Chapter 90 - Another Turning Point

— Leon Greyrat —

Looking down at the blank pages before me, I tapped my quill against my chin in thought as I contemplated what to write.

How did I want to do this… and how did I want to organize it?

While I said I wanted to leave this for my children to see once they were older, I didn't exactly want them to read the exploits me and their mothers did at night as well.

Maybe some separate ones for their development?

And then there was the stuff about my abilities and experiments… that should be separated too, right?

Hmm… well, for now, I would leave it at something simple for now and simply give a set time for the start of the diary.

I could easily remove pages if I wanted to, after all.

And so, dipping the tip of the quill into my bottle of ink, I began my first entry.

'It is the seventh month of the year K423, and it will soon be the end of the school year at the University of Ranoa. This also meant that Sylphy will soon be sixteen. Ah, and I, Leon Greyrat, am eighteen, for your information.'

Right… I guess that was a good start.

I guess I'll start by going through the four special girls in my life.

'Sylphy is nearing her third trimester, and her belly is clearly showing it. Each time we sat together, I felt my hands drifting down to her stomach, feeling my soon-to-be child growing inside of her filled my with a sense of warmth that was unexplainable. It really was amazing.'

'Even though I had gone through this before, I was just as excited as I had been for Aria, but I was able to hide it better since I didn't feel nearly as nervous. After all, I now had some experience with my first child, and I also didn't need to go on any trips right beforehand.'

'While it was sometimes considered a taboo to name your child before their birth, considering I wasn't going anywhere before it happened, I had already decided on the names. Sylphy had said she would leave it in my hands, and while I was initially hesitant, I decided to chose something that I think she would appreciate.'

'So, my second child, if you are reading this, you will be named Anna if you're a girl, and Laws if you're a boy, after your late grandparents. After bringing up the idea to Sylphy, she agreed happily, thanking me with tears as I hugged her, even though it was nothing special. After all, giving birth to my lovely fairy was something that should be honoured, and this was an easy way to pay them back.'

Smiling at the memory of her sweet smile as she looked down at her belly, gently whispering the possible names, I dipped my quill into the ink once again before continuing.

'Now onto Aria, my most beautiful daughter… ignoring the fact she was my only daughter at the moment. The newest developments of my active, energetic little girl was that she could now draw and run, which was quite the combination for causing trouble. If you're reading this, you little troublemaker, you made your mother pretty angry at me when I let you roam free with some chalk. You're lucky that water magic is good at cleaning wood floors.'

Remembering how hard she laughed when I chased her around that day, I felt a chuckle threaten to escape me.

Really… what a troublemaker.

But I loved her so much.

Ah… I should probably add that, right?

'Aria… I know that in the future that I will tell you lots of times, but you probably don't understand right now… but I love you. I love you more than anything in the world. So no matter what, never forget that.'

Yeah… that's good.

'Anyway, that's not all you've been doing. You're also getting much better at speaking, likely from the bedtime stories me and your mothers have been reading you. I even read to you a bit about the story your Aunt Norn has been writing about our adventures after the Displacement Incident.'

'What else… ah, you're also very clingy with your parents, especially when it's bedtime. It's absolutely adorable, but more than the attention, I am relieved that you see both Roxy and Sylphy as your mothers. You even called Sylphy 'Mama', though we will have to find a way for you to distinguish the two. I have some experience with that, so I guess I'll be helping you in the future. Anyway… seeing all four of us living together in harmony, it feels that I have truly accomplished something good. It's nice to know my selfishness of wanting three women and a happy family wasn't something impossible.'

Truly… I was the luckiest man alive.

But I was proud to say I had put in effort to go alongside that luck.

'And then there's my dear Roxy. From how she's become increasingly motherly, wearing her hair down around the house, along with that curiosity that I found charming even as a child, it was a struggle to keep my hands off of her when we were alone. From how much she had me in the palm of her hands, perhaps I would be getting a third child pretty soon.'

And it was great to know that even a year after Aria's birth, the increased libido of Roxy's remained, meaning that even with Sylphy out of commission, I was left more than satisfied during the nights.

