บท 197: Breakpoint
The Greyrat house was a large but cozy manor in Sharia. Considering the size of my family, it was just big enough to be roomy, but also small enough to be lively when everyone was here. And since there were so many of us, it was usually filled with warmth and laughter.
But today was different.
An emergency family meeting was being held in the dining room.
Cliff sat at one end of the dining room table, covering his face with his palms after explaining the situation.
I sat at the other end, leaning on the table with laced fingers, staring at him while lost in thought.
Seated behind me were my wives, Eri and Sylphy to my right, with Rika and Roxy to my left.
Mom, Dad, and Mama Lily were seated on the side of the table to my right.
Norn, Stella, and Aisha were seated on the side of the table to my left, across from my parents.
And then standing nearby was Pierre, Rostelina, Laws, and Rose.
Everyone in my family who could get here quickly had arrived to plan what we should do.
After a long silence, Dad spoke up. "We don't know if this is because that bastard or not, right? But either way, Ena is missing..." He rubbed his chin and said, "Damn. That bastard's playing a lot smarter now, huh?"
I nodded. "He's played low for a while, and I bet it was just for something like this."
This *could* just be an accident.
Cliff and Ena had been researching something dangerous, so it could just be chance.
But I didn't believe in chance.
Pierre shook his head. "The timing and structure is too convenient." He looked at me and said, "'Destiny' usually isn't this strong, but if events line up, it can be used to force certain things to occur."
I frowned, mulling that over. "...And it just so happens that we're in the right place, around the right time, and with the right events, huh?"
Mom flinched and then looked at Dad.
Mama Lily frowned and looked at him too.
Dad blinked, confused on why they acted that way. But then his eyes lit up in realization. "...This is how the other me died, right? At least, the events that started it?"
Norn gasped and then said, "W-What are you talking about, Dad?!"
Aisha stood up and said, "What do you mean?! You can't die!"
Dad laughed and said, "Have some confidence in your dad. I'm not going to kick the bucket just yet. Still haven't seen my grandkids, you know?"
Pierre looked at Dad and said, "That's a death flag."
"A death what?"
While they bantered, I mulled over the situation.
Ena hadn't been kidnapped, but she HAD been teleported somewhere.
Cliff had been researching a way to overlap reality with an 'ideal world' when it suddenly imploded.
Ena pushed him away, no doubt because she thought she could handle it. But then she suddenly vanished.
I knew my daughter's capabilities. She was definitely strong enough for me to not worry about her on most things. And I was sure that she would be fine even if she was plopped into something like the legendary Dragon God's Pit.
Ena played dumb and innocent, but she was anything but when things got serious. There was a reason why I took her around with me more than Eos in the early stages of building Arcadia. And also why I sent her out to scout.
Still, my gut was telling me that my daughter wasn't in a situation where she could fight her way out.
And with how the events were lining up so closely to how they did for Rudeus, plus considering that Being W had been laying low...
Yeah. I was worried.
Cliff raised his head. "I'm sorry." He shook his head and said, "If I had known that researching the boundary between reality and visions would result in this..." He trailed off and let out a deep sigh.
Roxy shook her head. "Pioneering new fields of magic is unpredictable. And I am sure you two took proper precautions."
Sylphy hummed. "Still, Ena's really talented at magic. She takes after Rudy a lot, so for the experiment to go wrong, something must have messed with it."
Pierre nodded. "I agree. Although Being W can't easily intervene with most things, he can in something like experimental magical research where it could go wrong at any moment."
Dad rubbed his chin. "So it comes back to whether we think he did it or not, and how we should go about looking for my cute granddaughter then..."
While everyone discussed, I mulled through the situation again in my mind.
This was bait. At this point, I was sure that Being W knew I either had knowledge from that other timeline, or knew that I had gone to that other timeline.
The fact that this lined up so well with Rudeus's memories proved that.
After all, I had just had a peaceful time after reuniting with family, and even gotten married. There weren't any dangerous enemies showing up, and I had some wholesome slice of life episodes.
But then there was a sudden message about a missing family member.
The details were different, but at a high level, it was the same.
And if events played out like how I thought they would, Ena was probably in a magic crystal somewhere in a dungeon in Begaritto Continent.
Probably even in the Teleport Labyrinth.
Of course, it was different.
First of all, I was much stronger than Rudeus and also much better at magic than him at that stage in his life. Not only that, but Dad was stronger too.
