As expected by Tetra, the changes began to immediately take effect.

After calming down, the twins were holding a side of Orion's pants each.

They looked at him with the same expression of dread as before, but they apparently felt attached to him after he had stood to defend them.

Noah kneeled in front of Orion and looked at the two girls.

"My name is Noah. I wish to apologize for not coming in time to protect your lives."

He glanced to the side, and so did the twins.

The area wasn't devastated. Everything they had known was either destroyed or void of life.

"It's..."

The most responsible sister's feeble voice, full of exhaustion, answered with trembling eyes.

"We're..."

She looked at her little sister, who was looking at the ground, unable to think properly.

Orion kept his hands on the top of their heads, keeping a gentle pressure on them to reassure the poor girls.

They felt safe under his care, just as much as they were in front of Noah.

"You don't have to accept my apology. I know how difficult it is not to blame those in power when such a tragic event happens."

Placing his forearm on his knee, Noah nodded while giving them a reassuring smile.

"Thank... you."

The other twin, who hadn't talked so far, thanked Noah.

"We're glad we managed to save at least someone."

Inwardly cursing the world for making him watch powerlessly as an entire village of humans was devastated, Noah did his best not to betray the words he spoke.

They looked upward at Orion, who nodded with the same smile as earlier.

"Do you mind telling me your names?"

"..."

The twins gently nodded.

"Mia."

"Nia."

Orion opened his eyes in shock.

'Huh?'

Confusion suddenly developed in his mind, but Tetra rapidly appeared to calm it.

'You don't have to wonder too much. This is their human name.'

'Tiohr-nam was the one who gave them a new name. It wasn't necessary, but as the new representatives of the fairies, they changed their names.'

Calming down his agitation as this information was new to him, Orion internally sighed.

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'Neither Dramia nor Drania ever spoke of their human name. Even Tiohr-nam never mentioned this.'

'Because it isn't vital to know. It was certainly a secret, but if you had asked, I'm sure they would have told you. They probably thought that it wasn't related to your mission.'

An even stronger sigh echoed in his head.

'I was too obstinate about Elliott and Miasma to give them a moment.'

'Now that I had the time to reflect on my action, I realize that I've been ignoring almost everyone.'

Six women flashed through his mind.

Dramia and Drania, Olivia, Senia, May, and Deveralna.

Yes, he spent a night with Deveralna, but he still barely understood her. Compared to Amelia or Karteira, she was one of his companions with whom he barely interacted.

At the time, he knew that he loved them, but he had no idea how to treat them correctly at a time when his last battle could arrive at any moment.

The same happened for the twins.

'If only I had spent more time with them...'

His grip relaxed, and he was about to release the two girls.

Tetra added something as the two girls looked up at him.

'You can reflect on your mistakes later, but I know your love is true and pure. If we return alive, you'll have all the time in the world to do your thing with them.'

'And maybe with me too...'

The last part was added as the twins pulled Orion's sleeves. Ultimately, he stopped discussing this with her and focused on the grief-stricken teenagers.

As his eyes sank inside their eyes, he noticed something.

'Those eyes...'

Something that everyone around Orion had and that he liked the most from companions was missing

They were missing the bright light of life and determination inside their eyes.

Amelia's pure pearly irises, Karteira's bright cerulean eyes, and Deveralna's reptilian and captivating dark orange irises.

*

Olivia's relaxing blue-sky eyes, which changed to a choking and devious blood-red color when changing into her demon form, were a sight to behold.

May's clear ruby eyes, displaying the will to live more than anyone else, shone brightly under adversity.

Senia's light yellow irises, full of life and determination to better themselves, were mesmerizing to him.

And lastly...

*

'They're losing the spark of hope...'

Orion could see the light of life itself slowly dissipating from them. The will to survive was disappearing as he looked at them.

He could sense the same feeling while looking inside their eyes, but he didn't like how horrible it felt to look at them.

The healthy green color of life itself that they had was absent, replaced by a natural chocolate brown, perfectly matching their hazelnut-colored hair.

