Re:START/If {Book 1.0}
Chapter 5: Inanis (Part 02)

The wind blew fiercely from the sea, carrying cloudy clouds and turning the reddish sky into an increasingly dark gray. On the front porch of Luke's family home Mansion, Mavis stands with a black umbrella awaiting the return of her husband and son. A black Gothic dress became her outfit, as well as a conical hat became her head covering.

Mavis had been made worried because her son had not come home from yesterday, but what made her more worried was the news of her husband's return from the Astral World.

The woman's face was pale, her lips turned blue, and her eye bags looked black, her face which usually looked beautiful and cheerful when next to her child now looked gloomy and dark.

Julia and Fiola who were behind her could only remain silent without being able to do anything to look at her master. Julia looked down regretfully, feeling guilty as a servant in charge of taking care of the Young Master of the Luke family but could not take care of him and did not even know his whereabouts now.

Time passed, the rain began to fall, but Mavis remained standing in place without shifting in the slightest. As an old man with a burly body with a few swords on his back walked into the courtyard, the woman raised her face and looked on with sadness. The man who is still under 50 years old but looks like 60 years old is Dart Luke, Mavis' husband and Host of Luke's residence.

Without saying, Mavis stepped out of the terrace and walked in the rain towards the man. Fiola and Julia could only go silent without being able to prevent their employer from walking in the rain despite knowing that his condition was painful.

As the blond woman stood before Dart, who was silent, turned her face away, she quickly dropped her umbrella and hugged the man.

“Thank God, you came back safely, my dear ...”

The black conical hat Mavis wore fell over. Getting a hug from his wife, Dart felt both happy and disappointed in himself.

“Sorry ... Mavis ..., I failed again .... This expedition really failed ..., even more severe than the first.”

Mavis already knew that from the soldier who came to deliver the news a moment ago. The news brought by the soldier was a bad news that contained the failure of the expedition and there were only less than one person who came home from the many who departed. Even so, what was in her was not a sense of disappointment or anger, just the anxiety of losing her husband who was in her when she heard the news. Even until just now, before seeing the Dart directly, the feeling could not be lost.

“Nothing ..., just by seeing you back safely like this .. I've been so happy, my dear ..”

“But ..., your circumstances .... Not your body ...”

Dart let go of Mavis' embrace and held both shoulders, then stared anxiously.

“Nothing, the method that Odo used worked well. Our son is better than you think,” said Mavis with a smile that looks forced.

Hearing that, Dart felt useless and sad. Although he had many nicknames, respected many people, and had great power, but a sense of helplessness because he could not do anything to cure his wife's illness made his soul seem to collapse.

“Sorry ..., I'm sorry ... Mavis.”

Dart immediately hugged his wife with regret. He cried like a very fragile child. Despite his powerful body and abilities, the strongest Swordsman in the kingdom of Felixia was just an ordinary man who could not bear to see his wife continuously suffering from pain.

“Yes pardon .., you never change huh, my dear. I haven't seen you cry like this in a long time .... It feels so strange to see you still crying at this age ..”.

In the novelty, Mavis hugged Dart back. Like going back to youth when they were still adventuring together, they shared their warmth in the pouring rain that washed the tears of men in the arms of Mavis.

Time passed, as the rain began to subside slightly and Dart stopped crying. The man let go of his embrace, then turned around and rubbed his reddened eyes. Seeing this, Mavis gave a small smile to see her husband acting like a child.

“Do not laugh ...”

“Iya, yes .... We better get in. There's actually something else I want to talk to you about ..”

“Hem, what is it?”

“Actually ..., this is about Odo.”

Mavis explained about Odo who has not come home since yesterday, he also told the information of the Lizardman Odo also brought a weapon and a cloak from the warehouse. Hearing this, Dart looks panicked and angry.

“Dia ... go ... hunt? Sure enough, it's autumn to winter! Many monsters are racing to find food supplies for a long sleep, why the child instead ...”

“I don't know either .... Usually he always comes home sorenya, but now he has not returned ...”

“Julia, isn't she in charge of taking care of the child? Ke⸻”

“Please don't blame Julia, my dear. It's our fault for not paying attention to our own child ..., perhaps therefore he does not feel at home and often wander ..”