He didn't go around calling himself a Sword God for no reason.
Plus, we had much more forces we could mobilize, and just objectively stronger.
The problem was that Being W knew that. While definitely not to the full extent, he was anticipating the worst and would have played some nasty traps.
This was the guy who baited Rudeus out and got Roxy killed with a plague in one timeline, after all.
I had to assume that there was an ulterior motive at hand. A secondary play he was going to make.
Ena being in danger was a distraction.
Being W was likely banking on me leaving my wives unprotected. And not only that, but he was probably trying to course correct using the world's influence with 'Destiny' and force a similar outcome to what Rudeus saw.
The death of one of my loved ones, an incapacitating injury to me, and then drama to disrupt the family.
The smart thing was to trust others to find Ena.
Rationally, my daughter was capable and could hold out for rescue. Not only that, but we could only be certain that my unborn children were safe if I was around.
But Ena was my daughter.
And what kind of father would I be if I didn't go running over to find her right now?
It was bait. A trap. But it was one that I'd definitely spring even knowing that fact.
...Being W definitely had a good read on my character.
A slight squeeze on my right hand.
I blinked and then so Sylphy staring at me.
"...Do you want to go, Rudy?"
It was a soft question, but one that brought the room to silence.
Everyone turned to look at me.
My parents were worried.
My sisters looked scared.
My wives... they seemed like they would go along with whatever I chose.
Pierre sighed and shook his head, indicating he wasn't sure.
Cliff... he looked at me like he was going to throw his life away to find Ena even if I didn't agree.
But me...
If Eos was the one who went missing, I definitely would have rushed out right now.
Although she acted tougher, in terms of 'specs' she was 'designed' to be more for recon and research. Although rare, she could be overwhelmed by numbers or simply being tired out.
Ena was different. In terms of specs, she was designed to be an unstoppable force of nature. Her mana constantly regenerated from ambient energy, she could brute force her way out of an army enclosure, and even blow up the moon.
Probably.
We never did get a field test on that.
But in contrast, Ena wasn't very strong-willed.
There was a reason why she still acted cutesy and fawned for my attention. And that was what I was worried about.
Physically, nothing could harm her. But mentally... especially if she was alone...
Pierre let out a deep sigh and said, "This is a bad idea, Rudy."
Rostelina looked over at him. "Hubby-"
"You know why." Pierre cut Rostelina off and looked at me. "This is the same as that 'turning point' in the life of 'Rudeus Greyrat.' And I can tell you that there were many similar ones across different times."
I nodded. "I'm well aware."
Pierre looked over at Dad. "...And this particular turning point lines up too closely with Paul's death." He looked back at me and said, "You might have twisted a lot of destiny, but the world tends towards certain points in history."
Dad pointed at himself. "Wait, are you saying I'm going to die if I go?"
Mom instinctively grabbed Dad's hand.
Mama Lily frowned.
I remained quiet.
Stella looked around the room at everyone, and then back at me. "Onii-chan."
I looked at her.
She hesitated and then said, "...Are you not going to save Ena?"
I took a look around the room one more time.
Concern.
Determination.
Worry.
Faces telling me to go.
Others telling me to stay.
I...
"For now, let's take a break."
...Needed time to think.
-RNG-
The sun had sunk beneath the horizon during our long talk. As a result, the starry sky emerged.
But the moon was absent.
A new moon, shrouding everything in darkness save for the faint light of the stars and the few light fixtures set up around the area.
I sat in a chair in the courtyard and looked up at the starry sky, lost in thought.
Cliff stood beside me, his head lowered. "I'm sorry, Rudeus. I couldn't protect Ena."
It was the same thing he had been repeating since he arrived. But the difference this time was that he didn't call me Father-in-law.
I didn't say anything for a few moments, but then I lowered my head to look at Cliff.
He looked miserable. Unlike the confident young man who overturned the corrupt Milis religion, right now he was just a teenager crushed by the weight of the world.
Even if I wanted to blame him, it wasn't fair.
Cliff was a genius, but he wasn't all-knowing or almighty.
Even then, it was Ena choosing to protect him that made her vanish.
Logically, he didn't do anything wrong.
Even so, he wouldn't accept that.
I know I wouldn't.
So instead of saying he did nothing wrong...
"You were too weak."
Cliff flinched and lowered his head more.
I stood up and turned to face him.
As I did, Cliff looked up to face me as well.
