86 Back To The Past

Note: Look at the previous chapter, there's an announcement that would affect your reading experience. If you're confused as to what is happening in this chapter, the reason is there.

The intricacies of going back in time has naturally made Zel reflect on what he would initially witness when he finally runs out of time energy. What would a modern man typically expect to see when he goes back to his past? Notably one who he only sent back his soul, one that doesn't occupy a body to rely on for necessary sustenance.

Would he be suddenly taking over the youthful body of his younger self? Or perhaps see a vast, empty void of nothing? Shimmering gates of divine light that cordially greets him into the afterlife? It's probably one of those, as they are the typical and most commonly thought of plausible scenarios.

But why is it that the olympic man covered in indigo flames only saw remarkable streaks of dazzling light on all his sides. As if the picturesque surroundings had started moving so fast and yet he was standing still.

'What's happening? I thought I'd be brought back to the past immediately, so why is it taking so long?' Zel had already been witnessing this memorable scene for a little more than a breathless minute. As he didn't discern what was going on at the time, he stood still. Not budging an inch just in case there was potential danger when doing so. But when it was taking too long for his liking, he ostensibly tried carefully moving.

"..." Zel tried to elevate his cautious foot, only to discern it sinking back to its original position before it even twitched. His glowing eyes were nonetheless capable of seamlessly moving, so he tried to see if anything subtly changed after he cautiously tried moving. But nothing fortunately happened. He tried speaking with effort, and yet he couldn't do that as well.

'What's going on!'

"Ugh... What are you doing here?" A gentle feminine voice sounded out from behind Zel, but he couldn't shift his head to see who it was. Only feeling that the pleasant voice was familiar. He eagerly tried to turn around again, only to instantly perceive his body collapsing from unspeakable pain when he did so.

"Arrrgh!" Zel didn't fathom why but he could voluntarily speak again, and before he fathomed it, his face was already held in between a pair of soft mounds. He couldn't help but try to shift his head away, but her scent was equally familiar.

"You came back! Finally! Have you found me yet? Is she as pretty as me?" An adolescent woman, who had seized Zel's familiar head and embraced it against her ample chest, was enthusiastically jumping in joy at the welcome sight of the recognizable man before her.

"Mmpf!" Zel, however, had no idea what was happening. The extraordinary journey to the past should have left him with no body to speak of. He should have undoubtedly passed through anything thrown at him, and yet what was the situation right now?

"Oops, sorry about that." The young woman finally came to her senses when she accurately perceived the man in her arms struggling fiercely to extricate himself from her embrace. She looked down to behold his expressive eyes, and shock was evident in them. Something she didn't expect would be what she'd see.

"Gasp. Who the heck are you?! How are you in here?!" Zel staggered back when he felt her mighty grip gently loosen, promptly losing his balance and falling gloriously on the aesthetic ground. He was genuinely shocked to see no familiar face in front of him, as the alluring woman he was just holding on to him a while ago didn't have any. He was so shocked he didn't realize the picturesque surroundings had already changed into a violet walled room.

Her long raven hair was untied, contacting the ground as she swayed gracefully. She wore an elegant white dress that hugged her ideal body, revealing the hidden curves underneath. What was strange about her was that her face was veiled by a fleeting mist, concealed from any wandering eye. But her figure, her voice, her scent, they were all familiar.

"... So you don't remember me yet?" The young woman's veiled face visibly saddened at the revelation. She was waiting eagerly for him to come back and pick her up, but it seems tacitly that it is not yet the appropriate time. She was quite lonely from being here for such a long time, but for now he was here. She could revel in that indisputable fact.

"No, I don't. Who are you?" Zel was now aware that his familiar surroundings had changed. The violet crystal in his gripping hand went missing while the flashes of light around him turned into a cubic violet room. He was certain this remarkable woman was responsible for all of it.

"I see... Well let me introduce myself. I'm Estophelia. Welcome to the Fortress, um... Zel?" The young woman was picky with her words, as if she wasn't quite certain about it herself. But when she saw that he didn't react dismissively to the name she used to address him, she returned to her ecstatic self. She even became more intimate to him and extended her hand.

Zel seized her lovely hand, offering it a gentle shake to demonstrate his evident lack of hostility. If she was reasonable then that would be great, because he dearly needed all the valuable help he could get right now. He really had no idea what was going on. 'Wait, Estophelia?'

"So, umm... What was your reason for going here?" Estophelia respectfully inquired while still holding Zel's hand, causing the moral man to try and carefully pry his hand off gently. Her direct reaction to this, however, was to get closer to Zel. Her hidden face naturally made it hard to identify properly, but it seems like she was eagerly scanning him from the head to his feet.

"You're Estophelia? Toph?" Zel was once more moving back in awe, tears running down his face. He looked around once again and finally found a clue of where he was, inside the rare crystal. He was already informed about who it was that handled the elaborate system and why the system always shuts down when the time runs out. It was precisely because the responsible supervisor promptly stops existing.

Estophilia is assuredly the one who will eventually launch the system. A charming woman he intimately associated with from before this lifetime. She was strikingly in the unique form of the violet crystal that Zel used to go back in time. When he initially acquired the system was when she miraculously found Zel, as that was what the system was for. It was subsequently that she started eagerly watching over him, guiding him whenever he was in reality. There are just some extraordinary things the fantastic dreams cannot copy, and she was one of them.

Besides, she was always with him anyway. Just in another form.