Dart really could not say anymore, his wife was very right. Indeed, ever since his wife's condition improved, Dart who had gotten as bright as his hope for his wife's recovery began to focus too much on the expedition's preparations and trying to obtain medicine in the Astral World. He completely forgot his duty as a father to educate children, even at dinner with his son before the expedition he did not exchange words with him at all.

“It ..., it is true ... I was too focused on the expedition preparation, but ...”

“My dear,” Mavis said as she placed both palms against Dart's cheeks and directed the man's gaze towards him. “Forget about finding medicinal ingredients in the Astral World and my recovery,” he continued.

“Eh ..., a-what do you mean! Where might ak⸻”

“Since when do I want to recover from this curse to the point of endangering my husband's life and my son's future? My dear .., this is okay .. although the time I have is not as long as the mothers with their children are out there, but at least I want to have a happy family. So ..., my dear ... at least .. yes?”

That request made Dart completely speechless. He knew exactly what he meant and how to fulfill his wife's request.

“Are you sure, Mavis? Although it's sang⸻”

“Nothing .... Instead of living a little longer, I prefer a short happiness with you guys.”

That word really made Dart unable to say anything more. The life that seemed to fall leaves one by one from a twig and will eventually wither and the queen, for Dart it felt very sad and so noble in his eyes.

“If that's what you want, I won't turn it down. You've always been like that, deciding.... Very selfish.”

“Sorry ..., thank you, my dear ...”

They stared at each other, between the gaze of the person who looked sad and the gaze of the person who looked forced. Although his wishes are different, Dart prefers to fulfill Mavis's decision. He failed twice, now the only option left for the man was his wife's decision.

A momentarily silent atmosphere was felt between them, the rain actually started to stop falling and was replaced with a night sky still covered in clouds. Just as Dart was about to invite Mavis into the Mansion because he was getting anxious about his health, a terrible air suddenly seemed to approach.

“Eh ...? This ...”

“This hour ...”

A duarkk!

At high speed something hit the flower garden, smashing the withered flowers that were wet from the rain into a stretch of burning land.

When he saw the figure that came, everyone was surprised to see it. Not because of the air or a terrible figure, but because who stood behind the lightning flash in the middle of the scorched land was Odo.

“A-My son, is that you ..?”

“O-Odo ...?”

Mavis and Dart were completely overwhelmed to see his son covered in the terrible magic pressure. For a magic pressure that a human could have, what Odo had was more like a monster or a giant magic reactor rich in life energy.

The black-haired child raised his face, then looked forward with an iris of an eye that was reptilian in shape and blood red in color. The gaze was so sharp, even Julia and Fiola who stood in front of Dart and Mavis until they trembled and all their hair was standing.

“Ah ..., father ... have come home yes. How's the expedition?” asked Odo in a very unconcerned tone.

“I-It .... No, before that ..., where have you been? And also what the hell is that magic pressure? Ap⸻”

“Heeh.” Odo smiled darkly got such an answer. Without letting Dart finish his words, Odo said, “Answers questions with questions. I see, it seems to have failed.”

“Odo, watch your words when you talk to your father!” mavis said in a slightly snapping tone.

Whether it was Dart and Mavis, or Julia and Fiola, everyone in the place really felt that there was something strange about Odo. The usually friendly and smiling child now felt very different from usual, a breath that seemed to carry the omen of death clearly emanated from his eyes.

“Hah ... Sorry ..., Dad, Mom .... I'm tired, I want to rest inside ...”

The lightning around Odo's body disappeared. He walked towards the Mansion past Julia and Fiola who were growing trembling in fear as the boy approached. Just as Dart was about to hold Odo's shoulder and stop him for questioning, suddenly the black-haired boy disappeared and was immediately seen standing back on the Mansion's terrace.

“A? What was ..., teleportation magic? No, there was no sign of active magic ...”

Dart was completely overwhelmed by what his son was doing, as well as Mavis who also saw the Odo movement earlier. Unlike the Dart, Mavis quite clearly saw Odo's movements earlier.

“Steps Of Gods ..?” mavis.

“A ..?”

Dart was shocked to hear what his wife had said. The God Step is one of the Luke family's peak Battle Art techniques and is extremely difficult to master, a technique in which the user performs footsteps that are impossible to visually capture one opponent, even Dart himself had not been able to master it perfectly and could only use it during life and death battles where instinct was at the peak.

