A notification sounded on the smartwatch that Russell wears, prompting him to stop writing on the "Book of Changes" that he decided to write, to track the important changes that were worth considering when compared to what he knew.
Tap. Tap.
Putting down the pen on his study desk from his right hand, he checked and read the ssage he just received.
It was from his younger sister, Freya.
He was used to being texted by his younger sister, especially when it was about his whereabouts, where and what to eat for dinner, and so on. It's mostly the basics of conversation, but, at this very mont, Russell's deep blue eyes constricted and felt like his heart skipped a beat before beating twice as fast as the regular beating.
He felt his chest seed to jump for a mont as he read the ssage that his younger sister had sent him, at this deep of the night.
"Brother... I'm coming over."
She didn't even ask if he was still awake as she knew that he sleeps most of the ti at late night or even midnight, and she called him, "Brother", instead of "Oppa" which she usually does.
Although it ans the sa thing, knowing his younger sister, Russell was very aware of the seriousness of the difference in how his younger sister addresses him.
The only ti he rembered that Freya's seriousness was directed at him was when he tried to persistently drink booze that was left by their father in a refrigerator, especially when he's already been warned that she would tell their parents.
"...What's wrong this ti...?"
He muttered, trying to rack his brain for whatever offensive he unintentionally did that caused his younger sister to tell him such a thing. After so ti, all he could think about was when he and Alie went through a series of life-and-death situations for the sake of having Maya and securing the Urum mineral for future use.
'But that's already settled... Am I wrong...?'
He began to doubt whether the issue was solved or not, but he rembered the scolding he received a few monts just after his resurrection through Alie's authority.
Knock-! Knock-!
He was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard two slow knocks. Even though it was only a knock, it seed to contain the heaviness of the emotions of the person standing behind the door.
He stood up from his seat, walked with heavy steps, and placed his right hand on the doorknob of the door before he slowly twisted it.
Clicked-!
Creaked...!
After the clicking sound that indicates that the door has been unlocked, he slowly opened it as a creaking sound entered his ears, and then, he saw his younger sister, Freya, with her eyes reddened while looking at him.
"...Hey, hey, what happened?"
Without waiting for his younger sister to reply, he grabbed his younger sister's wrist, and Freya, who was held by her older brother, let herself be dragged inside the dormitory room.
...
"...Tell what's bothering you."
Sitting on the long, comfortable gray couch, Russell looked beside him where his younger sister was sitting while looking at the floor as if she was frozen in place.
He didn't bother to ask if she was okay as he knew that she was not at the mont.
With her fair-skinned hands on her lap, and without looking at her older brother, Freya spoke both in wonder and seriousness.
"...Brother, I don't want to talk about it before, but... do you perhaps know the future...?"
Without waiting for her older brother to answer, and without looking beside her to check her older brother's reaction, Freya continued to speak with the sa tone.
"...Brother... do you think it wouldn't cross my mind at all??
"Before the classes started you went sowhere... and then you encountered sothing that made you a contractee of a Constellation.
"...You told that after you and Alie saved from Kevin. That ti, I was also told by Alie about her past.
"...Do you know how happy I was when you didn't keep a single thing from ...?
"...Do you know how happy I was when you beca strong to the point that I despised myself for being weak...?
"...I-I wanted to be strong so that I could protect you, Mom, and Dad...
"...I don't want that to happen to our family again...
"Brother... tell , is there a single thing you left out when you told everything...? From your Constellation, about Chaos, everything...
"Even how you seemingly knew about the aning of my recurring dream... and that I should just wait for so ti, then voila! I got a contract with the Ruler of Death.
"...This will be the first ti I'm asking this, brother... I want you to be honest with ...
"How did you know so many things when what you did when we were kids, when we barely have access to anything, was just to read?"
This ti, Freya looked at Russell, then she saw her older brother wasn't looking at her, but rather on the outside where the bluish moon was hanging above, spreading its serenity.
Russell's deep blue eyes contained nostalgia, sothing that Freya couldn't understand due to the depth it expresses.
Without looking at Freya who was sitting on his left side, Russell opened his mouth with a solemn tone.
"...What made you ask these questions?? Why now...?"
The mont Freya started to talk, Russell's mind turned blank as though it was blocked by gray clouds, and his heart started to thump heavily. But, he tried to focus and asked the important question he thought about. He felt that Freya wouldn't ask such things out of nowhere, and there must be sothing that triggered her to act this way.
He even thought that maybe Arthur, the Student Council President, got into her mind, but he quickly dismisses the thought due to the contents of Freya's questions.
...
Freya took two deep breaths, and let out a sigh before she looked down again at the floor while clasping her hands.
"...A-Alie... She told that she saw an expression in you when you were in your Soul Form... an expression that you didn't want to get resurrected.
"...And she told , although she never questions your decisions, she felt that you knew many things that other people don't. That's why, brother... my curiosity hit , and wanted to hear it from you.
"...I realized that Alie's right... that you knew things, aside from Constellations and Chaos stuff... the fact that you sohow knew the true nature of Arthur, the Student Council President, and that he's connected to Maya's parents' kidnapping according to what you and Alie told previously... I don't know brother... Please... enlighten . If you know things about the future... and if what Alie noticed was right...
"...W-why don't you want to be resurrected...?"
...