I placed my hand on his shoulder and said, "Even so, you couldn't have changed it. I know how much you work and struggle, so I don't blame you. What happened this time was something beyond common sense."
And it was.
Cliff might be a bit too straightforward when it came to love and faith, but he was still a bonafide genius. He also had a tuned sense for danger due to honing his skills in distortions.
Paired with Ena's natural protections and her own instincts, if something happened that they couldn't handle, it was probably something that only I could have dealt with in the first place.
And I wouldn't expect anyone to be able to do that.
I had come to terms with how much of a freak of nature I was now, after all.
Cliff grit his teeth. "Even so..." He clenched his fists and looked up at me with teary eyes. "How can I dare to ask for her hand in marriage if I cannot even protect her? How much of a fool am I that the one I love is the one to protect me...?"
I didn't respond.
Although I hadn't quite been in the same state, I recognized his situation.
At a time like this with such a critical mistake... at least, one self-perceived, no one would be able to say anything to change his mind.
The only one who could reassure himself was himself.
So instead of words of encouragement, I focused on the next steps. Words that would get him moving and acting instead of dwelling on thoughts and events he couldn't change.
I pulled my hand back from Cliff's shoulder and then said, "To summarize what happened, you and Ena were collaborating on research in artificial worlds constructed through faith and belief. There was a recent breakthrough, and you attained a glimpse of 'Heaven,' where souls arrived after death... and that was when the incident occurred?"
Cliff blinked. He was a bit confused for a moment, but then he brushed his eyes and focused. "Yes." He looked at me and said, "We confirmed that faith and belief can create a miracle and even recreated the scenery in the fight against the heretics. And so we wished to see if there was a way to save those who perished. A means to ease the minds of those left behind."
It was a foolhardy endeavor. Taboo as well.
But it was also a thought I'd been pondering for a while.
From my personal experience, I could confirm that reincarnation was a real phenomenon. And souls existed as well.
Although the exact process was unclear considering that Stella had her memories of her past life while I lost mine, the hard fact was that a soul departed from a body after its death and went 'somewhere.'
For me and Stella, that 'somewhere' was here.
I didn't know for sure, but from the other timeline, it was probably because there was a strong 'pull' from this world.
For Stella, it was because Shizuka Nanahoshi was meant to be here, and because there was someone or something in the future forcing her arrival.
For me... Well, considering all the iterations of 'Rudeus Greyrat' that existed, there was probably something similar drawing me here too.
But anyway, it was confirmed that a strong 'pull' could guide a soul towards another world.
The question then would be if that 'pull' could be artificially constructed.
Considering how entrenched the Milis religion was and how they believed in a life after death, that there might very well be a heaven.
And if true, there would be incredible ramifications.
I nodded. "It's a noble goal."
Cliff let out a smile. "That is what Ena said as well. And we managed to open a portal to what seemed to be Heaven, but after that..." He sighed.
"Do we know where she is? Or are we starting from scratch?"
I hadn't had a chance to ask that of Cliff yet, but it would definitely determine our next steps.
Cliff nodded. "It was hard, but we traced her location to somewhere in the Begaritto Continent." He shook his head. "I wish I could be more accurate and find exactly where but... I'm still lacking."
...So it was like that then.
I sighed.
Cliff flinched and lowered his head.
He misunderstood, but I didn't have the time to correct him.
It was definitely it. A 'canon event' so to speak. Or 'destiny' in other words.
The world and/or Being W was lining events up so that Rudeus Greyrat would go rescue a loved one who was last spotted in a dungeon on the Begaritto Continent. And depending on if he stayed or went, he would regret it.
I remembered that Rudeus's memories. The Teleport Labyrinth was a trauma that remained even after he died and his soul was forced by Being W to try and overwrite mine.
But I was confident we wouldn't have issues.
Dad was stronger here.
Cliff was a bit younger, but he was better at magic than his counterpart.
Orsted was my ally far earlier than for Rudeus, and he had removed his sole weakness of being limited by his mana pool.
Then there were cards I had that Rudeus didn't have, like Roland, Eos, Ruijerd, and the score of White Knights I could pull, as well as the people Cliff could mobilize from Milishion.
But even then...
'I feel uneasy.'
An intuition without a rational basis.
Objectively, this was a simple decision with a simple outcome.
I track Ena down with a small party of people, I have Orsted and people I trust protect my wives in Arcadia, and then we come back happy and safe.
But my intuition was warning me.
Leaving my wives alone would lead to something I regret.
