Walking on the street, with his son holding tightly onto his hand, Subaru still couldn't help but wonder if it all had been a dream. After all, not long ago he was just a teenager.

A recluse that has been wasting his life away, yet-

Now, he is Heinkel van Astrea…that fact made Subaru feel complicated. It was dreadful, yes, but once Subaru saw that Heinkel's life is not so different to his own, he was determined to see this through.

Subaru unconsciously touched the back of his hand. When he first came back from the shadow, he found that there were four black dots, which happened to form a small square. It has disappeared quickly, but Subaru knew that it was still hiding in his body, waiting to be awakened.

Subaru could at least surmise that it was related to the four pieces of staple food at the four corners of the room. It needed further testing, but if Subaru was to guess, he supposed the staple food could be skipped next time.

It would save a lot of time and money, actually, if this was going to be a regular occurance.

It just…the appearance of these spots indeed felt dreadful. Perhaps it was his fear of the unknown, or his instinct is telling him something. Atlas, he was frustrated that ever since coming to this world, he has been running around like a headless chicken, being ignorant…it was uncomfortable.

'Who am I kidding…it's no use thinking about it for now.' Subaru sighed to himself. 'I will figure it out later, for now-'

"Uh…where should we buy, father?"

"You have good eyes, I believe in you." Subaru ruffled the child head, and felt a sense of sastifaction at that "Go ahead, I'm just here to accompany you."

He saw something glint in Reinhard's eyes, and felt the tiny hand grasping his own more tightly.

Reinhard indeed didn't disappoint. His bargaining skill was top-notch, and his reasoning was sound enough that the vendors couldn't complain. To be able to do those things at such a young age, Reinhard is indeed a genius.

'Unlike myself.' Subaru didn't know if that was his own thought, or Heinkel's fractured memories

There was some tight-fisted fellow who was trying to threaten the Reinhard, but he stood his ground. Coupled with a glare from the Heinkel, who didn't have a good reputation, was enough for them all to back off. All in all, the trip went quite well.

As they both are walking home, Subaru felt the boy scuttled closer to him, and Subaru himself could only smile helplessly.

"Hey, you have talent as a merchant! Good job today, Reinhard!" He wanted to give Reinhard a thumb-up, but it seemed too out of place.

"…would you like me to become a merchant in the future?" Reinhard asked after a while, blue eyes staring at him expectantly.

"Hm? Just do whatever makes you happy, kiddo." Subaru raised his brow at the question.

"I don't know what job will make me happy…" Reinhard trailed off, his head hung low

"Oh…I understand how it is. When I was young, things are like that for me also." Subaru said wistfully. This is no lie, as both Subaru and Heinkel felt themselves as mediocre talent and felt lost in life. The only difference is Heinkel had thought a lot about it, and Subaru was still in the process before his transmigration.

Searching Heinkel's memory gave him quite the perspective.

Eventually, Heinkel's mother, Theresia, had a long talk with him, and helped him get over it. The underlying problem is still there, but he didn't agonize himself over it anymore. That dark corner of his mind seemed to have been buried further when he met Louanna and fell in love with her.

It was only recently that their extreme condition and the effect of cheap booze forced him to confront his insecurities once more. This time, Reinhard is the only thing keeping the poor man's mind afloat.

Subaru wondered if he kept going on as he was, would his parent stop him? Snap him out of his misery? Perhaps…

"No matter, you are still young, you have plenty of time to think about it." Reinhard didn't say anything in response, so Subaru could only pat his head lightly "Don't worry too much about it. You are a bright child…I'm sure you will fare a lot better than me."

It didn't take long for them to go back to their decrepit apartment. It was already dusk, and the darkness was already creeping. They quickly make their way back to their room.

"Set the table, Reinhard! I will go prepare the food this time!"

"Um…are you sure?" Reinhard seemed skeptical at the command.

Atlas, it was understandable. Heinkel is not really fond of cooking to be exact, but he did some recipes. He was just never willing to try.

Well, he had the chances now.

"Of course I'm sure! The least you can do is give me the benefit of the doubt."

"Sorry…" The kid hung his head low almost immediately, and gave Subaru a real panic

"Now, now…none of that. I was just messing with you. Run along, kiddo! Chop, chop!" He quickly tried to defuse the situation, using exaggerated hand gestures.

Reinhard just quietly nodded, and soon, he was out of sight.

