Clovis opened her eyes as if she had just experienced an elaborate dream.
She glanced at the bed and realized she was alone, the sounds of her sisters coming from beyond the closed door.
Looking at the ceiling, Clovis closed her eyes. The Spell Formation, "Return to Dream," was overlaying her thoughts. This time, she intended to reunite with her child consciously in the frigid world of Oslo, located in the Extreme North.
With her eyes shut, the heartbeat of the Rabbitfolk who counted the beats like drumbeats became gradually slower and more profound—until it felt like breaching the water surface, sensing the bone-chilling cold as the howling wind carried blizzards past the window. Snowflakes flew in through the broken window as she sat across from a tiny fire, facing Nanaquir Haus, the mysterious being who claimed to be her daughter.
"Let’s go," Clovis repeated the dream, where all previous actions were already fixed, and nodded as she picked up the gun leaning against the wall.
This was the Extreme North, eighteen hundred years later, a world without Chaos and Deity.
Clovis did not understand how all this had happened—how Chaos had vanished or where the Deity had gone. The child was clueless too—in her time, deities had become mere entities in legendary stories, and Chaos only appeared in horror novels. Humanity had begun emerging from the shadow of a world war. The Western Human World Union moved towards a brighter future, and Tech Hunters like her child were striving to explore the unknown aspects of this world.
Turning on the purple beacon light on her head and activating the anti-Undead shield, her child pushed open the door. Her gun pointed in the direction the door opened, while Clovis turned her head to check the other side for safety before leaving behind a detection spirit.
"Good habit, or perhaps a bit too cautious. I come here often; it’s a known white zone at the roots. We’ll be entering the Dark Zone as soon as we cross the steel bridge ahead," said Nanaquir and then asked, "Ancestor...in your time, have you heard of any remarkable people?"
"Why do you ask?" Clovis surveyed the corridor’s age-old yet uncorroded metal surface.
"Because the Mage Circle has been pondering one question—for both Chaos and Deity to have disappeared at the same time, what could have caused this, we don’t know. But we searched through the diaries of ancient people from your era and noticed a problem—a person’s name had vanished. We found an unidentifiable name in the diaries of many well-known individuals. We only know he was mighty, possessing wisdom and power enough to rival the Deity, and even... he might be my ancestor.So, do you know, Ancestor?"
"Malin?" Clovis reported a name without hesitation.
"What?" The child turned to look at Clovis. "Did you just say something? I only heard a very brief distorted note."
Clovis smiled, "That man, he must be my husband. I don’t know why you all have forgotten him, nor do I understand why the people of that time forgot him, but I will always remember who he was... He is Malin Gaiate, my husband."
"Your husband’s surname is Gaiate? You must have said the entire name, but why couldn’t I hear the full name?" The child was perplexed but, in the next second, her eyes widened as if she realized something, "I can’t hear his name, which means his existence was erased from the world!"
Yes, Clovis nodded with great sadness.
She had returned to the dream just to confirm this point.
The man named Malin Gaiate had disappeared from later history.
And with his disappearance, Chaos and the Deity also vanished... Clovis did not know what all this was for.
Can I help Malin? I... surely I can. It was Mr. Malin who led me out of misery; I should do something for him in return.
For the first time, Clovis made a prayer to herself, as a Mage trusting only in herself.
"Clovis, you overslept," Nova greeted the Bunny Girl with a smile, "What’s wrong, you seem so listless... wait, why is there a reaction to a Spell Formation on you?"
Clovis looked at the kitchen and noticed that Malin and old Gaiate were not there, and her inquiry prompted Rewo to raise her hand, "Malin and Mr. Gaiate have gone out. There’s some business at the Demon Hunter Guild, the old man went to work, and Malin to help."
"That’s good... I used ’Return to Dream’, and last night, I experienced a dream that you all once had," Clovis paused, allowing her eager sisters to speak first.
"That’s great, you also had such visions. Now only Faye hasn’t dreamed," Nova finished looking towards Faye, "But considering we all have had dreams, you should be close to having one, too."
"Rewo had a dream, too?" Clovis inquired.
"Yes, a child named Mamar Moka Haus, my child, very young, the youngest brother at home, uncertain about the future," Rewo explained.
Clovis fell silent for a moment: "Have you asked your children who their ancestors were?"
"I haven’t," Rewo shook her head, then she keenly sensed something—her sisters had all fallen into silence.