I would leave that part out, though.

'But yeah… the house is good, as well as the rest of our family in Rudy, Sara, Norn, Aisha, and my parents. I've noticed that our little family back in Buena Village has grown quite a bit, so it's hard to keep up with everyone, but it's pleasant nonetheless.'

With everyone in Sharia accounted for, my thoughts then drifted to the last member of my family and the last of my four most precious girls.

The girl I had been itching to see for over a year now.

'And then… Eris. I've been missing her more lately, as it has been nearly a year and a half since I saw her last. We have been exchanging letters, but those take a month to be delivered, and another month to get a response, so it's difficult to keep in touch. Besides, while letters were nice, they would never replace the real thing, not to mention the physical intimacy I have been longing for.'

'But Eris seems to have been practising her writing a bit more. At first, it was clean handwriting, probably from Isolte, but after the second letter, a familiar messy penmanship made its appearance, along with the gift of her used panties, and a request for my own underwear. It was… quite odd, and I felt like quite the pervert, but being able to smell Eris' scent after so long… it was nice.'

Oh, whoops.

It seems that my thoughts had drifted to something I should have kept to myself.

I guess it wasn't so innocent anymore.

Sorry, future readers.

Then there was the rest of my family.

Norn had decided to join Ariel in the student council.

Not as a member of her camp like Aisha, but rather as the future student council president after Ariel left.

My little sister was quite popular, it seemed.

I would have to make sure any boys knew that they would be making their last mistake if they hurt her.

Aisha had also been growing and had finally stopped wearing that old scarf, instead keeping it as a keepsake since it was much too tattered and worn to use in everyday life.

Then there was the orphanage, with Clara and Olivia maintaining their wonderful level of care, Nico getting a bit closer with Norn, and a few of the kids learning their first spells… so yeah, it was going well.

I still wasn't sure if it was enough for my promise to help people, especially with all my power, but since I was busy with my family and teaching, I was too occupied to do anything else anyway.

Plus, since I was going to get Ariel to the throne, and she said she would make a better country, I think that was going to be enough helping for a lifetime.

As I was thinking about the other stuff I should write down, I was then interrupted by a slamming door as Rudy barged his way into the study, where I was currently sitting.

"Leon!" he said, his face red from exertion as his eyes swam with what looked like… fear.

The hell?

"Yeah? What's wrong, brother?" I asked, closing my diary.

"You… you need to fight the Dragon God!" he said. "Please! I'll help you! You need to kill him!"

He was obviously in a panic, but… what the hell was he talking about?

Fighting the Dragon God?

Why?

For what reason?

But either way, while I had certainly grown stronger…

"No," I said, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "He's still too strong. But aside from that… what the hell is with you?"

His eyes widened, his hand trembling in fear as he sat down in the nearby chair.

"That… please fight him… for Sara and Lana," he pleaded. "I… don't want them to die."

Okay, now I was really confused.

He wasn't drunk, and I don't think it was simply a nightmare, so… what was it?

Okay… let's try to calm him down.

"Rudy," I said, leaning over to rest my hand on his shoulder. "You know I love Sara and Lana as if they are my own sister and daughter. Maybe not to the same extent, but enough that I would fight and die for them. Even if it's Orsted. But… I can't do that without knowing why."

Rudy's fists clenched as he took a shuddering breath.

"Have… have you ever heard the name 'Hitogami'? Or perhaps the 'Man-God'?" he asked.

Hitogami… wasn't that the person Orsted thought I was under?

What'd he call it… an 'apostle'?

"I have," I answered. "Orsted told me to warn him that he would kill him before punching a hole through my chest, so it would be hard to forget it."

"Right… but he hasn't appeared in your dreams?" he asked.

"No," I answered before asking a question of my own. "Does that mean… he does that for you?"

He simply nodded.

"He… he's powerful. He has influence all over the world," he said gravely. "You can image what a terrifying enemy that would be."

I myself nodded.

While I was strong enough to beat nearly every other person in the world in a fight, that meant there were still some I couldn't.