Upon listening thoroughly through his younger sister's lantation, especially the question that she asked, he felt as though he was being stabbed countless tis, yet he was unable to feel numb or die.
He let out a sigh, and this ti, he looked at his younger sister, who was also looking at him at this very mont after she finished speaking her thoughts.
Both of them were not leaning on the gray couch as though relaxing was sothing forbidden, then, after so ti, Russell spoke what was necessary.
"...Freya... I admire your desire to protect and our parents, but... you are right... and wrong at the sa ti about not wanting to be resurrected.
"...Also, it's sothing I wouldn't be able to tell you, but you and Alie are quite right... I know so things that will happen in the future...
"...A-and..."
He paused for a mont, but he felt like his soul was being crushed due to his breath which was gradually turning heavy.
"...I want to use Alie's authority, the Dark Resurrection specifically... to escape the dangers that would befall us in the future.
"Through it, I-I want to be dead in our parents' eyes... then... I'll be resurrected sowhere for the future, attracting every possible danger, leading them away from our parents that might be made collateral.
"I-I'm sorry..."
He felt pathetic. He never expected that Alie would be able to catch a glimpse of him, making an expression that contradicts soone who loved being alive.
"...I know."
Freya's next words caused his eyes to constrict while maintaining his serious expression that was nearing breaking down.
She didn't let him respond, rather she spoke in anguish.
"...I didn't know that's what you wanted, but I realized sothing when Alie told that you had an expression of not wanting to be resurrected... when I considered the difficulty of the Star Quest that was bestowed unto ... I'm certain it would cause our parents to intensely worry...
"...Oppa, Okay... I won't ask you how you knew so things that will happen in the future, but can I ask you sothing?
"Will it be terrible?
"Will it be painful?
"And... Oppa, I just want you to know, I'm here. If you feel burdened by the future, you can share the burden with ... There's also Alie and Ary, too. And who knows... maybe we'd have more companions in the future, right?"
Freya's deep blue eyes were in tears, which started to flow down her cheeks, down to the floor, while maintaining a faint smile on her face as he looked at her older brother whose deep blue eyes slightly widened, seemingly preventing himself to tear up. He then responded with a smile.
'I'm not alone... This is not my previous life.'
Russell firmly said inwardly.
Slap-! Slap-!
He slapped his cheeks before he heaved a sigh of relief.
"Sigh... Thank you, Freya, really."
He was grateful for having a sister like her.
...
After an unknown period of ti, Russell spoke casually.
"...Co out. I know you're there."
Freya's brows pricked up when she realized that her older brother was talking to soone.
"A-Alie?!"
Alie, in her Shade Transformation, ca out of nowhere, which caused Freya's eyes to widen.
Deactivating her Shade Transformation, Alie's deep black hair and deep black eyes returned to their usual pink and ruby respectively.
"I-I don't an to pry... but I heard everything."
She scratched her right cheek while feeling embarrassed.
"...No, it's alright. You have the right to know. It's just you never asked, although you noticed."
Russell looked at her, then prompted her to take a seat, which she did, but on his bed instead of the couch.
"Right timing, I'll tell you what the near future holds. Although it's better if Ary is with us, it's not that of a big deal, so it will be fine even if she's not.
"...And one more thing, although I knew so things that will happen in the future, I don't fully trust it, so it would be better to not rely on it most of the ti."
He said while recalling the Untouched Elents, as well as the Unknown Elents, the circumstances that deviated from what he knew.
Alie and Freya pricked up their ears, their auricular sense was in attentive mode upon hearing his words.
...
"The first Close Mystery Tower will open in the next two months, October sothing, but there's probably a World Announcent prior to that.
"Close Mystery Towers are towers that are very different compared to Strayed or Tower Dungeons that we usually know.
"They have different characteristics or thes, and they could be accessed either through the System or physically."
Freya beca curious about the ways how to access it, so she asked curiously.
"Oppa... what do you an to access through the System?"
"Hmm... it's like the System will ask you if you want to challenge the Close Mystery Tower, then you'll just have to say 'Yes' or 'No', then if say 'Yes', you'll be transported inside the Tower."
'...It's like the Trial of the Stars that the renowned players today have gone through in the past.'
Russell thought as he answered his younger sister's question.
"The Close Mystery Tower that will open is called the Tower of Growth, and it will have 30 floors of challenges..."
Russell continued to recount everything he knew about the Tower of Growth, causing a myriad of emotions and reactions to be painted on Alie and Freya's faces.
"...What the hell is that Failure Penalty...? I guess there's no such Growth Rate freebie in this world, huh...?"
Alie exclaid upon hearing the Failure Penalty... that Ayleen Mayfield didn't learn from Lunaria.
...
In the middle of the night, inside a very spacious and luxurious dormitory room.
Arthur Wolfson, the Student Council President, was sitting on a high-back chair while ruminating over the call he received from the Guild Master of the Shadow Guild, his uncle, Draxan Wolfson.
Gritting his teeth, his mind was a ss as he thought about the words of his uncle.
'So people attacked the Shadow Guild's Westernmost Branch?'
"...Who are they...? F*ck!
"I need to acquire Ela's Needle as soon as possible."
Due to the loss of people or slaves, he was asked again to work and find the necessary people to be made into slaves as the forr underground facility could just be rebuilt, but with stronger security, as the Strayed Dungeon where the Urum (UR) can be mined was still intact.
User Comments
0 comments from readers