lips. After swallowing several mouthfuls, she stared at Yuto and asked.
“Now, This One has told you her name. It is your turn to tell her yours. Boy, what is your name?”
Yuto did not answer immediately, remaining silent for a moment. Sariel had appeared out of nowhere, abruptly given him an alias, and had not even attempted to hide that it was an alias. He found her deeply suspicious. Sensing the tension and doubt in Yuto's gaze, Sariel smirked.
“What an insolent little wretch. This One saved you, yet you refuse to give her even your name?”
“You...... saved me?”
Yuto stammered as he clutched his head. Only then did his memories return. After the Quest was completed and the incomprehensible power known as ‘Void’ entered his body, that ‘power’ ran wild in response to his surging emotions. At that moment, Yuto had been unable to control it and had instead been crushed beneath it.
The one who appeared and subdued Yuto in that state had been Sariel. Calming his confusion, Yuto spoke.
“My name...... is Yuto. Thank you for helping me.”
“Hmm. So you are not entirely devoid of manners. But your gratitude is lacking. Boy, This One even changed you out of those rags. Did you know that?”
Sariel snickered and raised the bottle to her mouth again. At her words, Yuto lifted the blanket and checked his clothes. The garments that had been covered in blood and dirt had been replaced with clean ones. But before he could feel grateful, alarm crossed his face and he frantically searched inside his clothes.
Flokiro's Evostone was gone. Seeing Yuto panic, Sariel produced something.
“Looking for this?”
The red Evostone in Sariel's hand belonged to Flokiro. It gave off a faint red glow in the firelight.
“This One examined it because it intrigued her. It is an Evostone of an unknown species. She considered swallowing it whole and pretending ignorance, but her purse is already quite full.”
“What...... do you mean?”
“The underground place you crawled out of.”
Sariel smirked and tossed Flokiro's Evostone. Yuto hurriedly caught it with both hands.
“This One found no living beings inside. The humans had become pools of blood, while the Evomon had fallen as Evostones. Since so many treasures had lost their owner, she graciously became their new one.”
“......”
“Surely you do not intend to claim ownership? No matter how I look at you, surely you weren't the master of that place? Finders keepers. If you wanted those things, you should have carried them out yourself.”
“You're not going to ask?”
Yuto spoke.
“About what happened in there.”
“It cannot have been your doing. You are plainly incapable of such a thing.”
Sariel shrugged and lifted the liquor bottle to her mouth.
“I can make a reasonable guess. I sensed the presence of Crimson Ringmistress, that reckless monster. The beings in the Colosseum must have died at her hands...... and you survived because of one of her whims.”
As she spoke, Sariel drew something else from inside her clothes. It was the invitation Crimson had given Yuto.
“The Blood Arena. I cannot decide whether to call you lucky or unlucky. You survived in the end, but receiving this invitation means that monster has taken an interest in you. Boy, someday you will go there and become the monster's prey.”
“......”
Yuto said nothing and bit his lip. He took back the invitation Sariel held out, then unsteadily climbed out of bed.
“Thank you...... for helping me.”
“You offer This One gratitude in words alone? She prefers something more concrete than words.”
“For now, I have nothing. If I become able to...... repay this favor someday, I will do so then.”
Yuto bowed, then tried to stagger past Sariel. She watched him in silence before speaking.
“Where are you going?”
“......I don't know.”
“Ahaha, you try to leave without even knowing where to go? Why? Do you think This One might devour you?”
Sariel chuckled and caught Yuto by the wrist.
“There is no need to rush. This One has many things she would like to ask you...... and perhaps she could even help you?”
“I have nothing with which to repay your kindness.”
“You might repay This One later. She is not particularly impatient. You do not even look capable of moving properly, so sit down for now.”
Whoosh. Yuto's body flew lightly toward the bed. Despite being thrown, he landed without any great impact. Bewildered by the strangeness of it, he stared at Sariel.
“Let us begin with a little conversation. Boy, where did you come from? I am not asking for the obvious answer that you came from the Colosseum. Where were you before that?”
“I don't...... know.”
“You don't know?”
“No, I truly don't. I...... have no memories from before the Colosseum.”
At that answer, Sariel's eye narrowed. She lowered the liquor bottle, rubbed her chin, and studied Yuto with a peculiar look.
“You do not appear to be lying. But boy, this world is too dangerous to wander without your memories. Do you still mean to leave, knowing nothing at all?”
“If I wander, my memories may return.”
“Ahaha, what a carefree and hopelessly vague notion. Very well, This One understands what you want. She shall personally take you along with her, so rest for today.”
“What?”
Sariel spoke unilaterally and rose from her chair, leaving Yuto to call out in bewilderment.
“What do you mean?”
“Hmm, I did not think my words were difficult enough for you to misunderstand. Shall I repeat myself? I said I will take you with me. Until your memories return and you are capable of avoiding an ignoble death in this world.”
“Why......?”
Yuto asked, filled with doubt.
“Why would you do such a thing for me?”
“Because you are indebted to This One.”
Sariel answered calmly and handed Yuto the paper bag she had placed on the floor. It contained bread and a bottle of milk.
“If you die miserably somewhere, This One will only suffer a loss. But if she takes you along and makes you owe her even more, then someday you will owe This One that much greater a repayment. Well? Is her thinking not admirably frugal and clever?”
“......”
“This One is a wandering drinker with no destination anyway. She had been feeling rather lonely, so she sees no harm in keeping a conversation partner for a while.”