And that wasn't even mentioning the different tactics people could use, like assassins, ambushes, and all that stuff that pure power couldn't always overcome.

A being who could use all those people… I would rather not fight an opponent like that.

"Did he tell you something?" I asked. "Did he tell you to kill the Dragon God?"

I knew the two were at odds, after all, so it was only natural.

And seeing Rudy's nod, it seemed that I was correct.

"Tell me, Rudy," I said, urging him to continue. "What happened?"

He then told me his dream, about how my descendants would apparently kill this 'Man-God', causing the world to collapse, and his threat against Rudy's family and my own if we did not fight Orsted.

"…I don't like it," I said, clenching my fist as I sat back down in my chair. "I would rather kill the Man-God than the Dragon God. How dare he threaten our family…"

"But I'm not even sure we can… he seems like a spiritual being, right?" Rudy said. "Besides, we wouldn't want the world to collapse, right?"

"Maybe…" I murmured.

But would the world actually collapse?

He could be lying, after all.

But with the threat against our families, was there any need to?

I didn't know.

Either way… it didn't sit right with me to be manipulated like this.

"Rudy, I know it's hard for you to comprehend, but I cannot kill the Dragon God. At least not for a long while," I said, looking down at my fist.

I was much stronger than back then, but because of that, I also knew even better how strong that being was.

He was not someone I could kill.

After all, he had only used his hand, and hadn't even used any of that insanely efficient mana I had seen in him, so I knew I had only experienced a fraction of his power.

"But we can't fight Hitogami!" Rudy said, eyes shaking with worry. "If we're together, then maybe we could-"

"And why do you trust him?" I asked. "I know he's given you advice, but if my descendants are part of his demise, who's to say he won't get rid of them even if the Dragon God is dead? And what if he uses threats to have you follow his every wish after this?"

Rudy clenched his fist.

"But… what else can I do!" he shouted, causing me to narrow my eyes.

"Shut it. Aria's sleeping," I said. "And it's not you, it's we. I don't know everything about this world, but I do know that this 'Man-God' isn't invincible."

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"Are you an idiot?" I said. "He's worried about my descendants killing him, so it's obvious he isn't invincible."

"Oh… right," Rudy said, massaging his temples. "Sorry, it's just-"

"I know," I said. "This… this is all a real shit show."

It didn't sound real, and if I hadn't heard about Hitgami from the Dragon God before, as well as seeing Rudy's extreme state of panic, I probably wouldn't have believed him.

But still… what would we do now?

Why was it that my descendants were helping the Dragon God?

Was it-

Seeing a bright flash of mana light up the room through my Demon eye, I instantly turned around to the back of the study, only to be met by a very shocking sight.

"Ahh… it wasn't complete, huh?" a gravelly voice said.

A voice that belonged to the old man that had suddenly appeared in the corner of the room, sitting on the closed chest as his hand raked through his short, grey hair.

What in the ever-loving fuck?

The man lifted his head to look at Rudy, narrowing his eyes in suspicion as he focused on his hand.

"You're quite young… and you still have your hand… was the timing wrong?" he mumbled, raising a hand to scratch his chin. "No… I set it to when I started the diary… and we're still in the house… wait, who are you?"

With his eyes drifting to me, I stared at the dull, green eyes as they met mine, confusion evident in the old man's gaze.

Who am I?

No… that's what I wanted to ask.

Who the hell was this guy?

Showing up in my house out of nowhere…

Cautiously standing up, I slowly drew my sword as I remained focus on the old man in front of me.

Ignoring how the hell he appeared here, as well as that flash of mana, more importantly, he was… strong.

Incredibly strong.

I could feel my skin tingle and my heart clench with anticipation for a battle that would be one of my most difficult yet, but I still couldn't understand why.

He was a frail man with no visible weapons, and with my Demon eye, I could tell that while his mana was blindingly bright like Rudy's, there was hardly any left in his body.

So… why was I so anxious about him?

"Who are you?" I said, calming my breathing.

"I could say the same," the old man said, waving his hand as a flash of mana sprung out.

