If there was something constant in the world, it was the honkai.
For two thousand years, humanity was at war with the honkai. Civilizations rose and fell due to it. Its traces were all around the world.
Five hundred years ago, an organization rose into power:
Schicksal.
Based on Europe, it integrated the power of wealthy and influential families, with the strongest three on the forefront: Kaslana, Apocalypse, and Schariac.
Siegfried came from the Kaslana Family.
At age 21, he managed to prove his strength by defeating Schicksal's finest valkyries. One of the valkyries he defeated was Cecilia Schariac—the strongest valkyrie at that time.
Up to that point, Siegfried's story was completely akin to a coming-of-age manga centered around shounen.
'He's reckless, too. Oh well, I should not generalize on shounen protagonists much.'
From a shounen manga, it turned into a slice-of-life. He officially entered Schicksal as one of the few male combatants, had fun teasing the female valkyries around him, and spent time with his girlfriend.
By the time he got married and had a child, he turned into a responsible dad.
This was when the literal slice-of-life started.
"The second honkai eruption happened ten years ago. The overseer chose to deploy me and my wife…"
The more Aleph heard about Siegfried's story, the deeper his frown became.
By the time Cecilia sacrificed herself to stop and undo the massive honkai corruption throughout North Asia, one thing became sure.
'It's too eerily similar to the original.' He thought. 'Aside from the normalized judgement-classes and overall increase in combat power, nothing else changed.'
Aleph felt the determination of the Tree and Sea to 'correct' the abnormalities he caused (i.e., straying from the original future).
The parallel Earth is an example of what would happen had they succeeded.
'It's not real… Not yet.'
The real Earth as well as the real universe remained unaffected. It would take time to 'correct' the changes Aleph made. It could be seen here in the parallel Earth, whereas it took a total of fifty thousand years to place it back in its original track.
Now that he is here…
'It's doomed to fail.'
"So… she is not your real daughter?"
"No. She is my daughter." Siegfried replied firmly.
Hearing this made Aleph smile.
At the very least, Siegfried is sincere when it comes to his family.
'As expected of the man who lived by the Kaslana Oath.'
"What are you planning to do next?" Aleph asked for the second time.
"...I planned to let my daughter go."
"Hm."
"...on her own."
"..."
Aleph looked disappointed when he heard it.
"There's a reason why you are a deadbeat. Twelve years old. That's the age of a typical middle schooler." He reiterated his main point. "You are letting a twelve year old on her own."
"It's necessary for her safety." Siegfried retorted. "We can't evade detection forever. It's better to let her go in the open. That way… she can still experience a better life than now."
The two fell silent. Aleph realized once again that he could not judge others based on his prior knowledge.
'I am being too arrogant lately. I need to stay grounded. Keep my humanity and my head.'
He knew how crucial keeping his 'self' was. In Aleph's case, remaining as the 'human Aleph' was the best way to do so. He does not want to become similar to the emotionless and apathetic Aeons.
The reason why he fought hard until now was to create a happy ending for everyone. His friends and special ones on Earth are his world.
"...You are smarter than you look."
Aleph's remark finally struck Siegfried. The latter recalled his pitying look when he asked about his library visits and such.
"You thought I'm dumb?"
"What else?"
"..."
Aleph's sarcastic side was satisfied.
His next words caught Siegfried's attention.
"If you want, I can go with her. I don't have much to do for now."
Silence swept the two once more. It took a while for Siegfried to express his thoughts.
"Thank you."
"It's no big deal. Our goals coincide, after all." Aleph paused before continuing, "To defeat the honkai."
For the first time, Siegfried saw the same determination represented by their family's oath.
*****
"Phew. It succeeded."
Aleph opened his eyes. He saw Senti sitting on his lap again.
[Achievement Obtained: Fooling the World]
[Achievement Obtained: First Stage Clear]
[Achievement Obtained: Ancestor From the Upper Realm]
Three different achievements presented themselves to his sight. They gave out three corresponding rewards:
[Sequence Zero True God Authority — Error]
[Full Restore (One-time Use)]
[Nascent Soul]
'Another authority… I now have nine.'
Aleph fully accepted his growing repository of authorities. It adds flexibility when it comes to dealing with certain situations.
Moreover…
'Why does this fit me so well?'
He only needs to read a part of [Error]'s description to know its ability. Coincidentally, its abilities correspond to the things he often did.
For example, [Decryption]. It allows its holders to gather information from a tiny bit of information. That was how Aleph gained information on the [Pathway] system in his earlier days.
Then there was [Loophole]. It allows him to take advantage of any loophole… literally.
That was what he did with the imaginary barrier. Elation's disguise as a denizen of [Earth] lessened the rejection to 95%. The remaining 5% required his brute force to enter his ELF form.
'Why do I feel like it is connected with [Door]?'
He put it to another corner of his mind before looking at the second reward.
'Full Restore. No restraints. What a direct reward.'
Its usage was simple. Whenever Aleph was injured, extremely fatigued, or was about to lose his sense of self, the [Full Restore] could bring him back to his peak optimal condition.
It was the equivalent of an extra life.
Finally…
'I am just joking with the xianxia tropes. How come I have it for real now?'
Aleph glanced at its textual description which brought him to a set of images. Every single description of the current [Achievement Hunter] contained complex information. It was as if it caught up to Aleph's level-up as an Aeon.
'A literal nascent soul. An avatar that contains the full strength of a nascent soul cultivator. Hm… it corresponds to star systems.'
The [Nascent Soul] he received was completely unlike the [Nascent Soul] Aleph had in mind. They are extremely strong, to the point they could dominate multiple galaxies with ease.
They are the equivalent to the pinnacle of a Beyond Grade A.
'It's just right to place it on the Realm.'
With these things settled, Aleph finally had the time to tease the girl sitting on his lap.