I wasn’t surprised that she had guessed it again.
Well, I can’t expect anything less from her, can I?
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I let out a small breath and said, "Indeed, Empress. It’s time I meet them before..."
But I didn’t finish the sentence.
Because I knew she understood me well enough.
She knew that in no more than two months, things wouldn’t remain as peaceful as they were now.
"I think it’s good that you meet them," she said. "And as for how you’ll explain to them about..."
She didn’t finish her sentence. Instead, she simply gave me a look—one that said everything she didn’t need to put into words.
I sighed slightly. "I have to face that anyway, Empress. There’s no way I can fake it in front of them, no matter what."
"You better not, Master," she said firmly. "This is a delicate matter—for both you and your family. And hiding the truth is not a good choice."
She paused before continuing, her tone softer.
"Being direct might be a bit painful… but they will definitely understand. One way or another, you are still their son. Still their family."
She offered me a friendly smile as she gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You are right, Empress… it’s just—the weight of this is too much."
I let out a deep sigh.
I turned my back to the Empress and asked, "What day is it, Empress? Back on Earth, I mean."
She replied casually, "Hmm… it’s Saturday back on Earth. Tomorrow will be Sunday."
I nodded, about to say something, but she interrupted me and continued, "Yeah, your family—your mother and father —will be taking your sister to an amusement park tomorrow. They’re doing it to distract her since she keeps asking about you… well, the you of this universe, anyway."
Hearing this, my emotions wavered. I fought to keep the tears from forming in my eyes, still blaming myself for this heartbreaking reality.
"While controlling my fluctuating emotions, I....."
I hurriedly turned back to her, surprised. "Empress… have you been monitoring them?"
"Of course, I have, Kallus," she said matter-of-factly. "I know they are your family, and they’re important to you. So yes, I’ve been keeping an eye on them, knowing that sooner or later, you’d want to meet them."
I hurriedly turned back to her, surprised. "Empress… have you been monitoring them?"
"Remember, Kallus, I am connected to you by soul. I know you better than you know yourself. And as for your question—"
"Of course I have, Kallus," she said matter-of-factly. "I know they are your family, and they’re important to you. So yes, I’ve been keeping an eye on them, knowing that sooner or later, you’d want to meet them."
She paused for a moment, then added in a more serious tone, "But this isn’t just about that, Kallus. You’re forgetting the main point here—your fluctuating emotions are clouding your judgment."
I gave her an awkward but forced smile.
She let out a soft sigh and continued in the same serious tone, "
Your family already went through the pain of losing ’you’ once. And taking care of your sister… it hasn’t been easy for them. She keeps asking about you—because, to her, you are the most important person in her life."
"You might not realize it, but children Luna’s age is extremely close to their older brother figures. And—especially that little one Luna—is incredibly attached to you. So, it’s no wonder she keeps asking about you—because, to her, you are the most important person in her life."
"And tomorrow? Tomorrow is the perfect chance for you to meet them. All of them. Together."
"And it would be a big surprise for your sister too. Just think about it, Kallus—how happy she would be. These past two months have been hard on her as well…"
She spoke with a slightly heavy tone, which caught me off guard. The Red Empress rarely showed any emotion.
It wasn’t because she couldn’t—in fact, she was fully capable of expressing any and all emotions just like a normal human. But she never did. She always carried herself with a cold, aloof demeanor, never letting sentiments like this slip through.
And yet, here she was, showing concern.
And I genuinely appreciated that—it was her way of showing concern for me.
I smiled a bit.
Realizing I had gotten distracted from the topic, I shook my head, then nodded at her.
With emotion in my voice, I said, "Indeed, you are right, Empress. Tomorrow would be a better opportunity than any other time."
I mustered all the courage I could. Even now, I still felt like an outsider—a third party looking in. And technically, I was. But at the same time, I wasn’t.
It was confusing, and hard to put into words, yet...
Ugh, I can’t even explain it.
But I knew one thing for certain—I had to do this.
They had been in pain for too long. And I couldn’t allow myself to be another reason for their suffering.
Just as I was lost in my thoughts, it struck me like a thunderbolt.
A sudden, shaking realization.
I turned to the Empress, my voice unsteady.
"Empress… what about the others?"
She, ever perceptive of my emotions, tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean, Kallus?"
I swallowed hard, uncertainty and self-blame creeping into my voice.
"The other Kalluses… my variants… and their families across the infinite realities. While I’m here for them, who is there for those in the other universes, Empress?"
As I spoke, my self-blame intensified, spiraling out of control. I didn’t even notice how it was affecting me, how it was consuming me. And you can’t blame me for this—this kind of weakness, this kind of reaction.
I’m not even twenty.
Just as I was about to drown in my own thoughts, everything around me shifted.
Suddenly, I found myself in a vast, empty void.
And yet, I didn’t react—I was too lost in my own mind.
Then, a voice—powerful, ancient—cut through my thoughts like a blade.
"[Boy, calm yourself down. These unnecessary thoughts serve no purpose.]"
The weight of his voice alone snapped me out of my spiral, forcing me back to reality. But I hadn’t forgotten why I had fallen into this state in the first place.
Without thinking, fueled by raw emotion, I lashed out at the Supreme Being.
"It’s all your fault! Had you left me where I was, none of this would’ve happened!"
I was ready to say more, to release all my pent-up frustration—
But before I could even form another word, a power far beyond anything I had ever felt crushed me.
It rendered me completely mute.
The voice spoke again—calm, yet carrying an undeniable authority.
"[Stupid kid. Let me finish. What you’re thinking is completely wrong and baseless.]"
His tone grew sharper, more direct.
"[Aside from this universe—just like in your previous world—all other incarnations of yourself lost their families. Without exception. This super-universe is the only one where they even survived.
And in a way, they are unique existences—call it fate, destiny, or whatever you find comfortable.
Even if I hadn’t intervened, even if you hadn’t reincarnated, it would have happened anyway. Just not like this.
You would have reincarnated, one way or another. And all your variants would have died, for one reason or another—to form your true self.
So instead of blaming me, you should be thanking me. I did you a favor, not the other way around.]"
He huffed at the end, and I could feel it—he was angry.
Very angry.
But I didn’t have the time or the capacity to care about that.
Because I was still too busy processing the sheer weight of the information he had just dumped on me.
And just like that, the aura of gloom and self-blame surrounding me...
Vanished
What remained was me, going through the information dumped on me.
I read it once—still uncertain.
I read it again—still hesitant.
And then again.
Only after the third time did I finally accept it.
My overthinking had led me to blame myself for things that hadn’t even happened.
My mouth twitched.
But hey, that wasn’t my fault, okay?
I just… I just didn’t consider other possibilities.
Yeah, that’s it.
I just didn’t think of the other possibilities and ended up blaming myself.
As I was lost in my own realm of thought, the clearly dissatisfied—and angry—Supreme Being stared at me in silence.
And then, in a tone filled with sheer disbelief, he said, adding an overwhelming pressure—
"[You little brat... you dare ignore me, huh?!]"
I, who had been lost in my realm of thoughts, was suddenly dragged back to reality by his overwhelming presence—
Like a plane crashing from the sky.
I hit the ground with a thud.
And then, hearing what he said, my whole body began to shake with dread.
"N-No, no, no! Supreme Being, I was… I was just joking with you!"
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, desperately trying to salvage anything from this situation.