Savior! Redemption in Another World! - Chapter 21

As the feeling of falling continued to get stronger and stronger, my eyes shot open to reveal a now easily memorable scene.

There I lay, on the couch of the Ego Mansion.

Returned to my old body, the body of Vincent DeCourville. Left knee still aches, glasses now present on my face and wearing the clothes I last wore on Earth. A familiar feeling, yet strange after these years in a new body.

Stretching my legs and sitting up, I looked across the coffee table to see Ego, sitting exactly where he always is.

For some reason, I can’t feel the same hate in my heart that I felt before.

“Well, that’s a good sign then. Really you have no reason to hate me.” Ego said, his face broadening into the same old shit-eating grin.

You say that, yet you are directly responsible for me getting removed from my old new family and killing my most recent. So, I think I have good reason to hate you.

“I do admit I forced you to walk through a fae portal, it was for your own good. This is what would happen if I didn’t.” He said, and with the wave of his palm, my eyes began to burn as foreign mana flooded them.

Suddenly, it was as if I was looking from outside of my old house.

I could see myself, the body I had was that of me around age nine or ten, walking up to my father. I say something along the lines of ‘can you understand me?’ in Italian. Afterward, my father’s face darkens.

In mere moments, my head is removed from my neck and the vision goes black.

Rubbing my eyes from the pain, I’m finally able to see again.

“What the hell was that?” I nearly shout.

“That was the future in which I didn’t intervene. Eventually, curiosity would get the best of you and you would speak to your father in a language, not of this world. Then, your father would swiftly kill you. I can’t tell you the reason or what would occur after, as you have no Ego within that time.” Ego says plainly before sighing. “So, what you should say, is thank you.”

Thank you?

“You’re welcome!” He exclaims before I could even continue the thought.

Either way, why bring me here now? To mock me? Or let me guess, to show me the future where I didn’t help and everyone died anyway.

“Yes and no. Yes, the future was probably that if you didn’t help then everyone would have died. No as in I have no way to verify that. ” Ego says, shrugging before continuing. “Everyone’s abilities have limits, even mine. It’s pretty easy to assume what would have happened, given that the abnormally strong elemental Tiamats were reduced to such a state, but I can’t say with certainty because that future never came to pass.”

That doesn’t really matter now, does it? They’re all dead anyway. I feel as if I should be much angrier than I am about that, but for some reason all I feel is calm.

“It’s a form of cognitive dissonance. Right now, the world you lived in is nothing more than a memory, similar to a dream to the current you. Once you leave this realm and return to your body, they’ll probably come back. Also, please stop interrupting me, I haven’t even told you why you’re here yet.” Ego said, a hint of amusement and annoyance present in his voice.

Alright, fine. So tell me, why am I here exactly?

“First off, to congratulate you! You did it! With this, I consider the first of my orders to you complete. Congratulations, Legate.” Ego said with a satisfied smile. Wait, what?

“That’s right. The spell I had you recite, Frost Domain, is a Legate Tier water spell. You are officially a Legate Tier Water Mage. Even though you still technically have another two years of magic development, this much growth in that amount of time is worthy of praise. In all honesty, you weren’t supposed to be this strong yet.” Ego continues, his voice becoming more and more filled with a strange mix of pride and astonishment.

Well, I have been training my magic every day. But is that all I needed to do to complete that task from you? Train my magic? What about my body? Or skills? Or anything else?

“Magic users of your capabilities are exceedingly rare, especially in these times of relative peace. Sure, you may be physically weak right now, and you may not know much else about how the world and powerful people work, but those magical abilities combined with your creativity are more than enough. I encourage you to keep learning and continue training, but from now on, I consider you strong enough for my bare minimum requirements.” He finishes, as a small sense of pride comes over me.

I don’t necessarily like the idea that the culmination of all of my efforts is nothing more than the bare minimum, but it still feels nice to be praised for my hard work.

I guess only one question remains, Ego. What is my next task?

“I have no reason to give it to you right now.” He says plainly, holding his hand up as I begin to refute.

“Now, that’s not to say I don’t have anything else to say or that I don’t have any advice for you. Just that the next mission doesn’t need to be given to you just yet. However, are you willing to listen to my advice?” Ego says, putting his hand back behind his head in a relaxed posture.

Why should I? The last two times I listened to you, bad things happened. Sure, I know now that you saved me from Damien, but what messed up advice is it going to be this time?

“Well, if you don’t listen, then I can’t help you. However, since you know my advice at the end of the day was beneficial, care to listen one more time?” Ego says, with a tone insinuating that he already knows my reply. At this point, I have to listen and heed his advice.

There’s no reason not to hear him out since I can just not follow through with it if I don’t think it’s a good idea.

“Splendid.” Ego says, standing up with a broad smile. Pacing around the living room with his hands behind his back, he continues. “My advice this time is twofold. First, and most importantly, you lot should head north. After traveling for a few months time, you’ll reach the capital of the Meldakin Empire, the magic city of Shilage. Only a small number of Shilage residents speak West Tounge, the language you know now, so seek out a translator or try to learn the language on your own.” Ego says, sitting back down with a small grin.

A few months? I’m expected to travel alone, purely north, for months on end, only to end up in a capital of a country I’ve never heard of? Also, what’s this about a different language?

“What did you expect everyone to speak one universal language or something? The Tiamat village spoke West Tounge only cause their founder did and decided it would be best to teach it to everyone. You’re not on the continent you were born on anymore, it’s only natural that there’s a different language spoken. On that note, the journey you walk won’t be alone.” Ego said, perplexing me greatly.

What do you mean by that?

“It’s quite simple. Your family, specifically Surge, isn’t dead.”

As those words left Ego’s mouth, I could feel myself once again begin to fall.