Chapter 5 Crossroads

“This is the very dimension where my mother crash-landed. So, this is what you meant.”

In a way, it was an absurd story. 

The concept of another dimension was hard to grasp in the first place. 

Should it be likened to a new continent beyond the vast ocean where no one had ever arrived?

That didn’t mean Zion couldn’t believe Frey’s words. 

Above all, the Pendant—and Frey, who had appeared through the Pendant to save him—were solid proof.

[That damn sister. She acted like someone about to die, then it turns out she met a man in another dimension, got married, and lived well… Honestly, you have to admit she does whatever she wants.]

At first, the words sounded sarcastic, but Frey’s tone was warm and gentle. 

The look in his eyes as he gazed at Zion was the same.

[Do you understand now why I saved you?]

“That’s because…”

Zion grimaced painfully, recalling the earlier situation, but soon nodded slowly.

The only family bloodline he thought lost was alive. 

It was natural for Frey to desperately save him. 

At Zion’s response, Frey folded his arms and nodded as if satisfied.

[Now that I think about it, it’s a bit amazing. That your mother was once the strongest person on Earth.]

In Zion’s memory, Naia was so weak from her ailment that she couldn’t even take a proper walk in the garden.

She could move freely when necessary, but would quickly collapse afterward and need rest.

[That was… probably a side effect of the Pendant. Or more precisely, not a side effect exactly. It’s better described as an accident caused by forgetting how to use the Pendant.]

Frey explained carefully.

[When you cross dimensions, the environment changes dramatically. You might not realize it, but humans faint if the air composition changes even slightly. Since the dangers beyond the Gate were unknown, focusing on the Pendant’s Protection Function was only natural.]

The problem was that the Pendant’s power came from absorbing its owner’s strength.

[The source of an Awakened’s power is MP. And Awakened absorb MP by hunting monsters. Although MP naturally regenerates slowly even if you do nothing, it’s an extremely tiny amount, less than a fingernail’s worth.]

“Then…”

Zion swallowed a groan, anticipating what came next.

In Zion’s world, monsters weren’t just enemies—they were unstoppable calamities.

Except in a few rare areas, encountering monsters was a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Both Naia and Zion were the same.

Forced to remain locked in the mansion due to her ailment and the constant need to fight monsters, it was a vicious cycle.

“Before my mother passed, she left this as a keepsake for me. Although she lost her memory, she knew this was something precious that should never be discarded… so she told me not to throw it away and always keep it.”

[Heh. Good guy, even if you don’t remember.]

Zion closed his eyes softly, clutching the Pendant as he recalled that moment.

Sunlight poured into the room.

The entire mansion was eerily silent.

Naia, lying in bed, smiled warmly at Zion.

Though he was young, Zion instinctively knew that unbearable sorrow was soon to come.

She beckoned him closer and handed him the Pendant with both hands.

When she pressed a kiss to his forehead for the last time, tears welled in Zion’s eyes.

At that moment, Naia’s hands fell lifelessly.

‘Could Mother have sensed this situation in advance?’

Whether weak or not, there was no escaping the royal family’s claws.

Their goal was to seize the House of Aleph.

Zion’s ailment was just an excuse.

Even if Zion had been healthy, the royal family would have forced a remarriage between Mione and the Count.

Mione would have tried to eliminate Zion.

In fact, if Zion were healthier, they might have resorted to even more extreme measures.

‘Hmm? Wait. Isn’t this a bit strange?’

Suddenly, Zion realized a contradiction.

“I’m not an Awakened. I’ve seen monsters but never killed one myself. So how could I have used the Pendant?”

[Huh? Well… um… huh?]

Frey’s expression turned puzzled at Zion’s question.

He frowned deeply, thinking for a long time before finally coming up with one hypothesis and spoke hesitantly.

[I’m not sure, but here’s a guess… it’s because you’re Naia’s son. Although rare, there have been cases where children of Awakened were born Awakened naturally. And maybe… yeah. The power the Pendant absorbed from you and Naia might have been preserved as a reserve energy source for situations like this.]

While Zion had been unconscious, Frey quickly checked whether the Pendant was functioning properly.

