Chapter 256.

PART 1.

On his way to the Academy of Magecraft and sorcery, Hatori stops in the City of Throne. "Greetings there, your majesty." He said sarcastically, walking in the office of Avinash. "I'm certain that paperwork is treating you well."

"Shut up!" Replied Avinash, tossing the pen to Hatori's head. However, it stopped before it could hit him. Just to show off, Hatori makes the pen float back to Avinash. The king snatched it out of the air, grumbling about the bastards showing off around him.

Not wanting to tell what exactly Hatori plans to do in the Academy, he decides to pick a subject after Avinash is done grumbling at him. "You do know I can make a Yantra for you right? It'll be good enough to do the routine work at least. You can pay attention to the critical stuff that way."

Avinash glared at Hatori while fire sparked around his body, nearly burning the stack of papers on his table. "Why didn't you suggest this idea earlier?"

"Well, it only occurred to me right now." Hatori put up his hands. "I swear though, if you want, I will work on it immediately."

"Do so. And while you're at it, bring me a new computer." Said Avinash.

"Sure. Sure. Do you want it enchanted as well?" Asked Hatori.

"Yes." Said Avinash.

"Well then. This should keep me busy for a while after I'm done with my round to the Academy." Said Hatori. Avinash pretended to not hear the last part. "Do you know what else I've got?"

"What? More secrets to make my life easier, that you are sharing only now?" Asked Avinash.

"Not exactly." Said Hatori. Hatori makes a motion, and the entire office is sealed off. No sound would go outside, though sound from outside can reach their ears.

"I looked into those time fragments while they were in my possession." Said Hatori, immediately grabbing Avinash's attention. "Apparently, time is not exactly tied with rotting, but it does have properties to stop it. You do know what this means, don't you?"

"Aging." Realized Avinash. "It can be stopped."

"Not just stopped." Said Hatori. "We can stay in the prime of our lives. I doubt any sorcerer achieved immortality that way, apart from that bitch."

"You mean Samay?" Asked Avinash.

"I dare not use her name. She might appear right here otherwise." Said Hatori.

"With you, she'll probably do that. She loves to get a rise out of you." Said Avinash.

"Exactly that." Said Hatori. "This could offer us a lot of benefits. I'm sure I don't need to tell you those."

"Of course. Though how exactly are you going to find out that your theory has any ground, or it even works properly?" Asked Avinash.

"Well, it does work. I was turned into a baby." Said Hatori. "Granted, it resulted in three brutal murders nearby, but it happened because the fragments reacted badly with a rotting curse. I had my memories and mental faculties intact, though my magic was significantly weakened. Which is why I couldn't do much about those said murders."

"It's okay man, it happens." Replied Avinash. Normally, on any other occasion, Avinash would be making fun of Hatori for being turned into a baby. He would be lamenting his bad fortune that he was not there to witness it.

But since Tom, Munshi, and Kalicharan died shortly afterward while Hatori was watching, unable to do anything for them, Avinash considers that kind of joking unfunny. It is a prime example of a joke made in bad taste.

"Okay. So, it works. But you will still need testing of the concept. How are you going to do that?" Asked Avinash.

"Why, do it on me of course!" Said Hatori.

Avinash's magic surged to restrain Hatori immediately. Hatori brings up his own magical pressure to keep him rooted in his chair to make sure he won't make any sudden rash moves. "Understand this: This will be some harmless runes. Either they will work, or else they will be complete duds. I am not putting myself in danger."

Avinash stopped struggling. "Fine." He is not happy with those assurances, but given how good Hatori is with runes and enchantment, he will take his words for the time being. "Do report to me how your experiments go."

"Sure. Sure." Hatori nodded. "Though remember this: I can only give you general steps. How you adapt it is up to you."

"I'll figure it out myself." Said Avinash. "What do you think about an immortal king? Do you think I should stay on this throne should I achieve something like this?"

The presence of the Throne at the back of his mind resisted this idea fiercely. Avinash ignored the tantrum of this object to hear what exactly Hatori had to say on the matter.

"Well, it would be quite an unfortunate thing." Answered Hatori.

"How so?" Asked Avinash, feeling the Throne itself also calming down with the answer of his archmage.

"Given you are immortal, there is no one who would be able to beat you for the position of the king. This will happen because your fighting experience will be too much for anyone to surpass, no matter how much they train and struggle against you. You are an immortal. They can't kill you. So, the whole struggle becomes a moot point." Said Hatori. "Ignoring the fact that yes, it might be possible to kill an immortal being. But I feel that only other immortal sorcerer can accomplish this task."

"You're right." Avinash agreed with the assessment of Hatori.

"But things are not limited to just that. Since you can't be beaten, you will remain the king. Over time, people will take your presence for granted. Any and all problems will be put on you, and society will start to stagnate. No new ideas will come, because there won't be any chaos. People will used to this one-track running of the kingdom. This will result in a slow rot for the society. While you may remain in the prime of your life, your kingdom will suffer for it greatly. Therefore, an immortal king is a bad idea."

