"You want to know of a way to seal that Remnant?"

Orion stared at her without moving.

"This is a very contentious topic you have brought to me. You understand that asking this in front of the Remnant of Life is an insult?"

"I know. But this is the only way to avoid breaking the future. She was supposed to die, and I saved her."

A strained smile appeared on his face.

"I've already been scolded by Henrietta about this. Receiving an earful from you won't make me change my mind."

The Avatar chuckled. This both surprised Orion and Tetra alike.

"You can smile?!"

Tetra squinted her eyes dubiously, concluding that the Remnant in front of her was an illusion.

"That is quite rude! I might be serious the vast majority of the time, but I still know how to smile."

"Really, after being asked to not tease you, this is how you play?"

The Avatar leaned forward while pointing her chin to the side in consternation.

Orion could see sparks flying between the two, so he coughed dramatically.

"Tetra, quiet."

"Aye, sir!"

She immediately grinned and hugged his arm again.

Tiohr-nam thought that Orion had all powers over the woman named Tetra. Whatever he said, she would obey without questioning.

But she was mistaken in her reasoning. Even if he could, Orion would never order her.

What she missed was that they were playing around. In other words, they were acting all sweet and affectionate in front of her, oblivious to it.

"Alright. Let's get serious. Do you have an idea?"

Tiohr-nam's face stiffened as the only solution she knew formed in her mind.

"There is one."

"Don't!"

Tetra suddenly remembered something.

"Why the sudden shout?"

Confused, Tiohr-nam stared at her. But Tetra shook her head, repeating her words.

"Don't bring that up. We can't use it now."

"Why? Is it necessary-"

Her face instantly cramped.

"I cannot believe you... Did you-"

"Enri did."

Orion wasn't following the conversation. He tried to understand what they were talking about, but without any clue, it was near impossible to read between the lines.

"Without it, his entire existence would vanish. Forget about saving this Remnant; we wouldn't even save ourselves."

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At that moment, Orion gathered the necessary information. Tetra suddenly turned around and realized that what she said would be enough for Orion to piece together.

As he grabbed his chin, Orion muttered.

"The Remnant of Life and Death... Someone's existence... leading to nothing..."

"In other words, that person is me."

Placing her hand on her forehead, Tetra sighed. She listened to him come to the conclusion by himself.

"Life and Death..."

His eyes turned to Tetra.

"The magic my parents used during their battle against Elliott?"

"That exact one..."

With a defeated tone, Tetra sat back next to him.

"I can understand why it isn't a good idea."

Tiohr-nam listened to his opinion silently.

"Not only does it seal the target, but it also seals the user. I believe there is also a price to pay if I want to use it."

"My life, for example."

The Avatar nodded.

"You are exactly right. This power should not be used, if even at all. The cost was too great to be useful."

Her eyes turned to Tetra.

"How did you manage to know I was in possession of such a-"

"The 'Book of Fate'..."

She practically spat that name with disdain.

"You were dead and regrowing somewhere else by that point. We had no choice but to search for a fix."

"Enri tried many alternatives, but this was the only working one, I believe."

Tetra wasn't exactly sure either, and Tiohr-nam picked it up rather easily from her expression.

"How can you be unsure? Is she not your friend?"

"She never talked about her failures. All I know is that if we are on this path, then 'Fate' was brought forth by her power."

"This means that there were no other solutions to the problem, which forced her to depend on this one."

"The cost was Orianne and Reon's lives, who were Orion's parents'."

Tiohr-nam frowned.

"This is sickening. To think our world cannot be saved by other means..."

She wasn't disappointed in Tetra and Henrietta. On the contrary, she saw them as impossibly tenacious people who would do anything to protect the world.

The only disappointment she felt was from the actual state of the future.

"When will suffering end? Is there even an end to it?"

With no answer to that question, she looked upward at the clear sky.

"This is our job to stop it."

Her eyes dropped to Orion, who stared at her with a stern face.

"That's why I need your help. Alone, I cannot break the cycle. I require your help, and together, we'll stop the suffering plaguing our continent."

This sounded like something a foolish child would say, but his words carried an intensity that made Tiohr-nam nod instinctively.

"Even if I were to think about a solution, there is nothing I can do."

