Author's Note --- I tried writing Rudy's POV myself instead of just modifying it and explained Julian's death. Thanks for reading and supporting. Babye!
(JULIAN GREYRAT)
My name is Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
There isn't anything significant about me.
Not then, not even now as I reel on the ground with huge gaping holes inside my body as I bleed to death.
I had a fleeting thought.
A thought that my past self would never admit of having in the future.
The thought?
Maybe, just maybe, in this life, now that I had start to feel what actually being loved by a father and mother was and what being looked up to as the older brother was, I thought, in stark contrast my previous life, it carried some significance.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt something other than an unsatiable amount of curiosity.
What was this feeling, you ask?
I do not know. Or rather, its obscure. Like a sudden itch that you can't scratch but it lingers.
Yes, I am a reincarnate. A rather peculiar and surreal phenomenon.
I, myself, would never have believed it if it never happened to myself.
My previous life started in a rather peculiar way, but after a while, everything continued to grow mundane.
It wasn't a life worth living.
Even my end was nothing of any significance.
I died without knowing what happened.
One of the worst ways to end one's life.
But then again, I never was the one to linger on some past regrets.
And hence, after I died at the age of 15, I reincarnated into a new world.
My new name is Julian Greyrat. Very much like my name, my appearance is also a lot like Northern Europeans.
I have blonde hair, a quite darker shade of it while my eyes are sapphire blue --- a rather pale shade. A spitting image of my mother, Zenith Greyrat.
So much that given enough sunlight, you can see it melding in with the white.
But as disorienting it might sound, it wasn't Europe but rather a whole new world.
And I wasn't alone.
Just like me, my twin brother, Rudeus Greyrat was also a reincarnate.
The hints were always there.
It just took over 1 year to completely solidify this doubt into a firm belief.
However, I stayed silent, wanting to live the life I've always wanted in this new world.
And hence, a new sun dawned on my new life, where I bid farewell to my morals and foundations I had established, abandoning the empty husk of "Ayanokouji Kiyotaka" while putting on the mantle of "Julian Greyrat".
I made friends.
I met new people. I got close to them.
I killed a lot as well.
I slayed a dragon.
I became an older sibling to rather peculiar yet interesting, chaotic yet extremely adorable sisters.
And while everything seemed to go extremely well, I forgot one vital detail.
Everything exists in one round circle.
Good times linger, sometimes for a prolonged period of time and sometimes for a fleeting moment. But it is not permanent.
When did I lost touch of reality?
When was the last time I actually sat down and contemplated about the next step in life, factoring in the uncertainties and tribulations life throws at you?
All I did this time was to just run blindly after an ideal ending.
But you never get the ideal outcome for free.
Maybe, I had actually grown complacent.
I realised it..... but it was too late.
The moments in which I realised it, was the moment I saw my loving mother's face vanish right in front of me, sucked in a dome of concentrated white light.
A part of me felt a rather uncanny feeling.
I haven't felt like this in a long time.
No....
I've never felt anything other than curiosity towards this world's new concepts of magic and swords.
This feeling.... was it a feeling? Or something else?
It's laughable if you ponder over this thought.
I might not be bright, but I could tell how other person was feeling. Yet, I couldn't discern what this feeling of a bubbling volcano inside me was.
Now, you might ask, why am I saying all this? Isn't this the kind of conventional monologue a normal human has when they are at the brink of death in a dramatic movie? I mentioned something at the start.
I think I AM dying. Reason? It's simple. Blood loss. I've healed up the punctured organs and gaping holes inside my body, but magic cannot replenish the lost blood.
How did I end up in such a situation?
We have to go back a week.
When it all happened.
The day I smiled genuinely for the first time in tens of years.
The day I felt gratitude for having Zenith as my mother.
And the day when I lost it all and replaced it with a harrowing emptiness.
