Alexia

Silence passes for several seconds without any of us saying a word. Then the silence is broken when the Quantum Architect speaks, his voice having returned to its normal baritone, “Do not believe the persona my father puts on.”

We all turn to him with confusion on our faces, with the exception of Mom. But the Quantum Architect doesn’t say any more.

Instead he just floats onto my shoulder and closes his eyes.

So we turn to Mom, since she didn’t appear surprised by his words.

“He’s right,” she says in response to the stares. “You all heard how restricted by roles the quantum beings are, and the Quantum Ruler is no different. His role forces him to act in certain ways. Ways very different from how he would normally act and speak. So you should never trust that the way he’s speaking to you now is how he would normally speak or act.”

Huh. That’s… interesting to know.

Wait, what about-

“The Quantum Reaper role has no restrictions like Father’s, so don’t waste our time worrying,” the Quantum Architect answers my thoughts this time, likely because Mom probably doesn’t know this. “Father’s role is special even amongst the roles, and he often does things he doesn’t want to do because of it.”

That’s kind of sad.

“Don’t pity the old man, he enjoys being kept on his toes,” the Architect says, surprising us all once again. “It’s one of the personality requirements to take on the role in the first place.”

Then he goes silent, seemingly finished speaking.

I frown at the quantum being in the form of a bat on my shoulder for several seconds.

If that was one of his requirements for the Quantum Ruler role, and the requirements for me becoming the Quantum Reaper were a disinterest and apathetic view towards ruling with no interest in destroying the System… then what are the requirements for a Quantum Architect?

He stays silent, not giving any hint at the answer. Not even showing any signs that he heard me.

Don’t want to answer that one?

He ignores me again.

A pity.

“This has been bothering me for a while now,” Mom suddenly says, bringing my attention to her where I find her pursing her lips in thought. “What about the Quantum Judge?”

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I frown in confusion, but Gramps just starts scowling seemingly for no reason. And the Hound looks just as confused as I am.

To my surprise, the Quantum Architect answers her, “The Quantum Judge is a two-fold name. He can be known as the Judge, but most people simply call him the Enforcer.”

Mom hums for a second before nodding her head and saying, “Thank you.”

The Architect goes silent again.

The Hound and I go silent while waiting for Mom to explain, but she never explains it. Not until the Hound finally asks, “Dear, who is the Judge?”

Mom purses her lips before glancing at me, then at Gramps, and finally back at the Hound again.

“He was the one who sealed me away all those years ago,” Mom eventually answers, making my eyes narrow immediately.

And I’m not the only one, considering the dangerous look I see on the Hound’s face next to me.

“Explain,” the two of us state at the same time.

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Somewhere within the Quantum Realm

“The Hour of Judgement is upon us,” a deep, mechanical and monotone voice echoes throughout a small portion of the Quantum Realm as a man can be seen floating with his eyes closed at the center of a powerful vortex of energy. But his eyes remain closed. He neither shows any signs of awakening, nor does the voice sound again.

Instead, the energy all around him begins to move faster and faster, slowly absorbing more energy from the surroundings. And as the energy is absorbed, the vortex begins to grow violent, tearing apart anything it passes through in the process.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the man at the center of the vortex opens his eyes.

He blinks once. Then a second time.

And when he blinks a third time, he opens his mouth and speaks, “Stop.”

Everything around him freezes instantly, the Quantum Enforcer using the most complicated aspect of quantum magic.

His forte, time magic.

However, just like any other being with control over time in the universe, his powers are significantly limited.

Unless he is working for the universe itself.

The man spreads his arms out and begins to float out of the vortex, only to eventually murmur, “Resume,” making the vortex immediately continue its rampage, only to fall apart immediately due to his absence. But he doesn’t pay any attention to it as he waves his hand in front of him, making several images appear. Images moving too fast for the mortal eye to view, all showing everything that has happened since his last time being called upon by the universe.

Because unlike the other quantum beings, the Quantum Enforcer only has one goal in his life.

To end it.

But since that is impossible for the Quantum Enforcer, whose body is trapped in time, he sleeps unless called upon.

The Quantum Enforcer continues watching the images like a movie before blinking once and sending the images shattering into purple shards.

A job for the Judge this time.

His eyes narrow.

For a repeat offender.

The Enforcer feels more than a little surprised by her escaping her punishment, since he had locked time within that dungeon, leaving her unable to so much as move a finger, much less escape. No one could enter, nor could anything leave. And time would never move forward.

But the Architect’s schemes erased his punishment.

And he finally got an heir as well… surprising. A Quantum Reaper.

He stares blankly ahead for a few seconds before muttering, “Warp,” and vanishing from the quantum realm to appear in the mortal realm. Meanwhile everything around where he appears freezes in time, as if time simply can’t move in his vicinity.

Now to find the Devourer and resume her punishment.