“Well, at least we know that she’s not looking for a mate,” I offered.
Miriam sighed heavily, glancing away. “Yes,” she agreed. “And I’m fine with her staying here – there’s enough room to host several dozen families – but I don’t want her indebted to you.”
“I’m honestly not sure if that’s possible, especially not after having freed her from Ragnarok’s grasp. She’s essentially invisible to him now, so long as she remains a safe distance away.”
Miriam reached up to pinch the bridge of her nose, her eyes shut, her brow furrowed. “I know,” she agreed. “But you will make it clear that there are no conditions placed on her. Officially, she is not indebted to you, even if she continues to feel that way.” She took a deep breath. “Love, you don’t understand how indebtedness works for us. There’s a significant difference between her feeling like she owes you, and an official obligation to be requited. For what you’ve done, the requirement could very well be permanent servitude, and I’ll not have it. I’ll not have her in such a binding position under you, certainly not for eternity.”
“I understand,” I replied gently, knowing I’d feel the same if the roles were reversed, though I really didn’t have a problem with her request either way. I’d never intended on actually demanding that Ruth repay what I’d done. I just made that proposition in order to accomplish getting her to accept my offer by framing it in a way she’d more easily accept.
Because in Ruth’s head, people didn’t do things selflessly. They always had a self-seeking goal, as was the kind of world she grew up in as a powerful Ryujin surrounded by people who always wanted something from her.
But honestly, there wasn’t a lot she could offer me anyway. Politically, I was already about as high as I could be, whereas a General who was weaker than Ruth might want to exploit her power once she returned to full health. And of course, I had no doubt they might try to exploit her in other more depraved ways too.
But either way, Miriam was right. I needed to finally let her know I’d made it all up. She was free to do as she wished from now on.
Technically, with our connection, I could do it now – open the metaphorical door and speak with Ruth – but I figured it would be better for all three of us to have that conversation in person.
However, it might have to wait after all, since it seemed we had a visitor – the individual I’d sensed earlier was almost here now, this location clearly their destination. I went ahead and tried to reach out to them, to see who it was and possibly try speaking to them, but surprisingly I couldn’t.
I could only sense their presence and nothing more.
Miriam and I exchanged a glance, knowing this Ryujin was within speaking range for family now, with neither of us having any idea why we couldn’t talk to them. Quickly turning around, we both headed out of the cavern and ascended into the sky, moving to hover above the western courtyard where I’d first dropped Ruth off.
Neither of our new residence were in sight, but that only lasted for a few seconds, before Ruth dashed into the courtyard and leapt into the sky to join us.
“Who is it?” she asked seriously, her attention respectfully on Miriam.
“We don’t know,” I replied honestly, causing her gold gaze to dart towards me briefly. “And this is my beloved Miriam, by the way. I know you haven’t been formally introduced.”
Ruth bowed in the air towards her, bending at the waist, an unasked question about Miriam’s position in society popping into her mind – one which I responded to without thinking, not having realized I’d opened the door when we’d begun talking.
“Yes, your assessment of her power is correct. She is the sixth Ruler.” I paused. “And I am the seventh to join, which is where the authority, to do as I did, comes from – though I still might have done it either way.”
Ruth didn’t raise her head, her body stiffening in its current position, her black hair hiding her face.
Miriam interjected, assuming the reason for her reaction. “You and your son are welcome to stay here, if you so desire, but you are under no obligation to do as we ask, outside of our authority of Rulers. You are not indebted to my beloved, and do not need to repay any debts you may perceive to owe him.”
She hesitated, still bowed. “But then…Jericho?”
“I lied,” I admitted, prompting her to jerk upright in shock. “I only told you that I’d made a deal with someone else, so that you’d accept my offer. Otherwise, I was confident you’d assume I had a hidden motive that would later cause you to regret my generosity.” I shrugged. “And it worked. But what my beloved says is true. I’ve made no deals with anyone, nor do I expect any form of repayment from you. I simply did it because I wanted to.”
“I don’t understand. Then why help us? You didn’t even know me.” However, the moment the words left her mouth, her brow furrowed, as if she was suddenly deep in thought.
I didn’t focus on it for long though, instead turning to see who was coming at an accelerated pace, having continued to speed up as the individual flew.
I honestly didn’t know who to expect, but was truly shocked by who I did see.
Jericho.
Of all people, why her?
And why could I sense her presence? We’d never met in the last time loop.
Miriam and I exchanged a glance as she began slowing down, her icy eyes wide as she focused on the gold eyed demon floating close by.
“Ruth?!” Jericho said in shock. “I-Is that you?!”
“Jericho?” Ruth replied in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
The person in question finally stopped as she focused on me and Miriam. “Well, I…” Her voice trailed off, her brow furrowed. “You,” she then said, staring straight at me, her brow furrowed. “I know you…Why do I know you?”