[The Teleport Incident]
>Flashback<
(3rd person perspective)
The world around Julian warped, engulfing everything in its path. It sucked away the inanimate objects and threw the animate in different parts of the world.
Julian's mind went blank, his eyes wide and his expressionless face contorting into something else. A look he had never shown to anyone, neither ever saw himself. He didn't even know that anything in the world could make him feel so much.
His hands trembled with incomprehensible feeling as he extended it, his fingers quivering as he reached out to grasp the fading presence of Zenith --- his beloved mother as her essence slipped away, leaving a void that seemed impossible to fill.
In response to this, the ambient mana around him surged and roiled with an intensity that defied containment.
It became a tempestuous storm of raw magical power, fluctuating like chaotic, undulating waves of a tsunami.
The very air seemed to crackle with an uncontained, wild energy, as though the world itself mirrored the emotional upheaval that Julian experienced.
Not wanting to let her go so easily, with an almost desperate urgency, he reached out for every ounce of his magic power, activating his two most powerful spells. He could feel his own presence vanish as well. He was being sucked into whatever phenomenon had wreaked havoc on the Buena Village and killed his family in front of his eyes.
[Gravity Magic - Convergence]
[Gravity Magic - Divergence]
Julian deftly activated two distinct aspects of the [Gravity Magic] simultaneously. The polar forces of attraction and repulsion materialised around him, manifesting in response to the immense turmoil inside him.
However, these forces did not adopt a predetermined or predictable shape; instead, they obeyed the laws of nature, evoking a natural phenomenon of unparalleled complexity.
It just lingered around him.
Julian's battle aura surged out of his pores, enveloping him like a symbiotic second skin.
The dance of opposing gravitational forces intensified, with the [Convergence] and [Divergence] spells clashing with a resounding gravitas as Julian compressed them all around him, mixing its properties with his [Battle Aura].
The symphony of contrasting forces reverberated through the very fabric of space, each gravitational pulse vying for dominance.
The result?
The very fabric of space seemed to rupture around him, defying the conventional laws of space-time.
A tumultuous surge of power swept through the surroundings, obliterating every familiar concept in its path.
Even the fundamental essence of mana was torn into minuscule fragments, reduced to shimmering motes that scattered into oblivion.
The ground beneath his feet quivered and convulsed, creating undulating waves that radiated outward.
As if shielded by an invisible barrier, he stood unscathed amidst the chaos. Everything beyond his protective haven succumbed to the relentless forces, disintegrating and vanishing.
Julian stood straight, his eyes empty as he oozed out a harrowing amount of pressure, that further ruined his surroundings, completely obliterating everything.
Incorporating the properties of "Infinity" inside the sheen of his "Battle Aura", he saved himself from the effects of the force, but he couldn't do anything about Zenith..... or Aisha..... or Norn..... or Lilia.
Never mind Paul.
After a while, the phenomenon subsided, and he finally took a look around.
"Haaaah...." He let out an elongated breath. His nerves had calmed down. The momentary lapse that he experienced in his emotions was now completely gone.
Once again, he was left with nothing but a harrowing emptiness.
He couldn't feel anything.
Just acceptance of the fact that his family had either died or disappeared. He looked down and saw himself hovering over a meteor sized crater, the singularity around him ripping everything apart. Letting go of his technique, his feet deftly touched the scorched ground below. The sole of his shoe sizzled as he tapped it repeatedly until it stopped.
"Hmm. I see." He nodded his head, his eyes gleaming in a light shade of green. "They're not dead. Teleportation?" He asked himself, resting his chin between his fingers.
"It wasn't directed at this village in particular. A byproduct?" Once again, he talked to himself.
"The light of magic..... Seemed like teleportation magic." He deduced in a calm manner.
"Hmmmmmmm......." He hummed audibly, his eyes closed, his neatly combed hair now disheveled.
"It certainly wasn't you. You're not strong enough. Although I still do not understand, why have you stalked me for years." He spoke as he looked at a blank point in space.
