Chapter 116 Serious Talk

A notification sounded on the smartwatch that Russell wears, prompting him to stop writing on the "Book of Changes" that he decided to write, to track the important changes that were worth considering when compared to what he knew.

Tap. Tap.

Putting down the pen on his study desk from his right hand, he checked and read the message he just received.

It was from his younger sister, Freya.

He was used to being texted by his younger sister, especially when it was about his whereabouts, where and what to eat for dinner, and so on. It's mostly the basics of conversation, but, at this very moment, Russell's deep blue eyes constricted and felt like his heart skipped a beat before beating twice as fast as the regular beating.

He felt his chest seemed to jump for a moment as he read the message that his younger sister had sent him, at this deep of the night.

"Brother... I'm coming over."

She didn't even ask if he was still awake as she knew that he sleeps most of the time at late night or even midnight, and she called him, "Brother", instead of "Oppa" which she usually does.

Although it means the same thing, knowing his younger sister, Russell was very aware of the seriousness of the difference in how his younger sister addresses him.

The only time he remembered that Freya's seriousness was directed at him was when he tried to persistently drink booze that was left by their father in a refrigerator, especially when he's already been warned that she would tell their parents.

"...What's wrong this time...?"

He muttered, trying to rack his brain for whatever offensive he unintentionally did that caused his younger sister to tell him such a thing. After some time, all he could think about was when he and Amelie went through a series of life-and-death situations for the sake of having Maya and securing the Urum mineral for future use.

'But that's already settled... Am I wrong...?'

He began to doubt whether the issue was solved or not, but he remembered the scolding he received a few moments just after his resurrection through Amelie's authority.

Knock-! Knock-!

He was snapped out of his thoughts as he heard two slow knocks. Even though it was only a knock, it seemed to contain the heaviness of the emotions of the person standing behind the door.

He stood up from his seat, walked with heavy steps, and placed his right hand on the doorknob of the door before he slowly twisted it.

Clicked-!

Creaked...!

After the clicking sound that indicates that the door has been unlocked, he slowly opened it as a creaking sound entered his ears, and then, he saw his younger sister, Freya, with her eyes reddened while looking at him.

"...Hey, hey, what happened?"

Without waiting for his younger sister to reply, he grabbed his younger sister's wrist, and Freya, who was held by her older brother, let herself be dragged inside the dormitory room.

...

"...Tell me what's bothering you."

Sitting on the long, comfortable gray couch, Russell looked beside him where his younger sister was sitting while looking at the floor as if she was frozen in place.

He didn't bother to ask if she was okay as he knew that she was not at the moment.

With her fair-skinned hands on her lap, and without looking at her older brother, Freya spoke both in wonder and seriousness.

"...Brother, I don't want to talk about it before, but... do you perhaps know the future...?"

Without waiting for her older brother to answer, and without looking beside her to check her older brother's reaction, Freya continued to speak with the same tone.

"...Brother... do you think it wouldn't cross my mind at all??

"Before the classes started you went somewhere... and then you encountered something that made you a contractee of a Constellation.

"...You told me that after you and Amelie saved me from Kevin. That time, I was also told by Amelie about her past.

"...Do you know how happy I was when you didn't keep a single thing from me...?

"...Do you know how happy I was when you became strong to the point that I despised myself for being weak...?

"...I-I wanted to be strong so that I could protect you, Mom, and Dad...

"...I don't want that to happen to our family again...

"Brother... tell me, is there a single thing you left out when you told me everything...? From your Constellation, about Chaos, everything...

"Even how you seemingly knew about the meaning of my recurring dream... and that I should just wait for some time, then voila! I got a contract with the Ruler of Death.

"...This will be the first time I'm asking this, brother... I want you to be honest with me...

"How did you know so many things when what you did when we were kids, when we barely have access to anything, was just to read?"

This time, Freya looked at Russell, then she saw her older brother wasn't looking at her, but rather on the outside where the bluish moon was hanging above, spreading its serenity.

Russell's deep blue eyes contained nostalgia, something that Freya couldn't understand due to the depth it expresses.

Without looking at Freya who was sitting on his left side, Russell opened his mouth with a solemn tone.

"...What made you ask me these questions?? Why now...?"

The moment Freya started to talk, Russell's mind turned blank as though it was blocked by gray clouds, and his heart started to thump heavily. But, he tried to focus and asked the important question he thought about. He felt that Freya wouldn't ask such things out of nowhere, and there must be something that triggered her to act this way.

He even thought that maybe Arthur, the Student Council President, got into her mind, but he quickly dismisses the thought due to the contents of Freya's questions.

...

Freya took two deep breaths, and let out a sigh before she looked down again at the floor while clasping her hands.

"...A-Amelie... She told me that she saw an expression in you when you were in your Soul Form... an expression that you didn't want to get resurrected.

"...And she told me, although she never questions your decisions, she felt that you knew many things that other people don't. That's why, brother... my curiosity hit me, and wanted to hear it from you.

"...I realized that Amelie's right... that you knew things, aside from Constellations and Chaos stuff... the fact that you somehow knew the true nature of Arthur, the Student Council President, and that he's connected to Maya's parents' kidnapping according to what you and Amelie told me previously... I don't know brother... Please... enlighten me. If you know things about the future... and if what Amelie noticed was right...

"...W-why don't you want to be resurrected...?"

...

