NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44: 44 - Turning Point?
At the end of the chapter, there will be a brief explanation for readers unfamiliar with the Light Novel, addressing the reasons behind the teleportation incident. If you'd prefer not to read it, feel free to skip the final section.
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Point of View: Lilia Greyrat
Central Continent, Asura Kingdom, Fittoa Region
It had been exactly one year since the birth of my daughter, Aisha Greyrat, and Zenith's daughter, Norn Greyrat. A year, and I still wondered how much my life had changed in such a short time. I, Lilia Greyrat, the woman who almost ruined the Greyrat family's life, was now a part of it, and everything I did seemed tied to this strange twist of fate.
He forgave me. After everything I did, after who I was, he forgave me. I didn't know how to process it at the time. I couldn't understand it, but I knew that something in me, something in my heart, had shifted.
Rudeus. That boy who had always made me uneasy, who frightened me with his intelligence since birth, a mix of innocence and wisdom, had saved me. Saved both me and my daughter. That boy, whom I believed incapable of understanding the world around him with those enigmatic eyes of his, became my savior. I owed him everything. Of course, I also owed Zenith for allowing me to stay, and I would never forget that either. What they did for me, for Aisha—it was as if they had granted me a second life.
From that day onward, I made a decision: I would raise my daughter to serve him. After all, she wouldn't even exist if not for him. She was still young, yes, but she already displayed an intelligence I hadn't expected from such a small child. I worried about it a little, knowing that Zenith's daughter, Norn, didn't share the same vigor or curiosity. I felt it was my responsibility to teach Aisha to respect her sister, so she wouldn't grow arrogant.
At that moment, the two of them were seated at the table, eating porridge. Aisha, always lively, was more focused on playing with a toy that, without my noticing, she had stolen from Norn. "Aisha, you must treat Miss Norn with respect!" I said, taking the toy and returning it to Norn, trying to maintain authority. Aisha looked annoyed at my scolding but soon sighed and gazed out the window as if wishing to escape the situation. I followed her gaze, distractedly, toward the sky.
It was a beautiful day, with the sun shining and a gentle breeze in the air. But as I kept looking, I noticed something strange. The sky in the direction of Roa, the city governing the Fitoa region, was growing darker. Sinister clouds were forming, spreading in vibrant and bizarre colors across the horizon. A tightening sensation gripped my chest. I didn't know what it was, but I felt it wasn't normal.
I grabbed Aisha and Norn, holding them close to my chest, trying to ward off the growing sense of dread. Aisha seemed excited by the sight, captivated by the sky's strange movements, but I was uneasy. It was a bad omen—something terrible was about to happen.
Paul and Zenith were too engrossed in their own affairs to notice the change in the atmosphere. Paul, with his lascivious looks, was attempting to flirt with Zenith as she hung clothes on the line, but neither of them seemed to notice the storm brewing.
Almost without thinking, I turned to warn them, but before I could open my mouth, an explosion of light illuminated the sky, advancing rapidly toward the village. A light so intense it blinded my eyes for a moment, and a deafening roar followed in its wake. I pulled the two children closer to me, holding them tighter than ever, and screamed desperately, "Watch out!"
It was the only thing I managed to say before being consumed by the light.
Point of View: Rudeus Greyrat
I was sitting at the base of the tree, with Sylphy by my side. I was teaching her the principle behind cooling and heating using water magic. It was something fun, and Sylphy seemed to think of it as a game. Both of us were seven years old now, and while I hadn't advanced much in magic since Master Roxy had left, I knew enough to teach her plenty of things.
She was trying to modify an ice spell after it had been cast, but the ice cannon trembled and exploded into small shards, and her ears drooped in disappointment.
"I failed again..." she said, sitting down.
"Don't worry, Sylphy, you'll get it. Try again, just focus a bit more," I said, trying to encourage her, and her mood instantly brightened. It wasn't anything new; Sylphy always seemed extremely happy with any praise I gave her. She was very cute, and that only made me want to protect her even more.
Sylphy had no one else but me. She didn't have other friends, no one to play with, no one to lean on besides me. And I knew that. How could I leave her? How could I abandon such an adorable girl?
