Mia and Nia sat on the bed, speechless.

Since three years ago, when they had lost everything, their worldview shattered multiple times.

The first time was when two powerful men appeared to save them. Their absurd strength brought the poor girls to rely on them heavily.

The second time was when they became aware of Remnants, mighty beings that ruled over concepts that constructed their entire world.

This time, Orion's story became the third shock.

"..."

Nia's gaze dropped, and she tilted her head, trying to process everything.

"The future..."

"Is that even possible? I mean..."

Staring at Orion with a face full of distrust toward his words, Mia scoffed at the idea.

"This is too illogical to be true. Are you lying to us?"

Orion shrugged without being disappointed.

"You asked who I was. I answered truthfully."

"If you cannot believe those words, then you should ignore them."

His answer, removed from any culpability, made her doubt her judgment.

"I..."

Next to her, her sister clasped her hands together while trembling slightly.

"I believe you."

"Sis, we can't dismiss it as a crazy story. We've seen... the reality of this place."

Her gaze was deep and terrified, recalling the tragedies of that day. If not for the two Heroes, they would have definitely joined the others in death.

At that moment, anger surged in both sisters. They glared at Orion, and Mia opened her mouth.

"If you came from the future... then you knew? You knew that our village would be destroyed?"

Even Nia, who was kind at heart, couldn't help but feel the same as her sister.

Pain raptured through Orion's entire being as he silently nodded.

"Kh!"

Mia turned her head away in disgust and rage.

"Why?! Why didn't you do something?! With that power, you could have-"

As the younger sister was losing her cool, Orion immediately cut her off.

"Blame me as much as you desire, but it doesn't matter."

"What?!"

They were unable to contain their fury, but Orion entirely ignored them. They wouldn't be able to do anything to him, even if they tried.

"It is obvious that you wouldn't understand the overall situation. You are missing numerous crucial details."

"To begin with, you two were originally the only survivors of this tragedy. There was no reason for me to go against the path dictated by history."

"But-!"

Orion shook his head.

"You don't understand. My presence here is already a major problem. Just because I know what is going to happen doesn't mean I can freely change the outcome of events that will happen."

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Even now, I've changed plenty of matters, which jeopardize my own existence in my era."

"This Remnant over there is one of those major changes. She was supposed to die, but I saved her."

"Preserving your village would have been easy. Letting you die would have been even easier."

Clenching his chest, Orion continued with a bitter grimace.

"I watched everything happen. Witnessing the death of humans was never on the list of things I desired. Especially if it led to two young girls suffering for the rest of their lives."

"But there are some bigger things at play. Your survival was a priority, even if I had to watch the entire world burn."

"That's how important you two are. Without that event..."

His head dropped.

"I could have lost you."

Confused, the anger in their heads dissipated. They looked at each other, processing the hidden meaning behind his words.

"Why are you talking as if we were of any significance in your time? We're humans... we won't live more than fifty years."

"Sis... are we going to live forever?"

Orion hid his face inside his hands. He spoke too much and realized his mistake just a little too late.

'I massively fucked up.'

Feeling regretful, he sighed.

'The solitude was too much for you to endure... I'm sorry, Orion.'

Tetra's voice appeased his aching heart ever so slightly, but at the same time, he felt two hands touch his hair.

Without lifting his head, he felt the twins gently caress his hair.

"There's just one question we have to ask."

Nia contained her emotions better than her sister, but still trembled slightly.

Both of them had difficulty accepting the reality of his words. If he could save their village, why didn't he do it.

Of course, they understood why. It was because it was the way of the world. One man, even from the future, had no right to modify their fate.

But something didn't add up. Why them? Why was Orion so fixated on saving them?

That's why Mia asked the next question with apprehension.

"Are we... important to you?"

"..."

A short silence took over the room as they slowly continued to ruffle his hair. Orion knew that the next answer would either create a massive rift between them or bring them even closer than they were.

This was a moment that tested his new vision of the world. Would he play it off like he always did, or would he listen to his heart and be truthful?

—

"What is it that you believe in?"

"Do you believe in yourself, or do you believe in us?"

"Are we insignificant, or are we so important that you cannot leave without us?"

"..."

"We love you, but do you love us in return?"

"Can you truly say that you treasure us? Is it all a lie to satisfy your delusions?"

"What do you think, Orion?"

—

At that moment, Amelia appeared in his mind. He swore he could hear his childhood friend and lover unmistakably.

His mouth opened, and the words flowed naturally.

"I would give my life to keep you alive. Your existence has so much value to me, it cannot be placed on the balance of choice at all."