I tried to nullify it with disturb magic, but to no effect, as the mana raced towards my sword that was being drawn, instantly pushing it out of my hand and back into the sheath.

What?

How… the hell did he do that.

"Don't be too hasty," he said cautiously. "And as for my name… well, I know that one of you know it, at least. I'm Rudeus Greyrat."

Both Rudy and I narrowed our eyes.

Was this guy trying to joke with us?

"I don't believe you," Rudy said.

"That so?" the old man said. "Then… Kitamura Ryousuke."

Rudy instantly shot up to his feet, eyes bulging as he stared at the man.

"You… how do you know that name?" Rudy asked, voice trembling.

The fuck? Was that something like Hitogami?

But why did Rudy seem so shocked and… scared?

Kitamura Ryousuke… it didn't ring any bells, but it sounded similar to Shizuka's name, now that I thought about it.

Maybe Rudy learned something about that from her?

Rudy did share that language with her, after all.

"Well… I think you understand already, right?" the old man said, chuckling to himself as he pointed to my brother. "I'm you from the future."

Bullshit, was what I wanted to say.

But for some reason… it didn't feel like a lie.

And now that I looked closer, I could see some similarities. 

From the green eyes, to the sharp nose, to the brightness of their mana… was this old man actually Rudy from the future?

Perhaps, but more importantly…

"How," I asked. "How the hell are you here… time travelling magic doesn't exist. And more importantly… why?"

"Perhaps I can explain some of that, just as I want to ask who the hell you are, but I don't have a lot of time and I need to say some stuff first," he said, adjusting his seating. "First… Rudy, you need to send a letter to Eris. I know that-"

"Hey, hold on a second," I said, cutting him off. "What the hell do you have to do with my soon-to-be wife?"

This time, it was the old Rudeus' turn to be shocked.

Old Rudeus sounded weird… how about Oldeus?

Yeah, Oldeus was shocked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused. 

"That's what I want to ask, as well as with all the other shit you've been saying, so I can't have you dying just yet," I said, walking over to him.

I was initially confused by what he meant by 'not having a lot of time', but as the moments passed, I saw his skin become paler and his lips bluer.

He was dying.

And from the way his mana swirled around his insides, he seemed to be missing some essential parts.

"It's useless," Oldeus said as I placed my hand on his chest. "Only a King-ranked healing spell can regenerate organs."

"Well, then you're in luck," I said, beginning to regenerate it.

But as I continued pumping healing magic into him, I noticed that the organs I was regenerating were extremely frail.

He… even if I fixed this, it didn't seem he would have long left to live.

His 'lifespan' was nearing its end, so to say.

"Well, I'll be…" he said, his voice containing quite a bit of awe. "Chantless healing magic at that level… you're a fucking monster, huh?"

"I… don't know whether that's a compliment," I said, frowning.

This guy… he was really fucked up.

Now that I spread my healing across his body, I noticed that his entire body was deteriorating, along with the many scars that littered his skin.

"It is. If only I had something like that back then…" he said with envy, shaking his head. "But either way, while I appreciate it, I will die soon anyway. I was on my last legs before, and after using up all that mana, I don't think I have much longer."

"But long enough to explain what the fuck is happening, right?" I asked.

"Sure, kid," he said, looking over at Rudy and the surrounding room again before he continued. "It seems that a few things have changed, but firstly… who are you?"

The question was directed at me, obviously.

"I'm Leon Greyrat," I answered evenly. "Rudy's brother, an Elemental Emperor, and the future husband of three wonderful women. Oh, and I'm also a father."

He widened his eyes at me.

"An Emperor… but what the hell is the Elemental shit?" he asked.

"My own style," I said. "A fuse of all three sword styles and also chantless magic. Anyway, is that enough?"

His eyes scanned over me before returning to Rudy once again.

"I suppose… but it seems a lot has changed. It's not the time I was expecting, and it seems the past is different as well… from how myself is right now, I'm guessing you haven't gone to Begaritt then?" he said. "Which means Roxy isn't pregnant yet…"

Rudy and I stared at each other in confusion before he began explaining.

