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"…Huh? Where… am I?"
When I came to, I found myself in an unfamiliar place.
Before my eyes stretched a pure white horizon completely devoid of any obstacles, like an endless ice field. The sky reminded me of the soft hues of dawn. Closer to the ground, a gentle light like the first rays of sunrise illuminated everything, while higher up it faded into a deep, night-like darkness.
Underfoot, it felt as if I were standing atop clouds, with pure white mist rising all the way up to my knees.
The entire scene was so unreal that it almost seemed like the afterlife itself.
"…For now, I need to get a handle on the situation."
I took a deep breath to calm my mind, then began retracing my memories.
"My name is Shion Nastasium. …Yeah, I remember my name and everything else just fine."
Knowing that I was still myself brought me a wave of relief.
There was always the possibility of an ability like [Recognition Alteration], after all, so I could not be completely certain. But on the other hand, the very fact that I was even worrying about [Recognition Alteration] probably meant I had not been affected by it. If things had been anticipated that far ahead, there would be nothing I could do anyway, so there was no point dwelling on it any further.
"All right, then… let's see. My last memory was…"
I searched through my memories once more.
My final recollection was of taking part in the operation that Amuntsars had launched based on the information Titania had provided. During that mission I had infiltrated the Minagania Kingdom, a vassal state of the Empire, and attacked one of the Cyclamen Order's bases: a labyrinth known as the Farm.
In the deepest part of that labyrinth I had encountered a detestable noble-looking man who appeared to be in his early twenties.
"That's right. I fought the demon named Due, whose abilities reflected the traits of [Magic Power Eater]. In the middle of that battle I touched the 'outside' and reached the principle of magic. After that I successfully defeated Due and lost consciousness. …And when I woke up, I was here."
…Yeah. In the end I still had no idea where "here" actually was.
Right after making contact with the outside, I had recklessly interfered with the art principles and activated [Frozen Hell Garden: Fimbulvetr]. In an incredibly short span of time I had come into contact with an overwhelming amount of information from both the principle of magic and the art principles themselves. Losing consciousness was probably my brain's way of organizing all that data, the same way the mind processes things during sleep. Of course, it was also possible I had simply collapsed from physical exhaustion.
"Hmm… I really wish I had a little more information right about now…"
Muttering to myself, I slowly turned in a full circle and surveyed my surroundings.
No matter which direction I looked, the scenery remained exactly the same, with no discernible changes at all.
"…Hm? The spirits' movements seem a little off."
Since nothing had looked different through normal sight, I activated my spirit sight and looked around once more. While ordinary magical power simply drifted in place, the spirits, altered magical power, were steadily flowing toward the same location as if they had a clear destination.
"…It could be a trap, but this is the only clue I have. All right! Let's go!"
Having made up my mind, I assumed a combat-ready stance and began walking toward where the spirits were heading.
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I must have been walking for quite some time, yet my sense of time felt strangely numb, almost paralyzed.
Thanks to my [Time Regression] ability, I could always accurately gauge the passage of time even in environments like labyrinths that barely changed. Losing my sense of time was something that had never happened to me before.
And yet right now, although my instincts told me roughly two hours had gone by, I could not say so with any real confidence.
…This place really was not normal.
With every step I took, the angle at which the spirits were advancing grew just a little narrower. It was the only comfort I had, that gradual sense that I was actually drawing closer to my destination.
I continued walking for what felt like an immeasurable amount of time until something other than the white horizon and unchanging dawn sky finally entered my field of vision.
Keeping my guard up, I approached it without relaxing my vigilance. Soon a sound like quiet sobbing reached my ears.
As I drew even closer, I realized it was a person crouched on the ground with both knees and hands pressed against the surface.
Their face was hidden by the rising mist, but from their clothing and general appearance I immediately knew who it was.
"…Orun?"
In response to my voice, Orun slowly lifted his head and turned toward me.
His face was streaked with tears.
"What… happened…?"
Reuniting with Orun in a place like this, someone I never thought I would see again, and finding him looking so broken left my mind completely blank.
The Orun I knew had always carried himself with strength and resolve, both when we were children and when we had reunited later in life. No matter how harsh the situation, he had never shown any weakness.
Yet here he was, crying helplessly like a small child.
The sight struck me with overwhelming shock.
"…Shion? You showed up at just the right time. Please… kill me."
"…Huh?"
"Grandpa disappeared right in front of me, and the next thing I knew I was here. No matter how many times I try to kill myself, I can't die. You tried to kill me before, didn't you? I'm begging you… please kill me!"
The desperate urgency in his voice as he pleaded for death made it painfully clear that he truly wanted to die.
"I can't… There is no way I could kill you, Orun."
There was simply no possibility of me doing such a thing.
"Why not…! I have to die. Because of me so many of my comrades… Even my father and mother were killed…! And yet why would Grandpa throw his life away for someone like me, someone who has no value in living at all…! Damn it!!"
Anger. Sorrow. Hatred.
Orun appeared to be tormented by an overwhelming flood of negative emotions.
The suddenness of the situation left my head unable to think straight. I had no idea why Orun was in this state. I did not know what the right words were to say to him as he suffered.
But there was one thing Orun had said that I could not simply let pass.
"You mustn't say things like that. You should never call yourself someone with 'no value in living.' I have taken so many lives that I have no right to speak about the sanctity of life, but I believe no person exists without some value in living."
"…! What the hell would you know about me!?"
"I don't know! After I was told you had died, I kept living all this time with our 'promise' as my only support! Yet here you are, actually alive. But when we finally reunited, you had forgotten all about me… There is no way I could possibly understand what the current Orun is going through!"
"..."
Caught up in the heat of the moment, I raised my voice and let my emotions spill out.
Orun, who had been wearing a pained expression, stared at me in stunned silence after my sudden outburst.
I was fully aware that I was saying things that made little sense. But if it could make him forget his pain even for a single moment…
"Even so, to me you are still my benefactor and the person I care about more than anyone else. I want to keep being on your side. So please, tell me what is happening with you now. If something painful happened, throw it all at me. I want to carry that burden together with you."
Speaking the words as they came to me, I gently pulled Orun into my arms.
The Orun I thought I would never be able to touch again was now right here, within my embrace.
As I tightened my hold, I could feel the warmth of his body.
Before I realized it, tears were streaming down my own face.
"Finding out you are still alive made me so happy I couldn't stop crying. So please… don't say you want to die…"
"Shion…"
A tearful voice slipped from Orun's lips. Yet somehow those tears felt warmer than before.