Chapter 261: Calm down mydies...?


    ?


    "L-Luara?"


    Her name slipped from my lips, a reflexive whisper carrying the weight of memories I had no intention of recalling.


    Yet, as I stared at the young woman standing before me, fragmented images and forgotten emotions surged through my mind, an unstoppable tide breaching a dam I hadn''t even realized existed.


    "Hm~ did you take some of those famous rejuvenating potions, Papa? You look much younger you''re even wearing academy uniform.... is this a cosy kink with Mama~?"


    Her yful tone was a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding within me.


    Her voice, her face, her presence-they struck me with an inexplicable familiarity.


    Each word she spoke added to the whirlpool of memories, fragments swirling violently, out of order, and iplete.


    My already hazy mind descended further into disarray, the throbbing ache behind my eyes worsening with each passing second.


    It was as if her very existence was a paradox, forcing my consciousness to bridge the gap between the past and present.


    Then, the ringing bells of the system began.


    [WARNING!!!]


    [WARNING!!!]


    [WARNING!!!]


    "Ugh..."


    A cacophony of alerts flooded in my head directly, making me groan slightly in pain.


    [Note: Ego corruption underway!]


    [Ego corruption: 17%]


    [Note: Emergency measures applying!]


    I stumbled, clutching my head as the influx of memories wed at my sanity. My knees


    buckled, and I fought to stay upright as the system''s voice continued its relentless barrage.


    "Papa are you alright?"


    [Note: Automatic activation of [Skill: Archive] proceeding.]


    [Memory filtration activating!]


    [Note: Filtered memories shall now be forced into locked archive.]


    The warnings blurred together, each new message hammering into me like a relentless drumbeat.


    My mind felt like it was tearing apart, the chaotic fragments refusing to be pieced together.


    [Note: User soul stabilization shaking!]


    [Note: Memory forced unlock underway.]


    [Note: Filtered memories will now only show necessary entanglements upon foreign presence''s influence.]


    I gasped as a sharp, searing pain shot through me.


    My vision blurred, shes of moments long past flickering in and out like a broken film reel.


    [Note: Skill Archive Filtration Completed!]


    [Note: Memories of subject Luara will now be reconstructed...]


    Her name echoed in my mind, tethering me to this moment even as everything threatened to unravel.


    Yet the system''s voice did not stop.


    [Note: Dangers of Ego Corruption cannot be stopped... Applying appropriate


    countermeasures.]


    [Countermeasures applied!]


    [Note: User soul Divinity will now be used as a catalyst to offset Ego Corruption.]


    [Note: User fragment of Divinity is now healing the user''s soul threshold!]


    [Note: Constant use of Divinity beyond user soul threshold may lead to permanent soul damage...]


    I groaned, the pain subsiding slightly, though the warnings still weighed heavily on my consciousness.


    My breathing was ragged as the fractured memories began to settle, reconstructed and filtered by the system.


    Laura...


    That''s right.


    Her name was Laura Heavens Hell-the first daughter of Liyana and me.


    A prodigy no a genius.


    The world''s most brilliant inventor of her time, or at least she had been, in whatever timeline or fragment of reality she originated from.


    My thoughts swirled in disarray as I processed her presence, trying to reconcile the memories forcefully reconstructed by the system.


    The disjointed fragments painted an iplete picture, but the truth was undeniable.


    She was my daughter.


    Her voice, high-pitched with worry, broke me out of my trance.


    "Papa... why aren''t you saying anything? Is something really wrong? Oh no, what should I do?!


    I didn''t bring my medical room with me!"


    Panic gripped her as she began circling me, moving so quickly that it seemed as if she were teleporting.


    Her touch was everywhere-shoulders, arms, forehead-as shes of light emanated from the mechanical arms extending from her back.


    The limbs worked with eerie precision, scanning me as though I were one of her experiments.


    "That''s strange... no anomalies could be found. Is it a mental problem, perhaps?"


    Her rapid-fire speech, coupled with her overwhelming energy, left me disoriented.


    She wasn''t going to calm down until I said something.


    Gently, I ced my hands on her shoulders, pushing her back just enough to create some space between us.


    Even though the reconstructed memories told me we were close-closer than most fathers and daughters—this level of physical intimacy felt strange.


    The divide between her being a total stranger from another timeline and being my daughter was too vast, too jarring for my current psyche to handle.


    "I-I''m fine," I stammered, trying to steady myself.


    Her brows furrowed, her lips pursing in a skeptical pout as she leaned in closer. "Really? Because your face says otherwise, Papa. I told you, you can rely on me more, right?"


    She straightened, her tone bing slightly usatory yet yful.


    "I don''t know why you''ve suddenly brought me to this ce-this ce that clearly screams trouble and danger! And I''m really, really curious to know what''s going on, but..."


