Chapter 334: This Much, I Can Show You (2)

The moment they touched the crystal, the darkness around them suddenly shifted; his vision blurred for only a second before solid ground appeared beneath him, followed by the faint warmth of light against his face.

Before he could properly look around, something heavy suddenly dropped straight onto his chest.

"Ugh!"

Ruvian’s back hit the floor as Morvayne landed right on top of him, knocking the air from his lungs. Her long black hair spilled over his face while one of her hands pressed awkwardly beside his head.

Ruvian frowned as several strands of her hair fell across his face, with one annoyingly slipping into his mouth.

’Ergh... gross.’

He quickly blew the strand away from his lips and turned his face aside.

"Morvayne... get up, you’re heavy."

His voice came out slightly strained beneath her weight.

"Huh? I’m not heavy," she replied grumpily, pressing her palm against his chest as she pushed herself up.

Ruvian let out another quiet grunt from the added pressure.

’She... she did that on purpose!’

Once she finally moved away, Ruvian sat up and rubbed his chest. "By the way, you really didn’t need to use me as a landing spot."

Morvayne turned her face aside and pretended not to hear him.

Ruvian sighed before finally taking a proper look around.

They were inside a small room, with most of it covered in darkness except for a soft yellow lamp resting on a study desk near the wall.

Books and several sheets of paper were scattered across the desk, making it look like someone had been studying there not long ago.

A wide glass sliding door stood on the other side of the room, leading out toward a small balcony. Beyond the glass, the night sky stretched above the distant buildings far below, their lights scattered across the city while a pale moon hung quietly overhead.

"Where are we?" Morvayne asked, her gaze moving around the room.

"This is a memory from my previous life, when I was... very young," Ruvian replied before turning slightly. "And this was my bedroom, I think?"

Suddenly, the sharp sound of a toilet flushing broke the silence inside the small room.

Ruvian’s eyes immediately shifted toward the bathroom door at the side. A moment later, the handle turned, and the door slowly opened.

’Ah yes... this was indeed my old bedroom.’

A young boy stepped out.

He looked no older than eight years old, with short brown hair that sat slightly messy over his forehead. His eyes were as blue as the bluest ocean.

His body was still small and lightly built, with narrow shoulders, thin arms, and short legs that had yet to lose the softness of childhood. An oversized white shirt hung loosely around his frame, making him appear even smaller than he already was.

Morvayne stared at him for a brief moment.

"So, that’s you?"

Ruvian simply nodded.

Yes, that was him.

Or rather, the eight year old Yuzuki Nozomi.

The small Yuzuki seemed completely unaware of the two figures watching him. He casually walked across the room, reached for the door, and pulled it open before stepping outside.

Ruvian followed without hesitation.

Morvayne quietly came after him.

The moment they passed through the doorway, the cramped little room gave way to a wide living room, modern and clearly expensive without being overly decorated.

A long sectional sofa occupied the center of the room, facing an enormous flat-screen television mounted neatly against the opposite wall.

A polished glass table stood between them, while sleek cabinets, soft rugs, and carefully placed decorations filled the rest of the space.

Everything looked clean, comfortable, and costly.

Yet almost all of it was buried beneath darkness.

The curtains had been drawn shut, and none of the ceiling lights were turned on. The only source of light came from the enormous television, its shifting scenes casting restless light across the room.

Some kind of comedy show was playing on the television. Ruvian barely paid attention to it until a genuine burst of laughter suddenly rose above the noise.

"Ha! What a fucking idiot... I love this show."

His gaze instinctively followed the sound toward the sofa, where a woman sat comfortably watching the screen.

Her tan skin glowed faintly beneath the flickering light as one arm rested along the back of the sofa. Her short sleeves revealed lightly toned forearms, hinting at an active build.

Seeing the woman, Ruvian’s expression softened into a warm, familiar smile.

"Katelyn, I’m hungry," Yuzuki suddenly said as he rubbed his small belly. He then looked at the woman on the sofa with a slight frown. "Also, aren’t you not supposed to curse while I’m around?"

