"This is a dangerous divergence of history!"

"I know. I have no excuse for saving this Remnant."

Orion was being scolded by Henrietta.

"Your presence in this world is already a paradox, but you've just saved a being that was supposed to die!"

She was sweating profusely while searching inside the 'Book of Fate'.

"No name, no story, no future... What in the fuck are you doing to this world?!"

A nervous laughter escaped her mouth as the kobold's entire existence couldn't be found inside of it.

Closing the book, she sighed heavily.

"Noah, what do you think?"

The first Hero had his back to the wall, arms crossed, and eyes closed.

"Even if you ask me, I cannot give you a satisfying answer. To avoid any further divergence, I propose to keep the Remnant in this place."

"Hiding it is the only way to avoid any repercussions at this point."

Henrietta had the same opinion.

"What about me? Aren't you going to ask about my opinion?"

Tetra pointed at herself with a frustrated expression, feeling as if she weren't needed in this conversation.

"I'm not in the mood to listen to your stupid remarks..."

Noticing how cold she sounded and how shocked Tetra looked at her, she relaxed slightly.

"But I'll entertain you. Do you have an idea?"

As usual for Orion, he heard the past and the future speak together in synchronicity.

'We just need to take it with us in the future.'

"Why not send it with Orion in the future?"

For a moment, instead of rejecting her voice outright, Henrietta seriously considered it.

"The idea itself isn't bad, but what's your opinion on doing that?"

The two Tetras grumbled.

'There is no way it'll go through...'

"It won't work. This was a stupid idea. You were right."

Once she became aware that she spoke without thinking again, she looked down with a defeated expression. Her long hair covered her eyes, and everyone felt bad for her.

"Henrietta."

Orion called out to her. He couldn't accept this situation where Tetra always ended up hurting, even if it were her past self.

"What? Is the source of my headache going to find a way to correct everything?"

She frowned and dangerously glared at him.

"You understand that the only way to correct our timeline is to kill this being right here and now?"

"Even if it is a Remnant, we cannot go against such a large variation without suffering some form of adverse effects."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

He sighed.

"There is no magic solution to this problem other than the option you've proposed."

"But you understand it is impossible for me to agree to it."

Orion pondered whether he should pressure her or not but chose to avoid it. This would only cause her to be defiant against him and make him return to his old ways.

Instead, he decided to trust her judgment.

"If you think keeping her alive will affect our battle against Miasma, do it."

"But personally, I believe there will be no influence. We aren't stupid enough to take advantage of each other to begin with."

Shared his thoughts on the matter, which he had carefully thought about, he took a step closer to her and stopped.

"If we were in the idea of sending her to fight Miasma or fight alongside us, we wouldn't even have this conversation right now."

"I might have saved an important individual in the grand scheme of history, but she never did grand things. We're talking about an animal that turned Remnant."

Noah smirked slightly while Henrietta brought her fingers to her chin. She seemed to consider his perspective.

"And... I might have an idea. All I have to do is confirm it with Tiohr-nam."

"I haven't saved this being just to kill it myself. I thought we were clear about avoiding tragedies."

She glared at him, but then sighed deeply.

"Alright, I get it."

"You're a real pain in the ass to deal with, and I hope you know that."

Orion smiled.

"If I have to bother you to attain the perfect ending, I'll do it as many times as I need to."

"Please... don't do that."

Rubbing her brows together, she glanced at Tetra, who was silently looking at the floor while playing with her fingers.

"Also, I'm definitely taking this kobold with me in the future."

"Huh?"

All eyes turned to him, unable to believe what they had heard.

"What? Can't believe me? That's why I said I'd need Tiohr-nam to help me."

"Oh, and I will need your help too, Noah. You're the only one who possesses an unrivaled earth magic."

Tetra lifted her head and looked at Orion with moist eyes. The bitterness of being taken lightly slowly dissipated, and, out of nowhere, her mood recovered.

On the side, Noah and Henrietta pondered.

"Tiohr-nam... earth magic..."

"!"

The first to understand was Henrietta.

"You're impossible! I take back everything I've said. Keep her alive and well."

"Henrietta?"

Noah lifted an eyebrow and rapidly came to the same conclusion.

"Interesting..."

Looking toward him, Henrietta nodded.

"Isn't it? That is something I would love to see. If that man is capable of actually writing history, I want to see it."