But their gazes...

"I am Orion. I'm pleased to meet you, Mia and Nia."

Expressing the same smile as Noah, the twins nodded, still holding his sleeves.

"Tetra."

Noah gently stood up, calling the name of the Remnant who had brought them here.

From behind Orion, she walked with her arms crossed.

"I already obtained permission from Enri. They're staying with us."

With a gentle gaze, she looked at the twins and then at Orion.

"We won't be separating them from their savior, so we won't drop them off on Eogis with the other orphans."

Mia caught this detail and looked at Noah.

"Other orphans?"

Showing interest in his words, Mia noticed him nodding.

"I've been moving across the continent to save as many people as possible. I've saved more than a hundred children who had lost their parents."

"They've created a community on an island far away from the horrors that caused their grievances."

She understood what he meant by horror: creatures that were far more monstrous than what should exist.

These monsters only appeared randomly, rarely showing themselves in the open. Since no one besides merchants and warmongers dared to exit their village, only a few corrupt beasts were ever spotted.

With a pondering expression, Mia looked downward.

Nia, on the other side, couldn't look away from Orion's face. She was looking at the face of her savior with scrutiny.

(...ld...)

Orion heard a sliver of Nia's sentence. With curiosity, he kneeled so that she could speak directly to him.

"Yes? Nia, right? Is there something you would like from me?"

It pained Orion to have to act this way in front of them, but he couldn't act naturally with the past selves of his companions.

The girl, who had looked distressed until now, leaned forward.

"How old are you?"

He heard the small voice of Nia clearly and, with a smile, answered her.

"Would you believe me if I said minus four thousand years?"

The smile on his face was perceived as a joke by Nia, who giggled at the sudden joke.

She noticed her change of heart and, with a confused look, turned to her sister.

Mia had a faint smile on her face at the sight of her younger twin sister's recovery.

The mark of trauma hadn't entirely etched its mark inside them, which Orion, Noah, and the watching Remnants noticed.

"Since it's not quite possible, I'll give you my real age. I'm twenty-three."

He didn't lie previously, but he couldn't explicitly tell the girls he came from the future.

"Oh."

The shy twin nodded before Orion asked the same question.

"What about you two? Are you twins?"

Looking at the two sisters alternatively, Orion smiled.

"Y-Yes. We're twins."

Nia looked down as Mia slightly inched over next to her.

"We're both fifteen."

This small talk helped the girl forget some of her troubles. The light of life finally returned to their eyes, making Orion sigh with relief internally. Even Tetra, who was holding her mouth to not pester him, breathed a sigh of relief.

The more responsible sister hugged her sister gently while caressing her hair.

"Noah."

Orion and Noah exchanged a sharp glare before both nodded at Tetra.

"Alright. Let's move out of this place. It's bad for everyone."

All this time, she did her best not to look around. Now that the chance had arisen, she hurriedly activated her power and warped back to their hideout.

The smell of blood was starting to permeate through the air, which was the reason for the two Heroes' sudden motion to return.

With a movement of her left hand, Tetra made everyone warp away, herself included.

~

"Titania..."

"What is it?"

Three Remnants stood in front of a large building.

Its pyramidal shape and color intrigued one of them, while another stared into the unending spiral of magic energy whirling above them.

"Are you sure that this will work?"

Henrietta, Titania, and Heto walked past the arching entrance of the Elemental Temple.

"Of course not. If I were sure of it, I would not have requested for Heto to come along."

"I get what you want to do, but I'm not sure if it's the correct way to go about it."

The tall Remnant stopped, his eyes settling on the reason for his presence.

"I told you. We are done standing on the sidelines. Henrietta, it is time for us to help."

As Titania opened her hands, two

souls brightly spun around her index finger.

"Reon... Orianne..."

"We are bringing you back, even if it is against your wishes."

Pointing her finger at the rocks holding Orion's parents sealed inside, Titania smiled.

"For Orion's sake."