Temorsth covered his face.
His parents were impossible.
No matter how serious the conversation became, they somehow found a way to make him feel like the strange one.
For a short while, the three of them remained like that.
Elah was still annoyed about his death.
Xalier was still nodding as if calling it a tragedy was the most reasonable conclusion in the world.
And Temorsth, who had spent years thinking he had already accepted everything calmly, was beginning to feel like his own common sense had been beaten down by two ancient beings.
Eventually, he lowered his hands.
His gaze fell on the flask resting on the table.
The pale blue water inside shifted faintly under the warm light of the room.
"..." It was a convenient escape.
So Temorsth took it. "Then..."
He reached out and lightly touched the flask. "Can this water cure me?"
The atmosphere changed.
Not completely.
The warmth from earlier did not disappear.
But the easy banter faded.
Elah's expression softened, and Xalier leaned back slightly, his smile becoming a little more complicated.
Temorsth noticed immediately.
"So it can't."
"We don't know," Elah answered before the silence could stretch too far.
That was not an answer.
Not really.
Temorsth looked at Xalier.
His father sighed.
"The person who gave it to us said it would not solve the problem." Temorsth's fingers paused against the glass.
"But?"
"But he also said it could help," Elah added quickly, almost as if she refused to let the sentence end on despair.
Temorsth stared at the flask.
Help.
Not cure.
Just help.
For some reason, that didn't disappoint him as much as he expected.
Maybe because he had never truly believed one bottle of water could solve everything.
Maybe because even "help" was already more than he had yesterday.
"Who gave it to you?"
Xalier and Elah looked at each other.
Temorsth's eyes narrowed.
That look again.
The look of two people who had done something stupid together and had not yet decided which one of them should explain it.
"...Dad."
Xalier coughed into his fist. "There was an old man."
"An old man?"
"Yes."
"On the mountain?"
"Yes."
"The one the System said had a myth about an Immortal Emperor protecting it?"
Xalier slowly looked away.
Temorsth stared at him.
Elah crossed her arms.
"Your father thought it would be a good idea to fight him."
"I thought," Xalier corrected with great dignity, "that if he was guarding the lake, he was either an enemy or a test."
"He was an old man drinking tea beside a lake."
"A suspicious old man drinking suspicious tea beside a suspicious lake."
"You said a surprise attack was the best chance to take the water..."
Temorsth looked between them.
"...You attacked an old man?"
Xalier opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then raised one finger.
"Challenged."
"You attacked him."
"He accepted."
"After you attacked him?"
"He accepted very quickly."
Elah gave her husband a cold side glance.
"He also sent me through half a mountain while I went for the water."
Xalier winced.
"To be fair, I thought he would hit you harder."
The room fell silent.
Temorsth slowly turned his head toward his father.
Elah also slowly turned her head toward her husband.
Xalier froze.
"...Wait, that was not the whole thought... ugh, that sounded better in my head."
"It did not," Elah said.
Temorsth stared at them for another moment.
Then, despite himself, a small laugh escaped him.
Not because the situation was funny.
It absolutely was not.
His parents had apparently challenged something far beyond them for his sake.
They had lost badly.
They had still returned with the flask.
And somehow, the part they were arguing about was whether the old man should have hit his mother harder.
His laugh grew before he could stop it.
Elah blinked.
Xalier looked relieved.
"What is so funny?" Elah asked.
Temorsth wiped at his eyes. "Nothing..."
He tried to stop laughing and failed. "It's just..."
He looked at the two of them.
His father, still bruised and ragged, pretended he had made a tactical decision.
His mother, equally exhausted, was offended more by his explanation than by the fact that she had been thrown through a mountain.
"My parents really are like Romeo and Juliet."
Both of them stared at him.
"Who?" Xalier asked.
"Ah..." Temorsth waved a small hand. "A story from my old world. Two lovers from opposing families."
Elah tilted her head. "Did they fight an old man on a mountain?"
"No."
"Then I don't see the similarity."
"The similarity is that both stories are absurd because of love."
Xalier seemed to consider that.
Then he nodded. "Acceptable."
"It was not a compliment."
"I will take it as one."
Temorsth sighed.
Yes.
His parents were definitely impossible.
Still, the brief laughter helped.
It made the next question easier to ask.
