'Your naming sense is quite... something.'

Tetra was at a loss for words toward the name Orion gave the Remnant.

'She's a Remnant, isn't she? I can't give her a normal name. Even you had a false name.'

'Right? Tia-Norun?'

Smirking, Orion teased her.

'Don't call me that! It makes it sound like we're strangers.'

'It was just a way to separate ourselves from the rest of the world. We are humans anymore.'

As Orion turned to the kobold, he smiled.

"What do you think? You need a name to be differentiated from other kobolds. If you don't want it, it's fine."

The blessing brought by Silka's sigil constantly translated Orion's speech into the sounds a kobold used to converse with each other, while also letting him speak normally.

Rules tended to bend weirdly around him, but no one seemed to really care.

As if someone, or something, gave him the key to do whatever he pleases, within the limits of what could be possible.

"Procyon."

The progenitor of the kobold, which was a faction composed of bipedal mammals, tilted its head.

Just like Orion gave a name to Sirius, he gave a name to this being without caring for others' opinions.

Henrietta was afraid Orion was going to get attached to her, leading to various problems down the line.

Tetra appeared to care very little for the kobold, and Noah chose to leave her in his hands.

The only ones who showed interest in her were the twins. They truly loved her fluffy fur and how docile she was.

At first, Orion thought that, maybe, the Remnant believed itself captive. But as time went on, she began to relax her body.

Sleeping in every corner of the room, she made it her nest. It was a thousand times better than sleeping in the cold snow of the south.

There was no need to hunt, either, as Orion brought food daily.

Between those moments, she also tried to walk around the place unsupervised. Needless to say, she was found out rather quickly by Henrietta.

No one really cared unless she began to act like a feral beast. As no such case happened, she slowly began to learn more about the underground.

But she always returned to Orion's room after a few hours.

Intentionally, the Remnant began to stay with him as much as it could. She observed him, genuinely intrigued by this person.

She knew about humans. There was no way she wouldn't.

Her children were constantly chased by them and even killed for no reason. The only reason would be the instinct to steal from them, but even so, death wasn't the answer.

The intolerant humans were her enemies. She could tell, with just a look, that the two girls were humans.

At first, she was shocked by their friendliness. Their hugs that brought warm feelings to her chest and the caresses that made her opinion of them shift in a good way appeased her internal turmoil.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Now, the twins were authorized to touch her and even sleep with her. She felt at peace with them, which was enough for the Remnant who always lived alone and had to constantly stay on guard to survive.

But she couldn't understand the man who saved her. He wasn't like the girls.

The essence composing his body was entirely different. Two energies were constantly clashing against one another.

This being possessed since its birth something it didn't and couldn't understand.

She could observe the 'essence' of every being. Be it animals, plants, or other factions.

This power made it easy to identify who was an ally or who was an enemy.

But Orion? He was special. Never had she seen such a powerful essence in a being.

Noah was the same. His essence was bright and powerful, but he was human at his core. This wasn't enough to catch her attention completely.

On the other hand, Orion was shockingly interesting. He could speak her language but could also speak his own simultaneously.

The essence in his body showed a new being that intrigued her to the point of constantly observing him.

Since the angels and demons were on the path to being a part of this world and that she was supposed to die, she had no idea what those two factions' essences were.

She couldn't know that the essence of an angel and a demon constantly struggled to stabilize.

Then, as the day passed, the man gave her a name.

'Procyon.'

She felt a warmth from it, as if it had been bestowed by the voice she heard once in her life.

Even though his essence was chaos itself, they were warm, inviting, and peaceful.

Wholeheartedly, she accepted the name and became Procyon, the Remnant of Essence.

The primordial Remnant of what rendered an entity what it was at its core.

With its death, no one would ever understand their true nature and aimlessly wander the road of self-recognition.

...

Once this matter ended, Orion turned to his next problem.

As he wandered the corridors of stone leading back to the surface, he discussed with Tetra the many options they could find to help resolve their dilemma.

After obtaining barely any leads as to how to resolve it, the only thing left was to meet with Tiohr-nam.

"..."

Orion stood in front of the massive trunk of the tree and stared at its high crown.

