After an entire day filled with all those events, Arius woke up from his sleep and went outside. It was still 6 in the morning. He then sat on a fence while staring at his house. After that, he opened his palms, and suddenly transformed into the Cipher. Then he transformed into the High Cipher and said, "My transformations haven't disappeared." But then he said, "Void Domain," and activated the domain.
Arius said, "My techniques are still here. This means that even though the System disappeared, my powers never disappeared. So if the System isn't responsible for my abilities, then what is their source? In my past, in my previous life, I never possessed these abilities. I obtained them after living this life, and the System was the one that introduced me to most of them. But where did they come from?"
Arius began trying to remember everything, from the moment he was executed by his family, to living with Nahira, to being born again as Alberto's son, and everything up until now. However, he could not remember the true source of his power.
Arius said, "I don't think these powers of mine are a coincidence. There's something missing. I can't remember it, but what is it? There's something incomplete that I don't understand. Something happened between my first period, when I was executed, and the period when Nahira summoned me, and then the period when I was reborn as Celestine. Why can't I remember?"
Arius stood up and said, "No matter. I'll remember eventually."
Arius looked into the air and tried to summon the System, but he couldn't. Instead, the Honor Window that had remained with him appeared before him, and its counter was exactly 0%.
Arius said pessimistically, "Damn it. In any case, I don't need it. There's nothing left for me to fear anymore. I've eliminated everyone who stood in my way. Now I can live however I want."
After that, Arius settled down with his wife and child. He visited the little girl, Nora, every day and watched her from afar. She would always sit there crying over her mother.
One day, Arius entered her room. When he entered, he couldn't see her in front of him. Suddenly, Nora jumped toward Arius's neck and tried to strangle him, but he wasn't affected by it at all. He grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her away. He looked at her coldly and said, "Do you know why I came here now?"
Little Nora said, "I don't want to hear you, you evil man. Put me down!"
Arius lowered her to the ground and sat behind her while she had her back toward him. Arius said close to her ear, "Don't you want to get out of here?"
Nora's eyes widened. "Get out of here?"
Arius said, "Yes. I'm going to get you out of here, and I'll take you somewhere beautiful too."
The child said, "I won't go anywhere with you! You killed my mother. You're an evil criminal!"
Arius smiled and said, "But I didn't kill her. You were there, and you saw what happened. The one who killed your mother was your aunt, Clarisse. I was there, injured on the ground. Technically, I didn't kill your mother. In fact, I love her. We only argued a little and were both angry, but I assure you that we never intended to kill each other."
Nora said, "But you were both going to destroy each other, and you were going to kill me too."
Arius said with a smile, "We were joking, my little one. You're my daughter, my own flesh and blood. How could I kill a part of myself? A father is supposed to love his daughter and protect her, not kill her. Have you ever seen a father hate his little girl?"
Nora looked at him with confusion and bewilderment.
Arius thought to himself, "No matter how much Nahira raised her to be intelligent, she's still a small child who can easily be deceived. It was a good decision not to kill her. All I need to do now is make her love me. During the time I've been coming to see her, I've tried many times to get closer to her, and it seems that she's starting to soften toward me and believe me. After all, I'm the last person she has left in this world."
Nora looked at him and asked, "Is it true that you didn't hate my mother?"
Arius said, "Yes, my little one. I never hated her. If I didn't love your mother, we wouldn't have had you. You are proof of the love we had for each other. I'm your father, my daughter. You are my entire happiness. When you were little, I wished I could have been with you, but I was always busy. If I had been there back then, I would have raised you together with your mother. But now I'm going to raise you and take good care of you. Come on, why don't you hug me? I also have a gift for you concerning your mother."
Nora looked at him in confusion and said, "For my mother?"
Arius said, "Yes. Come on, hug me, and I'll tell you."
Nora looked at him and hesitated for a moment. She remembered the look in Arius's eyes when he had tried to kill her, but now he seemed completely different. And because she had no one else to turn to, she decided to take the first step. She moved toward him, hugged him, and buried herself in his arms while beginning to cry.
Arius comforted her, a smile burning across his face as he said, "Calm down, my little one. I'm always with you. I'll make up for losing your mother. Believe me. Just give me the chance to do so."
Arius thought to himself, "All I need to do is make her trust me and forget that horrible day. Then I can make sure my daughter will never betray me on the day I take revenge for her mother."
