An hour has passed and it's almost midnight. Philip is still sitting on the stone bench whille watching the waves of the sea under the moonlight
The tornado of Mana and wind has already dissipated and the swirl of clouds became smaller
The tears had already stopped and it was dried out. His eyes are a little swollen from tearing up continuously
"Hm... That's a nice refresher... Sometimes, you gotta let it out, you know?"
Philip started to talk to himself again. He began to feel lighter and better, even though nothing changed. His happy-go-lucky attitude has returned but he's still relatively serious
"Haaah... What should I do now... Tomorrow's the big day... The world will drastically change tomorrow"
Philip pondered about what his Future Vision has been telling him since yesterday, yet he can't decipher or pinpoint it. All he knows that it will become bad
"I need to think of a way"
So, he decided to think of a trump card to use when everything goes south
"Sword Concept..."
Philip lifted his right hand and looked at the Stigma of the Sword on his palm
"There are times when I use Sword Concept, it obliterates my body. Maybe, I don't have the basics on how to use the sword yet, and I just recklessly take adavantge of Sword Concept?"
With Philip's smart mind and logic, he tried to understand, analyze, contemplate, and give insight to Sword Concept the best that he can while waiting
So far, he can only understand that Sword Concept allows him to use all sword skills, techniques, arts, and talents in the universe without limitation. It will also harness the full potential and meaning of the sword while it's being used. Anything beyond that, Philip can't comprehend it yet
A few minutes later, as Philip was meditating on the stone bench, a figure slowly walked towards him from behind
"What are you doing here?"
The figure leaned over to the right side of the bench. Philip was a little startled because he wasn't expecting anyone here in the garden since he saw no one when he entered here
Philip turned his head to the right to check who the person is
Turns out the person is Celine. Her hair is untied and it was wavy. The color of her hair was emphasized by the moonlight to which Philip was mesmerized. She wasn't wearing a uniform nor a sportswear, but she's wearing casual clothing of an oversized shirt and short. She looks like a homewrecker with her outfit but it gives a different vibe for Philip
Celine was only looking at Philip with uncaring eyes. She just wants to know what Philip was doing in the garden
"Oh uh... I just stumbled here and saw the view of the ocean. I decided I'll sit here and enjoy the view"
"Oh, I see... Is that your doing?"
Celine pointed upwards into the sky, where the swirl of clouds is slowly dissipating away, but the crumbs is still apparent. The abnormal circulation of the wind around Philip can also be felt by her
"Hm?"
Philip lifted his head up and looked at the sky
"Whoa! I didn't realize it!"
"So, is it your doing?"
"I guess so..."
"I see... Can I sit down?"
Celine pointed at the empty space next to Philip's right
"Yeah, why not"
Celine then went ahead and sat down on the stone bench. She crossed her legs on the bench and leaned back on the backrest
There were a few seconds of awkward silence between the both of them. It was then that Philip broke the silence
"By the way, what made you come here?"
Celine turned her head to look at Philip. Her position is so casual that it seemed like she's on a couch or something
"The military is on high alert because of high amounts of Mana and energy circling around the facility. They thought we were under attack and I woke up from the alarms"
"Did the others also wake up?"
"No, they were asleep deeply. Though, Justine and Tenshi were talking inside Justine's room"
"Yeah, sounds about right"
"..."
"..."
A moment of silence filled the garden. Celine broke the silence
"So... What happened? Why are you causing this much disturbance?"
"Oh, hmmm... I guess you could say that I'm overwhelmed?"
"Overwhelmed?"
"Yeah, by what's happening in the world currently"
"Like the emergence of Mana and Magic?"
"Yup, you could say that"
"Hmmm... Me too"
Celine lifted her knees and closed her legs together. She then rested her chin on her knees while hugging her legs with her arms
"What's wrong?"
Philip asked in curiosity
"Ever since I was a child, I was abused and forced by the military to do training. I was put on intense training everyday that put my life at risk"
"..."
Philip turned his head slightly and looked at Celine at the corner of his eyes
'Why is she telling me this?'
It seemed out of nowhere and unnatural that the silent and unapproachable Celine suddenly opened up to Philip, but he didn't mind and just listened to her. He wanted to know more about her anyways
"They sent different experts with their respective fields to train me every single day for almost 20 years... But I learned a lot of from them... Assassination, close quarters combat, self-defense, sword fighting, gun wielding, and everything that involves martial arts and skills relating to the body"
"Is that the reason why you have scars all over your body?"
Celine looked at Philip with suspicious eyes
"How'd you know that?"
Instead of replying, Philip pointed to his eyes, reminding her of his Eye Vision ability. Celine looked at Philip with strange and disgusted eyes, but she shrugged it off because that's the least of her worries
"..."
Though, Celine appreciated that Philip didn't seem to be disgusted by her scars when his body is almost perfect and without marks
"But because of that, I was deemed as a person who had no common sense. Because I grew up in the military, I never get to learn the outside world, the society, and what's it like to have friends. So, I'm very oblivious to the public"
"..."
