CH 34

"In a few days, a beast of unimaginable power will wreak havoc in the North Cina's Linghua City. The resulting destruction and chaos will turn the world upside down as a few cities will be destroyed by the time the beast is taken down!"

Zel had a calm look on his face while his voice was very gentle, and yet it didn't lessen the impact of the news he was giving out. This was especially true for Charles and little Tina who knew that the orphanage used to be near Linghua city.

"Oh no! Why don't we warn them?" Lane cried out in horror while James couldn't help but agree.

After all, they would have time to evacuate the people if there was someone to warn them about it. They would also lessen the damage that would occur.

"I tried that before, there were three things that could happen if I did it." Zel shook his head while he took some time to think about how to explain his thoughts. It wasn't exactly a good experience having to remember the exact details of a dream, since he had some things, he would rather forget in them.

Still, though it's true that the information needed to be given out. Even if he had the knowledge and the will, it's not his duty to protect everyone. He just wants his loved ones to be safe.

"The first time it happened, I wasn't even aware of it happening and only heard the news a day after it happened. The Cina government had given a national state of emergency announcement so they could issue a military takeover in the area."

Everyone wondered what the mechanics of Zel's power was since he never gave out the finer details, but they can't ask him to tell them about it. It seems that power like these are some kind of secret and it would be rude to ask him now.

"Turns out the abdicate was a level 4 creature that's 20 meters tall, 10 meters wide and about a hundred meters long, making it difficult to handle with standard military tech. They had to bomb it down do oblivion using missiles that took half a city with them."

"What's an abdicate?" Tina raised her hands and Zel nodded to indicate that he would answer her. She took her glass of water and drunk a little then sighed afterwards.

"Take this circle as the dimension we are on, every dimension gets only one superior race. That is us, human beings. Other dimensions also have superior races born into them, as different circumstances create different forms of life." Zel took out a piece of paper and a pen from his storage ring. He then drew a circle in the middle of it.

"Superior races are basically the beings that have adaptable bodies that can handle mana. Abdicates are superior races from those dimensions that failed to reach dimensional maturity and collapse. They appear from time to time, carrying with them a huge amount of mana." He then drew a small crack on the top right corner of the circle, one big enough to be seen but small enough to not occupy even a single percent of the circle.

"The thing with the event of a dimension collapse is they aren't a thing that happens in one go. Take this crack as the start of a dimension collapse. When a dimension cannot handle mana and overloads, it starts having cracks." Tina looked at Zel with an expression that said, 'I understand'. Zel took that as permission to continue.

"Those cracks sometimes appear near places where the superior races reside in and suck them into it. Most of them die, but some have bodies that can somehow survive. Though they didn't survive without paying a price, their consciousness. Hence, they are dead beings that act upon instinct."

'I don't get it.' Tina saw the others nod their heads as if they have all gotten the gist of it.

'Doesn't matter anyway.'

She didn't understand everything herself but didn't want to embarrass herself and just acted like she did.

"Like I said, they rained hell on the thing. However, due to the creature being too wild and powerful, it did too much damage to call killing it a complete victory." Zel took a sip of his own cup of water and kept the paper. He leaned back on his chair while thinking about where he left off.

"Truthfully, the reason it was stopped in a day was because the Cina government gave it's all in killing it. But it would only get worse from then on." Zel looked around and saw thoughtful faces.

It seemed that James wanted to say something but Zel raised his hand while shaking his head. He wanted to tell everyone the whole story first so that they could decide what they want to do with this knowledge. It was a test after all.

If they decided to forcefully do something that he had already told them was dangerous, it would be better not to tell them anything at all. But if they tried to cower in fear due to something being dangerous even if it would be the best choice, he won't blame them, after all it's their lives that matter to them the most.

"The second time, I tried to warn them in person. The thing about my power is that I can do things in any way I like. Since it was a possible future and things would never really matter, I did it in the most direct way I can which was to go to the place and tell the local government about what would happen. By the time I was leaving since they seemed to not care, a few men tried to ambush me on my way back to the hotel I was staying at."

Zel's eyes glowed blue and everyone felt their bodies tense up. It seemed that there was more to this story than meets the eye. After all, he did something that should have been a favor for those people, what would they do?

