Chapter 250.

PART 1.

Suresh is glaring at Avinash. Nearby, Raven and Hatori are watching this spectacle, while Avinash is glaring back with equal ferocity.

"Why won't you let me go? Do you think I am not a good enough fighter?" He asked.

"Not at all," replied Avinash. "You are a great fighter. And you are even better at strategies."

"Then why?" He asked once again.

"Because I need a general dammit!" Said Avinash, getting fed up with his tantrum. "When I decided to have two generals, that was the plan from the beginning. It was useful for many problems we have faced in the past. Who will watch over the borders, if both of my generals are gone? I can't do it on my own."

"He is right." Replied Hatori. "Besides, in case we die, you will still remain alive. None of that scrambling when General Sundar died to find a new general."

"That was not fun." Grumbled Raven. "Not to mention, half of the officers were after my hide when I came back, and the general did not."

"Okay, fine. That reason makes sense. But tell me, why are you taking Munshi and Kalicharan with you? I am certain you can find younger fighters. Hell, say the word, I will put an entire roster of combat mages in front of you." Said Suresh.

"They are strong and experienced mages. Both of them have seen a lot of chaos, and they have a deep knowledge of necromancy between them. I think they are perfect to balance out our team." Replied Avinash.

"I am not convinced." Said Suresh, turning to Hatori. "Why don't you say anything? Aren't you their student? Don't you want them to live out their final years in peace?"

"Honestly, you are talking as if they are going to fall apart with a light breeze or something." Said Hatori. "True, they got overwhelmed by the backlash of that ritual, but surely you don't hold that against them? I don't think anyone else would have come out of that without a scratch. Their health is also fine, I am certain they can keep up with us."

"Listen to yourself talking for a moment. They won't come back from this trip. I still think we should have someone younger in their place." Said Suresh.

"Why don't you try to convince them then?" Asked Hatori. "They are coming with us, one way or the other. Best to take them with us safely, rather than let them try some unsafe half-cooked ritual."

Suresh has enough, so he walks out, and closes the door of Avinash's office with a loud "Bang!"

"He'll get over it." Said Avinash. "Just be ready. The ritual will take place soon. And if you find any of those bastards in the past who caused this mess, show them no mercy."

"I won't." Said Hatori with a feral smile. "Can't say about him. He has a soft heart." He said while looking at Raven.

"I'll show you soft, you bastard!" He tries to grab him, but Hatori escapes, and they run outside of the room.

"Once a kid, always a kid." Sighed Avinash. Why must he watch over these children?

But then, he realized that he was the same age as them. He is horrified by this realization. 'Am I becoming old in my thoughts?'

PART 2.

Sushima is enjoying a glass of sugarcane juice. He is also avoiding the attacks, and the attempts to knock him out by a shadowy figure. He is amused by the reaction of other students when they come to the Academy for the first time and encounter these wraith-like beings who constantly test them on their reactions. Having grown up in a house where such a thing is a common occurrence, he is unfazed by it. He seems to have attracted a group of young kids who see him as their leader as a result, though why they think that way is beyond him.

After he is done drinking, Sushima enchants the glass and throws it at the incoming spirit. The glass explodes, and the figure disappears in a cloud of smoke. He has yet to get knocked out after he had a conversation with his father when he came to pick up Uncle James.

"Did you notice the problem with time?" Hatori asked him.

"Everyone noticed that dad." Replied Sushima. "Professor Venkat was especially upset. He doubted me for some reason. I can't imagine why."

Hatori shook his head. He must remain on point. This is not the time to get distracted by the amusing pranks of his son. Though he supposed that those pranks are amusing to only him, as he can deal with the antics of his son easily, others, having led a pathetic life of ease and comfort, are unable to do so.

"I need to go on a mission to fix this mess." Said Hatori. He is deliberately choosing to not share all the details. Those are not important. "Your uncles are coming with me as well. But the only problem is that it will take a long time."

"How long?" Asked Sushima, glad that his voice did not waver while he asked this question.

