After resting a few days inside of Horizon, Orion decided that it was time to return to his main journey across Triazils.

He was currently standing outside of Albriar, alone. The citizens had been safely reintegrated into the city after the war against Julian had been won.

Though there was a noticeable lack of soldiers around the city, the few that had sustained injuries hindering their mobility, or wished to stayed behind to defend Albriar were still ranging in the hundreds.

But Orion had two ways or returning to Albriar. A portal directly outside, that he used when he arrived the first time, and one in Florian's house.

To respect the privacy of Lobelia, he chose the first option. With Florian out of his city, how could he barge in so suddenly.

He was currently at the northern entrance, but his destination was east. So, after confirming the direction and appropriately stretched his body, he ran.

'I want to run. Even though I've been training non-stop for a few days to get accustomed to the Second Gear's permanent unlock, I have this need to run.'

Following his own feelings, he avoided using his spatial magic.

His destination was place he knew quite well, Auro. It was decided that he would be stopping there, as his birthday was close. In reality, he tried to forget that his birthday was in two days.

Sadly for him, Amelia wouldn't let it be.

If you considered the amount of time he spent in Horizon, then Orion was already twenty-three, but biologically, on Triazils, he was still the same twenty-two years old young man.

While running at high-speed, four times faster than the a normal human, his thoughts began to wander.

'This place... I know it. Or so I have a feeling.'

He looked around him, not knowing where the feeling came from, and from which part of the scenery.

'...'

Carefully observing the area, his gaze fell on a little forest. It was maybe ten to fifteen minutes on foot to Albriar. For Orion, it took less than five minutes.

Listening to his own intuition, he stopped running, the forest still in his line of sight.

'Let's go in. There may be something for me there.'

Walking at a faster pace, his heart began to thump horribly fast in his chest.

The moment he entered the forest, this feeling was immediately intensified, as he began to have trouble breathing.

'Why am I so stressed? Isn't this place just a forest?'

After walking straight, he finally arrived into a glade. The place was devoid of life, as if a beast had walked through.

The sun was only able to shine a single beam of light through the thick foliage of the trees. It was dark, and it felt strange.

'I know this place.'

Orion looked around and stopped in the middle of the glade.

He looked left and right, turned around, looked up, before giving up.

'This was just a feeling in the end. There is nothing here.'

And he turned away, trying to go back the way he came from.

Yes, he tried. Because suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, and looked again at the center of the place, with a terrified look on his face.

His eyes looked empty, as if he had lost everything. What was happening?

He grabbed his head in pain, and his vision suddenly shifted to this same area, but in another perspective.

The vision was blurry, but it was quite easy to understand what was happening.

A man, who Orion recognized as himself, crouched on the ground with Amelia in his arms.

As he bit his lips in pain, tears flowing from his eyes, he stared at the sorry state Amelia was in. She had lost an arm, and her lower body was nowhere to be seen.

Her body was cold, her breathing had stopped, and the flame representing her life had been extinguished.

"AgH- What is... happening?!"

The real Orion suddenly fell to the ground, his knees having given up from the sudden emotional switch.

His mind was fighting to understand, but feelings that weren't his own, or maybe were, battled inside of his heart.

Pain, rage, despair, love... and coldness. His heart slowly killed his thoughts.

Orion remained there, emotionless, as the his mind began to take everything.

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~

Two women were having a panic.

"This is bad! Do something!"

"I can't! You know I can't interfere!"

They were looking at Orion crouched on the grass.

"We can't let Orion continue! How did this happen in the first place?!"

"..."

"Tell me! We don't have much time!"

In despair, one of the woman was about to do everything in her power to resolve this situation.

Finally, she obtained her answer.

"I have no idea why, but a resonance happened. Maybe because of the void element. Like I said, I don't know the reason for that."

"A resonance?! I don't care, what can we do to sever it before it is too late?!"

The other woman, who seemed a little more level-headed, thought.

"Can't you think faster?!"

"Shut up! I'm thinking!"

"..."

Ten seconds later, she came up with a solution.

"I authorize you to use your power. Make an exception, and bring him back to reality."

"You can't be serious! It's not on the level of simple item crafting at this point!"

She nodded.

"I know, but do you have a better idea? I can tolerate thirty seconds. More than that, and this will be the end for both of us."

"Thirty... fine!"

The first woman turned around, and vanished in an instant. She reappeared behind Orion.

While the first woman placed her right hand on Orion's back, the second one clasped her hands together, and began to concentrate on her own power.

~

"Where... am I?"

Orion was floating in the darkness. A darkness that felt relatively comfortable.

"...rio..."

"O...ion!"

"ORION!"

With the growing sound of a voice he knew, a crimson comet suddenly flew toward him, and hugged him.

Instantly, he recognized her.

"Eh... mom?"

"Yes! It's me! Orion! I'm so glad!"

"What are you-"

Orianne stopped him by placing her finger on his lips.

"We don't have time for that. Listen well."

She brought her forehead on his, and smiled.

"Remember who you are. Remember the people you love. Remember us."

