It took the better part of an hour to explain the situation to Ayla. Initially, it seemed like she couldn’t believe it. Time travel was already so rare that it was thought to be a mythical ability. Even then, the myths and legends only told of localized, small-scale time reversals. Not repeated long-term timeline resets. Levi Ironwood’s regression magic was in a realm beyond the gods, perhaps even beyond the Goddess herself.
However, the more Levi spoke, the more understanding bloomed in Ayla’s face – and with it, the more dread and grief. Unlike the two of them, Ayla had actually witnessed Levi’s change in real-time. Had seen him come down from his room one day looking so very tired. It was one thing for her to discover that her older brother had died, but to learn that her older brother had been a regressor on top of that? Someone who’d gone back in time, someone who had died thousands of thousands of times, all so he could try to save the world?
Try to save her?
“He always looked at me with such intensity,” Ayla said in scarcely a whisper. “It frightened me sometimes. It was as though he were afraid I’d disappear at any moment, so he had to carve my face into his memory. I didn’t… I never realized it was because…”
Her voice choked up, and she fell silent, unable to finish her words.
Levi hesitated, trying to figure out what to say. In retrospect, perhaps he should’ve waited a bit before telling Ayla. The wound from learning about her older brother’s death had barely scabbed over, so fresh that it was, and Levi had effectively just skewered it a dozen more times with a salt-coated skewer.
Though, he had felt it would’ve been worse to hide the truth from her.
She of all people deserved to know.
Before Levi could say anything more, though, Selene spoke up. She had been silent throughout Levi’s entire explanation, just standing silently off to the side, her stare piercing into Ayla, so still it was like she was a statue. Levi was pretty sure he even caught her forgetting to breathe a few times. However, now she stepped up, her expression still as unreadable as before.
“I’ve met Levi Ironwood once and only once,” Selene said. “We talked about many things during our conversation, but the one topic I remember most clearly was that I had asked him how he had yet to go mad from all his loops. What drove him to continue putting his mind and soul through one of the most horrific, agonizing, neverending fates that could befall a soul. His answer perplexed me. To this day, I still don’t understand. He said it was because of you.”
Ayla drew in her breath.
“I do not get it,” Selene said, her black eyes boring into Ayla. “I’ve been examining you for the past hour, but you don’t seem to be anything special. Just another ordinary human girl. How are you the reason?”
Ayla’s eyes were wide as she looked unseeingly back at her. She didn’t seem to have heard what Selene just said. “He said it was because of me…?”
“Yes, we’ve established that already,” Selene said, almost impatiently. “My question is why. There must be something I’m missing.”
Ayla’s eyes flashed. “That much is obvious. Then again, you are a demon after all, arch or otherwise. I’m not surprised.”
“I sense animosity in your voice,” Selene said curiously. “If I offended you, I apologize. It was not my intention. I merely wish to understand.”
Ayla deflated. “It’s not something that can be explained,” she said quietly. Then she turned to Levi. “So, what now? You’re going to leave for the ‘Source’?”
Levi nodded. “There’s a good chance that either the Devourer will be there, or we’ll find a clue on how to track it down–”
“The what?”
Levi paused. “The Devourer,” he said slowly. “I explained it earlier. It’s the entity that’s consuming the lifespans of everyone in this world.”
Ayla looked at him blankly. “What do you mean? You never said anything about that.”
…
Levi tensed up, practically hurling his magic outward. Selene tensed up in turn and raised her hands to defend, her dress of shadows coming to life, but she wasn’t his target. His magic filled the room and scanned every nook and cranny for external magical influences. It found nothing.
“Memory magic?” Levi hissed, his eyes flicking around. He sensed no interference in the room. It was only him, Selene, and Ayla. “No, an anti-perception field?” He whirled back to Ayla. “What did I just tell you about?”
Ayla looked at him, puzzled. “Nothing.”
“Really? Then why is my magic active?”
Ayla’s brows furrowed, scrunching together. “I… I don’t know.”
“Don’t know, or can’t remember?”
“I-Is there a difference? What’s wrong?”
