After his discussion with Henrietta and Tetra, he walked out of the room with a heavy expression.


    ''Tetra, do you know what this feeling was earlier?''


    ''I''m not sure. I haven''t felt this coming from you since we''ve been linked together like this.''


    The feeling of pure disturbance in his soul, as if something had completely derailed from its original purpose.


    ''This feeling isn''t a normal one. Something isn''t going right.''


    Pondering, Tetra was also at a loss for words. As Orion stood still in front of the door, he could still hear Henrietta and Tetra talking about what they had talked about.


    "..."


    He turned his head to the side slightly, his eyes focusing on the barely opened door and the wall next to it.


    ''It cannot be...''


    Trepidation grew in his mind as he noticed barely visible handprints on the wall.


    ''Orion?''


    ''I have to go.''


    Without answering her, Orion walked toward the twins'' room.


    *Knock*


    "I''m coming in."


    After knocking once, Orion turned the doorknob and barged into the room.


    "!"


    The anxiety he felt and the alertness he didn''t comprehend—everything became clear the instant his eyes fell on Mia and Nia.


    ''Oh... no.''


    Tetra felt Orion''s mental state weakened. Even she couldn''t help but feel horrible for them.


    "You''ve... listened on us, haven''t you?"


    They were hugging each other under the cover of their bed, Nia in her older sister''s arms.


    Even Mia, who was often tougher than Nia, was unable to completely stop her tears from falling down.


    Orion closed the door behind him and sat down to block it.


    "..."


    He was at a loss for words. This was a very difficult situation to resolve.


    From just one look, he could already tell that they had listened to the entirety of the conversation.


    They wouldn''t be in such a heartbroken state if they hadn''t.


    ''Do you want me to help you with this matter?''


    Tetra gently asked Orion. She knew that he was a very responsible man who typically resolved his problems alone, so she thought her question would fall into deaf ears.


    But instead of that, the complete opposite happened.


    Orion looked down and slowly nodded.


    ''Please.''


    ''When it concerns your women, you are surprisingly cautious with your words.''


    He smiled dryly.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ''I am guilty of the charge. That is my nature.''


    She chuckled lightly, but not to mock him. Feeling happy that Orion decided to depend on her, she felt great.


    ''First, you want them to start opening to you.''


    ''Whatever you will say, they won''t listen until their problems are laid bare in front of you.''


    ''If it''s pointless, simply wait.''


    Orion decided to follow Tetra''s advice. As a woman, she could give an approximate guess as to how other women could react.


    Of course, it was also a matter of personality, but Tetra was confident everyone would act like this anyway.


    The first obstacle was to bring the cautiousness they had toward him. Then, he would need to explain himself and inevitably apologize for keeping it a secret.


    ...


    After five minutes of Mia staring daggers at him, she sighed.


    Her sharp and cold words reminded Orion of their first meeting.


    "What are we going to do? Do we need to suffer so that your future is perfectly safe?"


    "..."


    Orion was unable to answer immediately, and Mia understood why. If he were to mindlessly speak and try to defend himself, she would stubbornly respond in kind.


    She wasn''t in a normal state of mind, and only precise answers would reduce her aggressiveness.


    ''She doesn''t want a white lie. You can see it on her face.''


    ''Mia wants the truth. Even if it pains you, you cannot escape it.''


    The glaring eyes barely covered by the blanket pierced straight into his soul, kicking off hesitation in Orion.


    "It''s..."


    Orion swallowed his saliva and stared back.


    "Yes. I need you to follow the same path. The loneliness, regrets, despair—all those emotions you will have to endure, you have to go through with it."


    "Why?"


    Nia peaked through her sister''s arms and glared at him. This vision created a gap in Orion''s memories, as she never showed such anger toward anyone before.


    He continued, ignoring the countless warnings in his head to pull back.


    "Because this is the only way I can have you by my side in the future."


    She pushed her sister''s arms away and sat next to her, making the bedsheet drop behind them.


    "What even are we to you?!"


    Swiping her arm to the side, she practically growled at him.


    "You saved us! But now you want us... You want my sister to suffer after losing our family?! Again?!"


    This was a surprise to him. The gentle and carefree Nia, aggressively shouting and requesting answers to her questions.


    But Orion shook his head.


    "No."


    "''No'' what?! Explain!"


    Clenching her fists tightly, she was ready to jump out of bed and punch him in the face. Her twin sister, who was her everything at this point, was the only thing she could care about.


    If Orion wanted her to suffer, she would fight him, regardless of the consequences.


    Still, her reaction was also shocking to Mia. Never did she speak over her or take on the mantle of the oldest in their relationship.


    Nia looked even colder than Mia. Her words were spiteful and venomous, as if she hated every fiber of the man in front of her for hurting her family.


