Born From a Forbidden Union, Humanity hates me.

Reon tried to stand up, but his body was aching all over.

Bruises and wounds obtained during his last stand against Elliott, followed by thousands of years of inactivity, caused his body to freeze on the spot.

"I can see with one glance that you have numerous questions."

"But now, I would like for you to silently sit over there."

Henrietta pointed at the altar. A step was perfect for him to rest beneath the monument.

Heto carefully held him up, nodding to him with a smile.

"Who are you, if it's alright to ask?"

As the man never appeared in the relayed recording of the bracelet, he couldn't help but ask.

"I am Heto, a Remnant."

"Thank you. It is only natural that I introduce myself too. My name is Reon."

In the corner of his eyes, he noticed a third person.

"!"

Titania smiled the moment their gazes met.

"Tiohr-nam."

This was the first time they had met. What was even more shocking was that a human-like figure with two legs stood next to him.

He remembered seeing her through the screen, always embedded in the Tree of Life.

"This is our first time meet-"

"I am truly sorry!"

Before she could finish her sentence, Reon interjected.

"I have caused tremendous damage to you before. I always wanted to apologize to you for that..."

The angel's eyes dropped as Heto silently dropped Reon on the step.

Titania walked in front of him, her arms crossed.

"I do remember clearly. A power enough to obliterate the Tree of Life."

They both recalled the unnatural catastrophe that befell the world one day.

"It was... I am not making excuses for what I've done. All the bottled-up magical energy escaped my grasp and caused you to suffer."

With a stern look, Titania looked at him.

But next, her gaze relaxed.

"I accept your apology. From the beginning, I knew that it was an accident. If you were after my life, you would not have replanted the Seed of Life."

She leaned forward and tapped his left shoulder two times.

"Still. You did kill me. I hope you are ready to help me train. We also need to recover our full might for what is to come."

Reon looked up, finally freed of his guilt. His trembling eyes looked at the Remnant before, at last, a smile broke through his apologetic expression.

"I can do that. In fact, let me help you."

With a nod, Titania acknowledged his words.

"Alright, now that this is done, we still have another person to awaken."

"!"

Hearing Henrietta speak and seeing the other two nodding while looking at her, Reon finally understood the situation.

"Orianne!"

Reon turned his head to find the second crystal, perfectly still, against the wall to his left.

"We're about to do the same we've done for you, so stay there quietly. It'll take roughly an hour."

His breathing calmed down as his mind calmed down.

"I'll leave her in your hands."

He bowed his head deeply before straightening it with a resolute look.

Then, he closed his mouth and eyes, resting his exhausted body. For him, who had a rather frail build for a fighter, the injuries he sustained stung constantly.

...

An hour later.

Titania broke the layers of the crystal before releasing Orianne from her prison.

Similar to their previous attempt, Heto caught the woman, and Titania forced her soul back into her body.

Reon watched calmly, albeit anxiously, as her wife became the subject of intense work that went against the laws of the world.

"You have it?"

"I do."

Compared to their first try, Heto and Titania were more relaxed. They maintained Orianne's soul perfectly still in her core, while Henrietta used her power to help them.

"Alright, it's attached. Wake up."

As Heto used his Remnant power to awaken Orianne's consciousness, it took more time compared to Reon.

"Her soul was slightly more damaged. Still, it does not affect the result, right?"

Titania looked at Henrietta, who nodded.

"It shouldn't. There's only one way to check."

Writing the same thing she did on Reon's profile page into Orianne's, Henrietta focused.

"..."

Reon stood up and walked toward his wife.

Heto removed his hands from her and took a few steps back.

"..."

After walking around Orianne, Reon stopped in front of her. The light in her eyes appeared to return as the breath of life caressed her soul again.

"H-Huh?"

Her vision was blurry. Confused, she blinked before rubbing her eyes.

"Reon?"

Even in that state, she could recognize her husband. With trembling hands, she tried to touch him.

Reon's feelings became a mess. His eyes began to moisten, and his hands turned into fists.

He clenched his teeth and looked up as if to contain the tears from flowing down.

Then, he looked at Orianne and grabbed her hand.

"Yes, Orianne. It's me."

"Why the trembling voice?"

Not answering her question, he gently pulled her in and hugged her.

"Warmth..."

Something was always missing inside the bracelet: the heartbeat of her husband and her own heartbeat.

"Yes."

Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She knew that something was different compared to the time they had spent inside the bracelet.

"Am I alive?"

Reon hugged her tightly. So tight, Orianne began to feel her aching muscles and burning injuries.

"..."

She stretched her arms behind his back and sank her head into his chest. For a few minutes, they shared a silent hug under the warm gazes of the three Remnants.