"Uhm… we already went to Begaritt," Rudy said. "We were able to get Mother and Lilia back, and that was two years ago…"

Ignoring the way Oldeus' jaw dropped, I continued, "And Roxy isn't pregnant. She had my daughter, Aria, only a year ago, so we're not quite ready for another."

Oldeus narrowed his eyes at me.

"Your daughter… is Roxy one of the three women you mentioned?" he asked, his shock slowly fading away.

"Yeah," I nodded. "She's eternally beautiful. Especially when she lets her hair down and uses her teaching tone."

He massaged his beard, which was stark grey like his hair.

"Hmm… at least you have good taste," he said, nodding to himself. "But it seems more has changed than I thought. You two… tell me your stories from the beginning. I'll ask you questions, but make it quick."

And so… we did.

From the moment of my birth, all the way to the current day, with Oldeus showing amazed expressions as well as some despondent ones as we continued.

He also told us how some things were different from his reality.

Mainly in how I… wasn't there.

At all.

I wasn't picked up by Mama, and I never met my family, Sylphy, Eris, or Roxy.

I… was quite saddened by that.

What changed?

Did I die?

Did the bandits never attack my village?

Was I simply dropped off at a nearby orphanage?

How… how close was I to never having the life I currently had?

It made me scared… I kind of wanted to run over to Mama and thank her once again for taking me under her loving care, but there were more important things to deal with.

After our story was finished, Oldeus leaned back against the wall, staring at the ceiling as pain radiated his entire expression.

"Leon Greyrat… you weren't in my reality, but how I wish you were," he said. "Paul, Eris, Roxy, Sylphy, Aisha, Zenith… yeah, it's for the best you were here. Because you're damn strong and not an idiot like me, so many survived… everything seems better…"

He then shook his head, looking down to stare at Rudy.

"You… you said that the Man-God visited you, right?" he said, his eyes narrowing as Rudy nodded. "And I'm guessing it's not about checking the basement?"

"No, he… wanted me to kill the Dragon God," Rudy said, steepling his fingers. "Apparently, Leon's kids and Orsted will team up to defeat him in the future, so… he wants me to stop that from happening."

Oldeus clenched his fist.

"Roxy and Sylphy's descendants… then that must be why," he said, anger evident in his voice. "I thought he was just torturing me for his own amusement, but there was an actual damn reason… I don't know if that's better or worse."

Rudy and I looked at each other once more in confusion.

This must be another thing different from the future.

"Torturing you… what does that mean?" Rudy asked.

"He's a fucking liar, that Man-God," Oldeus spat. "My entire life's purpose since learning of his treachery has been to end that despicable being, and as I neared my end, I decided to try a different way of fucking him over."

So that's why he was here…

"Learning of his treachery… what did he do?" Rudy asked.

Oldeus looked at me, forming an awkward frown before he answered.

"You said you were with Sara… right, kid?" he said, gesturing to Rudy. "Well… in my timeline, I was married to Sylphy and Roxy. In this very house too, if you could believe it."

I… didn't know how to feel about that.

I had expected it from the way his face softened at the two's names when they came out, as well as the way he understood many of the situations I found myself in with them, but still… that was quite a shock.

I guess it was just a matter of circumstance, huh?

I could think about that later.

More importantly, from how despondent he looked…

"They… died, didn't they?" I asked. "Eris too, from what you said before… but I feel there's something more to that story."

"Hmph… yeah, but that doesn't matter right now," Oldeus said, his face crumpling in anger. "But yes. Sylphy and Roxy died due to the Man-God's schemes. I may have been the scummy idiot that made mistake after mistake, but he himself bragged about how his machinations led everything to that point."

I felt my fists clench.

Past that Man-God suggesting that Rudy kill my kids, and threatening to kill my sister and niece if he didn't follow his words, I now had a much bigger reason to kill him.

"I'll end him," I said. "There won't be a need for him to worry about my descendants. I'll do it myself."

Oldeus chucked.

"That's what I've been saying for the past nearly fifty years, brat," he said, eyes pained. "I would say that it's useless, but if he's scared, then it's definitely possible… and you're a crazy strong bastard…"

Sighing, he then shook his head before looking at Rudy and me seriously.