The other moment, a brilliant flash of light expanded, and a figure appeared in front of him.
"Hm? You're not strong. Maybe your master's doing?" Julian disregarded the appearance of a sudden enemy, his mind solely focused on the incident that had just happened. Without a shred of emotion, he calculated like a supercomputer, his brain pushing itself to its limits.
"My master is certainly not behind any of this treachery, and neither is he the one to be accused of such blasphemy by a character like you." The man who had appeared out of thin air spoke up, his tone calm.
"Hm. No, it won't be your master. You were just following me. Keeping tabs. And it wasn't directed at just this village. The Fittoa region in general. Hm. Something else. Seems like the recorded occurrences of Displacement, just on a much larger scale." He continued, totally ignoring the man.
"I am Almanfi. A lotal servent to my master, Armoured Dragon King, Perguis Dola. I am here for the extermination of the individual responsible for the evil magic used earlier and for disrupting the peace of these lands." The blonde man, Almanfi spoke as he brought his hand behind his back and slowly, eerliy, unsheathed his sword.
He held the sword backwards, in a reverse grip, similar to how assassins hold daggers.
Julian's eyes were wide, his brain speed running the events and trying to reach at a reasonable conclusion. Almanfi's expressions behind the mask stiffened, as he watched Julian, his extremely condescending attitude starting to weigh down on his nerves. "It's beneath me to be emotionally triggered by a little boy, but it seems you succeeded in doing so. Since you have no intention in holding a proper conversation, I will just have to beat it out of you."
Almanfi was a familiar. He couldn't die. Even if he did, he would be revived at [Chaos Breaker], the castle of his master. He was a familiar of light. As long as there was light, he could teleport there in the blink of an eye.
However, it was not like Julian let himself get stalked without reason. He knew about this detail as well. Slow in night, and fast in catching up when it's the day.
As Almanfi got close to Julian and swung his arm, directing his sword at Julian's neck at the speed of light, he lazily shifted his eyes, matching his eyes with a bored look, "Do not disturb me. I am in the middle of something, please."
[Water God Style - Flow]
The battle aura coiled around him as he caught his blade with bare hands and unsheathed his sword with the other. Almanfi thought he had enough time, since he could retaliate in the time he was about to draw his sword.
However, that wasn't his intention.
Julian simply took the sword out enough for him to drive the hilt into his chest.
As soon as the hilt made contact, his form disappeared, breaking into light fragments before reappearing behind him.
This time, instead of slashing him, he thrust his sword forward, trying to puncture his heart in one fell swoop.
However, Julian, without looking back, extended his sword back and gently changed its trajectory.
Almanfi's eyes widened as the weight he had put behind his strike made him move forward, stumbling as he lost his balance. Julian responded with a jab towards his cheekbone. Almanfi changed its direction with the palm of his hand, but Julian responded with a sword strike to his face.
With one hand holding Julian's wrist while using the other to block his sword strike that threatened to cut his head into half, they both stood in a standstill, looking at each other in complete stillness as they both fought for dominance.
Almanfi found it absurd. The amount of strength this 10-years-old boy possessed was remarkable. He was a high-ranking spirit himself. And he was able to keep up with his moves.
He had been watching the boy for quite some time now on the order of his liege, Perguis.
He knew he used to hold back because he could detect his presence. Despite knowing he was holding back against everything until now, he didn't know the disparity would be so much.
'Is he a blessed child?' Almanfi thought to himself.
However, while Almanfi was thinking, a sharp projectile cleaved through his arm, its sharp end sticking itself into his joint.
He looked down and saw Julian taking his boot off and holding the short sword in his toes while he stabbed him with the dagger held between them.
"North God Style. The school of swordsmanship never ceases to amaze me." Almanfi applauded in a genuine tone.
However, he was done playing around.
He disappeared and reappeared behind him.