Including the vital communication and summoning functions, thankfully, most functions remained intact.

Thanks to this, Frey and Zion could perceive their surroundings almost like an aerial view through their Pendants and terminals.

Communication was a basic feature, but summoning was the core function.

Unlike communication, summoning wasn’t possible under any condition.

Frey’s dramatic summoning earlier happened because Zion’s blood heavily stained the Pendant, triggering the emergency summoning function for safety.

‘If the Pendant’s MP had been insufficient, nothing would have happened even if the conditions were met. Truly, it was a stroke of luck.’

If just one thing had gone wrong, Frey wouldn’t have been summoned, and Zion would have died on the spot.

Imagining that sent a chill down Frey’s spine.

“Even after Mother passed… she protected me.”

Strictly speaking, this was only half true.

The energy source powering the Pendant was not just Naia’s but also the MP absorbed from Zion.

Still, Frey didn’t intend to say anything so tactless.

He quietly waited for Zion to process his emotions.

Suddenly, Zion felt unbearably ashamed of his earlier self.

Tears welled up, but he bit his lip and held them back.

Frey was right.

To waste this life would be to dishonor Naia’s will.

For the mother who protected him even in death, for those who sacrificed themselves, he had to survive no matter what.

‘It’s unfortunate that I have to live with this ailment forever… but it can’t be helped. And I have no intention of discarding the Pendant. I have to accept it as the love Naia left behind.’

[Your ailment can be cured. Actually, it’s a bit odd to say ‘cure’ since it’s not really a disease.]

But the words that followed instantly shattered Zion’s resolve.

“Huh?”

[While you were asleep, I fiddled with the Pendant a bit. It was just minor tweaks to settings, but… from now on, the Protection Function won’t drain MP excessively.]

Though not an immediate recovery, the ailment wouldn’t worsen any further.

And now that it was confirmed that he is a natural Awakened, there’s a faster way to recover.

[Try to kill as many monsters as you can. Even goblins wandering nearby are fine. While doing that, let’s figure out what abilities you have as an Awakened. You need to know what powers you have and how much you can wield, don’t you?]

“Thank you, but… unlike your dimension, monsters don’t run rampant everywhere here.”

A reasonable objection.

Frey chuckled lightly and shrugged.

[It’s the same here, you idiot. Thanks to Naia. There might still be a few monsters hiding in the wilderness, but… leave those to the others.]

Frey’s advice to hunt more monsters meant Zion had to get stronger.

But Zion thought… ‘Do I really have to become stronger?’

[Why? You don’t want to get stronger?] Seeing Zion’s expression, Frey asked.

Zion hesitated to answer.

He didn’t hate the idea, and Frey probably said it out of concern, so he didn’t want to reject it outright.

“It’s not that I hate it… I just wonder what I’d actually do if I got that strong.”

Zion simply didn’t know the reason.

[Then what exactly do you want to do?]

“I don’t know.”

With each question, Zion felt more lost.

What did he want?

After surviving while desecrating the body of a servant who died unjustly, what was he supposed to do?

‘What did Mother want me to do by surviving?’

Zion gripped the Pendant again.

But no answer came back.

Naia was a loving mother, but she also wished Zion to grow strong.

Even if she were alive now, she wouldn’t have given him easy advice in this situation.

She would have waited for Zion to find his own answer.

[You can’t go back to your family, can you? Or, um, are you close with that Mione or whatever?]

“Haha. No way.”

At Frey’s indifferent question, Zion smiled weakly and shook his head.

Frey didn’t mean it seriously either.

[Come to think of it, you never told me what kind of trouble made you almost get assassinated. What kind of grudge did you hold with your stepmother?]

“That’s a long story.”

[I like listening to stories.]

Frey pretended to be serious, ready to listen carefully, which made Zion smile faintly.

He began walking, organizing the story of his life in his mind to make it easier to tell.

Deep in the forest, paths stretched out in every direction, none truly looking like a path.

It felt like he could go anywhere, yet also that he mustn’t go anywhere.

Among countless crossroads, how many answers were there?

Did the correct path even exist?

Zion looked up at the sky.

‘What am I really supposed to do from now on?’