"I don't know." Said Hatori. "Even bigger problem is that you have a young sibling coming."

Sushima gets a distasteful look on his face. "No need to share the details. I already know. Are you worried about us?" He asked.

"Quite." Said Hatori. "Your mothers are fine; they are also great fighters. But they lack a certain sense of paranoia. You do remember your childhood, don't you?"

"It is not a sort of thing you forget." Said Sushima.

Though his reply was sarcastic, Sushima knew what Hatori was referring to. There were many attempts on his life when he was young. However, by the time he reached the age of school, those attempts stopped. His younger siblings never suffered something like this, as the people who were angry with Hatori left their mortal coils, became too weak and ineffective to do an assassination, or just decided to cool off. In the absence of his father, given the chaotic situation with time all over the world, it is likely that such people will rise again.

"You, however, do. You have all the right instincts. Which is why I am leaving you with the responsibility. If you graduate before my return, or in case of my death, you need to look out for your siblings and mothers. Please do that for me, son." Hatori whispered the last part softly, not liking what he was asking the child to do.

"Don't you worry father." Answered Sushima. "I will take care of everything. I won't let anything bad happen to anyone. Besides, I do have a lot of support. Both of my mothers and all of my siblings are a great force together. In fact, I'll train the youngest one, just like you did with us. No, even better."

Hatori pats the head of Sushima and ruffles his hair. "I'm proud of you kid, and I'm really sorry."

"Don't be." Said Sushima. "It is nothing."

While it is true that what Hatori has asked him to do is truly a heavy responsibility, Sushima understands why his father was torn about this. He didn't have much of a childhood, and he worked hard to ensure that his children would have one. But this sudden problem is taking that away from him. But unlike Hatori, Sushima also has a supportive family on his side. He is not going to be alone.

After that conversation, he started to take his combat training more seriously, reminding the older faculty of his father, while dragging his younger siblings to do the same. Daphne complained, but Garuda came along quietly. He seems to understand what his older brother is trying to do.

PART 3.

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Shin is ready to leave. He has his trusty violin with him, modified and enchanted by Hatori and Josh. It is the sturdiest instrument he has with him, perfect for combat situations. He also has other foci in the form of a conductor's baton, similar to the one he carried in his childhood. As he is ready to leave, Lavanya comes to him.

"Are you sure that you want to go and participate in this madness?" She asked him. "I don't want to lose you."

"I get it. But they are about to start the ritual, I need to be there." He said in reply. "Besides, I rather do something to solve this problem instead of just sit around and wait for someone else to do it for me. I will come back, mark my words."

Lavanya gets out of his way silently. Shin sighed. Lavanya spent 300 years as a twelve-year-old girl, who was stuck in a ghostly state, unable to interact with the world. It was the result of a potion, and Shin also became the victim of this potion. Thankfully, with some help from Professor Dhiraj, his friends managed to get him out of that state, and the same happened with Lavanya and other people throughout the world. It was in the headlines for a long time, as many people of the past suddenly appeared in the current time.

Lavanya never liked his friends. Apparently, they put him in danger all the time. He tried to make her trust them, but it never worked. Shin also tried to make her less clingy, but it also has not worked. However, it did work when she was busy raising their girl, who is currently in the Academy.

'Hmm. Now that is a plan. But only when I come back.' He decides.

She had a loud argument with Hatori. She said a lot of words that he never thought she would use against his friends. Anyone else would be nothing but bloody mist, but Hatori did nothing. In her fog of anger, she did not realize what kind of pressure his friend was exerting on the environment around him to keep control over his temper. After Hatori left, Shin told her how upset he was with her.

'But for all her faults, I love her. And I meant it when I said this: I will return alive.'

PART 4.

Hatori arrived in the room where everyone had gathered. Samay is here along with the king, while the eight selected mages who are chosen to go in the past are also present in the room. Munshi and Kalicharan are together, whispering to each other. They look normal to Hatori. James, Shin, Raven, and Josh are together, so he joins them. Tom is standing alone, so Hatori waves to him and tells him to join them, instead of standing alone awkwardly. Tom is chosen for his fighting skills, having served as a personal guard for Avinash for many years at this point. Their lives are going to depend on each other. So Hatori thinks there should be no awkwardness between them.