However, Julian simply summoned a spike of earth from the ground. The spike impaled him but his visage distorted and then vanished. Julian stood with a straight face, looking in all directions.
'This is just something else....... he is just 10 and he can see through illusionary afterimages due to my speed.' He had nothing but piling respect for him, the longer the fight extended.
He appeared behind him again, this time his real self and swung at him. Julian responded with a backward thrust.
As the sword was just a hair breadth away from Almanfi's sternum, he teleported and attacked his neck.
However, Julian, once again, read his movements and reacted in time, blocking the attack with his short sword.
''What is this? How can he react to everythin------'' Almanfi was lost in thought when he saw Julian's eyes glowing. "--------I see. Mana Eyes. And an advanced variant of it, it seems. No idea how that is a thing." He talked to himself in a hushed tone as Julian shifted on the offense, delivering one strike after another, sending a series of shockwaves through the ground and sparks frizzanating everywhere.
'He can sense my mana flow on a very basic level. That is why, he knows in advance where I will move.' Almanfi reached to this conclusion.
He was a summon. A spirit. He was a manifestation of mana. He couldn't hide his mana presence, unlike Julian. Fighting him was like fighting with a dead person. Despite the initial shock that was delivered to him, he reverted back to his former self.
His killing intent was literally zero, despite his first and foremost effort was to kill Almanfi. However, there were limitations to his 10-years-old body. His body wasn't mature enough to handle the severity of the violent techniques he was spamming in a rapid succession.
The overload on his brain from his [Mana Eyes] was also starting to catching up to him. The sheer amount of information based on the atomic level of the mana that allowed him to determine Almanfi's movements in time, was making his brain overload.
It was only a matter of time before his brain started taking permanent damage.
He was able to keep up with him. However, he was, albeit just a little, slower than Almanfi.
There was almost negligible difference in speed but a titanic difference in strength.
With each strike that Julian blocked, he could feel the bones inside his arm rattle upon impact, bending to an extent that would inflict an insufferable pain, almost breaking them.
Two of his fingers were broken. One in each hand.
He needed to end this quickly. But even he could understand the difference in strength put between them due to his age. If only the face 2 years in the future.
Julian was positive he could beat him then. However, now it nigh impossible.
Unless.........
"I've had enough of this." Julian spoke as he slashed with all his strength at him. His battle aura extended as its extension.
However, Almanfi bent his neck to the side, narrowly dodging the Battle Aura Manifestation in the form of a Blade. The blade cut the huge boulder behind him, cleaving it into half. However, Almanfi wasn't unscathed either.
The side of his mask had a small cut.
A single trickle of blood oozed out from it before fragmenting into light fragments, healing in an instant.
[Advanced Healing Magic]
Julian raised his broken fingers and the next moment, both fingers snapped back into their place.
"Voiceless healing of that caliber? I made sure to totally crush those fingers. To think you'd heal them in such a way..... bone and flesh alike." Almanfi, for a hundredth time was deeply impressed by the human in front of him.
"Like I said......." Julian spoke, not taking into account his opponent's blabbering, "........I've had enough of this. Let's end it." He spoke in a calm tone.
"Very well. I think I've played around enough. I will kill you this time." Almanfi replied in a calm tone of his own. However, the air around him had changed completely. Julian knew about it as well. If he isn't careful, he can die in an instant.
He activated his [Mana Eyes].
"Hu----" He was too late. Almanfi had reached in front of him before he could activate his eyes and slashed at his chest. Julian deflected it with blunt edge of his teal blade, but Almanfi simply retracted it upon contact and boxed in.
The reason to do so was because it would give less reaction time to Julian. He pulled it and plunged it inside his sternum.
Or so he thought.
In the nick of time, Julian had pushed it to the side, albeit marginally, resulting in the sword's tip missing all of his vitals. However, it still didn't help with the burning sensation that invaded his body, the sensation of a hot and sharp metal, forcefully making its way inside Julian, tearing his flesh, tissues, tendons in the process.