    Her mechanical arms folded behind her like wings, and she ced her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing as though she were delivering a lecture.


    "As per Hell family rules, the health and safety of family members must remain the top priority no matter the situation. So,e on, tell me what''s wrong! Did Mama not let you do


    something again, perhaps~?"


    Why was she even here?


    Cheshire''s [Wondend] domain was notorious for bringing the figments of imagination to


    life.


    But its mechanics weren''t so simple-it required total focus on what one wanted to manifest.


    The clearer the image, the stronger the effect.


    Yet...


    I knew where my thoughts had been during that moment.


    I was disoriented, true, but I wasn''t thinking about Laura.


    I was imagining something entirely different.


    So why her? Was it possible that, unconsciously, my mind had reached out to her? If so, then why?


    I sighed, rubbing my temples to clear my head. "I told you, I''m fine."


    I looked at Laura, whose arms were now crossed as she raised a single eyebrow at me, her


    expression a perfect mixture of disbelief and sass.


    Her bodynguage practically screamed, "Right, I totally believe you, Papa."


    Laura''s lips curled into a knowing smile as she tilted her head slightly. "You know, Papa, lying


    isn''t exactly your strong suit~"


    Her tone was teasing, but her eyes held that same spark of determination I vaguely


    remembered.


    Now that fragments of my memories were returning, I could see it more clearly-this girl had


    always been like this.


    Whenever it came to Liyana and me, Laura never settled for anything less than a hundred


    percent.


    Whether it was our emotional well-being or our physical health, she was relentless.


    She had been our ever-reliable daughter, always so attentive and proactive, as though she


    were carrying the weight of both her parents'' choices on her shoulders.


    She was, in every sense, our most wonderful blessing-the result of the decision Liyana and I


    had made to relinquish most of our power in order to have her.


    Our beloved daughter. Could it be... that I really unconsciously thought of her to solve this situation...?


    The thought was absurd, but the more I considered it, the more it made sense.


    If there was one person I trusted implicitly-one person who could always solve problems no


    matter how insurmountable they seemed-it was Laura.


    She had a knack for fixing everything, from the mundane to the catastrophic.


    Danger and challenges never seemed to faze her; instead, she approached them with an


    almost infuriating level of confidence and ingenuity.


    If my memories were correct, she had been the cornerstone of our family, the person Liyana


    and I leaned on when things became overwhelming.


    "Papa? You''re zoning out again."


    Her voice snapped me back to the present.


    She was standing closer now, her mechanical arms hovering protectively around her like loyal


    sentinels.


    Her expression had softened slightly, though her hands were still on her hips, exuding the same no-nonsense attitude I remembered.


    "If there''s a problem, just tell me already. You know I can handle it, and also-why do you


    keep avoiding my gaze!?"


    Her voice carried a mix of concern and exasperation, but it was her piercing stare that maden/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    me falter.


    "It''s nothing..."


    The words left my mouth automatically, but they felt hollow even to me.


    How could I exin it?


    Every time I looked at her, the fragments of my memories rushed back, chaotic and


    unrelenting.


    Filtered or not, they collided with my current thoughts, creating a jarring dissonance.


    My mind felt as though it were being split in two-half in the present, the other buried in a past I barely remembered.


    It was overwhelming, almost surreal, how I could even form coherent thoughts amidst the


    mental storm.


    Perhaps it was the skill filtration at work, or maybe it was the divinity stabilizing my soul. Either way, I needed to stay grounded and figure out a way to handle this situation.


    But Laura wasn''t buying it.


    Her mechanical arms shifted slightly, their movements subtle but sharp, mirroring the frustration in her narrowed eyes.


    She opened her mouth, her tone shifting to one of insistence.


    "Papa-"


    BOOM!!!


    The sudden eruption of sound and mana tore through the air, drowning out her words.


    Both of us turned toward the source, our gazes locking on the distant horizon where the explosion had urred.


    In the frozen expanse of Wondend''sndscape, a violent sh of mana erupted. Bluish-white energy surged against an ominous crimson-red force, their collision lighting up


    the surroundings with raw intensity.


    Thendscape trembled under the weight of their battle, the air thick with tension and power.


    It didn''t take long to figure out what was happening.


    Snow and Alice.


    The two were pushing their abilities to the limit, their mana signatures resonating violently


    against one another.


    Their duel was nearing its conclusion, but the sheer vtility of their energies was rming.


    I clenched my fists, my instincts screaming at me to intervene. Wondend''s domain was designed to prevent physical damage from carrying over to the real


    world.


    But the mental scars?


    Those were a different story.


    Death within this realm wouldn''t leave a mark on their bodies but would ravage their minds,


    leaving behind trauma that no amount of magic could easily heal.


    And the worst part?


