Overwhelming Firepower

The inside of Ark’s tent was far larger than it appeared from the outside. The moment Alexander stepped past the cloth entrance, the feeling of space changed in a way he could not properly explain.

From the outside, the tent should have barely been large enough to hold a small table and a few chairs, yet the interior stretched far beyond what should have been possible.

The ceiling was higher than expected, the cloth walls extending outward in gentle curves that made the space feel more like a small room than a tent.

The air itself felt different, heavier somehow, as if the moment they entered, they had stepped into a place separated from the rest of the world.

Soft candlelight illuminated the space, casting long shadows across cloth-covered walls. Shelves lined the interior, each one filled with strange objects that looked as if they had been gathered from every corner of the world.

There were crystals that faintly glowed with their own light, coins engraved with symbols Alexander did not recognize, and several glass bottles filled with liquids of unusual colors.

The scent of incense was stronger inside, thick enough that Alexander could taste it faintly when he breathed in.

He could not explain it, but despite only smelling it for the first time, it somehow smelled nostalgic.

”Come sit, my young friends.”

Ark gestured toward a small round table placed at the center of the tent. Three wooden chairs surrounded it, as if he already knew that three of them would come and he had prepared it.

Alexander noticed a peculiar scent in the air. It was weird, but his senses told him it wasn’t anything dangerous. In fact, he felt a little bit calmer than before.

Mina did not know when it happened, but she was already sitting down, and so were Cael and Alexander.

”What just happened?” Mina asked, confused as to what just happened. There was no fluctuation of mana at all.

Cael, who was always on guard, did not notice anything either. He was about to grab hold of his sword when he found out it was not there.

”These things are quite dangerous. I’ll just set them aside for now. I’ll return them to you before you leave.”

Ark was now holding their weapons in his hand as he placed them beside a nearby closet. Ark dusted his hands lightly after placing the weapons beside the closet.

He then sat in the chair that was placed on the other side of the table from Alexander and the others.

”Well then, my little friends, some advice. From this point onward, you each may ask one question, but be warned that the answers you hear today might or might not change the course of your fate. So ask wisely.”

Ark smiled at them like a gentle grandfather, but the pressure they suddenly felt was heavy. They now fully understood that the being in front of them was no simple fortune teller.

The three were feeling completely different things at the moment. Mina was already thinking of how to escape this weird place.

Cael was thinking of ways to attack the mysterious fortune teller. Even without a weapon, he was also quite good in hand-to-hand combat.

Yet no matter how Cael looked at Ark, he found that the other party had many openings to exploit, but the problem was that for some reason, the second Cael even thought of attacking those openings seemed to disappear.

On the other hand, Alexander was not bothered by the actions of the fortune teller. Since he could not sense any malice from the other party, Alexander decided to seriously think about what to ask.

For some reason, a question was coming to mind. It was like his very soul was screaming the question in his mind.

Alexander did not understand why such a question popped into his mind, but he felt like he needed to say it.

”... Fine, then I’ll be the first to ask a question.”

The second Alexander spoke, the three other people inside the tent looked at him. Mina was looking at Alexander as if trying to say what are you doing.

Cael, with his stoic look, did not betray a single thought, but he seemed to be genuinely interested in hearing Alexander’s question.

On the other hand, Ark had a knowing smile as if he already knew what question Alexander was going to ask.

”I don’t know if this question will make sense, but... Was all the sacrifice we made worth it?”

Alexander did not know the question he made was from a completely different world, a timeline that no longer exists and will never exist again. Yet despite not knowing all that, he could not help but ask the man before him that question.

Hearing Alexander’s question, Ark started laughing. ”Hahaha! That is a wonderful question. One that you, of all people, deserve to hear.”

Ark then stood up from his seat and did a dramatic bow. The tent became dimmer, and Ark’s presence became something more majestic. Ark lifted his head and started speaking.

”The hero who has never quit. The hero who saved everyone he could see. The hero who sacrificed all that he was, all that he had for a better tomorrow.”

Alexander, Mina, and Cael were confused as to why Ark suddenly started talking about a hero after hearing Alexander’s question. But they did not interrupt him and continued to listen in silence.

