Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

993  Rudyʼs Secret Harbinger

”Do you perhaps know who Rudyʼs biological parents are?”

Jane paused her fruit-picking for a moment, and her eyes held a trace of sadness as she responded, ”No, that is a mystery even I canʼt unravel. Rudyʼs origins are one of the few things hidden from my sight. It seems the universe has its secrets, even from me.”

Jane, while gently collecting fruits, hesitated for a moment. Her gaze shifted to the horizon as if pondering the depths of her knowledge. Finally, she spoke, her voice tinged with uncertainty. ”Well, there is one little something about Rudyʼs past thatʼs incomplete. Itʼs about his mother.””

Rebeccaʼs curiosity was piqued. ”Incomplete? What is it?”

Jane hesitated for a moment before responding, ”Honestly, Rebecca, itʼs better if you donʼt know. Thatʼs one piece of information that, if revealed, would change the dynamics of Rudyʼs harem.”

Rebeccaʼs expression shifted from curiosity to confusion. ”How could knowing about Rudyʼs mother change anything? I donʼt understand.”

Jane hesitated for a moment, gauging Rebeccaʼs understanding. But before she could respond, Rebecca mumbled something almost to herself, connecting the dots. Her eyes widened as realization dawned.

”Wait... youʼre saying that Rudyʼs mother is someone we all know? Someone weʼve interacted with?”

Jane nodded solemnly, confirming Rebeccaʼs deduction. ”Yes, Rebecca, his mother is indeed someone from Rudyʼs harem itself.”

Rebecca pondered the implications of this revelation, and a somber realization settled upon her. Janeʼs wisdom in withholding this knowledge became clear. Unveiling Rudyʼs motherʼs identity could alter the dynamics of his harem, and not necessarily for the better. The mysteries of the past held secrets, and sometimes, it was better to let those secrets remain hidden.

With the basket of Red Moon Fruits filled, Rebecca couldnʼt help but wonder aloud, ”If you know about Rudyʼs mother, then Rudy must know about her too, right?”

Jane nodded, her expression solemn. ”Yes, he should.”

Rebeccaʼs curiosity then shifted to another matter close to her heart. ”What about yours and Riasʼ mother? Rias used to go to the human world often to search for her. Have you ever found her?”

Jane sighed, her wings ruffling with a touch of sadness. ”I did find her. Sheʼs living a happy life without any connection to me or Rias. I wonʼt disrupt her happiness or tell Rias about her existence. Some things are better left untouched.”

Nodding with understanding, Rebecca and Jane returned to the castle. Their hands laden with the vibrant Red Moon Fruits, they made their way to the kitchen, where Angelica and Lilim were busy with their dinner preparations.

In the colorless realm, where the only signs of life were the girl under the Life Tree and the statue of Rudy, the kid suddenly materialized. The girl remained motionless, her eyes wide open but unblinking, as if locked in an unending trance. The world around them was quiet, devoid of color or vibrancy.

The kid approached Rudyʼs lifeless statue, his gaze filled with a mix of curiosity and sadness. ”He hasnʼt woken up since then?” the kid inquired, his voice carrying a hint of concern.

The girl, still as a statue herself, shook her head slightly. ”No, he hasnʼt. Itʼs unlikely he ever will. Iʼve already prepared a grave for him, just in case, to bury him once the universe meets its end.”

With a pensive expression, the kid reached out and gently placed his hand on Rudyʼs stone-cold head. The girl, intrigued by his actions, asked, ”What are you doing?”

”Iʼm trying to see if thereʼs any trace of consciousness left in him, even in this lifeless state,” the kid replied softly. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if concentrating on something profound.

The girl, her curiosity getting the better of her, couldnʼt help but ask, ”And what did you find? Can he hear us in this state?”

The kid opened his eyes and sighed. ”No, I couldnʼt sense any sign of consciousness. It seems heʼs truly gone in every sense of the word.”

The girl didnʼt seem surprised by this revelation. Instead, she asked the kid to show his hands to her. The kid hesitated briefly but then, with a resigned sigh, he revealed a dark orb he held in his hand, a mysterious, shadowy object in this colorless world.

===

The girlʼs frown deepened as she regarded the kid, an unspoken question in her eyes. ”Why did you extract Rudyʼs memories and create a memory seed?” she asked. Her voice was filled with a mix of curiosity and concern as she inquired, ”Are you planning to give it to his next reincarnation?”

The kid, standing before her, shook his head solemnly. ”No, not quite,” he explained. ”I wanted to make sure Rudy finds peace in his eternal slumber, free from the weight of his negative memories. This orb in my hand contains an overwhelming amount of sorrow, regret, and despair. If anyone else were to inherit these memories, it would likely drive them to madness or even self-destruction.”

As the girl listened to his words, her expression softened with understanding. ”I see,” she said, realizing the weight of such a burden. ”So, you wanted to make sure that Rudyʼs ghost is not formed from these memories, like it happened with Asura.”

”Indeed,” the kid nodded.

The girl brought her hand closer and said, ”Give it to me.”

With a reluctant gesture, the kid handed the dark orb to the girl. Her eyes locked onto it, and she understood her duty. With a deep breath, she closed her hand around the shadowy orb, and with incredible power, she crushed it in her palm. The orb disintegrated, fading into nothingness, its malevolent memories erased forever.

However, unbeknownst to the girl, the kid concealed something in his other hand. A white, glowing orb, delicate and radiant, contained all of Rudyʼs happiest memories. He had extracted these memories with utmost care, preserving each moment of joy, love, and laughter that Rudy had experienced throughout his existence.

It was this kid, unseen and acting from the shadows, who had guided Rudy through countless trials and sown the seeds of success that Rudy often attributed to luck, fate, and destiny. Now, he held these precious memories in his grasp, ready to ensure they found their way to Rudyʼs next incarnation when the time was right.

And just like that 50,000 years had passed.

A/N- The next chapter will be the last chapter of this arc. After that, the final arc begins.