"Good." That is all Avinash said. Hatori doesn't know what exactly the king has decided for himself. But he doesn't care. He can do what he wants to do. It is not Hatori's responsibility to tell him everything.

"Where is Raven?" Hatori asked instead, removing that spell to conceal sound. "I cannot sense him in the castle."

"Oh, he is supervising something on the steppes." Replied Avinash.

PART 2.

Raven is waiting for the report by the investigating team. He brought a group of magic analysts and historians to the steppes to make sure that their incursion into the past did not result in some unforeseen consequences. Given their recent luck, he cannot dismiss the possibility. He discussed this with Tom, but the poor guy was murdered. Raven is alive however, so the responsibility falls upon him to make sure that they do not end up getting caught with their pants down.

Ideally, Raven would like to see the same location on the other side. Given the political unrest going on in that region, he must avoid any operation there. 'Besides, despite being a copy, everything was similar here before mages started to live in this dimension permanently.'

To make sure that he does not end up in some other location by mistake, Raven compared the coordinates from the ancient time. Despite the area going through some changes (mainly being divided into multiple nations), it hasn't changed much geographically. So, he is certain that the location is correct.

"Sir," Said one of the investigators. "We have found nothing of the sort that you indicated. Apart from the traces of the old battles and natural disasters, we've got nothing here."

"Very well." Said the general. "We have completed our mission here. Move out."

"Sir!" Replied the soldiers.

They quickly go back to the city and move into their ship. Once the final meeting is done, Raven also joins them. Then they leave this area, not wanting to overstay their welcome.

PART 3.

Hatori arrives at the Academy. He is certain that he has been detected, given that he is not a student here anymore. He admired the set of wards and fields he set when he was asked to improve the security. They are uniquely visible to him since he was the one who set those defenses due to how new they are compared to the old wards.

No one comes to stop him as he goes to the office of the headmaster. He opens the door brazenly, only to see a new face behind the desk. "You have ten seconds to explain yourself." He said, preparing his magic to attack this person.

"Dhiraj retired." Said the new man in a bland tone. "Stop this and take a chair already. I knew you would come here."

"Huh." Said Hatori, taking the chair in front of the new head. "Didn't think you would end up here, eh Malang?"

"Well, apparently they liked my research enough that I was offered this position." He replied.

Malang is older than Hatori, though he was there when he attended the school here. Therefore, he also remembers the rampages he caused. They have also worked with each other on some research. Hatori was the secondary author of one of the papers he wrote about necromancy. He needed someone who could handle the practical side so he could handle writing and keep his focus on the theory.

The reason why Hatori was initially hostile was due to seeing a new face behind the desk which was occupied by Dhiraj for forty years by now. His paranoid brain reacted, deeming this to be a threat. Luckily, he is good at controlling himself in these situations now. Unless the other party reacts with violence first. In that case, he won't leave anyone alive to ask questions. He won't even consider asking any questions.

"How did you know I was coming?" Asked Hatori, taking a sip of the tea offered by Malang.

"Your son studies here. When I was informed that you had returned, I knew you would want to meet him. Of course, given the inconsiderate bastard you are, you didn't even send me a letter to inform me." Grumbled Malang.

"Now now, what sort of language is that for a head of the institute of education? What kind of example are you presenting to the students?" Asked Hatori, trying to present himself as an overbearing concerned parent.

"You're the one to ask me that question? Really? Seriously?"

"You have a point there." Hatori acknowledged with a nod. "So can I take him for a few days?" He asked.

"Sure. Would you like to know how is he doing?" Asked Malang.

"Sure. How do you know though? I remember Corvus and Dhiraj both kept their distance. I don't think they had detailed info on every student." Asked Hatori.

"I do have a file. They also did one." Replied Malang. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the said file.

"You have improved." Said Hatori, watching him handle the file without his foci.

"He is good in combat and math. He seems to have a secondary interest in history. His enchantment work is exceptional, he can take apart any malicious enchantment with ease." Said Malang from the file. "His rune work is not that good though, especially compared to his brothers."

"That's fine." Said Hatori. "Not every child can be the same. You would know it better than me."

"Yeah." Said Malang, dismissing the file.

"What happened to Dhiraj? Where is he?" Asked Hatori, nearly done with his tea.

"He is writing a book. Apart from guest lectures here and there, he is living out his retirement." Said Malang.

"Good for him." Said Hatori, getting up. "I wonder whether I would get something like that or not?"

"I'll call your son here now--"

"No need." Said Hatori with a wave, opening the door and walking out. "I'll get him myself."

"Dammit!" Malang reacted quickly and informed the security yantras about the incoming mage, and not to get in his way. "Let's hope that my warning will reach the professors in time."

He thinks for a moment about the carnage if that does not happen, and how he would have to replace several faculty members. The thought filled him with sadness. But then he remembers how many of them cause problems for him, and then his mood is brightening up. Maybe they would be foolish enough to incur the wrath of Hatori, and then he could get rid of them cleanly, without fingers being pointed at him? After all, how can he hope to stop an S-rank mage? Though that defense would only be good enough for posturing. He did not get this position solely because of his research after all.

