Regnum Aetern: Dual Rebirth

When Adrian heard his past self speak those words, he was overcome by a strange feeling. This was a very significant memory for him, and he could still recall it vividly, as though it had all happened only yesterday.

’Looks like my initial guess was wrong.’

After witnessing the first memory related to his grandmother and listening to the tale of the legion commander, he had guessed that Immutable was showing him his past trauma.

Although that memory with his grandmother had been very significant to him, he didn’t really think it was the source of any mental trauma. Still, he assumed that it actually was, and he had just not realised it or was subconsciously denying it.

But witnessing this second ’teleportation’ made him certain that his previous assumption was incorrect and that what Immutable was showing him was not related to trauma or something negative.

’From the start, Immutable had been strange.’

In the compendium, there was no mention of the mindscape that had suddenly appeared in Adrian’s head from the moment he awakened Immutable.

More than that, it was important to note that what was written in the compendium was not necessarily a fact. All the information in that book was just the experience of the ability’s previous bearer.

’There were only two bearers of Immutable before me. There was little information on the first one, and everything came from the second bearer. But what if that legion commander did not understand the true nature of immutable?’

But just when he was lost in thought, the world around him changed once again. His past self disappeared, the little girl riding a bicycle disappeared, and the sparsely crowded streets also disappeared.

The first thing his gaze landed on was the young girl with pinkish-purple hair and violet eyes glaring at him, her jaw clenched tight.

Seeing her was enough for him to understand that he was back. As he looked around, everything seemed just as he had seen before he was ’transported’; the people were still standing in the same position, and the commotion hadn’t escalated even a bit.

He had spent quite a lot of time in the memory, but it was as though not a single moment had passed here.

Adrian sighed.

’It was happening so fast that I forgot the main problem. Now, how do I deal with her?’

***

’How could he act this way!’

Evangeline knew that Adrian was only a child, and his current behavior was most likely the result of his upbringing in the Ravenshade family. Still, how could he behave as though it was okay to just walk away without even trying to do anything?

She turned her attention back to the commotion. The middle-aged man was slowly bringing the scorching end of the metal rod closer to the boy’s face while staring at the young man coldly.

’Fine! I’ll do it myself!’

It wasn’t as though she needed Adrian’s help in the first place; she was already capable of stopping that man and saving that boy, all on her own.

The young man was clawing at the ground while grinding his teeth hard. His metal cuffs were glowing more and more intensely.

Just then, his eyes fell on the broken shard of glass lying around.

Evangeline took a deep breath to calm herself and slowly opened her mouth.

⪡"Everyone, I command you to—"⪢

But before she could finish issuing the command using Vox Imperium, the young man’s gaze suddenly settled on the two of them, and his eyes widened. In the next moment, he lunged in their direction.

’What-?!’

His speed was too swift, approaching them before either she or Adrian could properly react. By the time Evangeline’s mind began processing things, the young man was standing behind Adrian while holding a sharp shard of glass to the young boy’s throat.

Evangeline’s blood grew cold as she witnessed the sight.

The beastman, meanwhile, glared at the middle-aged man with his beastly glare and roared.

"Everyone, stop! Don’t even move a muscle! Or else, this child is going to lose his head! I am talking to you, human! Put even a scratch on my brother, and you will see this child die right in front of you!"

His shout echoed through the entire slum.

The middle-aged man stared at him for a bit, then replied in a calm tone.

"Do you think doing this will really stop me? Go ahead, kill him. I will just have to punish you accordingly, just like this little runt of a brother of yours."

The beastman gritted his teeth and slowly pressed Adrian’s neck with the sharp edge of the piece of glass, causing a small cut. A thin stream of blood flowed down from that wound.

The beastman shouted even more intensely.

"Look closer, human! Does this boy look like a child from this slum?! He’s probably the child of another merchant like you! You would still allow him to be killed?! As you said, I am just a tool, your tool! So if this child is killed, then his blood will be on your hands, human!!!"

The middle-aged man paused as his expression twisted into a frown. He stared at Adrian for a bit, and his frown only deepened. Then his gaze turned to Evangeline, and his eyes slowly widened in realisation.

The beastman smirked tensely and further pressed the piece of glass against Adrian’s neck ever so slightly, causing the thin stream of blood constantly flowing down his neck to widen slightly.

The middle-aged man’s expression turned conflicted. All the onlookers focused their attention on him, focusing on the choice he would make.

Watching everything unfold, Evangeline’s mind was in complete chaos.

’Why, why did it suddenly turn out this way? I... Adi, his life is in danger I...’

Even with that piece of glass pressed against his neck, Adrian still remained completely calm. His face was as expressionless as it had always been. It was as though he didn’t even know that his life was in danger.

Yet his confident attitude didn’t make her feel any better. If anything, it made her even more afraid. Since his expression always remained the same, her mind was imagining his lifeless body lying in mud, with his face still expressionless.

It would’ve made her feel better if he had panicked and cried like the child that he was.

’I-I didn’t know, I didn’t know that it would turn out this way, I—’

Just then, she was reminded of what Adrian had said moments ago.

’Let’s get out of here; this place probably isn’t safe for us.’

She froze, as if turned to stone.

’N-no, I—It’s not my fault, I...’

But all her thoughts suddenly paused as Adrian raised his arm in a casual motion and pointed a finger above at the beastman’s face.

His sudden action caused the beastman, the middle-aged man, and even Evangeline to tilt their heads.

The beastman asked with his brow furrowed.

"Child, what is this supposed to be? What are you trying to—?"

Mana suddenly began gathering in Adrian’s raised hand. It twisted strangely and formed a pattern akin to constellations before a starlit black sphere materialised at the tip of his finger that was pointed at the beastman’s face.

The beastman’s eyes widened in horror.

"This little shit! He’s a mana user—!"

Before he could even finish his cry, the sphere shot forward at incredible speed and hit his face, giving him no time to react. As soon as the sphere collided with his face, it expanded several times in size before suddenly vanishing.

And the result... was horrifying to all who were watching...

The beastman’s head‌ had disappeared along with the sphere, leaving nothing above his neck.

A fountain of crimson sprayed from the neck as the headless body fell to the ground like a broken puppet with its strings removed.

Adrian’s left side was entirely dyed in that crimson blood, his jet-black hair now half red. With his face still a mask of perfect calm, his current appearance looked chilling.

Every person watching the scene was frozen.

Looking at Adrian and the headless corpse of the beastman lying beside him, Evangeline felt something rising from within.

In the next moment, she crouched down and puked out all the contents of her stomach.

"Ugh.. Huff... Huff..."

Her entire body trembled like a leaf caught in cold winds, and her eyes shook intensely. She wasn’t even able to raise her head, only looking at the ground.

Her mind played the scene of the beastman’s sudden yet horrifying death repeatedly, as if on a loop. The swiftness of his death made her entire body feel cold.

The edges of her skirt were soaked in mud.

She sensed someone approaching, but was unable to raise her head and look up. As they stopped right in front of them, she heard Adrian’s voice as he spoke in his usual flat tone.

"You okay, Evangel?"

A chill ran down her spine, and her breathing quickened.

She spoke in a shaky voice.

"Adi, you... you... You killed him!"