His stoic face remained up, but for a fraction of a second, he grimaced.
With Almanfi's blade squirming inside Julian, he held his arm with one hand and delivered an elbow to the side of his face. Almanfi stammered, taken aback by the brute strength that single elbow packed.
Before he could process, his grip over his sword was weakening as Julian himself had ditched his sword and was now engaging in a rapid-fire exchange of punches, jabs and low kicks.
It wasn't like Almanfi didn't have a counter.
He was just amazed, surprised and a little bit terrified.
Julian was bleeding, profusely, a fountain of blood spurting out from his body. Yet the force of each punch left Almanfi with doubled vision that rattled his brain. He was left dumbfounded. Even a little sad. With his talent, he could've helped his Liege in extermination of Laplace if he appeared in his lifespan.
Of course, right now, the boy would die within seconds if he faced Laplace, but he had a hidden potential. An unrivalled speed of adaptability.
He noticed it during this battle.
Almanfi couldn't use the same attack twice.
He was rapidly adapting to any and all attacks.
A tragedy, he had to uproot a budding talent like him with his own hands.
However, he was loyal to his Liege to a fault.
The orders from Perguis took precedence.
In applause to his efforts, he decided to cut his head in one blow.
Using all of his strength and speed, he dashed like a ray of light towards Julian. His sword zipped through the air, silently, without making a sound as it reached his neck.
And then, an invisible barrier manifested between them.
His sword was first chipped away, but the more Almanfi tried to cut through it, the more it disintegrated. A force of repulsion was pushing everything away. Almanfi's sword reduced to chunks of metal as he looked up Julian with wide eyes.
Blood was rushing down his eyes and his mouth. His mana was depleting.
The colour of his skin started to change, turning to extremely pale one while his hair started to morph. The once vibrant golden hue was replaced by pure white, as more and more mana drained out of his body.
"I said, I will end this now, didn't I?"
The next moment, a huge sphere, the size of Almanfi's head appeared over Julian's finger.
[Gravity Magic: Divergence - Max Output]
He shot the ball of repulsive energy.
Convergence and Divergence were two polar opposites of the same natural phenomenon.
Using them in tandem, he could bend and even form a ripple in the space-time curve. These were of course concepts on which the world was based.
However, his mana technique brought those concepts into reality.
Using a materialised concept, he could erase other concepts.
Almanfi was a "Familiar of Light."
Even light couldn't escape singularity.
Since the infinity----Convergence and Divergence existed everywhere.
He tried to retreat but despite having the explosive offense of repulsion, it had hints of Convergence as well, pulling Almanfi in.
The ball made of this repulsive energy tore Almanfi to shreds, leaving nothing but lingering motes of light that soon dissipated into nothingness.
Julian heaved in heavy breaths.
He fell to his knees, taking in deep breaths.
His reserves were emptied out.
He was bleeding all over his body.
He wasn't in Buena Village anymore.
"Who is that?" He asked himself before stumbling and losing his consciousness.
|RUDEUS GREYRAT|
Things take sudden turns. And your life goes full merry-go-round before making you fall on the ground like the little shit you are.
Why am I being a prick and calling everyone, including me a dipshit?
Well, duhh, something happened to me I need to vent, ok? Let me blabber and give some rest to your brain cells since I am about to start my rant about how life is bitch that interferes with every good moment in life.
So yeah, where was I?
AHA!
Yes.
So, I was about to show off my Saint Ranked Water Spell to Eris and show-off in the process a little, trying to gain affection points. However, somehow, suddenly a large concentration of mana gathered in the sky.
I mean, I ain't complaining since even if I didn't get to show-off, we were walking back home with my hand slung across her shoulder, feeling all suave and smooth.
Slowly, oh so cautiously, I decided to seize the moment and discreetly explore the territories of "bosom land" – the undiscovered country, so to speak!
Cupping them in my palm, I was already mentally ranking them (bigger than AA, oh my my!).
