Chapter 30: Chapter 26: Fragment of the Past (2)
"This… Where am I?"
Before Arias realized it, she was now standing to a place she doesn't know. Seeing herself in an unknown place, her body unconsciously tensed up.
But given this situation, as the student representative from Academy of Time Axel, Arias remembered the teachings of their professors that 'one shouldn't panic in an unknown place' and 'remain on guard until confirming everything' so she tried to wander around her location in high alert when she heard a voice inside her head…
'No need to be alert, Arias. Currently, your consciousness is inside the memory of my past because of my magic so no one will notice you. You'll not be able to affect anyone and in turn, they will affect you.'
Regis immediately informed Arias about her current circumstances which made her widen her eyes in admiration.
"To think that your magic can also do something like this… Amazing… This magic is too amazing, Regis! With this, I'll be able to see your past self again!"
Arias immediately looks around actively searching a small Regis' figure.
'Tch… So that's what you are looking forward to, huh? Anyway, let me introduce you. This is my village… Tomana Village'
A small village in the center of a lush forest, with some small houses built using woods while some were built using brick and people dressed in simple clothes—a common village located on the border of the western kingdom of Edinburgh Empire. Even though the village is small, the villagers appeared to be very contented with their current life even if they're not that prosperous.
After looking around for almost half an hour, Arias still cannot find the young Regis' figure.
"Heeyyy~ Regis. Where is your house located? Quickly guide me there~!"
'Okay okay… Follow my lead…'
With Regis not having a body in this current situation, he can only lead Arias through conversing with her using their thoughts. And after a few minutes of walking, Arias finally arrived at the place Regis was talking about. She's now standing in front of a medium-sized shrine located near at the end of the village.
"—Eh? Why are we standing in front of a shrine? Aren't you leading me to your house?" Arias asked as she looks anxiously at the shrine.
All of her excitement suddenly vanished and many good and bad thoughts regarding his past life suddenly pop up so she's trying to deny all those thoughts. But those doubts were instantly cleared when she once again heard the voice inside her head talk.
'This is where the shrine where Reena and I grew up… The only place for orphans like us can call 'home'.'
Arias' body turns cold when she heard those words. She looks stiffly at the shrine—
"... The shrine where you grew up."
In just one look, anyone will say that the shrine is poor. Some tiles on the roof are missing while some are still there but cracked and few patched are clearly visible to the walls and floorings.
Seeing the state of the shrine, Arias feels like her heart was being squeezed. She didn't think that Regis and Reena was an orphan before his village was attacked and that they lived in this very poor shrine.
'Arias, don't be so downhearted. This situation is very common in every small village far from the central. Although we are poor, we still enjoyed living to this place, you know? Come, go inside the shrine. Enter the second biggest room from the kitchen; you'll now see us, siblings, there.'
After being connected through Origin Link, Regis can somewhat sense Arias' current state of mind so he assured her that there's nothing to worry about since everything she's witnessing right now are all in the past.
Regis urged Arias to enter the place and inside the big room he mentioned.
What greeted Arias is a couple of beds. Among the beds, one has a figure of a silver-haired little girl lying weakly in it and a dusk-haired boy sitting at the chair beside the bed. The boy gently strokes the little girl's head while the little girl can only smile, gazing at her older brother.
The boy was unmistakably the 7 years old Regis. Arias can still remember his face when they first met each other in the forest behind the castle. Arias also recognized the one lying at the bed…
"Reena? What's happening here? Why was she lying in bed? Was Reena sick?"
'Yes. Reena has a frail body since we're young, exactly the opposite of the present her, right?'
Reena set her gaze steadily at the two's figure. One can obviously tell at a single glance that Reena has a frail body, clearly very different from the present Reena that actively plays around without any prior notice.
Still looking at the two, Arias suddenly focused her attention to Reena and perceived something.
"Yeah… But—eh? Regis… This Reena in your memory… She was already 5 to 6 years old right? How come the present Reena is still like that? What's happening here?"
She finally noticed that the age of Reena in Regis' memory is exactly the same as the Reena in the present like she didn't grow up in the past years.
'So, you finally noticed it. That's right, the Reena you see right now is the same as the Reena you spend your time with earlier. They are the same, be it the age of her mind and body.'
Arias can only stare at the frail figure of the little girl in utter shock. She thinking 'How can this thing happen...' but she can't voice it out as she doesn't really know what to say.
'I'm sorry Arias but I can't tell you the details yet. This is one of my secrets that cannot be revealed carelessly. I'll let you know everything when the right time comes.'
At Regis' words, Arias can only let herself sigh inwardly; after all, something like this is very hard to share with others. She already knows that Regis was the only survivor from the attack of the forbidden magic practitioners so it can only mean that Reena also perished that night.
"Okay... Just be sure to tell me everything when the time comes."
'Thank you for understanding... I promise I will definitely tell you.'
After that, Arias continued to observe the 7 years old Regis—his routine that day: from eating lunch and feeding Reena to when he takes a bath and etc.
All day long, Arias didn't let the 7 years old Regis out of her sight. And from time to time, she will ask him about every single detail of what the young Regis was doing back then.
Some of her questions were ignored by Regis, especially the obviously sexual harassment questions she had while intently watching the young version of Regis taking a bath.
When the night came, after the children's humble dinner, Arias continued to monitor the young Regis and Reena. She didn't leave the young version of her lover because he said that this is the night when the forbidden magic practitioners will start their attack.
Arias wants to witness everything that happened on Regis' past—his 10 long years of grudge.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone