(Third POV)
In the heart of the Void World—a realm stripped of all but the barest concept of existence—there lies a vast white expanse. The ground is veiled in a perpetual fog, cold and unmoving, while the ceiling looms so far above it might as well not exist. It is a world of nothing, timeless and empty.
Few know its true nature. Fewer still dare to speak of its prisoner.
This is the cage of the one who calls himself the Human God—Hitogami.
For thousands of years, he has been sealed within this forsaken plane, denied form, denied freedom. His only window into the world he once shaped lies in the dreams of mortals. Through them, he whispered, manipulated, and guided. Through them, he believed himself invincible.
But something has changed.
The fog thickens now. The once-unshifting white begins to flicker with shadows—imperceptible at first, but growing. And with it, a change stirs within Hitogami's vision: a sudden collapse, a sharp and terrible narrowing of what was once a web of futures. He gazes into fate for what must be the thousandth time—and recoils in horror.
Annihilation.
His end, once distant, now races toward him with terrifying certainty.
"How... how... HOW?! Why is this happening?! At least the other one let me live!"
His voice breaks into the emptiness, a scream swallowed by the silence. He knows—this is not just fear. This is despair. This is self-deprecation, the bitter realization that this fate is one of his own making.
He remembers the origin. The anomaly. The disaster.
The Teleportation Incident of Fittoa.
It was there, out of nowhere, so he tried to meddle once more. There, he sought to end the threat before it could rise. But he could not reach the boy, Rudeus Greyrat. No connection. No control. Something that has never happened before.
And now the future unravels.
His efforts to eliminate the Greyrats and stop Orsted, to prevent anyone from freeing Rudeus, have backfired catastrophically. The future that once spanned before him like an infinite horizon now collapses inward, its branches withering like a dying tree. Each attempt to alter the course only hastened its destruction.
Worse yet, he has lost his hold over the mortal world. The Millis and Asura Kingdoms, once his playthings, now stand beyond his grasp. His apostles—dead or forsaken. Darius, his once-loyal servant, was publicly executed.
And now, he is blind.
Future Sight, the one gift that elevated him above all, now shows nothing but darkness. Not even silence. Nothing. Time itself is running dry.
There is no plan.
There are no more pawns for the right move.
Only a god who can do nothing but scream, as the last days of his world count down, each breath bringing the Void closer to collapse. And he knows: when it ends, there will be no after.
Only the void, and the god who failed to escape it, was left to foresee the universe itself collapse in less than a decade.
***
(Zenith POV)
The room was quiet, save for the muffled sounds of footsteps outside and the distant clatter of the city. Paul and the others had left early, off chasing whatever jobs they could find to pay for supplies, travel gear, and mounts, all for what we need for our trip back to the Central Continent. Rikarisu wasn't cheap, and neither was the road home.
I stayed behind, as I often did now, with the children. With him. With my son, Rudeus Greyrat.
Rudeus sat in the corner of the room, back pressed against the wall, staff balanced across his lap. His eyes, those once brilliant eyes, stared blankly ahead—not quite at me, not quite at anything. The light in them had dimmed, like a fire left to smolder in cold ash. But I wasn't giving up. I couldn't. Never will.
I sat beside him on the floor, smoothing my skirt and brushing a few stray hairs behind my ear. His hair had grown long again, unkempt, hanging in front of his face. I reached up, gently tucking a lock behind his ear.
But as I did, it showed off the scar he has over his left eye.
The visions I received after gaining the power to save Paul were still fresh, and thinking about the immense fear that came with them made my heart ache.
"Do you remember," I began softly, keeping my voice light and steady, "Buena Village, where you were born? Our house, where you and your father used to train?"
No response. No flicker in those dull eyes. But I kept going anyway.
"It was a small place… surrounded by trees and a wide field of wheat. The winters were cold, and the summers warm. Nothing to special about it, but... it was our home." I smiled at the memory, feeling my heart tug painfully at the thought that none of it existed at the spot we once called home.
I glanced at him, hoping… praying… but he was still somewhere far away. Somewhere I couldn't reach.
"You had a friend there, too — a little green-haired girl named Sylphy. You two were inseparable. Always sneaking around, always getting dirty… Paul would grumble about you practically grooming her, but he was never really angry." I sighed, leaning my head back against the wall.
"She really gave it her best when you went to Roa... I dearly hope she is alive and doing well."
For a moment, I let the silence settle, but then a small voice spoke up beside me.
"Mom?"
I turned — it was Norn. She'd crept closer without me noticing, clutching a small dove figure Rudy had made for her. Her wide eyes weren't on me, though… they were on Rudeus.
"Is big brother… is he gonna talk soon?"
Her voice was so small, so unsure, and it cracked something inside me. I wanted to be honest. I wanted to tell her I didn't know — that I was just as scared. But when I looked at her, at how tightly she held that doll, I knew I couldn't say those words.
I forced a smile, though it trembled a little at the edges, and reached out, pulling her close with one arm, the other still around Rudeus's shoulders.
"It'll take a while, sweetheart," I said softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "But he's here… and we're not going to leave him. We'll help him find his way back."
Norn snuggled against me, and I felt her little hands clutch at my dress.
I gently drew Rudeus a little closer, too, even if he didn't react, letting his head rest against the side of my chest. He was thin, so much thinner than he should have been. Fragile in a way that made my heart ache. But he was warm. He was alive.
I held them both tightly, closing my eyes.
"Everything's going to be alright from here on out," I whispered. I don't know if I was saying it for them… or for myself.
In that small room, far from the home we lost, in a city full of strangers, I made a quiet promise. I would carry his memories until he was ready to reclaim them. I would remind him, piece by piece, of who he was. And when he finally spoke again, when his eyes lit up like they used to, we would be a family once more.
Even if it took years, even if it hurt, I would wait for my son to come back to who he was before.
***
(Lilia POV)
It is truly a tragedy what happened to Master Rudeus.
The clever, peculiar boy I once knew — so full of sharp words and quicker thoughts — now sat before me as a pale, silent shadow. His stillness was unnatural. The spark that once danced in his eyes, no matter how mischievous, had been extinguished. I could barely stand to look at him for long, though I never let it show.
I'd promised myself long ago that I would serve him faithfully, as I once served Paul and Zenith. Now, in this fragile state, it was the least I could do for him… and for them.
It is utterly unfortunate that I have no means to help. The item he held dear from his master, Roxy, would have likely helped him emerge from the darkness that was his mental state.
But during our escape from Millishion, I misplaced it somewhere, and it has been missing ever since. I am certain that Master Rudeus would be even more devastated than he already is if he were to find out.
But of all the tasks, of all the ways I tried to care for him, the hardest, by far, was getting him to eat.
"Master Rudeus," I said softly, sitting close and raising the spoon to his lips. "Please, you must eat something. You need your strength."
The stew wasn't much, but a downgrade from the food of other continents—the food from the hut that Kagami provided us had already been depleted.
I lifted the spoon again, carefully, as though any sudden movement might shatter him completely. But his lips stayed shut.
I let out a sigh, my heart feeling heavy.
I tried coaxing him, changing my tone and using gentler words, even lightly touching his hand or moving his lips to encourage him. Nothing. It was as though I weren't even there for him.
But in all honesty, he always had a difficult sense of taste to sate. Back at the village, Zenith and I always struggled to get the seasoning to his liking. He was never spoiled with food like a noble child would have been, but he never openly complained about it either. It is one of the many abnormal behaviors that made me scared of him when he was younger.
Just as I was about to set the bowl down and attempt again later, a small voice cut through the quiet.
"Mom!"
Aisha. She came bounding in, with Roxy trailing just a few steps behind, blinking in confusion.
"I brought Miss Roxy!" Aisha announced brightly. There was a gleam in her eyes — too knowing for a girl her age. "Let her try feeding him."
I blinked, glancing from my daughter to the blue-haired girl. And in that moment, I understood exactly what Aisha was thinking.
Roxy, meanwhile, looked uncertain, clearly unsure of why she was here or what Aisha was expecting. Still, when the girl all but shoved her forward, Roxy took the spoon from my hand, visibly nervous under both our gazes.
"I… um… Rudy?" she murmured, kneeling in front of him. She hesitated, then, with a breath, brought the spoon up. "Would you… e-eat this for me?"
It was quiet for a moment. I was certain we'd see no response.
But then — to my astonishment — his lips parted, just slightly, and Roxy carefully placed the spoon between them. He swallowed without resistance.
The room felt still. My heart leapt in quiet, cautious relief.
Roxy blinked, surprised. "Oh… he—he ate it…"
I nodded, offering a small smile. "Good work, Miss Roxy."
Beside me, Aisha was beaming… and I caught it. That smug little smile curling at the corners of her mouth.
She knew. She knew exactly what she was doing.
I narrowed my eyes slightly at her, though she pretended innocence as she swung her legs and hummed softly. It was clever — too clever. Rudeus would not refuse a request from Roxy, no matter his state. That much was clear.
And while I was grateful… a part of me hoped Aisha's intentions weren't cruel. Children can be thoughtless in ways adults sometimes miss. I would have to watch her carefully.
Still, for now, a small improvement for Rudeus's condition.
I pulled out a napkin to wipe away some of the leftovers from his mouth, a soft smile on my face as I watched him.
Perhaps… just perhaps, with the right people around him, we could reach him again. And I would not stop until we did.
***
(Roxy POV)
Oh gosh, that was so embarrassing!
In front of Lilia, Aisha, and the others… I was the only one who could easily get Rudeus to eat. Just a simple, quiet request, and he'd opened his mouth for me, like some automatic reaction. It wasn't something to be proud of — not when it came from his broken state, his lingering, instinctive trust.
But it stirred something deep in my chest. A bittersweet ache. He had been my student… and in so many ways, my first real connection in this world.
Even now, as empty as his eyes were, there was still a thread between us.
I couldn't just sit back and do nothing.
So, under the watchful eyes of Ruijerd, Elinalise, Eris, and even Tallhand, I asked to take Rudeus out beyond the city walls. A wide, open stretch of wasteland lay not far from Rikarisu — empty, silent, a good place to test something important.
Because all of us had the same question: How much had his magic really changed?
I'm aware that experimenting with him was dangerous in itself,
We reached a clear, flat plain as the city's walls faded into the horizon behind us. I turned to him.
"Rudeus," I said carefully, looking up into those hollow, distant eyes. "I want you to cast some spells for me. Can you do that?"
He gave no verbal response — but when I gestured, he raised his staff, quietly awaiting instruction. It was eerie how automatic it felt.
I took a slow breath, steadying myself. "[Fireball]," I commanded.
A bright, orange sphere erupted from his staff, perfectly formed, sailing through the air before fading harmlessly in the distance.
"[Stone Cannon]." A precise, sharp projectile of earth burst from the ground.
"[Wind Blade]." A flawless crescent tore through the dust.
One after another, he performed the basic spells of every elemental school, cleanly, wordlessly, exactly as I'd taught him years ago. His form, his mana control, casting speed — not a hint of hesitation. As though his body still remembered, even if his mind was lost somewhere far away.
But I had to know more.
I moved in closer. "Rudy… hand me your staff."
For a moment, I worried the request might unsettle him, but he held it out, placing it into my hands like it was nothing.
I clutched it tight, trying not to let the strange heaviness of this moment shake me.
I wonder how much stronger it has gotten now that it evolved from the high mana density that made even Ghislaine's Demon Eye virtually blind.
"Now…" I swallowed. "Try again. Use the same spells."
One by one, I called them out — and he obeyed.
Fire, Earth, Wind, Water — all of it, without words, without a Magic Stone, drawn purely from his own hands. Voiceless casting — a skill so rare that most mages struggled for years to grasp it. Yet here he was, weaving magic like breathing.
But I still wonder.
How strong is the staff Eris gave him at his tenth birthday?
There didn't appear to be any difference in size, whether it was used or not. Is he perhaps regulating the mana input?
Let's see.
Pointing the tip of the staff with one hand, I began chanting my incantation, testing the staff's amplification myself.
"Let the great protection of water be on the place thou seekest. I call a refreshing burbling stream here and now. [Water Ball]!"
For a moment, the crystal began glowing, but suddenly, a stinging sensation ran up my arm. The pain shot up my wrist like a bolt of lightning, sharp and sudden. I gasped, instinctively letting go, and the staff clattered to the ground with a dull thud. For a long, stunned second, I just stared at it, blinking against the residual sting.
It had… rejected me.
No—repelled me.
And just as I was stunned over this reaction, I began to realise something.
This staff hasn't just been affected by high mana density; it was part of the Labyrinth's Treant floor, practically the heart that held it together. Meaning, it was also part of Rudy's soul.
It's just a suspicion, but I believe that the staff has become an extension of Rudy, both in soul and in body.
"HEY!"
The shout cracked through the stillness like thunder. Eris came charging across the field, her boots pounding against the dry earth. Her face was flushed with a mix of panic and irritation, her eyes locked onto the staff now lying at my feet.
"You dropped it?!" she snapped, scooping it up in one smooth motion. "Are you insane? That's Rudeus's staff!"
"I didn't mean to!" I shot back, cradling my wrist as the sting still pulsed through it. " It-it rejected me. I tried to use it, and it felt like I'd been shocked by my own mana."
Eris scowled, gently returning the staff to Rudeus. He took it without hesitation, fingers curling around it like it belonged there all along. Like it had never left.
Ruijerd and Elinalise were already making their way over, drawn by the sudden outburst. Tallhand followed a few steps behind, silent as always, eyes fixed on Rudeus.
"What happened?" Elinalise asked, brow furrowed in concern. She glanced at my wrist, then at Rudeus, then at the staff.
"I thought I could test it," I said, still shaken. "The staff. I wanted to know if it amplified his Magic, or if the power Rudeus displayed earlier was from him alone. But when I cast through it... it didn't accept my mana."
Ruijerd narrowed his eyes. "You're saying the staff is… alive?"
I hesitated. "Not exactly. But it's not just a staff anymore. It was left in the Treant floor of the Labyrinth, remember? The heart of that place was saturated with mana for who knows how long."
Elinalise tilted her head. "So you think it's... connected to him?"
"I think it's more than that," I said, looking toward Rudy, who stood still as stone, his gaze vacant.
"It might be an extension of him. Part of his very soul might be entwined with it." I said, recalling the notes from Kagami that stated everything in the Labyrinth was connected to Rudy.
Tallhand crouched beside Eris, who was now watching Rudeus intently. "So what does the staff do then? Just helps control mana flow?"
I nodded slowly. "I'm not sure, but I think he's limiting himself. When he casts through the staff, he's holding back. He regulates his output whenever using it to make it seem like it doesn't contribute to his Magic."
Eris's eyes widened, lighting up with barely contained excitement. "Wait. Then that means… if he wanted to, Rudeus could use higher spells, right? Like... King-class, maybe even Emperor? God class?!"
I felt my stomach twist. "NO!!!"
I am not letting him try that out! With the properties of the staff, there is no telling what kind of destruction Rudy could let loose on this world! That's why I only gave him beginner or intermediate spells to test out.
Even so, he made his spells smaller; whether it was intentional or not, it shows just how much Rudy has evolved in his mana control.
And that thought... was terrifying.
