During the discussion, a rapid, constant thumping echoed in Orion.

Since it wasn't his own, this made it difficult to concentrate, but he bared with the feeling.

After a while, Tetra finally calmed down, lessening the effect on his body.

Once Orion finished telling Alyssia everything she needed to know, he stood up from his chair.

"That's everything I know. All I explained came from the stories written down by the ones after you, from both sides."

Alyssia nodded, dropping her pen next to the notebook.

"At least they had the decency to avoid destroying precious details about their conflicts."

"If not, it would've been difficult for us to act accordingly."

With a determined gaze, she touched the right page of the book with gentleness.

"If not for the event that led to our doom, we would've probably lived several more hundred years. For us, who were humans to begin with, I suppose this drastic change caused some people to think differently."

With a faint smile, she looked inside Orion's eyes.

"In any case, we would still have died before your birth. I'll be sure to follow the same path, albeit not in the same way."

Orion had no idea what Alyssia had in mind, but he knew that it was her duty to deal with whatever was in store for them.

He couldn't help more than he did, as his influence on the world had already heavily impacted the destiny of those orphans.

"We shouldn't interact anymore than that."

Tidily putting the chair back under the table, Orion showed respect to his ancestor by bowing his head.

"I never expected to meet my relatives in this circumstance."

The genuine smile of happiness showed Alyssia that Orion was a well-mannered person, and she was glad to see that her lineage hadn't disappeared in the future.

"Do you plan on never setting foot in this place ever again?"

"That is the idea."

Orion straightened with a determined look in his eyes.

"There is no way to know who else I will influence if I stay here. This is Noah's era, not mine. This village was built by Noah, so I can't interact with it too much."

While agreeing with what he said, Alyssia still frowned.

"Alaric would have enjoyed talking to you."

"I leave the future of the angels and demons in your hands. Whatever happens, I will never hold you responsible for any drastic changes in my time."

"You shouldn't have to worry. I'll be careful with this information."

She tapped on the book lightly with her index finger.

"I suppose a 'Priestess of Light' has to be more than just a kind-hearted person..."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

With a melancholic stare, she looked down, knowing the future they were going straight into.

These words held an intent that Orion picked up on. It meant that Alyssia would punish anyone trying to act against everyone else.

"The seeds of discord are incredibly difficult to erase. But with Alaric, I'll make it so. We'll have to reenact many events our way, but we'll carve the path of peace in honor of your efforts to avert this crisis."

Alyssia bowed her head, her forehead almost touching the table, while strands of long, silvery hair curled on the wood.

"Family."

She straightened up when Orion uttered that word, a stunned expression on her face.

"In this world, nothing is more important than family. At least, it is to me"

These were the last words Alyssia heard from Orion as he walked out of her house.

"..."

Her gaze froze on the door for a minute, until a warm smile formed on her face.

"You are correct. We have to do everything in our power to protect those we care about."

Leaning on her chair, she looked at the ceiling.

"We'll have to make difficult choices."

Biting her lower lip gently, she hesitated.

"Celeste..."

The name of her yet-to-be-born daughter escaped her lips.

...

Orion walked out of Alyssia's house and looked around.

'This village. Everything began here.'

He had no idea how they were living or if the events leading to the destruction of the balance between the two factions would actually take place in the future.

But, he trusted Alyssia and Alaric.

His eyes turned to a lone tree atop a hill.

A glow covered his eyes as he activated 'Eagle Eye'.

Since the tree was quite far away, he couldn't see in detail what was happening over there.

All he could see was a sea of children around the tree and two figures standing up in the middle of it.

'Alaric is over there...'

Orion felt a need to talk to his ancestor but refrained from doing so. Alyssia learning of the future was a coincidence that he wasn't sure would happen again.

To worsen it, after learning of his outrage at the end of their lives when protecting their child, he felt that Alaric needed to be the last person to know about the truth.

He recalled the darkness inside the eyes of his ancestor during the second trial. Alaric wasn't to be taken lightly.

