The power-leveling trip went smoothly once we worked out a method of retrieving the defeated rift beasts. At first, I handled their acquisition myself, but that quickly became tedious. It also took far too much of my attention with four people actively killing them.


    I didn’t want to say anything since I’d been the one to push for the trip, but Bell noticed what was happening and offered to craft a solution. Since the solution relied on Space mana to function, I still needed to fuel it, but creating a Tier Nine Space-attuned mana crystal wasn’t very difficult.


    The harder part was making an adapter to dilute the mana I’d imbued into it so it would work with the Tier Five material she used. I’d helped with that piece since it wasn’t something Bell was able to do alone.


    It wasn’t a matter of skill since Bell was a very capable Enchanter. She simply couldn’t manipulate the higher-density mana sufficiently to properly shape the enchantment.


    I felt a little bad about practically forcing Mom to spend half of her vacation killing rift beasts, but she needed to get stronger. Honestly, if she hadn’t needed to go back to work so soon, I would have extended the trip.


    I wasn’t as worried about Daniel and his wife since they were still pretty young. But Mom wasn’t, and her age was going to start catching up to her soon if she didn’t keep progressing.


    “What are you going to do now?” Bell asked when we finally returned to Aspirant City. “Are you going to go back to the hotel or move into the sect? I would invite you to stay here, but my lease only allows one resident.”


    Her apartment was only a studio, which surprised me when I first saw it. I expected her to live somewhere nicer, given her income.


    But if she was saving and spending everything she earned on reagents for her formation, the modest living arrangement made sense.


    “No worries there,” I told her before glancing at Kai to see if he had a recommendation.


    “I have no doubt the local branch would welcome you,” he said. “The same applies to any other branch, including the main branch on Aegeas. It may be more comfortable there, given the higher mana density.”


    I frowned, not because I was unhappy with the offer, but because it ran counter to my expectations.


    “I thought you wanted me to help new disciples prepare for the dungeon,” I said. “How can I do that from somewhere else?”


    My mentor chuckled with amusement at the question. “Can you not teleport across the Alliance?”


    I blinked several times as I realized the absurdity of my query. Obviously, it didn’t matter where I lived since I could easily travel wherever I needed to go.


    “Wow, Emie. I thought tiering up was supposed to make you smarter,” Bell said jokingly.


    “Ha ha,” I snarked. “It’s not like I’ve been teleporting between planets for very long. The idea that I can do so easily takes some getting used to.”


    “Well, just make sure you come visit soon so you can help me with the thing,” she said while giving me a pointed look.


    “He already knows,” I informed her. “In fact, now’s probably as good a time as any to have a conversation if you have the time.”


    She should, since I’d only just brought her home. But just in case she had something else planned, I figured it was good to ask.


    I glanced at my mentor and raised a questioning brow. I didn’t want to assume he was free, either, just because he’d been traveling with us the whole time.


    He made a ‘whatever you think is best’ motion and smiled.


    “He knows?” Bell asked with a hint of panic.


    “Yes. There’s no need to freak out,” I assured her. “In fact, I want to tell you something important, but I need an oath that you won’t share it or use the knowledge against me.”


    Bell looked at me oddly. “Of course, I wouldn’t use your secrets against you,” she said, aghast. “What kind of person do you think I am?”


    I sighed heavily. “It has nothing to do with that. I just need the oath before I can tell you. I’ve already promised not to share the information, so I have to make sure it doesn’t go any further before I can tell you.”


    It was a little misleading, but not really false. I had promised my former Master not to share the secret with anyone else. And when I’d asked his opinion on telling Bell, he’d been the one to recommend the oath.


    “Okay, fine. If that’s what you need,” she said nonchalantly. “How do we do this?”


    I removed the tablet that Kai and I had used to draft the oath – which functioned similarly to a one-sided contract – and handed it to her. She immediately started reading.


    “That’s a weird bit of phrasing,” she pointed out, referencing the bit we’d added to hopefully allow the oath to travel back with her.


    “It has a purpose.” I paused before shrugging and explaining things. “It’s so the oath applies even after you go back in time. It’s important that my secret is protected no matter when you are.”


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Bell raised a brow in my direction before shaking her head. “It doesn’t seem very complicated. I can’t share your secret with anyone not in this room, by action or inaction. Don’t write it down. Don’t speak about it anywhere that isn’t warded.” Bell nodded. “I can handle that.”


    With her agreement, the three of us mana-signed the contract, linking our progress to the terms. Unlike last time, I could feel the mana from the system seeping into my soul, solidifying the oath.


    Neither Kai nor I would receive any punishments if the contract was broken since the only one actually bound by the oath was Bell. And since Kai was only listed as a witness, she would be able to talk to him about my secret as long as they were somewhere private.


    I didn’t see the point in including him as an active participant in the contract since he was the one who advised me to keep it a secret. If I couldn’t trust him, who could I trust?


    On that note, I should probably tell him about the pocket dimension.


    I paused. It might be worth mentioning to both of them, especially if Bell is successful with her trip back in time. I’d certainly like to know that entering a challenge rift at a tier disadvantage might lead to such rewards.


    Then again, the reward might be contingent on having gotten an [Advanced Inventory]. If I never entered the dungeon, it would take a long time before I managed to acquire something like that.


    “Okay, now that that’s out of the way,” I said, storing the device and activating my own set of wards. “I actually have two secrets. The first applies to your situation, Bell. I know Justin had some theories, and he was probably closer than he realized. I did travel back in time.”