She was already injured when Zel was facing the Heftpound, when he was about to die. At the critical moment, the consciousness she left behind had voluntarily decided to give herself up to empower him, to safeguard him. The consciousness that she had carefully planned to use to ultimately make her soul whole again, so she can be by his prepared side. Instead, what he gained was a rare crystal that was knowingly created when she forced herself to crystallize once more, to aid him.

Zel cried when he properly distinguishes her as he was forewarned about her noble sacrifice. One of the key reasons he came here was to spare her. If the system was her doing, then he could do it too. But this time he will be the only one in active control, and he'll only let himself legitimately use it. At least for now.

"So you do remember me?" Estophelia jumped into his comforting arms, happy to know assuredly that she wasn't forgotten. That her considerable efforts had paid off. She had found out about a person that could be bearing his heroic soul, and him showing up here meant that the innocent boy really was him.

Zel didn't know how but he could genuinely feel her fervently kissing him in the cheeks even though she had no face. His gentle hands placed themselves around her surprisingly soft body. Sentimental tears were still pouring out of her face. Zel was also tearing up as she wasn't one to traditionally show this vulnerable side to anyone, at least to anyone other than him.

"I don't, but I know who you become in the future. Not the form you are now." Zel felt her let go, feeling sad as the tight embrace actually left him feeling better. Though the matter stands that he was still here to tremendously change the future. He needed to do this so that the sacrifice she does for him won't have to happen.

"From the future? I see..." Estophelia placed her graceful hands behind her in active thought.

"What are you doing?" But when she saw that Zel had eagerly started to burn his soul fiercely, she started to panic. 

There was no generated heat coming out of his splendid fire, there wasn't even a gentle ripple. The glorious fire that erupted from his chiseled body grew large, so high that it looked as if it would tentatively reach the ceiling of this expansive room. But then those tall and mighty indigo flames suddenly changed into threads, threads that coalesced in his outstretched right hand. After a short while, his concerted efforts manifested a crystallized sphere. A contented smile was plastered on his radiant face before he fell limply on the ground.

"Why did you do that?!" Estophelia, who had knelt beside him, tenderly lifted his head. Her dainty hand had glowed a bright violet before it was suddenly held by the lying Zel. The luminous flames he emitted promptly stopped showing up, leaving only a naked body. But Estophelia didn't care about that, she naturally knew what was going on and couldn't help but scold him for it.

"Remember how you planned to find me? Don't do that anymore. Instead, I want you to use this and send it to me. The me from this time. Cough. Cough." Zel suddenly started a coughing fit, so much so that Estophelia couldn't help but me more worried. Zel, however, won't let her soft hand go which is why she couldn't do anything.

"But I've already opened a rift! Mana is already spreading to this dimension as we speak!" Estophelia was resolutely holding on to him tightly. She was still trying to carefully pry her hand away so that she can heal him but he won't let her.

"That's fine. The plan was to give them their abilities but remove the system. Cough. Cough. Hey, this time don't hold back. If you're coming with me then don't leave anything behind. Promise me." Zel looked at her with hazy eyes. He's already feeling his soul starting to breaking apart, visible signs that the foreseeable future he undoubtedly came from has already started subtly changing. Thankfully his mana core wasn't something that time can wash away, as it is already imbued with the incredible power of time.

"But, I'm not sure if it will work this time. What if we fail?" Estophelia was sure that he knew a lot more about their situation than he's implying. Why else would he request this of her?

"Trust me it will work, I made sure of that. When we meet again, help me out will you? I'll need your help again, I was kind of an idiot." Zel still held her hand while placing his other one against her face. Now that he was an average soul, he shouldn't even be able to touch her. But when he raised his hand, the veil that hid her was stripped off. Revealing that lovely face, the face of Emilia.

"Pfft... Fine." Estophelia nodded her smiling face while narrowing her unreadable eyes. Savoring the pleasant feeling of his affectionate hand gently pressing against her charming face.

"Good! Then I'll see you later." Zel's dear soul had started to disintegrate. Though his soul was getting erased, the mana core, nevertheless, existed. As his apparent affinity with time due to his extraordinary ability was already transferred to it. With the core's presence comes his will. Sooner or later, he will be back.

Estophelia examined the core intently, suffering from the stress coming in as this was so stupid in her mind. But if he implores her to believe in him, then she will. Picking the core up, she headed towards a corner in the room. The walls there started to change shape, forming a window that reveals the outside.

Outside was a view of a room, where a boy was lying on his side, asleep. The child was peacefully dreaming, having no idea what his role in this world will be. She then tossed the mana core left by Zel to him, having it land at his chest, at the area above his heart. She watched intently as the indigo mana core was absorbed by the boy's body, connecting with him.

"Here you go. I hope you don't fail me, Zel." Estophelia then stepped back, heading to another prominent corner in the luxurious room. When she tentatively reached her intended destination, another illuminated window miraculously appeared, but this one was revealing a young girl that was lying weakly on her bed. Her sleeping face was crumpled into a fierce frown, presumably suffering another nightmare.

Estophelia then started to fervently burn her mana, similar to what Zel had gallantly done. But before she promptly fell, she tossed the mana core towards the sleeping girl who instantly absorbed her precious core. The innocent girl's body was already containing a considerable part of her soul, now all she did was making it whole again. She probably won't be capable of instantly remembering her past, but with Zel's help, she'll recover them eventually.

'I guess it's time for me to start anew.' She carefully looked around her longtime home, one that she was in for the past nine years since she woke up. Finally, she will be able to be with him again.