27 HP 20

(Andrew POV)

"I'm an alien." While that might not have been the best explanation of my situation, it was technically true, as I wasn't native to this world, or to this universe, in fact.

Olivia's face, once tearful, quickly transformed through a series of expressions. Her fear gave way to confusion, which ultimately settled into a relaxed expression as she erupted into laughter. "You're such an asshole! I thought this was going to be serious!" She exclaimed, playfully hitting my chest as she caught her breath. However, the smirk on my face caused her to tense up. She wriggled out from under the blanket and sat up, meeting my gaze. "You're just kidding, right?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly as she searched my face for any signs of deception.

I shake my head. "Nope, I'm technically human. At least, I was before I arrived in this world," I explain, patting her thighs in an attempt to relax her stiffness.

"This has to be a joke! Where's your gray skin, huge black eyes, and antennae?" She says, gesturing with her hand over my body, which makes me snort.

"I'm not that kind of alien, you doofus." I say with a chuckle. "The best way to show you is to demonstrate." I glance towards the kitchen. "Let's get you some water." I use telekinesis to grab a glass from the cupboard, levitate it towards the sink, and turn on the faucet. The sound of running water catches Olivia's attention, and her eyes widen at the sight. I fill the glass, turn off the tap, and levitate the water towards us. The shocked girl watches the entire process with utter amazement.

"Here, have some water," I said gesturing at the levitating glass before her. She shifts into a more comfortable position, and tentatively reaches for the glass. After taking a sip, she looks at me with an awkward expression. "What was that?" She asks in a thin almost inaudible tone.

"Magic," I say, and chuckle as she rolls her eyes. "I understand that you don't believe me, but you can believe your senses." With a snap of my fingers, the glass of water in her hand transforms into a cat. Startled by the sudden appearance of the animal, she recoils, but the cat doesn't seem to mind. It kneads its paws and settles comfortably on Olivia's lap, purring.

"Is this real?" She cautiously reaches out to pet the cat, her palm sinking deep into its fur, which causes it's purring to increase in volume.

"Yes," I say, offering a reassuring smile. "Magic is a part of your world, but it's usually hidden from everyday people." I snap my fingers, transmuting air into a shower of rose petals that drifts to the floor. "Magic is a powerful tool, but it's also dangerous, especially in the wrong hands. There are spells that can manipulate people's thoughts, force them to do things they would never consider, or even kill with a single thought. I'm not a good man, I've done all of those things and more, but I had my reasons."

Her eyes widen as she realizes the implications of my words. She recoils, and my heart aches at the fear in her expression. "Is that why I've been drawn to you since the moment I saw you?!" She cries out in alarm.

"No, I felt the same way," I reply, shaking my head as a tear rolls down my cheek. For some reason, her fear of me hurt more than anything else. "If you let me, I can show you my memories of our first meeting, my thoughts, and my feelings. I can share them all with you." A moment of silence passes between us, and she nervously bites her nails before finally nodding.

I cast [Nexum] and our minds link, establishing an unfiltered connection between each other, allowing her to experience my raw emotions. She looks at me in shock, and it only takes her a moment to realize what's she sensing. Her eyes fill with tears as she sobs and fall into my embrace. "I'm sorry!" She says, empathizing with the agony I'm feeling. I hold her tightly, grateful for the comfort of her warm embrace as we both gradually try to calm down.

Once her breathing steadies, I share with her the memories of our first meeting. A smile forms on her face as she experiences the events from my perspective, my nervousness, and thoughts of her being the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I follow that up with my thoughts and feelings about how annoyed I was that she kept randomly popping up in my mind, and then the memory of our second meeting, where I tipped and tried to play it off cool, which makes her chuckle. Finally, I send her the memory of the time I asked her out on a date, followed by all the other times we interacted, unfiltered, unchanged, and with every single detail I could, without overloading her brain.

"So... You read my mind and memories." She says, breaking the silence that had settled between us. I nod, giving her a wry smile. [Nexum] was still active, she feels my nervousness and offers me a comforting smile in return.

"I didn't want to keep that from you." I admit with a sigh. It's better, to be honest about my abilities and secrets, but there are some things I still need to keep hidden from her.

"That explains how you knew what my favorite foods were." She says with a smile and nod. "You know everything about me, my most guarded secrets and things that even my closest friends don't know. Yet you still chose to pursue me. Why?" She tilts her head, with confusion visible on her face.

I take a deep breath, gathering my thoughts before answering. "At first, it was a purely physical attraction. But something else was pulling me towards you, and I couldn't resist it. As I got to know you better, I realized we had so much in common that it felt like fate brought us together. You made me feel happy and alive in a way I never thought was possible."

