It was quiet here, somewhere, wherever this place was. This was the plane of the subconscious, Alexander decided, after watching so many shows and movies and cartoons. As it turned out they depicted this place realistically: it was a domain devoid of existence as the immaterial mind was formless. A gray-white space that allowed him to slumber peacefully.

He exhaled and felt his feet stepping onto solid ground. Oddly, the sensation was like walking onto the surface of a still lake as paradoxical as that sounded. Such contradictions probably did prove he was actually embedded inside his own head.

While the outside world was continuing on without him.

“Okay…” he muttered and shut his eyes, recalling his last memories. He had defeated Kreutz the Lesser Caller. He used the power of [Starsunder Drakos], the [Memento] belonging to a man he never knew nor connected with.

Alexander reached his hand out and felt a new power stirring inside him. His new [Honor], the [Memento Arsenal]. The bonds he’d established thus far took the form of physical weapons; although he couldn’t summon them, they lingered inside warmly like hot chocolate.

“I’d laugh at how silly this all sounds but I can hardly believe it…” he said out loud; he never was the kind of guy who talked to himself but the silence here was getting to him. There had to be some extra noise other than white silence.

He attempted to open the System but no dice. Of course.

So what now?

What now…

He asked himself that question for a transient period of time. It felt like seconds as it felt like hours. The more he observed the clouds of his mindscape move, the more they remained static like the background of a painting. The world spun but he hadn’t moved a single inch from where he stood. That was the passage of the deep subconscious. Perhaps this was the Void that the current Kensei, the Martial Chair of Japan, sought after—the path of Zero.

But then, in the existence of nothingness there was a glimmer of white light sitting where the horizon ended. Alexander had already begun walking towards it without thinking like an animal acting on primal instincts. Was this it?

A way to free himself from his mind.

“There is a long road ahead of us, but if it’s us… Ha! Then it’s nothing!” said the mysterious man of [Starsunder Drakos], and he heard the roar of dragons and the chilling song of reeds.

“Hey hero, I’ll see you when they use you for a statue,” said the woman of [Bastard Nagant], and her voice was distant and their connection weak.

“Sage knew you were special when she first laid her eyes on you!”

“A guy like you? I never woulda thought you’d be the EX-Rank but I get it. I genuinely do.”

The holder of [Fox’s Window] and [Phoenix Brand] reached out to him together, illuminating the road and clearing the darkness.

“I haven’t known you for long but you’ve shown me you’re reliable. More than that demon anyway,” said the lady of the [Reverent Scythe], the prodigy from Giants’ Protection, cleaving away uncertainties with faith.

“I'm able to fully chase the stars now and see where they may lead. Of all men, I least expected you as the one who’d brighten the way,” so said the child of [Problematic Solution], and the cosmos shone in recognition.

“You’re a special man, Alex. All the other professors know. Whenever you wanna follow a different path in life, you know where to find me.”

“I’ll admit this: I might be a future SS-Rank but you’re a close second. Don’t tell Deon ‘cause he’ll be pissed as hell.”

“Thanks for encouraging me, I guess. I’m not so good at these talks but thanks anyway.”

“The Jianghu has given me memories I will never forget, but it is a past I’d prefer to leave as exactly such. I want to look towards the future with my friends.”

Holders of [Cheonji], [Champion Arms], [Heart Chords], and [Sōngshù] came to him one after another, bringing in their own energies of elements and power.

“The only man who’s more of a demon than I am and yet so hideously human. I’m joking but that’s your gift, I suppose.” The [Hellfire Domain] intensified in hunger, in power.

“I want to do my best since you believe I can. That’s uh, that’s all I have to say. Yeah.” Tearing through the clouds was a bolt of [Skyshooter].

“Conqueror, bring us home.” The wings of [Guardian Angel] soared and brightened the subconscious world.

“Of all the men I had to choose from, why did I pick you? Hehe, it’s simple, lovely, because it’s you.” All the desolate gray were cut down by the [Byeolungeom] and it purified the landscape.