“What payment do you want from me?”
Yuto asked with a tense expression. It was true that he owed Sariel a favor, but he could not understand why she would postpone naming her price while extending him still more kindness now.
“Who knows? I shall think of that later.”
Sariel only smiled, offering no definite answer. She turned away, then rested a hand on the door and looked back at Yuto before leaving.
“Eat all the food. Drink the milk too. At your age, you must eat plenty if you want to grow big and strong.”
With those words, Sariel left the room. Yuto stared blankly at the closed door and the bag she had left behind. ―Grrr. The sight of food brought a rush of hunger. He had fought in the Colosseum, used the incomprehensible power called ‘Void,’ then lost consciousness. Quite some time must have passed.
“......”
Yuto stroked Flokiro's Evostone in his hand while trying to understand his present situation.
He had survived. That much was clear. Yuto alone had survived the Colosseum. Even if it was only because of Crimson Ringmistress's whim—he had survived and escaped.
“Grrk......!”
Yuto ground his teeth as he recalled Crimson's face. The faces of those killed by her gesture and whim lingered in his mind. Gaon and Rugil. The two men who had shown him kindness. Yuto knew nothing about the two of them beyond their names, and now they had left not even corpses behind, their remains mingled with the Colosseum's dirt.
‘I will...... avenge you.’
Revenge.
At the thought of that word, Yuto's heart pounded. The dream he had seen earlier. Slowly, Yuto became certain.
‘There are things...... I must avenge.’
A burning kingdom. Lives vanishing before his eyes. A blond man. The jeering of the stars.
‘This...... isn't the future.’
Yuto clenched his fist.
‘This is the past. I...... saw and experienced all of it. And I returned to the past......’
The things he had lost. The things he must avenge.
He could not recall them clearly, but Yuto was certain. He had returned to the past. The reason this impossible thing had occurred was probably the power of the ‘Void.’
‘Status Window......’
Yuto tore off pieces of bread from the bag and chewed while he thought. The ‘Status Window’ appeared before him as soon as he called it to mind. He examined each entry one by one and continued thinking.
‘100 Remaining Points. I can use them to strengthen myself.’
He glanced at Flokiro's Evostone in his other hand. Reviving an Evostone as an Evomon required an enormous quantity of aether.
‘Flokiro. I...... know you. You must have known me too.’
Then had Flokiro returned to the past with him? He did not know. He had never managed to hold a proper conversation with it. Even after losing its reason and going berserk, it had thrown itself into danger for Yuto.
‘Before this, too, you threw yourself into danger for me.’
The certainty was faint, but undeniable. Yuto gripped Flokiro's Evostone tightly.
‘I should start by testing the power of the Status Window.’
He wanted to invest all his Remaining Points into Aether, but after thinking for a moment, Yuto allocated them.
‘30 into Health, 20 into Strength, 10 into Agility, and 40 into Aether.’
It was still unclear how Charisma worked, and he saw no immediate need for it. What he needed to learn now was how much each stat affected his body. FWOOSH! His 100 Remaining Points vanished, and power entered Yuto's body in proportion to his increased stats.
‘Indeed......’
Yuto murmured in admiration as he looked down at himself. The allocated stats took effect immediately. A vitality unlike what he had felt moments ago now coursed through him. Yuto climbed out of bed and tried moving his body.
He felt light. When he punched, the air burst with a pop. Slightly startled, Yuto focused his mind.
He could feel the ‘aether’ inside his body. Gauging its volume, Yuto marveled again. At the same time, he realized the Status Window was not the sole cause of the change within him.
‘I know how to control aether.’
Aether is a power spread throughout this world. Every being possesses it, but learning to wield it requires extensive training. Yet Yuto now controlled aether as naturally as breathing.
‘Just like my swordsmanship, it's engraved into my body.’
Yuto focused and drew out his aether. HSSSS......! Pitch-black light coiled around his fingertips. Its ‘color’ surprised him slightly. This kind of color was unfamiliar. Yuto's aether was not ‘originally’ this color.
‘Is this because of the Void too?’
What was the Void? Yuto pondered for a moment before focusing on his ‘Void Skills.’
Void Step LV1.
Void Hand LV1.
Yuto concentrated on the Skills and activated them. First came Void Step. The instant he used it and moved his foot, darkness rippled beneath it. Then Yuto vanished from the air as though erased and reappeared in the direction he had been looking.
“......!”
It was not high-speed movement. Two points in space had connected, allowing him to move between them instantly. Marveled by the absurd ability, Yuto thought.
‘It consumes a tremendous amount of aether.’
Even after his invested stats had greatly increased his aether, the Skill remained burdensome to use. Yuto next tried Void Hand. BZZT! A pitch-black hand shimmered into existence behind him. It moved freely according to his will. Yuto extended the Void Hand toward the chair Sariel had occupied.
The Void Hand approached soundlessly and lifted the chair. Yuto felt none of its weight. Manipulating the Void Hand, he thought.
‘This one also consumes aether continuously.’
It was different from magic. This ‘power’ felt like an authority bestowed by a Constellation. Yuto's eyes trembled faintly.
‘Is the Void...... a Constellation?’
He did not know.
He knew he had returned to the past, but there was still far too much Yuto did not know.
[Remember.]
[Who you are.]
[Why you had to return.]
The girl's murmurs from beyond the darkness drifted through Yuto's mind.
“......I want to know too.”
Yuto smiled bitterly and murmured.