"Don't let yourself disappear."

"We will always watch over you, so don't let this manipulate you, even if I don't quite understand everything."

Her body suddenly began to disintegrate.

"Thirty seconds goes by so quickly. Your father is proud of you, and so am I. Stay strong."

After caressing his hair, and hugging him one last time, Orianne disappeared.

Orion closed his eyes, and remembered his situation.

"..."

"I have no idea what that was, but she's right."

A bright light enveloped him, and he opened his eyes in the glade, now dealing with the raging emotions in his heart.

He gritted his teeth, and began to forcefully stand up. Clenching his fists, he took it seriously.

'Those are not... my emotions! Just... disappear!'

His light and dark elements formed around his body, and began to rotate at a increasing pace. Slowly, they moved toward him, until they entered his own body.

*FUSH*

A massive airburst exploded from his body at the center. With his emotions now under control, the image that caused this situation, which was ingrained in his vision, began to blur, before completely vanishing.

*PANT* *PANT*

"What in the... world happened?!"

Quickly, Orion ran away from the forest, and returned on the main road.

The lingering feeling of despair was still excruciating for him. This was the only thing that remained from this ordeal.

'Fuck. Going inside this forest was a mistake. I almost lost my sanity!'

This was worst than the corruption. Orion was about to completely lose his self, and transform into a mindless beast.

It reminded him of when Karteira had lost herself.

'If... mom did not appear.'

He clearly remembered his mother, but he also felt someone else at that moment. Someone he didn't knew.

The warm remains of a hand on his back was his proof.

Orion checked his whole body for any changes, physically and mentally.

'Ego, have I changed? Is my mind broken in some way?'

His only way to know would be to ask the one who knew best about his state.

'...'

But there was no answer.

Grunting in frustration, Orion began to run back toward Auro.

On the way, he thought about what his mother, Orianne, said. Multiple times, until it had completely been memorized.

'Thank you mom.'

~

"Orianne! Are you alright?! Do you feel anything strange with yourself?!"

Reon was panicking greatly. A shadow appeared in front of them earlier, that asked to help Orion.

Immediately, Orianne agreed to help, but she wasn't expecting her own soul to be sent into her son's for thirty seconds.

"Someone was able to interact with us souls inside the device, and managed to extract one of us... Orion's situation, and that strange shadow."

Exhausted by what could be called a miracle, she laughed and made a thumbs up.

"I told you, destiny and fate are on his side."

Reon shook his head.

"This is more than that. That being, I can't think of anyone else but a Remnant. And this is one I believe to be extremely dangerous."

About to fall asleep, Orianne spoke one last sentence.

"But even if this being was dangerous, it chose to help our son. So I will refuse to criticize it."

Then, she drifted into slumber.

'She's right. I shouldn't jump to conclusion immediately. That thing really helped us help Orion, and it even made Orianne's wish come true, even it was for a short time.'

He placed his hand on her head, and slowly caressed his wife's hair.

"Rest well."

Closing the screen, he stood up, picked her up, and went upstairs.

After placing her on the bed, he also went to rest.

'Stay strong, Orion.'

~

Later that day, a portal opened in the vicinity of a large forest.

Two women walked out of it, joining the man who looked tired.

"Orion! What happened? The whole of Horizon blinked and rumbled for a few minutes earlier."

"Yes! We thought that something had happened to you, and that it was about to shut down with us inside!"

Amelia and Karteira looked worried.

"Well..."

...

Orion explained what happened in the glade, but kept the image he saw to himself. It was way to horrible for the concerned party to learn about.

He said that something inexplicable took over his mind, and tried to take over. But thanks to an apparition of his mother, he managed to remain himself.

"Are you sure you are alright?"

"I'm just a little out of it, don't worry."

Karteira asked, but he really was fine.

"We can postpone our return if that's what you want. This wasn't expected, so..."

"No, don't worry."

He walked toward Amelia, and grabbed her waist. After that, he pulled her toward him and hugged her.

"Wai-"

'What's happening?!'

Her mind entered latency mode when her cheek touched his chest.

Silently, Karteira watched with a jealous gaze.

'I feel better. It really does calm you, being with the one you cherish.'

Releasing Amelia, he turned to Karteira, not forgetting about her.

"Here."

He opened his arms a little, before she shyly went inside them. Her invisible tail trembled from the excitation of being hugged.

In the middle of the road, these three hugged without a care. There was no one around to care anyway.

"Hng..."

Feeling at peace at last, Orion had recovered complete stability over his emotions. He was back to normal.

"Karteira, stop making weird noises."

Amelia walked beside them, and poked at her friend, who was enjoying this hug way too much.

"What am I supposed to do? Feel disgusted and never be hugged again?"

"Alright, let's walk toward Auro."

Orion pushed her shoulders away gently, and tidied his clothes.

"Yes, we haven't been home in, like, five months."

"If you count Horizon, then yes. It has been quite some time."

The two childhood friends finally returned home after leaving.

They talked to Karteira about the city, before arriving a few minutes later at Auro's gate.