Arius said, "My little one, I want to tell you something. I'm going to take revenge for your mother."
Nora asked, "And what is revenge, sir?"
He said, "Don't call me sir. Call me Dad. I'm your father, my daughter."
She looked at him and felt a little embarrassed before saying, "Dad."
He said, "Good girl. As for revenge, it means retaliation—the restoration of the victim's rights. The person who killed your mother was her sister, and I'm going to take revenge on her personally."
Nora said, "Dad, are you really going to get justice for my mother?"
Arius said, "Yes. I'll do it for you. Now come on, let's go."
He picked her up and carried her out of the room while smiling cunningly.
"I'm going to take you to a beautiful park, my daughter."
Arius teleported from the place and, using his abilities, took her to a park on Earth.
Nora said, "Dad, what is this?"
Arius said, "It's a slide."
The child asked, "How does it work?"
Arius said, "It works like this."
He then picked her up and placed her on top of the slide before letting her slide down. The child was surprised and immediately felt the joy of it. She laughed and said to Arius, "Can I go up again?"
Arius said, "Of course. Go up as many times as you want."
The child began playing again and again.
Arius sat on a wooden bench while watching her. Illyria appeared beside her master and said, "Master, she's really enjoying herself."
Arius said, "Yes. I spent three months trying to get closer to her and observing her behavior. I discovered that she wasn't doing what any normal child would do. It seems Nahira was teaching her about killing, bloodshed, and those kinds of things so that she would grow up as a copy of herself. During that period, she tried to kill me every time, and all her attempts failed. Unlike Isaac, even though they're almost the same age, she possesses an incredible talent, while Isaac still hasn't done anything."
Illyria said, "Master, does that mean you favor the little girl over Isaac?"
Arius said, "I only care about what will be useful to me. It's still too early to say, but I'll make sure my children become exactly like me—strong, and with no one capable of even touching a hair on their heads."
Illyria looked at the child and said, "Master, I'm impressed by the little girl. Even though she's only 3 years old, she possesses an enormous amount of energy, reaching nearly 50,000."
Arius smiled and said, "At her age, that's a considerable amount of power. When I was 6 years old, my energy didn't even exceed 3. My father was dissatisfied with my level compared to my two siblings."
Illyria asked, "Your siblings?"
Arius said, "Yes. My older brother, Elios, and my younger sister, Helen."
Illyria asked, "What happened to them, Master?"
Arius remembered how Elios had died while defending him, sacrificing himself for his sake, and simply said, "Ah… My brother was a good person. As for my sister Helen, I never got to know her completely. As far as I know, she died in the explosion of the Celestine planet at that time. But she possessed enormous power despite being very young."
Illyria asked, "Do you miss them, Master?"
Arius stared at the sky and said, "Honestly, I don't know."
Illyria said, "Master, Miss Nora must be tired from playing."
Arius said, "Actually, that name is annoying and depressing to me. I should change it for her. After all, I wasn't the one who named her."
The child came toward Arius and said, "Dad, I'm hungry."
Arius said, "Alright, my little one. I'll buy you some food. But why don't we go somewhere a little more official first?"
The child was confused, and they headed toward a courthouse.
The child asked, "Why are we here? What is this place, Dad?"
Arius said, "Actually, I want to give you a beautiful name."
The child said, "A beautiful name? But my name is already beautiful."
Arius said, "Actually, your mother and I didn't want to name you Nora. Someone else did, and we accepted it. But I want to give you a better name. Look at me. I have another name too. Mine is Trenas."
The child became happy and said, "Okay, Dad."
Arius entered and completed all the necessary procedures, officially changing her name to Mila.
The little girl was delighted with the new name.
After they left the courthouse, Arius said, "Mila suits you very well, my little one."
Mila said, "I really love it."
After that, they went to a nearby restaurant and bought many meals.
Arius said, "Choose whatever you want, my little one. Today you're not going to eat plain rice and beans like usual. Order whatever you want."
Mila ordered fried chicken, shrimp, and some salad. Arius noticed that she ate in a very elegant manner, exactly like her mother.
After lunch, he bought her some sweets and ice cream. She liked the ice cream very much and asked Arius to bring her more later.
Arius said, "Alright, but don't get sick because it's cold."
After spending an entire day with the little girl, Arius made the most difficult decision he had faced so far: taking Mila to live with him, Izola, and Isaac.
Hiding her and keeping her away from him would gain him nothing. His greater goal was to make the child love him rather than hate him and stay away from him.
