Rudeus Greyrat was an unusual existence. That was the first thought that came to the mind of Almanfi of the Bright when Rudeus Greyrat interacted with Lord Perugius for the first time.

Their first interaction was short, but more than enough for Almanfi to grasp a simple understanding of who Rudeus Greyrat was.

Careful, respectful, humble, patient and hard-working. But also distant, withdrawn, experienced and somber.

Things that are, more or less, unlike a child of his age. Some far more than others.

Almanfi never questioned it much himself at first. At the end of the day, the only thing that mattered to him was serving Lord Perugius, and he had no reason to question him, especially when he had gained the respect of The Armored Dragon King in less than a day, even wanting to keep an eye on him. Almanfi knew that was no small feat in its own right.

With that being said, he still found himself thinking about Rudeus Greyrat.

Almanfi knew more than enough that the boy was capable. Even without his help, was still slew through monsters that a vast majority would need a party to handle, let alone multiple of them. He had the skill and power of an individual who's lived and trained for decades on end.

His intelligence wasn't unbefitting of a child his age; Almanfi has seen children, mostly those of nobility, that were smarter than many, but Rudeus' knowledge was almost absurd. He'd have to have isolated himself somewhere for years to know what he knows at his age.

"Hey!"

Almanfi turned his head, eyeing the boy who had invaded his wonders walking up to his side, almost relieved that Almanfi hadn't wandered off or left him behind.

"Are you ready to go?" Almanfi asked in an almost robotic manner.

The boy nodded his head, an apologetic, lopsided smile adorning his expression as he faced the entrance to the Labyrinth. Like he's been here before.

Almanfi turned to face the entrance himself. He had numerous questions, and he knew Lord Perugius certainly did himself, but those can wait for another time.

With that, he followed Rudeus Greyrat into the Teleportation Labyrinth.

…

I didn't have a bad memory, but it wasn't the greatest under any circumstance.

There are many things I still remember, even now. Some good, a lot of bad, more or less the usual.

But the book about this Labyrinth wasn't one of them, and going through this Labyrinth was not a very fresh memory either. The only thing I still distinctly remember was the battle with the Hydra, and that was the very end.

Going through the Labyrinth was a little more challenging than before, basically.

The monsters within were no big deal, really. Though, with the much smaller area that is the inside of this Labyrinth and the large majority of them stalking within, it was a hindrance. I couldn't just let loose on them without caving the Labyrinth inside itself, though I don't doubt that me or Almanfi wouldn't survive.

Even so, the first three floors were simple enough to get through, albeit an annoyance. I wondered how Almanfi was feeling, but I won't be able to see anything as long as he had that fox mask on.

The hard part was the actual teleportation circles themselves. Some of them needed to be stepped on to progress into the necessary rooms, but we both ended up falling into some trapped rooms too. Almanfi even asked me if I knew where I was going. I couldn't give a very confident response to that.

"To your left." He called out.

I didn't need it, as I had my eye of foresight, but I appreciated it nonetheless. I readied a water magic spell instantly as I turned around to meet the monster of mud before me, a Mad Skull. An act of desperation, it must've been, considering how intelligent they are.

"Water Cannon." I said, calling forth the intermediate spell in my hand and launching it towards the monster. It destroyed the human skull embedded in its mud torso. I wish I could say I was a little more enthusiastic about it.

I turned back to Almanfi, who was cleaning his blade before placing it back in its sheath, the corpse of an Armored Warrior cut to pieces was splattered in front of him. "To the fifth floor?" He questioned, turning to face me.

I nodded.

…

"Stone Cannon." A sharp-pointed rock formed itself in front of me, rotating in a very drill-like manner before firing off. It annihilated the Armored Warrior, tearing a hole through it's torso clean before the creature fell and died from the shock of it all.

I did the same thing to two more of them, watching them die in vain. I conjured a fourth Stone Cannon for one that was behind me, but he was split in half from left to right diagonally before I could launch it.

The upper half slid off the body, revealing Almanfi's upper body before the legs of the monster collapsed to show the spirit's full figure and a sword soaked in its blood.

Another monster – a Devouring Devil, judging by its massive mouth and razor-sharp teeth – tried to sneak up on Almanfi from above, using its long limbs and pointed claws to scale the walls and ceiling, but was effectively cut down in the blink of an eye. Three pieces fell to the ground instantaneously; its body from its feet to its shoulders, its lower jaw, and the rest of its head.

