[Long time no see, Zero! Glad to see you are still alive.]
I saw the familiar screen in front of me and the first question that popped in my head was,"What just happened?"
I waited for the owner of the system to answer that question and he didn't make me wait as another message appeared on the same screen.
[Is that how you say hello to your benefactor?! That makes me really sad, you know? Still, I understand what you must be going through, so I guess it would be inappropriate of me to not explain things first]
I looked at the screen with my expression turning serious as I prepared myself to hear what he wanted to say…
[Firstly, I am neither a 'he' nor the 'owner of the systems' though in a way I am but not really… Aaah! Why is it so hard to tell it without telling you everything? Damn it! Alright, listen. I have a name. It's Adbaldar Amon Chancellor Rahl Gomer Stibbons. Call me that please!!]
I observed Abdala Amon Channel Romer Buttons getting annoyed at me for calling him 'he' though I fail to see the point of using his name. Though, it looks like he can read my thoughts here.
[ It's Adbaldar Amon Chancellor Rahl Gomer Stibbons!!!]
"Look Amon, I don't know why you are acting like a kid, but I have loads of questions I want to ask. I am really thankful to you for sending me back in time but can we get to the serious topic at hand?" annoyed at his behaviour, I spoke at that screen with a hint of glare in my eyes.
[Sigh! You are no fun are you?]
Amon messaged me and then after a short pause another message arrived.
[All right! Then let's get started shall we? Zero/ Reaper look around you. What is that you see?]
After that message, I carefully observed the surroundings. There was white background as far as I could see. I couldn't even differentiate between sky and land at this point, the only thing that came to mind was an empty place that hasn't been filled with anything.
[I call this place White Dimension. It's a plane where souls gather before passing to the afterlife]
Afterlife? Is there really something like that? I wonder if Amon knew something about that
[I don't know about heaven/hell, honestly. I haven't died to visit that place, however, I have seen souls passing happily. Every soul that has passed through to the other world in general can't be returned unless you turn the time back itself.]
In hindsight, my regression brought the souls back to their body… so… Does it have something to do with this white dimension?
[Yeah. It has everything to do with this dimension. I created this dimension… or more like this dimension was created by collecting the universe's energy by me. It was a difficult task but wasn't really impossible]
"And exactly what does it have to do with me?" I asked with a curious expression as I began walking slowly around the white dimension.
[Everything. Well… the easiest way to explain would be that the souls in this timeline and the previous timeline are connected. I don't exactly know about nature's rule but for many reasons both the souls of this timeline and previous timeline are connected.]
By this timeline and the old one, you meant about the one before regression and the one after that right?
[Yeah. So tell me Zero, what do you think would happen to the souls that have died in the previous timeline but are still alive in this timeline?]
Hmmm… I honestly don't know. If there is something like that… then doesn't that mean the other souls could potentially die killing the souls of this dimension in the process? And wouldn't that mean that all my work has been to waste?
[Yeah, that was what was going to happen but all thanks to the great Amon, you can now potentially save everyone you wanted.]
"..." I waited for him to continue and so he did,
[Every soul that was supposed to die… but was saved in the end… would enter this world.]
My eyes open a bit wide as I look at that message and even though I understood that message, I was literally shocked by it. Doesn't that mean…
[Yeah… if you save your loved ones. You can meet the ones from the old timeline. However… there is a catch to it]
I looked at the messages without even blinking once as he messaged again…
[They will have lingering desires. From what I have collected so far, if you can solve their desires which they had in their previous lives, you can find a way to help them pass on without interfering with the lives of the one who are in the current timeline]
Hmmm… lingering desire huh? But do I really need to do it? Can't I just leave them in this dimension?
[The more they stay here without any hope that you can help them, the more restless they will get. I don't know in what way, but it will surely affect their souls in the new timeline. You don't want people you saved to die in the new timeline, do you?]
This makes things complicated doesn't it? When you look at it that way…
[True. If you end up saving billions, you might get a bucket list of people's final desires. Well, that is for you to figure out.]
All right. I understand all this but there is still one thing I don't get,
[And that is?]
Why was I brought into this place, now? Why not earlier?
[That must be because it is the first time you saved one till you entered this world?]
Hmmm… then what about Clair Redfield I saved her as soon as I came here? She too died in the previous timeline, didn't she?
[I don't know much about what happened in the previous timeline. Neither do I know what is going on in the current timeline. The amount of time I can interfere with that world is limited. Though, are you sure that she was dead?]
Hmmmm…. All that was found was her crushed hand and her sword lying at the place of battle. All the evidence pointed to her being eaten by the monsters, even the people from the organisation did not have any report of her being captured.
[There is your answer. She must have something that you probably don't know about]
All this bundle of misinformation is giving me the creeps, Amon. Are you sure you regressed me back into the past and not transferred into another similar world altogether?
