Chapter 124: Unwanted Ending 3
The darkness enveloped me, a vast and impenetrable void that seemed to stretch on endlessly.
It was a strange sensation, this darkness, both profound and oddly comforting.
It cocooned me in a way that was almost reassuring, a stark contrast to the torment and suffering I had just endured.
Here, there were no memories, no pain, no fears. It was simply a vast, serene emptiness where I could float away from all the horrors of the world.
Why did I find this darkness so comforting?
I couldn’t quite grasp it. It was as if this void was a gentle embrace, lulling me into a sense of peace and tranquility.
The oppressive weight of reality seemed to lift, replaced by an inexplicable calm.
Every direction I turned, it felt like a soft, inviting bed, cushioning me from the harshness of the world.
The comfort was profound, an escape from a memory I desperately wished to forget.
In this dark, comforting abyss, there was a strange solace.
The disorienting nature of the void didn’t disturb me; instead, it was oddly satisfying.
Perhaps the darkness offered a reprieve from the relentless pain and regret that had plagued me.
It was a curious sensation, and while I found it soothing, I couldn’t entirely understand why it felt this way.
“…D…” A faint whisper began to echo through the darkness, a distant call that seemed to break through the serene void. It was a sound, a word, a fragment of something I had left behind.
The darkness seemed to shift slightly, as if reacting to the sound. It was strange—almost as if the void itself were responding to the intrusion of this new presence.
The sensation of comfort began to wane, replaced by a growing awareness.
“D…d…” The whisper grew louder, more insistent. It was a name, a cry for attention.
The darkness that had once been my sanctuary now felt like a cage, the calm giving way to a burgeoning sense of urgency.
“…Dad!”
The shout shattered the tranquility, a piercing cry that cut through the darkness with startling clarity.
The void around me dissolved abruptly, like mist burned away by the first light of dawn.
I opened my eyes to a startling new reality.
The comforting darkness was gone, replaced by the harsh, glaring reality of the present.
My senses were assaulted by a flurry of chaotic images and sounds. In front of me stood a monstrous figure, its head grotesquely split open beneath the axe I was holding.
The scene was jarring and surreal, an immediate clash with the soothing darkness I had just left behind.
Confusion and disorientation flooded my mind.
My heart raced as I struggled to comprehend the abrupt transition from the calm void to the violent confrontation before me.
The comforting darkness had vanished, leaving me in a stark, violent reality where I had to grapple with the monstrous figure and the bewildering circumstances surrounding me.
‘What’s going on?’ I thought, struggling to make sense of the whirlwind of sensations and memories colliding in my mind.
“Let’s go, Dad, we don’t have much time left!” The child’s voice was urgent and insistent, tugging at the hem of my robe.
I glanced down and saw a small hand gripping me tightly, its owner looking up with wide, terrified eyes.
I looked around, disoriented.
The scene was entirely different from the last memory I had.
Instead of me being in bed right now resting after the tiresome first day of the grand festival, I was now amidst an intense battle.
The landscape was chaotic, with debris scattered everywhere and the distant sounds of clashing forces.
I instinctively protected the child behind me, trying to make sense of our surroundings.
‘Where am I?’
Why are there monsters everywhere?
The memory of the festival, and the ominous feeling of a memory I had forgotten loomed but it didn’t bring me any answer only more confusion.
My focus snapped back to the immediate situation as the child’s voice cut through my confusion.
“Hurry, Dad!” The urgency in his voice was clear.
I couldn’t ignore it, even though I didn’t fully understand why.
Instinctively, my hands wrapped around the child’s small frame, and I started moving with surprising speed.
‘How am I doing this?’
Mana flowed through me, and I felt an unfamiliar energy propelling me forward. My feet pounded the ground faster than I thought possible, and I pushed through the chaos with newfound strength.
“Dad, Roxxane is waiting for us near the Crystalline Falls! We should get to her first!” The child’s words were clear, but the connection between the names and the urgency felt jumbled in my mind.
‘Why does this kid keep calling me Dad?’
The question buzzed in my thoughts, but there was no time to dwell on it.
My only focus was to reach this Roxanne and find out what was happening.
…
“Roxanne!” The child’s voice cut through the chaos as he leaped out of my arms, propelled by a shimmering aura of mana.
He soared through the air, his small form enveloped in a radiant, ethereal light.
I stood there, momentarily stunned, watching the boy’s graceful flight.
The magic surrounding him was undeniably advanced, a celestial magic known as [Spatial Flight].
Even with my limited knowledge of magic, derived from the game I knew so well, I recognized the implications of the magic’s vibrant colors.