“You make my life a miserable hell but we’re in this together. You and me against the crappy world.” There was howling and cries in the distance, of beasts not yet conquered and not yet submitted to the [Matriarch's Dagger].

And at the end of the path, that instance of white light stopped moving—no, he had caught up with it. The ball morphed and twisted and turned like the birth of a star in the cosmic womb. Two humanoid figures were free. Two figures he’d instantly recognized by the silhouettes alone. The only two who could make him choke and stutter.

A large man with more muscles than brains and a smaller woman capable of wrangling him with a single hand.

“Mom? Dad?” Alexander called to them and together, like they always had, they smiled—the holder of [Yǔzhòu] and [Bastion Gauntlets] respectively.

“Heya, conqueror.”

“You’ve grown, Alex.”

Before he could respond to the shadows of Bastien and Xiuying Shen, his father tilted his head forward and beckoned his son to follow without saying a word.

Together they walked towards the unfurling horizon, and the shores of his psyche fluttered with every step. The child could not keep up with his mother and father, instead looking between them: lost, confused, wanting guidance. No matter how fast he walked or how slow, he could never really catch up nor could he lose them.

Dad was the first to speak, marching tall with his broad shoulders back and looking towards the light unflinchingly: “It’s been a long time since we last talked. Me, you, your mother.”

“Mhm,” hummed Mom, eyes wandering. “It’s astonishing how much you grew up when we were away. You used to be so small. I could carry you with a single hand, but look at you! You’re strong enough to carry me and more, just like the oaf beside me.”

Dad rolled his eyes. “You used to be a little maniac devouring anything you could get your hands on. Any technique or forms or schools, you took it all. I thought I was a fighting genius but you taught me the meaning of that word. I was afraid of you. Afraid of the person you’d become. So it had been my responsibility to teach you how to be a man. I couldn’t trust anyone else. Anyone other than your uncle.”

The boy was quiet, listening.

Mom spoke, “I’ve always joked that our Althea would be high-maintenance but then you came along and shattered your father’s world. I used to listen to him ramble about the difficulties raising you, caring for you, disciplining you. He was afraid, yes, like how all good fathers are afraid for their sons when they grow up. Like how all parents fear for the futures of their children and grandchildren. But in that fear you’ve made a wonderful bond I’m envious of. You don’t have to say anything to reassure me, don’t worry, I know you love me. I taught you how to cook after all, so remember me whenever Althea bothers you for dinner.”

“Okay…” the boy said above a whisper.

“Remember me whenever you win a fight and laugh whenever your uncle tells you a story from our childhood. And every night, kiss your sister’s forehead before she goes to sleep. She’ll hate it but do it for us—”

"Don’t shackle him with so many chores, Bastien,” Mom reprimanded.

“I’m kidding. I’m kidding, of course I am. I don’t have to worry one bit.” Briefly Dad glanced over his shoulder and smiled at his son, who withered at the sight of it. “For all these years, you refuse to forget us.”

Mom commented solemnly, “For the better, and for the worst.”

“Yes, how blessed we are to have children like you. We must've done a good job if you miss us, and we did a horrible thing if you cry over us. But that’s life. You know this by now. It’s just life. Everything happens: to you, against you, for you, always you. Scorn and scream all you want, but everyone walks into the fire eventually."

Mom and Dad stopped; they arrived at the singularity point: a terrifying yet heavenly radiance of that white light. Tears ran down the boy’s cheek but not from its blinding rays. This was not the doorway his parents took.

The boy clenched his fists.

His mother spoke softly as she ever did, “This is where we leave you for good, Alex. On the other side is your new life. There is a whole world looking your way. It’s not right for us to shackle you to the vestiges of that Disaster; how can you work towards a better future when you remain in the past?”

“We’ve given you everything you need to know,” Dad followed. “I know it’s tough. I bawled my eyes out after my grandfather passed—your great-grandfather—and it was the worst pain I’ve felt. My whole world crashed. I was angry, I was sobbing, I couldn’t control the hurt. Until your Uncle Ali told me this: ‘He left us, Bastien, but he left with a smile.’ He told you that before, right?”