Katelyn froze for a second.

"Shit."

The word slipped out before she could stop herself, causing her to close her eyes in regret. She did it again.

"Don’t tell your mother that."

Yuzuki stared at her dumbfounded.

Katelyn cleared her throat and quickly reached for the phone lying beside her.

"Anyway, what do you want to eat?" she asked, already trying to change the subject. "Just so you know, I’m not really in the mood to cook tonight."

Hearing the word ’cook’, Yuzuki’s face immediately twisted.

"Blegh."

He stuck his tongue out in disgust, remembering Katelyn’s truly horrible cooking. "Anything but that... I don’t want to taste any of your cooking again."

Katelyn slowly lowered her phone.

For a moment, she simply stared at the eight year old with an offended look on her face. She even opened her mouth as though she had several things to say about that reaction.

"Hey, you’re overreacting... it’s not that bad."

Yuzuki gave her a doubtful look.

"It really isn’t," Katelyn insisted before rolling her eyes.

Then, she unlocked her phone and started tapping through one of the delivery apps. "Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes. Let’s just order something. What do you want?"

"Pizza," Yuzuki answered immediately.

He walked around the sofa before climbing onto the empty space beside her. Once he settled down, he pulled his legs onto the cushion and looked back toward the television.

"Mom loves that."

"Huh. For once, we’re actually thinking the same thing," Katelyn hummed quietly as she searched through the nearby pizza shops.

"When will she be back?" Yuzuki asked after a few seconds, his voice had become noticeably quieter. "Is she going to be late again tonight?"

Katelyn’s fingers slowed slightly over the screen.

"Yeah, she might not come tonight — perhaps tomorrow," she answered while selecting the size of the pizza. "There’s an expected Gate Breakout in Yokohama sometime tomorrow evening, at least according to the latest report."

She tapped another option before continuing, "And somehow, your mother will be stationed over there tomorrow morning. So, tonight she’s... ugh busy with preparation."

Ruvian’s expression changed slightly after hearing those words.

Yokohama.

Back then, after his parents had divorced, Yuzuki had been living with his mother in the southern part of Tokyo, inside one of the quieter residential districts away from the crowded center of the city.

Their apartment was still within the greater Tokyo area, and Yokohama lay only a short distance farther south.

There was a reason Ruvian remembered this particular memory so clearly.

It was also why the crystal holding it had been far larger than most of the others drifting within that endless darkness. Even after all these years, the details of this night had never truly faded from his mind.

Because this was the last time he ever heard his mother’s voice.

Ruvian stood silently in front of the sofa, his gaze resting on the small boy sitting beside Katelyn.

His expression had already lost the faint warmth it carried earlier. Even Morvayne seemed to notice the change in him and chose not to say anything.

"Done. I ordered two boxes, one pepperoni and one chicken barbecue," Katelyn announced as she tossed her phone onto the cushion beside her. "Should be here in about thirty minutes."

She leaned farther back against the sofa before finally noticing the look on Yuzuki’s face.

"Hmm?" Katelyn tilted her head. "What’s the matter? Food is on the way, so why are you still looking like that?"

Yuzuki remained quiet for several seconds.

Then, he let out a small sigh and sank deeper into the sofa. "Nothing. I’m just bored..."

His fingers absentmindedly played with the edge of one of the cushions.

"It’s been a long time since I had dinner with Mom too," he continued quietly. "I haven’t tasted her cooking in a while either."

Katelyn glanced toward him.

Yuzuki stared at the television, though it was obvious that he was no longer paying attention to whatever was happening on the screen.

"Does she really have to go?" he asked. "Can’t she just refuse?"

Katelyn’s expression softened slightly.

"She can’t, Yuzuki," she answered. "That’s her duty. That’s what every Awakened must do."

Her eyes remained on him for a moment before drifting toward the television again.