So, Orion turned his heels and walked toward the spot he arrived from.

After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the boxes of supplies and looked up.

"Tetra."

'Yes?'

He heard the one in his core answer.

'Not you. The other Tetra.'

'Oh...'

She felt a bit frustrated that he wasn't speaking to her, but she refrained from actually saying anything.

"Yes?"

The one he was actually calling warped in front of him, speaking the same question with the same tone.

It was incredibly difficult for Orion to acknowledge the two existing at the same time, yet he was starting to get used to it.

"..."

Seeing the woman holding the back of her head, Orion smirked.

"How was it?"

"Do you have to ask?"

"No, but I thought some small talk would be appropriate in this situation."

"Pff."

The pink-haired woman shrugged dramatically, still holding her painful head.

"Exactly like you thought it would. I got an earful."

Her expression wasn't one of defeat, but one that showed that she had actually reflected on her action.

"Orion, I apologize. It was a misplaced curiosity that led me to put you in danger."

"I'll accept the apology. Let's forget about it, since I don't hold a grudge or anything close to it."

He smiled warmly. Maybe Alyssia's constant smile rubbed on him, but it was a kinder, less constricting smile.

"I'm grateful for that."

As she smiled in return, she looked over Orion's shoulder.

"Orion!"

Suddenly, Alyssia came running at him from a distance. She wasn't used to running that much, so she was breathing heavily.

"Alyssia?"

'Why is she here? I thought everything had been said?'

'I don't know.'

Tetra asked, but Orion was as lost as her as to why the silver-haired woman was running after him.

"There's... something I have forgotten to do!"

She stopped in front of him, grabbing her knees as she caught her breath.

'Hmm~'

Orion pondered for an instant before looking at his right hand.

He walked around Alyssia and placed his hand on her back, rubbing it up and down.

A small light covered his hand, which appeased the exhaustion in her body.

"Light magic?!"

Tetra suddenly exclaimed as she took a step forward, observing intently the faint energy coming out of Orion

"It feels quite comfortable. Thank you."

Alyssia rapidly recovered her breath and straightened. Orion stopped healing her and walked in front of her.

"Was there something left from our conversation that I've forgotten?"

He asked her what he thought was the subject of her frantic state.

"No, this is nothing related to that. I just..."

She approached him, inching her face closer to him.

Instinctively, Orion thought of taking a step back, but Alyssia's hand grabbed his face, gently cupping his cheeks.

"I forgot to bless you."

She forced Orion to lower his head before she kissed his forehead.

"Woah."

Tetra made a weird sound, but her face showed little excitement, as she knew there was no love influencing Alyssia's choice of action.

Orion's pupils began to vibrate weirdly. When the woman took a step back, she observed him with worry.

"This was something I had to do. Forgive me."

"What..."

Putting his opened hand across his face, he hid most of it, only leaving his left eye visible.

A sickening feeling began to churn his core, which even Tetra was able to feel.

"What have you...?!"

Forced to put one knee on the ground, Orion coughed and groaned.

"This feeling..."

Magic began to flow inside his body, pushing an invading matter out of him. The blessing Alyssia gave him ravaged the curse from inside, leading to an opening in his magic veins.

"Ugh..."

Orion opened his mouth, releasing a puddle of dark matter that splashed on the pavement.

"Without even giving it a thought, he slammed his right hand inside the puddle and erased it with light magic."

"I despise this feeling."

While wiping his mouth, Orion stood up.

"That's all I can do for you. I'm sorry, I am unable to erase the entire curse."

The nauseating feeling disappeared completely the moment Orion ejected the dark matter from his body.

"You shouldn't be sorry. What you've done is more than enough."

A white cross, shaped like a star, appeared in his eyes before blinking out of existence. His gray eyes returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.

"Ha- Haha~"

Orion chuckled lightly before a smile full of nostalgia formed on his face.

"This feeling... How much I missed it."

A strange distortion appeared around him, which surprised both Tetra and Alyssia.

"My magic."

With a movement of his left hand, a portal that was the size of a human being opened.