"You heard her, Queen Lysandra," Taufik said confidently, his tone steady but warm. "You don't have to worry about her. Even if the world itself were to fall apart, as long as she's with me, she'll always be safe"

"…That's..." Lysandra began, her composure faltering. "That's not what I'm worried about-"

"Mother, I want to join too," another voice interrupted.

The hall froze.

Taufik turned, blinking once.

It wasn't Thalia this time.

Now, standing beside the Queen was Elaria, her oldest daughter, calm, graceful, and almost ethereal.

Unlike Thalia, whose defiance burned bright and reckless, Elaria's presence was quiet, serene like moonlight over still water.

"I…" she hesitated, then smiled faintly. "I am… somehow interested in this man"

For a heartbeat, no one spoke.

The silence was deafening. Even the Celestial Guards, beings who had faced monsters and such, exchanged uncertain glances.

Thalia was understandable, she was bold, impulsive, and had always admired mortals who carried impossible burdens.

But Elaria?

That was unthinkable.

Lysandra's expression froze in pure disbelief. Her eldest son's jaw dropped. Even the guards shifted awkwardly, unsure if they had just witnessed divine blasphemy or youthful rebellion.

Taufik, for once, was also caught off guard. He tilted his head, his expression somewhere between amused and mildly concerned.

'Thalia joining me, that I can handle,' he thought, rubbing his neck. 'But Elaria? That's… complicated'

He didn't dislike her, far from it, but she was dangerous in a different way. Not by intent, but by nature.

Elaria was a seer, one who could perceive the threads of fate themselves. Her very existence brushed against the boundary of the Norns, the weavers of destiny in this world.

Taufik, however, had no thread of fate. He was the one who forged his own destiny, that's why he was the Dafient. That made him an anomaly, something that fate itself couldn't account for.

If Elaria looked too closely… the Norns might notice him. And if they noticed him, Fate might, too.

He wasn't afraid of Fate, but avoiding its attention made existence much quieter.

"Elaria, you-" Thalia began, her tone sharp, stepping protectively between them.

"You don't have to worry, sister," Elaria said softly, her voice smooth and melodic, like the sound of water over glass. "I won't steal your man. I'm merely curious"

"Curious?" Thalia echoed, suspicious.

Elaria's eyes glimmered faintly behind her Silver blindfold as she looked at Taufik, not in affection, but in wonder. "Even the dead have threads of destiny. Yet you… you have none. You move without a path, without a tether. I want to understand how that's possible"

"Oh... W-Wait! He-He's not my man!" Thalia sputtered, her face flushing crimson.

Taufik sighed quietly, pressing a hand to his forehead, half amused and half exasperated. "...Great. Now we're doing this again"

"Mother, if possible-" Ardyn began, trying to interject.

But Lysandra's voice cut through the hall like a thunderclap. "No! You can't!"

Her tone carried the full authority of the Dawnmother herself. Ardyn froze instantly, lips snapping shut, every word dying in his throat.

Taufik blinked, looking between them with an incredulous expression. "Wait, what's this, a royal rebellion? Do I get a vote in this?"

He threw his hands up in mock frustration. "Seriously, am I showing too much mercy or something? Why does everyone here treat me like background scenery?"

He exhaled sharply, muttering, "Oh, for fuck's sake! Whatever. Just send me to Midgard already"

Lysandra closed her eyes briefly, exhaling through her nose. Arguing with him was clearly pointless.

"…Very well," she said finally, her voice regaining its composed, queenly calm. She turned her gaze toward her firstborn. "Caelir. Take our guests to the World Passage"

Caelir hesitated, his jaw tightening. For a moment, his pride flickered, but then he rose from the throne in silence. He walked past Taufik without a word, his armor whispering faintly against the marble floor.

Only when his back faced them did he finally speak, his tone clipped and cold. "Follow me"

Taufik smirked faintly. "You got it, Your Highness of Grumpy"

Caelir's stride faltered for half a second, just enough for Thalia to stifle a laugh, before he continued walking.

--------

After walking for a while, with Caelir as their guide, Taufik arrived before something resembling a portal. It shimmered faintly, wrapped and supported by ancient roots that pulsed with faint light.

Taufik tilted his head, a faint smirk forming. The sight reminded him of the Gate he built on the Forest Continent in Draco.

"This is-"

"Skip," Taufik cut in before Caelir could start his grand explanation. "Just get to the point. How do we use this thing?"

