"I apologize for the abrupt visit. You should know that we are now running out of time."
In the sanatorium's rear garden, a nun and a man had a conversation. There weren't any peeking eyes this time. Only the sound of leaves swaying in the wind filled the place.
Aleph's extremely casual attire at this point showed how he didn't want to have a fight. The results from the 'frontlines' made him feel more urgency regarding Einstein's Project ELF. It was one of the few things that could directly affect the battlefield's outcome immediately. As for the suits, it requires a lot of training, which makes it difficult for it to see any immediate effects.
Aleph faced the nun with a tempting body.
"What do you see in me?" He asked.
"Nothing. I could not see anything. Not even your future."
Numerous thoughts came to Aponia's mind. There weren't many that managed to shake it.
Aleph's existence was one of them.
Their gazes soon met. Intuitively, she felt that he also possessed a special pair of eyes.
"Won't you question how I knew about you… or the power you possess?"
"The answers don't matter. The most important thing is… how did you do it?"
She replied with a question of her own.
"It was sixteen years ago. Everything that I saw… turned into nothingness."
Akin to a sudden revelation, Aponia gained a pair of special eyes, one that could see through the future. The future, rather, the 'fates' she sees took the form of silken white threads.
The threads intersect, get cut off, or extend further…
It remained true until eleven years ago.
"Before, everything remained the same. There are things that could not be changed… until that day."
The phenomena Aponia saw was difficult to explain with mere words. It was a loud buzzing sound, or a blinding light, or the sense of losing one's footing.
"Everything was made anew."
The threads that were reconstructed turn vague before materializing once again. Their original trajectories were altered.
For example, a thread that was cut off suddenly extended further. There was also a thread that should have extended, only to be cut short. There was also a thead that was supposed to be cut off, yet the person still lived. It turned vague for a moment before the thread turned into one that extended further.
It was akin to a glitch in the system; a bug that Aponia saw in the form of certain manifestations.
These occurrences have happened even more frequently since a year ago.
Hearing her words, Aleph fell silent.
'So this is what it feels like being a riddler…'
If there was another outsider who heard their talks, they would've been left extremely confused. It happened due to the fact that both Aponia and Aleph, in a way, were aware of each other's existence. The latter even knew about the former's ability to see through fate.
Now, it was Aleph's turn to be questioned by Aponia.
'Are all psychics riddlers?'
A ridiculous thought entered his mind.
'Everything that Aponia saw got reset… Was it pointing out to the future being changed by my existence?''
He thought of her words. His mind worked into full power once again, exhibiting Great Sage's thought acceleration and parallel minds.
'Eleven years... That was the time I completely recalled everything. Then, a year ago… it should pertain to my full-blown intervention. Even Aponia saw through this change…'
Fortunately, Aleph was the one who could uncover riddles swiftly.
The silence between them was broken by him.
"Was I the only special one you saw?"
"Yes." She replied with certainty.
"If so, that should be caused by me. As to how I did it… I don't have a definite answer."
Several speculations came to Aleph's mind. Be it his specialness as an 'otherworlder' or the words spoken by Albion, they hinted of his uniqueness. As to what it was, even he doesn't have any clue.
"Still, it proves that the future you saw is no longer certain. That should be a good thing, no?"
His words suggested something to Aponia.
"How much do you know?" She asked.
"The future? I have a glimpse of it. That includes you."
"..."
Aponia fell silent. The look that she gave to him gradually became different.
For a brief period of time, she carried the burden of changing the future that she saw all by herself.
All of the strings she saw…
They all ended up adhering to their original fates. She was only two years old when she awakened it. Back then, she tried to save someone whose threads were cut off. All of these attempts ended in failure.
Only when the 'great reset' happened did the future she saw changed. Aponia saw that there was a future lying beyond what she previously saw. It was extremely vague and transient, but it was there. The contrast between the original future and the new future was huge.
She did not understand its significance back then. She thought it was a stroke of luck or inner workings of nature. The dead end being replaced by a 'new' future was thought to be caused by something beyond the scope of humanity.
Only when she saw Aleph did she realize it was all caused by him.
This knowledge changes things.
"You are the savior."
"...Ah?"
"You are this world's savior."
Nobody could describe the hopelessness Aponia felt. Even when the 'great reset' happened, there are still things that could not be changed all by herself. It was as if there was something forcing the future to be just like that. Only, the 'great reset' occassionally caused 'bugs' that allowed her to see the altered fates of a select few.
These became more prominent a year ago. The changes to the future became even more frequent. The 'forced' endings also halted.
Aponia's actions successfully changed the people's future in this period of time.
It was the first time in her nineteen or so years of existence to succeed.
Only the concept of a 'Savior' could explain everything.
Aponia was about to kneel when Aleph held the sides of her shoulder. His grasp prevented her from doing so.
"Alright. There's no need to do things like that. If you saw a bad future, it's reasonable to change it." He said. "I don't need a pedestal either."
Hearing this, she stopped what she was doing. It also gave Aleph some time to see the pair of huge mountains still moving.
'...'
He killed all of his inappropriate thoughts with a light cough.
"Ahem. I came here to ask you something. Are you willing to join the MOTHs?"
"I will."
Not even a second later, he got her response.
Aponia explained, "It is for a greater cause. I will not hesitate to join you."
Seeing this, Aleph faced a new predicament of calming her down.