Parallel Memory

Chapter 768: The Center Holds

Zero returned to the capital before Earth Zero’s presence had completely disappeared.

He didn’t understand what he was supposed to do.

That was the problem.

Earth Zero had given him an order.

Watch Hiro.

Don’t let him disappear from the center.

But he had never explained what that actually meant.

Zero couldn’t force people to talk about Hiro.

He couldn’t control newspapers.

He couldn’t stand beside Hiro during every major event and announce his importance to the world.

And even if he could—

wouldn’t that simply be another interference?

Another attempt to force reality in a particular direction?

Zero slowed as he entered the capital.

People moved normally through the streets.

Merchants called to customers.

Adventurers discussed requests.

Carriages passed through the main road.

Nothing appeared different.

Yet Zero could still feel it.

That strange pressure.

The sensation that something had shifted.

Somewhere.

Somehow.

He looked toward the center of the city.

"Hiro."

**************************************

Finding Hiro was easy.

Understanding what Earth Zero expected was not.

Hiro was at the guild.

Zero stopped outside before entering.

Several adventurers surrounded Hiro.

They were speaking loudly.

Zero couldn’t hear everything from outside.

But he heard Hiro’s name.

Once.

Then again.

Someone laughed.

Another person asked Hiro a question.

Hiro answered.

Ordinary.

Completely ordinary.

Zero stood there for several seconds.

Then he realized something.

He was doing exactly what Earth Zero had been doing.

Watching.

Measuring.

Who was speaking.

Who people were looking at.

Whether Hiro remained present.

Zero’s expression darkened.

"I really am starting to understand you."

He pushed the door open.

******************************************************

Hiro noticed him immediately.

"Zero?"

Several conversations stopped.

Zero walked toward him.

"I need to speak with you."

Hiro’s expression changed slightly.

"That sounds serious."

"It is."

Hiro stood.

The adventurers around him quickly moved away.

Not because Zero had ordered them to.

Because of his expression.

Hiro followed him outside.

"What happened?"

Zero looked at him.

For a moment, he considered telling him everything.

Earth.

Earth Zero.

Expected sequences.

The deviation.

But the words stopped before they reached his mouth.

How could he explain it?

Another version of me believes you’re supposed to occupy the center of the world’s major events.

Even Zero knew how absurd that sounded.

So instead, he asked—

"Are you going somewhere?"

Hiro blinked.

"What?"

"Any missions."

"Not immediately."

"Anything planned?"

Hiro stared at him.

"Zero."

"What?"

"Why are you asking?"

Zero didn’t answer.

Hiro watched him carefully.

Then sighed.

"There is something."

Zero immediately focused.

"What?"

"A request came in this morning."

His expression became more serious.

"A mana disturbance."

Zero felt the strange pressure inside him react.

"Where?"

"Near the northern ruins."

"When were you planning to leave?"

Hiro frowned.

"Tomorrow."

Zero’s eyes narrowed.

"You’re going."

Hiro stared at him.

"I just said that."

"You’re going."

"Yes."

"Alone?"

"No."

Zero immediately relaxed slightly.

Then Hiro added—

"Mia was supposed to go too."

Zero froze.

Hiro noticed.

"What?"

"Supposed to?"

Hiro looked toward the guild.

"She received another request."

Zero’s expression slowly changed.

The words were simple.

But he had spent too much time looking at Earth Zero’s records.

Too much time watching patterns.

A major event.

A choice.

Hiro.

Mia.

A path dividing.

Zero remembered the fragment.

...two paths occupying...

His Mana Base reacted.

Hiro immediately noticed.

"Zero?"

Zero turned away.

"Where is Mia?"

"Why?"

"Where?"

Hiro frowned.

"Southern district."

Zero didn’t wait.

He disappeared.

*************************************************

Mia was already preparing to leave when Zero found her.

She stood outside the southern gate with several members of her group.

Zero appeared in front of them.

Mia blinked.

"That was fast."

Zero ignored her.

"You’re not going."

The others fell silent.

Mia stared at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Give the request to someone else."

Her expression immediately darkened.

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That’s not an answer."

Zero stopped.

Of course it wasn’t.

Mia crossed her arms.

"You’re acting strange again."

Zero’s eyes narrowed.

"You received a request in the southern district."

"Yes."

"And Hiro received one near the northern ruins."

"Yes."

"You’re not going."

Mia stared at him.

"Have you lost your mind?"

Zero didn’t answer.

Mia stepped closer.

"Zero."

Her voice became serious.

"What is happening?"

For several seconds, he remained silent.

Then he said—

"I think Hiro needs to handle this one."

Mia blinked.

"What?"

"The northern ruins."

"I wasn’t planning to handle that."

"Then don’t."

"Zero, I have my own request."

"I know."

"Then what are you talking about?"

Zero stopped.

He was trying to interfere again.

Trying to arrange people.

Trying to move events.

Exactly as Earth Zero had been doing.

And suddenly—

he understood the problem.

Earth Zero hadn’t simply forced Hiro into events.

If he had, the world would have rejected it.

The effort had been subtler.

He had created circumstances.

Removed pressure.

Redirected threats.

Not to control Hiro.

But to give him room to act.

