The extra day that Sebastian had received to stay in that world was used to its fullest. He knew that this was not his world, and although his mind and memory were beginning to fail him a little, he knew that he had to return. Therefore, Sebastian and Thaddeus spent almost a full day analyzing all they could about the new creation.

Sebastian's title [Veteran Antiquarian] had evolved to [Legendary Antiquarian] after he had managed to create the Rank S armor. This now gave him an immediate and profound knowledge of all technological items of Rank S and below, which was impressive and had also given him another Rank S merit. However, one of the most interesting things that happened was that several system screens had appeared with various messages that the old man didn't manage to read, as they all glitched and disappeared instantly, leaving only one behind.

[The higher being 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' has used the "Representative Right" option on the user Sebastian Rüegg] [The user Sebastian Rüegg cannot receive proposals from other higher beings for the moment, and his presence has been forcibly listed in the "Nexus Auction #740".] [You will be notified when you are listed for the start of the Nexus Auction.]

Sebastian didn't know what all that meant, but he didn't give it much importance either. He used the power of his new title to get a detailed map of everything the armor had to offer, making it clear enough for both him and Falk to understand.

First of all, the armor had only one skill, which was [The Man that Shattered the Stars], but it couldn't be activated at Falk's will. Although he had control of the object, the armor had its own ego and seemed to have the final say on when to activate or not activate the skill. At the same time, this also meant that the skill had no activation condition or cooldown, which made it extremely powerful.

On the other hand, the armor generated an immense amount of electricity that could be manipulated to a certain extent, thanks to its reactors, and it also featured pistons to generate significant power. Everything was basically a mechanical feat that did not depend on any skills, which would make it completely useless for any normal user, but for someone like Isaac, it was a blank canvas with infinite uses.

However, something had become clear after doing some tests and after Sebastian had a good understanding of the synchronization between the armor and Falk. The system considered the armor to be the old man's item, so for it to function, it had to be used with Sebastian nearby, and although it was possible to activate it without him, it had dire consequences.

"While you can activate it on your own, it will take so much energy that it will consume the only source of energy nearby… Your soul."

Sebastian said to Falk. He then explained that if the armor were to be activated without him, it would consume his soul, little by little, the more he used it.

"There is no reason to do that."

Falk responded.

"Although if an extreme case were to happen… I calculate that I would be able to keep the armor active for three minutes before suffering permanent damage."

They both wished that the day he had to do so would never come. Still, perhaps the most surprising and pleasant part of it all was finding out that the VoidSpark-Adamantine material had such a great capacity for adaptability and malleability that Falk could mold the armor to his liking, proving to be especially useful in being able to return to his mechanical bird form at will without having to deal with the principles of volume and mass.

As the hours went by and the extra day came to an end, everyone noticed something strange about Sebastian. His posture had slowly begun to improve, his back was no longer hunched, and some of his wrinkles had begun to disappear. He certainly looked older than he did when he was 61, but he no longer looked his age (71). It was a progressive physical change that Sebastian himself didn't understand. Was it because of the race change to… what was it called? Ah, High Mechanicus.

Whatever it was, he didn't feel any different, except that his fatigue and muscle aches had decreased considerably.

Finally, the last hours were more formal than emotional. Thaddeus, who was now 36 years old and a respectable man, was a far cry from the 21-year-old they had first met when the 'No Name' team arrived at "Steam and Steel". He organized a formal farewell ceremony and gave him a "small" farewell gift: he ceded ownership of another one of the great projects that had been developing in parallel, a gigantic Sea Knight modified with some of the VoidSpark-Adamantine, in whose cockpit the final farewell was celebrated.

"Will we see each other again?"

Thaddeus asked, raising his glass in a final toast, his eyes filled with tears as he looked at those who had been with him for ten long years. Sebastian simply raised his own glass and smiled warmly.

"You never know, but I'm sure I'd like to come back at some point… Thaddeus, have a good life."