Her smile widens as she chuckles, but then her playful expression turns serious. "Well, now that you've seen mine, I want to see everything that made you who you are today. Your embarrassing secrets, your deepest thoughts, everything."

I hesitate, but she looks at me with such determination that I know there's no point in refusing. "Alright," I say with a sigh, "but it might take a while. You sure you want to do this right now?"

She nods firmly. "We have all the time in the world."

(Oliva POV)

Over the course of the next three hours, with breakfast completely forgotten, I witnessed and lived through Andrews's life as if it was my own. A plethora of emotions overtook my mind, ranging from amazement and sadness to joy, fear, guilt, disappointment, and confusion. The memories flew by quickly, but his feelings and emotions burned into my mind.

Like myself, he had no say in his early life, but rather than his parents limiting his potential, it was life that did so. He lived a relatively unremarkable life until his teenage years when his parents tragically passed away in a car accident while on their way to pick him up from school. He carried a heavy burden of guilt, believing that if he hadn't asked them to go out and celebrate his birthday, they might still be alive today. His grief was overwhelming, and he spiraled into a deep depression, spending most of his days immersed in books, novels, and anime. Loneliness and self-loathing dominated his emotions during this period.

As I witnessed these memories, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sadness. Unfortunately, his losses did not end with his parents' tragic accident. Within the following three years, his grandmother passed away due to an illness, and not long after his grandfather succumbed to grief, hanging himself in the family house, making Andrew the one to find him.

At just eighteen years old, he was forced to navigate life's challenges and fend for himself without any family support. Andrew was left alone to pick up the pieces of his life. His emotions had ceased to exist, and he powered through each day with a sense of detachment. His only solace was his family's wealth and inheritance, but he knew that it wouldn't last him forever. His greatest asset during this difficult time was his intellect, as he managed to maintain excellent grades and remain one of the top students in his class despite the turmoil he was experiencing.

A significant turning point in Andrew's life was when he met the first girl he thought he loved. Experiencing his love for another girl, was a strange and unsettling experience. They spent a few years together, and he felt like he had finally found happiness again. He learned to trust her and felt like he could open up to someone again, which made me happy for him.

However, his happiness was short-lived. The girl who he thought was everything to him turned out to be using and abusing him, breaking his heart multiple times. It was a painful realization that love didn't come easy. For the twenty-four-year-old Andrew, trusting people became an insurmountable challenge.

Once again, loneliness consumed him, but to his credit, he never succumbed to suicidal thoughts, unlike me. He possessed an inner strength that kept him going, and that was commendable. He made the brave decision to pack his belongings and leave behind the grief-stricken island of Japan, moving to England in search of a fresh start. He found a good job but lived a pretty secluded life, his earlier experiences with people, preventing him from forming lasting relationships.

Perhaps it was destiny or a second chance at life, but after almost dying in a dark alley, his life took a turn for the better. For once, he could let loose and live a little. Through the Multiversal Library, a mystical and intriguing place that allowed him to explore countless worlds, where he could experience anything and everything. However, I was uncertain why he chose to share this particular aspect with me, as his emotional state began to deteriorate during his travels. He began to have intrusive thoughts, then kill people with a smile on his face, his mental state was deteriorating and I found myself growing increasingly afraid and repulsed by him.

However, it was his fourth world that proved to be a turning point. There, he encountered a beacon of warmth and light that transformed his life for the better. He finally found someone he could truly connect with, someone he regarded as his equal, someone he could open up to just a little bit, someone he could envision spending the rest of his life with. He found me.

The fact that he thought so highly of me, actually frightened me a bit, as I didn't know if I could live up to his expectations. From that point on the memories sped up, only showing key events of this world, and some of the stuff he has done here made my stomach churn.

Then they came to a sudden halt, and as a mirror appeared it reflected a single image. At first, only the lonely face of Andrew was visible, which made my heart clench, but gradually, the scene began to change. From either side, his deceased family members entered the frame, and then, I came along, cradling a baby in my arms, and embraced him tightly. As I did so, his expression slowly transformed into one of profound joy, and a beaming smile remained on his face, while surrounded by his beloveds, his family.

My mind was full of thoughts, overwhelmed by a mixture of contradicting emotions and I had no idea how to respond to them. The man I loved was a complex character - a murderer and a thief, yet also a savior of worlds. His collection of professions was quite contradictory.

At times like this, I wished I could be more like him, cold and unfeeling when tough decisions needed to be made. My emotions were in turmoil - I loved him, and I knew he loved me too. I longed to be by his side, and he was unwilling to let me go. But the question remained - could I accept him for who he was, just as he had accepted me?