And the good thing? The incredible part?
She didn't even say a word!
Silence!
Was she in awe of my spell-binding move, or was she just contemplating the mysteries of life while I wandered around her territory?
We may never know!
But can you believe it?
The brain-dead, violence-stricken demon, Eris-chan, was letting me run my hands all over her without breaking my jaw!
Just as I was about to grope it completely, a beam of white light dropped from the sky and ate everything up.
Talk about a letdown. I wanted to the be the one eating and Eris the one being eaten.....!
UWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH !!!!!!
I am crying.
"Mission failed, we'll get 'em next time." My trusty Excalibur that was rock hard by now assured me as me and Eris were flung into the air.
"Its ok. So, let it all out! Let those tears flow like a river. Cry it out, my friend," I reassured my little sword, gently patting it.
Sometimes life serves us with hilariously dramatic surprises that leave us wondering if we're living in some sitcom.
'But hey, dear weapon of mine, dry those eyes and prepare yourself, because with life's unpredictable twists, who knows what wild and wacky adventure awaits you next!'
And well yeah, that was the last thought of the time I was conscious.
What happened after that?
Well, eh, I don't remember.
A part of me thought I would me swimming in a pool of panties with odour of sweat permeating from it but nah, I was instead in a white void.
Talk about shit taste. At least I could've experienced the "black void" as shown in monologues of Main Characters after they "almost die". Well, the void being black is just another assumption according to the "Anime Bullshit Science."
Oh, yeah!
I had a dream.
What was it.....?
It's hazy.
But I kind of remember it.
I was flying through the air, carrying Eris, and zipping around at speeds faster than a caffeinated cheetah on roller skates. It's like you've become a magical aviator with a case of mistaken identity as a jet-powered superhero!
The way I was flying, I wanted to scream "Wright brothers; you've got a new sensation in town!"
Never mind, back to where we left off.
Even though my consciousness was hazy, why do I get the feeling that I'm flying? The scenery in front of me was changing at a frightening speed. I was like at the speed of sound or the speed of light, flying up and down irregularly.
I don't understand why things turned out this way.
I only believe that if I'm not careful, ah, no, even if I'm really careful I'll lose speed and fall.
In the dream, amidst the dizzying whirl of ever-changing scenery, I focused intently, determined to find a secure spot for landing.
Strangely, I couldn't explain the urgency that gripped me, but there was an undeniable sense of peril if I failed to do so.
The world around me blurred as I soared through it at breakneck speed, reminiscent of the spinning blades of a fan on overdrive.
It felt like the dream itself was playing a game of catch-me-if-you-can.
Summoning my inner strength, I channeled magical energy, cushioning my impact.
And for a fleeting moment, I managed to slow down, like a dancer executing a gravity-defying pirouette.
But the respite was short-lived.
Panic gripped me as I began to lose control, hurtling towards an uncertain fate.
And then, just in the nick of time, the sight of the ground caught my eye. A vast expanse of flat land lay below, a sanctuary amidst the perilous alternatives of crashing into a churning sea, a forbidding mountain, or a dense forest.
Hope surged within me as I commenced my descent, desperately attempting to maneuver through the remaining chaos. My heart pounded with anticipation, praying that my calculations were correct.
At last, I executed a skillful braking maneuver, the dream's equivalent of an exhilarating roller coaster stop.
My landing was not without turbulence, but the reddish-brown earth beneath me provided a welcome foundation.
Before I could savor the relief, my consciousness drifted away, like a mischievous gust of wind that playfully scatters a pile of autumn leaves.
(******)
When I slowly opened my eyes, I knew it was no ordinary dream.
There was something very fishy fishy about it. So much that I could smell the stench of canned Tuna.
You know shit's nasty when it is canned, and on top of that, reeks like my sock.
However, there was something peculiar about this dream—it felt oddly heavy, as if I were carrying the weight of the world on my dreamy shoulders.
