Chapter 536 - A Different Future

In the infinite void, where all gods lay dormant, separated from one another but sealed by their inability to exist, one of them opened his eyes. It was a man sitting in the void, waiting for his schemes to lead him out.

"The breaker," muttered the man with amazement. "A man that is not tied to this world through time or space, and no prisoner can contain him. What is the meaning of this, Gaia? How can there be a new path ahead than the one already written?" his words lingered, but there was no one to answer them.

"Soon, all of the gods will be awakened by the deviation in the timeline. Then, the world will change forever, and a new era will emerge that holds a different ending unknown to all. I underestimated the outsider," muttered the man.

It was not unexpected for the man to refuse, but the unexpected was the outcome. The timeline that should have been erased collapsed into the alternate timeline, merging with it.

The existence of two timelines in one scenario changes everything, and only chaos will ensue out of this. However, the outsider has succeeded in one thing.

"Nameless should not be able to predict the future from now on," the man realized. "Arthur Silvera... you have succeeded. However, can you shoulder the consequences of your actions?"

***

"You look absent-minded," said her father next to her, pulling Ellen out of her daze. The two of them were standing in front of one of the shops where she and her father worked. "Are you sure you don't want to take today off?"

"I am fine," smiled Ellen thinly before she lifted the chair from the ground and carried it toward the table.

Her father stared at her silently for a long time, and Ellen knew. However, she could never describe the dream that she had before. Then, someone called out for her as she placed the chair down.

"Ellen?" the voice was shaken and a bit tired. Ellen turned around to see that it was her classmate and one of her few friends from school, Oriole. "I didn't know that you work here..."

Ellen froze in place, for she never realized how it would feel for one of her classmates to see her like this. The shame washed over her face because Oriole was the one person she did not want to stumble upon here.

"I am starting here too!" said her clubmate, and the words made her eyes widen in surprise. As she turned toward him, she saw him carrying a bright smile beneath those baggy and tired eyes. "Please guide me, senior!"

"...will do," she realized with a smile as the shame found an outlet. A companionship formed when she realized that her friend also needed to work in this place. "Let me guide you inside."

Her father's friend owned this cafe, and he allowed the two of them to work here. It seems that Oriole came here to apply the day before when she was at the hospital, and the manager allowed it.

"I never thought you were this capable," smiled Oriole as he tightened the apron around his waist. "Arthur would be amazed to see you like this."

The mention of Arthur made Ellen freeze because of the dream she had a day before. However, it was vague enough to disappear under the overwhelming feeling of appreciation.

As the newest club member, Arthur was clueless about artificial runes. Ellen signed into the club for her other job downtown as an assistant, just to scrap enough knowledge to keep it, but Arthur was different.

The golden eyes looked at her with the curiosity of a toddler exploring the world for the first time. When she asked him about his previous academy, he said he dropped out years ago. It made sense that he knew so little about the world because the middle school did not include runes or magic.

Ellen saw him the same as the kitten she fed around the corner of her house, the one that lost its mother last spring. It was so young and clueless that she wanted to protect it from the world.

Her father did not like pets, so she never raised the kitten. Although he never revealed the reason, she knew that pets were expensive to take care of, and her father did not need another Ellen.

She was in charge of the dishes, and she did not eat a lot on purpose to leave some behind for the cat. Arthur triggered the same instincts within her, even though he picked on runes so fast that she saw him as a genius.

"I'm not sure if he has the time to drop by anymore," she said quietly. "I think he will be busy with the Apprentices Cup."

"...Arthur told you that he wants to participate?" amazed Oriole. "I asked him, and he said that he was unsure. There are indeed a lot of things that he does not know, but some people have that thing for runes, right?"

"Indeed, and the two of us lack it," she said without thinking and realized her mistake a moment afterward. "I'm so sorry, Ori. I misspoke," she tried to apologize, expecting Oriole to be mad, but he simply smiled.

"I know that we are unfit for runes," he said while writing his name down on the card. "However, give it twelve years of hard work, and you will find yourself a grandmaster."

"A grandmaster?" her eyes widened before she shook her head. "I don't want to be a runemaster, even. I just want to make money out of it."

The words he said made Ellen realize that he was different. Oriole used to allow others to affect him, especially his parents and brother, but now he was different. There was confidence in the man before.

"Let us get to work, senior," he said with a smile. "Please teach me how to cut the cakes without ruining everything."

"You will be fine," she skipped over to him, feeling proud of her friend. However, she could not deny that she wanted some of that confidence herself.

***

Their shift was over for the day, and Oriole diligently cleaned the counter. Her father and the manager left earlier, asking the two of them to close the store.

"Come on, Ori. I need to close the doors."

"I will be right there," he said while walking around the cafe and turning the lights off. The building was cloaked in darkness that made her a bit uneasy, but her friend emerged from it with sweat over his face. "We did well."

"You did well," she said with a smile. "I will not be here tomorrow because I have something to do downtown. I'll ask my friend to take care of you."

"Thank you, Ellen," Ori said before his eyes glanced toward the street. "I need you to trust me for a bit," he said while offering his hand.

"Is there something wrong?" Ellen did not understand what was going on, and Ori did not answer. As she stared at his outstretched hand, she realized that he was asking her to take it. "Alright," she nodded, thinking that her friend was feeling unwell.

As she took her hand, Oriole pulled her gently inside. Ellen stood in front of Ori, who took the key from her and closed the door with them inside. Then, he locked it.

"Let us sit on the floor, please," asked Ori and sat down, leaning against the wall with the window above him. "You too, Ellen."

"Are you feeling unwell? Did your parents do something?"

"No, I just want us to sit here for a few minutes," he said while offering her the floor next to him. "Just for a few minutes."

Ellen did not understand what was going on, but she did not mind sitting on the floor for her friend. As the two of them leaned on the wall, the empty and dark cafe greeted their eyes.

A few cars passed by and shed light inside, giving them a slight reprieve from the darkness. Even though she expected that he wanted to say something, he did not. When Ellen turned toward him to ask, he raised a finger against his lips, telling her to be quiet.

The sounds of footsteps came from outside, resounding clearly as a pair of shoes struck the pavement. The sound drew closer to them until she could tell that the visitor was standing outside.

At that moment, Oriole held her hand and closed his eyes. A droplet of sweat fell down his face, and his hand trembled. Ellen did not understand, but the light from the cars gave away a shadow of someone standing outside.

Ellen held her breath while grabbing her friend's hand tightly. Then, after what seemed like a few minutes, the person outside walked away from the cafe, allowing Oriole to relax.

"And with this, the future will be different," said Oriole with a relieved smile.. "Things will be different."