—I thought I had lost everything.
When I was seven years old. My parents were murdered. I remember it vividly. Every action. Every interaction. All of it. I couldn't breathe. My body went numb.
The knife's edge at my throat. The warm sticky blood beneath my feet. The scent of iron on my hands. All of it.
I was distraught. Admittedly, my mind—no, my heart… Became filled with nothing but vengeance.
After that, I convinced myself there was no love. That my parents saw me as nothing more than a tool for their research. But deep down, I knew better than anyone. I was their one and only son—cherished to the point of imprisonment.
If love were fleeting. Then this rage would be my companion.
But even so. My anger eroded with time.
But I couldn't stop asking myself. Why was everything so wrong with this world?
The retainers trusted by Mother and Father used me to extort money from them. In the end, they were imprisoned.
But my precious first friend, Liss, would never come back. I found her body splattered on the floor. To the four-year-old me, she was a precious friend. But to the servants, she was nothing but a dead snake to be tossed in the trash.
She was the only one who knew I could smile. And with her death, a childlike smile never surfaced on my face again.
After my parents' deaths, I was taken in by a woman named Emely. She was persistent, and I thought she, too, had ulterior motives.
I don't care for the money. She could have it—just like how I paid the others to shut their mouth and not take me in. But she insisted.
A few years passed since then, and we moved to France for her studies. And just as she said, not a dime of my inheritance was ever used, not even to raise me.
Though she was deemed a disgrace to the family, disowned even, she managed to keep herself and me fed.
I thought I had no heart to spare.
But that night, when she was sobbing alone, I did something even I couldn't have anticipated.
"Alum…?"
Inside that little apartment room, illuminated by the full moon. I stroked her hair. The way she looked at me with those tearful golden eyes, I couldn't help but think.
—Her eyes are warm and beautiful.
I saw myself in those golden eyes. They were the same color as mine. I never once thought of them as beautiful or warm. To me, they were cold, just like that steel always at my throat.
In the end, she used me as a stuffed animal whenever she was emotionally unstable. She'd embrace me tightly, and I'd silently soothe her till sleep.
Perhaps something had awoken at that time.
"Y-Young Boss, welcome back!"
Of course. I never told her why I was away so often.
"YB, you're back!"
"…"
I glanced at the younger boy at my side.
"Did you behave, Ace?"
"Yeah! Of course I did! Martin even praised me!"
"…"
I found Ace inside a glass container during a mission. I had the intention to kill him, but the researchers in charge of him seemed careful not to run him rogue.
I don't know what compelled me to take him in—unlike the other orphans, he was nothing but an artificial being.
Then, one day. I fulfilled my revenge. It was empty as they said. But the hollow was present even before.
What was the point anyways?
In the end. I left the underworld.
A few years later, Emely got a job offer from a professor she'd gotten to know during her studies in France. We moved to Sweden, and not too long after she'd gotten the assistant role, she became a young professor herself.
I was thrown into high school. Life at the time was gray, but not unpleasant. The curiosity from my peers was brief. Of course they were, I didn't speak unless I had to. My replies were short. And when they found out who I was, there was fear and pity in their eyes.
I was alone.
But that didn't matter.
I simply let life flow, watching over Emely as time ticked.
Until… A bright light appeared.
"This drink is heavy. Will you hold it for me?"
I was surprised? I looked at the youth through my long bangs, unsure of the expression on my own face—his was radiant, grinning warmly as he handed me a warm drink.
His eyes were silver with a hint of blue. His platinum blond hair shone in the low sun, fluttering like waves in the autumn winds.
"Supp! My name's Noel, nice to meet you!"
After I met Noel. My life was brighter. But my world was still in monochrome. I knew of the dissonance. I also knew my place.
But after the spatial quake incident, I was reminded of how fragile life could be. It had been so long since I was at death's door. But even in that moment, I thought—
"Perhaps… dying like this might not be so bad…"
But that never happened. I woke up in another world. And having been that close to death and lived again made me realize.
"Perhaps, I could try living."
I'll fill this canvas called life with colors. Even the regrets. The might-be joy. The light, the shadows, and the different gradients.
Then, a new light appeared in my life. It shone intensely, and I'm lost in it. Lost in romantic love—what do I do?
I don't know. I found myself doing dumb things—it was as if I'd fallen into lunacy. But it was fun.
The cause of all of that was…
"Humhm~ Al, I love you."
A girl who would short-circuit my brain into a flustered mess with a single adorable smile. A girl with pink amethyst-like eyes and chrome-like silver hair.
Amethely Ilis.
…
..
—I. Saw. Alum. Miller.
"..!?"
