Future Choices

In the pitch-black, narrow stairwell, Leo tried to push the door open again, but it had locked itself once more. All he could hear was his father fighting someone outside.

He looked at his hands. He did not actually know what his superpower was. Even if he transformed his entire body into Astral Form, the only ability it gave him was the power to float slowly. His combat ability was practically zero.

And now Tesla was holding off the pursuers so that he could climb the stairs to the rooftop. He could not let his father's sacrifice go to waste.

Barefoot, he braced himself against the cold wall and climbed upward step by step.

What would he find up there? A summons from those above? And who would it be?

What appeared before him was a massive dome, a dome like the starry sky. Twelve constellations were outlined in glowing lines, making him feel as though he stood beneath the heavens.

Yet there was only an empty platform around him, with smooth ground beneath his feet. No one was waiting for him.

Just as he was wondering about it, the dome overhead suddenly split open. The painted sky cracked apart, revealing the real night sky above and genuine stars.

A winged figure slowly descended from the air and landed before Leo.

Looking closer, it was a human. He had a thick beard and long golden hair, dressed in Renaissance-era clothing: a puffy shirt and extremely tight trousers.

But beyond that antiquated attire, he wore a round glass helmet. The wings on his back were mechanical wings connected to a half-suit of armor.

Gears, leather, cloth, wood, and several inexplicable rubber tubes had been pieced together. Those were the things that allowed the man before him to fly freely.

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