Arius said, "My dear Mila, I want to tell you something."
Mila said, "What is it, Dad?"
Arius said, "Would you like to live with me in your new home?"
Mila looked at him in surprise. For three months, she had been living in a locked room where neither sunlight nor anyone else could enter. Now she felt confused by the situation, but she agreed despite not being very enthusiastic, since everything had happened so suddenly.
Arius said, "Good. Come on, I'll take you with me. There, you'll meet your little brother."
Mila was surprised and said, "My brother?"
Arius said, "Yes. You have a brother who is the same age as you, but he has a different mother."
Mila asked, "Does he look like me?"
Arius laughed and said, "Somewhat. But you both carry the same blood, so yes, in a way."
Arius and Mila teleported from the street and arrived on Arius's planet.
Arius carried Mila in his arms and looked toward the house. He took a deep breath and said, "Be brave. It's simple."
He opened the door, his hand trembling slightly.
After entering, he said, "I'm home."
Isaac ran to welcome his father, but he was surprised to see his father carrying a little girl in his arms. He stopped silently.
Arius smiled and said, "Hello, my dear. I have a beautiful surprise for you."
The two walked toward the living room. Izola was sewing some clothes.
She said, "Welcome home, dear."
Then she fell silent when she saw Arius carrying a child in his arms.
Arius sat on the couch while Mila held tightly onto him. Izola stood up and said instinctively, "Oh, darling, who is this beautiful little girl? She's so cute, soft, and shy."
Arius smiled and said, "Actually, there's something I want to talk to you about."
He looked at Mila and said, "Mila, would you go and play with Isaac in his room? He has some nice toys."
Mila didn't want to leave Arius, but he called Isaac over to take her and play with her.
Isaac said, "Do you want to play with me, girl?"
Mila looked at him, then looked toward Arius, who encouraged her.
She then went with him to play with the toys in his room.
Izola said, "Wow, she's very shy. Where did you find her, Arius?"
Arius looked at her and said, "Please sit down. I want to talk to you about something important."
Izola said, "Dear, did something bad happen?"
Arius said, "No, but this is something personal between us."
Izola said, "Don't worry me. What is it?"
Arius hesitated, unsure how to tell her.
He said, "You won't get angry, right?"
She said, "I promise. What is it?"
Arius said, "Actually… um… that girl upstairs right now is… how do I say this? She's my daughter."
Izola was shocked and froze, unable to process what she had just heard.
She stammered, "W-what? What did you say?"
He said, "Yes, exactly as you heard. She's my biological daughter."
Izola's face turned pale, and she collapsed onto the floor.
Arius caught her and said, "Are you alright?"
She looked at him and said, "I'm fine… fine. Just give me a moment to process what I heard."
He said, "As you heard, please don't think badly of me. It happened despite my will."
Izola stood up and said, "Despite your will? What happened against your will?"
He said, "The result is the girl upstairs."
Izola trembled from head to toe.
"Arius, answer me one thing. Did you really have a relationship with another woman to have this child?"
Arius said, "I won't lie to you, because I promised you I wouldn't. Yes, I did."
Izola asked coldly, "When did this happen?"
Arius looked at her and said, "Three years ago."
Izola closed her eyes.
Arius approached and held her hands, but she pulled them away.
She asked, "Was she beautiful?"
Arius said, "Wait. It's not what you think."
He grabbed her and said, "Don't think that I betrayed you. I did that for us. And I didn't even have the desire to do it. It happened because of that metaphysical entity that was inside me."
Izola said, "Arius, I never lied to you. But today, for the first time, I feel like I can no longer understand you at all."
Izola tried to break free, but Arius flew with her from the living room to the outside of the house.
He said, "I won't let you down until you hear everything I have to say."
Izola said, "I don't want to hear you! Put me down! Go and do that with the beautiful woman you supposedly loved!"
Arius shouted, "But I love you, you idiot! That cursed woman is gone. She disappeared and received the punishment she deserved!"
Izola said, "Let me go! Are you going to kill me like you killed her too?"
Arius said, "What are you talking about, you crazy woman? I'm not going to do that."
Izola bit Arius until he began lowering toward the ground and the balcony. Eventually, she slipped from his hands, shut the balcony door, closed the curtains, and locked herself inside the bedroom.
She sat beneath the wall, crying with her hand over her mouth.
