Chapter 70 World B: The IF scenario where Reena wins...

Ethan felt as if his body had been put into a small jar, shaken by a mission, and after what seemed like an eternity, he finally emerged from the darkness and crashed straight into something.

Looking up in confusion, Ethan stared at two magnified faces, two faces he knew all too well—his and Tenas's faces. They looked at Ethan, who had fallen into their arms, delivering a fatal blow to their abdomen and thigh.

Ethan: "...hi?"

He was met with a fist that whistled through the air and a beam of light emerging from an open palm. Ethan narrowly dodged, losing several strands of his hair in the process, and felt a cold sweat break out on his brow.

"Wait!" Ethan barely dodged the punches from the two men, who were even at the same level. He lost his balance and stumbled, almost falling. He managed to keep his balance and was then kicked by the two men simultaneously.

To dodge the attack, Ethan still fell, scrambling in terror. Forced into a corner, he suddenly remembered that he wasn't powerless to fight back—he knew magic! Just as the two attacks were about to land on him, a transparent protective barrier rose up.

"Can you listen to me?" Ethan huddled inside the barrier, looking timid and hesitant. "I am Ethan Nix from a parallel universe, the guardian of Starfall City, a magician. I am traveling to different worlds to borrow power in order to save the will of our suddenly vanished city."

"Guardians?" the blond man asked thoughtfully.

"A magician?" The man, who looked a few years older than him, flickered his eyes, but remained firm, his gaze filled with doubt: "Prove it."

“March 7th! Bertha’s birthday is March 7th!” Ethan blurted out. “By the way, Lily’s birthday is also very close, on March 19th!”

As he gazed at the world around him, seemingly lost in thought, Ethan continued to prove himself, while his counterpart, Turner, watched him with interest.

"Mom's taste?"

"I accept all comers, but I don't have a favorite."

"Nickname?"

"My mom calls me Xingxing (Star)."

"The classmate you hate the most?"

“Jack, Jackson Cook.”

...

“I’m talking to Ethan.” Tenas, who had somehow sat down on the sofa, watched Ethan and his companions, who were standing there exchanging questions and answers like a secret code, and yawned boredly. “That’s definitely your question, no need to ask it again.”

"You know me better than I know myself?" Etham retorted.

“Of course.” Tenas replied matter-of-factly, his tone natural: “Because before…”

Their eyes met, then quickly looked away, tacitly skipping the topic and listening attentively to Ethan's explanation and request.

“I am not a guardian, and there is no Starfall City in this world, so I cannot help you.” This was Ethan’s first sentence after hearing Ethan’s words.

Upon hearing that Starfall City did not exist, Ethan became listless and looked unhappy.

“I-I-I—I’m the Guardian, little Ethan.” Tenas interrupted their conversation with a grin: “I’m also the Guardian of Sunfire City in this world! I can lend you my power, and we can even take you to Reena to see if they can lend you a little more.”

"You'd be so kind?" Ethan looked at him and threw out this ambiguous question.

"Seriously, little Ethan." Tenas's tone turned somewhat helpless, then sweet: "Please, what do you take me for? He's your counterpart, you know. As a good friend, you should help your counterpart too!"

"Heh." He expressed his attitude without a smile.

Ethan glanced at Tenas, then at Ethan, scratched his head, and felt that the atmosphere was strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

The two tacitly skipped over the topic again, and Ethan gestured for Ethan to follow Tenas: "You go straight to the Guardian Headquarters with him. This guy will help you. After you're done, come to my house for dinner. Let's see if Mom's cooking skills have changed in different worlds. Of course, you and I will cook too."

Because Ethan had briefly mentioned how he became a Guardian when he confessed, Ethan knew that Ethan had erased all traces of his existence for Selene's safety. Apart from being almost dead, he was still alive, and otherwise, it was no different from losing his mother.

As expected, older people can't bear to see mothers and children separated like this. The twenty-one-year-old magician thought.

Ethan took out his phone, opened some interface, tapped a few times, received a message, and then typed rapidly, without looking up, uttering the coordinates of the Guardian Alliance: "Go, I've already spoken to Reena, you can go now, I'll explain everything to her before you arrive."

