Chapter 35: The Future Reinhard Refused

The van pulled slowly away from the hospital. Emily sat beside Reinhard with her wheelchair folded in the back, while Maki drove and Lily and Yuna sat across from them. The mood inside was lighter than it had been in a long time, and Lily was already planning Emily’s future.

"You know, when you start training again, I’m not going easy on you."

Emily gave her an amused look. "You couldn’t keep up with me before."

"That’s why I’m training too." Lily patted the red scabbard resting against her knee.

"The letter opener," Maki said from the front.

"Crimson Fang."

Yuna laughed, and Emily shook her head, but she was smiling.

Reinhard watched her quietly. He had been waiting a long time to see that expression again.

There you are.

While everyone continued talking about Emily’s future, Reinhard quietly opened the System. His SS-grade investment had paid out, and he still hadn’t checked the rewards.

[Legendary Returns Granted: Advanced Gnosis Recovery Knowledge.]

Information flowed into his mind, giving him advanced methods for rebuilding and stabilizing a damaged Gnosis, along with techniques that could help a restored Gnosis adapt during recovery and gradually regain dormant functions.

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed. That will help Emily.

The next notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Gnosis Expansion.]

A strange sensation spread through his body as his Gnosis expanded again. The increase wasn’t enormous, but he could immediately feel the additional space, and he was starting to wonder if his Gnosis would ever stop growing.

[Demon God Tyrant Body Enhanced.]

[Additional Effect: Air Dash.]

[Additional Effect: Movement Restriction Resistance.]

[Additional Effect: Advanced Senses.]

[Additional Effect: Limited Precognition.]

Reinhard flexed his fingers as the information settled into his mind.

He could now change his momentum and direction in midair, resist abilities designed to restrict his movement, and predict immediate physical movements.

He had only seen high-level Awakeners move like that in footage before, and now his body could do it himself.

[Immortal Emperor Body: One Year Mana.]

Mana settled throughout his muscles, bones, and cells as the Immortal Emperor Body absorbed it, turning his body into a second vessel alongside his Gnosis. His strength, stamina, and total capacity all increased, and Reinhard took a slow breath.

More rewards followed.

[Danger Intuition Enhanced: Threat Detection.]

[Predator Awareness.]

Reinhard smiled faintly. Two abilities designed to detect people who didn’t want to be noticed, right after he had received threatening messages.

Subtle.

[Counter Strike: Controlled Release.]

[Stored force may be retained and released at the user’s chosen moment.]

[The user may determine the direction and target of the released force.]

Useful. Very useful.

[Additional Reward Granted: Mana Sovereignty Enhanced.]

[Enhanced mana perception.]

[Enhanced mana manipulation efficiency.]

[Reduced mana consumption.]

[Unfamiliar mana techniques may be analyzed after sufficient observation.]

The world suddenly sharpened around him, and Reinhard saw mana differently. He could perceive its circulation, density, and structure, and even the faint mana inside Lily stood out clearly.

It was restless in a way that reminded him of Lily herself, and he almost laughed.

[Legendary Additional Reward Granted: Veil Enhanced — Spatial Concealment.]

[Spatial Anchor.]

Reinhard considered the possibilities. An anchor at home, another at the hospital, and perhaps another somewhere useful would give him plenty of options, so he decided to experiment with them later.

[Additional Reward Granted: Ember.]

[Concentrates mana within the user’s hand and releases it as flame.]

[Targets struck by Ember have a chance to ignite.]

[This skill can evolve through further development.]

Reinhard looked at his hand as he considered the possibilities. Fire was already useful, and after a few upgrades, he could probably make it much more dangerous. He was also already thinking about a better name for it, although he suspected Emily was going to hate whatever he chose.

[Additional Reward Granted: Fire Resistance.]

At least the System had thought ahead.

[Additional Reward Granted: Combat Analysis.]

[Analyzes enemy movement, attack patterns, defensive habits, and combat rhythm.]

Reinhard’s smile widened. Mana Sovereignty could tell him how someone’s mana worked, while Combat Analysis could tell him how they fought, and together they would make most opponents extremely easy to read.