The sight would've made any person at least a little nauseous. I know I would've been, but I don't think I can just be classified as just "any person" anymore.

"Oh, yeah." I remembered a question I had for him. "Is this your first time labyrinth diving?"

He nodded, putting his blade back in its sheath. "I've heard much about it before and after I started to serve Lord Perugius. But it surely doesn't seem as difficult as it's been made out to be."

"It's only natural, we're both stronger than most." I turned back to look at the scene behind us, we're multiple corpses of both Devouring Devils and Armored Warriors lay scattered across the ground and their blood staining the walls. There's certainly more beyond what I can see, too. "People usually end up diving into labyrinths with a party instead of just two people. Anyone who saw us go in probably thinks we're dead by now."

He hummed. "I can't see why people would still risk their lives for this, then.. On a normal occasion at least."

"High risk, high reward." I answered him. "Labyrinths are dangerous, people die all the time in them, especially in S-ranked ones like this one, but they get a lot of money and stuff for it. A lot of people are able to settle down and live the rest of their lives in peace by clearing through a high-ranked one like this."

At the very least, I thought they could. My father's two subordinates – two sisters, Vierra and Shierra, if memory serves right – did just that with their share of cash after saving my mother. I never interacted with them at all after that, it was our final goodbyes to each other and my father, but I hope they did well for themselves regardless.

I looked back to Almanfi. His fox mask did no service in telling me what he was doing, but he seemed to be thinking it over before shaking his head. "I couldn't imagine such a thing.."

I snorted. Of course. His mind was probably far too occupied with serving Lord Perugius before ever thinking about something normal people do. I quickly straightened my posture however as he shot a glare in my direction.

"Well.." I started as soon his glare withered down. "..I think it's time we climb to the sixth floor."

He looked around, as if he was trying to sense some sort of hidden danger, before relaxing soon after and facing me, nodding.

With that, we made our way to the sixth floor.

…

I stared at the corpse of a Devouring Devil. It was kept in place by an earth lancer piercing through and obliterating his stomach. its jaw hung open and its tongue sprawled outside of it, its eyes staring at my form greedily.

Hung, crucified and displayed for all to see what was left of it, only left there for anyone watching to mock and insult it for its failures.

Like my wife was.

I dissolved the earth lancer spell instantly, watching the monster's carcass dropping to the ground with a soft thud.

"Greyrat." I heard a voice call, and only then did I feel something run down my cheek.

I rubbed my face, my eyes. I was crying. I grimaced at the realization. "Sorry, sorry. I'm fine." Getting all depressed won't save my mother.

"..Very well." He said. "So, what do we do about this?"

Huh?

I looked to where Almanfi was to see three magic circles.

"Ah.." I sighed. Right, this thing. Last time I was here, me and the party took a large amount of time trying to decide which of these three would lead us to the seventh floor. Eventually, we narrowed it down to two. And then, to zero.

"It's none of these." I told him. Instead, it was a hidden staircase that led to a hidden room, with a circle that led to the seventh floor.

With that being known, I walked over to the area where the staircase was beneath, eyeing the ground and making sure it was exactly where it was last time before carving an X onto it.

I cast a Stone Cannon, watching it as it formed in front of my hand and aiming it precisely towards where the X was marked. Speed, rotation, power..

It launched, and a loud crash reverberated itself through the walls of the Labyrinth. Almanfi flew to my side in a burst of light.

"..I see." He only said, his voice laced in what sounded like genuine surprise as his fox mask stared down at the hidden staircase below. "How did you know about this?"

"The layout of the area looked familiar." I responded. It's what I said last time, too. Except the layout this time was far more familiar than before.

He stared at me for a moment before nodding, obviously still having doubt and more questions, but deciding to leave them for now as he descended the staircase. I followed behind him shortly after.

Right at the foot of the stairs was the blood-red teleportation circle. A two-way type one, and a warning.

"This is it." I said. Beyond this point is the Manatite Hydra, and the crystal that imprisons my mother currently.

We've been in this Labyrinth for a very short amount of time at this point. 7 hours at most, if I had to guess. We didn't bring any water or food. As soon as we entered, we both unanimously decided that we were completing this in one go.

For most adventuring parties, a Labyrinth of this scale would likely take days, maybe months to even get to this point.