    This entire conflict was rooted in something nonsensical-something that, in all likelihood,


    stemmed from me.


    "I need to stop this," I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.


    Laura, ever quick to act, had already begun analyzing the situation.


    The crystalline lenses on her mechanical arms gleamed as they scanned the battlefield,


    collecting data with an efficiency that was both awe-inspiring and unnerving. "Papa, what''s going on? Those mana readings are off the charts! Who''s fighting over there?!"


    Laura''s voice was sharp, filled with a mix of concern and curiosity as her mechanical arms buzzed and whirred, analyzing the escting energies in the distance.


    I clenched my fists, knowing I couldn''t take on the situation alone in my current state.


    But luckily, I had her with me.


    "Laura, can you take me there?"


    Her eyes narrowed, assessing me with a mixture of skepticism and frustration. "Are you really


    alright, Papa? You know that''s suicide for you right now, right?"


    Her words stung with truth, but there wasn''t time to argue. "We don''t have much time. I need


    to stop those two from hurting each other."


    Laura crossed her arms, the analytical glint in her eyes intensifying as if debating whether to


    comply.


    Finally, she sighed and smirked, though her tone was tinged with exasperation. "Hm... I don''t know why you''re trying to meddle in a match between two literal archmages,


    but... as a fellow archmage and your ever-trusted daughter, I shallply with your request for now. But you better tell me what''s really going on, okay?"


    "It''s fine. I''ll exin everything on the way."


    Laura sighed again, this time with clear dissatisfaction. "You always get me into the weirdest situations, Papa..." she muttered under her breath before springing into action.


    She tapped the white bracelet on her wrist, and in an instant, a holographic rectangr screen


    projected itself a few centimeters above it.


    The interface disyed a series of intricate rune-like symbols glowing in a soft bluish hue.


    Laura''s fingers danced over the runes with practiced precision, selecting something from the interface.


    A small, intricate design manifested in her hands-something that looked like a tiny mechanical spider. Holding it carefully for a moment, she tossed it into the air, and the transformation began.


    The spider-like machine expanded rapidly, its limbs elongating and clicking into ce.


    tes of sleek metal shifted and unfolded, revealing intricate mechanisms beneath. The transformation was mesmerizing, reminiscent of scenes from a certain movie about cars


    that could transform into robots, but this time, it was a spider-like construct that grewrger with every passing second.


    The air buzzed with energy as the machinepleted its transformation. Now towering over us, the spider-like robot gleamed with a futuristic sheen, its legs sharp


    and segmented, while its core pulsed with a vibrant bluish light.


    This thing if I recall this was one of her greatest inventions... the Nexus Arachnid A-1.... you


    could basicallypare this thing to an ICBM... a literal nuke of a machine if you multiply it


    by the thousands...


    "Well, there you go," Laura said with a yful grin, patting the massive construct as if it


    a pet. "Hop on, Papa. My newest baby Eddy will get us there in no time."


    I climbed onto the mechanical spider, marveling at its smooth and precise movements.


    Laura joined me, positioning herself at the helm with a confident smirk. "Alright, Papa. You better hang on tight. This ride''s about to get bumpy!" With that, the spider surged forward, its legs moving with incredible speed and agility as it


    raced toward the battleground.


    ''How is it going this fast with this type of build... this thing was at least the size of a three


    story house...''


    VOOOM!!!


    BOOOM!!!


    The sh of mana grew louder and more intense as we approached, and I could feel the


    weight of the situation pressing down on me.


    Snow and Alice were nearing their limits.


    I had to stop this before it was toote.


    ...


    Is what I thought, but...


    What is this?


    "Riley...?"


    "Junior...?"


    The two voices ovepped in a dissonant harmony of disbelief and confusion.


    Just moments ago, these two were shing with enough force to shake the very foundations


    of this fabricated domain, their auras zing like opposing stars on a collision course. And now?


    Now they just stood there, frozen in ce, their weapons lowered, their gazes flickering between each other and... her.


    "Hoh~ looks like our sudden entrance made them stop, Papa~ Mission sessful, right~?"


    Laura''s smug voice cut through the tension like a knife, her mechanical arms folding behind


    her as she gave a yful spin. "Hehe~ fragment or not, fictional or not, memory or not-I


    truly am the best at stopping conflicts!"


    Her nonchnt confidence was both reassuring and maddening, especially given the


    circumstances.


    Her bright voice snapped me out of my daze just as she turned to me with a wide grin.


    "Aren''t I the best, Papa~?"


    "PAPA!?"


    The two girls'' voices ovepped loud and sharp.


    Their gazes snapped to me in perfect unison, wide-eyed and bewildered.


    They nced back and forth between us like they were trying to piece together a puzzle that


    refused to make sense.


    And that''s when it hit me like a freight train.


    ''Right.''


    I momentarily forgot about that fact.