"That kid is truly…" Subaru sighed to himself and quickly went back to the task at hand

"Now…what should I do with this?" He looked at the ingredient strewn across the table

"This…it's…" Reinhard brought the spoon to his mouth, an indescribable look his eyes

"Uh…sorry, I tried my best-"

"It tasted just like…how mom always made it." He finally said, so softly as if a feather. Something is shining in the corner of his eyes, as if-

He was crying…

The soup was simple, but in Reinhard's childhood, it was something of profound meaning.

This soup is what Louanna always makes for Reinhard and Heinkel when they got sick. It was flavorful, simple, and easy to digest. The recipe was, of course, from Heinkel's memories.

He remembered this so clearly…because it came from Louanna, after all.

There was the memory of Louanna explaining the recipe to Heinkel, and although he was feigning disinterest, he remembered every word. Remembering is one thing, however. In truth, Subaru thought he fumbled with the recipe. Although Subaru knew cooking, he didn't have any real culinary skill, and the lack of kitchen utensils where he was probably didn't help.

Although he nailed the taste, the vegetables were cut haphazardly, and the bean paste was clumpy in some places and hard to swallow somewhat.

Yet, despite all that, he saw Reinhard slurping the bowl enthusiastically and hastily wiped away the tear in his eyes. Then his mouth curved up, and a genuine smile adorned his face.

It fitted him, truly.

The happiness radiated from Reinhard melted his heart, and Subaru couldn't help but smile along.

"As long as you are happy, kiddo."

Although Reinhard is an exceptional child, it took a while for it to dawn on Subaru how independent he really is. Subaru didn't know what he was doing at Reinhard's age, but he definitely won't be able to copy him.

And in a way, it made Subaru kind of sad, too. Although he didn't have the perfect childhood, he was smothered in love from his parents. Compared to Reinhard, it did seem like he took things for granted.

As he lay on his bed, he couldn't help but think about it. Eventually, darkness embraced him like an old friend.

…

In the realm of sleep, there are things that you can see more clearly…things that you don't normally see or are aware of.

Subaru felt as if he was a mist, his body shifting and being influenced by the slightest influx of wind. In this shadow, he barely saw it-

Standing there, a figure in the shadow reached out to him, as if wanting to tell him something. He couldn't make out its features, and though he saw the figure so far away, he felt as if it were right in front of him.

"Help…me…" Its voice distorted and muffled, yet Subaru could understand every word. The voice is weak, pleading and desperate.

'How…' He could only think out loud, as he had no mouth, no way to speak. He might as well not exist.

And then, he was aware…

As he tried to reach out, he found his body missing its lower half. He fell to the ground with a wet splash.

Pain, desperation, pain, despair, pain, death.

Slowly, the image faded away, and he woke up.

Intense sunlight shone from the window onto Subaru's faces, forcing Subaru to depart from his state of unconsciousness.

It felt as if he dreamt of something terrible, and he was wearing an annoyed expression. It took him a while to calm down.

"What did I dream of…I can't remember." Subaru spoke to himself hazily, as he rubbed his eyes

Groggily, he saw a note on the table, and grabbed it hastily.

'I left some food on the table. I saw the leftover food you bought yesterday and made something. Hope you like it! See you later!'

Somehow, he could imagine that little Reinhard smiling as he wrote those lines. The hastily written message earned a chuckle out of Subaru, but he quickly composed himself.

"I sounded so old…" Subaru couldn't help but sigh once again "Welp, better get up then!"

…

If he didn't feel embarrassed in his culinary skill last night, then he is now thoroughly humiliated. He didn't know how Reinhard managed to turn those plain staple food into an actually decent breakfast, but he was sure as hell appreciated it.

"Better than rye bread by a mile."

As he kept eating, he thought about how a ritual he got from a random lady on the street managed to produce such effects here. First he was transmigrated in his sleep, then there was the matter of the craze-inducing murmur when he performed the ritual, and the mysterious shadowy sea where his sense was muted and all temperature as if sucked out of him.

"Jeez…just thinking about it is unnerving."

In his mind, he was tempted to try to access the mysterious domain again. The yearning to explore the unknown was always in the blood of humanity, after all. But right now, he just wanted to pretend nothing had happened. Perhaps a part of him wasn't ready to face the unfathomable abyss just yet.

But after a while, Subaru's face turned determined as he began planning.

