The Split Gem Awakens
The two halves of the artifact that had once been one began to glow. It emitted light that started faint, then grew stronger until it swallowed everything, including him.
When he opened his eyes again, a fortress stood before him.
It was exactly as he remembered.
The sight of the Kingdom Alliance grasping control of every dungeon, gathering Purifiers and knights to raid them in the old days.
This was the time he had longed to return to more than anything.
“Ah… ah…”
Michael staggered and dropped to his knees.
Still muddled, he took a step, then another.
His unsteady legs suddenly raced toward the fortress as if mad.
He had realized the impossible.
In this time, you are alive.
Irene.
I have finally found you.
The moment he entered the fortress, before he could reach Irene, he collided with Princess Cecilia, who happened to be passing by.
The instant he saw her, his hand moved on its own and drew his sword.
Her.
That cursed woman.
In the distant past he no longer remembered, with fire in his heart and blades between his teeth, he had told the princess Irene was nothing to him.
Then she had laughed and admitted she had pushed Irene toward death.
The memories and emotions from that time came flooding back the moment he saw her.
Since she was already alive, she was only a burden to Irene.
It was better to kill her right away.
With no Cecilia in the world, he had sworn to erase his mistake and swung his sword wildly.
Seeing it, Cecilia wore a delighted smile.
Until he raised the sword she had no idea what was happening.
When the blade pierced her neck, her expression showed she finally understood something was wrong.
But it was already too late.
Cecilia’s head rolled across the floor. He laughed, recalling the joy he had felt long ago.
It’s over. Now Irene is…
At that moment the world trembled and everything around him began to collapse.
The fortress, the buildings, the people.
In the crumbling world Michael searched for Irene like a madman.
And when everything had collapsed and only dungeons and monsters remained, he realized she was gone.
There was no Irene in this world.
Just then the space in front of him split open and two metal pieces appeared.
The halves that had once been one split again, leaving only one.
The part Irene had held was gone, leaving only the one he had found inside another dungeon.
Though no sound came, Michael thought he heard it laughing and asking, Shall we begin again?
Gripping the artifact, he once more began slaughtering monsters.
If he killed them again and reversed time…
“I will.”
So he started another aeon of time.
* * *
“Haa…”
Michael sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
In a foolish moment he had let his killing instinct slip and killed Cecilia again. The world collapsed once more.
This time he spared her and reversed time. But still no trace of Irene.
He learned another truth.
The humans he had killed.
If he killed them before the first time he died, the world would collapse.
The worlds he had faced after reversing time were also imperfect.
Some where intermediaries existed, some where the unknown was the intermediary.
What never changed were the people he had killed.
The hateful ones stayed the same while the rest appeared or vanished at random.
No matter how many times he reversed time, Irene never appeared.
But there was nothing else he could do.
He had no choice but to keep turning time until he met the world where she existed.
And now it had come.
The sound of the shower had stopped. From inside he heard Irene moving.
Eyes closed, Michael felt every proof of her existence.
A moment later the door opened and Irene called from inside with a troubled voice.
“Michael, um… sorry, but could you bring me one change of clothes from the wardrobe?”
She had rushed in without changing, leaving her clothes behind.
The moment her voice reached him, Michael rose from the chair.
“Of course.”
No trace of fatigue remained on his face.
He walked to the wardrobe and saw her clothes hanging everywhere.
Items sent in her name from the Kingdom of Tirenia.
Naturally, these were all things he had given her. But the kingdom would never reveal that.
Michael rummaged through the overflowing clothes.
“Michael?”
A voice urged him on. It was so lovable and adorable that he deliberately moved slowly.
‘Still, she doesn’t have enough clothes.’
He had told her to send new ones every day, yet somehow she had received things from others or returned them.
Then…
He would have to find another way to fill her wardrobe.
After a long search his hand finally pulled out one complete outfit.
He carried it to the bathroom.
Irene had her hand extended through the door. He placed the clothes on it.
And a moment later…
“Michael!”
A flustered voice came from inside.
“Why?”
“This… this dress…!”
To her protest he answered coolly.
“Ah, are you having trouble putting it on? Then I’ll help.”
“You knew I was going to give this to you!”
Through the gap Irene gripped the front of the dress and glared at him with a flushed face.
Because he had chosen it himself?
The clothes he had handed her fit her perfectly.
The problem was that several buttons at the back had to be fastened for her to wear it properly.
“I simply thought it would suit you.”
He stepped inside the bathroom as he said it.
Inside, a cool dampness mixed with the scent of soap and Irene’s fragrance, which always stirred his desire.
He wanted to pull her close and breathe in that stronger scent and taste it.
“Turn around.”
He restrained his lust and looked at her bare back.
Her skin was very white. At first her body had been so thin the bones showed; now soft curves and flawless white skin had replaced it.
Michael smiled at the change he had created in this life and reached out.
The moment his hand touched the small of her back, Irene trembled.
He fastened the buttons one by one from the bottom.
Every time his fingers moved he hated that the beauty was hidden.
Because of that impatient heart his hands moved very slowly.
But Irene never spoke to him again.
The nape of her neck, turned away from him, was red.
It was clearly because his fingers kept brushing her back, pretending to make mistakes.
When he had fastened the last button he pressed his lips to the wet skin at the back of her neck.
“Irene.”
“Wh-why…?”
Her voice, which neither pushed him away nor scolded him, was so lovely.
Michael kissed the water on her nape and whispered,
“For fighting monsters, I have one more thing to prepare.”
“What? What is it?”
At the mention of monsters her eyes sparkled.
If it meant she could fight them, she would do anything.
“It is to raise your Purification ability.”
Irene’s eyes wavered for a moment.
The way to raise Purification ability was…
The next instant Michael lifted her body into his arms.
Naturally his steps led to the bed.