Orianne tilted her head, letting the idea permeate through her mind.

"If your father was here, he would understand this instantly."

"But you're here right now. It doesn't matter."

With a shrug, she smiled.

"Alright, I'll watch whatever you're going to accomplish. Even if I don't entirely understand, I will at least return with a good story for Reon."

Orion smiled at his mother, seeing her retreat toward the entrance.

He gave a quick nod toward Tetra, who came closer to the anomaly.

While she stayed further away, Orion walked next to her, preparing his mind and body to receive the intense energy.

"Longinus."

Tetra spoke the name of the staff resting in her core, the last vestige of her mother, a Valkyrie.

"Give me a moment to get used to it. I might have used it as a soul, but while in my body, it's entirely different."

"I have to adjust to this energy before using it."

Glancing toward her, he began to focus on the void element inside his body.

*Hiiiiiiiii*

A low frequency began to emit a sharp noise, coming from Orion. As a few minutes went by and both were getting used to their respective energies, they opened their eyes.

"Slowly, you understand?"

Hearing Orion's concerned tone, Tetra nodded.

"I know. We've done this once already. I can do it twice."

Reaching for each other's hand, they tightly entwined their fingers.

"!"

"..."

The energies traversed their entire body, causing them to shudder.

Powerful void magic rippled through Tetra, while her Remnant power bathed Orion's magical system.

With a frown, Tetra turned to Orion.

"What about that spot of corruption?"

He smiled in return.

"Since it's still there, I diverted magic from there. It's not the time to remove it."

"I see."

Still anxious about any problems that could happen at any moment if not careful, she focused on the matter at hand.

The low-frequency ripple, which bothered Orianne for a while, began to subside into a high-pitch noise.

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Like a rumbling echo, it pounded into their chests. As if someone were playing an instrument, it continued to ring in their ears, too.

A small layer of void magic suddenly covered both Orion and Tetra, starting from their feet.

When the liquid-like form of magic enveloped them entirely, Orion lifted his left hand while Tetra pointed Longinus in front of her.

"Ready?"

"More than ever!"

Having a smug smile on her face, she looked into his eyes.

"Time to break what we've created."

Giving the same kind of smile to Tetra, he then turned to look in front of him.

*VRRR*

A perpetual shockwave of energy, just strong enough to lift the dust of the rocky floor, began to blast from the duo as their center.

What happened next was equivalent to igniting a match inside a coal mine.

In front of Orianne, a multiple-layered wall appeared, sealing her off from the room. Nothing went past his magic, protecting her without leaking an ounce of energy past it.

The enveloping energy around Orion and Tetra protected them from the external force that they were about to unleash.

As a spinning star, similar to the one Tetra saw through her sixth sense, formed inside Orion's hand, all sounds suddenly stopped.

The shockwaves continued, but dust and small rocks began to float all around them, completely still.

Tetra approached Longinus toward the star and absorbed it inside.

As her eyes squinted as it required an immense amount of focus, she aimed her staff at the anomaly.

'Slowly...'

'Like a key inside its keyhole...'

When Longinus was perfectly aligned with the rift, a faint beam of light slowly reached for it, coming from the jewel at the tip of the staff.

The instant the light reached the anomaly, space swallowed the entirety of the cave.

Both were suddenly thrown out of this realm. Similarly to what would happen outside the planet's atmosphere, they began to levitate.

The walls were gone, the ground had disappeared, and only an endless void of stars swallowed the two.

With a face of pure disbelief, Orianne watched this scene unfold.

In the middle of space, Orion and Tetra were reaching for the spinning star.

'Don't breathe...'

'We don't have much time.'

Glancing at each other, they nodded, seemingly understanding each other.

They turned to what they came to find. It was roughly the size of his fist, but it was brightly lit.

The source of the seal was impossible to reach without them. It was a star, a rock, and a strange composite at the same time, changing states with each pulse.