Chapter 29: Inauguration
While lying in bed, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling like I could breathe again, even though I didn’t technically need to. But the tightness in my chest was finally gone, and had been for the last couple of Gradus, all thanks to both Jericho and Ruth.
Because Jericho remembered me, even though she hadn’t met me in the previous time loop. And Ruth recalled meeting me too, nearly at the same time, the recollection of our conversation, when I had been trying to avoid Jericho, coming back to her. But not only that. When I reached out to touch Jericho’s consciousness – not as an attempt to sync with her, but to only try to figure out why I couldn’t speak with her telepathically – our minds were suddenly linked, just like how it was before.
Essentially, rather than a room being created when I first pulled her into my head, it was as if the room was already there, and touching her consciousness after she remembered me was just like her standing at the front door as usual, the same as how Ruth was now too.
At first, I didn’t understand how it was possible for them to remember, especially when I had been getting older, while everyone else was just on repeat.
But then I recalled something my sister had told me the moment I realized I didn’t have a body in the future.
‘Brother, you can only truly have one body. And right now, your body isn’t here. Only your mind. Only your soul.’
One body.
Everyone only had one body.
But that didn’t necessarily mean that my sister was implying people could have multiple renditions of their minds either. And if each person could only have one body, and only one mind - even despite the time loop – then that could only mean one thing.
The Miriam with me was the same Miriam, and the fact that our minds were fully synced wasn’t the only reason why she remembered everything. She remembered, because it had always been the same person, every single time – both in mind and body, it had been the same Miriam.
Obviously, my body had aged physically at least a little, but maybe I was assuming too much by thinking that I had aged at least a year…
Or, that I was the only person mentally on repeat.
After all, I was forgetting each time. So then, was it possible that everyone was on repeat? That everyone was forgetting, just like I had been?
The more I thought about it, and the more I debated it with myself, the more it seemed like a very real possibility.
Although that still left the confusing fact that our names were carved in the cavern, combined with the fact that Ruth was with us in the castle, the two events happening in different time loops. In a way, it was almost like the various renditions of the timeline had overlapped, sort of merging and averaging out as they combined.
Or, it was even possible that all of our minds and bodies – not just for us, but for the whole world – were simply traveling the same stretch of road over and over, creating a sort of living kinetic energy with our actions, all of which either canceled out or else propelled its motion onto the physical structure of the universe at the final intersection.
Though I still didn’t fully understand what ended the cycle.
And in all honesty, I had zero idea what the actual truth was overall, but I was now confident I hadn’t lost my beloved. She had always been with me, every single time, being there for me when I needed her most. Even when I rejected her, in fear that it wasn’t truly her, thinking that I’d lost the true Miriam, she’d still been there for me.
And that truth – that fact – was only reinforced when my love did recall something that I hadn’t directly experienced.
Just like Ruth and Jericho were slowly remembering more and more details of the other time loops – specifically the divergences – Miriam also unexpectedly recalled losing me the very first time, prior to my sister’s intervention.
And my beloved remembered ending her own life a couple of days later…by flying into the sun, unable to live without me.
Yes, a couple of days later, once she truly accepted that I was gone forever.
We both realized simultaneously that the moment when the time loop ended, with the sun vanishing right before my eyes, was the exact same moment when Miriam’s life ended the very first time.
Meaning, the loop stretched from my original death, to her original death, repeating over and over again after my sister intervened.
But then, why did it keep repeating? And why did it stop when it did?
If I had to guess, my assumption was that I was causing the problem – by running away. Had I not warped that very first time, and all the times following, then this might have ended with the first loop, along with none of us having any idea that another version of reality had ever existed.
Or maybe we would have remembered, since Miriam did now, but there would have only been the two versions to recall, not several hundred.
Granted, it didn’t feel like several hundred, since so many of them had played out exactly the same.
But then, truly, I was the anomaly. Because I could bend space to my will, much like how my sister had some capacity to bend spacetime to her will. I was the variable my sister hadn’t accounted for – the problem in her solution, throwing everything off. She would put me back in time, only for me to reappear in her future, not understanding why it was happening. Not understanding where the problem was coming from.
If I had been incapable of warping, something I had always been unaware of in almost every single loop – except for the last few times – then it was very possible there would never have been a true loop. Instead, there would have been just one alternative future that led directly into a merged timeline where Miriam and I still existed.
Granted, our survival still seemed like it would modify the whole future, but I supposed if everyone had died in Amelia’s version of reality, then no one would notice – not that they would notice anyway. I mean, it was one thing for a Ryujin to recall different versions of reality, but would the weaker minded humans be able to perceive the difference?
Maybe they’d get a sense of déjà vu, or something, but the fact that demons could communicate telepathically, and the fact they overall had strong minds, seemed to be the only reason why they could recall experiencing the same couple of days repeatedly.