"Since I'm stuck here anyway, I really need a course of action. Right now, I should try to come into contact with mysticism and become a Beyonder as mentioned by Justice and Temperance." He slapped his own face, trying to hype himself up "Come on now, the unknown? There is absolutely nothing to fe-well, I'd better not jinxed myself."

He sighed as he cleaned up the table and made his way to his room.

"Welp, now I can only wait for the next 'gathering.' I need to try to listen for the formula of the 'Spectator' potion or other things related to mysticism." His expression suddenly turned contemplative, "And then there's the circumstance of this guy. Why did he even commit suicide anyway?"

After much contemplation, Subaru concluded that suicide is the real cause of death for Heinkel. There was no struggle, and every way of entry is too clean for murder to be the cause. Moreover, Heinkel isn't the type to go down without a fight. But what can be the reason? This is what Subaru is concerned about.

"I already dismissed stress as a valid reason at first, and now I'm even more sure." Subaru thought about Reinhard and Louanna, and shook his head fervently "There are three more days before Monday. Before that, I need to first figure out the problem with Heinkel first. I need more information."

Atlas, forced to deal with this mess with no way back, Subaru picked up the notebook that lay on the table. This was one of the first things he got a hold of when he came to this world…he needed to find more clues related to his lost memories fragment.

The original Heinkel, strangely, had the habit of taking notes. Or maybe it was not that strange…after all, a police officer needed to keep their mind organized, after all. He also liked to write diaries.

"That's it! Perhaps it has to do with recent cases! Heinkel must have noted it down somewhere…"

Subaru was fully aware that the cabinet that supported the desk on the right stored a whole stack of completed notebooks. He immediately opened the cabinet and started going through all the written text.

The date of the book he read was the 10th of May. Matters regarding his cases, and colleagues, as well as content pertaining to knowledge were at the beginning.

"12th May. That woman from The Forensic Department, Elsa, was strange at times, I will admit that much. But that woman knew a whole lot about history. She mentioned that the common language used by the Balam Empire in the Southern Continent also developed from Ancient Feysac, a branch of Jotun. Why is this so? Does this mean that every sentient living being once spoke the same language? No, there has to be a mistake. According to 'The Revelation of Evernight' and 'The Book of Storms', witches were not the only hegemons of the world in primordial times. There were also elves, mutants, and dragons. Anyways, these are just myths and fantasies."

He racked his memories of Elsa…it seemed that she, like him, was a former History Graduate. As for why she became a Forensic Investigator, she casually told him 'I'm just following my passion.'

That, in Heinkel's opinion, would be a red flag in a relationship. Perhaps that's why few people, besides Heinkel of course, could have a conversation with her. Her words were usually unnerving to the ear.

But she was easy on the eyes, and most importantly, knowledgeable about history. That was all that mattered to Heinkel, really. They are not in an illicit relationship, so he didn't really care about things beyond that.

'Jeez…this woman sounded like a handful.' Subaru couldn't help but comment

...

"16th May. Sometimes, I don't know why I'm always in the middle of their argument. For a young blood fresh out of the university, Meili seemed to strangely enjoy academic debate. Especially with that woman, Elsa. Today they discussed the inevitability of the Age of Steam. Elsa conjectured that it was just a coincidence because if it wasn't for Sage Flugel, the Northern Continent would still be wielding swords like the Southern Continent. Meili argued that Elsa had placed too much emphasis on the contribution of an individual. He believes that with progress, even if there wasn't a Sage Flugel, there would be a Sage Aldebaran. Therefore, the Age of Steam might come late, but eventually come nevertheless. I found little meaning in their discussion. I still got that case that the chief assigned me…best get to it."

Meili was…an enthusiastic youngster. It was understandable, as she was just enrolled in the unit and wanted to prove herself. And the young was often fearless, and perhaps that was why she could have a debate with Elsa so casually. Believe it or not, somehow Heinkel with these two had formed an academic group. Hearing they talk made the day somewhat less boring, and took his mind off booze.

Truly, a bunch of misfits.

And about the case…there were three people from the college that committed suicide. But circumstances were dubious, and Heinkel felt that something was wrong. So he decided to take up investigating the incident, while the others took their attention elsewhere.

...

"29th May. Helen got a clue. Apparently, she found a notebook hidden under the floorboard in one of the victim's houses. It was surmised to have come from the Fourth Epoch. What a notebook from the Fourth Epoch doing here? We didn't have anyone with expertise in archeology in our department, so we agreed to find Old Man Garitch, who is more or less knowledgeable about things like this, to help us decode the contents. He was reluctant, but what History enthusiast would refuse a chance like this? But he said he got his hand tied at the moment, and we must wait for him to resolve some personal matter first."