Falk, who was now in his mechanical bird form, landed on Sebastian's shoulder.

"Maybe it's selfish of me, but I would like to see where the path you chose led you, Thaddeus. I know it hasn't been easy, that you acknowledge the mistakes you made along the way, and I'm sure there are still thousands of difficulties ahead… But I'm sure you'll do well… I'm proud of you, my son, and I'm sure your mother would be too."

Thaddeus did not answer; he simply shed a single tear and raised his glass, clinking it with Sebastian's just before a white flash of light blinded everyone.

Thaddeus simply sighed, turned his gaze toward the massive hangar door where the farewell had been held, and watched the sunset.

"I will pray for your success."

He said in a final toast, drinking his glass in a single gulp.

When Sebastian and Falk opened their eyes again, they were no longer in the palace but in the cockpit of the Sea Knight, which was now in the air... Thaddeus, the palace, and the continent had disappeared.

Upon their return and Sebastian's arrival aboard the Sea Knight in the new scenario, everything that had happened had been rather strange. First, he had seen a dragon that he had defeated without a second thought. Then, he had seen that Adam had been possessed again, but this time they had him under control. Then, Nikolai had appeared for some reason, even though he was supposed to be dead. Then, they had been attacked by a second Kazue and other individuals.

All of this had happened before they had found refuge in an abandoned house and witnessed the arrival of another dragon, one much larger than the first one. And… what then? Sebastian could not remember. In fact, he didn't even know what was happening or what he was thinking. It was as if he were trapped in his memories, as if he were floating in nothingness, with only his memories as company... But why? He did not know, he did not know anything… until he suddenly heard a Crack, as if something was breaking.

It was then that he finally opened his eyes once more.

Sebastian fell to his knees, gasping for air as if he had been underwater the whole time. It took him a while to recover and look up, still confused, unable to recognize where he was.

His eyes took a little longer to adjust to the darkness of the place, and then he began to walk, bumping into several things that were there but that he could not see completely. It was not until his eyes finally adapted to the darkness, as if he had suddenly developed night vision, that he saw the multitude of things that were around him. He was inside a dark cave, but the room he was in looked like the great hall of a destroyed castle.

Around him were mountains of legendary and magical treasures of all shapes and sizes. He had no idea, but he was in none other than the treasure room of the 'Great Palace of Vharzun', a place where the offerings made to the Dragon God himself were stored.

Sebastian wandered around for a moment, looking at the treasures but not knowing what to do. His memory had returned to him little by little, and he remembered how a massive dragon, whom they had called Third Son: Zorvhael, had attacked him. After that, everything had been dark for who knows how long.

He wondered if his team was alright, and soon he began to feel a sense of despair… He had to find a way out soon.

He looked for hours, but he could not find any indication of an exit, not even a door. The worst part was that he could not use his skills for some reason. His idea had been to summon his Sea Knight and force his way out of the place, but for some reason, he could not do so.

He sat on the floor, thinking for a moment. It was then that he noticed that he had done so with no muscular pain... His movements, which had been slow before, were not so slow now; he felt as if he were 30 years younger. However, his thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a system window in front of him.

[The higher entity 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' wishes to contact user Sebastian Rüegg. But additional security prevents it. Do you wish to accept?] [Y/N]

Sebastian was surprised to read that. It was the name of the Patron who had sent the god 'Mechanica Deus' to help him, and now he wanted to contact him. But had he not just used a special permission or something to prevent anyone from contacting him? It made no sense. However, since he had no other option, he pressed Y.

[The user Sebastian Rüegg has accepted the communication.] [The system has detected communication inconsistencies; there may be problems.]

Sebastian was startled by this, but not as much as when a voice echoed in his head.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"My Champion!"

The voice said. It was a young woman's voice, as if she were on the verge of tears.

"I thought you were dead!"

She continued, to Sebastian's surprise and discomfort.

"Excuse me?"

He asked timidly. But the voice did not stop and continued to speak.