    Bell’s face immediately lit up. “I knew it! It’s supposed to be impossible, but the hint you gave him… You practically told him you’d done it, especially since you started acting different before you even became a beta tester.”


    I nodded. “That’s true. I returned to the first time my body experienced a wave of mana. I expected that to be when the system activated for everyone, but it was actually the first time I played Atlas Online.”


    Bell was practically bouncing in her seat. “Tell me everything! What happened?”


    I told her about the first timeline and how my parents had been brutally murdered in the first days. I also told her how Justin and Amie had disappeared from the beach during the start of the reintegration. I shared my theory that they’d been taken and sent to the dungeon, though I still wasn’t sure why Amie had been taken as well.


    When I reached the point in the story about being robbed and left for dead in a maze-type challenge dungeon, Bell’s eyes hardened.


    “Obviously, I escaped. I was lucky I was close to tiering up, or I probably wouldn’t have made it,” I said before pausing. “What?”


    Bell shook her head. “Nothing. I thought something like that might have happened to Justin, but Amie read the surviving members’ minds while they told us what happened, and she said they were being honest.” Her expression hardened. “I’m still pissed that they entered the LT4 rift with only half of the party tiered up and then left his body behind. If they hadn’t been so reckless…”


    I slid closer to my sister-in-law and wrapped an arm around her. “I need to warn you about something,” I said softly. “There is a good chance that even if you successfully save Justin, it won’t last.”


    “What do you mean?”


    I looked at Kai pleadingly, and he spoke up. “Sometimes, Fate insists on certain outcomes. No matter how hard we try to avoid them, Fate always gets its way. Justin’s death shows the hallmarks of such predetermination.”


    “I know Fate is an affinity type, but you’re saying it like Fate is an actual entity,” she said. Her body had gone rigid at my mentor’s comment, but I kept my arm around her. “And what kind of hallmarks? What does that even mean?”


    “Fate Mages have learned to recognize certain events; they are often referred to as canon events,” Kai said, giving us both a name for the phenomenon. “Visions involving canon events are different, and the Fate Mages usually recognize them for what they are. Efforts to change canon events always fail, eventually. An event might be delayed or temporarily averted, but the consequences always manifest.”


    “I had the same reaction as you,” I interjected. “As soon as I found out he died, I immediately thought about finding a way to change things again. Obviously, you’ve got enough context to realize that I basically did what you’re trying to do. I made a formation and powered it with the strongest Time core I could acquire. It worked, though it really shouldn’t have.


    “Thinking back on the formation I used, it really shouldn’t have. There almost had to be some kind of divine intervention involved. I’m also almost positive that I died in the other timeline. The soul damage was extensive. The formation basically rips a part of the target’s soul away and sends it back in time, creating a new time branch. It’s really painful.”


    “I don’t care about that!” Bell said heatedly. “If I have to die in this timeline to save him in another, I’ll do it! I don’t care how much it hurts. It can’t be worse than missing him.”


    I nodded understandingly. “I felt similarly when I made the decision the first time. But he died again, and the Oracle says it’s destined.” I choked up at the sight of my sister-in-law’s tears.


    “If I thought it would make a real difference,” I continued, “I’d try again. Even with the pain, I’d do it if I knew it would really save him. But I believe Anya when she says there’s nothing that can be done to stop it. I also believe he’s already been reincarnated. The knowledge that reincarnation really exists helps.”


    “I don’t care if he was reincarnated. I want my Justin back!” Bell said between sobs. “I’m not asking you to do it for me. I always planned to be the one to go. Even if I can only have him back for a little while, I’ll do it.”


    “What happens when he dies again?” I asked quietly. It was a cruel thing to ask, but I wanted her to at least prepare for the eventuality.


    Bell’s rigid body suddenly went slack and she slumped against me, sliding until her head was in my lap.


    “I went to see a Mind therapist after his death, you know,” she said tiredly, staring at the ceiling. “I was almost ready to move on when she said something that reminded me of Justin’s theory – about how he thought maybe you time traveled, somehow. I knew it was a silly hope, but I couldn’t get past it once my mind latched onto it.”


    Her eyes drifted to mine. “I understand that Fate might be involved, but I have to try, at least once. If he still ends up dying…” She closed her eyes tightly, looking pained. “If I still can’t save him, I’ll try to let him go. I’ll try. That’s all I can promise.”


    I nodded, though she wasn’t looking at me. “That’s all I can ask. I want you to be happy, too, Bell. I almost wish I had a Soul affinity so I could find Justin’s new incarnation. Seeing him alive in another form would probably go a long way toward providing closure for everyone who loves him.”


    “Anya might be able to do it,” Kai said softly. “Fate Mages are actually better at tracking new incarnations, provided they have had contact with the target. Though Anya didn’t know Justin well, she was acutely aware of his passing. It might be enough – provided your brother has reincarnated within her range.”


    “Will you ask her?” I asked. “I wouldn’t mind teleporting her around if it helps her locate him.”


    “I think it would be better coming from you,” he replied before looking at Bell. Her head was still in my lap, but the tears had mostly stopped flowing. “It might be worth finding his new incarnation before proceeding with your other plans.”


    As if feeling his gaze, Bell grimaced and then nodded. “If she could find him, I think it would be good to see him before I go back. I still want to try, though, even if it’s ultimately hopeless.”