"No going back now. On the other side is a Manatite Hydra, the guardian of the Teleportation Labyrinth, and my mother. My magic will mostly be ineffective against it because of its magic stone scales, so I'll be relying on you to cut its heads off while I cauterize it so it won't regenerate." I told him. The battle plan was the exact same as it was last time, only with two people to perform it instead of a party of six.

He nodded without hesitation. Despite the fact that he is a servant first and foremost, even a warrior of his caliber could get a little excited at the prospect of something like a Manatite Hydra.

I turned back to the blood red teleportation circle. There was nothing for us to check. My armor was fine, the mana I still have is more than enough, and we haven't brung any supplies with us to look over. It's do or die now.

"Very well, then. Shall we?" I asked.

Almanfi nodded, stepping on to the teleportation circle and disappearing. I followed soon after.

Where I, and by extension Almanfi, ended up was akin to the reception hall of a palace in an oblong shape the size of a baseball field. Thick pillars decorated its sides and a ceiling so high you had to look straight up to see it. The floor was covered in tiles, each engraved in their own complex pattern.

I looked at Almanfi, no doubt looking over the area and comparing it to Perugius' Sky Fortress, and then in front to see a monster located within the confined depths of this room.

The monster was enormous, twice the size of a red wyrm. Even from afar, the shiny twinkle of its emerald green scales could be seen, along with its short, bulky body and the nine heads attached to their individual necks.

The Manatite Hydra.

Just beyond the hydra, however, was a crystal. One of incredible size, green in color and spikes that fanned outwards. It's size was incredible, only once I have seen it before.

But just like before though, the size did not matter. Rather, what was important was what was trapped within the crystal, displayed in such a magnificently dreamlike state.

My mother.

I looked over to Almanfi again. "Are you ready?"

He already had his sword unsheathed, ready for combat. No nod or verbal noise was needed.

With that, I nodded to myself and faced the Hydra once more. Before, I slayed it with the help of my comrades, but it took my father with him. Now, it will gain nothing here except its own death once more.

He dashed forward at otherworldly speed. Aqua Heartia stood in front of me, facing the Hydra with fire magic in tow.

The Hydra, noticing Almanfi's sprint towards him, picked one of its heads up and lashed out at him like a snake. Its jaw hung open, ready to chomp down on Almanfi, but he disappeared before it closed onto him.

It was absurdly fast; so much so that my eye of foresight could barely see him. He appeared briefly right next to the Hydra's still stretched out neck before cutting it down with a swift motion of its sword.

Quickly, I moved in a more favorable position, before holding Aqua Heartia out. "Flamethrower!" I heard my voice roaring out, the loudest it's been since I've come back to the past. A jet of flames shot in front of Aqua Heartia towards the Hydra's neck, where I could see its head already fallen to the ground, disconnected from the rest of its neck. The flames burned the inside of the neck, cauterizing the wound and not allowing it to regenerate.

I could feel my lips curl into a grin at the sight. Any doubts I didn't know I still had were washed away in an instant. We could definitely do this.

My eyes quickly glanced over to another of the Hydra's head, its mouth open and steaming, about to launch a flaming breath. Immediately, I placed my hand on the ground. "Earth Wall!"

The ground below rumbled in front me before a wall shot up from the tiled ground below as the Hydra launched its fire breath. The wall was effectively destroyed in an instant, but did its job at keeping the flames from reaching me.

Another one of the Hydra's heads swung itself at Almanfi, seemingly believing that he was distracted by what just occurred. It was a mistake on its part, as just like before, he dodged the attack and cut its head.

"Flamethrower!" I yelled, another jet of flames shooting from Aqua Heartia towards the inside of its neck, cauterizing the wound. Two down, seven more to go.

That pattern repeated once, it would attack with its head, and Almanfi would cut it off in response, where I would use my flamethrower to prevent the regeneration.

I glanced at the other heads once more, and I saw two of them charging up another flame breath in their mouths.

"Earth Wall!" An Earth Wall stood up once more at my incantation, and was destroyed when the flame breath was exhaled. It didn't block the second one very well, though.

My eyes widened. "Blast!" I called. The intermediate wind spell I adjusted to be stronger launched me away, even then the fire breath still caught my foot.

I winced, clenching my teeth when I landed to look back at my foot. A bit of my right boot and pants leg I wore were burned off, along with a piece of my robe, exposing everything from my right shin and below to the world with some third degree burns to go along with it.