Arius began knocking on the door, but she refused to listen to him.
He said, "I can use instant teleportation and enter whenever I want."
However, Raynos appeared and said, "Master, it would be better to leave Lady Izola alone for a while."
Arius decided to leave her alone and returned to the living room. He felt somewhat regretful that he had confessed now.
He decided to check on the children. He found them playing, so he smiled and said, "Are you two having fun together, my little ones?"
Isaac said, "Yes. Mila is a nice girl. She taught me how to build a castle out of blocks."
Arius smiled, placed his hand on his son's head, and said, "That's good. Take care of your sister. She loves you too."
Isaac said, "My sister?"
Arius said, "Yes. She's your sister, little one. Take care of each other."
Isaac said, "But Mom never gave me a sister."
Arius said, "Your sister is from me. She's your half-sister, meaning you only share one parent. Your relationship comes through me."
Isaac said, "I understand now. So we're both Dad's children."
Arius said, "Exactly. Now keep playing and don't pay attention to the noises downstairs."
Isaac said, "Okay."
Arius looked at Mila and said, "My dear, do you like your brother?"
Mila smiled shyly and said, "Yes, Dad."
Arius said, "That's good."
Arius left the room and locked the door.
His smile disappeared.
After several hours of watching the clock, Arius heard Izola leave the bedroom and go to the bathroom. He began hearing her vomiting.
He said, "She's putting unnecessary pressure on herself."
After Izola opened the bathroom door, her face was covered in tears. Her complexion was pale, and her hair was messy.
She said to Arius, "Get out of my way."
Arius stood there and blocked her path, forcing her back toward the bathroom.
She shut the door, but Arius used teleportation and entered behind her.
She screamed at him to leave her alone because she could no longer tolerate his behavior.
She began throwing toothpaste, brushes, and everything she could find at him until she accidentally wounded him with a pair of scissors.
She looked at what she had done and immediately dropped the scissors.
She grabbed some medical supplies to clean his wound, but he told her not to bother.
Arius said, "Stab me again."
She looked at him and said, "Stop. Let me clean your wound."
He said, "No. I'm a worthless person. Punish me however you want. Stab me until you feel better. Curse me as much as you want. Cut out my tongue so I never dare speak about things you don't like again. Stab me in the eyes so I can't look at another woman. But please, don't be angry with me or leave me."
Arius collapsed onto the floor and said, "I swear I never wanted to do that. It happened against my will. I didn't do it for pleasure or because I loved that woman. It happened because of that filthy entity that was inside me. Please, do whatever you want to me, but never leave me and never hate me. Please."
Izola, who had witnessed the contradictions in Arius's personality many times, said, "I've given you so many chances, and you always disappointed me. You imprisoned me on this isolated planet, far away from people and every form of life. You made me abandon my brother and choose you. And worst of all, you had a relationship with another woman while you were already married. How long are you going to keep manipulating me, Arius? How long?"
She began screaming and crying.
The children heard it, but Dark placed a barrier around the room so they couldn't hear anything.
Arius said, "Izola, I told you. Do whatever you want except leave me. Come on, punish me and take what you're owed from me so that we can reconcile again."
Izola said, "As you wish, Arius. We'll reconcile. We'll reconcile, but only after you do one thing for me."
Arius said, "What is it?"
She said, "Divorce me, Arius."
Arius looked at her, and the blood seemed to freeze in his veins.
He stood up from the floor, his expression changing.
He said, "Impossible. I will never do that."
She said, "I won't stay with someone who betrayed me or who may betray me in the future."
Arius pinned her against the wall and said, "Betray you with whom? There is no one else I could ever love besides you. I killed and got rid of everyone who was responsible for making me commit that act. And without hesitation, do you know something? It wouldn't be difficult for me to kill your brother too."
Izola's eyes widened.
Arius laughed and said, "Yes, you heard me correctly. If you leave me or even try to do so, I'll have no choice but to eliminate the last person you could turn to. That way, you'll have no one left in this world except me. Then you can think about leaving me and staying away from me."
Izola felt afraid of Arius.
She said, "You wouldn't do it."
He said, "Yes, I would. As long as you keep defying me and thinking about leaving me. I'll do anything to make you satisfied with me, and you repay me with thoughts of divorce and things like that. It's better that you remove that idea from your head, or I'll erase your only brother from existence itself. I've killed people far more dangerous than you can imagine, and it wouldn't be difficult for me to deliver a fatal blow to Dazai."
