"What are you here for, great hero? At a time like this, shouldn't you be shouting 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river' in front of those clan members who once looked down on you? What, did you come running to me to settle the score?" Bronya shot Ishiu a glance as he took the front passenger seat, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she continued working.
The corner of Ishiu's mouth twitched. "What are you even thinking? Am I that bored?"
"Hehe... you never know." Bronya curled her lips.
Ishiu sighed and looked straight at Bronya. The expression on his face suddenly became serious. "Bronya... who exactly are you?"
"Hm?" Bronya frowned and looked at Ishiu in confusion. "What nonsense are you talking about? Of course I'm me. What else could I be?"
Root
"No, that's not it. Stop pretending, Bronya. Before these eyes of mine, you might as well be completely naked!"
Ishiu shook his head, delivering his conclusion with absolute certainty. At the same time, his eyes turned into icy blue magic eyes.
Ishiu had actually noticed it long ago. Before his eyes, everything bore Death Lines across its body—but there was one exception: Bronya.
In a world filled with Death Lines everywhere, Bronya alone was perfectly clean. Not only did she have no Death Lines, there was not even the slightest trace of a line.
Before Ishiu had understood what these eyes meant, he had found it strange but hadn't thought much of it. These eyes had appeared for no apparent reason, after all, and there were far too many things he didn't understand.
But during the battle just now, he had realized what these eyes, known as the Dead Apostle Ancestor, represented. They were the end of all things. In this world, everything would eventually reach its end—even the world itself.
Yet Bronya had no Death Lines. What did that mean? Was she immortal?
Ishiu didn't know, which was why he had come to ask.
However, what Ishiu hadn't expected was that even after he had laid it out so bluntly, Bronya did not give him an answer. Instead, her face flushed red with rage, and she slapped him directly across the face.
"Y-you bastard! Pervert! Dirty old man! Go die a hundred times, Bronya says!"
"What the hell?"
Ishiu covered his reddened cheek, still unable to process what had happened. He stared blankly at Bronya. Judging by her reaction, had he really gotten it wrong?
But just as Ishiu began questioning his entire life, Bronya's expression underwent a complete one-eighty. Her entire aura instantly became deep and mysterious.
"Not bad, little one. I didn't expect you to be so clever—you noticed me so quickly." Bronya covered her mouth and giggled... no, to be precise, she was no longer "Bronya." She was something else.
"Who are you? Where is Bronya? Did you take over her body?" Ishiu's expression changed sharply. He yanked out his dagger and pressed it directly against "Bronya's" neck.
"Don't be so rough. I'm your lifesaver, after all. Is this how you treat the person who saved your life?" "Bronya" seemed utterly unconcerned that Ishiu might slit her throat. Instead, she smiled and reached out to gently stroke his cheek.
Ishiu frowned. After hesitating for a moment, he withdrew the dagger and swatted away the hand that was roaming across his face.
Of course, he hadn't done that because she claimed to be his lifesaver. It was because this person had no Death Lines whatsoever. Ishiu figured that even if he really cut her throat, it wouldn't do her any harm.
Besides, the situation was still unclear. He had no idea whether this was someone pretending to be Bronya or something else that had taken over Bronya's body.
"Looks like you don't believe me." Seeing Ishiu's hostile expression, "Bronya" sighed in disappointment.
"Isn't that only natural? Even a kindergarten kid wouldn't believe someone of unknown origin who was wearing their friend's face." Ishiu's voice was cold.
"Is that so? I suppose you have a point." "Bronya" nodded as if she completely agreed with him, then lightly snapped her fingers.
The next second, Ishiu felt the world spin around him. Everything at his side vanished in an instant. It felt as if he had been tied to a supersonic jet flying at full speed. When he opened his eyes again and looked around, he found himself in a place that seemed like the center of the universe.
The jeep beneath him had become a blue planet. Countless stars surrounded him, and farther away, he could even see the sun shining brightly.
"This is..." Ishiu stared at everything in stunned disbelief, nearly thinking he was dreaming.
"Welcome to my world. Let me introduce myself again. My name is A. I was the one who brought you out of the Sea of Quantum and brought you into the 'Root' that every mage dreams of, allowing you to obtain the Dead Apostle Ancestor."
Bronya was no longer where she had been standing. In her place was a white-haired little girl whom Ishiu had never seen before.
Ishiu blinked. It took him quite a while to sort through his thoughts before he hesitantly asked, "Your world? Is this also a Parallel World? And what is the Root? Did you give me these eyes?"