”This was a hero who was loved by all. He chose the destruction of his world, of his memories, for the small hope of a better tomorrow.”

For a second, Ark’s face seemed to have changed from an old man to a much younger person, but it happened so quickly that the trio thought it was a mistake, a trick made by the dimming lights.

”Now, to answer your question. Was all the sacrifice worth it? Close your eyes, search your memories. Think of what you have seen and experienced, then the answer will come to you.”

Alexander did as he was told. Slowly, he closed his eyes. He then remembered the scenery of his village, of how everyone was smiling happily.

He recalled the grandeur of the Capital city with all the technological advancements, and the people excitedly looking around.

’So we were able to create a tomorrow.’ For a moment, Alexander seemed to have heard a voice similar to his own, but sounding much older and gruffer.

Alexander did not know why, but a single tear slid down his face. Seeing this scene before her, Mina stood up from her chair.

”Are you alright, Alex?! What did that guy do to you?!” She spoke worriedly.

Alexander shook his head and responded. ”No, it’s nothing. I just got the answer I wanted to hear.”

”Really? So you’re alright?” Mina asked.

”Yes, I am. Actually, I think I feel much better, as if some weight has been lifted.”

”Well, then, who will ask the next question?” Ark asked the other two as he already sat down in his seat.

For a moment, no one spoke. The candlelight flickered softly, as if the strange pressure that had filled the tent earlier had never existed at all.

Ark sat calmly in his chair once more, his hands resting on the table as though he were nothing more than an old fortune teller waiting for customers.

”... Fine, I’ll ask next.” Mina was the one who broke the silence.

”Of course, young lady. Ask what your heart wishes to know.”

”If... If I continue the way I am now.” Mina glanced at Alexander for a second before continuing. ”Will I reach the conclusion I want?”

”Now that is an interesting question. Fate is not a set path, and it has many twists and turns. The ending you can reach always changes, depending on the paths you take. I know what you wish to hear, young lady. But things related to one’s heart blur the path, making one blind to the correct one.”

”So, are you not going to answer the question I asked?”

The second Mina said those words, Ark appeared behind her, and whispered something in her ear. He spoke in a way so that only Mina could hear; even Alexander and Cael, who have superhuman hearing, would not be able to catch a word.

”I know the true question you want to ask. You want to know if staying by his side will lead you to the future you desire. The answer to that question will only reveal itself once you decide to take a step forward. No matter what kind of path is ahead, how can you reach the end, if you don’t even take that single step forward?”

Mina’s eyes widened slightly. For a moment, she could not speak.

Ark was already back in his chair as if he had never moved at all, his hands folded calmly on the table, his expression once again that of a harmless old fortune teller.

Only Mina knew that he had been standing behind her just a moment ago. Her fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the table.

”... I see... Thank you for giving an answer to my question.”

”No problem, little lady. I hope that the future you choose would be the one you would never regret.”

After speaking those words, Ark shifted his attention to the last member of the group, the stoic Cael Thornehart.

”So then what is the question you wish to ask?”

”Forgive me, but I have no question to ask.”

”Are you sure about that? Everyone has a question they wish to hear the answer to.”

”... That is true... I do have questions that I want answers to, but I wish to find the answers to those questions with my own efforts. Like what my older brother said, it is more satisfying to solve a puzzle with your own hands.”

”Heh... As expected, I knew that would be your answer. Still, since I answered the questions of your two companions. It won’t feel right to me to make you leave without getting anything.”

Ark then tossed something at Cael, who reflexively caught the flying object. Cael looked at what was tossed to him and saw that it was an oddly shaped coin made of an unknown material.

”What is this?” Cael asked.

”It will be something you’ll need sometime in the future. Right now, you might not understand what it’s for, but trust me when the time comes, you will know.”

The moment the three left the tent, the space inside seemed to grow silent again.

Ark leaned back in his chair, his form flickering for a brief instant, no longer that of an old man but that of a younger man.

”Truly an interesting era... Now then, better get ready for my next guest.”

After Ark said those words, someone had entered the tent. The person who had entered had silver hair, with ruby-red eyes; it was none other than Lucen Thornehart.