'Son of Nature?' Orsted thought, bemused.
He'd transmigrated into this world with his past life's mories intact.
He knew the term "Son of Nature."
Thousands of years ago, Riveria's ancestor—was called the Son of Nature.
', the Son of Nature? That's absurd.'
Orsted shook his head at Ryuu's words.
"No, I'm not the Son of Nature," he said firmly.
"I only awakened this by accident."
Ryuu didn't respond, her gaze lingering on him with quiet suspicion.
Feeling her eyes, Orsted shifted uncomfortably.
"Hey, Ryuu, have you ever thought about adventuring again?" he asked.
Ryuu froze, then fell silent.
Orsted cursed himself.
He'd blurted out the first question that ca to mind, not considering the weight it carried.
He'd once thought of inviting Ryuu to join the Hestia Familia, but not now.
They'd only sparred a few tis—hardly a deep bond.
Bringing it up could stir painful mories, not build trust.
He thought of the Astraea Familia, Ryuu's comrades, slaughtered years ago by the Juggernaut.
"Sorry, Ryuu," he said quickly.
"Huh? Why are you apologizing?" Ryuu asked, puzzled, her expression free of the anger he'd braced for.
"Uh… nothing," Orsted mumbled, realizing Ryuu hadn't shared her true identity with him.
His apology must've seed out of nowhere.
"Orsted-san, are you asking to join your familia?" Ryuu said after a pause, her eyes steady on his.
"Yeah," Orsted admitted, nodding.
He hadn't ant to say it now, but the thought had crossed his mind.
In the ani, Ryuu eventually joined the Hestia Familia.
Who wouldn't want her?
"Sorry, Orsted-san," Ryuu said gently.
"I'm alone now, but my comrades are still out there, waiting."
"They're not in Orario, but they'll return soday. When they do, I'll rejoin my familia."
"So, I can't join yours."
Orsted blinked, confused.
'The Astraea Familia… still exists? Her comrades are alive?'
In the ani, the Astraea Familia clashed with the Rudra Familia in the Dungeon, their battle drawing Juggernaut.
The monster wiped them out, leaving Ryuu as the sole survivor.
But now, Ryuu claid her familia was intact, its mbers rely away from Orario, with her waiting for their return.
'If they're alive, why is she here alone?'
"You'll understand soday," Ryuu said with a faint smile, reading his skepticism but offering no answers.
Orsted didn't press her, though curiosity gnawed at him.
The Astraea Familia's fall was a fixed tragedy.
Yet Ryuu's words suggested a different reality. Had the familia avoided destruction?
'Butterfly effect?' Orsted mused. 'I've heard of changes rippling after a transmigrator arrives, but before?'
Walking down Orario's dim streets, he rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"What's going on?"
He was glad the Astraea Familia might be safe—its loss had always pained him in his past life.
But this deviation unsettled him.
The world he thought he knew was slipping out of alignnt, altered before he'd even awakened in it.
'This isn't the world I knew,' Orsted realized, pausing to gaze at the starry sky.
'Since I arrived, it's beco sothing new.'
Shaking his head, he continued toward ho, the empty streets echoing his steps.
When he arrived, Hestia, Lili, and Tifa were already asleep.
Careful not to disturb them, Orsted slipped into his room, collapsed onto his bed, and drifted off.
Morning ca with a weight pressing against him.
Orsted opened his eyes to find Hestia's cherubic face inches from his, her soft breaths warm against his cheek.
'Hestia… how'd she get in here?' he thought, his mouth twitching.
Back in church days, Hestia would often sneak onto the sofa at night, sprawling across him as she slept.
After Lili joined, she'd stopped—mostly.
Apparently, old habits died hard.
Not wanting to wake her, Orsted gently slid Hestia onto the bed beside him, rose quietly, and left the room.
Unbeknownst to him, monts after he closed the door, Hestia's eyes fluttered open.
She glanced toward the doorway, a sly grin spreading across her face.
Burying her nose in Orsted's pillow, she giggled.
"Hehe, Orsted's scent~"
---
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