Caelir's jaw tightened. His pride as a warrior stung, but the memory of Taufik stopping the entire Hall with just his words lingered fresh in his mind.

Knowing when to retreat was also part of being a warrior.

"…Fine," Caelir said with a sigh. "There's no grand mechanism behind it. You only need to enter and think about your destination. The Passage will send you there immediately. But remember... your order must be clear, or else it'll send you… who knows where"

"Understandable," Taufik nodded. "So I just walk in, right? Alright"

He stepped forward, the women following close behind. Before entering, Taufik stopped and glanced at Elaria.

"You… sure you want to come with me?" he asked.

"Yes. Don't worry, I won't ruin your date with Thalia," Elaria replied lightly.

Thalia's cheeks instantly turned red.

Taufik sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, do whatever you like," he muttered before stepping again, only to be stopped by a hand gripping his shoulder.

"What this time?" he asked, turning to see Caelir.

"You must promise me you'll take care of my sisters, or-"

"Or what?" Taufik grinned. "What would you do?"

"I… I…" Caelir's voice faltered. "O-Or… I'll curse you even in my sleep!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Pfft-" Thalia tried to suppress her laughter but failed, shoulders shaking.

Elaria said nothing, simply turning her head away from her brother. Even with her blindfold on, she couldn't stand to witness his embarrassment.

"Childish…" Taufik muttered, turning away.

"Y-You-" Caelir started, but his words died again. He looked around; luckily, there were only four of them. Any more witnesses and he'd have wished for the ground to swallow him.

By the time he looked back, Taufik was already standing at the edge of the Passage, waiting.

Only when Taufik stepped in did Caelir finally shout, "Hurt my sister, and I'll kill you! Remember that!!"

"What? What did you-" Taufik turned around, but before he could finish, Thalia, unable to endure the scene any longer, shoved him into the Passage. She and Elaria followed right after.

Caelir was left alone.

Only when the shimmering light of the Passage faded did he let out a slow breath. "…Hmph! Too arrogant for an outsider-"

"Caelir!"

"!!!"

Caelir jumped, almost tripping over himself. He turned to see Ardyn storming toward him.

"W-What?!"

"Are they already gone?"

Caelir glanced back at the Passage, just to make sure Taufik wouldn't suddenly pop out again, and nodded in relief. "…They are"

"Shit!" Ardyn cursed, then spun around and rushed off, leaving Caelir behind once more.

Caelir stared at the Passage for a long moment, then exhaled slowly. Only after he was certain nothing would emerge did he finally relax.

"Shit! What's wrong with me?!"

--------

In a quiet forest somewhere in Midgard/Earth, the air rippled.

A crack in reality split open between the trees, widening with a low, distorted hum until it was large enough for a person to step through. When it finally stabilized, Taufik emerged from the rift, his expression clearly sour.

"That bastard! When I met him, I froze him for a whole day!" Taufik barked the moment his boots touched the ground.

"*Sigh* Just don't kill him, please," Thalia said, stepping out behind him.

"Hehe~ Even if he's like that, deep down he's a caring person," Elaria added softly. "Please, have mercy toward him"

"Whatever," Taufik muttered, brushing off their words as his gaze swept across the forest.

The place was serene, lush, quiet, alive, but something felt wrong.

"…Why can't I feel any trace of Mana in the air?"

Taufik frowned. On his Earth, even when Mana was corrupted by Demonic influence, it still existed. But here, where natural energy should've been thick and vibrant, there was nothing. No Mana. No pulse of life. Only silence.

It wasn't a problem for him personally, but it was strange. Deeply strange.

"…What the hell is happening in this Midgard?" he murmured. "Is there no existence like Gaia here? Where did the aboriginal beings of this world go? Or… were they sealed, just like Gaia once was?"

Thalia and Elaria exchanged a brief, uneasy glance.

"…That's why," Thalia began slowly, "when I first came here, I immediately realized this isn't the Earth from my memories." She paused, recalling the time she'd first inherited the memories of her in Taufik's world. "In your Earth, even corrupted Mana still lingers. But here, there's nothing. Not even a trace"

"…Then why?" Taufik asked. "Where are the aboriginal beings of this Earth? I want to have a talk with them"

Elaria hesitated, fidgeting slightly before answering. "…Actually," she said carefully, "there's a long history behind that"

....

...

..

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