Staying and letting others rescue Ena would also lead to something I regret.
The act of 'choosing' in itself was incorrect.
It wasn't from my Clairvoyance or any sort of future sight.
But I trusted my instincts.
Ignoring them in the past had led to less than ideal outcomes.
But then if 'choosing' was wrong...
A faint rustle echoed in the distance.
I turned towards it and saw Stella walking out from a bush with a small backpack. From the few leaves on her, it looked like she had just jumped out from her room.
She noticed me and then let out an awkward laugh before waving. "H-Hi there, Onii-chan. Mister Cliff."
Cliff looked at Stella and then frowned. "Should you not be asleep, Stella?"
"Well..." She acted shifty and glanced off to the side. "I'm just taking a walk to get fresh air?"
Cliff's frown deepened.
I wasn't fooled though. "Taking a walk, huh?" I looked to the side at the invisible pair hiding behind Stella. "With Norn and Aisha too?"
Silence. And then the air rippled, revealing Norn and Aisha, both geared up and carrying big backpacks.
Norn sighed and said, "I told you Big Brother wouldn't fall for it."
Aisha clicked her tongue and said, "It was worth a try."
Cliff was surprised.
I wasn't.
I sighed and said, "You three are worried, huh?"
Since she was caught, Stella gave up on pretending and crossed her arms. "That's right! Wyn and Leo both say something bad's going to happen to Ena if you don't save her. But if you aren't going, we're going! The hero will definitely pull it off!"
Norn nodded. "That's right! And with my sword and Aisha's magic, we can definitely bring Ena back!"
I sighed. "It's not that simple, you know?"
Stella swung her arm out. "What's not that simple?! Ena is your daughter, Onii-chan! Or..." She bit her lip and then said, "...Do you not care about her now that you have real kids?"
I narrowed my eyes. "Watch your mouth, Stella. Ena is different, but she's still my daughter."
Stella shook her head. "Well, it doesn't seem like it! A real dad would have run off to save her right away! That's what you did with me, isn't it?!"
I shook my head. "That's different. You were helpless, but Ena-"
I cut myself off, suddenly realizing what Stella was getting at.
...Hah. Children echo the actions of their parents.
It seemed I was subconsciously placing my expectations on Ena again.
Stella shook her head and said, "Even if Ena is strong, she's still in danger! And if you're not going... Well, we're her aunts, so we will!"
Norn nodded. "Yeah! I'm going to save my cute niece!"
Aisha sighed. "This is a bad idea... but I won't be a bad Aunt."
I looked at them all and then stepped forward. "I'm sure you have the best intentions... but this isn't the place for children to step in."
Stella reached into her bag and pulled out her wand. As she did, Wata, Fai, Wyn, and Leo appeared around her. "Yeah! Well, if the adults aren't doing anything, we will! Now, if you're going to stop us, we're going to beat you up and bring her back ourselves!"
Norn drew her sword. "Sorry, Big Brother!"
Aisha pulled out her wands. "This is SUCH a bad idea..."
Cliff walked over to me and said, "Rudy. Are... you really going to stop them?"
I laughed.
Stella narrowed her eyes and said, "You think this is funny?!"
I smiled. "Yes. Life has a funny way of doing circles around us."
"Huh?"
"Disturb Mana."
An invisible pulse rippled, shaking the mana in my sisters and the elemental spirits.
"Wha-"
"Big bro-"
"Ru-"
They all flinched, caught off guard. And then they slumped, knocked out by the sudden disruption.
And accordingly, Stella's spirit friends turned incorporeal.
Cliff frowned and then looked at me. "...I am guessing this means that you are going after all?"
I looked up at the sky.
Somewhere up there, Being W was probably dancing and gloating thinking he had me pinned.
It was a good move, I had to admit. If this was chess, he had definitely checked me, and we were only a few moves from checkmate.
But this was reality.
And in reality, rules were meant to be broken.
I kept staring, scanning the sky with my Clairvoyance. And then I stared at the darkened moon for a moment.
After that, I smiled and then looked at Cliff. "Something like that." I glanced at the darkened moon one more time and then chuckled. "If the world wants to force things in line... Well, I'll just have to show it who's really in charge here."
"...What?"
I laughed. And then I laughed harder after hearing a certain voice echo in my head.
Yeah... Didn't you know, Being W? Trying to force something in place only forces a bigger counteraction.
That's a lesson from you I still remember, you know?
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