Orion immediately grabbed it in his hand and crushed it without a moment of hesitation.

Not a second later, the entire space around them disappeared, like a curtain falling down.

"Haaaah!"

Taking in a deep breath, Tetra inhaled loudly.

Orion sighed in relief as he closed his eyes.

Longinus vanished, returning inside Tetra's core, while Orion opened his eyes and looked at the stardust falling between his fingers.

The space returned to normal, except for the spot where the anomaly stood.

Now becoming inactive, the anomaly began to collapse on itself. But as the collapse distorted space itself, a figure suddenly replaced the singularity.

When the anomaly stabilized, a bipedal wolf with clear white fur looked around, confused.

"..."

Procyon stared at the familiar area, her tail waging lightly. As her eyes scanned the cave, her eyes fell on Orion.

"Grrrr."

Growling with joy, she walked forward.

"I told you I'd come for you. My words are always true."

Exhausted, Tetra let go of his hand and turned around. But as she was about to leave, Orion suddenly grabbed her hand.

"Wait a moment."

Void magic began to cover his body as he focused on it. Then, as per his will, light magic covered Tetra, healing the headache she was starting to feel.

"Thank you. I didn't intend to bother you, so I thought I'd wait."

"Your health is more important. You should still rest while I make sure everything is back to normal."

He patted her head a few times and smiled at her, relieved.

Feeling the love with her power, she resisted the urge to jump him and walked away, frustrated.

Still, she was too tired to even try, even if she wanted to.

Patiently waiting in front of him, Procyon was sitting, her tail wagging rapidly.

When he turned to her, he kneeled and caressed the Remnant's head.

"How do you feel?"

"Roooo~"

The one-way communication was still there. Orion was unable to understand the language of beasts, similarly to how it was for Sirius.

Still, it wasn't difficult to understand that Procyon was fine.

"Let me take a look at you. I need to make sure your life isn't in danger."

Procyon stood up on her hind legs, showing her bestial might. Her long, white mane, which covered her neck and went down her back, gave the image of a powerful and dignified leader.

In fact, she still was one, even in the future.

Checking her body, Orion realized that her power as a Remnant was still present, even after being sent thousands of years into the future.

Her body was the same as when he sealed her, which meant that barely any time passed inside it.

The relief he felt was greater than the feeling of accomplishment he had when he succeeded in bringing her back a moment ago.

"Paw."

When Orion asked, Procyon's right leg slid behind her, and she threw a fast swipe with her right arm.

He ignored the attack and dodged effortlessly, which surprised Procyon greatly. Grabbing her right arm, he examined it.

"Muscle mass is good. Strength is the same, and agility is unchanged."

"From the looks of it, you were sealed for close to two days. Even if it's a shared work, I'm still surprised at such a success."

Orion never forgot that, without Tetra, this entire plan would have been useless and impossible to do.

Because she trusted him enough to leave her life in his hands, they made the impossible possible.

The path to greatness, in his eyes, was one where no one was sacrificed. And in this path, he was also a part of it.

The days of fighting unconsciously, risking his life at every opportunity, were long gone.

Protecting the ones important to him, saving those in need, while defending the common people.

After confirming that Procyon was perfectly fine, he took a step back.

He gazed at the ceiling, which was barely lit by Orianne's magic.

'I understand now, Noah.'

Remembering the conversations he had with the former Hero, Orion turned a page of his story.

'To be a Hero isn't to simply act accordingly to what the world desires.'

'To be a Hero is to protect those who need help and to support the people who need you.'

'And...'

He smiled.

'A true Hero isn't someone who caused grief. It is someone who brings hope.'

The Remnant power in his core acknowledged his thought.

Orion Feales, a man who possessed the genes of both an angel and a demon, birthed a new element completely alien to this world and obtained the power of his enemy to change the world.

Something awakened inside him.

The Remnant of 'Purity' and 'Hope' started anew.

What other traits would he awaken? Only Nature knew.