Not to mention, the fact that I remembered before anyone else did. There was no doubt that my mind was the strongest of the Ryujin, which seemed to reinforce that theory.
But the fact that any of us could exist after dying also implied that people’s minds had to survive past death, whether that be in the form of a soul, as some religions believed, or something else. Because my sister had been able to bring me back, saving my body when my mind was still in it, even though my body was gone in her version of reality. And, she’d been able to do the same for Miriam, even if indirectly.
Not to mention all those people who were dead in her future, but who would hopefully continue to exist in our future version of reality, so long as I could try to prevent that horrible outcome from happening.
However, all of that would be something to worry about at a different date.
For now, I was just thankful to finally be with my love after all we’d been through, and hopeful that I could be reintroduced to the other Rulers as one of their own. From their perspective, I disappeared in a blinding light several Gradus ago, Miriam went to go look for me, and then they all came back home to announce that the cessation on turning more humans had been lifted for certain circumstances, such as for those who desired to find a partner.
The fight with Ragnarok never happened, though if Ruth and Jericho remembered aspects of the divergences in the recent time loops, then it made me wonder if he might recall too. Still, he knew nothing of the time loops themselves, and should have no idea that it was real at any point in time.
To him, it would be like a confusing dream – one that didn’t make sense given that it hadn’t happened despite the ‘memory’ of the occurrence. Maybe he would even think it was some kind of illusion or delusion.
And worse case scenario, even if he did remember, I couldn’t be punished for something that hadn’t actually occurred – not that he could punish me anyway. Because he’d also be aware that I could defeat him if I so desired, and while the Dragon coming was still an issue, the same stalemate remained – if I was going to end up dying, then there was no way in hell he was going to get to live. Thus, provoking me into doing something that would bring the Dragon would mean his own death, a wager I was sure he wouldn’t risk.
He certainly desired to maintain his position on top, but he wasn’t suicidal.
And I was also reassured by the fact that the Dragon didn’t particularly care about him being injured, instead only being interested in the divergences in time, which meant it was likely she would now only come if someone actually killed an Original.
And ultimately, worst case scenario, while I didn’t want to rely on it, I knew my sister would probably try to bring me back again…
But either way, Ragnarok had never been injured in this version of reality, meaning that my fists had never collided with is face, and that was what truly mattered. I knew this was especially true, because while Jericho could recall getting tortured, she had never actually been harmed and, more importantly to her, Seth was still alive – perfectly safe and healthy.
Not to mention, there was also the possibility that Ruth and Jericho only recalled because of their connection with me. For all we knew, no one else would notice that there were divergences in their memories.
Only time would tell, but I felt secure in the fact that our problems would be over now. Because really there had only been one problem – my becoming a Ryujin. Everything stemmed from that event, and now that I was a Ryujin, everything should be different. Technically, even Ragnarok should play nice now, assuming I followed the rules like anyone else and didn’t proclaim my intentions of murdering anyone.
So, we could now face eternity together. At peace. With each other, forever.
‘Ready?’ Miriam asked uneasily, pulling me from my own thoughts, her arm wrapped tightly around my waist.
We were already at her father�
�s castle, waiting on the other Rulers to come into the massive cathedral-like throne room where we patiently stood, in order for them to officially accept me into their ranks, as well as to introduce me to the Ryujin populace as the seventh.
Neither of us really wanted to do this right now, simply because of the unknowns, as well as the fact that we didn’t want to see Ragnarok, but it had to be done. We couldn’t just hide out in our home forever.
However, as Enkidu and Lilith came into the room first – a pitch-black shadow with icy blue eyes, contrasted sharply against an angel with Jericho’s overall appearance – I was informed the awkward reintroduction might come later.
Enkidu was slightly shorter than Ragnarok, but overall had the same coloring, the only major difference being the color of their irises. And then, of course, Lilith was the source of the appearance for nearly half the Ryujin race.
I kept my gaze mostly on Enkidu though, because Lilith was kind of…lusty, for lack of a better term, somehow being lean while also being thick in all the right spots. Her overflowing chest was several times larger than Miriam’s or Jericho’s, making it seem like the draconic hands serving as a top were barely able to contain her. Not to mention the fact that the rest of her was well proportioned, her waist being thin despite her wide hips.
I definitely felt a little awkward looking at her, like I was seeing more than I should, even despite the normal attire for our race.
“Welcome Michael,” Enkidu said politely. “On behalf of ourselves, and Ragnarok, allow us to express our sincerest regrets for making the last hours of your human life difficult. At the time, we were only trying to spare the loss of our youngest, not being aware that she was already so attached, or that Gilgamesh had sought out remediations with the Animarum.” He paused, glancing at Miriam before continuing. “It’s been decided that Ragnarok will not be coming at this time, so you can ease your anxiety. Reconciliations are to be postponed for a different time.”
Demon Seer 2 Page 31
