Chapter 19: Diverging Fates[II]
On the night of the ritual, as her captors prepared to offer her to their Enigma God, something within Selina snapped. Years of accumulated trauma: the loss of her parents in Drakas’s mines, her servitude to the cruel Dark Thaumaturgist, and now this final betrayal, crystallized into a single moment of pure despair.
And from that despair came power that had lain dormant until now.
Her chest erupted with silvery light as her Thaumaturge Sigil awakened. The glow intensified, spreading outward in waves that transformed everything they touched. Her captors, the ritual chamber, even the very stones of the mansion, all liquefied, becoming a mercury-like substance that flowed and shifted at her unconscious command.
The vision showed Selina standing amidst the destruction, her eyes vacant. Her newly awakened power, an extreme dual affinity for Metal and Water, manifesting as Mercury manipulation, responded to her broken psyche rather than conscious control. She escaped into the night as a changed person.
The vision accelerated, showing glimpses of her future.
At some point, she became an assassin, targeting noble families and eventually earning the title "Silver Queen" as her powers grew. Subsequently, she became a guardian of a Dark Ruin and grew her army of puppets. To establish herself as an enemy of humanity, she allied herself with the very Enigma Race her former captors had worshipped.
And then, years later, came a confrontation with Elias himself.
The future Elias, clearly more powerful than his present self, faced Selina with sorrow rather than anger. When he heard about her atrocities, he wanted to confirm whether she was who he had once known.
Back then, he had tirelessly searched for her when she never returned from her job hunt, but he couldn’t find her until later when his Quantum Sight improved with the help of countless Mystic Crystals. When he discovered the activities her despair had driven her to, he decided to end her suffering by convincing her to stop, but she wouldn’t listen to reason. She saw him as no different from all the other nobles and wanted to fight him to the death, her expression crazed with hatred.
Realizing that she was already a broken soul beyond healing, future Elias decided to put her out of her misery. Their battle was devastating, with Selina commanding an army of puppets made from humans she had transformed using her Mercury manipulation to invade their bodies and control them from within.
In the end, future Elias prevailed, but there was no triumph in his victory. As he stood over Selina’s defeated form, he spoke words heavy with regret: "I’m sorry I failed you. I thought I was protecting you by sending you away to seek your path, but I only delivered you to a worse fate."
Then, surprisingly, future Elias scowled and turned, as if sensing he was being observed. His eyes locked directly with present Elias’s perspective.
"Stop snooping in other people’s reality."
He reprimanded, his voice echoing with unfathomable power that shocked even Elias. Realizing the source of the observer, future Elias’s expression relaxed and instead advised:
"I made a terrible mistake sending her away. Don’t repeat my failure."
With a wave of his hand, future Elias abruptly shattered the vision, and Elias found himself back in his Mental Landscape, shaken by what he had witnessed.
He opened his eyes, returning to the physical world. The room was exactly as he had left it, but his perception had changed. The weight of what he had seen in the vision pressed down on him like a physical burden. He needed a few moments to collect himself.
What was that?
Elias was deeply shaken and bewildered. This was the first time his future self had discovered him during an observation of a possible future. As a Unified Field Stage Quantum Seeker, he had never experienced such a problem before. However, upon careful consideration, he realized the issue.
—This wasn’t his previous reality.
Elias realized that the operation of Mystral’s rules in this new reality might differ from Earth in the Quantum Multiverse, allowing such unexpected changes to occur. There was also a possibility that activating the Quantum Sight in his Mental Landscape to affect Mystral’s reality while his true body was still weak had caused the current development. Either way, he would have to be more careful when employing the Quantum Sight in the future.
What were those shadowy figures?
Before the vision ended, Elias noticed shadowy figures surrounding his future self while he was talking to him. At that moment, his future self immediately shattered the vision, preventing him from seeing the identity of those shadowy figures.
Was my future self protecting me from them?
Elias speculated as he recalled that some parts of the vision had been sped up during his observation, with only vague and summarized information gleaned by him. Another odd discovery that hadn’t happened before.
He noted that these bizarre moments occurred during the times when Selina encountered the Enigma Race. It was as if anything related to them was being censored.
A realization suddenly dawned on him, his back breaking into a cold sweat.
Could those shadowy figures be the Enigma Race? Did they know I was observing them and were distorting my vision?
Moments later, Elias calmed himself, deciding not to dwell on it too much. For now, he needed to address the present, specifically the future related to Selina.
"No matter what, I won’t let such a tragedy happen, not in this reality."
Elias voiced his thoughts, vowing to uphold the promise to his future self.
...
The following day, dawn broke over Sun City, bathing the buildings in golden light. Elias had spent much of the night in contemplation, planning his next moves with the knowledge gained from his vision. When he met Selina for breakfast in the inn’s dining hall, his decision was made.
"I’ve been thinking about our situation. We need to establish ourselves here, at least temporarily."
He said to her as they ate.
Selina nodded unconsciously, still somewhat reserved in his presence after learning of his noble background.
After pondering his words, she stammered:
"W-What will you do?"
"What will we do."
Elias corrected her. Thinking about the girl’s reserved and subservient personality, he added:
"It’s not just about me, it’s about us. I’d like you to stay with me, Selina. Not as a servant or a maid, but as a companion."
The girl’s eyes widened in surprise.
"You... want me to stay with you? But I would only be a burden. I have no skills, no education—"
Elias interrupted and said:
"You survived years under Drakas’s roof. That requires more strength and resilience than most people possess in a lifetime. Besides..."
He continued with a smile.
"I could use the company. We’ve both survived Drakas’s oppression. That alone should create a bond few would understand."
Relief and gratitude flooded Selina’s face, though she quickly tried to mask it.
"If you’re certain... I would be honored to stay with you, Young Lord."
"Just Elias is fine."
He insisted and said:
"I’m no Young Lord, not anymore."
Their conversation was interrupted by a commotion at the inn’s entrance. A group of richly dressed individuals swept into the dining hall, their fine clothing and haughty demeanor immediately setting them apart from the other guests.
At their center stood a young man whose features bore an unmistakable resemblance to Elias: the same high cheekbones, the same proud bearing. However, his expression carried a cruelty Elias never possessed.
Elias tensed, recognizing his cousin from the vision. Drawing from his memories, he identified him: Damien Blaze, the current heir to the Blaze Family. This confrontation was happening exactly as he had foreseen, but this time, he was prepared. There was one difference in the developing scene.
—He wasn’t alone.
Damien’s gaze swept the room dismissively before landing on Elias. For a moment, he froze, disbelief written across his features. Then his lips curled into a malicious smile.
"Well, well!"
He drawled, his voice loud enough for the entire room to hear.
"If it isn’t the family disgrace. We thought you’d dropped dead somewhere, my dear cousin."