In a cold sweat, Alum's eyes flung open. As he looked around, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
After straining himself with the trial and the swarm mother, he was told to rest. By the time he got out of the tent, everyone was strategizing by the fire.
"We should proceed down," Roswall said.
Everyone looked at him; a few seemed discontent. After all, who'd believe in the fairy tale?
"If this really is the Spiraling Celestial Tower, isn't it more of a reason to climb it?" a researcher protested.
"That's right! If we gain the ancient knowledge, then getting out might not be so far off and—"
"And how long will that take?" Roswall interrupted. "Besides, you do not know the dangers up ahead. Did myth and history teach you nothing? Trying to reach the divine is but blasphemy!"
"Roswall… we are scholars, do not insult our pursuit of knowledge—why do you think we're all here to begin with?!"
—Clap!
"Okay, stop right there." Ethym clapped his hand. "There's no point in fighting amongst ourselves, no?"
"…" the long-haired researcher clicked his tongue. "You're right… Sorry, I got a bit heated."
"Same here," Roswall sighed. "Mr. Alum. Since you're awake, do you have an opinion?"
"Mm… if what you said about this being the Spiraling Celestial Tower, then heading toward the Library of Godly Knowledge would be considered blasphemy."
The other researchers looked away for a moment so as not to meet Alum's gaze.
"In legends, only those worthy of ascension are permitted to enter the library," Alum added.
"Only the arrogant would dare, right?" Sarah smirked.
Alum let out a small chuckle at her remark. "I don't feel too arrogant today. Which is why I'm with Mr. Roswall on this one." He shrugged.
"…"
Ottah, Viona, and Soliette stared at their Captain—Huuh… so you admit to being arrogant…
"I would love to see the challenge myself, but I would rather have many more to come," Sarah said.
"I see. If that's how the fairy tale goes, then it doesn't make sense to ascend the tower," Jan calmly voiced.
After they finished discussing, Viona explained the current situation to Alum, since he had joined pretty late.
Ever since they arrived, they'd been checking out different floors within the wall-less tower. The ascent seemed endless. Jan had used the spirit Themp to survey the tower from the outside.
From the photograph displayed on the mana slate, the tower appeared to reach beyond the sky. And from what they could currently see, beneath them was a dense forest.
Thus, descending was the logical choice for many of them. And yet, the doubt lingered on their minds. Questions such as, "Why would that be the case when they exited a gate that far up?" and "What if there were other gates up there?" arose.
But despite the uncertainty, they had to make a choice.
"I see," Alum replied, seemingly deep in thought.
I perhaps shouldn't have told them about the time dilation… I knew it'd cause unease, but I didn't expect them to become this impatient. In that case, I won't mention the dreams, as of now, nobody seems to have experienced them.
Though he considered it briefly, Viona broke through his train of thought.
"Captain, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. And thanks for the blood transfusion. I lost quite a lot."
Viona smiled faintly. "I did my job. Still, how many do you have left?" she curiously asked.
"12 packs."
Viona went silent for a moment.
"That's… quite a lot."
"I'm an otherworlder, after all. And the only other person who's a blood match is Luna."
"H-huh… oh? Okay?" Viona's eyes widened.
Soliette, who was packing nearby, happened to overhear. "Wait, how do you know that, Captain?! I-Isn't blood testing most commonly tested between couples for compatibility and health-related stuff?"
Viona stiffened. She intentionally did not bring that part up and tried to close the conversation, but Soliette just had to ask.
"There's no deeper meaning. They ran some tests on me, and that Old Man just had to try playing matchmaker."
"R-really?" the elf tilted her head. "Ah, but then again… Head Commander does have that sense of humor? I mean, what was up with the whole satirical military speech?"
Ottah crossed his arms. "I suspect he might've had some fun belittling the indoctrination that happens in other nations around the world."
"Well. The Empire is passive regarding border expansion, but a mild jab at them within the base shouldn't stir too much trouble with the other nations," Lusirus said.
"You were listening?" Soliette frowned.
"Of course, since Sir Alum is back, we're under his command once more."
Soliette stared at Lusirus and the Aurora members. Though she was about to say something, she bit her tongue, not wanting to cause trouble for her unit.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. The others are done. Let's begin the descent."
At their Captain's words, they began to move. Ottah gave Soliette a quick and light chop on the head.
"Why're you standing there? Let's go."
"Tsk. So cold," Soliette then huffed, running up to Viona. "Let's go, Vina! I don't wanna walk beside that brat, hmph!"
"…" Viona silently endured being sandwiched between the two.
"Says the brat," Ottah calmly replied.