"Removing the soul from the body is a taboo that leads to death only, and using that magic will be detrimental to your life in both ways."

"Once used, this magic cannot be used a second time. This is how I designed it."

It wasn't difficult to know why it was created like this. Not out of fear of someone misusing it, but to avoid everyone being able to use it.

This would only cause destruction to mankind and beastkind, while also damaging the other factions if the knowledge was to spread.

"I get it. This wasn't a choice to begin with."

Orion rejected it fervently, to Tetra's relief. Even if she believed in him with her entire being, she couldn't bring herself to talk about life-threatening topics like this one openly.

"Now, I have a suggestion."

One of the ideas he had that he didn't mention to Tetra entered his mind. He wanted Tiohr-nam opinion on the matter, even if she had no idea about the actual matter.

"What is it?"

After nodding, Orion immediately explained his idea.

...

"You are a madman..."

Her eyes seemed lost in thought.

"But this could actually work."

"I do not understand the underlying concept behind what you have told me, but Tia-Norun appears to consider this quite seriously."

The pink-haired Remnant nodded.

"This is beyond dangerous for Procyon, but this is something only you can do."

"But maybe..."

Orion looked at her, confused by her aggravated state.

"Perhaps if I was able to use my power in conjecture with yours, it would improve the odds of success."

Suddenly, the idea he shared became a serious option. Out of everything they had discussed together, this was the only one Tetra seriously supported.

"Would it not enter a conflictual state with the Tia-Norun of this era?"

"Probably not... No, I'm sure it wouldn't. I wouldn't be the one focusing on the Remnant energy, but Orion."

"What a convenient loophole."

Tetra smirked.

"We use whatever is at our disposal, right?"

The Avatar sighed. A gentle breeze pushed her air to the side, rustling the branches and leaves of nearby trees.

This calm and peaceful place was also one of Orion's favorite places, even though he rarely entered it.

"Since you will not be using magic that endangers your life, I have nothing against it. If it succeeds, you could literally create a loophole through 'Fate'."

"If you fail... It will be on you, and you alone. I cannot help you in this endeavor."

Her thought process began to ponder something impossible.

"This cannot be..."

Orion caught on to her confusion, but Tiohr-nam shook her head.

"It is nothing to worry about. I have many matters to deal with, too."

"I see. In that case, we won't bother you more than we already did."

He smiled and bent his head.

"Thank you for your input on that matter. I understand how strange it might be for you to discuss matters like these."

She nodded.

"This is not worth thanking me for. It is honestly interesting to learn more about the future from your perspective."

As she finished her sentence, Orion began to fade from the space alongside Tetra.

When they completely vanished from her sanctuary, she blinked.

"Why has this thought taken a hold of my mind?"

Confused, she forced her right arm out of the trunk and grabbed her head.

"What if this entire timeline is actually the right 'Fate'? It cannot be..."

Then she recalled the fact that Noah actually acted differently compared to his original past.

"Hmm... I have a bad feeling about this. The past should not have meddled with the future."

"..."

Looking at the sky, she stared at it with a blank stare.

Her mind stopped bothering with that thought, and then she groaned.

"I have a headache..."

...

On the way back to the hideout, Orion discussed more about his plan with Tetra.

They created another goal for themselves, which became as important as saving Noah from his fate.

'I'll be meditating with you from now on.'

'If I cannot find a path through your body, all this discussion will be for naught. I cannot bring shame to you by making you fail.'

'I won't accept being a liability!'

Pumping herself up, she became eager to succeed.

On the other hand, Orion was left with one last task to focus on.

Finding a way to shatter fate itself.

How would he succeed in sending Noah home while making it look like he died?

Then came the problem of everyone knowing about him. The only person who wasn't affected by his presence was Alyssia, who had her own plans and future to deal with.

As she had no impact on his future besides surviving and birthing her daughter, he could ignore her.

But somehow, he had to make everyone forget about him.

Otherwise, the world would recalibrate and make the past acknowledge his importance in changing history.

If no one remembered him, then his plan would succeed flawlessly.

Noah wasn't a concern, but Henrietta, Tetra, Mia, Nia, and Tiohr-nam. Even the dragon that stared at him.

They all needed to forget.

As Orion planned ahead, the days continued to flow rapidly.