"Not a Parallel World—another world, just like the world you lived in before you died."
"I see." Ishiu nodded. He wasn't surprised that she knew his secret. After all, he had already realized that to someone who could casually reshape heaven and earth, his little secret might not amount to anything at all.
"As for the Root, I'll explain it simply. You can think of it as the cause of everything, the point where all phenomena begin. All things in the world have causes before effects, and the Root is the source of this world."
A spoke leisurely. "I happened to find you in the World Sea... oh, that's what you call the Sea of Quantum. At first, I didn't think much of you, but after discovering that your soul came from another plane, I became a little interested."
"Out of a bit of curiosity, I brought you out of the World Sea. Without me, you should still be drifting unconsciously through the gaps. That probably didn't feel very pleasant, did it?"
"Then I tossed you into the Root and let you awaken the Dead Apostle Ancestor."
"What is your purpose?" Ishiu asked calmly. "You're not the sort of Lei Feng who enjoys doing good deeds without leaving a name, are you?"
"My purpose... hehe, it's still too early to talk about that. You're too weak right now. Even if there were things I wanted you to do, you wouldn't be capable of them yet. So, to be precise, I'm making an investment."
"An investment?"
"That's right. I'll give you some help while you're weak. If you become powerful in the future, then my investment will pay off. If you die halfway through, it won't matter much to me either. Do you understand now?"
"I understand. But I have one more question. Why did you choose me? Because I died once? Or because I came from another world?"
"Well..."
(The next chapter will officially conclude the world instance and return to the original world.)
Return
A smiled and said, "It's simple. Because of your soul."
"My soul?"
"Your soul possesses an exceptionally unique adaptability. No matter what world it is, you seem able to enter it freely. That is what makes you special."
A explained, "Don't think bringing you into my world was easy. It was only possible because your unusual soul adapted to the rules of my world. If it were anyone else, even with my help, they would be rejected by the world when trying to cross between worlds."
"And that is precisely why you interested me. If one day I need this power of yours to help me do something, then for the sake of your lifesaver, you won't refuse, will you?"
"If everything you said is true, then of course I won't refuse." Ishiu's voice was low. He didn't think this white-haired little girl was deceiving him. To an existence whose scope encompassed entire worlds, he might truly have been nothing more than a passing curiosity.
"But what about that world...? Did you create it? Why were Cocolia and Bronya exactly the same as the people in my memories?"
"That wasn't my doing. You can think of that world as one of your Parallel Worlds. Like a great tree, its trunk will always have many branches, and isn't it natural for those branches to share similarities? It was merely a similar flower."
"I put you into that world because I wanted to see how you would perform and whether you could satisfy me. The uniqueness of your soul alone doesn't determine whether you yourself are worth using."
"So what do you think now?"
"More or less. You barely passed."
"Then can I return to my original world?" Longing filled Ishiu's eyes.
"Of course you can." A smiled slyly. "But if you do, you'll owe me another favor~"
"That's fine." Ishiu had no objections. She had given him his life, after all. As long as he could return, what did one favor matter?
"Very good. I like straightforward people." A snapped her fingers. "I've said everything that needed saying. If you have no more questions, I'll send you back now—back to your original world."
"These eyes of mine... the Dead Apostle Ancestor. What exactly are they? Why did I obtain them?"
"The Dead Apostle Ancestor... obtaining those eyes was both beyond my expectations and perfectly reasonable." A thought for a moment before saying, "You should slowly come to understand those eyes yourself. All I can tell you is that they are eyes that represent death. As long as it is a 'death' you yourself can comprehend, they will respond to you."
"I see..."
"Alright, any more questions?"
"...Um." Ishiu pressed his lips together. After falling silent for a while, he still couldn't help asking, "What will happen to that Parallel World?"
People weren't made of grass or wood. How could they be without feelings?
Although Ishiu had spent less than a month in that world, Cocolia's kindness toward him had been real. If he simply disappeared without warning, what would happen to her?
Ishiu didn't dare think about it, but he also couldn't stay, because his home was in the real world.
"So that's what you're worried about. It seems I really didn't choose wrong this time." A smiled and patted Ishiu on the head. Though she looked like a white-haired little girl, she behaved with remarkable maturity, giving Ishiu an odd feeling.