[Additional Reward Granted: Gnosis Stabilization Technique.]

Another wave of knowledge entered his mind, giving him a technique for stabilizing a rebuilt Gnosis while it recovered and adapted. Reinhard’s expression softened as he realized just how much Emily had gained from this investment.

Then another notification appeared.

[Additional Reward Granted: Pain Suppression Enhanced.]

[Allows the user to temporarily suppress the physical effects of extreme pain.]

[Severe pain will no longer significantly impair movement, concentration, or combat ability while active.]

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed.

That was different from Pain Tolerance. Pain Tolerance helped him endure pain, while this ability would allow him to keep moving through pain that would normally stop an Awakener.

So even if something hurts badly enough to stop a normal Awakener, I can keep moving.

His smile slowly returned.

The next notification changed his expression again.

[Legendary Additional Reward Granted: Fate Breaker Enhanced.]

[The user’s connection to predetermined fate becomes increasingly distorted.]

[The Chains of Life and Death may become weakened or distorted when attempting to claim the user.]

[When the user’s death becomes an established outcome, the laws governing Life and Death may hesitate before recognizing the outcome as final.]

Reinhard remembered the original Fate Breaker, the ability that allowed his soul to challenge conclusions the world had already decided.

This was different.

The world can decide that I should die, and Death itself might hesitate? He stared at the notification for several seconds. I’m becoming more and more like a loophole.

Then the final notification appeared.

[Legendary Reward: Mirror of Possibilities.]

A dark silver hand mirror appeared in Reinhard’s hand, and he stared at it with genuine interest. After everything else, the System had finally given him something that suited him perfectly.

He tilted the mirror toward his face.

Nothing happened.

The surface remained completely black.

Reinhard frowned. "Rude."

He kept the mirror low beside his seat and angled it toward the window so nobody would notice, and another notification appeared.

[The Mirror of Possibilities can display three possible futures from a choice.]

[Displayed possibilities are generated from current choices.]

[Displayed possibilities are not guaranteed outcomes.]

Reinhard looked into the dark surface, and the first future appeared.

Emily was standing again, training with her silver hair flowing behind her as she moved. Her first steps were unsteady, but she gradually became stronger until she was running.

Reinhard’s lips slowly curved upward.

So it really is possible.

The image changed, and Emily was sitting with the family at a restaurant while Maki talked, Lily laughed, and Yuna smiled. Reinhard was clearly saying something ridiculous because Emily had one hand over her mouth as she laughed.

Then Emily stood and walked across the restaurant without a wheelchair and without anyone helping her.

Just her.

Reinhard’s smile deepened.

That’s a future worth seeing.

The mirror changed again, and his smile disappeared.

Emily was lying on a bed with blood soaking the sheets beneath her. Her silver hair was spread across the pillow, and several dark daggers had been driven into her body.

She wasn’t moving.

She was dead.

Reinhard’s fingers tightened around the mirror until the metal frame groaned. For a moment, he forgot where he was, but he forced himself to stop and shoved the mirror into his Inventory.

It was too late.

Mana erupted from his body, and the entire van shook.

Maki tightened her grip on the steering wheel as the windows rattled and a crack spread across the glass beside Reinhard. The metal frame creaked, loose objects bounced across the floor, and Lily stopped talking while Yuna’s face went pale.

Emily stared at Reinhard.

He wasn’t moving, yet the pressure filling the van continued rising. It wasn’t wild or uncontrolled. It was dense, heavy, and predatory, and for one brief moment, Yuna felt as though something enormous had turned its head toward her. Every instinct in her body told her to run.

Then Reinhard pulled the pressure back, and the van went quiet.

"Sorry." He forced a smile. "Guess I’m more tired than I thought."

Nobody answered.

Emily narrowed her eyes. "Reinhard. That wasn’t normal."

"I’ve never claimed to be normal."

She ignored the joke. "That level of mana pressure... only stronger professional Awakeners should be able to produce something like that."

Lily looked at Yuna. "So Cassian underestimated him?"