“Listen to me very carefully,” Levi said, taking care to enunciate each word clearly. His magic whirled around him and coalesced into multiple defensive shields. Even more of his magic flitted around searching for even the slightest trace of foreign magic or influence. “Levi Ironwood’s enemy, my enemy, is the Devourer. Do you know what I just said?”
“Of course,” Ayla said. “You just said that your enemy is… is…” Her face twisted in strain. “I-I don’t know. You’re up against some enemy, but…” Her eyes clenched shut. “I can’t remember. Why can’t I remember?!”
Levi cursed. He turned to Selene. “Was it like this in your old world?”
Selene hesitated, looking pensive. “I’m not certain. We only found out about the Devourer at the very end, when there were less than a thousand of us left and all our Time was already drained. We had thought it was just very well-hidden. But now… This would explain why nobody had detected it until then.”
But how? How did it function? Was it some sort of memory alteration embedded into the namespace? Or was it some mechanism that prevented anyone from even being able to perceive or register it?
Levi didn’t know, and for once his True Sight wasn’t revealing anything. He felt cold, his hairs standing on end.
“It hurts,” Ayla said, her expression still strained. “But I… I think I can–”
Levi’s eyes widened. “Stop!” he snapped. Ayla obeyed immediately, looking at him with a dazed expression. Levi quickly knelt down in front of her, peering into her eyes. Thank goodness, it didn’t seem like she suffered any lasting damage. “Never force it. It’s alright. You don’t have to remember.”
Ayla looked upset with herself. “My older brother died thousands of times, yet I can’t even…”
“He died so you could survive and be well,” Levi said. “I assume he didn’t want you to melt your brain.” He sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ll figure it out later.”
Did this anti-perception magic affect everyone in this world? Did it affect high-tiers to the same degree? What about nonhumans? And was there a way to break it?
And, most importantly…
A pit began growing heavier in his stomach. Why were only he and Selene not affected?
…
Neither of them were bound by this world’s System. His System was locked, and Selene was connected to her old world’s System.
Shit. That was right. The old Levi Ironwood had never sensed the Devourer before in all his loops. It wasn’t until this current timeline that he finally sensed the Devourer’s ominous presence and wrote about it in his diary.
It appeared the Devourer had hijacked the System’s connection to every living being to simultaneously drain their Time but also to induce some sort of anti-perception effect. That was why his counterpart had only sensed, and observed, the Devourer during this current timeline after he’d severed his connection with the System.
That meant the System might be more corrupted than Levi had originally thought. Fuck. That could be bad.
At any rate…
“You’re still able to remember that I’m headed to the Source, right?”
Ayla nodded. “Where is it? I’ve never heard of it before.”
Levi opened his mouth to speak, then paused. He turned to Selene. “You never answered me earlier in the Restricted Sanctum. Where, and what, is the Source?”
Selene was silent for a moment.
“I don’t know.”
“...”
“...”
“I only know of its existence, but it differs across worlds,” Selene clarified. “I am not omniscient, nor am I a seer. The other Levi Ironwood seemed to know where it was, and evidently he was able to reach it if he was able to restrict his System. However, he didn’t have the time to tell me anything about it.”
“I see.” Levi mulled it over. “Okay. That’s fine. I know someone. A friend.”
With Qorbin out of the country, his best bet was probably Anastasia. Maybe Heimler as well, though Levi didn’t want to answer any awkward questions about why he was searching for the Source.
Levi nodded, making up his mind. “Alright. Let’s head out.”
“Ah,” Selene said. “Do you mind giving me a few days?”
Levi blinked, looking at her. “Why? What’s wrong?”
Selene’s expression didn’t change, but she radiated a vague sensation of displeasure.
“I was trapped inside a prison filled with liquid mana for an entire month. No air, no water, no food. I was forced to enter a suspended death state to survive, and was only just released. I would appreciate some time to recover, Levi Ironwood.”
At this, even Ayla turned to stare at Levi, her eyes narrowed slightly, as though daring him to refuse to show Selene the hospitality of House Ironwood.
Levi sighed. Archdemons these days…
“Very well,” he said. “Take some time to recuperate. It’ll probably take my friend a day or two to arrive anyhow. I’ll show you to the guest room…”
He trailed off as Selene raised a single eyebrow.