Odo opened the door and entered the Mansion, leaving those who were still wide-eyed. The atmosphere of silence was felt for a moment until the night wind hit and made Dart and Mavis shiver.

“Mavis ..., you said Step Dewa ...? What was Odo doing really that Pecak Technique?” dart asked as he held onto both of Mavis' shoulders.

“A-I don't know ..., but it was exactly the same movement you used to do. You didn't see it just now ..?”

Dart was really surprised. While releasing Mavis, Dart quickly turned around and asked Julia and Fiola, “You also saw her?”

“I-Iya .., but all we saw was the shadow of the Young Master moving very fast as it will hold you,” Fiola replied.

“If Mavis and they could see Odo's movements, whereas only I was unaware of the boy's movements .. means he ... absolutely..,” thought Dart.

Basically the Peak Technique: The God Step is a special technique of the Luke family where the user makes the opponent lose visual contact temporarily by making dozens of tricks effective in a short time. When the opponent focuses on the user of the technique, the user will make a movement that makes the opponent lose the focus of the view and the user figure is scattered, in less than a second it will proceed with a lightning-fast step so that it looks like a glimpse disappeared.

“My dear ..., our child .. why him?” mavis asked as she held onto the arm of Dart's clothes.

The man was silent and could not answer. Either he had to react happily or did not know his son could master the family's top-level techniques, but now what Dart was worried about was Odo's unnatural magic pressure.

“Entahlah .., but .. I think maybe our child is indeed a genius. Not only did he possess many types of magic at this age, he was also able to master the Battle Art of our family quickly...”.

“I ...,” said Mavis hugging Dart's arm. While putting on a sad face, he again said, “... Just want him to live happily, I don't want him to suffer and get dragged into a lot of trouble because of the talent he has.

That word made Dart silent. Indeed, a talent and strength do not always bring good things, problems and calamities are also often approaching. That's a fact, Dart itself has often experienced it firsthand, made to suffer from talent and lost many valuable things.

“Our world is like this ..., Mavis. He has talent or not, maybe when he grows up he will also be dragged into problems such as noble disputes or such ..”.

.

.

.

In the hallway of the Mansion, Odo walked on with his feet and wet robe that dripped water onto the floor. He did not think of the bewildered gazes of the servants as he walked towards the room, there was only a glint of dark eyes on his two eyes.

Arriving at the door of the room, Odo opened the door and entered. He covered the door and cast magic to make it hard to open, then took off all his clothes and the Dimensional Cloak.

Without a thread covering his body, he saw a large mirror in his room and glazed over. There was reflected in the shadow of the child who was himself, but Odo himself began to question whether it was really him or not. That faint, half-and-half memory is why, the speech of the voice claiming to be Auto Senses also adds to the doubt of itself.

“Anneh .., although I doubt myself but there is no doubt. Are you really like this? Not that I used to be a naive and narrow-minded person .., at least before my reincarnation ...”

Once again a strange feeling of calm filled his mind. Odo stopped thinking about it, his head instantly changed thinking about the preparation plan to explore the Astral World alone to look for materials to heal his mother.

“Ah ..., let. I don't know what it is I don't care ... I'm me, I don't know if there's a weird memory that fills my head that doesn't change. Right ..., don't forget your goal now, Odo Luke.”

The shadow on the mirror that showed the figure of a boy with a body with burns was smiling darkly. That smile, was not a smile that a child like him could have.

The magic pressure was increased, but unlike before, the magic pressure felt calm and perfectly controlled. This was because the Giftmelata Magic Core he had absorbed had been processed to increase his Magic control.

He walked towards the Dimensional Cloak lying on the floor, then picked it up and saw many blackened runes. Before he returned to the Mansion, Odo had taken Giftmelata's corpse and stored it into the space inside the Dimensional Cloak.

With the faces of the children, Odo smiled faintly after thinking of something interesting in preparation for his preparation of exploring in the Astral World.

“Ya, true ..., let it be. Now, back to my goal now to heal mom. First of all for that, let's slaughter the scoundrel Dragon that keeps bothering Dad ..., yes, right ...?”