My eyes were swollen and tired from shedding so many tears. I felt weak, but he held me tightly in his strong arms as though he feared losing me, but all I could feel was safe by his side. A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth, as I felt his hug tighten and I took a deep breath before meeting his worried gaze. The magic he wielded was still active, so he must have sensed my inner turmoil. As I gazed deep into his eyes, my feeling for this idiot easily made the decision for me- nothing else mattered except him.

"I love you." I declared, finally accepting this man with all of his imperfections. I could see the anxious expression on his face vanish, replaced by a look of relief as he captured my lips, and I melted into his embrace. I couldn't be sure if I had made the right choice, but something deep within me told me that it was the correct one for both of us. I wanted to become the pillar, he could rely on and at the same time, I wanted him to be mine.

We sat in silence, basking in each other's warmth for a long time before I finally spoke up. "Why did you show me all of that?" I asked, looking up at him with confusion.

"Didn't you ask for all of my life?" he replied with a cheeky smile, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Yes, but you could have hidden the murders and other things. Why didn't you?" I inquired.

"Well, I made a big decision, and before that, I needed you to know the real me, not just the facade I show to the world." He explained while gazing thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"So, was this some kind of test?" I asked.

"In a way, it was." He replied, turning his head to look me in the eyes. "Would you like to join me in exploring different worlds?"

It took a moment for his words to sink in, my mind went blank for a moment and then I let out a girlish scream before hugging him tightly. "Really?!" I exclaimed, to which he nodded. I stood up and started pacing, thinking about all the things I needed to pack and take care of before leaving.

"The first world we're going to visit will help you build up your strength, and after that, we can go around conqueri-" he said before my glare made him quickly correct himself. "I mean, we can go around saving universes and exploring."

"When?" I asked.

"I have to finish some quests in this world first, but there aren't many left, so maybe a few days?" he replied.

"Okay, I can work with that." I said before remembering his quests for this world. "You need to kill some people, don't you?" I asked, worried about his response.

He didn't answer, but his expression said it all. I sighed and slumped down. "Before I agree to go with you, we need to establish some ground rules. Is that okay?" I asked.

He straightened up and looked at me with full attention. I couldn't help but smile at his cute display, but I quickly composed myself and continued, "No more unnecessary killings, even for those WP things."

"Not even if the people I kill are bad people, and the world would be a better place without them?"

"Explain..." I said after a sigh.

"Okay. Let me tell you the story of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, and let you choose what I do with him. Okay?"

And thus an hour of exposition later, I could only agree with him. "Kill that fucker." I say without an ounce of hesitation, not even surprised by my own world. I'm not sure what came over me, but after hearing what the man has done, how many people lost their lives because of his manipulations, and how many families he had ruined. It was the only logical answer. Andrew's thoughts were correct, some people cannot be saved, and others shouldn't be.

His comforting touch and warm smile managed to pull me out of my dark thoughts momentarily, but his next words gave me pause and made me reconsider my decision.

"Before we leave, you need to start practicing. I can use magic to heal your muscle pain, so from today on, we'll be training you in a martial art," he said, and I couldn't help but ask.

"Is it too late to change my mind about going?"

I chuckle wryly but his wide smile gave away the answer. "Damn it," I muttered under my breath and he burst out laughing.

"But before all of that, let me show you my trunk!" he exclaimed, changing the subject suddenly and doing that levitation magic he did earlier, but this time with a pendant.

"A what now?" I asked, puzzled. I couldn't recall seeing any trunk in his memories.

"I didn't show it to you in a memory, I wanted to see your expression when you see it for the first time," Andrew said with a grin guessing my thoughts correctly.

The pendant floated to the center of the room and transformed into a large trunk. Andrew got up from his seat and motioned for me to follow him. I took his hand and followed him toward the mysterious contraption. He lifted the lid, revealing an abyss of darkness that made me feel dizzy just by looking into it. Andrew caught me before I stumbled and said, "Don't look down, look straight ahead and step into it."

He instructed before stepping in himself. After taking four steps, he disappeared into thin air, leaving me standing there in awe. Was this some kind of magician's disappearing trick that he wanted to show me? I stared at the trunk, trying to comprehend where he disappeared, but a moment later, his head reappeared, startling me in the process.

"Sorry," he apologized with a sheepish smile. "Come on down, let me show you around," he said before disappearing again.

"Show me around? In there?" I asked, confused. I approached the magical trunk, took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and stepped inside. With each step, I felt myself sinking deeper and deeper. On the sixth step, Andrew's firm grip took hold of mine, and I finally allowed myself to open my eyes.

What I saw inside the trunk was nothing short of magical.