But wait, my eyes widened with shock as I glanced downward, discovering that the body before me was that of my 34-year-old self! Well, that's quite the unexpected dream makeover.......
So, this is what reeked. No shit, I didn't used to bath for days.
Suddenly, a flood of memories washed over me, and I recalled my past—the regrets, the conflicts, and the naivety that had defined my journey.
It was as if those 10 years were compressed into a dreamy reel, playing before my mind's eye.
While the dream persisted, a feeling of melancholy crept into my heart.
I had returned to a past self, and with it came a mix of emotions.
Despite the bittersweet realisation, there was an odd sense of contentment in reliving the warmth of my loving family and the companionship of adorable girls during those dreamy years.
But alas, as time ticked on, my memories of "Rudeus" (whatever that might mean) grew fainter, like a fading watercolor painting left out in the sun.
The dream's enchantment began to wear off, leaving me with a sense of disappointment upon awakening.
Isn't it funny how we often yearn for dreams to continue, as if they hold the keys to a happier, more favorable life?
I suppose in this dreamy world, logic and desires intertwine like a whimsical dance.
Ultimately, I couldn't help but wonder, what was I really hoping for in this dreamy escapade?
An escape, what else, you fat buffoon!
Kinda ironic coming from me tho.....
And then, in the distance, I spotted a peculiar figure—faceless, with a mysterious grin. The face seemed to blur and escape my thoughts whenever I tried to focus on it. It was as if the features were obscured by an ever-shifting mosaic.
Despite the enigmatic appearance, an odd feeling of warmth emanated from this strange being. I couldn't discern whether it was male or female, as its voice remained neutral. An eccentric encounter, to say the least, and one that felt both peculiar and amusing.
The entity addressed me as "Rudeus-kun," causing my mood to plummet even further. It seemed to read my despondency like an open book. Though I tried to resist, I found myself engaged in a rather absurd conversation with this mosaic-covered interloper.
This peculiar God-like entity introduced itself as Hitogami, claiming to have been watching over my life, offering an amusing blend of protection and peeping. It even declared to be an ally, much to my amusement, as I'd encountered similar characters in my past life who proved unreliable.
As the conversation progressed, Hitogami revealed that I was currently inhabiting my spiritual body, disconnected from my physical form, and that the Magic Continent was a dangerous place where I had inadvertently been teleported. The notion of returning to my world seemed daunting and impossible, leaving me with mixed emotions.
Suspicion clouded my judgment as I doubted Hitogami's intentions. It begged me to listen to its advice, but my skepticism held firm, knowing well the tricks of liars. Hitogami's pleas for trust only fueled my doubts, and I remained unyielding.
Yet, despite my resistance, Hitogami persisted, claiming to have the interest in witnessing the outcome of my life's journey, which only furthered my suspicion. It was like a puppeteer observing a marionette dance in the grand theater, an unsettling thought that I couldn't shake off.
Or was I really a "Young Master" with "Earth Shattering and Sky Splitting Talent" bound to be surrounded by virgin "Jades" for me to deflower?
Sounds too good to be true.
Amidst our back-and-forth, Hitogami implored me to find the confidence to survive in this treacherous and foreign land. However, my desperation prevailed, and I admitted my lack of certainty. Yet, Hitogami pressed on, offering advice that purportedly could increase my chances of returning home.
Before I could grasp its intentions fully, I demanded to know why it was so invested in my life and what made me so "interesting." Hitogami's response veered toward amusement, finding meaning and novelty in witnessing a person from another world interact with unfamiliar surroundings.
My suspicion deepened as it seemed like Hitogami was toying with me, enjoying the thrill of observing a foreign person navigate this world. But the God-like figure urged me to assist the person beside me upon waking, and then it vanished, leaving me with a lingering echo.
