Present and Future

"Father?" Eric was overwhelmed for a moment, but before he could say anything else, he felt a soft, trembling hand covering his mouth. Shifting his gaze for a moment, he saw it was Olivia.

The message was clear, 'Do not make a sound.'

Eric, of course, wasn't an idiot. He knew this wasn't his father, but most likely something imitating his voice… and yet, he couldn't stop his body from shaking violently.

"Son, what are you doing? Open the door."

Aria got up and summoned her armor and sword, clearly ready for a fight

"You failed to save me and your mother… and now you will refuse to save me again?" The voice behind the door sounded irritated.

Eric was shaking violently. He wanted to say so much. He had so many things he wanted to express—so many feelings he had bottled up. But he wasn't able to say anything.

Olivia was stronger, so he couldn't break free from her embrace. All he could do was listen to the voice of his father, without the ability to answer back.

"I knew it... the moment you came back after so long, I secretly knew you didn't belong with us, a murderer."

Tears were falling from Eric's crimson eyes. His stomach ached as he heard the words he feared the most. He felt Olivia's body pressed against him, trembling even through the armor. Was it fear? Or something else?

A sigh was heard from across the door.

"Because Eric... in the long life I have lived... you alone are the biggest disappointment."

After that, complete silence filled the room. Eric wasn't struggling anymore. He was just crying silently.

After a few minutes, Olivia slowly let go of Eric, and he collapsed to his knees, curling into a ball, trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

Aria and Olivia silently looked at each other but didn't dare make a sound.

A few hours passed in silence. Eric wasn't crying anymore. Instead, he was sitting on the ground, staring at it with distant eyes. He looked tired… drained, even.

Finally, sensing that the danger had passed, Aria spoke, "Eric—"

"I'm fine," he interrupted her, not shifting his gaze from the ground.

"Even if you say so, that thing may come again. Can you handle it then?" Olivia said, not shifting her gaze from the ceiling, she, too, was exhausted.

"I'm fine," the same response. Eric still didn't shift his gaze from the floor.

He had checked the map multiple times using the gem, but after a while, he concluded there was no point. The map showed a different location each time he looked at it.

So, all he could do was wait until the girls said that the outside was safe.

Hours passed in silence… It was a weird experience. No one felt tired, hungry, or thirsty.

It was almost as if time wasn't flowing while inside the tower.

The girls were growing bored, and Eric was still distant, looking out of it…

Knock, knock.

The girls snapped their heads toward the door, while Eric didn't move a muscle.

"Honey? Are you there? Will you please come out?"

This time it was the voice of Eric's mother, but he didn't show much reaction. After a while, the voice disappeared as quickly as it had come.

The silence returned.

'What am I even doing in a situation as ridiculous as this?' he wondered.

Knock, knock.

A knocking sounded again. The girls again snapped their heads toward the door.

"Brother?" But this time, hearing the voice of his little sister, he moved. It was hardly noticeable, but his right hand was trembling.

"Why didn't you save Dad and Mother?"

Eric didn't want to hear that voice. He knew he couldn't control himself, so he pressed his hand to his mouth.

'All this is in the past. I have to let go of it,' he repeated endlessly in his head, trying to stop himself from opening the door.

"Why did you leave me all alone?"

'All this is in the past. I have to let go of it.'

"What was the point of you coming back home?"

'All this is in the past.'

'Let go of it.'

'Let go of it.'

'Let go of it.'

"I hate you. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't have gone to that mountain."

'I am sorry.'

The hand he was using to cover his mouth trembled too much, he was so close to speaking.

Feeling a shadow cast upon him, he raised his gaze. Aria had come and was silently looking at him.

'Is she going to knock me out?' he wondered. 'It might be for the better. At least that way I won't alert the voice to our presence.'

That's what Eric thought would happen, so he was surprised when Aria suddenly moved, embracing him in a hug.

'Fuck,' he cursed as tears fell from his eyes. He bit his lower lip with full force, forcing himself to stay silent, as blood began to fall from his lip.

'Why am I so pathetic?'

Left with nothing else to do, he tightened his arms around Aria. His cursed armor made it impossible to feel her embrace, the only thing he could sense was her head close to his right and her slow, steady breathing.

That alone managed to keep him sane.

Glancing around the room, he saw the countless writings on the floor, walls, and ceilings.

DO NOT FORGET

'I will not forget.'

REMEMBER

'I will remember this for as long as I live.'

DON'T FAIL

'I will not fail again in this world.'

A faint "Tch" was heard from across the door, and the voice disappeared, this time for good.

After a while, a sound came from across the door, but this time it wasn't a voice—it was the wind.

Slowly letting go of Eric, Aria stood up. He followed soon after, and Olivia joined them, standing before the door.

Slowly removing the wooden plank, they unlocked the door. Holding their breaths, they opened it.

The cursed jungle was there, and there were no signs of the storm to be seen anymore.

Eric reflexively checked the map. They were in the same place as before they entered the tower, so they were about 8 kilometers away from the cathedral.

The only thing that was different was the small crater in the ground.

"What is this?" Olvia asked.

"A step," Eric answered.

Olivia's eyes widened as she realized the giant thing really was a step. 'What kind of creature would be able to cause such devastation just by walking? 'she wondered.

Ignoring the magnificent step, Aria shifted her gaze to Eric. "You can always talk to us... the death zone can really mess with your mind."

Smiling faintly, Eric nodded.

'I may have failed once in my duty back on Earth, but it will not happen again here. I will rid this world of the corruption.'

With these thoughts, the three continued their slow advancement toward the cathedral, leaving the tower behind, not knowing if they would ever return to that cursed place.

Eric was too focused on keeping quiet to hear the announcement of his system.

[Attention]

[Trait: Fearless is resonating with your soul]

[Trait is beginning to evolve]