The boy nodded. “Yeah…”

“Remember that, okay? There’ll be times when you feel sad and lonely and you miss us like it’s no other. So when they come, greet 'em with a smile. No matter the distance between us, we’ll be here watching over you together. Right inside there.” Dad pointed to his son’s heart. “Inside your [Memento], carving out a new world with your hands.”

“Right…” the boy muttered.

“Everybody is waiting for you,” Mom told him.

“I get that, I do… But…” The boy sniffled and he clenched his teeth, unable to look at the ones who’d brought him into this world and the ones who kept him there. “This is the part where I thank you guys for everything. ‘Sirius Aethfell will pay for attacking our world!’ I say, and I march out of here with that stupid smile you told me to have. But…!”

A long, agonized cry left the child.

“What’s the point? What’s the point of doing any of that when you’re not there to witness it? You won’t be there to see the promises I want to keep and you won’t be there for the conversations I want to have. There’s so many things I don’t know. So many things I can’t even do! If you aren’t there through it all…! Aldebaran Lyriel, Procyon LIGHT, Sirius Aethfell, the Global Guards and anyone in my way—Thea, Leo, Uncle Ali, the Baptists! I want you to see everything we’re going to accomplish! It’s because of you! It's only possible because of you! It’s…! It’s not…!”

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Before he could say another word, his crying was muffled by the warmth of his parents’ embrace. They stayed like that for a short amount of time, about the time it would take for a boy to grow into a young man. The world continued to spin and while his parents had stayed in the past, he was taken away along the cruel passage of time.

Alexander Shen sniffled and wiped his eyes when the embrace finally broke. He opened them and saw Mom and Dad. They hadn’t changed a bit.

“Do you feel better?” Mom asked him.

He nodded. “Sort of.”

“Are you ready?” Dad asked next.

“No, not really.”

“We believe in you. You are our child after all. The only way to beat the future is…” Dad turned to the doorway to the real world.

Alexander understood. “I know. I have to face it. I’ll be ready.”

“You all will be ready,” Mom stated. “Give everyone our best wishes.”

“Althea and Ali especially, and the girl you love.”

“Mhm, I will.” Alexander gulped and faced the light. “I will.”

Mom and Dad looked proud seeing their baby today.

“Goodbye, Alex.”

“Goodbye, Conqueror.”

“Yeah… I’ll… I’ll see you later. Th-thanks. For everything.” Alexander held his breath and took his first step.

***

The first thing that greeted Alexander was noise and light. Too much of both, honestly. Gradually his eyes became used to the hues and barely he could make out the lines in the ceiling tiles. Unfortunately, and this was not a fact that most knew, Alexander needed contacts to see.

Whoever was skittering around the room, he had no idea who they were. They were a blob of colors. The TV up there was playing the news. At least that was what he thought. Trying to read the date was impossible at this distance. His eyes swept to the left and saw instruments, swept to the right and saw more instruments.

He lifted up his arms—arm. Singular arm.

His breath hitched.

He’d sacrificed his right arm to kill Kreutz. Not completely. It was still ‘there’ albeit severed below the elbow. A small setback he had to live with from now on.

“...Alexander Shen,” the blob called to him, moving to his left side. As she approached closer, she cleared up: a mature beauty with pinkish-white hair falling over one shoulder. She was wearing a casual sweater underneath her unbuttoned doctor’s coat.

“Alexander Shen,” she repeated again. “Can you hear me?”

His eyes glanced to the TV.

“Can you… Can you quiet down for a second? I’m trying to watch TV…” he replied, his voice weaker than he thought.

The doctor rolled her eyes. “I consider this wonderful news: your sense of humor is practically immortal. Welcome back to the real world, Shen. If you forgot my face, I’ll remind you: it’s Takaichi Mayumi, Shinzo.”

“Journey of Healing…” he recounted.

“Former, I left my job.”

His lips pressed together. “Congrats.”

“Mhm, thank you, sweetheart. How do you feel right now?”

He had an essay prepared. “I’m not dead.”

“It’s a pleasant thing, I assure you. But is there anything immediately noticeable?”

“My arm.”

“Other than that.”

“Then no.”

