Once Adrian's consciousness returned to his real body outside the portal his mind was torn between the two realities causing him to suffer a panic attack unable to breathe he started to claw at his eyes and throat causing streams of blood to flow down his face and neck.
~Adrian, snap out of it. You're ok. Listen to me, those memories are in the past, you're ok now.~ Sakura said trying to get him to come back to reality
"Who… What… Wait… Sakura…" As Adrian regained his clarity the blood that flowed down his neck flowed back into his body healing his eyes and throat
"How long have I been out for?" Adrian asked in a melancholic tone
[The Trickster, Father of Ragnarök says: 3 days]
~You've only been out for a few minutes.~ Sakura said with a proud look
Thankful Adrian added, "Thanks, Sakura, you're my favorite."
[The entire party gangs up on and beats "The Trickster, Father of Ragnarök"]
"Calm down… Sakura has always been my favorite." Adrian said with a straight face and serious tone
However, knowing his final regret was about to be played he was incredibly worried as it was the one thing that could truly shake his core at just the thought of having to experience it again.
Looking up back at the portal a new message appeared, [Will you accept fate and relive your worst?]
Adrian hesitated for the first time truly afraid of what the others would see but knowing that it was the only way to progress he had to face it one way or another so he agreed.
[Starting Final Regret, World's End]
Opening his eyes Adrian was amazed by the fact that his thoughts had merged with this 'new' version of himself. Fully immersed Adrian didn't even want to influence anything only following the flow of his previous actions.
This time the body in his control was his 73-year-old self, just one week before his death.
After heavily throwing his body through a system of narrow underground tunnels forgotten after humanity regained the surface.
Far below the new world, Adrian made his way to a decrepit prison cell made for the specific purpose of containing world-ending threats.
This cell's current resident was the sword that severed all of Adrian's body, Devolver. After the Monster Lord was destroyed only this sword was left as it clung to Adrian's chest.
In the years following the Monster Lord's death, Adrian took care of the only relic from his final battle, but during that time he became attached to the sword.
After some time the sword began to show signs of incubating a sword spirit, a spirit that Adrian would witness and guide the birth and growth of... a spirit that Adrian would call his child.
The moment the spirit was born Adrian formed a strong bond akin to father and child with the newborn spirit.
While the spirit was young Adrian could afford to spare some extra energy to purify the spirit from time to time allowing its original demonic blade to affect it.
Sadly because of his battle with the monster lord Adrian's body had been continuously deteriorating to the point recently that he became human once more, and his human form could no longer support the energy consumption needed to purify, Dee (the sword spirit).
Without Adrian's energy to purify Dee, their mind and body were slowly corrupted by the demonic blades causing Dee to fall into a mindless frenzy.
Now was the first time in a month that Adrian could muster the energy to leave bed to see his child for the last time.
The sword, Devolver, had many chains sealing it in place leaving Dee who looked like a young child, around the age of 10, sealed with it.
As Adrian opened the door to the cell he saw that Dee had been transformed by mindless demonic essence.
Before coming here Adrian was informed that Humanity was going to destroy Dee, as he could become an existence that was a threat to humanity because no other wanted to shoulder the energy consumption to purify Dee, once per month.
Adrian wanted to demand that nothing happen to Dee but no one cared about a useless old man who couldn't even use his name. Humanity had forgotten Adrian when he was at his weakest leaving him with nothing.
Even after all of this Adrian still saw himself as humanity's savior, a person whose only reason for living was to keep humanity from its destruction.
With this mindset, Adrian decided the least he could do as a father was, send Dee off with his own hands.
Trying to forget what he should do as a father, he switched off his emotions and used the last of his bloodline to send Dee to the Afterglow* painlessly while destroying a part of his soul so that Dee wouldn't be alone again.
Coughing blood, Adrian tried to forget every memory of his only child as he slowly stumbled back to the surface.
Over the next week, Adrian was plagued with grief causing his body to break down at an even faster rate questioning if humanity was needed.
On Adrian's last day realized that all he did for humanity would never make him his old self again. In his mind, the only people who could have let him feel human were all snuffed out by his own hands.
In the end, Adrian chose the ultimate choice and took his life to rejoin Dee… his sister... the other 'experiments...' his companions... and the old him...
[Final Regret, Your World's End Complete]
Something broke inside Adrian as he returned to his body allowing him to remember everything and feel all of his emotions again.
Once that seal was broken, Adrian could truly feel why his mind repressed itself in this world till now. Overwhelmed with emotion his bloodline started to change waxing and waning until it could no longer suppress his emotions as his mind filled with questions.
If only I could protect my sister.
If only I left.
If only I didn't escape.
If only I saved my friends.
If only I accepted humanity wasn't worth saving and chose Dee.
Adrian could feel a part of him was missing subconsciously he reached out to the Afterglow trying to connect to his lost soul and Dee.
Surprisingly something... someone responded.
[Error... overriding Nexus systems… error interface broken… all party members are subject to plausibility and stagnation of faith…]
[OS tries to regain control]
[Original System overruled… "Admin of Zero, One Who Overturns The Energies, Demi-system," returns to you what is broken.]
[Demi-System subjected to plausibility…]
[Demi-system can no longer enter into this timeline for his faith has not yet become…]
[Your Bloodline has evolved… You are no longer subject to what has, is, or will be, Unique Authority Outsider to Time has been obtained.]
[Devolution sword spirit Dee has been reborn into your pantheon as the support Spirit, Dee.]
[Original System is now afraid of your existence.]