But suddenly, Valor's expression slightly changed as if someone had just prevented him, but Aiden didn't notice anything.
Then Valor's voice came.
"Well, let me purify you first from corruption."
Aiden became extremely surprised because it's common knowledge that the minimum requirement for doing that is at least a seven-circle knight — Finite Knight — or a seven-circle mage — Archmage.
Aiden could not believe his ears at what he heard, so he asked,
"You could do it? But it's only the—"
But before he could finish his sentence, Valor cut him off and said,
"No need to be so dramatic. I know what you're saying. Normally, I can't do it either, but my eyes are special and have many unique abilities that I got in the Stream Of Eternity, so don't be too dramatic."
"Stream Of Eternity?" Aiden exclaimed.
Though Aiden is pretty young, he has sharp wits unlike his peers, so he instantly connected it to his dream and thought,
'...that dream is not only symbolism but it has its literal meanings too...'
But Aiden's surprise didn't stop there as he felt goosebumps all over his body. For what reason did Valor have to tell him all of this?
But suddenly, his mind jolted and he felt dread all over his body, even greater than before.
When Valor asked Aiden to speak in private, Aiden never expected to ask Valor questions.
But somehow he kept asking him things as if they were friends, and Valor kept answering.
It felt strange.
Valor was the one giving permission, telling everything freely, yet from Aiden's perspective it felt natural.
It took him this long to realize something was wrong.
Something was influencing him subtly.
SNAP
Then Aiden heard a loud snapping sound as his mind buzzed. He became still and motionless.
All of the surroundings stopped — vehicles, pedestrians, birds, air, even particles. Everything within a hundred meters became isolated from the world.
No one outside noticed anything and continued their work as usual.
Then—
A woman of impossible beauty stood before Valor.
Her face was delicate yet touched with a quiet maturity that made her seem timeless rather than young. Her pale, radiant skin carried a soft glow, as if she did not quite belong to this world.
Her eyes were deep and unreadable, and her silky hair fell smoothly down her back, both constantly shifting into strange and unfamiliar colors.
She wore a long blood-red gown that brushed the ground as she walked, giving her the calm, graceful presence of a deity — like a dream made flesh.
As she appeared beside Valor, strangely, the air around them began to flow as if nature itself was giving them oxygen to breathe.
The mysterious woman said to Valor,
★Looks like he noticed★
★Yeah★ said Valor.
Then the woman said again,
★This certainly is interesting. I used only low-level magic, but he is still able to sense it. Wonderful★
Then Valor said,
★Why do you insist on me telling all of this? We can still do much better★
Then the woman said slowly,
★I know, but his fate connects with 'Him', so I want to see how far he can go. But don't worry, this does not affect his mind — well, as long as my curiosity isn't satisfied★
Valor said,
★Didn't you see enough?★
Then Valor said again,
★You're the Last Timekeeper. What fate does he carry other than destruction, for you to be this curious?★
The woman said,
★Well, you'll know soon enough. But your acting has certainly improved very much. What did you say? Ah — you can get rid of the corruption★
Then she chuckled and said,
★Well, you're certainly able to fool him without much effort★
Then the woman lifted her hand and said,
♦Purification♦
Then she continued,
★I got rid of the corruption and placed some dark mana around him. So when you use your Eyes of the Beginning, it will dispel the dark mana and give the impression that you removed his corruption. So fool him well. And don't forget to tell him that his luck has become extremely minus because of this★
Valor said,
★But you have the ability to get rid of this minus luck, so why leave it be? And as far as I know, it only has a slight effect on luck for seven days★
★Hahahaaa… ah yes, you're right. But I made his luck extremely minus for seven days★
★Why?★ asked Valor, as he didn't see any point in doing this.
Then the woman said,
★If not, it will not be entertaining★
Then the woman snapped her finger.
SNAP...
A loud snap echoed throughout the surroundings and everything became normal.
Aiden looked blankly, as if he had forgotten something very important.
Then Valor's voice broke him out of his reverie.
"So, let's begin."
Then Valor's eyes began to glow and almost invisible magic circles formed within them.
White light came out and enveloped Aiden as he watched it in awe.
Though he felt like he forgot something, he was nonetheless amazed by Valor's capability.
Then something dark came out of Aiden's body — or so he thought — and vanished into thin air.
Aiden felt very refreshed.
Actually, what Valor cast was a buff, something exclusive to mages, but somehow Valor cast it through his eyes.
That's why Aiden felt refreshed, giving him the false impression.
Then Valor said,
"So now that you're free from corruption… it's time for you to know what happened in the previous timeline."
"Tale of Fractured Memories"