"So be a good wife, forget everything that happened, and accept the truth—that all of this is for the happiness of you and the children. Do you understand?"
Izola said nothing.
She lowered her hand and said one word:
"Understood."
Arius smiled, kissed her on the neck, and said, "That's how you help me. Come on, let's clean up the place and prepare dinner. The two little ones must be very hungry."
Izola said, "As you wish, Arius."
Izola washed her face while looking at Arius, who was picking up the scattered objects.
She thought to herself, "What kind of monster is this? This isn't the Arius, my husband, whom I knew. He's worse than he was during that terrifying state. I no longer understand what he might do."
Arius said, "I'll wait for you downstairs, my dear. Don't take too long."
She said coldly, "Yes. I'll be there."
After he left, Izola began vomiting again.
Afterward, she went downstairs after washing her face.
Arius said, "Rest today. I'll cook."
She said, "As you wish."
Izola sat at the table, completely expressionless.
Arius began cooking and ordered one of his soldiers to bring the two children so they could eat.
The soldier brought them.
When they came downstairs, Isaac said, "Dad, you made the meat pasta we like!"
Arius said, "Yes, my little one. Exactly the way you like it."
Isaac sat in his designated chair.
Arius picked Mila up and placed her in a chair beside him.
He said, "Come on, my little one. You'll eat something delicious in a moment."
Mila said quietly, "Yes, Dad."
Izola looked toward Arius and thought to herself, "What is this contradiction in his personality? Sometimes he acts normally, sometimes he's violent, sometimes he's insane, and sometimes he's rational. What is happening to you, Arius?"
Everyone began eating.
Arius fed the two children with his own hands.
Isaac looked at his distracted mother and said, "Mom, why aren't you eating from your plate?"
She didn't respond.
Isaac climbed down from his chair, grabbed his mother's hand, and said, "Mom, answer me."
Izola looked at him and said, "I don't have an appetite. You eat, my little one."
Arius said, "It seems your mother has lost her appetite, but she needs to eat, or you'll be upset with her, son. Isn't that right?"
Isaac said, "Yes, Dad. Food is important. Mom, you always tell me to finish my plate so I can become stronger and not get sick, but you aren't doing it yourself. I don't want you to get sick."
Izola looked at him, held his cheek, and said, "My little one, you're worried about me. Don't worry, son. I'm fine as long as you're fine."
Isaac said, "I'll feed you myself, just like Dad always does."
Izola said, "Alright, son."
Izola opened her mouth, and Isaac fed her.
He said, "Good job, Mom. You're amazing."
Arius laughed.
Mila watched them and then stuck her fork into her plate.
"Dad, open your mouth."
She said it shyly, believing Arius would refuse.
However, he opened his mouth and ate a meatball.
He said, "How delicious, my little one. When you get a little older, I'll teach you how to cook so you can become a skilled chef."
Mila smiled at that.
After dinner, the two children became sleepy.
Arius took them to Isaac's room and placed them in their beds.
Arius said, "It's good that there are two beds stacked on top of each other. It was a good idea to bring this thing back then."
Arius then left and went downstairs.
He found Izola sitting at the table.
Arius sat down and said, "You did really well, but I want you to be more expressive instead of sitting there looking so gloomy."
Izola said, "Arius, I'm still angry with you. The only reason I haven't left is because of your stupid threat."
Arius said, "You know I would never do anything that could make you sad. I only said that to get you out of that state. You are the most precious thing I have, and I can't stand seeing you angry with me. So tell me, what do you want me to do so you'll forgive me and I won't have to see that angry face again?"
Izola said, "I'm not angry. I just don't want to talk to you."
She stood up and headed toward the bedroom.
Arius sighed and said, "What a headache."
Hours later, Arius wanted to enter the bedroom to sleep, but he found the door locked.
There was a note written in red lipstick:
"Do not enter or come near this room."
Arius said, "You know this is my bedroom. I'm going in whether you like it or not."
Arius entered through teleportation, but Izola began hitting him with various makeup products and objects from the room until he finally left.
He said, "Damn it! You say you're not angry, yet you hit me this hard with all that resentment. Fine, no problem. I'll sleep in the living room."
Arius went downstairs, rested his head on the couch, and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Izola was taking the clothes outside when she saw Arius leave the house without saying a word.
He flew away from the place at high speed.
Izola said, "I wonder where he's going now."