***
(Eris POV)
It's so confusing. Rudeus is not himself, and at the same time… he's not being himself.
He still has his magic — better than ever. No incantations, no hesitation. That's gotta be good, right? I mean… it means some part of him is still there. Still Rudy.
And the staff…The one I gave him for his birthday, back then. It looks different now. The wood is darker, and the crystal… it shines in a strange way. Sharper, colder, like it's alive somehow. But it's stronger. I can tell just by looking.
While the others were doing boring adult stuff, I was left to watch after Rudeus. Just me and him. Sitting across from each other, staring in silence.
His eyes, though…They aren't green anymore. Not the bright, clear green I used to like. Now they're black. Like the black steel my sword's made from. I don't… I don't really like it.
But it's still him. Right? It has to be.
I leaned forward a little, squinting at the staff he kept holding onto like his life depended on it. I wanted a closer look at the weird crystal that used to be blue.
Roxy says that it couldn't have lost its power, but whenever Rudeus used it, it made no difference compared to when he didn't hold it.
Apparently, only Rudeus can use it now. Soul stuff I don't get.
I reached out slowly, careful not to startle him. "Hey… let me see it for a second, will you?"
But the moment I got close, Rudeus suddenly leaned in, placing his face right against my chest.
"Eh—?!"I froze, feeling my whole face go hot.
Normally, I would have socked him for something like this—a good punch to the head. But…
I looked down at him.
He wasn't being pervy. His arms were limp, his face half-buried against me like he was trying to get some comfort from someone, like I used to do with my mom whenever I was upset about getting scolded by grandpa.
My heart twisted a little.
I let out a soft, awkward sigh, feeling a little embarrassed but… I didn't push him away. Instead, I carefully placed my hand on his head, ruffling his hair a bit, and pulled him just a little closer.
"Stupid," I mumbled. "It's… It's four years too early for this kinda stuff, y'know? Don't get ahead of yourself and do something naughty."
But he didn't say anything. Didn't move. Just leaned in tighter, his whole body relaxing like some heavy tension was finally easing up.
I felt his breathing slow, his forehead resting against me. I could tell — he wasn't doing this to tease me. He wasn't doing it because of that. It was just… something he needed right now.
And for once, I didn't mind letting him have it. Just a little longer.
"…Jeez, Rudeus," I whispered, resting my chin lightly on his head. "You better come back soon."
Because no matter how strong your magic is…If you're not you, then what's the point of having it in the first place?
***
(Kagami POV)
"Aaaaaand, done~"
Finishing abstracting the Manatite Hydra's soul from its unalived body, I admired the egg-shaped casing I've used to bring Kajakut with me on this branch timeline.
Retrieving it into my soul, I soon began retrieving the various crystals from the Labyrinth I've just conquered.
To make it more compact, I'm putting these into a Magic Tool of mine. At first glance, you would think, 'This is just a normal bag,' and you would be wrong because the runes on the inside of it warp its interior space, making the bag five to seven times more spacious. Nifty tool, but a threat to anyone who charges extra for additional luggage.
Meanwhile, I've commanded Kajakut to use his Gravity Magic to lift the monster's carcass for me to put it into my pocket dimension.
I have already looted all the items I previously placed, assuming Zenith was still inside the crystal, before discovering that my so-called friend had redirected the trajectory of her teleportation, ultimately wasting my time and effort, which I had invested a lot of.
Once I was finished, I made Kajakut go back into sword mode and gave this place one last glance.
I won't be seeing this place anymore. Well, not in this timeline at least.
Once that time comes, he will hopefully be able to finish the Hydra himself.
And once that happens, I will assist him in using his Soul Magic to erase Zenith's condition that hinders her from speaking.
However, my backup plan for him to fulfill his potential needs to get underway soon.
"Fuck, I hate myself for what I'm about to do."
Heading for the Teleportation Circle I set up earlier, I headed out to initiate Plan B.
///