I had received a letter from my master, Roxy, saying she had become a King-tier mage, and I had told Sylphy that I planned to go to Ranoa to study. But she was devastated and begged me not to go. I had made up my mind: when I returned home today, I would ask my father, Paul, to help pay for Sylphy tuition too.
I was about to correct Sylphy magic again when something happened.
A massive rumble shattered the tranquil silence of the afternoon. It was so powerful that the ground seemed to tremble. I looked up and saw an explosion of light heading toward us, fast as lightning, shining intensely with a color beyond description. Before I could do anything else, I threw myself forward, shielding Sylphy with my body, as if that could make any difference.
The light engulfed everything. My senses blanked out momentarily; the flash completely blinded me, and the sound of the explosion seemed to come from everywhere, swallowing everything around us. I held Sylphy tightly, trying to protect her from it, but… in the blink of an eye, everything went white.
Point of View: Ghislaine Dedoldia
The sun was rising when I started training with Eris. She was focused, attacking fiercely with her sword, as she always did.
"Haaaahh!"
Her energy was uncontrollable, something that reminded me so much of myself when I was younger. At the same time… she had extraordinary talent. I corrected the details in her stance, all while thinking about the heights she could reach.
"Lower your shoulder," I said, watching closely. "Your feet are too close together. Remember, your stance is key to every strike." She was so eager that she didn't always focus on the finer details, but that didn't surprise me. Eris had boundless energy, and I liked that, but I knew it needed to be controlled.
I glanced to the side for a moment, and there was Philip, Eris's father and the son of the Lord of Fittoa, Sauros Boreas Greyrat. He was watching the training from the second floor of the house. He seemed calm as always, but I knew he was paying attention to every move. He was so involved in the household affairs that he rarely had time to watch the training, but even so, he occasionally observed from a distance.
I looked at Eris as she came at me again and thought, If she could reach the Saint level of Swordsmanship by age fifteen, under my guidance, I would plan to take her to the Sword Sanctuary. But that was still years away, and on top of that, being a noble, she likely wouldn't have as much time to dedicate to the sword.
Currently, she was at the beginner level of the Sword God Style, almost reaching intermediate. That was already impressive for a nine-year-old girl who had only started two years ago. However, something worried me. Eris didn't care much about anything else. She was exactly like me— a child who only cared about the sword, about fighting, about training.
As a noble, she should learn more than just how to fight. She should be concerned with studying languages, proper noble etiquette. But, like me, she showed no interest in any of that. Personally, I had struggled with this as an adventurer, but that was for her parents to deal with.
As she tried to dodge my strikes, my senses sharpened. Something was wrong. I stopped the training abruptly, and Eris shouted excitedly, full of energy, "What is it, Ghislaine?!"
I momentarily ignored her, my gaze fixed on the sky. Something was happening. I lifted my eyepatch, using my magic eye. "What a colossal amount of mana," I thought to myself. I had never felt anything so massive, so powerful. This wasn't normal. Something was coming, and it was immense.
"Master Philip," I said firmly, without taking my eyes off the sky. "Alert the guards."
He noticed the seriousness in my eyes, and after looking up at the sky, he made a gesture with his hand, signaling to the guards nearby. They began to prepare, and Philip moved toward the stairs to give more specific orders.
"Young Miss," I said, already turning to her, "let's go to your mother." She looked confused, agitated, and shouted:
"What's going on, Ghislaine?!"
I didn't know. But I felt that something big was about to happen. We needed to act fast. On the way, as we left the training field, something happened. An explosion of light illuminated the sky and the earth. I instinctively threw myself over Eris, trying to shield her. The light was so intense, so immense, that it seemed to swallow everything around it, including the entire Fittoa region.
And then, everything turned white.
Point of View: Rygar Adoldia
Rygar was surrounded by an absolute void. White stretched in all directions, dense and immeasurable. He felt his instincts screaming danger, as if a predator was watching him.
"Hello, Rygar-kun, I think this is our first meeting," a voice said, casual and carefree, but the malice in its tone made every hair on Rygar's body stand on end.