"And speaking of Awakened..." Katelyn paused, briefly thinking about the First Potential Evaluation she was supposed to undergo next month. "I’m going to have my first evaluation soon too."

Yuzuki immediately turned toward her.

One of his eyebrows lifted.

"So you’re going to leave me too once you become an Awakened?"

Katelyn froze.

Somehow, no quick reply came from her mouth. Her lips parted slightly, but whatever answer she had been about to give never came out.

Ruvian watched them with a nostalgic smile.

He remembered the way Katelyn tried her best to search for an answer that might satisfy an eight-year-old child who was beginning to realize that the person he loved would not always stay beside him.

Then, a sudden ringing sound cut through the room.

Katelyn blinked.

Her phone was vibrating beside her.

"Ah... wait a second."

She quickly picked it up and looked at the screen.

The moment she saw the name displayed there, her expression changed. Ruvian’s eyes lowered toward the glowing screen as well.

[Haruna Nozomi]

Yuzuki’s mother.

*****

A soft mechanical hum filled the enclosed space as the lift slowly descended through the apartment building.

Ruvian stood near the wide glass panel covering one side of the lift, quietly staring out at the city beyond it. From this height, the southern districts of Tokyo stretched beneath them in countless rows of buildings, roads, and scattered lights.

This part of Ota City had always been quieter than central Tokyo.

There were fewer towering buildings here, replaced by residential blocks, narrow streets, parks, and train lines that cut through the city like glowing veins beneath the night sky. Farther south, beyond the endless lights, lay the direction of Yokohama.

Morvayne stood several steps behind him.

Unlike Ruvian, however, her attention was hardly on the view.

Instead, she had been watching him ever since they entered the lift.

"Child..."

Her voice came out unusually careful.

Ruvian glanced over his shoulder.

"Where exactly are we going?" Morvayne asked. "And why are you not staying there to watch the memory unfold?"

She hesitated briefly before continuing.

"Forgive me if I am prying into something I should not, but..." Her expression softened slightly. "Do you not wish to hear your mother’s voice?"

Ruvian said nothing.

Morvayne continued carefully.

"You told me yourself that this was the final time you ever heard her voice through that strange artifact."

By strange artifact, she was obviously referring to the phone.

Ruvian stared at her for several seconds before a small smile appeared on his face. Then, he turned toward the glass again.

"You said you wanted to learn more about my previous world, right?"

He raised one hand and pointed toward the city outside.

"This is probably the best chance we’ll ever get to make good use of it."

Morvayne followed his finger.

Her dark grey eyes slowly moved across the distant buildings, the glowing roads, and the countless lights spread across the city below.

Then, she looked back at Ruvian.

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"..."

Ruvian continued smiling.

"...What?"

"You are lying."

Ruvian’s smile twitched.

"I’m not lying."

"You are."

Ruvian remained silent for a moment.

Then, he sighed.

"Alright, alright..."

His shoulders dropped slightly as he finally gave up trying to avoid the question.

"I just thought of something."

Morvayne tilted her head.

Ruvian looked back toward the city below.

"This memory probably won’t last forever," he said. "So I want to make good use of the chance while we’re still here before it ends."

Morvayne slowly nodded.

"Then tell me, Child. What is it that you wish to do within this memory? Share the truth with me."

Before Ruvian could answer, a clear sound echoed through the lift.

Ding.

The glowing number above the door stopped changing.

[G – Ground Floor]

The lift slowed before coming to a complete stop, and the doors quietly slid open. A bright lobby appeared beyond them.

Ruvian stared through the open doorway for a moment. Then, a faint smile slowly returned to his face.

"I’m feeling a little selfish."

He stepped out of the lift.

Morvayne watched him leave before following several steps behind.

Ruvian slipped his hands into his pockets as he continued walking toward the building’s entrance.

"Rather than just listening to her voice—"

He paused briefly.

There was something almost childish hidden beneath his smile.

"—I want to go see my mother."

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[Chapter 334: This Much, I Can Show You(2)]