"As healthy as ever. That's good."

His eyelids felt heavy the moment his hand touched the wood.

It was a long time since he felt this sensation, but let it take over his being.

"Finally!"

Before he could open his eyes, he felt a force strangle him.

When he opened his eyes, he noticed a strand of pink hair rubbing against his cheek.

"Tetra, release me."

"No!"

With a dejected expression, Orion stared toward the massive tree growing in the center of a large forest.

This place was the sanctuary where Tiohr-nam resided, where her overall condition could be accurately measured.

While he was glad that Tetra could move freely and hug him, he wasn't here for that.

He pushed her away gently but stretched his arm in her direction immediately after.

Tetra happily wrapped her arms around his, and they walked toward the tree, where Tiohr-nam was waiting.

"It's been a while, Tiohr-nam."

"Only today have I learned that you were still alive. Still stuck in the past, I see."

Orion nodded.

"How have you been?"

The Avatar asked with genuine interest. As it had been three years since their last discussion, she wanted to know about the recent events.

"It's been full of challenging stuff."

Without wasting a moment, even if time flowed differently in this space, Orion explained everything that had happened to him.

...

"Hmm~"

The Avatar appeared to be deep in thought. What Orion shared with her was so important that she stopped all pretense of calmness and seriously considered everything.

"Another primordial Remnant. I have not been made aware of their presence in the slightest."

"Have you ever met one?"

"Only Velridar."

"Of course."

Orion nodded, understanding that even Tiohr-nam, who had a hand over life and death, couldn't gather the location of those primordial beings.

"From what you have told me, corruption might have dealt heavy damages to those Remnants. Some might have died already, making their concepts impossible to retrieve."

Tetra pondered while being glued to Orion.

"Wouldn't the world be in an even worse state if that were the case? I think everything started with this kobold."

"This might have been the moment Miasma understood how to attack the continent aggressively and bring chaos to it."

Tiohr-nam's Avatar pondered before nodding.

"You might be on to something. But there is no way for us to know where they are."

Orion frowned, recalling some significant information from his time.

"The progenitor of the griffins is still alive, I believe. During the 'Purging War' led by the humans, they fled to another continent."

Staring at him, Tetra added her own opinion.

"I think this could be actually the reason for its disappearance. If it fled the continent with its children, then that primordial Remnant will stay alive. Hopefully."

The two listening nodded.

"The primordial Remnant of the elementals will always stay out of our world. We shouldn't be worrying about this one."

"Is that so?"

Tetra nodded.

"Yes. You can have my word on that piece of information."

"Your words aren't very trustworthy, but I will take it into account anyway."

"Hey!"

Pouting, Tetra looked at Orion as if she expected him to defend her.

With a faint smile, he also sighed.

"Tiohr-nam, don't tease her too much. She proved to be smarter than she was originally."

"Oh? You are defending her now? That is quite interesting. Since when did your situation change?"

"Recently."

The Avatar nodded.

"If you vouch for her, I suppose I will have to stop teasing her."

With a nod, Orion looked at Tetra, who was rubbing her chin against his shoulder like a cat.

Then he continued.

"I have no idea where the progenitor of the kelpies is. All I know is that even in the future, it is well and alive."

"The sea might be the hardest place to reach, even for Miasma."

Tiohr-nam agreed.

"It is a vast expanse that stretches downward infinitely. With the countless underwater caverns and hiding spots, it will be tricky to find its location."

"The only way to contact it would be through the kelpies themselves."

They nodded at Tetra's proposition.

"Orion, what about Velridar?"

"..."

His eyes avoided hers.

"I see... Either you cannot tell me because it would impact my future, or you fear my reaction. Please ignore this question."

But they all knew the answer, even Tiohr-nam herself.

Velridar lost his life in the future after Orion 'healed' the rotting links that had been damaged by the corruption between him and his children, the lamias.

Instead of keeping the silence growing, Tiohr-nam asked another question.

"So, why have you come to seek my help? Is it related to the kobold Remnant?"

Orion nodded. He let go of the emotions he felt while thinking of Velridar and focused on what he came for.

"I would like your opinion on something."