Turning to Orion, Henrietta began to piece the truth.

"I was still having afterthoughts about everything, but it appeared that something in you compels you to fight back against fate."

With a smile, she closed her eyes.

'I know only one being that can modify history and can endure the consequences. When have you chosen him as your champion?'

...

With the conversation closing at this point, Orion returned to his room, where he treated the kobold Remnant.

"Orion. Welcome back."

Mia greeted him as soon as he returned.

The twins were always loitering inside his room outside sleeping hours. He thought that they felt more comfortable near him than Noah and stayed with him instead because they were bored.

Their life was different from what they were supposed to go through, at least from Orion's perception of history.

"Nia, let go of her already."

Walking toward the bed, Orion noticed Nia hugging the kobold, who was sleeping soundly on his bed.

"What about her injuries?"

At that question, Nia sat in bed and lifted her hand in the air.

"I've checked! Not a single one has reopened."

Putting a hand to her face, Mia shook her head.

"The pretense to hugging her was for you to actually do something useful. Are you really my twin sister, Nia?"

"When have you become so rude, sis?"

Confused, the youngest of the twins tilted her head.

Orion watched this scene with a warm smile. He truly enjoyed spending time with them, as they reminded him of a time he had lost.

Even if they weren't his companions at this time, he appreciated their presence greatly.

'It's a good thing staying in this place did not change their development. They won't be any different when we'll return to the future.'

Tetra spoke with a sweet tone. When she was with Orion during moments like these, she did her best to stay pleasant and affectionate.

All she wanted was for him to be happy.

'It's a relief, if I have to be honest.'

Orion sat down on the ground and began to rest.

'Without those I trust, I wouldn't have had the will to live through this.'

'Especially without you. You've been supporting me through this entire journey, and you've never complained.'

'Yet I know better than anyone how much you yearn for your physical body.'

She agreed with a faint murmur.

'Yes.'

'Henrietta, Tiohr-nam, and Mia and Nia. With them by my side, I can focus on what I have to do.'

His gaze turned to the sisters having a light argument.

'It surely took a long time to accept that others were the reason for my life being this extraordinary.'

The memories of his time he had lost during his voyage inside the 'Corridors of Time' had all returned to him.

Whenever he wanted to recall someone, he could easily do it.

'I want to... hug them.'

Occasionally, the loneliness was crushing his feelings. That's when Tetra usually closed the distance between them.

In normal circumstances, what Tetra did could be considered exploiting his emotions to benefit her.

She could use his weakness to take a spot in his heart.

But this never became an actual thought. She genuinely couldn't bear hearing him behind sad.

'It's fine to be lonely. By remembering everyone, you only accumulate love.'

'The day you'll return home, it'll explode into something greater than love. I yearn for the day 'Passion' will take over you.'

She giggled, causing Orion to let go of his fleeting anxieties.

Suddenly, as he was about to continue talking to Tetra, the Remnant moved on the bed.

"GRRR!"

It recoiled in the corner of the bed while glaring at everyone in the room.

Orion stood up and lightly walked to the bed, inconspicuously standing between the twins and the Remnant.

"Do you understand me?"

For a split second, the sigil of Silka flashed in his eyes but disappeared before it could cause conflict with the power of this period.

His words entered the Remnant's ears, which twitched slightly.

It was a one-way type of communication. Only she could understand Orion, and not the other way around.

Confused, the bipedal wolf waited, her eyes glued on him.

"Do you remember me?"

Slowly, the Remnant approached Orion.

And...

She stretched a hand toward him.

The memory of Orion and the Remnant grabbing each other's hand before being warped into the Remnant's hideout flashed in their minds.

Orion slowly reached for her hand, and they grabbed each other's wrist.

"..."

He couldn't help but smile. Without the sigil given by Silka, he wouldn't have been able to communicate with her.

"Can I hug her?!"

Nia popped her head from behind Orion and jumped between them.

"Can I?!"

Before anyone could tell her anything, she threw her face at the Remnant's side. Her head sank into fluffy territory, while the wolf looked confused.

'Kobold were always a smart faction. They weren't made to be aggressive.'

Tetra shared her thoughts on what she knew about their faction, but she knew just as much as Orion did.

'We'll have to slowly bridge our differences. I need her help.'

Watching Nia hugging the wolf and the wolf acting bashful, Orion frowned.

The only one who noticed his expression was Mia.

"..."