Chapter 563: Turning Point [ 5 ]

Rael quietly walked over to Melissa, and when he arrived, he simply stared at her, unsure of how to react.

She was wide awake, but her gaze was turned away from him. Whether it was because she didn’t want to see him or she was still out of it, he wasn’t sure.

But even so, he summoned a chair right beside her and stared at the empty Mind Realm sky.

“It’s really been a while, huh?” Rael muttered. “You probably don’t recognize me, but I’m also Rael. Just from the future, and from a different universe, I guess.”

“I honestly hoped it wouldn’t have come to this… but I guess I only have my recklessness to blame,” he added. “Defeating someone weak with all my power definitely wasn’t the smartest move. Not my proudest moment either.”

He continued to speak, and eventually, the one-sided conversation leaned toward his past. He told her about his life as Rael Altros, the good, the bad, and everything in between. It was a story he probably shouldn’t have told Melissa, but it honestly felt like it was the least he owed her.

Moving on, he told her about his life on the Dralgur Continent, the people he had grown close to, such as Zafira and Lilith. The fact that he had two wives caused Melissa’s brow to rise for a moment, then lower. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel※fire.net

Since his perception was so high, he spotted it. But even then, Rael couldn’t help but feel sorrow every time he spoke. This was his punishment in a way, seeing something he could have had, but now it was too far out of his reach.

When he was done with his life as Rael Sutekh, he moved on to the Memory Record. It was the most mysterious of all his experiences, but the one thing he emphasized was his meeting with the older Melissa.

Especially the promise he had made to her.

And as Rael uttered the last of his thoughts, he stared at Melissa for a few extra short moments, then turned his head away.

“You can wake up whenever you want. After I unfreeze time, your brother will be waiting for you. He might still be a bit of a scumbag, but it’s because he’s misguided. The right environment can change even the shittiest of people. I am living proof of that.”

With those words, Rael stood up and slowly began walking away.

Just then, he heard a step on the shallow water, then another. He stopped, and when he turned around, he found Melissa lunging at him, then tightly hugging him.

Tears fell from her eyes like waterfalls, and the sobs she had suppressed were out on full display. Seeing something like this was heartbreaking, but even if he wasn’t her real brother, the least he could do was comfort her.

Rael accepted the hug and patted her head gently. He wasn’t sure where this change of mind came from, but honestly, he didn’t hate it.

Like that, minutes passed until finally, Melissa backed off, wiping the tears from her eyes as she met his gaze.

“Why do you have to leave?”

Rael flinched, but he didn’t answer.

“You did what you had to do, so why are you just planning to leave? Even if you’re not the Rael I know, why can’t you stay?”

She sounded like a child throwing a tantrum, but he only had the coma to blame for her lack of maturity.

Still, he listened to her complaints, insults, and promises that she spewed with teary eyes. But in the end, all her words fell on deaf ears.

“Are you listening to me?” Melissa approached, grabbing his hand. “After everything… are you really going to leave me again?”

Hearing that, Rael felt the last bit of composure holding his emotions together snap. Even with his manly exterior, he couldn’t help but shed a few tears, then slip his hand out of her grasp before turning around.

“I’m sorry.”

Her tears fell even harder as she lunged at him again, prepared to embrace him. However, there was now an invisible wall blocking her from approaching him.

Rael kept his back turned, lowering his head.

“I could very well stay and live my life amongst you all. But… the life I’ve lived before is already set in stone. I’m not someone who deserves a clean slate, nor am I someone who has the freedom in the universe to do whatever he pleases.”

Her mouth moved, but not a single word was transmitted through the invisible barrier. On the other hand, she could hear everything.

“Alas, I might just be rambling now. Haha… I’ve never really gone this far when I thought this conversation through. It kind of cut off after me telling you everything about myself.”

For a being who could peer into the future, he sure was pathetic, wasn’t he?

But despite his pathetic nature, Rael had done all he had set out to do. This meeting, among many other things, was meant for closure.

He had gotten his closure, at least partially.

And therefore…

He turned back to Melissa, his heart aching further.

Then, with a quiet snap of his fingers, her eyes turned blurry.

I won’t force someone so selfish as myself into your memories…

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.

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“Oh, I can move?” Altros moved his hands as he stared at his sister ahead. “Hey, did you do what you wanted to? Goodbyes and all that?”

Rael remained quiet for a few short moments, then replied in a low voice.

“For you, she’ll wake up in a few minutes. As for how long passes in reality between those two minutes, I can’t guarantee you anything. All I can tell you is that you won’t feel the passage of time, and neither will she.”

“Hmm~ how reassuring,” Altros replied. “Say, do you think Sketa Online will still be a thing a couple of years from now?”

“It will always be a thing,” Rael said. “As you can see, I’m living proof of Sketa Online existing.”

“That’s true.” Altros chuckled. “Well… I guess this is it then. You don’t think you can transfer me over to the world of Sketa Online along with my sister, do you?”

“For your own safety, no,” Rael stated. “Theoretically, I would be able to.”

Right as Altros was about to start nagging, Rael used the last of his mana to freeze him in time. For reassurance, he made sure Melissa’s time was frozen too.

Just like that, Altros fell silent, and even while Rael was inside his body, he couldn’t hear or feel anything.

In that regard, Rael took one last look at Melissa, and then from the corner of his eyes, he saw Seoul. With the hospital director dead, he felt more at ease but still conflicted.

Rael was just happy that he wouldn’t be able to inflict any more pain on anyone else.

And with that, Rael closed his eyes and focused on his mana. He had latched onto Altros’s body, but now, he let go of that connection.

Before he could even react, his consciousness faded as the darkness consumed him once more.