"Don't worry. Qiye Ishiu never existed in that world to begin with. I merely inserted you there and constructed false memories for them. Once you leave, they will all forget you ever existed. And your Mama Cocolia only ever adopted Bronya as her goddaughter. I merely transferred her feelings for a daughter onto you. Though from the looks of things, she seems to like sons very much."
"Wait, then Bronya coming to break off the engagement with me..." Ishiu's face immediately darkened.
"Hehe, the background story I designed for you was pretty good, wasn't it? The opening was the Engagement Break Trope with a useless young master. I heard that sort of thing is popular now." A grinned.
"How is that popular?! That stuff went out of fashion ages ago, okay? These days, the more handsome the protagonist is, the easier it is for readers to immerse themselves, okay?" Ishiu couldn't help loudly complaining.
"Huh?! It's already outdated?" A's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
"...Forget it. Just send me back." The corner of Ishiu's mouth twitched. He suddenly felt that this unfathomable A might have something wrong with her head.
"Mm, don't go dying so easily."
"Thanks for the concern, but I'm not that easy to kill."
"Oh, I wasn't concerned about you. I just don't want my favor to disappear before I get to use it."
"..."
In any case, A successfully sent Ishiu back to his original world.
This time, the process was not particularly pleasant. The moment Ishiu landed, he ran to a nearby patch of grass and began vomiting.
Only after he had thrown up enough did the churning feeling in his stomach finally ease somewhat.
Crossing between worlds felt way too awful.
Still, he had finally returned. The only question was where exactly he was.
Ishiu wiped his mouth and looked at the modern city around him, full of skyscrapers and steel structures. He couldn't help feeling a headache coming on.
Still, it was a modern city, so gathering information was fairly easy.
After asking around and doing some research, Ishiu quickly figured out where he was.
He was currently in a Japanese city called Changkong City, and the date was December 2nd, 2013. Counting it out, he had been away from this world for nearly three months—not entirely unacceptable.
Cocolia Orphanage was over a thousand kilometers away. In the past, that would have been enough to make anyone despair, but things were much easier now. He could just take a plane.
The problem was that Ishiu had neither money nor identification. Aside from Wolf Fang, he had nothing on him. In this modern steel jungle, let alone taking a plane, he didn't even have enough paper to jerk off.
This really was starting with one knife and scavenging all his equipment.
Ishiu wanted to call Cocolia, but her number was always out of service. He guessed it was some kind of information-blocking measure, because he only knew Cocolia's private number, and that number could only be reached within Siberia.
The Orphanage's number was the same.
At the moment, it seemed he had no way of contacting Cocolia and the others. He could only find a way to take a plane, ship, or train there.
But first, he needed to survive in this city for a while and at least obtain identification. Otherwise, he would be an undocumented resident, and getting caught by the police would be a huge problem.
He could use the police to have himself deported back to Siberia, but that would be far too embarrassing.
As the second-in-command of the Orphanage, second only to Bronya, if the police sent him back as an undocumented resident, Bronya would probably laugh herself to death.
Raiden Mei
So now the question was, how could he get money?
Ishiu sat on a park bench and thought for a while before finally making a decision.
Half an hour later, a regular convenience store in Changkong City welcomed a young and handsome cashier who could have lived off his face but insisted on earning money through honest work, even turning down hints from the beautiful married female manager.
And that was naturally Ishiu.
There was no helping it. As an undocumented resident, Ishiu had many ways to make money, but none of them were particularly honorable. He wasn't a good person, but he wasn't low enough to stoop to that.
So he could only get a job.
Japan's part-time work scene was fairly decent. As a cashier, he earned 1,500 yen an hour. Of course, some of that extra pay was likely due to his looks.
Besides, being a cashier was easy. He only had to collect money, give change, and smile at customers.
Since the convenience store was near a girls' high school, most of its customers were high school girls. And Ishiu, a handsome young boy with a somewhat childish face, naturally became their target for teasing.
After all, Ishiu's current physical age was only fourteen. Training had given him the build of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old, but exercise couldn't make his face look older.
He had lied about his age, and only his mature manner of speaking had gotten him this job. Otherwise, he could only have gone to a construction site to haul bricks.
Faced with the teasing of those older girls, Ishiu remained completely unfazed. While perfunctorily dealing with them, he directed part of his mind inward and examined the reward he had just received.
He had completed the system's earlier mission to help the Qiye Family stop the Honkai Beasts' invasion. But the events afterward had delayed him, leaving him with no time to check the reward that had been issued.
Before you continue