"Even your presence here is a relief to me. It is the proof that when I return, I will not lose what is dear to me."

He grabbed their hands and straightened. A gaze brimming with sincerity shocked the twins, making them slightly blush.

Gently holding their hands, he smiled wryly.

"If I could have saved your village and moved you toward the same fate, I would have done it without batting an eyelash. But I couldn't risk it. I was unable to..."

"As I watched the carnage, I endured the urge to protect them. I realized that this power I have wasn't here just to protect me, but others too."

"But... I want to keep my own happiness from withering away. I already pushed it away countless times and harmed countless people by doing so."

Looking at Mia and Nia alternatively, he frowned.

"I'm not asking you to believe everything I'm saying. It probably doesn't make sense to you."

"What I'm asking is that you trust me. You two being hurt is just as painful to you as it is for me."

He let go of their hands and sat there, his gaze lost toward the roof.

'Changing one's self is a challenge I never thought I'd undertake.'

'Do you regret being more honest toward yourself and others?'

Turning to Tetra, Orion closed his eyes. The little relief she brought with her made him forget about how the twins could react.

'I... actually don't. There's a bit of satisfaction from rejecting my old self.'

'That's good. Be proud of yourself.'

'...'

Orion pondered. Without Tetra, he wouldn't have realized the importance of being truthful.

This woman, who always wore her heart on her sleeves, was just as important to his changes as he was.

'Thanks.'

'Huh?'

Receiving unexpected thanks, she felt something was off.

'I did nothing worth your thanks, though? Why say that so suddenly?'

Since he was in a mood to let everything out, Orion continued without paying her any mind.

'You've told me countless times that you fell in love with me. Do you have a thing for Heroes?'

'Hmm~'

Tetra considered the option, but she rejected it.

'The title itself has no meaning. What I liked about you is your determination to go through everything.'

'I love the smile you have when you do something you enjoy. Your body isn't half-bad either... in fact, I'd love to touch it and feel those muscles.'

'The way you fought to retrieve me from Miasma was also very enticing. No one showed such eagerness toward me apart from you.'

'Maybe it wasn't love, but as a woman, you can't blame me for thinking otherwise. I was incredibly jealous of everyone, enjoying the warmth of love when I couldn't.'

'Even after all this time, even if you won't love me, I will never give up. One day, I'll have you-'

Orion cut her off.

'You won't have to give up. I'd rather have you than reject you.'

'H-Huh...? What... did you say?'

She couldn't believe her ears.

'I've appreciated your support all this time, and you grew on me. That sweet voice you've been murmuring was quite difficult to ignore, and the support you've given me saved my heart.'

'You want to be loved? I'll give you plenty of it. That possessiveness you've shown only managed to remind me of my feelings for everyone.'

His voice became sharper.

'I want everything.'

'I need to hug everyone. I intend to make them happy, and I promise to make you a part of it.'

'Protecting the world, finishing off Miasma, and disposing of the monsters that killed the Valkyries. All of that, I will succeed in doing.'

'I am greedy. Do you hate that?'

Tetra's mind blanked out and instinctively answered.

'I don't...'

'Can you love me knowing that I will never let you go?'

'I can...'

Orion smiled.

'In that case, you're mine. Like everyone else, I'll fight for you.'

The spark of true love appeared in his core. A feeling Tetra felt, for the first time, directly aimed at her.

'...'

The shock took her out instantly. Her feelings exploded, but she remained calm and in control.

To her surprise, she felt at peace.

'Ah~ Is this what it feels like to be loved? I can tell that this is only a small flame, but... it's my job to turn this ember into a brazier.'

While Orion finally threw away the last of his hesitations, the twins came to their own conclusion.

"Then... nothing's changed?"

"We still don't understand anything because you won't tell us the entire story, but if you say we're important, we cannot blame you for what happened to us."

Mia and Nia came to the same opinion. It would have been weird for twins to have divergent opinions anyway.

"It's not like Orion sent those monsters after our village."

"You're right."

Surprised, Orion lowered his head and stared at them.

"I'm grateful that you would trust me. In return, I will never let you down."

The twins smiled.

"One day, you will have to tell us everything you know, understood?"

"You'll have to be truthful about how you see us. We're humans, so we won't live long enough to follow the same path as a Hero like you."

With a light heart, Orion acknowledged their request and swore to tell them one day.

Many things were planned after his return home. Orion would be busy for quite some time after dealing with Miasma.

That was...

Unless he and Noah failed to do so.