CHAPTER 21 – BRIDGES AND TIMELINES

LYSANDER FARADEISS

I inhaled deeply, my thoughts racing as I wrestled with a decision I knew I'd one day regret. With each passing second, I felt the weight of the impending confession bearing down on me.

“I will confess then. I will tell you everything you wanted to know in the future,” I finally whispered, my words hanging in the air, charged with uncertainty.

Hiraya's reaction was instantaneous, her elven ears perking up in excitement, a telltale sign of her genuine interest. A soft blush colored her cheeks, and her eyes widened in astonishment. She leaned in closer, her curiosity piqued.

“Wait, isn't that dangerous?” she asked, her voice laced with concern. "What if you change the future and disrupt everything? I'd understand if you chose to safeguard the timeline by keeping secrets, but you can trust me to hold your confidences with the utmost discretion."

I met her gaze with a haunted look in my eyes, my voice laced with the weight of my experiences. “Nothing could be worse than the future I've escaped,” I confessed, my voice quivering with the gravity of my words. “And it's not as though anyone would believe me if I claimed I had traveled back ten years from a future they could never fathom.”

“Ten years from the future, huh,” Hiraya mused, her tone shifting from excitement to curiosity. She flashed a warm smile and scrutinized my face with keen interest. “I've had countless questions brewing within me, but let's start with this one…”

A tense silence hung between us for a fleeting moment, and then she broached her query.

“Can you provide me with the winning lottery numbers?” she asked, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

I gulped audibly, taken aback by her request. “What?”

Hiraya's smirk widened as she teased, “Well, if you're truly from the future, you must know those numbers, right?”

I shook my head fervently. “There's no way I could remember something like that!”

Her brow furrowed in mock disappointment. “Oh, really? And here I was, hoping you were a future Erudite with all the answers. Don't you sages memorized over a thousand spells?”

I clarified, “I am an Erudite, but trying to remember random sets of numbers is beyond my capabilities. Besides, lotteries were a relic of the past in my time.”

“Okay, okay, I’m just messing with you~” Hiraya purred, her tone lightening. “So, tell me, what's the deal with being ten years from the future? Does it involve Neo Arcadia, the terrorist group?”

I let out a weary sigh. "You should have started with that serious question first," I muttered. "But yes, Neo Arcadia plays a significant role in the grim future I experienced."

Hiraya's expression shifted, her playful demeanor replaced by a grave and earnest one. Her elven ears seemed to lean in, eager to capture every word.

“Five years from now, the Empire of Alterra will crumble under the rule of Gazelle Lockwood, the leader of Neo Arcadia. He will harness the full might of the Vesryn Pulse to liberate all dragonoids from their mortal forms, resulting in a devastating purge of every human on the planet. The war will rage on for an additional five years, until I am the sole surviving human capable of activating the Regression Magic.”

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“The Regression Magic?” Hiraya's eyes widened with curiosity and concern.

Hiraya's shocked expression caught me off guard, and a shiver of apprehension coursed through me. I couldn't help but recall the previous timeline in which she had vehemently opposed my use of the Regression Magic. I possessed knowledge of the spell's intricacies, but her apparent familiarity with it puzzled me.

“Why?” I inquired, trying to conceal my unease. “What do you know about the Regression Magic?”

Hiraya's head shook gently. “Nothing significant, really. I overheard something at the Cathedral about their prolonged research on a spell known as the 'Curse of Time.' Regression Magic might have come up, but I can't claim to have any in-depth knowledge about it. However, are you absolutely certain that your actions here in the past won't disrupt the future? Spells of such immense power often come with substantial drawbacks.”

Her words lingered, carrying a weight of caution and concern.

“It's alright,” I reassured Hiraya. “I've devoted three years to studying the intricacies of the Regression Magic before I even considered using it. Unlike conventional time travel spells that cannot alter established events, the Regression Magic eradicates the previous timeline, enabling the Regressor to forge a new one.”

I scanned the surroundings and spotted a river and a bridge just a few blocks away from our café. I gestured toward them, using the scene as an analogy.

“Picture that bridge over there as the original timeline,” I explained. “The Regression Magic is like a sudden flash flood from the river, wiping away the bridge.”

Hiraya countered, “I doubt a flash flood could ever reach that bridge. It's several meters above the water, and we're practically in a drought.”

I sighed, a hint of frustration in my voice. “That's just for the sake of illustration,” I admitted. “In any case, whenever a bridge is destroyed, engineers work to construct a new one. Similarly, as the Regressor, I would be the 'engineer' tasked with building a new bridge or, in this case, a new timeline.”

Hiraya chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “So, you're going to be the world's savior, huh? That sounds quite exciting.”

I furrowed my brow, curious about her reaction. “What's so exciting about that?”

Her smile remained, but there was a hint of nostalgia in her expression. “You just reminded me of an old friend who always dreamt of becoming a hero and saving the world.”

“Well, it's not as though I aspired to do this,” I responded with a heavy sigh. “I didn't have much of a choice. The fate of humanity is at stake, and I must continue to fight until all the enemies are destroyed.”

Hiraya's features twisted with what appeared to be deep emotional pain. She clutched her chest and gazed at me with teary eyes. "Was there truly no alternative to destruction?"

I replied coldly, my words reflecting my unyielding resolve. "There was none."

My mind was resolute, but my heart held a different yearning, a desire to give Hiraya a chance to change and to utilize her as a formidable ally. Additionally, I harbored suspicions that she might have a connection to the enigmatic dragonic arm I had obtained during the confrontation with the rogue Dragon Knight.

A brief silence settled between us, and I realized that we had not only emptied our drinks but also devoured the entire bowl of cobb salad during our conversation. I had been so engrossed in our discussion that I hadn't even noticed myself indulging in the bacon and lettuce. Hiraya seemed to share my amusement and broke into laughter.

"See? I knew we could finish that cobb salad together!" she exclaimed. "I've always had trouble with meat."

I seized the opportunity to suggest a change of scene. "Shall we make our way out, then?" I proposed.

Hiraya agreed with a charming smile. "Certainly. Should I accompany you home?"

I chuckled and countered, "It's a gentleman's duty to walk a lady home."

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Hiraya accompanied me home, not because I was being ungentlemanly, but because my house was much closer to the café than her dormitory in the Cathedral. In truth, I didn't particularly care about her well-being, given that she was a future adversary who hadn't yet posed a threat.

As we reached my doorstep, Hiraya flashed a smile and waved goodbye. I was about to return the gesture, but then the door to my house swung open, revealing my mother's face.

"Oh, Lysander! You didn’t tell us that you have a beautiful guest! Is she your girlfriend?" My mother immediately assumed.

"Yes!" Hiraya playfully teased.

"No!" I responded firmly.

My mother seemed unfazed by my protest. "Wonderful!" she exclaimed with joy. "Come on in, Miss Beautiful Elf! We're enjoying some eggnog."

I thought my encounter with the enemy was over, but it had only just begun.