For a child so young to wield such a high-level spell was extraordinary, if not unprecedented.
‘Who is this child?’
I wondered, trying to reconcile the magical prowess before me with the boy’s apparent age.
He seemed like a prodigy, but more pressing was the question of his identity.
My instincts told me I should know who he was, but my mind was a tangled mess of confusion and disorientation.
As the boy, now identified as Ryan, landed softly beside a young girl with an identical face, my attention shifted to her.
She, too, was surrounded by the same magical aura, though her own mana seemed less focused on flight and more on an innocent, childlike joy.
“Dad, Ryan! You’re here~!” The girl’s voice was filled with delight as she spotted us.
She dashed toward Ryan with enthusiasm, but when he attempted to embrace her, her small form passed right through him.
Undeterred, she turned her attention to me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Before I could react, the girl hurled herself into my arms, hugging me tightly.
Her embrace was warm and reassuring, a stark contrast to the chaos and confusion that had engulfed me moments before.
‘This must be Roxanne,’ finding her extremely familiar even though it was technically our first-time meeting.
Despite the surreal circumstances, the innocence of their reunion tugged at my heart.
The warmth of the girl’s hug provided a fleeting sense of solace amidst the turmoil.
“What took you guys so long?” Roxanne’s voice quivered with a mix of frustration and relief as she looked up at me, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.
“I was really worried, you know!” Her concern was evident as she punctuated her words with a series of small, but surprisingly firm, smacks to my head.
Each tiny punch, though not painful, sent my head bobbing slightly. It was astonishing how much force the little girl could muster with her small frame.
Despite the gravity of the situation, her actions were oddly endearing and almost comical in their earnestness.
“Ah…. Roxanne, where’s my hug?” Ryan asked in puppy like eyes as he looked at Roxanne who was busy punching me.
“Huh? Why would I hug you, Ryan?” Roxanne’s response was immediate, her brow furrowing as she regarded her brother with a mixture of confusion and mild irritation.
“Didn’t you say you were worried for us just now, Dad? Getting a hug is unfair!” Ryan’s voice carried a hint of playful indignation as he turned to me. His complaint was laced with a sense of camaraderie that belied the seriousness of the situation.
“How is that unfair? It’s true that I was also worried for you, but I was more worried for Dad since you insisted on bringing him along with you. Are you sure you weren’t just a burden for him?” Roxanne shot back, her tone a blend of concern and a touch of defensive sibling rivalry.
“Wha—” Ryan began to protest, but Roxanne’s words seemed to hit a nerve. “I’ll have you know I was the reason our presence wasn’t easily detected, right, Dad?” Ryan’s eyes turned towards me, seeking validation for his role in the situation.
Watching their interaction, I was momentarily speechless.
‘Are they really kids?’
The playful bickering reminded me of hot-headed teenaged siblings unable to understand one another, the genuine concern, and the subtle undercurrent of sibling rivalry seemed almost surreal given the context.
“Riley, take care of them…”
Words of an unknown figure was trying to resurface in my head yet I couldn’t remember at who It was… not long after my mind became hazy trying to remember something I seemed to have forgotten.
“Dad?”
Roxanne’s voice pierced through my foggy thoughts, snapping me back to reality.
The confusion I was feeling seemed to be overwhelming, but my body responded on its own, a gentle smile forming as I patted her head.
She beamed up at me, her eyes sparkling with innocent joy, but the confusion I felt was palpable and unnerving.
I was disoriented, grappling with questions that seemed to swirl endlessly in my mind:
Where am I? What am I doing here? Why do these two keep calling me Dad?
As I gently set Roxanne down, she looked up at me with a puzzled expression, her head tilted slightly to one side as if trying to make sense of my actions.
Her innocent curiosity contrasted sharply with the chaos of my thoughts.
With a deep, shuddering breath, I inhaled slowly, trying to ground myself amidst the tumult of my racing mind.
My heart gradually began to steady, allowing me to think more clearly.
I glanced at Roxanne and Ryan, whose faces were a mix of concern and curiosity. It was clear that my emotional turmoil had not gone unnoticed.
I had to ask the question that had been gnawing at me, the one that seemed to encapsulate the confusion and uncertainty I was feeling.
I took a moment to steady my voice, attempting to mask the tremor of uncertainty that laced my words.
“Who are you two?”
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The silence that followed was thick and heavy.
For a few seconds, the only sound was the distant rush of the waterfall and the soft rustling of the leaves.
Then, without warning, both Roxanne and Ryan burst into tears simultaneously.
