For Norla, there had only ever been two sources of [warmth] in his brief life.
His parents, his younger brother, and that home which was neither large nor wealthy, where every day had been lived on a tight budget.
And—
Ruslan.
The only person in hell willing to extend a hand to him.
Even if he had ultimately failed to save him, Norla had still been willing to regard him as a beam of warm light in his life.
But—
After arriving in this Lostbelt, Norla discovered that many things had changed.
He was still only a child. The way he thought and the extent of his understanding of the world could not possibly be as complete or profound as the other annos'. To demand that of a child was harsh, and cruel.
Even though he had already done his best.
From Norla's perspective, there was only one thing that mattered most—
Ruslan, who had once become the only light in his life, had become an enemy.
The kind of enemy who wanted to kill him.
In fact, when he had been summoned in London last time, Norla had already realized something was wrong with Ruslan. Lawrence and Oushen's settling of accounts in the Third Singularity had brought this mysterious existence to light. He existed beside every anno, watching everything without interfering in any crucial matter.
What was he thinking?
What did he want to do?
Why did he exist? What was the nature of his existence? What was his purpose in being beside every anno?
Was there something else behind him?
While the other annos were all pondering questions like these, Norla had thought about nothing.
Because to him, Ruslan was all he had left. He did not want his own thoughts to drive Ruslan to stand against him.