“So it’s what I suspected.” Shinzo took a step back and gave herself some time to think. “What’s your last memory, Shen?”

There were System Articles, Black Paladin Station, Ordo University, Tormented Flesh, Operation Scorcher, Operation Wolf Prowl, then the Counteroffensive. And of course, the ending of that wild ride was the Second Emergence. His memories were, surprisingly, intact and chronologically cohesive.

He answered truthfully, “[Starsunder Drakos].”

Shinzo’s eyebrows perked up. “Pardon?”

“The [Memento] I used to kill Kreutz: [Starsunder Drakos]. Do you know?”

“I… No, of course not. But don’t explain. Not now. I will evaluate your condition and see where you stand currently. Do you understand?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Shinzo asked Alexander several questions going in-depth with his health and history; one-by-one, she seemed to be surprised by the lack of serious afflictions but eventually she must’ve came up with a one-size-fit-all answer as the shock faded. Soon the conversation shifted to the moments before he succumbed to his injuries and what’d happened then, shedding light on a few mysteries. She appreciated the information and even brought him some glasses for him to see, and the world gained clarity.

The TV he saw earlier, he was just about to read the headline before Shinzo turned it off.

“Sorry,” she said, “what happened in the past two weeks might overwhelm you. You’ll get a thorough summary later but we’re focused on you right now. As such, it’s time to explain what happened to your body.

“Like I stated before, you were in a coma lasting for two weeks. You had several instances of arousal earlier today, drifting in and out of consciousness, but finally you’ve ‘woken up’. As you’ve already told me, you remember everything from the Ordo Disaster including the amputation of your right arm. However, what I haven’t mentioned is the state of the Slayer System and your mana nervous system. When we first found you, there were severe evidence of overload.

“Exactly the same evidence whenever a Slayer exhibits power beyond their Slayer Rank. Normally, this would completely obliterate one’s mana nervous system which is why I’ve asked so many questions. As we monitored you throughout these two weeks, however, it inexplicably healed. As in, it’s essentially brand new like replacing a piece of old hardware. My team and I proposed several theories: it’s the work of the Second Emergence, your [Honor] the [Memento Arsenal] as you’ve said, et cetera.

“Personally, I prefer this theory: at the time of both your Second Emergence and your [Honor] creation, you were a Pseudo-Slayer. And the System gave you [Bastion of Dawn] which allowed you to perform as an S-Rank, correct?”

“Correct.”

“What I believe…” Shinzo tapped her pink lips with the end of her pen. “When you went unconscious, the System started its emergence process—that is, the process that transforms you into becoming a Slayer. This includes the complete implementation of the Krait and mana nervous system. What I think happened is your emergence was different: the System did not ‘implement’ but rather ‘overwrite’, removing the damaged goods and bringing in new ones. Of course, there are deeper inconsistencies but to summarize: this is a freak occurrence deserving for a freak like yourself.”

“So there’s nothing wrong with me?” He paused. “Nothing more wrong with me?”

“Yup. Until we conduct further tests but that’s when you’ve fully recovered.”

“Alright. And Sage? You’ve mentioned she’s in a coma too. Did she wake up yet?”

Shinzo’s expression downturned. “No. Her condition is…worse than yours by a large margin. It’s another long and complicated story, but she used a power that would’ve normally killed her. Unlike you, she had zero safety nets. While you escaped relatively unharmed, if Sage wakes up, she’ll suffer debilitations for the rest of her life.”

Alexander thought back to Firebrand and pressed his lips together; he granted Sage's request. Her choice. At the same time his heart couldn’t help but hurt knowing the consequences of that decision realized today. His very first lesson as a leader: sacrifices.

“Don’t get upset. Chie…” Shinzo did her best to show a comforting smile. “Chie is stronger than most would give her credit for, that silly bean. Onto more serious matters: as a Slayer, I would push you to recover quickly so you can tackle the responsibilities you know you have; however as both a doctor and a healer, you need rest.

“And…” She looked at the door. “You have visitors.”

“Visitors…” Alexander inhaled. “Okay. Thanks for taking care of me.”