"I beat them and found out they were the early scouts of the Coalition. A military group that the Cina made recently. Their qualifications were to be a citizen of the Cina and to be a ranker. They had been reported of my warning and tried to kidnap me for more information. If they had tried to peacefully confront me, I would have given them the benefit of fighting with them but since they can't even give me the time of day, I left. They can't forcefully keep me in Cina anyway, I got connections that they cannot force to follow their orders without having the whole country knowing they were forcing a foreigner to stay in the country for unknown reasons."

The others couldn't shake off the feeling that something should have happened because Zel's eyes were practically burning right now. His trembling hand was suddenly covered by a soft and warm feeling as Emilia went ahead and held them with hers. This prompted a smile from Zel who continued.

"The incident happened but then Cina found out who I was and hunted me. They kidnapped my family with the use of the Coalition whose identities were unknown at the time. I ended up having to destroy the Coalition before they had any use for the Cina government and that was two months before the timer runs out. I had no time to prepare and had lost too much so I stopped."

"The third time, I posted it in the forums instead. A function in the system that made it possible for only the men who could do anything near the place get the chance to defend it themselves. I'm sure you two have seen the other functions by now Emilia? Charlie?"

Emilia nodded her head in approval while Charles looked down on his phone to confirm his other functions.

[Current Main Quests Available:

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- Spend your exp points to raise your level by one

Rewards: 1 Mastery Point, 1 Basic Gift, 10 Exp

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[Current Side Quest Available:

(Understand)

- Listen to Zel's explanation

Rewards: 20 Exp Points

Time Limit: 1 Hour, 10 Minutes, 12 Seconds

Failure Penalty: none]

[Current Side Quest Available:

(Parents)

- Accept the offer

Rewards: 1 Mastery Point, 100 Exp Points

Time Limit: 3 Hours, 10 Minutes, 10 Seconds

Failure Penalty: Go back to Cina]

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"They trusted my name but that only meant they knew what would happen. Most, if not all of them, left the place instead like a forbidden zone. They were too afraid to fight something unknown and the fact that it was going to be dangerous to even try and fight was also a big factor in their decision."

Zel lamented the fact that humans had the instinct of survival placed above the need to help. You can't give a dog wings and expect it not to still be your best friend. An old habit just doesn't die easy.

"But what if we made the people in Linghua know themselves?"

Emilia couldn't help but try to at least get the people informed. Knowing that things might hurt them if they dealt with it personally was one thing, but not doing anything at all just didn't sit right with her. The others seemed to agree as they all gave Zel a questioning gaze.

"How do we do that? Everything you do can be tracked back, and how do we say that we know what will happen? How do we explain that?"

Zel had done more than a couple of tries on this situation. He only said three because he didn't want to inform everyone here of the actual limits of his power. Only Emilia knew everything and that's because she is the only one, the only one he trusts enough to have no secrets with each other. That's what he wants to be anyway, if he wants to her to trust him most then she should be someone he would do the same for.

"Let's just say that this incident does happen, what would they say when they figure out it was something we predicted? Would they ask us to predict more? Because the more likely scenario is them looking for us and taking us in their custody. This isn't a thing we can do and be done with it. It has consequences that will affect everyone here."

Everyone didn't answer him anymore, but their feelings still weren't able to accept just letting those people die. Zel knew that though, but he wanted to confirm it. It's a test after all, not a means of torturing them.

"I've already got a solution that would make everyone happy. Don't worry."

Surprised at this revelation, the people were unable to understand why he was telling it to them in the first place. Tina couldn't help but ask.

"Then why ask us for our opinion in the first place?" She held out a fist over Zel's face as if she would hit him if he didn't give her a satisfactory answer. Good thing Zel did.

"I want you to understand that my ability is not omnipotent. I can't control everything, I never did. All I know is what could happen, what would happen if we did something in a certain way. If any of you went to do something then I have no control over that, and if you want to leave then I have no control over that. I want you all to understand that what I do, I do because it's the best choice we have. If you don't agree with my decisions then tell me, but most likely, I'll have an answer for you ready."