Upon listening thoroughly through his younger sister's lamentation, especially the question that she asked, he felt as though he was being stabbed countless times, yet he was unable to feel numb or die.

He let out a sigh, and this time, he looked at his younger sister, who was also looking at him at this very moment after she finished speaking her thoughts.

Both of them were not leaning on the gray couch as though relaxing was something forbidden, then, after some time, Russell spoke what was necessary.

"...Freya... I admire your desire to protect me and our parents, but... you are right... and wrong at the same time about me not wanting to be resurrected.

"...Also, it's something I wouldn't be able to tell you, but you and Amelie are quite right... I know some things that will happen in the future...

"...A-and..."

He paused for a moment, but he felt like his soul was being crushed due to his breath which was gradually turning heavy.

"...I want to use Amelie's authority, the Dark Resurrection specifically... to escape the dangers that would befall us in the future.

"Through it, I-I want to be dead in our parents' eyes... then... I'll be resurrected somewhere for the future, attracting every possible danger, leading them away from our parents that might be made collateral.

"I-I'm sorry..."

He felt pathetic. He never expected that Amelie would be able to catch a glimpse of him, making an expression that contradicts someone who loved being alive.

"...I know."

Freya's next words caused his eyes to constrict while maintaining his serious expression that was nearing breaking down.

She didn't let him respond, rather she spoke in anguish.

"...I didn't know that's what you wanted, but I realized something when Amelie told me that you had an expression of not wanting to be resurrected... when I considered the difficulty of the Star Quest that was bestowed unto me... I'm certain it would cause our parents to intensely worry...

"...Oppa, Okay... I won't ask you how you knew some things that will happen in the future, but can I ask you something?

"Will it be terrible?

"Will it be painful?

"And... Oppa, I just want you to know, I'm here. If you feel burdened by the future, you can share the burden with me... There's also Amelie and Amery, too. And who knows... maybe we'd have more companions in the future, right?"

Freya's deep blue eyes were in tears, which started to flow down her cheeks, down to the floor, while maintaining a faint smile on her face as he looked at her older brother whose deep blue eyes slightly widened, seemingly preventing himself to tear up. He then responded with a smile.

'I'm not alone... This is not my previous life.'

Russell firmly said inwardly.

Slap-! Slap-!

He slapped his cheeks before he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Sigh... Thank you, Freya, really."

He was grateful for having a sister like her.

...

After an unknown period of time, Russell spoke casually.

"...Come out. I know you're there."

Freya's brows pricked up when she realized that her older brother was talking to someone.

"A-Amelie?!"

Amelie, in her Shade Transformation, came out of nowhere, which caused Freya's eyes to widen.

Deactivating her Shade Transformation, Amelie's deep black hair and deep black eyes returned to their usual pink and ruby respectively.

"I-I don't mean to pry... but I heard everything."

She scratched her right cheek while feeling embarrassed.

"...No, it's alright. You have the right to know. It's just you never asked, although you noticed."

Russell looked at her, then prompted her to take a seat, which she did, but on his bed instead of the couch.

"Right timing, I'll tell you what the near future holds. Although it's better if Amery is with us, it's not that of a big deal, so it will be fine even if she's not.

"...And one more thing, although I knew some things that will happen in the future, I don't fully trust it, so it would be better to not rely on it most of the time."

He said while recalling the Untouched Elements, as well as the Unknown Elements, the circumstances that deviated from what he knew.

Amelie and Freya pricked up their ears, their auricular sense was in attentive mode upon hearing his words.

...

"The first Close Mystery Tower will open in the next two months, October something, but there's probably a World Announcement prior to that.

"Close Mystery Towers are towers that are very different compared to Strayed or Tower Dungeons that we usually know.

"They have different characteristics or themes, and they could be accessed either through the System or physically."

Freya became curious about the ways how to access it, so she asked curiously.

"Oppa... what do you mean to access through the System?"

"Hmm... it's like the System will ask you if you want to challenge the Close Mystery Tower, then you'll just have to say 'Yes' or 'No', then if say 'Yes', you'll be transported inside the Tower."

'...It's like the Trial of the Stars that the renowned players today have gone through in the past.'

Russell thought as he answered his younger sister's question.

"The Close Mystery Tower that will open is called the Tower of Growth, and it will have 30 floors of challenges..."

Russell continued to recount everything he knew about the Tower of Growth, causing a myriad of emotions and reactions to be painted on Amelie and Freya's faces.

"...What the hell is that Failure Penalty...? I guess there's no such Growth Rate freebie in this world, huh...?"

Amelie exclaimed upon hearing the Failure Penalty... that Ayleen Mayfield didn't learn from Lunaria.

...

In the middle of the night, inside a very spacious and luxurious dormitory room.

Arthur Wolfson, the Student Council President, was sitting on a high-back chair while ruminating over the call he received from the Guild Master of the Shadow Guild, his uncle, Draxan Wolfson.

Gritting his teeth, his mind was a mess as he thought about the words of his uncle.

'Some people attacked the Shadow Guild's Westernmost Branch?'

"...Who are they...? F*ck!

"I need to acquire Ela's Needle as soon as possible."

Due to the loss of people or slaves, he was asked again to work and find the necessary people to be made into slaves as the former underground facility could just be rebuilt, but with stronger security, as the Strayed Dungeon where the Urum (UR) can be mined was still intact.