Ethan opened the portal, and he and Tenas passed through it, finding themselves once again in a place that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Towering buildings stand tall, and a high-tech building stands quietly here, its entire body silver-white, and you can't see the top when you look up.

Each Guardian has their own independent floor within the Guardian Alliance. The other floors are either offices, rest areas for support staff, or facilities such as restaurants, training rooms, and medical departments.

When they got to the elevator, they saw Nadia and Reba waiting for it. The pink-haired girl jumped at the sight of Tenas and cautiously hid behind Nadia, clutching her clothes tightly, her fear clearly visible.

"Tenas," Nadia greeted instead, "Good afternoon."

“Hey, Nadia,” Tenas replied with a smile. “Good afternoon. Are you going to see Reena now? Let’s go together.”

“Na, Nadia, um, I suddenly remembered I have something to do. I should go for a follow-up appointment for my wound from last time…” Reba whispered in Nadia’s ear, trying to find an excuse to leave: “I won’t bother you anymore, I’ll go first.”

After saying that, she ran off in a flash, her panicked and anxious appearance making it seem as if ten vicious dogs with bared teeth and drooling were about to bite her to death.

Nadia watched her retreating figure grow smaller and smaller, and calmly stated the fact: "You scared her."

“It’s normal for her to be afraid of me, since she almost died at my hands before.” Tenas shrugged, looking completely unconcerned and as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “Nobody is unafraid of me. I bet if anyone saw me here today, they’d think they’d seen a ghost.”

Ethan: "???"

Huh? What do you mean they almost died at his hands? Aren't they guardians? Aren't they their guardian colleagues?

Clearly, neither Nadia nor Tenas in this world intended to explain. The elevator finally arrived, and soon Ethan reached their destination floor.

Nadia walked ahead, leading them to a door at the far end. Nadia opened the door for them and gestured for them to go inside.

Clearly, Ethan had already explained things to Reena, and after a brief self-introduction, he got straight to the point.

“We can lend you our power.” The leader, who was older and more experienced than his own world, narrowed his eyes. “But I have one condition: if our world ever encounters trouble and needs your help, I hope you will do everything in your power to help us. Of course, I cannot predict whether there will be any danger that could cost you your life. If you cannot accept this, you can leave now, and Tenas will still lend you his power.”

...Should I agree?

He shouldn't make decisions for others like that. He has no right to agree on behalf of others. It's someone else's life, not his. So should he refuse?

“I’m afraid that won’t work.” Ethan’s mind raced for a few seconds before he made his final decision. He looked directly at Reena, whose presence was even more imposing than his own: “I can only promise that if it’s just me, even if helping you means losing my life, I will do everything in my power. I can’t control other people’s decisions, and I can’t agree to something without their knowledge or presence. So, if you agree, I think I can.”

Silence fell, and the atmosphere seemed to freeze for a moment. Reena stared straight at him, her sharp gaze, which had been piercing him since they met, almost tangible.

“I’ve heard that in your world, you are both a magician and a guardian,” Reena suddenly changed the subject.

"Huh? Yes." Ethan answered honestly, though he was a little confused: "The will of the city I live in is magic-based, and it led me to the magical world."

"How capable are you? Are you strong?" she asked again.

"Should be...? Seems pretty good? Because Lord Starfall has a very rich collection of books, and because of my own reasons I don't need sleep, I spend all my time studying in Starfall's library besides working, and I've learned a lot of different kinds of magic." Ethan hesitated, unsure of his own strength: "Should be pretty good, right? The others are also very strong."

“Then let me ask you, in your world…” Reena rephrased the question: “Which city is the most chaotic, with the highest crime rate and the most difficult to control? The one with the ‘free’ culture?”

Ethan blurted out almost before Reena could finish speaking: "It's Starfall City, but I'm working hard to improve those laws and try to bring normal laws to everyone."

“I agree.” Upon hearing this, Reena immediately made the decision: “We will lend you our power.”

Still clueless, Ethan: "Huh?"

Why did they suddenly agree? But all in all, the ending is good.