"So, if he gave it in the end... what did the old man want?"
The smile faded from Xalier's face.
Elah's fingers tightened slightly on her dress.
Temorsth immediately noticed.
"Ah." He looked back at the flask.
"There was a condition," Xalier said.
"Not exactly," Elah followed.
"Then?"
"He did not ask for payment before giving us the water."
That somehow sounded worse.
Temorsth waited.
Xalier continued after a moment.
"He said that if we succeeded in finding a cure, he wanted to meet you."
Temorsth blinked.
"...Me?"
Elah nodded.
"He specifically asked for you."
"Why?"
"We don't know."
"How did he know it was for me?"
"We don't know..."
That answer was honest.
Too honest.
Temorsth disliked it.
His gaze drifted toward the flask again.
An old man strong enough to crush his parents.
A place protected by myths.
Water that might help, but not cure.
And at the end of it all, the being responsible wanted to meet him.
"That's not suspicious at all," Temorsth muttered.
Xalier's mouth twitched.
"No. It is extremely suspicious."
"Then why accept?"
This time, neither parent joked.
Xalier looked at him for a long moment.
Then answered simply. "Because it might help you."
"..." Temorsth had no answer to that.
Elah reached out and gently placed her hand over his. "If there was even a small chance, we had to take it."
Her voice was soft. "But that does not mean we will throw you at him blindly. If he becomes a danger to you, then we will treat him as one."
Temorsth looked at her.
Then at Xalier.
"It seemed you were like flies to him..."
"We were," Xalier said.
"And if he becomes dangerous?"
"Then we become very annoying flies."
Elah nodded seriously. "The kind that refuse to die."
"Don't worry, son, we are strong, though there are these ancient monsters, but our races have them too, and in time, your dad will become strong enough to deal with them himself."
"Like his mother wouldn't become strong like that, mph..."
Temorsth stared at them.
Then lowered his head.
A laugh almost escaped him again, but this one felt different.
Warmer.
Quieter.
"Idiots."
"Your idiots," Elah said without hesitation.
Temorsth froze slightly.
Then looked away.
"...Yes."
For a while, no one spoke.
Night had already fallen, and rain had begun without any of them noticing, tapping softly against the windows and filling the silence with a gentle rhythm.
Eventually, Temorsth remembered something.
"Ah, right."
Both parents looked at him.
"There is one more thing I wanted to tell you."
Xalier immediately straightened.
Elah's expression also became serious again.
Temorsth stared at them.
"...Why do you both look like I am about to confess to destroying the house?"
"You have already done that once," Xalier said.
"One chair."
"It exploded."
"That is not the house."
"I made that, it was emotionally close."
Temorsth ignored him.
"I have a System."
For a moment, neither parent seemed shocked.
If anything, they looked almost relieved.
"Oh," Elah said.
Temorsth blinked.
Again.
"Oh?"
Xalier nodded. "We know what a System is."
"You do?"
"Of course."
That answer annoyed him more than it should have.
Temorsth leaned back.
"Now that I think about it... I think I remember Dad saying something about system or panel or something before, maybe when you left... but until now it completely went over my head... hmh didn't I also say things like that?"
"Hmh? I did too? Maybe... I wasn't calm then... I might have made a mistake. Originally, we wanted to wait until you said it yourself."
"I see, so is nothing I say today surprising?"
"The reincarnation was surprising," Xalier said.
"You said 'oh.'"
"I was surprised internally."
"You looked bored."
"I was not bored."
Elah covered her mouth, hiding a smile.
Then Xalier continued properly.
"A System is not unique to the Realms. Powerful beings can grant them. Usually, it is a piece of themselves given to guide or nurture someone."
Temorsth frowned.
"So it's not special?"
"It depends on the System," Elah said. "Some are common. Some are dangerous. Some are blessings. Some are chains."
Xalier's expression became serious.
"What is its name?"
Temorsth noticed the shift immediately.
The question wasn't casual.
Both of them were watching him carefully now.
"The Will of the Worlds."
Xalier relaxed so quickly it almost looked like his body lost strength.
Elah also let out a quiet breath.
"Thank the Progenitors..." Xalier muttered.
Temorsth looked between them.
"What?"
"The Will of the World is one of the safest known Systems," Xalier explained. "It is considered the original model that many other Systems were based on.