"Listen. I have more anger for that being than anyone else, but there is no need for you to get revenge on my behalf. Don't trust his words, but don't make him an enemy," he advised. "He can create allies out of nowhere and is extremely powerful, and even if there is a way to get to him, I haven't found it in all my years of life."

I… couldn't accept that.

Perhaps I didn't have to take on his revenge, but even if it was stupid… I felt the need to get revenge myself.

After all, even if they weren't my Sylphy and Roxy, they were still the same girls at heart.

The same beautiful women that I loved so dearly… I wouldn't let their deaths stand, even in another timeline.

Plus, he was after my descendants, right?

I wasn't one to just wait around and let him kill my children or my grandchildren.

I would stop him before he had the chance.

"Then I'll just get stronger," I said. "I won't accept my family possibly being in danger, and who's to say he will ever stop being our enemy?"

Oldeus looked at me for a moment before sighing,

"I guess that's true… if you truly want to walk that path, then the Dragon God might actually be your ally," he said. "I didn't meet him other than that one encounter, but Nanahoshi might have a clue. By the time I realized the connection… it was already too late."

He whispered out a pained 'dammit' as he released yet another sigh of regret.

"Now, listen up. You especially, younger me," he said, holding out his hand. "Magic… it's near-limitless. It's all powerful. It truly is magical… Anything can be done with it, from gravity, telekinesis, lightning, even time itself… so don't be shackled by the restrictions this world has set. Expand your thought process, and don't think that anything is impossible."

Watching the mana lift from his palm, I watched as it changed form, instantly forming a ball of deep purple as nearby objects began shooting towards it, and a moment later, they all stopped. The flying objects being wrapped in his mana as they slowly moved back to their rightful places.

Telekinesis and gravity control… that was amazing.

"Here. Take this," he said, taking out a ragged, old journal. "Since everything changed, the events are basically useless, but my research and abilities might prove useful for inspiration, if nothing else."

Taking the journal, I watched as Oldeus got paler and paler.

"You… Leon… thank you, for keeping all of them safe. Sylphy, Roxy, my family… ah, and thanks for giving Zenith and Paul an actual child too," he said, pushing my hand that was trying to keep him alive away. "Keep them safe… please."

An actual child?

I was confused by what he meant, but it must be the pain of his mistakes combining into a feeling of intense guilt.

But either way, as for his request…

"I planned to do that from the start," I said firmly.

Taking a shaky breath, he nodded at me before turning to my brother.

"And you… value your family, and don't slack off if you need to get stronger. But at the same time, don't chase after power if it's not needed. The people in your life are much more valuable. Just… don't end up a cynical, hateful old man like me… especially when you have a crazy strong brother at your side," he said, clenching his fist. "Treat Sara and your child right, as well as any future women and children you end up with. I of all people know your lust will get the better of you, but at least control it so that you don't hurt your loved ones like I did. And… take care of Nanahoshi too. You can read the diary for as to why, but… be there for her."

Rudy nodded seriously at his older self as the sound of crying then broke out, Aria's voice calling for 'Dada' as she screamed from upstairs.

Must be a nightmare… shit, this was bad timing.

Oldeus, who was looking out the door towards the noise with a complicated expression, then looked back at me.

"That's yours, I'm guessing?" he asked.

"Yeah… Aria Greyrat," I explained. "She's Roxy, and she… she's beautiful."

"I can imagine," he said fondly, closing his eyes.

Yeah… she really was beautiful.

"Calling for her dad, huh? I'm jealous… I never got that. Not that I deserve it…" he said, smiling slightly. "I'm… glad those two will be happy, so… I leave them to you."

His head then turned upwards, his eyes turning glassy as his lips quirked up.

"Ah… Roxy… Sylphy… you're both as beautiful as ever…" he said, voice tinged with regret and sadness. "This time… you won't be left… with a shitty man like me… at least I can…"

And then… the light left his eyes as his body tensed, the sound of shaky breathing no longer present in the room.

Rudeus Greyrat had died.