He reacted instantly, trying to draw his sword, but his hand found nothing. Looking down, he noticed something strange: he was completely naked. While his body still had the appearance of a beast-man, with his defined muscles and familiar features, he had no weapons or clothes.
A mocking laugh echoed. "This is your spiritual body," explained the white figure in front of him. A man entirely white, with a mosaic-like face and a carefree smile, looked at him with amusement. "You don't carry your weapons here. Fascinating, isn't it?"
Rygar frowned, ignoring the comment. He prepared his claws and focused, trying to sense his surroundings. He closed his eyes, searching for something — anything — with his magical perception. But he found nothing. Only an oppressive void.
"Who are you?" he asked, keeping his tone cold while his eyes assessed the strange being from head to toe.
"I am a god," said the man, still smiling. "The Human God, Hitogami."
Rygar narrowed his eyes. "Many people assume grand titles without any qualifications. What qualifications do you have?"
Hitogami seemed surprised but laughed again. "That's quite offensive. I've been protecting you this whole time throughout your life."
As he spoke, Rygar analyzed his options. Every primal instinct within him screamed that this man was exceedingly dangerous. He tried gathering magic, experimenting with summoning different types of barriers, but it was challenging. Something was blocking his magic, making everything harder than it should be.
"Protecting me?" Rygar retorted, keeping his tone dry. "I don't recall you helping me with anything, and why would you? I'm not human, Human God. And how did you enter my dreams?" He feigned disinterest but was paying attention to every detail.
"I told you, I'm a god," replied Hitogami, smiling as if amused. "I rarely get the chance to talk to someone. Certain things need to align. Today, I came to give you advice."
Rygar narrowed his eyes further. "Answer my questions first, then say what you want."
Hitogami raised his hands in a theatrical surrender. "Calm down, calm down. I'm your ally here!"
Rygar's eyes gleamed with defiance as he sarcastically thought: And I'm Superman. He didn't believe him one bit. His instincts had never failed him since arriving in this world, and everything about that being felt wrong.
"Well," Hitogami continued, still in his relaxed and sarcastic tone, "it's up to you whether you follow my advice or not. But it will help you become much stronger!"
Rygar remained on guard, alert for any clue on how to escape. But before he could pressure the strange man further, Hitogami tilted his head and said: "Speak to the dwarf outside the city. Brightstone of the Deep Earth. Ask him to improve your sword. That will help you grow much stronger!"
Before he could respond, Rygar woke up with a start, his heart pounding. He was back in his room in Godbard's house. Skoll, who had been sleeping on him, was startled by the sudden movement and looked at him with confusion.
Rygar ran a hand over his face, trying to process what had just happened.
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Spoiler: This marks the first major canonical change in this fanfic. In the canon, the Teleportation Incident was caused by events that happened approximately 80 years in the future. During a war, a nation used the power of a "Playback Miko" to summon a boy from another world, prophesied to be their savior (Nanahoshi's boyfriend, who had been arguing with her during the accident).
The Miko developed feelings for him, but the boy, being just a regular human without powers, died on the battlefield. Consumed by grief, the Miko burned through her power to alter time and space, trying to create a future where she and the boy could live happily.
She searched for someone who had similar feelings for the boy: his girlfriend from his original world (Nanahoshi). She tried to summon her to the Fittoa region, where she was located 80 years in the past, in the hope of preventing the boy's death. However, the world resisted the alteration of fate, and initially, nothing happened.
Eventually, the summoning attempt created a rift in space, from which the soul of a nearby deceased individual emerged and reincarnated into the world (Rudeus). Over time, the world's resistance weakened as Rudeus altered the fate of various people, until the rift finally fulfilled its purpose when Rudeus was 10 years old, summoning Nanahoshi and triggering the Teleportation Incident.
In this fanfic, I considered that the combined changes caused by Rudeus and Rygar would make the Teleportation Incident happen earlier, which also gives me room to have Rygar meet the characters I want him to. So, the Teleportation Incident occurred three years earlier than in the original timeline. Rudeus is 7 years old, and Rygar is 10. Some may like this, others may not, and some won't care. But that's the decision I made.
I hope you enjoy. (͡ ° ͜ʖ ͡ °)