Zero slowly stepped back.

Mia watched him.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

"That’s becoming less believable every time you say it."

Zero looked toward the northern horizon.

Then back at Mia.

"Go."

Mia frowned.

"Go where?"

"Your request."

Her expression became suspicious.

"And?"

"Nothing."

"Zero."

He turned away.

"Just be careful."

**************************************************

Zero returned to the northern ruins before Hiro’s group departed.

He didn’t approach Hiro.

That would change things.

At least, that was what Zero told himself.

Instead, he watched from a distance.

The request was simple.

Or it appeared to be.

An unstable mana disturbance had been reported within the ruins.

Several adventurers had investigated.

None had found the source.

The guild believed an old magical structure had become unstable.

Zero knew better.

There was something else there.

He could feel it.

The same strange pressure.

The same feeling he had experienced outside the abandoned building.

The convergence.

Zero looked toward the distant road.

Then—

Earth Zero appeared beside him.

Zero immediately turned.

"You."

Earth Zero looked toward the ruins.

"He’s coming."

Zero’s expression hardened.

"You knew about this."

"Yes."

"Did you create it?"

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

Earth Zero didn’t answer.

Zero stared at him.

"You’re watching again."

Earth Zero’s expression remained calm.

"For once, so are you."

Zero looked toward the road.

Hiro’s group was approaching.

Earth Zero spoke quietly.

"You’ve noticed the difference."

Zero didn’t respond.

"I’ve spent a long time creating opportunities."

Zero looked toward him.

"You’re admitting it now?"

"There’s no point hiding it."

Earth Zero continued watching Hiro.

"Opportunities for what?"

"Nothing."

Zero’s eyes narrowed.

Earth Zero smiled faintly.

"That’s the important part."

*******************************************

Hiro entered the ruins.

Zero waited.

At first, nothing happened.

Hiro’s group investigated the damaged structures.

They found broken magical inscriptions.

Old mana channels.

Fragments of an ancient formation.

Zero watched from a nearby ridge.

Then the pressure appeared.

His Mana Base reacted sharply.

Earth Zero immediately looked toward him.

"Don’t move."

Zero’s eyes narrowed.

"What?"

"Whatever happens."

The ground shook.

Hiro’s group immediately drew their weapons.

The mana disturbance intensified.

A pulse moved through the ruins.

Zero felt the world blur.

For one brief moment—

he saw something else.

A second image over the first.

The northern ruins—

and another place.

A battlefield.

Empty.

Broken.

Wrong.

Zero’s expression changed.

Earth Zero immediately grabbed his shoulder.

"Don’t follow it."

The vision intensified.

Zero felt something pulling.

Not physically.

Somewhere deeper.

Like two different directions were trying to overlap.

He looked toward the ruins.

Hiro stood at the center.

The strange pressure around Zero weakened.

Earth Zero’s grip tightened.

"Look at him."

Zero frowned.

"What?"

"Hiro."

The words were sharp.

Zero looked.

Hiro was giving orders.

His group had separated.

Several adventurers were following his instructions.

The unstable formation was beginning to collapse.

But Hiro remained.

He didn’t retreat.

He moved deeper into the ruins.

Zero felt something change.

The overlapping image flickered.

Earth Zero’s eyes narrowed.

"That’s it."

Zero looked at him.

"What?"

Earth Zero didn’t answer.

Instead, he whispered—

"Keep going."

************************************

Zero turned back toward the ruins.

Hiro’s group had encountered the center of the disturbance.

A damaged magical core.

Mana was leaking from it.

The adventurers around Hiro hesitated.

The situation was dangerous.

Zero knew he could resolve it.

He could enter the ruins.

Destroy the core.

Stabilize the mana.

End everything within minutes.

His hand tightened.

Then Earth Zero spoke.

"Don’t."

Zero looked at him.

"I can stop it."

"I know."

"Then why—"

"Because this isn’t yours."

The words stopped him.

Zero stared at the ruins.

Hiro moved.

He didn’t have Zero’s strength.

He didn’t have Mia’s overwhelming power.

He didn’t have the abilities Zero had gained.

But he understood the situation.

He directed the others.

Created an opening.

Then moved toward the core himself.

Zero watched.

And suddenly—

he understood something he had missed.

Hiro didn’t need to be the strongest person in every event.

He didn’t need to defeat every enemy alone.

The center wasn’t about power.

It was about direction.

The others were moving because Hiro had acted.

The event itself was moving through him.

Zero remembered Earth Zero’s words.

Eventually, everything else begins moving around them.

For the first time—

he saw what that meant.

*********************************************

The core destabilized.

Hiro raised his weapon.

The adventurers behind him shouted.

Mana exploded outward.

Zero moved instinctively.

Earth Zero caught his arm.

"Wait."

"He’s going to get hurt."

"I know."

Zero’s eyes widened.

"You—"

"Wait."

Zero stared at him.

For a brief moment, anger rose inside him.

Earth Zero was asking him to stand aside.

To watch Hiro face something Zero could easily end.

But then—

Hiro’s group moved.

One adventurer created a barrier.

Another redirected the mana.

Hiro used the opening.

The damaged core cracked.

The unstable formation collapsed.

And the pressure—

stopped.