“I’ve told you: don’t thank me. This is my job, but don’t mistreat yourself like your girlfriend had during your absence. She was a miserable mess, so seeing you will definitely cheer her up.”

That sounds like her. “I’ll try. Can you, uh, can you bring them in?”

“I was going to do that anyway.”

Shinzo left his room, giving Alexander about thirty seconds of silence before all hell broke loose. Multiple sets of feet scurried to his door, and it opened. Three faces: a small young woman who shared his black hair and silver eyes, a taller man who resembled Dad in many ways, and an caramel-haired woman holding a hand over her mouth. They stood at the doorway. The girls were unsure whether to go in or stay away at this (dis)respectful distance while the middle-aged man was gently urging them to take the plunge.

Alexander couldn’t help but smile. “Are you idiots staying back because I look hideous now?”

Leona and Althea stumbled into the room with a ‘soft’ nudge from Uncle Ali. He shut the door afterwards.

“It’s been a long time, Alex,” he warmly said. “I’ve gotten quite acquainted with your future allies.”

“Heh, yeah, I guess you had to be.” If he’s joining the Baptists, then shit, we might really be unstoppable. “Did the girls annoy you while I was out?”

“Only a healthy amount,” Uncle Ali chuckled after saying that.

Althea bit her lip as she rolled around to his left. “Shinzo really meant it when she said your ‘sense of humor’ is unkillable. I thought you’d be mopey and all drugged up. I thought I would cry but now I’m regretting getting sad over you.”

“Sorry I wasn’t more of a verbal punching bag. I’m one-quarter of the way there of being a sack of potatoes though.”

“I—Jesus.” Althea couldn’t respond to that one but Uncle Ali did snort a little. Despite her combativeness, there was a slight gloss in her eyes. Here Alexander thought his little sister was as heartless as an Apocalyptic; she did miss him. A lot.

While they could trade verbal jabs with each other, there was someone else here who hadn’t said a word yet. She didn't strike up a conversation. Just stood there. Drifting closer to him warily like he was a fragile art piece, coming onto his right. Her lips were twisted between a smile and a grimace. When Alexander finally laid his silver eyes on her, she froze.

“If you wanted to hold my hand, you should’ve gone on the other side,” he joked, and slowly he brought his only hand onto his belly.

Meekly Leona reached over and clutched it. “Hey…”

“Hey.” Alexander peered closely at her. “You don’t look all that bad.”

A small blush crept onto her cheeks. “Stop that. I look awful still. I barely had time to shower let alone freshen up. I bet you were happy to see Shinzo first thing.”

“Well, she’s not an ugly woman and reminds me pretty largely on Kim Yena. Do you remember when we talked about Kim Yena—?”

Her grip tightened. “How are you this annoying when you just woke up from a coma?”

“I’m wondering myself how you’re this pretty after going through the grinder.”

“Hah, and you’re turning into a flirt too. You’re ridiculous. It’s like you were kept in ice.” Leona exhaled. “A lot happened, Alex. Some stuff you probably won’t like. But you’re awake now, that’s all it matters. You’re with us again.”

His heart thumped, and briefly he saw Mom and Dad smiling at him again.

His new life was starting today.

The new world was waiting for him.

“Yeah, I’m back. We have a lot of work but don’t let me think about that stuff now.” Alexander looked between his girlfriend, sister, and uncle. “Just tell me something good and get me some water. I’m interested to hear what rampage you guys went on and how you drove my uncle who flew all the way from America up the walls.”

“We didn’t do that,” Althea defended and turned to their uncle but he made no attempts at countering. She pouted.

“What your sister said. We didn't try to irritate him.” Leona quickly pulled a chair over and sat next to his bed. She wiped away a few tears running down her cheeks. “I don’t want to keep dragging down the mood but I really am happy you’re driving us insane again.”

And I’m happier seeing you here. “Yeah…” Alexander sniffled. “Yeah.”

His family was here in Ordo, altogether now.

Them against the world. Against the Hundred Realms. Against the multiverse.

What a tall order that was.

He had to enjoy being in bed to the fullest because soon, work had to be done.