I couldn’t hold back any longer.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded, my voice rising. “Some dreadnought? The Red Empress? Memories and experiences from other versions of yourself across different realities? ‘The one who remains’? ‘The core’?”

I shook my head, frustration boiling over.

“I can’t understand this at all!”

“I can’t understand this at all,” I said, frustration written all over my face. The things he had just told me were simply unbelievable—absurd, even—yet somehow, they felt real.

Thinking this, I turned my gaze to my son, Kallus. He met my eyes with a steady, unreadable expression. But despite that, I could tell he was calm. Did he already know that I wouldn’t be able to accept what he had just told me? The thought made me frown.

“I understand, Father,” Kallus said, his voice unwavering. “Everything I just told you sounds impossible, unreal—even outright absurd. If I had said this to someone else, they would have either beaten me or called me mad. But you—” He paused. “You’re questioning me instead of striking me.”

“uhh —” I had to cough to interrupt him as he began to go off track.

But somehow, my frustration eased slightly. As this reminded me of the times when he used to do things like this—lighten the mood even in serious moments. The thought made me reflect on the words he had spoken just moments ago—about merging with this reality’s version of himself.

But that was absurd, wasn’t it? How could such a thing be possible? How could he have merged and retained the memories of this reality’s version of him while claiming to be from another universe? And even if it were real, how did he even come to this universe in the first place?”

I told myself all of this, yet slowly—almost surreally—I had begun to consider the possibility that what he said was real even though all of it was absurd. That it was the truth. And yet, my common sense refused to let me believe it completely.

So once again, I focused on him—this time not with frustration, but with a calmness that had begun to settle over me.

“But Father, while all of this might sound unreal—and I don’t blame you for doubting me—let me assure you, it is all true.”

Hearing the certainty in his voice, I knew I couldn’t dismiss it so easily anymore. I wanted to call it false, to write it off as absurd, but my common sense still refused to let me fully believe it. My fists clenched as my mind reeled from everything he had said. How could I possibly accept something so unbelievable?

Behind me, Amelia was far calmer than I was—as if she truly believed what our son was saying. Yet, I could see the uncertainty in her eyes, betraying her composed demeanor. She looked at me and whispered, barely audible, “It feels real, doesn’t it?”

I was stunned to hear this.

“Amelia…?”

“I don’t understand it either,” she admitted. “Everything our son has spoken about… it’s beyond reason.”

Before I could think further, she continued, “But from the moment he returned, I felt something different about him. And yet, I know he is our son—I can feel it. Even now, that feeling hasn’t wavered.”

Her words struck me deeply. She wasn’t outright rejecting Kallus’s claims, nor was she fully accepting them. She was struggling, just as I was.

I exhaled sharply and turned back to Kallus. My eyes softened slightly as I looked at him.

Noticing his soft gaze upon me, I saw him smile.

“I don’t expect you to accept this right away,” he said gently. “But please, allow me to explain everything to you more clearly and in detail this time. Just listen until the end—and if you still can’t accept it, then I won’t blame you.”

His words calmed me, and I nodded at him before speaking.

“Then explain it again,” I said, my voice steadier now. “Just as you said—calmly.”

….

[Kallus Pov]

v

I exhaled slowly, gathering my thoughts once more.

“Imagine two mirrors facing each other,” I said. “Each reflection is slightly different, yet they all stem from the same source. And I am that source, Father—the reflection that endured when the others did not.”

Beside me, my mother, Amelia, gasped softly. At some point, she had moved closer, her fingers tightening around my arm. I could feel her trembling, yet she said nothing—just listening in silence.

I sighed and continued.

“The memories and experiences I spoke of—they are all real. And as for the other versions of myself, they too existed. All of this happened because of the interference of a being far too powerful and mighty—something you could think of as a god. A god superior and unlike any other.”

I paused, letting my words settle before finishing.

“And finally, for this universe’s Kallus—just like the others—he, too, merged with me. But only his memories… memories that I absorbed or, rather, unlocked. I know this might sound strange, but it is the truth. While I am your son… at the same time, I am not. Because I come from a different universe. A universe where you are dead.”

“But how can that be?” My father asked me while shaking his head continuously and Denial and disbelieve. “You’re our son. Kallus. How can you be something… someone else?”

I hesitated upon hearing this. For the first time since I began speaking to them, uncertainty flickered across my expression.

I forced myself to push past the doubt that surrounded me.

“I am your son, Father—just as I told you,” I said. “And yet… I am not.”

His fists clenched, his gaze dark with conflicting emotions. I could tell that despite his denial, he was considering the possibility that I was telling the truth. He had seen things—things that defied explanation. The presence of the Starfleet. And now, the newly arrived Void Fleet a few weeks ago.

Wait…

His breath caught.

Hadn’t I told him that after the sudden darkness, I had found myself on a ship? What was it called again?

Ah, yes. The Star Dreadnought.

His eyes widened slightly as realization hit.

Wasn’t that the name of the massive capital ship of the Void Fleet—the one that had been making headlines for weeks? The very ship involved in the soon-to-be-signed agreement between Emperor Maximus and other nations around Earth?

Did this mean… I wasn’t his Kallus?

But how could that be?

Everything—my behavior, the way I spoke, the way I was—was no different from the son he had raised.

Wait… was this what I had meant by memories and experiences?

Had I truly absorbed the memories of his Kallus?

But then… what about what I had said before? That I had lost them in my own world?

If everything I said was true… then didn’t that mean I had lost them in my universe? That I had been forced to grow up all alone?

The weight of that realization hit him hard.

His gaze shifted.

Amelia.

Tears glistened in her eyes, yet she still held me tightly—despite everything I had just told them.

Only now did he realize…

She had already understood.

She had known the truth before he had.

And that was why she had stood by me.

Because she had realized something he had not.

That the boy before them—the one who had returned to them—was a son who had lived through an existence where they were gone.

That no matter how much this seemed impossible, no matter how much it defied reason…

I was their son.

And yet… I was not.

My father said, “Son, are you talking about that Obliterator-class Dreadnought? The one from the Void Fleet that recently arrived here? Is that what you mean?”

I looked at him, my expression unreadable.

“Yes, Father,” I said slowly. “The Obliterator-Class Dreadnought—the very same one I mentioned. As for the Void Fleet, they are part of my forces, the ones I built before coming here a few weeks ago.”

“That ship… along with the rest of the Void Fleet,” he muttered. “It’s been all over the news because of the upcoming treaty between Emperor Maximus and the other nations of Earth.” His voice wavered slightly. “But you—how could you have been on that ship? It doesn’t make sense. The head—or rather, the leader—of the Void Fleet is someone else… even though he has the same name as you. Unless… unless…”

His words trailed off as the realization hit him like a hammer.

I didn’t need to say anything.

I simply held his gaze, letting the truth settle in.

[A/N:

Now, you’re all probably wondering—why does everyone on Earth know his face? I mean, Imperial Commander Kallus’ face and even his name.

Well, before he left for his training in the Divine Universal Realm, the Red Empress requested his permission to use his likeness and name—to introduce him to Earth as the leader and ruler of the Void Fleet.]

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