[Nope. It is the same world from top to bottom. What is the truth and what were the lies is yours to figure out. It has nothing to do with me. All I want from you is you to fulfil your side of the promise.]
Hmmm?
[Hmmm?]
"..."
[You don't remember?]
"Well… I was busy dying and living so…"
"Don't worry, I won't back off. I know how to keep my promises. Everything can change about me but never in my life, I will break any of my promises. You can count me on that," I spoke with a little bit of pride and dignity in my words.
[Well… you did agree to my condition, so I guess I can trust you on that.]
"So what were the conditions?"
[Hmm… since the situation has developed to this point. I guess, it is better if I don't tell you this right now]
Confused at his words, I make a questioning expression as I observe the screen and he replies to my thoughts.
[Don't worry. Even if you know now, it won't change anything. For starters, get back to your original power and make sure the other 12 too get that power. If you can, bring another few to that level. You are gonna need that]
"Are we going for a war or something?" I spoke with a curious look and if we really were going to war, then to bring that kind of force…
[Something like that. Focus on getting stronger]
"All right. I have a few more questions," I spoke as I stopped pacing around and then looked at the screen.
[Sure, ask away. I will give answers to whatever I can]
"All right. So first question, why me? You could have chosen Elle who died earlier than me or perhaps anyone else who is much stronger than me," I asked with a serious face. Although, I kind of understood that with the situation of me dying at my last wits and the proper conditions would really invite me to take his offer, I still wanted to ask this question.
[One, because you aren't bound by the system]
I looked at the message and my eyes opened up a bit wide, not expecting that answer. I wanted to know what he meant by that…
[Did you ever wonder why you can use spirit magic despite not being one of the blessed races?]
"I am not of the blessed race?" I was a bit taken back by his statement. All this time, being an orphan, I thought maybe one of my parents was special hence allowing me to use the spirit magic.
[...]
[Well… System… All I can tell you is that the very system that determines the potential of people in your world, in reality limits their potential by over 90%. All beings can use all kinds of energies… however, having the system limits the kind of energy they can use to one… or maximum 2]
"7… that is how many energies that guy could use," I interrupted him with a piercing gaze and Amon messaged me again,
[That guy… or perhaps those few monsters are exceptions to this rule because of their… special nature]
"True, I suppose. Though… even though I don't really care about it anymore, still, why don't I have a system?"
[I don't know]
"..." I stared at the screen blankly.
[Don't look at me like that. I really have no idea why you don't have a system. Although, if you had accepted the system back then, perhaps I could have given you a system that is different from others]
"Hmmmm… this is kind of… overwhelming… Still, why bound every being by the system? Just what are you trying to achieve?" I ask with real curiosity and the answer that came really shocked me as he messaged,
[It wasn't me who bound them]
Hearing his words, I grew a bit confused. If he is the owner of the system then shouldn't he be the one binding the people…
[Not really… Zero, can you do me a favour and not pry into it. Unless you have finished the first task, I have given to you. Can you do that for me?]
"..." I honestly did not know how to answer that. On one hand, I did want to know about it but… if I am not strong enough to deal with it, it would be better not to know for now.
[Thank you]
"My second last question. Would me being here affect the outside world? I don't know whether you know this or not, but I was in a bit of a pinch there," I asked with a bit of wry smile on my face.
It wouldn't be funny if the time here and there is the same. Viscardi would just try to kill Anna again, whom I had just saved with me being captured by either one of the powerhouses.
[Don't worry. When you will be in this dimension, the time outside will stop flowing. However, when you are outside, the time inside this dimension will continue equally to that outside.]
Hmmm… All in my favour I suppose. Now onto my last question…"What about the entry and exit through this dimension? Can I come and leave freely or there are some limitations to it?"
It would be really convenient if I could just come here whenever I want and pause the time in the outside world. Though, it didn't look like it was that convenient,
[You can get out of here, as long as you can convince her. As for entry, you know the way.]
"Whom?" I asked before I felt someone's presence behind me. With cautiousness in my brain, I immediately turned around only to find a young girl not older than 16 years, wearing a blue white dress, lying unconscious there.
With her black hair which enhanced the beauty of her round face, she slowly woke up and looked around in a hurried manner with cautious eyes. Her face then turned towards me and with a slightly scared expression she observed my face and stood up.
I look at her trying her best to find her weapon and her uneasiness increasing with each passing moment and after the futile struggle of whatever she was doing, she looked at me with half teary eyes and spoke,
"Did I die?"
I looked at her for a few moments, before a mischievous grin began forming on my face as I answered her question, making the purest face I had ever made in my entire life till now,"You had a really beautiful life, young girl. Alas, it's over now."
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