a father's dilemma

In a room filled with darkness, Kaoru sat alone, meditating as he endured the pain caused by countless memories flooding his mind.

Happiness, envy, hatred, arrogance, sadness, anger, suffering, and all sorts of emotions swirled together in Kaoru's head.

He felt as if his head was being shattered and reconstructed repeatedly, not knowing how long this had been happening.

And indeed, that was the reality. In that dimension, Kaoru's body continued to break apart and rebuild itself over and over again.

Each time his body was destroyed, the void energy in that space forcibly reconstructed Kaoru's body.

This event was observed by several entities who were interested in Kaoru, including Featherine Augustus Aurora and the Will of Honkai, who had once given Kaoru a gift.

They watched as the true birth of a singularity took place before their eyes.

For those who had once experienced what it felt like to become a singularity, the birth of a similar being naturally piqued their interest.

Even more so if that singularity came from a weak creature known as a human.

"How about sending him to your world, Honkai-chan? I think another miracle besides the little bird would add some interesting spice," Featherine suggested, looking toward the Will of Honkai, implying that they could give Kaoru a mission to go to the world under her control.

Of course, the Will of Honkai didn't object, but she noted that it wasn't yet time for Kaoru to play in that world.

Since the Will of Honkai didn't immediately agree, Featherine grew bored again because if Kaoru were in that world, perhaps he could become a little more desperate.

Because with just one mistake, his existence could become more dangerous to the world's inhabitants than the Herrscher themselves.

Featherine could only hope that 'he' would provide an entertaining show for all of them.

---

Time passed, and Kaoru had even lost track of how long he had been trapped in that void. Even after he recovered and received all the memories of his variants, Kaoru still couldn't leave.

Taking advantage of the situation, Kaoru finally decided to study his Zanpakutō.

As usual, he tried to communicate with the spirit of his Zanpakutō, who, without hesitation, challenged Kaoru to a fight in the soul realm.

Kaoru spent all his time battling the spirit of his Zanpakutō, where at first, he always lost.

This was because the spirit had the same power as Kaoru, and even their analytical abilities and combat instincts were equal.

What caused Kaoru to lose was that his Zanpakutō could use the true Shikai power, and since they both could use 'The End,' that Shikai became the deciding factor.

After fighting countless times, Kaoru eventually got an opportunity and finally won for the first time.

For Kaoru, the battle against his Zanpakutō spirit was the hardest fight he had ever faced, as even though he exerted all his strength, he still kept losing.

Even this victory was a narrow one.

"Well, as per our agreement, you won, so you can now use Bankai, but once again, you must acknowledge yourself," the spirit said.

Kaoru nodded in agreement, though he couldn't fully forget his past; he could now accept himself more, especially after learning about his life in other universes.

Moreover, he now had a real family, one that was truly his own, so Kaoru gradually but surely began to accept his reincarnated self.

Kaoru didn't know how long he had been in that void, so all he could do was train and keep training, as now he was aware of some of his limitations.

Until one day, Kaoru found a light, which he instinctively knew was the way out.

Without hesitation, Kaoru headed toward that light, and once he reached it, his vision was enveloped in white. Moments later, he found himself standing in a very familiar place.

The ground was filled with magical runes, and three people he knew were there, though he had only known one of them for a few minutes.

"I'm back!!" 

Even though Kaoru didn't know what to say, announcing his return was something he felt he had to do at that moment.

And, of course, the response to his greeting was a hug from Irene, a warm smile from August, and a shocked expression from Dimaria.

---

Moments after Kaoru was sent to the past, Dimaria decided to ask Irene.

"Irene-sama, why did you send Kaoru-sama to the past?"

Irene, known for her brutality and sadism, was essentially a pitiful girl who should have lost everything, but thanks to Kaoru's presence, she didn't fall into despair.

And the cruel persona she had shown all this time was just a façade to cover her true self—a wife longing for her husband and a mother missing her daughter.

After ensuring Kaoru was sent to the past, it meant the wheel of fate had started turning again, and this time, she could reunite with those she loved.

That's why Irene now smiled softly, like an angel, at Dimaria.

Gently stroking Dimaria's head, Irene spoke softly.

"You'll find out soon, Dimaria-chan!"

And indeed, moments later, the same white light appeared again, though in smaller quantities, and a human figure emerged from it.

This time, Irene could guess that the person standing before her was Kaoru, who had become her husband and the father of their daughter.

Without hesitation, Irene warped in front of Kaoru and hugged him tightly, releasing all the longing she had held back for hundreds of years.

The loneliness she had endured for so long finally overflowed, and all she could do was cry like a little girl.

---

Kaoru knew how lonely Irene had been while waiting for him, so even though it might seem like he was cheating on Ichika, he still felt responsible for Irene and Erza.

And he also promised to tell Ichika, hoping she would accept Irene.

Because he knew that one day, their worlds would inevitably merge, even if he didn't bring Irene to his world. Eventually, they would meet in a unified world.

Kaoru just had to brace himself for the various punishments Ichika might give him.

But back to Irene, Kaoru did his best to calm her down, and after a while, he looked at his student, August.

"So, have you found the answer, August-kun?"

It was a homework assignment Kaoru had given August decades ago, which had shaped him into who he was today.

But even after all that time, August still wasn't entirely confident in his answer.

"Sorry, sensei, I'm still a bit uncertain about my answer, so please, I ask for your patience a little longer!"

August had an answer, but he still doubted it, as he hadn't yet found solid proof that the power was stronger than his magic.

That's why when he learned of his father Zeref's plan to declare war on the continent, the country, and the guild his mother Mavis Vermilion had founded, Fairy Tail, he decided to help his father.

He felt that the guild might hold strong evidence for his answer.

As for Kaoru, who still hadn't received an answer to his question, he simply smiled, knowing that this meant August could continue growing even more drastically once he realized the answer.

Kaoru also didn't forget to pass on Cronos's greetings to Dimaria, which surprised her because she had thought Cronos was dead and that all the talk about his agreement was nonsense.

But Kaoru's information that it was impossible for ordinary mortals to kill a god because, in their world, to kill divinity, another divinity was required, and so far, no mortal possessed their own divinity.

Even if there were, it was because some god had lent their divinity to that mortal, as in the cases of Zeref and Dimaria herself.

The four of them finally decided to return to the Alvarez Empire's castle and prepare everything they needed for the war against Magnolia and Fairy Tail.

"Wawawawa, Kaoru, how should I talk to that girl? What if she doesn't accept us as her parents?... Damn, why is fate so cruel to her, leaving her in that small village.... Kaoru, what should we do?"

The Scarlet Witch, feared across the continent and even the world, whose mere name was enough to instill terror in those who heard it, now seemed like a young mother panicking because she hadn't seen her daughter in so long.

Kaoru gently patted Irene's head and assured her that he would handle everything.

'Shit... I forgot that Erza is all grown up now, and I don't even know how to talk to that girl. And if I'm not mistaken, there's that little blue-haired brat who's infatuated with Erza-chan; maybe I should arrange a meeting with that kid... hehehehehe'

Though Kaoru acted very confident in front of Irene, inside, he was just as confused. However, when he remembered the blue-haired boy with the god complex, a small plan began to form.

If anyone could read Kaoru's mind, they would surely shudder and be able to guess where Erza's fierce nature came from.

After spending the night together, Kaoru decided to return to Fairy Tail, as their mission was complete, and it was time for Kaoru to go back.