...

After a few more minutes, Orianne's vision finally returned.

"O-Oh! Henrietta and Tiohr-nam! And someone I don't know!"

The first thing she did after letting go of Reon was to look around her. Then, she noticed the others.

"This is Heto, a Remnant. He helped in bringing us back."

Surprised, Orianne looked at Reon before turning to the three Remnants.

"Thank you for bringing us back to life, even though I don't entirely understand what you've done."

She dropped her head low. Lower than she ever did for anyone.

Henrietta looked at Titania and Heto. She turned to Orianne and nodded.

"We're the ones who make the rules. It's the least I can do for having forced such a fate on you two."

An apologetic smile appeared on her face.

"Without your effort in preserving yourself inside Orion's bracelet, your souls would have been extinguished the day you activated that ability."

"Even with your bodies preserved in the crystals, it would've been impossible to bring you back."

"And..."

Titania continued after Henrietta had finished speaking.

"Without Orion's attempt at bringing you back, I would never have attempted it. This was a gamble I would have never taken in normal circumstances."

Reon looked at the progenitor of the fairies.

"Then why did you do it? What do you gain by reviving us?"

"If I have to be honest, we need more people to defend the continent. But ultimately, it all boils down to one thing."

The Remnant nodded.

"We are doing this for Orion."

"Why?"

Orianne asked while gently pushing a crimson strand of hair behind her ear.

"You probably already understand."

Both Reon and Orianne nodded.

"But since you asked, I will answer trustfully."

Titania coughed exaggeratedly. It was slightly embarrassing for her to say it, but she did nonetheless.

"Orion has been helping us since the start of his journey. Not only are we indebted to him, but we never returned the favor."

"This small action can be considered a way to give back something important he was always missing."

"His family."

Understanding the point of the Remnant, they nodded. They needed to know if they could trust them after everything that had happened.

"Now, we need to tell you something that you probably don't want to hear."

Henrietta took over.

To her surprise, Reon nodded and said the words she was about to speak.

"Orion's gone. But he's not dead, or else you wouldn't have brought us back."

"R-Right. That's exactly it."

"It's obvious. Orion wouldn't have missed the moment of our return. In fact, he was the one who wanted to revive us."

Orianne smiled warmly, thinking of her dearest son.

"We surmised that Orion vanished in the 'Corridors of Time'. I've seen him pull the source of Tetra and assimilate it, so I can say undoubtedly that he is still alive."

"But the same happened to Miasma. The two went back in time and are lost somewhere in our past."

She frowned.

"Miasma is still acting even after being sent in the past. As a result of him stealing a part of Tetra's source as a Remnant, he managed to breach space and time and send armies that never existed before in our era."

Reon frowned while placing a finger on his right brow.

"You're telling us that even after everything Orion went through, Miasma managed to survive?"

The Remnant of Fate nodded with a frown of her own.

"But there's something you need to know."

Henrietta smiled as if she were truly relieved by this information.

"Orion shattered his fate."

"We are on an entirely different timeline, where his life is still preserved. The Hero is still alive, and his tale is still going strong."

"All we have to do is protect our continent while we wait for his return."

Reon and Orianne looked at each other.

"We'll need to rest first, but you can count on us."

The pragmatic angel nodded, already planning the course of his action before even starting.

On the other hand, Orianne was fidgeting.

"Hmm..."

"I would like to request something."

Henrietta looked at her with confusion.

"What is it?"

"Where are the girls? I would like to meet them if possible."

"Oh."

Orianne had many daughters-in-law, so Henrietta understood. In fact, she and Henrietta were on the same level, since Amelia was an important companion to Orion.

"They're resting for today, since we intended to bring you back. We usually train them for what's to come. But..."

The couple suddenly squinted.

"You won't be able to see Stella. She disappeared a few weeks ago-"

As she was about to explain that Stella vanished after being abducted by the elementals, a beam of light erupted from the center of the vortex above the structure.

It crashed on the opposite side of the altar without damaging the area.

A blast of energy forced the group to hide their eyes, while Heto stood in front of them to endure the brunt of the blast.

"Where am I now?"

*Swing*

A woman with black hair tied in a long ponytail swung a polearm with a wide blade at its tip, sending dust flying away from her.

As the blast subsided, Henrietta and Titania opened their eyes wide.

From the back of the individual, they noticed the shadow of a friend they had lost a long time ago.

"V-Varellia..."

"That's my mother's name."

Surprised, the black-haired woman turned around frantically.

As her long hair followed her movement, the Remnants noticed the spinning galaxy inside the woman's eyes.

"No... Is that you?"

"Stella?"

Orion's daughter returned to Horizon.