In the end, the mysterious advice left me with more questions than answers. I couldn't shake the feeling that Hitogami's true intentions remained elusive, and the dream-like encounter left me pondering the significance of my existence in this enigmatic world.
However, something baffling did happen.
Before he completely disappeared, I asked him one single question that made even more skeptic of him.
"Can you at least tell me where my brother, Julian Greyrat is?"
"Younger brother? Julian Greyrat? What the heck are you talking about? Did you hit your head or something?"
With that, the dream ended.
|JULIAN GREYRAT|
Taking in deep breaths, I reeled on the ground. I tried reaching for whatever whiff of mana that I somehow managed to recover and directed them into speeding the process of clotting the wounds. Almanfi's weapon was not laced with poison. All I needed to do was to stop my bleeding.
However, a harrowing feeling was taking birth in the pit of my being.
What was it? A premonition? Or something else?
I couldn't place a finger on it.
However, I stabilised my breath rate anyways.
The last thing I wanted was to die of a heart attack.
Using such a high-level spell not only drained every last bit of mana from inside me but also broke numerous bones and tore several tendons.
While the healing magic automatically did its job, I walked over towards the massive crater.
I was not in Buena Village anymore.
Perhaps Almanfi teleported me somewhere with a lot of light.
Then again, this place seemed to the central hub of the massive surge of mana from where the root cause of this catastrophe stemmed.
[Summoning Magic]
In the center of it, I saw a girl, laying down on her belly.
Walking cautiously in her direction, I bent on a knee beside her.
She suddenly sat up as she looked here and there in a frenzy. She had long black hair and brown eyes. From her appearance alone, she seemed like a Japanese.
"Who are you?" I asked in Japanese. There was not an ounce of mana in her. For someone and something of this world, it was impossible, technically and realistically.
"W-Where am I?" She responded in Japanese, clinging on to my tattered sleeve. She must've suddenly caught sight of my face that was covered in blood, she suddenly held me by my shoulders, "Are YOU okay? You're bleeding so much!"
After a while of nervous exchange, I managed to calm her down. Her name was Nanahoshi Shizuka. And she was a teenage girl from Japan.
Just as I was about to ask her about how she got here or how she got inside the eye of a [Mana Calamity], I heard a voice behind me.
In Japanese.
"Nanahoshi Shizuka. I am here to pick y---" The voice stopped midway, and the man glared at me.
"You shouldn't be here. What is your name?"
I didn't mean to, yet I answered. "Julian Greyrat."
"And your father's name?"
"Paul Greyrat."
"Strange. Paul should just have a son named Rudeus and two daughters....." he paused and looked up to me. I returned his glare, watching him in his eyes. ".....You look me in the eye. Another otherworlder. Another one of Man God's apostles." He said with disgust in his voice. Well anyways, I'll just kill you. There is nothing remarkable about you anyways. Your mana levels are pathetic."
I couldn't process anything.
One moment I was looking at Nanahoshi's scared face, the next moment, the silver haired man's arm was piercing my torso. He plunged his other hand into my chest, leaving me with two huge holes inside my body.
As if it didn't mean him anything, he walked over to her and started talking to her. Grabbing her by her arm, he was about to make her go with him, but she shrugged it off, sitting by my side. "Leave us alone, you monster!"
She cried out with tears gushing out of her eyes as she held on to my body.
Her touch was warm, in contrast to the granite hard coldness of my body. My vision was getting blurry. I had lost too much blood.
Although it wasn't an end I wanted, I think..... I've experienced enough.
I felt something twitch in my chest.... albeit it was the prospective death of someone.
I think...... I've had enough.
In the midst of my fading consciousness, a flicker of a thought crossed my mind—a twisted sense of satisfaction that this tumultuous journey had come to an end.
And as my life force waned, I sensed something stirring within my chest, a strange irony in the prospect of my impending demise.
Just like that, my life as Julian Greyrat came to end.
It was short-lived, but I still, for the first time, enjoyed it.
--------------------------------------------
THE END