The next day—
After finishing our business at Kithia Corp, Anathasia and I were walking toward our house at the edge of Tokyo when a sudden flash of white light tore across the sky, slamming into the ground right in front of us.
The next second, a woman stepped out from the pillar of light.
A woman with blonde pale hair.
Draped in ceremonial clothing, with a thin, intricately woven cloak resting over her shoulders.
Rania Eon Augthorth.
The Third Outer God of Equilibrium.
We both came to a stop as she stood in front of us, her jaw set, gaze sharper than usual.
"What's up?" Anathasia asked casually.
Rania didn't reply immediately.
She waited a moment before finally speaking.
"There are… concerning entities I have detected within the Demiurge's Images, Miss Anathasia. Sir Kyle."
Anathasia raised an eyebrow, tilting her head slightly.
"Entities? Like what?"
Rania fell silent.
Then—
Our surroundings shifted.
In the next instant, we were standing within an endless expanse, filled with an innumerable lattice stretching in every direction my eyes could follow.
Rania gestured toward one marble-like sphere.
She bent down, carefully picking it up and holding it in her palm before turning back to us.
"This is… the Demiurge's Image Aegea resides in."
"A Demiurge's Image?" I repeated.
"A Demiurge's Image," Anathasia echoed, squinting slightly as she studied the sphere in Rania's hand.
"It's basically the closest thing to a totality we talked about like, a night before last night."
Inside the sphere, a tiny wriggling speck moved—
Almost like a tadpole.
Small enough to nearly go unnoticed.
"But it's still way too big compared to a typical totality, so… eh." she shrugged, lifting her gaze back to Rania.
"Were you talking about those tadpoles inside each one?"
Rania hesitated before reluctantly nodding.
"They are… or rather, they may disrupt the current structures within their respective Images. I'm afraid—"
"Ah, they're called Continuum Swimmers," Anathasia cut in, raising her hand slightly.
Rania froze, her eyes widening.
I shot Anathasia a glance, raising an eyebrow.
"Pardon…?"
"They're Continuum Swimmers, like I said," Anathasia replied casually.
She crouched down, resting an arm over her knees as she reached out and picked up one of the spheres.
"Multiverses end every now and then, right? And I'd rather not personally recycle them myself."
She gently placed the sphere back onto the lattice, dusting off her skirt as she stood.
Her gaze shifted to Rania, then to me.
Still smiling.
"So I decided to make something that would do all the work for me."
Anathasia folded her arms, puffing out her chest slightly.
"Genius, right?"
"They consume 'dead' multiverses and use their remains to produce new ones—"
"Recycling the materials of collapsed realities to create what some people on Earth call…"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Samsara."
Silence settled around us as Anathasia continued smiling.
"…Samsara," I murmured, glancing down at one of the spheres. "Isn't that the cycle of life, death, and rebirth?"
"Buddhism," she chimed in with a nod. "Yup. I kinda stumbled on that term while reading a manhwa—something about a high schooler reaching Nirvana."
I blinked.
"…Was the main character's name… Jin Mori?"
Anathasia immediately pointed at me.
"Yeah, yeah! That one." She pulled her hand back, folding her arms. "It was a good read, I'm telling you."
Then—
"Ahem."
We both paused, then slowly turned to Rania, who stood there with her finger tapping impatiently against her arm.
"Anyway…" Anathasia continued quickly. "It's not really an issue. Those things are basically just for… maintenance."
"Y'know?"
Rania's gaze narrowed, only softening a few moments later as she let out a sigh.
"…If Miss Anathasia says so, then I suppose…"
Without another word, Anathasia and I found ourselves back in front of our house. The same place Rania had taken us from.
"…A random manwha reference? Really?" I glanced at her, my expression flat.
"What? I was just saying. I mean, I did get those terminologies from that manwha," she shot back.
We fell silent. Then, after a moment, we simply walked inside the house.
—
A day later.
We were finally back in the Philippines. As I drove the car into the driveway, the house remained quiet. Just as expected.
Anathasia stepped out first, stretching her arms over her head.
"Mnn… home sweet home."
I got out shortly after, twirling the car keys around my finger.
"Looks like Fran and Lena took care of the place just fine."
"Well, it's Lena we're talking about," Anathasia said, walking toward the front door.
"She's definitely more organized than you, that's for sure."
Her hand hovered just inches from the doorknob before she suddenly turned to me and reached out, tugging at my cheek in one swift motion.
"Was that necessary, hm?" she smiled, pulling a bit harder.
Too bad I was already used to it.
"I was just saying," my hand slid along her arm before gently wrapping around her wrist, loosening her grip as I mirrored her smile.
"You're also blunt at times, you know. Fair trade."
I pulled her closer, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles as my eyes met hers.
"You're as beautiful as always."
"Anathasia…" I trailed off.
She stiffened.
Then her expression flattened as she looked away, gagging slightly. Though she didn't pull her hand back.
"What the hell was that? That was so bad! Eurgh!"
The door suddenly opened.
My gaze shifted—
Lena stood there, staring at us blankly.
Behind her, Francesca hugged a large cinnamon roll plushie.
Lena let out a sigh, shaking her head.
"Mom. Dad…"
"What are you two doing this time…?"
Anathasia froze, immediately straightening beside me.
"We were just—"
"Flirting," I finished.
She shot me a glance, then nodded.
"That's right." She crossed her arms. "We were just flirting. That's all."
Lena's expression flattened even further, giving us a look that could only be described as pure disappointment.
She let out another exasperated sigh.
"Someone's here for Dad."
"Your dad?" Anathasia looked at me. "Did you do something?"
"No? We've been together all week. You'd be the first to know."
She nodded thoughtfully, rubbing her chin.
"Fair. I'd still know even if we weren't together…"
"This is dumb…"
I stepped behind her, placing my hands on her shoulders and gently pushing her inside. Lena had already started walking toward the living room, with Francesca trailing behind her.
Francesca paused for a moment, turning back to us with a soft smile.
"Right…"
"Welcome home."
"Mom. Dad."
Then she turned and followed after her older sister.
We both froze by the front door, my hands still resting on Anathasia's shoulders.
She glanced at me over her shoulder, gesturing toward Francesca as she walked away.
"That's my daughter, by the way."
"Our daughter," I corrected dryly. "Anyway… shouldn't we go see who this person is that's looking for me?"
She shrugged as I gently pushed her along the hallway.
But the moment we caught sight of the living room, Anathasia suddenly froze.
Her eyes widened, locked onto the figure sitting on the couch.
I looked past her.
A woman sat there, legs crossed, calmly sipping tea. Something Lena had probably brewed.
She had long white hair tied into a ponytail, and wore something resembling a Japanese ceremonial outfit, paired with a long red skirt.
When I glanced back at Anathasia, her expression had already shifted.
Annoyance.
"What are you doing here?" she growled, glaring at the woman.
"A visit," the woman replied, slowly rising from her seat.
"I simply… wanted to know."
"About what, exactly?"
Anathasia stepped forward, positioning herself slightly in front of me.
"That…" the woman trailed off, her gaze lowering.
"I am… unsure…"
My hand moved to Anathasia's shoulder as I leaned closer.
"Who's that…? I don't remember meeting anyone like her…"
"Because you didn't," Anathasia replied, her gaze never leaving the woman.
"That woman…"
She slowly raised her hand, pointing at the figure standing near the couch.
"Is an Avatar of the Original Creator."