"It's a miracle you survived!"

She said.

"I thought you were dead! I saw you die and disappear! Your name was even erased from my contractor's tab. But here you are again, alive and well, in some way I don't know! But it doesn't matter, I'm so happy! I could not expect less from my champion!"

Sebastian was astonished by these words, but he waited for her to finish before he spoke.

"I'm sorry, miss, but you must have me mistaken for someone else."

He said gently.

"This is the first time we have spoken, but it surprises me that you thought I was dead when you were the one who sent 'Mechanica Deus' to send us to another world to work."

After a moment of silence, the voice spoke again, this time to scream her confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about??"

The moment was awkward, and Sebastian tried to explain.

"Wel… When I was in the lobby, the god 'Mechanica Deus' contacted me to tell me that his master, the Patron 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer', you, had sent him to help me complete my Personal Subplot, so..."

But he could not finish because the voice interrupted him.

"No, seriously... what are you talking about??"

Again, there was silence. Sebastian did not know what to say or how to respond, as he had tried to explain, but the voice refused to listen. After a moment, the voice spoke again.

"Ah, I see... You must have been revived by some machine or gadget you had hidden in a scenario, right? Is your mind confused, and that's why you are saying these things? You should have said so. Let me help you refresh your memory."

The voice then seemed to clear its throat before speaking again.

"You are Sebastian Rüegg, a user of S+ potential, leader of Team Eden, code name 'Gilgamesh', and my contractee, the brilliant 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer'. We have been 'partners' for years, but you were recently killed in the war of Eden vs Abyss; however, you just came back to life, so the sooner you recover your memory, the better."

Sebastian listened to this but was simply speechless. For a brief moment, he actually considered what the voice was saying, but it made no sense. To think that everything he had gone through was a lie was something he could not comprehend.

"I'm sorry, but I really think you have me mistaken for someone else."

The voice seemed to lose its patience after those words.

"This is not going to get us anywhere. If you are not going to recover your memory on your own, then I will force it to come back. After all, I still have some control over you, even though, for some reason, the contract between us is much weaker than it should be."

[The higher entity 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' has forced the intervention in the psyche of user Sebastian Rüegg.] [Error]

"Eh?"

The voice said, clearly confused.

"Wait, let me try again."

[The higher entity 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' has forced the intervention in the psyche of user Sebastian Rüegg.] [Error]

Sebastian stood still, not knowing what to do, as the same error message appeared five more times. The Patron was clearly trying to do the same thing over and over again without success. Letting out a cry of frustration, the voice said.

"This makes no sense... Something is wrong with you. I blame whatever you used to revive."

With a grunt of bitterness, she said with resignation.

"Fine. I will use a special permission to find out what happened to you and how to fix it. Just accept the option as soon as it appears."

And just like that, a system window appeared in front of Sebastian.

[The higher being 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer' has used the option "Context Please" on the user Sebastian Rüegg.] [This action requires the user's approval. Do you wish to accept sharing the information?] [Y/N]

Sebastian stared at the option, not selecting anything, until the voice, with a tired tone, urged him to do so.

"Hello?? Please, just accept it. We don't have all day!"

The old man simply sighed in resignation and pressed Y.

[The complete information of user Sebastian Rüegg has been shared with the higher entity 'The_Absolute_Thinkerer'.]

After that, there was a profound silence that lasted for several minutes. Sebastian was uncomfortable, holding his hands together and fidgeting with his thumbs as he waited. Finally, a scream from inside his head made him jump.

"You're from another dimension!?"

The Patron's voice said with utter disbelief.

"No, more specifically, you're from another timeline... Is that even possible!?"

Sebastian, who was even more confused now, simply said once more.

"Excuse me?"

The voice then fell silent for a while before speaking again.