"Is everyone here?" Asked Samay.

"Yes." They all replied.

"Good. Now, listen and observe carefully. There was a time-traveling ritual performed on this world. It shouldn't have worked, but unfortunately, it did." She left out the part where she is responsible for the working ritual. Hatori and Avinash already know. It is likely that others also know about it as well. No need to increase her humiliation any further.

"The Universe doesn't like it when that happens. So, the time in this local area of the universe is broken. It has splintered into pieces, and judging by the damage I have assessed, it has broken into five splinters. These splinters look like this." A shimmering image comes in front of everyone, and once it solidifies, they all see a broken crown in front of them.

"Now, get ready. I am going to teach you the spell to track these splinters." Said Samay. Once the spell is demonstrated, they all start to practice it.

While everyone is busy practicing the spell, Hatori memorizes how the crown feels. "Would I sense the same thing when I go in the past to retrieve this fragment?" He asked the sorcerer, while everyone was busy practicing around them.

"You truly have sharp senses." She said, repeating her compliment from their first meeting. "It is indeed the same feeling. Focus on it boy, it might come useful."

"Boy?" Asked Hatori, having not addressed like that ever since Zeko died.

"Of course. Compared to me, you are a boy."

"Hmm. I forgot you are actually a hag." Replied Hatori.

Samay chuckles in amusement. Those words feel like music to her. It has been a long time since anyone has dared to sass at her like that. Besides, once you reach a certain age, the age-related beauty standards truly stop mattering to you.

PART 5.

After the meeting is concluded, and everyone has practiced the spell to their satisfaction, they all go to the ritual room of the castle. Samay performs the ritual, and they all disappear in a spinning vortex. Avinash expected it to spin counterclockwise, but in reality, it is spinning clockwise. He watches them as all of them disappear one by one.

Avinash has to make a lot of hard decisions as a king. It is part and parcel of the life as a leader. During the Fifth Magical War, many people died due to his decisions. But this is different. This feels like he should be with them, not sitting here in safety. However how long it is going to remain safe is also questionable. Samay has given them a hundred years, and after that, this entire region of the galaxy will disappear as if nothing existed here.

As the woman walks out of the room, he glares after her. She has refused to share the details of the ritual she has just performed. He goes after her, to give her a piece of his mind, but then a young man comes to him running urgently. "Sir, I've been trying to find the general Suresh. I have the latest reports from the western borders."

"Show me the reports." He ordered, quickly dawning the mantle of the king smoothly.

After he looks at that report, he dismisses the clerk. "Suresh," He comes into the office of the general and puts the reports on the table. "Look at this."

"Already?" Said the general, after reading those reports. "Don't you worry, I'll take care of this."

"Be careful. We don't want to capture any territory beyond our borders. Just protect what we have, and reclaim what we have lost." Said Avinash.

"It will be exactly as you command."

PART 6.

The word spreads about the misfired time-traveling ritual in the galaxy. Many races are observing this event, as it has never happened in modern recorded history, especially when they get to observe it. The word naturally reaches the Elves.

Princess Starlief, who was humiliated on Earth by the hands of that brute, decides that it is a perfect excuse to wipe out this species. After all, their stupidity is putting an entire region of the galaxy in danger. What if they spread out in the wider galaxy?

So, several Elven warships are sent to make sure that the job is done thoroughly, and no troublesome survivors are left who might end up causing trouble in the future in their misguided attempt at revenge.

However, these ships encounter a blockade. The trio of races did not like the Elves taking such measures. True, Humans have put themselves in this position, but whether they get wiped out or not is not for Elves to decide.

When Starlief gets the reports about the blockade, she cannot do anything besides raging. Her father won't let her go to war with these uncivilized worms. As a result, a stand-off begins right outside of the solar system where Earth is located, while the inhabitants are completely unaware of it.

For now.