The three of them drew upon their power, and several transparent strands, like threads swaying in the wind, intertwined and merged into a golden sphere the size of a ping-pong ball, which was perfectly collected by the container prepared by Ethan.

Ethan was happy to have borrowed the power, but the others had no interest in listening to his thanks. Reena waved them away as soon as she heard his first words of thanks, and then went back to work on her mountain of official duties.

Then the portal took us directly back to the spot where Ethan had landed. Ethan was still sitting on the sofa looking at his phone, but the game controller and some snack wrappers that had been on the table were gone; he must have tidied them up.

"Come back with me tonight for dinner at Mom's." Ethan stopped looking at his phone when they returned.

“Um, does Mom know you’re a magician?” Ethan suddenly thought of this. “How are you going to explain this to me? I look exactly like you. Mom knows better than anyone that she only gave birth to one child.”

“She knows I was honest with her about some things before.” Ethan glanced at Tenas, who was opening the fridge to get a can of Coke. “At first, she couldn’t believe it and thought I was joking, until I showed her the magic. My mother’s reaction was initially very strong because she was worried about my safety, afraid that I would get hurt or even die, but after a few years of trying to work things out, she finally compromised and stopped objecting. She just hopes that I can protect myself well…”

Ethan didn't speak; he remained silent for a long time, thinking of Selene in his own world.

That's not a question of whether or not it's acceptable. Rather than Selene disagreeing with him doing this dangerous job, the real issue is that he's worried that Selene will be implicated, that she'll be found out to be his mother, and then tortured or even killed.

"Do you want to come back with me now to prepare the ingredients?" Ethan noticed his low spirits and glanced at the time: "Mom will be home soon. Oh, of course not here. I moved out."

Ethan readily agreed.

The wait for Selene was very long.

Ethan and Ethan traveled through a portal to Selene's residence and washed the ingredients they already had at home.

They washed the vegetables with clean water, cut them into appropriate sizes, and set them aside for later use.

Wash the meat to remove the blood, cut some into chunks for stewing, and cut some into strips for later use. Also add some seasonings to remove the fishy smell.

After the oil is heated, the ingredients are placed in and a loud crackling sound is heard as water meets oil. The smoke gradually increases, and the aroma gradually develops.

The wait for Selene passed quickly.

As Ethan turned to get his things, he caught a glimpse of a figure standing in the doorway. He didn't know how long she had been standing there, but when he turned around in surprise to see her clearly, he could only see the familiar smile on her face. At that moment, his heart stopped.

Yes... Mom.

No, it's Selene, Ethan's mother.

"..." Ethan's mind went blank, and on a whim, he called out, "Auntie."

"?" Ethan, who was adding black pepper to the meat in the pot, turned around abruptly and gave Ethan a strange look: "What did you shout?"

Even Selene's gentle gaze faltered.

“Um, she’s your mom… I can’t call her Mom, can I…” Ethan explained softly, still feeling that he hadn’t made a mistake: “I should be able to call her Auntie, right? I don’t want to… call her Sister…”

Ethan slammed his eyes shut, a hint of amusement in his voice: "You can call me whatever you want, I don't mind. Mom is Mom, no matter which world you're in. But don't call me Auntie. If you absolutely have to, call me by my name, otherwise I'll start to wonder if Mom isn't your mom in other worlds."

“Of course not.” Ethan immediately clarified that he was Selene’s child: “I was born to a mother.”

It's like you're saying everyone has a mother...

“Call me Mom, I agree.” Ethan turned back to focus on cooking, his tone cold: “It’s okay if you cry while hugging my mom.”

Selene opened her arms and slowly approached in a hugging gesture, smiling as she looked at the other stars in the world who were still somewhat young.

Ethan glanced at Ethan's back as he cooked, then looked at Selene with pleading eyes. Unable to bring himself to refuse, he let Selene hug him tightly, the familiar scent of her shower gel surrounding his nose.

Ethan didn't move, his body stiff as he accepted the embrace. He had forgotten when he last hugged Selene; it had been so long that it felt like a past life.

Ethan was still a bit dazed when Selene dragged him along to help cook. Even after he sat down at the table and looked at the table full of delicious food, he was still a little dazed.

