A flicker of confusion passed across Lucarion’s face.

"You’re asking if it’s [N O V E L I G H T] true that your Papa can’t remember you?"

"Uh-huh!"

Lucarion thought for a moment, then asked back:

"Why are you asking that?"

Tie hesitated and lowered her gaze.

"Well... Papa seems to have gotten a little nicer to Tie."

"Nicer?"

"Uh-huh! When Tie said she’s a child, he started treating me better! He doesn’t say bad things and doesn’t look scary anymore!"

"......."

"That means there’s hope, right......? Maybe one day Papa will remember that Tie is actually his daughter!"

Silence filled the room.

Tie waited for Lucarion to speak.

After a long time, he said:

"To be honest, the probability is low."

Tie’s eyes widened in disappointment.

Lucarion took her hand and led her to the soft sofa.

"But your Papa may unconsciously recall fragments from Korea."

"Really?!"

"Yes."

Lucarion held out his hand.

Black specks began to gather above his palm and formed into several old sheets of paper.

"I took these from the Imperial Library."

Tie swallowed and lay down on the floor.

Lucarion spread the pages in a row.

The faded paper was densely covered in unfamiliar, winding symbols.

"They’re written in an ancient language... but the topic is spatial magic—more precisely, time magic."

Pupu and Marbas came closer and stared at the sheets as well.

Lucarion pointed to the lines one by one.

"The words ‘Orta’ and ‘Rundel’ appear here."

Where his finger passed, ink marks appeared on their own.

Tie didn’t even blink, listening intently.

"Orta is one who was born within the original flow. Rundel is one who changed while carrying a fracture of time."

Lucarion looked at Tie.

"You, Tie, in this world—you are Rundel. We came from the future."

Tie’s eyes spun.

But a moment later, she answered brightly:

"Tie knows that too! Here, Tie hasn’t even been born yet, right?"

"Correct."

Lucarion pointed to the next sheet.

"That’s why it’s natural that people here don’t know you. And that your Papa doesn’t remember you. But."

"......."

"It also describes anomalies that occur because the essence of Orta and Rundel is the same."

Tie’s lips parted.

Lucarion raised his hand—the sheets rustled and unfolded in the air.

Complex diagrams and symbols flashed rapidly before Tie’s eyes. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"On the day of the duel, you absorbed Tesetan’s magic. Do you remember?"

Tie nodded quickly.

That day, she had felt a surging, explosive force around Papa.

And Papa had been in terrible pain because of it.

When she ran over to help—

Tie had instinctively drawn that power in.

"In truth, you didn’t just absorb your Papa’s power."

"Th-then......?"

"You also gave him a portion of your magic at the same time. Your Papa unconsciously took it to balance holy power and magic."

Tie’s lips fell open.

"Of course, your own reserves are so vast that you didn’t notice. But situations like that cause a ‘time magic anomaly.’"

One of the floating sheets stopped before Tie’s eyes.

"‘At the moment when the aura of a future Rundel mixes with a sentient being of this world, there is an extremely small probability that the being will see events of the future. Because it is simultaneously the future and the memory of the Rundel.’"

Tie’s eyes widened.

Holding her breath, she asked:

"Then... Papa remembered too?"

She grabbed Lucarion’s hand.

"Aura means magic, right? If Tie’s magic and Papa’s mixed, then he could remember that in Korea they were a family, right?"

Lucarion seated her on the sofa.

And answered calmly:

"It’s unknown. It says ‘extremely small probability.’"

Tie’s eyes dimmed.

But soon she muttered:

"No. Papa will definitely remember! If Tie gives magic again and takes Papa’s......!"

"It doesn’t work like that."

"Then......?"

"The anomaly only occurs at the very first moment when the magic mixes. Your magic and your Papa’s already mixed on the day of the duel. Even if you exchange magic again, it won’t work the same way."

Tie fell silent.

So magic was like paint.

In art class, Tie had learned about watercolors.

If you mix two colors, you can’t separate them again.

And Papa’s magic and Tie’s magic were the same.

'It already mixed on the day of the duel.'

That meant the time magic anomaly could only have happened then.

Lucarion gently patted Tie’s back.

"If an anomaly occurred that day, your Papa will gradually begin to remember something. Then we’ll know."

Tie nodded weakly.

"It’s okay, Tie. Even if it doesn’t work, I’ll find a way."

"Kyuu......."

Marbas and Pupu, distressed, rubbed against her legs.

A heavy silence settled over the room.

But suddenly—

"......No! Before that, Tie will do something herself."

Tie sprang to her feet.

Marbas was sent rolling across the floor.

Lucarion asked in surprise:

"What are you going to do?"

Tie smiled proudly.

"You’ll see tomorrow!"

And she ran out of the room.

"......."

Only Pupu, Marbas, and Lucarion remained.

After a short silence, the entire space was suddenly flooded with blinding white light.

Where Pupu had been, a red mist rose, and soon a man with long hair appeared.

Silver hair spilled over his shoulders—Pupu, or rather Krazar, removed the elephant mask.

"Lizard."

His dark blue eyes, like a galaxy, opened.

He raised his hand, and the sheets Lucarion had summoned flew toward him.

With long nails, he pulled out one sheet and spoke grimly:

"Mother... will disappear?"

Lucarion lifted his head.

Krazar continued:

"It is clearly written here in the ancient records. At the moment when Orta and Rundel coexist, Rundel disappears. What are you going to do?"

"......."

"You want to prevent the birth of future Mother—the Orta of this world? Even then, the outcome will not change."

If Tie is not born in this timeline, then future Tie cannot exist.

And whether she is born in seven years or not—

the current Tie will disappear regardless.

Krazar’s voice trembled with pain.

"There is only one way for Mother not to disappear and remain in this world."

"......."

"Never meet anyone. Live alone, forgotten by all."

A grinding sound escaped between his teeth.

"Then Mother will have to leave her family again. And this time, with no hope of ever meeting them again."

"......."

"Family. These companions—and anyone at all—if she meets even one person, she will scatter into dust."

Krazar’s darkened eyes flared.

"Lizard. Why did you bring Mother to this world? Why did you take her life away from that world? If she had stayed there, she would have lived at least seven more years—maybe longer!"

Lucarion’s face darkened.

After a long time, he answered in a trembling voice:

"......Astie couldn’t live there alone. The old woman who took care of her fell ill."

Krazar’s brow twitched.

"And no one else could support her. Of course, there were orphanages for children without parents, but......"

Lucarion lifted his gaze.

"Astie didn’t want that."

"......What do you mean?"

"Astie said that even one day spent beside her Papa was better than staying there alone."

Lucarion clenched his fist and turned away.

Black smoke immediately swallowed him.

Transforming back into a small dragon, he looked at Krazar.

"I will find a way. So be quiet and just wait."