"How do I explain this to you... The concept of 'alternate universes' is something that does not exist for us, higher beings. Only one of us exists across all realities. But even so, I found traces of my own energy in you, but it is not truly my energy... I don't know if I'm explaining myself well, but the only way for a being like me to have a doppelganger is if we're talking about a different timeline. While the concept of time is different for us, it's not the same as... Wait. Why am I explaining this to you? You're not even my Sebastian!"

Sebastian was lost in thought for a moment, suddenly understanding why there had been another Nikolai and another Kazue before he was captured by the dragon.

"It doesn't matter. I thank you for the clarification."

He said with a small smile, although he wasn't sure if the voice could see him. The Patron grunted, as if it were annoyed with itself.

"You are exactly the same as my Sebastian, damn it, that same kindness... Okay, fine, I'll tell you what happened with your other self. After all, it's important."

"But I didn't ask you to..."

Sebastian started, but was interrupted again.

"I know! I'm very generous!"

The voice interrupted.

"I'll tell you things that I'm sure you need to know, especially because there are three things that are worrying me a lot."

Defeated and realizing that the Patron simply liked to talk, Sebastian simply sighed and let her continue.

"First of all, the information you gave me also contained the doubts you have in your head. I see that you have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time, and you don't know why. Well, I'll tell you this: it's clear that some external occurrence has created your timeline, but the peculiar thing about time is that it doesn't like to be fractured, so it will always tend to want to rejoin."

The voice said, not pausing even for a second.

"In other words, my theory is that the reason for your advancement is that reality itself is trying to return you to your 'original state', which would be my Sebastian... Because, yes, this timeline is the main one; there's no doubt about it. I refuse to think that my magnificent self is not the original, so it must be."

The Patron behind the voice was clearly a very egocentric person, but she continued.

"The same thing will happen with your friends... The fact that you are on the same team as the user who killed you here is funny to me, but eventually, fate itself will drag them back to how they were originally."

Sebastian was lost in thought. Was it the universe itself that was making him able to do the things he was doing? He remembered the ten years he had spent with Isaac and Thaddeus, and smiled. No… even if it were true, that did not erase the effort and experiences he had lived. However, the voice continued to speak.

"The second reason I'm telling you this is... by looking at the memory of your items, specifically that automaton you have, which, by the way, my Sebastian did not have, it's clear to me that someone in your timeline has usurped your title as 'Gilgamesh' and your position as the leader of Eden. I wonder who that could be, but it seemed to interfere with your arrival at the system. Not only did you arrive at a completely different team before joining Eden, but you also did so 4 years later."

Sebastian simply nodded, not fully understanding what she was talking about, as he had been unconscious and recovering when the whole thing with Team Eden had happened. The Patron had read the memories of Mecha Sung Ja-In.

"And third... ugh, look, as an additional gift, I'll support you while you are in this scenario. You'll probably go back to where you belong in the end, but while you are here, and since you are also Sebastian Rüegg, you have access to some of the things that mine left behind when he died, as well as access to my benefits as a contractee... or at least to some of them."

Sebastian thanked her and got up, saying that the problem was that he couldn't access most of his skills in that place.

"Ah, yes. It seems there is an item in this place with an inhibition skill, but it doesn't matter. Ignore it. I will lend you some power so you can get out. Are you ready?"

The voice responded. Sebastian accepted, feeling a warmth flow through his body, as if it were a slight, pleasant electric current.

"And in the meantime, I'll tell you all about my Sebastian's story. Maybe you'll learn something..."

Far from there, the colossal body of Dravhark was recovering and getting back up.

Finally, Adam, Drake, alter Drake, and Solène could get a good look at the figure who had helped them. The figure was a man with a young and handsome face, brown wavy hair, and an armor suit that seemed a mix of a business suit and mechanical armor. It had a pair of white wings that looked like solar panels, and the man's expression was that of a scientist who had just won an argument.

The voice of Falk came from the man, smiling and showing them three fingers.

"My limit is 3 minutes. Do you think you can keep up?"

The four users, who were still in shock but had begun to react, nodded at the same time.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.