"During those hard days... Sometimes the pain and suffering of my past get the best of me, I visit this garden to calm myself down and think about life... I meditate and cool off in this same place"
"..."
"..."
Both were silent and looked into the distance. Celine then turned his head and looked at Philip while she rested her head on her knees and her hair waved behind her legs
Philip looked straight at Celine's maroon eyes. He didn't see it earlier, but her beauty is showing at this moment, accompanied by the breeze and the moonlight, even though her expression is hard and melancholic
"Maybe that's what you're doing here and fate lead you here?"
Celine asked
"Maybe..."
Philip didn't find Celine's words as suspicious since she mentioned fate. They were only having a normal conversation
Celine looked down on the ground, slightly disappointed in Philip's short answer. She turned back to look at the sea
"I also never met my family and I used to think that they sold me in the military. But, I don't care anymore and apparently, I have a new family. They don't seem much, but I care for them"
Celine was talking about the squadron
"Back to your question earlier as to why I'm overwhelmed... It's because I was suddenly drafted into the squadron about four years ago. I learned about the emergence of Mana and how it will change the world"
"Are you afraid of the change?"
"Yes. I'm afraid that my skills and knowledge that I learned from my past will be wasted in a world where mystical abilities and mysticism exists"
"But it turns out it was a good thing"
"Yeah, I learned how to harness Mana and incorporate it into my martial arts training"
"That's good at least"
"..."
"..."
Another silence was filled between them
"There is another thing that you're worried about, isn't there?"
Philip asked to which Celine's eyes widen
"How'd you know?"
"I think you know the answer to that"
"..."
Celine was taken aback from Philip's answer. Philip on the other hand, knew what was happening because of his Future Vision and Extreme Self-awareness abilities. He's just trying to find a different approach to this predicament
"You're right, I'm worried about one thing... I want to learn more about common sense and everything in the outside world... Especially friendship and most importantly, this thing called love..."
"So, you came to me..."
"I didn't come to you, I just happen to find you here"
"Right. Are you expecting something from me"
"..."
Celine was silent, hesitating to tell Philip the truth as she watched the sea with serene eyes
"Don't hesitate, I won't be angry or whatsoever"
"..."
Celine closed his eyes as she felt relieved. She wanted assurance because in all honesty, she was afraid of Philip because of his powers, if it's true or not. She sat up straight and looked at Philip with serious eyes
"If what E-1 said is true that you can control fate... Will you change my fate?"
Celine asked in a very hopeful tone. Philip looked at her with a discerning eye
"Why?"
With that question alone, Celine was sure that Philip can actually control fate, even if he confirmed it indirectly. Unless, Philip just wants to know the reason why. Nonetheless, Celine answered honestly
"So that I could live my life in the fullest. Learn everything that a normal person has, experience the daily life without training or the influence of the military, and most importantly, learn the feeling of love and how to love"
"..."
Philip gazed at Celine, he was unsure if she actually had no common sense because she seemed aware of herself to want these desires
"You do know that you won't be able to experience most of those since the world is changing into another era, right? Especially since that you're bound to the military?"
"Even so! I just want to experience even just a crumb of those"
Celine looked back at the sea and burrowed her mouth on her knees as she hugged her legs
"That's why, even with the smallest of possibility or chance that you can conteol fate... I want my fate to be changed..."
"..."
Philip didn't talk any further, he knows what Celine wants and only he can decide as to what happens now
For Philip, he wasn't interested at Celine at first. He only thought of her as a strong individual with expert martial arts skills. But he became very interested of the technique that she used during the mock battles
The Recoiless Technique that can exert all power in one point without wasting any of it by transfer and can warp or deny time and space, according to Philip's observation, knowledge, and logic
That's why Celine's strikes exert so much force that it's almost unreal. Other martial artists in this current era can't do what she can like creating a crater on the ground or deflect a divine-level attack from Tenshi
"Haaah..."
Philip took a deep breath. He has decided
"Alright..."
If Celine wants her fate to be changed, then her existence will be on Philip's hands. With Recoiless Technique, Celine will be a great asset to him
"I can change your fate"
Philip decided to reveal the truth to Celine since she knows how to keep quiet and keep secrets, even if she has no common sense. Celine lifted his head and turned to Philip in surprise. Her eyes started to water
"You can?!"
"Under one condition"
"Yes, what's that? As long as it's within my power, I can meet that condition"
Philip raised his right index and middle finger
"I have to touch you forehead"
"That's it?"
"That's it..."
Celine became excited. She turned her whole body and faced Philip on the bench. He could now see her entire legs that's facing him, though she still has her arms wrapped around them. Celine then rested her chin on her knees and closed her eyes
"Go ahead"
Celine gave the go. Philip also turned around and placed his legs next to hers, to the right and to the left
Philop slowly moved his fingers toward Celine's forehead and his eyes slowly swirled into a golden color. As soon as his fingers and her forehead, a flash filled Philip's vision
Philip has performed the perfect way to use Origin Seeker. His vision entered the hyperdrive space