“She won’t leave your room?” Ayla asked.
“She won’t leave my room,” Levi said.
He’d walked Ayla back to her room at the end of the hall. Since it was a residential hall of the Ironwood Manor, that meant it was roughly ten meters long. The two stopped before the door, turning to look at each other.
“Are you okay?” Levi asked softly.
Ayla nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
“You sure? If you need to talk about it…”
Ayla gave him a small smile. “Thank you. But I think I just need some time to myself.”
Levi nodded. “Very well. In which case… I should’ve done this long ago, and in truth I owe you an apology for not doing it earlier. I’d say it’d slipped my mind, but the truth is I simply never was in a position like this before.”
Ayla’s brows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?”
Levi merely smiled cryptically. “Hopefully, you’ll never find out.”
With that, he flicked her forehead. She protested immediately, slapping his hand away. She failed to notice the magic that sank into her skin and spread throughout her body, nestling away in a slumber. With any luck, it would never awaken, but…
Levi was not used to caring for people. In his old world, he had no friends or family. Nobody who could be used against him.
The same was not true now. He cared for Ayla, which meant she could be used against him. He’d already inscribed runes on her room to protect her, but she couldn’t remain inside forever. And so, he’d split off a portion of his raw magic and transferred it to her.
It wasn’t a spell, nor a charm. He didn’t shape or manipulate it in any specific way.
All he’d done with it was imbue the simple command to protect. How it would manifest, how it would defend her against enemies, even Levi himself did not know.
But heaven help those who ever found out.
It took Anastasia two days to reach the Ironwood Manor.
Levi ended up having to ask his father, Lord Ironwood, to request her presence. He himself had no clue how to reach Anastasia through either the official or unofficial channels. Lord Ironwood had seemed rather confused by why Levi wanted a High Priestess to come, but at this point he seemed to have accepted that he no longer ran the show, and so he obediently sent out a missive asking Anastasia to come.
During those two days, Selene had remained inside Levi’s room. She refused to leave, even to go to a guest room. At first, Levi hadn’t understood why, but…
She was the final survivor of an entire world. Everyone she knew, every friend and foe, ally and enemy, had perished. Millions if not billions of lives, murdered by an unseen and undetectable enemy.
Of course she wasn’t able to go to sleep unless there was someone else in the same room as her. He was surprised that she was able to sleep at all.
Indeed, her rest seemed to be as disturbed as his used to be. Suffering and torment were written plainly on her face as she slept.
During the day, she read books, primarily history books, to get up to speed. There weren’t many differences between this world and her old one. It appeared that unlike Levi’s world, which was completely unalike, Selene’s old world was more a reflection of this one, with only a few key points of historical divergence.
Finally, two days later, a knock sounded at the door.
“Yes?” Levi called. He didn’t open the door; he didn’t want to risk anyone in the manor seeing Selene in his room. He didn’t want them panicking about an archdemon inside the manor – or worse, an unknown girl lying on his bed.
Incidentally, he’d slept on the floor against the wall for the past two days…
“Your guest has arrived,” the servant responded. “She’s waiting in the drawing room right now.”
The servant left, and Levi waited a minute to make sure the hallways were clear. Then, he and Selene made their way to the drawing room on the second floor.
“Who is your friend, by the way?” Selene asked.
“Her name is Anastasia,” Levi replied absently. He was mentally drafting up questions to ask Anastasia: not only about the Source, but also about the Church’s policy regarding Qorbin. They arrived at the drawing room, and Levi gave a brief knock before pushing open the door and entering into the large chamber. “She’s a–”
He froze.
Anastasia, who was sitting on a plush leather couch, froze.
Selene, who had entered the room behind him, froze.
For several seconds, the room was utterly still. A silence descended upon them.
Then, Anastasia leaped to her feet, her eyes narrowed and filled with a holy light. “Archdemon!” she snarled, the Goddess’s magic suffusing her body with a golden glow.
“Priestess!” Selene snarled right back, eyes gleaming a terrible black as her shadows went into a frenzy.
Fuck, Levi reflected as the two surged at each other. They were both going to blame him for this, huh?
Then, he moved as well.