This caught Subaru's attention. Compared to the notes about history and viewpoint disagreements, the appearance of a notebook from the Fourth Epoch is indeed suspicious. With how obscure and real mysticism in this world is, it might have led to Heinkel's suicide.

He searched his mind for information about his acquaintances and regarding information.

Helen is his only teammate, probably because she is, like Meili, a young blood. Observant, logical, but has a weak personality. Perhaps that was why she was forced into his team, despite his infamy. Heinkel only acknowledged her as a passable colleague.

Old Man Garitch, however, was someone Heinkel respected. He was the previous medical examiner and was welcoming when Heinkel first joined the local force, and was there when he spiraled. Actually, he did way more than that. As Heinkel's wife fell over suddenly, Old Man Garitch gave her an examination for free, and wrote the suggestion to make the trip to the hospital much less complicated. He was one of the most knowledgeable people Heinkel knew. As a former history student, Heinkel usually sat down and talked to him about related topics.

One of the things that they discussed was the Fourth Epoch. The Fourth Epoch was the epoch before the present "Iron Age." Its history was mysterious and incomplete. Due to the fact that very few tombs, ancient cities, and records had been found, archaeologists and historians could only refer to the ambiguous records provided by the seven major Churches that centered around their religious teachings to roughly form the 'original' picture. They knew the existence of the Solomon Empire, the Tudor Dynasty, and the Trunsoest Empire.

Heinkel didn't know much, and likewise was not interested in the first three eras, whose roots are closer to that of legend. He was more interested in the Fourth Epoch, also known as the Age of the Gods.

These memories were interesting and all, but-

"Then…what led to this? I'm still missing something." Subaru could only scowl in frustration.

Without thinking further, Subaru continued reading the notebook.

"18th June. Old Man Garitch said he has resolved his personal problem, and told us to contact him soon!"

"19th June. We decided to decipher the notebook together. By comparing sentence structures and root words, we discovered that it is a modified form of ancient Feysac. More precisely, over the course of its thousand-year history, the Feysac language had changed constantly, a little at a time."

"20th June. We have deciphered the contents of the first page. The author was a member of a family called Antigonus."

"21st June. He mentioned the Dark Emperor. This is anachronistic with regards to the time this notebook is deduced to be written. Is Elsa wrong? Is 'Dark Emperor' a common title for every emperor of the Solomon Empire?"

"22nd June. The Antigonus family apparently had a very high standing in the Solomon Empire. The author mentions that he was making a secret transaction with a person named Tudor. Tudor? Is it related to the Tudor Dynasty?"

"23rd June. I am trying to restrain myself from thinking about the notebook and going to Old Man Garitch's place. This is a major clue, I can feel it!"

"24th June. Helen tells me that they have found something new. I think I need to check it out."

"25th June. From the new deciphered content, the author had accepted a mission to visit the 'Nation of the Evernight' situated at the summit of the highest peak of the Hornacis mountain range. It's simply…incomprehensible! How can a nation exist at the summit of that peak which is over 6000 meters above sea level? How do they survive?"

"26th June. Am I seeing things…?"

The record ended at this point. Subaru Natsuki transmigrated in the early hours of the 28th.

"Which means to say that there was indeed an entry for June 27th, it's that line... Everyone will die, including me..." Subaru flipped to the page he first saw when he arrived, feeling goosebumps while he made the deduction.

In order to solve the mystery of Heinkel's suicide, he thought that he should visit Old Man Garitch and take a look at the ancient notebook. However, he could almost be sure that the incident mentioned in the notebook is related to Heinkel's suicide. What did he find that drove him to death?

And judging by the case Heinkel was in before this, like the victim, Heinkel had succumbed to the same fate. Whatever it was, the origin of it can't be natural!

Atlas, since he can't run away, avoiding it would only make things worse. And he had Reinhard to worry about, also. Matters like this, if left to fester, will no doubt come back to bite him.

'Perhaps I should contact Helen first...yes, that was a sound response!'

Knock!

Knock, knock!

There was a series of quick and forceful knocks.

Subaru sat straight up and listened.

Knock!

Knock, knock!

The knocks echoed through the empty hallway.