"…" Viona continued to silently endure being sandwiched between the two.
And seeing the small interaction between them, Alum turned his gaze toward the mountain range.
Sarah flung an arm over his shoulder in a swift motion. "Why the solemn expression?" she asked. "Oh? I thought you'd dodge—did you lack your edge?"
"No. I simply don't bother with you," Alum yawned lightly.
Ugh… why do I feel dissed? Sarah frowned.
"C'mon, what's the issue, you can tell Big Sis~."
"How does that make sense when you call me 'Big Bro?'"
Ugh… this logic man…
"Fine," Sarah said.
"Mm?"
Alum's eyes followed her. There were Jan, Jua, Nuli, and Turen. Then there were Lyn, Dalen, and Keelen.
"Just know that you have reliable allies."
"Woah? That's oddly profound coming from you, Sarah," Turen teased.
"Oh shut it, you!" the blue-eyed elf retorted.
..
Then an hour passed since the group began their descent. The wind howled alongside each step taken. And since the currents were strong and unpredictable, Lyn, Viona, Nuli, and Von took turns in maintaining a barrier around the group.
Unlike the temple, the tower was bare. It did not have any paintings or stories to tell. It only had the runes to reinforce its structure.
And so… a few hours passed.
'…Aaarhg! Are we even getting somewhere?!' Soliette groaned in a low tone.
"We are."
Alum calmly pointed at the mountains in the distance. At this point in time, they appear to be at the same elevation.
And of course, the other hot-blooded elf, Sarah, was bored out of her mind. Ethym, who walked beside Emerine, noticed how her steps were getting uneven, legs were slightly wobbly.
As a husband, he wanted to support her more than just to hold her hand. But he knew that carrying her wasn't exactly safe. But as if to have eyes on his neck, Alum glanced at him.
His eyes seemed to say, 'Go ahead.'
Without a second thought, Ethym walked ahead of Emerine. "Rine, get on," he said gently.
Emerine looked around in uncertainty. But the quiet professional air warmed a little as the others' expressions softened at the sight.
"O-Okay…"
It wasn't often she felt like a flustered maiden, but even after all these years with him. He still managed to make her feel special.
And so, the journey down didn't seem so long anymore. The group reached ground level just as the sun set. But since it was getting dark, the forest seemed unsafe, so the group decided to camp inside the tower.
It was quiet. Not in the sense that there weren't discussions among the people. But the ruin itself. Although nobody was going to point that out.
While everyone was setting up a camp and cooking. Alum stared into the distance. Jan stood beside him; his gray eyes didn't miss it either—smoke.
"What do you want to do?" Sarah asked as she approached the two. "Rossy said he'd leave the decision to us."
"Mm. It would be ideal to look into it at dawn."
"Right, but if we know something's out there, whatever it is definitely knows about us too," she remarked. "And getting ambushed at night seems like a hassle to be honest," she added with a shrug.
"If that's the case, I'll do a quick survey around the area," Dalen said.
The Aurora members looked at Alum, waiting for a command, but he simply said, "Rest up."
"Yes, Sir," they'd reply.
While they didn't openly show it, they didn't seem to have agreed with the orders issued.
"They sure haven't warmed up to you~" Sarah teased.
"Naturally."
Alum shrugged her off.
"In that case, can we rely on you, Dalen?"
"Of course."
Alum then turned to Jan. His calm demeanor softened.
"Scouting again, is it?"
"Yeah."
"Got it."
As soon as Jan agreed to the idea, he noticed Jua in the corner of his eye. He knew that she'd definitely been listening in. It became more apparent when her face soured at the mention of what happened in Erda, even in passing.
Sarah pondered for a moment before opening her mouth.
"In that case, take Lyn with you."
Alum and Lyn locked eyes. Compared to the flustered girl he'd met at the inn, she was reliable now that he'd witnessed her in action. On the contrary, she's quite the powerful barrier mage.
Though Viona was skilled at it, it wasn't her speciality as she was a generalist support mage. Alum could only guess Sarah's intention, but she seemed to believe Alum would need a powerful barrier due to his absurd firepower.
While he also had [Sanctuary of Depth],if he used it, he wouldn't be able to use Depth Cutter.
"I'll do it."
"…"
Seeing her determined eyes, the first impression of her shattered in his mind. Even though they were the same age, she didn't come across as mature to him before.
But now?
She seemed reliable.
"Thank you."
Alum stretched out a hand.
"I'll do my best."
The moment they shook hands, Lyn froze for a moment and looked at her hand, then at Alum's face.
"W-wait… are you… Mr… Ailz…?"
"…"
Though it appears she might be a little slow in some regard.