I muttered a healing spell incantation. "X-Healing." I whispered, clutching my leg and watching as the burns faded. I'll need to get some new clothing after this.

I glanced back over to Almanfi. "I'm fine!" I shouted, getting up with a slight limp before I fixed my stance.

The pattern repeated twice more, both without me suffering the burns of a flame breath once again. Only two more heads remained. My mana was waning with the effort I was putting myself through in both magic and body – I haven't started the usual workout I was accustomed to in my past life yet – but I knew I still had more than enough to finish the fight.

Almanfi wasn't losing breath at all, he seemed to be just as energized as he was before we entered this Labyrinth, not that I was complaining about it. The Hydra was getting angrier though, anything it did was immediately nullified by us. A flame breath was blocked, a swing of its head was dodged and effectively countered, and any time it tried to eat its own flesh it was immediately stopped from doing so by one of us.

Then another head came off, Almanfi backed off as I got into position once more. "Flamethrower!" I called, and the injury was cauterized by my flames.

I caught my breath. This is it. One more to go.

I looked to where the last Hydra head was, but I only saw its neck bent to the side. I followed it to its head, where I could only see the side of it, before it swung itself towards us like a bat.

It moved so fast, I was almost in awe. "BLAST!" I yelled, driven by pure instinct. I launched myself backwards, hoping to get out of range, but my arm was caught moments before I realized it was still outstretched. I turned my body to its side, whipping my arm to the side as the head passed me, the sleeve of my robe was torn instantly, my right arm ripped open with blood shooting out of it like a waterfall. It took everything in me to repress a scream from my mouth and to not allow any tears to fall down my face.

When I landed a safe distance, I checked it immediately. My right arm was shredded, cuts decorated it and surrounded a large gash where flesh was evidently missing. The laceration went up to the side of my hand, where my pinky was torn off and my ring finger was reduced to only half. It took effort to not cry at how badly it hurt.

I turned my attention back to the Manatite Hydra to see Almanfi cutting off the final head of the Hydra. Through the scorching pain, I held my arm up, not knowing where Aqua Heartia ended up, watching as fire magic formed in front of my palm.

"F-Flamethrower!" I choked out as the fire shot from my hand, perhaps a little too strong as it annihilated the flesh inside of the exposed neck. The body of the Hydra collapsed in on itself as the flames ran through, burning everything inside before it became a lump of flesh and scales.

It was over, we won. We conquered the Labyrinth.

I gasped as my mind forced its attention back onto my arm. "Angel of miracles, bestow thy holy breath unto the pulsing heart before thee. O heavens blessed with sunlight, servants who despise crimson, swoop down into the ocean of light, the pure white of thy wings spread wide. Drive away the blood thou seest before thee! Shine Healing!"

I shouted the incantation out knowing I was uselessly draining mana, but I didn't really care. My breath became labored as I watched my right arm heal, my pinky finger nor the rest of my ring finger didn't return, but that's fine. The sound of Almanfi sheathing his sword echoed in the back of my mind.

The drop of liquid broke me out of my stupor, my head snapping to the location of the sound to see the crystal liquifying and Zenith, my mother, collapsed onto the ground.

Ah. Before I knew it, my body was desperately scrambling to reach her, not caring how pathetic I looked to Almanfi or Perugius, who was no doubt watching the entire thing. So many in my past life died, but I never learned what became of my mother or what happened to her. I only knew that Lilia took both her and my daughter someplace else, away from me after what I became.

Eventually, I did reach her, and flipped her body over. The exhausted pants of my breath didn't deter me as I scanned her face. She was unconscious, but breathing. I'm not sure if she'll lose her memories again, and if she could possibly get them back if she does. But even so, that was fine.

The last memory I have of her in my previous life was of her slapping me over and over again for yelling at Sylphy, for making her leave me only to die herself. Even if she didn't entirely remember me then, her last memories of her son were wondering how much of a disappointment he became.

Tears ran down my face, and I didn't put an effort to stop them as I sat her sleeping body up and brought her forehead to mine. Even if she doesn't remember me, I want her to live the rest of her life knowing she was the greatest mother in the world. I want her to know that she raised a good son, and two incredible daughters. I owed her an impossible debt, even though I knew she'd never accept anything I'd wanna give her anyways.

I could feel Almanfi's gaze on my back. As much as he wanted to leave, he decided that this was tolerable regardless. I'll have to apologize to him later, but right now, I just wanted to be with my mother once more.