Its rulers are neutral. It does not favor or suppress any race, and it usually supports its host without trying to control them.
It's widespread, stable, but usually only given to those with potential. If that is the one you have, then it is good news."
Temorsth stared.
Then slowly sank into the sofa.
"Oh."
He sounded disappointed.
"I thought I was special."
Elah laughed softly.
"You are special, baby."
"That sounded like something mothers say when their children lose."
"You are special for even getting a system in these conditions."
"Mom?"
Xalier chuckled.
Temorsth frowned.
"Well, we did a lot of stuff to hide you from the divine and other beings.
If you didn't already have it before being born here, you probably wouldn't have received one at all.
So, even this ordinary World version is something to be thankful for."
"I see..."
Then something clicked. "Wait."
His father looked at him. "You said World."
"Yes?"
Temorsth pointed at himself. "Mine is Worlds."
Xalier's smile froze.
Elah's expression also changed.
The room became silent again.
Not the warm kind.
Not the awkward kind.
A sharp, sudden silence.
Xalier slowly leaned forward.
"...Say the name again."
"The Will of the Worlds."
"Worlds?"
"Yes."
"Not World?"
"Worlds."
Xalier stared at him.
Elah stared too.
Temorsth looked between them.
"...Is that bad?"
Neither answered.
Then Xalier suddenly laughed.
Not softly.
Not politely.
He laughed from the bottom of his chest, loud enough that the rain outside almost disappeared beneath it.
Temorsth flinched slightly.
Elah's eyes widened at first, but after a moment, something in Xalier's expression made her understand.
Hope.
A desperate, impossible kind of hope.
"No..." Xalier said between laughs, wiping at his face. "No, son. It isn't bad."
He looked at Elah.
His eyes were filled with something Temorsth couldn't fully understand.
"It's good."
Elah's lips trembled.
Then she smiled.
A small, fragile smile.
"Really?"
Xalier reached for her hand.
"Maybe it won't end with us."
The words were quiet.
Almost not meant for Temorsth.
But he heard them.
Elah lowered her gaze, then nodded.
"Maybe there is actually hope..."
Temorsth looked between them.
A conversation he didn't understand.
A history he didn't know yet.
Pain, struggle, and love much older than him.
And hope that somehow had something to do with his System.
His parents leaned closer.
Their hands intertwined.
Then Xalier touched Elah's cheek and kissed her.
Temorsth stared for exactly one second.
Then stood up. "Good night."
Elah blinked. "Already?"
"Yes, I am happy you are back."
Xalier laughed again.
Temorsth picked up the flask from the table. "I love you. Good night."
"Good night, baby," Elah said softly.
"Sleep well, son, oh, but do drink it before going to sleep," Xalier added.
"Will do." Temorsth walked toward the stairs, the flask held carefully in his hands.
For the first time in more than a year, the house behind him did not feel empty.
The rain continued outside.
"Now that we are alone..."
"Ew... take a shower first!" His parents' quiet voices followed him until he reached the hallway.
Temorsth did not understand everything that happened today.
The water.
The old man.
The System.
The hope in their eyes.
But he understood enough.
They had come back.
They had not stopped loving him.
And whatever came next...
He was not alone.
...
Inside his room, Temorsth looked at the flask from different angles before he brought forth its status window again.
[Name: Waters of Singularity
Rank: Immortal Emperor
Rarity: Legendary
Category: Consumable
Description: It is a flask of water from the Lake of Singularity, which is located on Leacastle Mountain.
Upon consumption, it strengthens one's being.
Warning! Consuming this item can be dangerous!]
[Story:
According to legend, if one drinks the waters from the lake, they will experience a wave of time passing through infinite space. It is a legendary consumable desired by all, even gods aren't an exception.]
He even brought up the description Aidana showed him of Mount Leacastle.
[Mount Leacastle is the highest peak in the Shadowy Highlands.
The Shadowy Highlands is a mythical place in the world of Ananterra. A place that has already claimed more than a thousand demigod lives!
There is a Myth that an Immortal Emperor protects the place, but many still go there every year to look for treasures and or for strong foes.]
"Hmh..." But he was only scanning over them for memory, no new info he didn't see before, rather,
"Should I just drink this now?"