Zel wanted nothing more than to give them the feeling of having control of their lives but when it comes to their lives, he won't give it up just for some worthless pride. He knew better than letting people do things on their own only to regret it afterwards. He had those regrets too, he just had a way to restart unlike everyone else.

"For now the plan is this:..."

......

It was already late by the time they were done. Zel and Emilia had left with Tina while the two kids stayed with Lane and James. The couple had felt an ache in their hearts when they learned of the situation of the children when Zel and Emilia told them of the circumstances the children faced before they were sent to the orphanage.

Right now, they already made the kids change to their sleeping wear and was now sending them off to bed. The kids were given their own rooms that were right next to each other while they sent each kid to bed individually.

"There! All done!" Lane was sitting by little Tina's bedside while brushing her hair. She gave the little girl a hug when she finished and gave her a little tickle to which the little girl chuckled.

"Hehe. That tickles!"

"Take a rest now sweetie, we'll talk again tomorrow. Good night, sweetie."

"Ok. Good night, mom."

"!!!" Lane who was covering little Tina's body with a blanket suddenly flinched when she heard the little girl mutter her words. She watched as the little girl had already dozed off to sleep.

Meanwhile, James was also getting Charles to sleep. He gave the boy a pat on the head while placing a glass of water on the desk beside his bed.

"I know you have expectations about this whole system thing. I just want you to understand that no one is forcing you to do this, ok?"

"Yes... I understand."

"If your big brother makes it too hard for you, you come tell me, ok?"

"Yes... I understand."

"If you get hurt! Tell me immediately, ok?"

"Hehe. I said ok, dad."

"!!!"

The door opened while a knock sounded out simultaneously. Lane went in and saw a flabbergasted James and a chuckling Charlie. She watched as James suddenly hugged the boy while tears seemed to flow out of his eyes.

"I know… Son."

Charles was now also tearing up. His hands that didn't know where to go suddenly lifted themselves up and hugged the man back. This was his father now, he knew that. After all, Zel had already told him something earlier before they left.

'You know Charles, I know it's hard.'

'...'

Charles had been told by the others that they were being adopted by James and Lane. He was asked for his opinion on the matter and he said 'yes' while trying to hide his unstable emotions. Little Tina was almost instantaneous when she accepted, which prompted Lane to give her a hug while crying.

'But I want you to know this. The thing about having a family isn't about how your blood is the same as theirs.'

'…' Looking down on the ground, Charles just listened. He was still unsure, unsure of his future if he stays here. If he accepts.

'Mom and dad are people Emilia and I trust to take care of you, I hope you understand.'

'I understand... but I don't know if they can replace my mom and dad.'

It was clear in Charles' mind that this wasn't his family. He already had a mom and dad, they won't be able to change that.

'Sigh. They won't.' Zel took a deep breath and placed his hand over the boy's head while Tina who was beside him got to feel Emilia's hand over hers.

'?' Charles was clearly confused. He thought that Zel would tell him what he wanted to hear, but it seems that Zel wasn't going to do that. At least, not in the way he thought he would.

'The most important thing right now is that you guys are family, you have people who want you in their lives, people who won't abandon you, who will take care of you.' Zel placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, giving him a smile to comfort the boy.

'Your parents won't be replaced, they can never be replaced. They will always stay here, where they belong.' Placing one finger on the boy's chest, right above his heart, Zel continued.

'Lane and James are only continuing the job your previous parents did. I only hope you guy get to experience the same love you previous parents wanted you to feel, by having a new family that wants you in their lives.'

'Sniff. Sniff. Alright, big brother. I understand now.'

Charles was able to give his answer because he knows now. He's living because his parents loved him. Having another family doesn't mean he's leaving them behind, he's just keeping his promise to them. He'll keep his sister safe, and his new family will help him do that.

"Good night, dad."

"Good night, son."

Lane watched the two with a smile as she held her arms over her chest. She saw the boy look at her with tears still in his eyes as his flushed face couldn't see her eye to eye.

"Good night, mom." Lane went closer to the boy and kissed his forehead. Charles placed his fingers over it while looking at her with a smile on his face.

"Good night, my little boy."