2 Back again, doing nothing

It was a sunny day.

Varsas remembered meeting Vaine and Viola for the first time. They were at the Mahaima army's camp, with Vaine disguising as a recruit. He remembered his heartbeat fastening as the drum of war was sound. That was the day Varsas Gungnir decided one and for all that if he is going to live, he is going to be a soldier and seek fame.

However at the end of the heroic dream, glory was the last thing on his mind.

Ties of friendship and family, striving for good was the goal. It is better if you live your life making other life's easier than to seek glory yourself, that was his motivation at the last part of the journey.

However even that motivation reached it limit eventually. It all started with his family butchered, at that point he was thinking, what was the point anymore.

After the death of his family Varsas did not want to move on. He wanted to stay behind as society move on and left him in the dust. He wanted to live as a hermit with the only goal of resurrecting his family using technology from the Empire. He let go of Viola so easily even though she was the love of his life. Was, as she has already fallen for the Vaine. It could be said that there was a part of him that was glad that she has fallen for Vaine. Varsas wanted to be left behind.

However he did not regret any of it. It was like the day he set out for war, once he made up his mind, he would see it to the end.

That is why

"I want to live as a hermit and do nothing because my plan of committing heinous crime against God and nature has been rendered null so there is really nothing for me to do."

He sits straight up at a 90 degree angle while declaring proudly like that at the only female healer in the room.

"Uh- Yes- I would get the doctor."

Varsas' eyes trail the figure until she retreated out of the room. He was intimately familiar with that woman once upon a time, but not right now. The future Maiden of War, the Flower of Mahaima, Viola...

Or would it be Viola Mahaima in the future? Could his actions have changed the events enough that the future where Viola was seduced by Vaine would never happen.

No probably. If their love is as strong as Vaine claimed, something small like that won't change anything.

But where were we?

Ah yes, Varsas Gungnir has ended in the past with all of his wounds from the recent battle as a bonus.

The once hero contemplate on the event. He realizes that these thing do happen on his long journey. It is as probable as fighting an old abandoned God in their own temple to save the world. That is to say, not very probable, but it happens.

There was a land forgotten by time, an isle drifting alone amidst the vast sea. It was a land locked in time. There was a legend of a nation that existed thousand of years ago. That island was that nation, and to the people of the nation that event was yesterday, as is the event of the future. The people of the island has an uncanny ability to tell the past, present and future. To them, time is meaningless. However to them, death is permanent.

There was a woman on that island who reigned as queen, she was like a second mother to Varsas, helping him reached the martial height of today. Once day it was as if she descended into madness and attacked the party, Varsas had no choice but to put her down. And that was that.

Even now that he has traveled to the past the queen would still be dead. And that is why he was forbidden to ever enter the island again.

He remembers the woman's last word clearly

"In the end, you never listen do you boy?" Yet even now he still doesn't understand. There was a possibility, however Varsas discarded it because it was too inconvenient for him.

"Varsas, just tell me, how did you get those wounds. Tell the truth."

There was a guy constantly nagging at him about the wounds and insisting that Varsas was attacked. If he remembered right, the guy was a distant relative who was not as well off as his parents. However after a time all those memories just blur together except for the memories about his closest family.

"I don't want to do anything."

There was a look of frustration on that guy's face though he was interrupted by Varsas's father.

"Let's not make a scene out of this. We are in the Mahaima kingdom. Let's wait until we get home. Even the boy doesn't want to speak, after all he was fine in the end. Or is there any ulterior motive you have for this questioning?"

And that was his father with a sharp voice. His ever reliable father who wanted the Gungnir to stay pacifistic through out the war.

"But this is a direct attack on our family. Speak some sense to him elder sister, there is definitely a hidden motive to this attack."

His mother took her fan and starts speaking with a gleam in her eyes.

"I agree that there is a hidden motive alright, however what is the motive remains to be seen. And are you suggesting we endanger our only son further by staying in Mahaima any longer than necessary."

She stressed with a meaningful glance at Varsas's uncle. From what he remembers, the guy stand to profit if the Gungnir family throws in their support for one of the opposing nation to Mahaima and tries to convince his father many time while Varsas was still home, however even at the end he never succeeded.

Poor guy though. He is clearly not responsible for ordering an attack on Varsas's life despite whatever ulterior motive he has, yet when his father insinuated it like that, mother would generally take father's side in the argument.

"I-I... very well."

Flustered, Varsas' poor uncle left the room, leaving the three member of Varsas family behind. His father breathes a sigh of relief while his mother drops her fan and was like a chicken hen, fussing over him.

"I'm sorry son. We can't afford an investigation right now, to declare hostility with the Mahaima or to out your uncle would destroy the stability that our family has strive for."

Varsas remembers himself years in the future letting the Venir family go, free from retribution for their crime.

"It's okay father. You were right about everything."

Even if in the end the Gungnir family was destroyed because of their pacifism, if Varsas has also obeyed his father and stayed away from war, thing would have changed.

As someone who has given so much, is it wrong to do nothing?

"Did you remember to pay the healer extra? Her skill was really good." He told his parents that. That is the only thing Varsas can do right now, from now on, the path he walks would be different from the path of the girl who is going to be one of the hero of the world.

Varsas Gungnir has been thinking long and hard about the future.

He realized that even without him, the world has enough heroes to stop the events to come. His conclusion was that even without him, the various heroes who were his allies, comrades and friends would rise to the occasion and do what they must.

Viola and Vaine is going to be the one who lead, there is no other more capable. It's going to be tough getting Margaret to join them, god knows how Margaret hated both of them, but she doesn't need to join them, she just need to do the right thing as she did in the original timeline.

With that, it should be enough. The world does not need Varsas Gungnir.

It's the first day of the year 786. Varsas holds the documents that details the various businesses of the Gungnir. It is going to be a turbulent year. The war escalates when the Mahaimian join in earnest, the rise of the mad pyromancer happen and the first sign of monsters encroaching upon the previously thought to be safe territory was found. Lots of people are going to end up dead or homeless.

However none of that are going to affect the Gungnir's territory. Varsas has learned now that it is no use thinking about something that is not before you. The world is unfair, hundred thousands die in war and poverty these days, it happens.

By this point Viola and Vaine should in the Mahaima army, training under a very tough instructor as new recruits while Varsas sits here, learning business.

He hopes they do well.

In the afternoon after a hard day of learning, Varsas would sit under a large tree in the garden while enjoying the cool breeze, his hands and feets lies comfortably on the grass.

It was his favourite thing to do in his childhood that he never has the opportunity to do again in the future.

Varsas glances at an approaching servants in training who looks to be no more than 10.

The little girl approaches him cautiously with curiosity in her eyes.

"What is it?"

The girl jerks back, cutely falling onto her butt.

"Ah no I'm just wandering..."

Varsas softens a bit

"What are you wondering little one?"

"I'm just wandering...

Why aren't you doing anything?"

A curious question. A question that a servant shouldn't be asking the young master of the house.

Varsas states at her long and hard for a while before answering.

"I am not doing anything because I have already worked so hard."

Varsas closes his eyes while giving the girl a gentle smile.

Slowly he falls asleep under the willow tree.

...

"This can't be allowed to continue. How can the hero who ended the war not join the war. Mistress!"

"... Shut up for a moment Lufa. Just shut up."

The women moves slowly across the garden, gazing at the image of the sleeping Varsas.

"...You really don't listen do you boy?"