He took a bite of the stewed meat, and the unfamiliar yet familiar taste exploded in his mouth, instantly pulling him back to his childhood.

Selene pushed the dishes she had made toward him: "Eat more, Xingxing."

"Eat more, Star."

Before him, bathed in warm light, lay a gentle face, a memory of that night when no one dared to turn on the light after someone had fallen asleep, and Selene, whose face still bore some wounds, stuffed food into his hands.

"..."

Ethan blinked uncomfortably, feeling that the steaming food in front of him was too hot. The rising steam made his eyes uncomfortable, and the mist formed some water in his eyes.

He seemed completely oblivious to being full, devouring every last bite of the food Selene had prepared. Even Ethan didn't touch it because of him, watching him eat three large plates without lifting a finger.

It's delicious, so delicious... It's the taste he's loved for so long. Eating it makes him feel like his mother is still by his side. Even after he finishes eating, he still feels like it's not enough, even though he feels like the food is stuck in his throat.

He ate as cleanly as he could during dinner, and he vomited just as cleanly after the lights were turned off.

“You didn’t tell me I couldn’t eat.”

As Ethan awkwardly wiped away the tears that had welled up from vomiting, a deep voice drifted into his ears, startling him so much that he turned around abruptly.

Ethan leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching him. His expressionless face looked even more terrifying in the darkness, making Ethan feel for a moment as if he were seeing a ghost.

“I’m sorry… but I want to eat, I want to eat my mother’s cooking.” Ethan didn’t dare to look at him, his voice so soft it could be blown away by a gust of wind: “It’s been so long since I’ve eaten my mother’s cooking, four years.”

Ethan paused for a moment before skipping over the question: "Why can't you eat? Is it anorexia?"

Ethan gently shook his head: "Because I have died, even Lord Starfall cannot restore my body to its state before death and bring me back to life with a normal human body. My body is mixed with alchemical materials. Lord Starfall can maintain the basic functions of my body, allowing me to breathe, have a heartbeat, and have blood flowing in my blood vessels, but the gastric juices secreted cannot digest food, and my body cannot break it down and utilize it."

Ethan looked at Ethan's pale face, and this time the silence was even longer, making Ethan somewhat uneasy.

"Is there any reason to keep going?" Ethan asked the disheveled Ethan.

Ethan said, "There are still people waiting for me, Mom, Lord Starfall, the residents of Starfall City, everyone in other cities, those frozen little animals, the world is waiting for us to save her."

“You know that other worlds aren’t as easy to talk to as ours, and they won’t lend you power so readily, right? There’s a high chance that you’ll suffer heavy casualties, or even be completely wiped out, on this journey to borrow power.”

“I know we anticipated this outcome,” said the younger sibling. “But we still have to try. Even if we lose our lives, it proves we tried, and we have to find a solution. The world can’t stay still forever.”

"If you die, your mother will not know what you did, and will not even remember that you existed."

"I know."

"..."

"...Go to sleep, Ethan."

After Ethan washed his face and returned to his guest room, Ethan also went back to his room. In Selene's room, which was near the bathroom, a figure sat by the window looking at the crescent moon, his eyes filled with tears.

-----------------------

Author's note: Reba, a guardian who appeared in the previous text.

Reena's victory confused the radicals. Those who could be manipulated used tactics, while those who couldn't were marginalized, like Tenas. Tenas almost never came to the Guardians anymore, maybe once a year, and nobody wanted him to come.

Reena and Ethan formed an alliance, with Ethan controlling Tenas and forcing him to be his companion almost 24/7. The alliance leader was there before killing Bertha, but Lily still died and was reincarnated.

When Ethan arrived, the two were playing video games. Tenas had eaten the last bag of Ethan's favorite snack and was getting scolded when he threw it at them. It wasn't that he didn't want to jump, it just really hurt, but that didn't stop them from continuing to hit each other in unison.

When Mom came home and saw the two of them cooking, her first thought was how lucky she was that she hadn't installed a smoke detector.

This chapter is finished. Next, Ethan will leave this world to travel to other worlds and borrow power. The next chapter will be World C.