    ''This is bad. In this situation, there is very little you can do to reason her.''


    ''There is one.''


    Tetra was trying to think of something, but Orion was faster. He stood up and approached the twins.


    Immediately, Nia slipped out of bed and stood in front of her sister, glaring daggers at Orion.


    He stood in front of her, looking down at Nia. Then he dropped one knee to the ground.


    "If punching me is enough to make you listen calmly, I will take it upon myself to endure."


    As they were half his size, when he kneeled, his face arrived exactly in front of her own.


    Orion clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, waiting for the beating.


    "I-"


    But Nia suddenly began to hesitate.


    She lifted her arm and tried to punch Orion, but couldn''t. Behind her, Mia was ready to stop her at any moment.


    "I... I can''t."


    Lowering her fist, she sat on the bed while crying.


    "I''m sorry."


    "I know. I really do. You''re not someone who wants to hurt us."


    Wiping her tears chaotically with her wrists, she sobbed quietly while apologizing.


    Orion opened his eyes slowly. Instead of looking up, he simply smiled.


    "Why is this happening? Why does Noah have to die? Why do we need to suffer?"


    "We don''t know anything, and it is terrifying."


    Mia slid her butt on the bed and sat next to Nia, caressing her chocolate hair lightly.


    Asking those questions to Orion, she also calmed down.


    ''What you did before was risky, but following your guts led to a better result. I mean, you know how they act better than I do.''


    ''Nia is kind. Too kind to act as a bad person.''


    She agreed with him.


    ''Now, you either invent something on the fly or you remain truthful. But knowing you...''


    With a smile, Orion lifted his head. Mia and Orion''s eyes met, and he answered truthfully.


    "The reason for what happened to your village and the entirety of Triazils as a whole was created by an entity named Miasma. This being seeks to destroy the world to arrive at his goal."


    "If you leave me out of the picture, Noah is the Hero of this era, while I am the next one, thousands of years later."


    Mia stopped breathing, while Nia stopped sobbing. They both listened quietly, now that their anger had subsided.


    "As you''ve heard, Noah''s fate, or every Hero for that matter, is destined to die. Despite how many times we try to change that fact, it remains sealed in stone."


    "Even if you were to fight alongside him or have the greatest fighters of every faction fight, Noah will die. That is how we, Heroes, are bound to leave our mark on this world."


    They clenched their fists tightly.


    "That''s not being a Hero at all! Isn''t that just sacrificing a pawn?"


    Orion slowly nodded at Nia.


    "You can see it like this. To be fair, I had accepted that fate by the end of it."


    Mia glared at him, but not with anger toward him.


    "You knew when you were going to die?"


    "I did. Like Noah, I was to die fighting Miasma."


    "Past tense?"


    He stood up and decided to sit next to Nia. They both ignored it and focused on his words instead.


    "I''m here, aren''t I? In an era that isn''t my own."


    Nodding, the gears of free thinking began to turn again, held back by their raging emotions.


    "Then, did you break free from your fated death?"


    "That I did. If I were to return home, I would be seeing you two again, but wholly different from how you are currently."


    Mia and Nia looked at each other before turning to Orion.


    "What about the fairy thing?"


    "Is it why we are still alive in your time?"


    Orion replied calmly.


    "It was the only way to save you. Are you aware that Tetra loves Noah?"


    They nodded again.


    "It''s plain as day. How is it related to our situation?"


    His eyes turned to the door, unfocused.


    "She was unable to accept Noah''s death completely. Instead of brooding and despairing, she chose to protect what he saved."


    "Since you two were the closest to Noah at all times, she couldn''t allow you to perish. It was her last struggle against fate."


    "In reality, she was just full of spite against the world and began planting the seeds for a future where Miasma would be brought down."


    With a smile, he looked at them.


    "You two are the allies, companions, and lovers who will push me to greater heights. Without you, many things would have been impossible."


    Mainly, the first attempt to create the void element. Without these two, this moment would either have destroyed the fairy and Orion or left him unable to operate for many months after damaging his magical system.


    "You are an indispensable part of my success in fighting back against my fated death."


    The smile he wore for them was one he had only shown to everyone else in the future. A smile that was hidden behind countless worries since coming here.


    "..."


    They felt something lift inside their hearts. The anxiety about the future, the fear of suffering, and the loneliness they would be subjected to feeling.


    Only Orion''s warm smile was left. They felt as if a light appeared in the dark.


    But Orion wasn''t done talking.


    "Also..."


    "I don''t intend to let Noah die. There''s nothing I can do to avoid your fate, but I can at least help my friend."


    With shocked expressions, the twins listened to Orion''s ideas on how to trick the world.