The sight before us should be something that is heartwarming—a peaceful interaction after a fierce battle. However, since we knew what would happen next, I felt a stinging pain in my chest.
As I looked at them interact, I noticed that Fatima’s body started cracking at the same time as the Sealed Space did. It slowly spread from the tips of her fingers to her arms, quickly spreading up to her neck.
“…!”
Was it that fast before? I believe it was a little slower. Feeling a tad panicked, I turned to Ember.
“Is it done?!”
I know that she was already rushing to create it, but the approaching “end” was something that I never wanted to see again. Ember’s brows furrowed as the objects floated before she started assembling at a faster pace. In just a few moments, she finished the rough shape of what looked like a box cutter.
“Here, it’s done!”
As soon as she finished, she chucked the object to me, which I grabbed out of the air, meeting it halfway before it even reached me. Without wasting a moment, I quickly swung the cutter against the thin membrane that was covering us.
*SHHIIIIIIIIIIN!*
However, as if metal had just slid against metal, only a shrill sound was released. There wasn’t even a scratch on the film, as if it were invulnerable.
“Sorry, Master! But it looks like the presence of two sets of [us] in the same time-space is making the film reject our entry!”
“You what?!”
So does that mean we can’t do anything until our past selves leave this space? Come on!
I gritted my teeth, staring at Fatima, whose body’s disintegration was accelerating, going faster and faster. Was it due to my interference before that she was like this? But if it’s because of that, then I can just interfere again right now!
I quickly activated the Flames of Evolution and Flames of Regression, simultaneously lighting them up. My body got covered in orange and black flames as energy started surging inside me.
Using the energy I had just gained, I quickly used Minerva’s Psychic abilities to try and limit the disintegration of Fatima’s body. It was hard, though, and required me to literally pour out all my usable energy just to stop it for a few seconds. .𝘤𝑜𝑚
However, those few seconds were more than enough.
“Now!”
The three of them, our past selves, finally started to leave the Sealed Space. The look of despair on my younger self was something that I would never ever let myself or any of my girls show anymore!
Just as they vanished into a flash of light, I swung the Box Cutter down against the film. This time, a blast of sparks flew, scarring the arm that was holding the cutter.
“Ugh!”
It hurts like hell! However, it wasn’t enough to stop me!
Another swing and a crack finally appeared. The wind gushed in from the gap, mixing with the stale air inside our small area and letting me feel a brief coolness as it swept against my sweat-covered face.
As I was doing that, I saw Fatima fall on her back, lying on the ground. Her face was the definition of satisfaction, but her eyes were filled with loneliness and regret. The smile she had, cracking as time passed, was slowly vanishing.
*CRACK!*
At last, after the fourth strike, just when my right arm was no longer able to hold the cutter and when the two flames around me got all used up, the space was opened wide enough for us to pass.
“Fatima!”
I called her name as I rushed to her side.
“… Will?!”
As soon as she saw me, her eyes widened in surprise. Her voice, one that I longed to hear again, echoed sweetly, like a symphony, in my ears.
“Why did you return?! You… No… I see.”
She was just about to scold me but then changed her mind. Her expression relaxed, as if finally at ease.
“So you returned to the past just to save an old woman like me? Hehe.”
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks, but even that was overtaken by the cracks covering her entire body. I could see that she was almost covered in cracks. Her right arm and left leg had already vanished into the air, dispersing as golden particles of light.
Time slowed down as my mind started running overtime. Ideas passed and got rejected quickly as I searched for a way to save her. Ember’s face was covered in a deep frown as she bit her lips, while Minerva was looking over in pity and worry.
An idea came to me, and I quickly pulled her gun out of my [Spatial Storage]. As soon as I held it in my hands, I placed it against her chest, wishing for the best.
“…!”
As if time stopped, the spreading cracks halted. Even Fatima was slightly surprised to see that her body, supposedly about to vanish, remained firmly in place.
“Will… Thank you for trying, but it’s fine. Seeing you again, just before I vanish, all grown up and all, is more than enough.”
She muttered in a weak, satisfied, and teary voice.
Although the cracking of her body stopped, the destruction of the Sealed space was still continuing. Even if they extended her life, if they couldn’t leave in time, then all four of them would just die together as they got stuck in the void of space.
Inside, I felt that her words were reasonable. After all, I currently had no way of saving her, as much as I hated it. The idea of coming back again, jumping to the past once more, flashed past, but I quickly denied it. Even if another “me” came from a further future, it was already too late to switch out with him.
I gnashed my teeth so hard that my gums bled. The taste of blood slightly made my brain work again, and I turned to Ember. As if she read my mind, she turned around and waved her hands.
Space Energy swirled around her, and using that, she tried to slow down the process of the entire space breaking down. It should be able to buy them some time, but it was only for a minute at most.
Was it a bad idea to have come here this early? Is it going to end in disaster just because I rushed it a little?
No! Never! I will never give up.
I held Fatima’s body, which turned light enough that I wouldn’t even think I was carrying a person, and glared at the dark red sky.
“YOU’RE LISTENING RIGHT NOW, RIGHT?! HELP ME SAVE FATIMA, I BEG YOU!”
I roared to the top of my lungs, ignoring the blood that flew as my throat got damaged. It was my last resort, relying on my Taming System’s Crowned Successor title to beg for the System’s help.
I know the system has helped me a few times already, so I think I had a fair chance of receiving help this time too. But it was still a gamble either way.
[*Ping*! Place the Sealed Space’s Core near her body.]
A clear female voice echoed in my ears, instructing me. It was slightly different from the robotic voice of the system, but nevertheless, I still followed it.
I turned to Minerva, who was watching with bated breath, and stretched my right hand.
“The Core!”
“…!”
Without missing a beat, she quickly passed the Sealed Space’s Core to me. As instructed, I placed it on top of Fatima’s body, right above the rifle.
As soon as I did so, I felt that “something” inside the rifle move. The three of them melted into streams of bright light: the red light of the rifle, the purple light of the core, and the golden light of Fatima. The three colors quickly meshed together, mixing without any unevenness.
As this process finished, the final light, which turned completely golden, slowly changed shape, returning to its rifle form. I caught it gently as it fell to the ground and checked the energy inside it.
“…”
There were three, no, four energies mixing together in a complex pattern. One was definitely the gun’s core energy, the other was the sealed space’s core energy, and the other was Fatima’s own energy. For the last one, I was completely clueless.
“M-Master!”
Ember’s panicked voice echoed loudly, bringing me back to reality. She was holding back the cracking of the entire space, but she alone couldn’t stop it for long. She was already past her limit and only holding on out of sheer will!
“It’s complete! Let’s go back!”
I declared as I hugged the rifle tightly, leading the two back to the slowly recovering crack in the film earlier. As soon as we entered, Ember quickly closed it using her own Space energy. Unlike when trying to break it, fixing it was easy; it didn’t even take a second to complete.
As soon as they closed the gap, the view outside quickly deteriorated. Everything was swallowed by darkness, as if nothing ever existed there in the first place.
I heaved a sigh of relief. Now, we only need to return… but…
“… How can we return to our timeline?”