It seems that his actions did not cause the Great Epiphany alone but changed the world itself. Oriole washed the dishes as he explained his theories, including the butterfly effect, where he proposed that the change in the tiline dated back hundreds of years.
"Runera wouldn't have existed without us," muttered Arthur with a frown. "However, it seems the mories that rged with the other world worked as an epiphany to how it was shaped. This made the tiline retain its basic structure."
"However, there are a lot of differences," muttered Oriole as he closed the water. "I did not realize it when I awakened, but the mories I have of this world are a lot different from the ones I used to have."
"It is a different tiline," sighed Arthur. "I wonder if I chose the right thing by destroying the previous one."
"I saw the reasons that made you do it," muttered Oriole as he sat back down. "I would have done the sa for Ellen and everyone else. You destroyed the path of misery."
Arthur smiled as he heard it, but his worries were still imnse. It seems the visions of the other world pushed the others into exploring beyond the gates, which undid the split faster.
This brings him back to the sa missions he was tasked with: to stop the dungeons from being explored. But, of course, the best thod to do that was to clear them himself and use the Isotox to close those points of weakness.
The Isotox would harness the worlds' tendency to rge, giving him more ti. However, there was still little he could do but prevent the Naless from descending itself.
"What is the plan?" asked Oriole. "I know that we need the two worlds from rging as Gaia told you, but we will not live forever."
"I need to find a way to defeat Naless and the calamities," muttered Arthur with a frown. "This is my mission on this world."
"And who assigned that mission to you?" asked Oriole, and Arthur raised his head to et his eyes. "You have broken free from every chain that bounded you to the tiline, and you did it for a reason. Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life?"
"If it is not , then who will?" said Arthur while shaking his head. "I am the sole person who wields the power of creation."
"Are you not angry?" whispered Oriole as his hands shook. "All of them placed us in so much pain, so much misery, discarding what we feel for their grand purpose. The guardians are the true disease that this world has."
Arthur couldn't agree more, and his anger was too enormous to contain. The fight between the two sides dragged him and his loved ones through hardships after hardships. However, if he allowed the anger to break free for a mont, then Jerano would be no more.
"There is nothing but anger inside ," he said while clutching his hand. "I am not at ease, nor am I forgiving Oriole. There is too much anger within to express. I can only allow it to burn silently, helpless."
His friend was silent as he pressed the base of his palms on his forehead while leaning back. The silence of the room left the two of them confused and helpless. Gaia did not tell him how to defeat the Ender, but she ntioned that there was no limit to the strength that he could obtain.
"However, anger will not get us anywhere," Ori rose from his chair again as the tea started boiling. "In this tiline, your identity as Alexie Linan was retained, and Rae did not suspect a thing. However, it seems she awakened mories of her own as well, as she talked to as soon as we got into Jerano."
"What happened in the past year in Jerano?" asked Arthur as Ori started pouring tea into the cups. "Why did I need a year to et Gaia when I did it in a few months in Alka?"
"I tried to help you without revealing my knowledge of the tiline because that would have left you more disoriented than focused. The reason that you needed so much ti is that you were keeping a low profile, working in the logistic departnt and learning every night after everyone was gone."
"Then, what about Julia?"
"That incident was what brought her attention to you," sighed Ori as he carried the cups toward them. "You saved her life when intruders tried to break into the prison of mories inside Jerano."
"...Intruders?" asked Arthur as his eyes snapped open. "Are you aware who they are?"
"No one managed to see their faces, but so suspicions are present," sighed Ori as he handed the cup to Arthur, who received it with confusion. "Their target was not the forbidden knowledge that Jerano has, but the mories protected by the Spirit Guardian."
"Rayxin," rembered Arthur. "And how did I save her life?"
"I am unsure of the details because you never ntioned what happened at that ti. However, it was a major event that shed light on several powerful students, who managed to withstand a part of the attack."
"mories of the past," muttered Arthur with a frown. "This does not sit well with for so reason. I have seen what kind of people there are inside."
It was then that he rembered the person that sohow caused Arthur's awakening: Yuran. It has been so long since the two of them last t that Arthur completely forgot about him.
In the prison of mories, Arthur t Yuran again, but as a child with his mother. A prisoner there knew the truth about what happened there, and it sohow felt connected.
Yuran was always kind to him, but Arthur changed, and his perspective changed as well. Master Ronin was there for Arthur because of the prophecy Arthur showed the man in this tiline, so everything had to have a cause.
As Arthur sipped on his tea, the aroma served to make him enjoy the taste, even though it tasted like hot water. The mories of Yuran and their encounters rose in his mind, and Arthur rembered one thing that bothered him.
For so reason, their last eting was a coincidence, and Yuran was asking about Arthur's father, Seref Silvera. Arthur did not think much before he knew that his father walked around the world playing puppet master, but maybe there was more to this than just a friend's concern.
"You are daydreaming, Arthur," muttered Oriole. "This is not the most important thing at the mont."
"What are you talking about?" asked Arthur with confusion, as this was their most pressing issue. "Are you saying there is sothing more I need to know?"
"...a lot," laughed Oriole. "I believe that you are still in love with Diana, correct?"
Arthur did not answer straight away but introspected himself for the truth. His feelings were eroding except for his anger, which seed to transcend ti and space, but his love was still there.
Arthur longed for her gentle touch and unconditional love. You can only grow to love soone after becoming their enemy and accepting them, and it was that kind of relationship. Arthur gave a slight nod.
"Then, what about Emma?"
Arthur remained silent as his brows furrowed.
"Are you aware of the amount of ti the two of you spent together?" said Ori with a serious frown. "I couldn't bring myself to tell you that this was a path of self-destruction."
"Emma," muttered Arthur, as the na brought great nostalgia to him. "She must still be with the prince, so there cannot be anything between us, right?"
Arthur hated the hopeful tone in his voice because such a thing as replacing his feelings to Emma with those of Diana would break her heart. Oriole stared at him silently and nodded with agreent, but Arthur could tell that there was more coming.
"After the death of Arthur Silvera in the Runes Apprentices Cup, which I also participated in and made sure the tiline goes as planned, Emma never believed your death."
"And I never told her the truth because the king will read her mind," assud Arthur, and Oriole nodded. "I would have done the sa thing."
"This is for the better," Ori nodded. "However, you couldn't leave her alone, Arthur. Alexie beca her friend, and with ti, you proved that you were the only person who cared about her in this place."
"I... don't bla my alter self," said Arthur with a smile. "Are you saying that she has feelings for ?"
"That brings us to the incident with Julia a few days ago, when Emma witnessed the two of you acting quite close. So, I am warning you that the next ti you et her, you have to prepare yourself."
"...what was I doing with Julia?"
"The scheming bastard tried to seduce you, and Emma witnessed her attempt," laughed Oriole. "Amid world-scale concerns, you still managed to land yourself in such a comical situation."
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