Yuna nodded slowly. "Maybe he did."

Maki glanced at Reinhard through the rearview mirror. "Just don’t shatter the van."

Reinhard looked at the cracked window. "I wasn’t planning to."

"You almost did."

"Almost doesn’t count."

"It counts when I’m the one driving."

Reinhard laughed, and some of the tension slowly faded, but Emily continued watching him.

Then Lily suddenly frowned.

"That reminds me. Why did you look like you were about to pass out during Emily’s treatment?"

Reinhard blinked. "Did I?"

He thought for a moment before giving a weak smile.

"Maybe the hospital food finally got me."

Emily turned toward him, and her expression wasn’t angry. It was quiet and pleading.

"Please."

Reinhard stopped joking.

"Don’t lie to me. Not to us."

He stared at her for several seconds before sighing.

"One of my abilities lets me share another person’s pain."

Everyone went still.

Emily’s eyes widened as she lowered her gaze. "No wonder. During my treatment, the pain kept fading so quickly, and then you collapsed."

Yuna understood immediately. "That’s why you kept shaking."

Lily grabbed Reinhard’s arms. "Are you an idiot? What if something had happened to you?"

"We know," Yuna interrupted gently. "It was for Emily, and we understand that, but your suffering for her isn’t any better. We don’t want you carrying everything alone."

Emily nodded, her fingers tightening around her clothes. "When you collapsed, I was terrified. I don’t want that to happen again."

"I know," Reinhard said gently. "But it’s because I know how much you all care about me that I’m not going to stop. Without Link Chain, your chance of surviving that treatment was less than one percent."

The van went quiet.

"Even with my body and pain tolerance, I still passed out," Reinhard continued.

Nobody needed him to explain any further. Emily had come dangerously close to dying, and Reinhard had only taken half of what she endured.

Emily bit her lip. "But I don’t want..."

"If our places were switched," Reinhard asked softly, "would you have done the same?"

"Of course," she answered immediately.

Then she went quiet.

Reinhard smiled. "Every one of us would do the same for each other. Am I wrong?"

Lily sighed. "You’re not wrong. But if you’re going to keep doing this, is there a way the rest of us can share it?"

Reinhard’s eyes widened. "Wait. You actually want to?"

"She’s right," Maki said while keeping her eyes on the road. "If I have to become an Awakener to do it, then I will. No one in this family should have to carry everything alone."

Reinhard’s face lit up.

"You said this family."

Maki sighed immediately. "I take it all back."

"Nope. Too late."

Lily burst out laughing, and Yuna smiled.

"She’s right, though. Let us help."

Reinhard looked at Emily, who had been staring at her hands. After a moment, she raised her head and looked directly at him.

"If everyone shares it, then I’m fine with it." Her voice softened. "I just don’t want my husband suffering alone."

Reinhard froze.

She had used that word before, but never like this. There was no hesitation in her voice, and she had simply said it without thinking.

His expression softened.

"Okay," he said with a smile. "I’ll do that."

He looked around the van.

"It’s nice to have a family like you."

Lily snorted. "And it’s our great fortune to have a brother-in-law like you. Honestly, you bring so many problems."

Reinhard grinned. "It’d be boring without me."

The van continued toward home, and for the first time in a long while, Reinhard felt completely at peace.

But the image from the mirror remained in the back of his mind.

Emily covered in blood, those dark daggers, and that future were not something he could simply forget.

Later that night, after everyone else had gone to sleep, Reinhard stood alone beside his bedroom window. The smile was gone, and he could still see the image from the mirror as clearly as if it were standing in front of him.

Emily was lying dead on that bed.

Reinhard’s eyes narrowed.

"Never."

At that exact moment, Danger Intuition activated, followed by Predator Awareness.

Reinhard slowly looked outside.

At first, there was nothing, but then a figure moved between the trees. Another appeared near the road, a third stood farther back in the darkness, and then a fourth appeared.

Reinhard’s expression turned cold.

They weren’t passing by, and they weren’t lost. They were surrounding the house. Someone had come for his family.