Hatori is lost in memories. He walked these same corridors once. Back then, half of his time was spent being scared out of his mind because of the students who were after him. It appears the module is still active, judging by the screams coming from the ground. That module was activated by Corvus when Hatori was fed up with the mocking of others, as they worked hard for their dueling tournament while they all relaxed.

He looked at the schedule for this year and found out what class he is attending right now. As he gets closer, he hears a male voice lecturing. Without any permission, he enters the class and immediately homed in on Ahim who is sitting in front.

"Excuse me, sir," said the professor, not trying to show the fear before this giant man. "You can't enter this class like this. You are disturbing my students."

"Ahim, come with me." Said Hatori. "I have a trip planned for you." Several flames appear above Hatori's head, and a paper comes out of it. He grabbed this paper while ignoring the awe of other kids.

"Look, even the headmaster has approved your leave." He showed the paper to the kid.

"Ahem. You should show that to me." Said the professor.

"Do I have any choice?" Asked Ahim.

"No." Said Hatori with a smile. He then grabbed him and levitated out of the class. Hatori flies away while the professor screams in the background.

PART 4.

Ahim ends up dropped into this strange forest where this giant man has brought him. It appears to be the dimension his eldest brother told him about. "I'm surprised, you took flying quite well." Said the giant man.

"Of course. What other choice did I have? You basically kidnapped me right in front of everyone Dad." The last word came out with a little bit of hesitation. Ahim has not met his father yet. He has only referred to him in the abstract or heard about him from others. This is his first meeting with him after growing up. It is turning out exactly as his older brother Garuda predicted.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"Come on, son. You can't kidnap your own kid. Besides, let them try and see what happens!" Said Hatori. Several trees shook nearby due to the force of his declaration.

"Besides, I met the headmaster before taking you with me. I'm sure everything will be fine." Said Hatori.

"I am still not certain." Said Ahim.

"Think of it like this: Whatever may happen in the future, it is my problem. Not yours. So, relax already." Said Hatori, padding his shoulder.

"Why did you bring me here anyway?" Asked Ahim, as Hatori started to walk too somewhere. He also started to walk with him since he did not want to get lost in this strange place. He may never be found.

Hatori looks at him sadly. "I feel like you were born just yesterday." Said Hatori with a serious tone. "When I left for that mission, you were so young, I feel like I've missed your childhood. It doesn't feel right to me. I was there for your brothers and sister, but I was not there for you."

"It's okay Dad," Said Ahim, feeling like the word came out a little bit easier this time. "You don't need to feel bad."

"But look at you now! I saw you as a baby, and now you are a first year!" Hatori wipes an imaginary tear from his face. "Kids grow up so fast these days. You might want to slow down a little, or else you'll get old before me."

Despite feeling several emotions, Ahim managed to give him a dry look. "I don't think I'll get old just yet. Sushima is first in line."

"True that." Said Hatori. "But there is another reason why I brought you here with me."

"What?" As asked Ahim, suddenly all those emotions he was feeling a moment ago start to evaporate, and he gets a feeling of dread within his heart.

"I need to teach you properly. Your mothers and siblings have no doubt filled your head with strange notions of how this world works. Guess what? They are wrong." Said Hatori.

"Is this about your paranoia?" Asked Ahim.

"Not paranoia when things keep happening in the world and I have to react to them. This time trouble was the latest example of it. Before that, it was some terrorists. Before that, there was a whole war. Before that, it was my early Academy days. And it all started with a series of kidnappings." Said Hatori.

"Series?" Ahim asked, not getting what his father was trying to tell him.

"I was summoned to the magical side. That was the first one. I was younger than you and didn't have a clue of what I was about to get into. I was kidnapped twice from the castle. Those are the kidnappings I am talking about." Hatori grabs him by his shoulder and looks his son in the eyes. "If you don't prepare yourself, then you won't survive. That is what I'm going to teach you. Don't get me wrong, your mothers and siblings have no doubt taught you a lot. But they think that the world is a nice and peaceful place, and given their rich status, they won't encounter any problems. But they are all so wrong that I can't even tell you how wrong they are."

"How do you know this?" Asked Ahim. "You weren't here for the last ten years!"

Hatori winced at that statement. It feels like an accusation. "Exactly." He sighed. "Despite my warnings, that idiot on the throne ignored those parasites and looked at what happened. If we didn't leave to fix the time, our entire planet would have been wiped out of existence."

"But, what can I do? It's not like I can face powerful mages like you." Said Ahim.

"True. Not yet. Certainly not before you fulfill your critically missing milestones. It is not too late though. Once you start out on the path, I am gently guiding you towards, you will be a powerful mage in your own right. No one will dare to mess with you then." Said Hatori.

"This doesn't feel like gentle guiding! Besides, Sushima is teaching me all of that anyway." Replied Ahim.

"That is good." Hatori smiled. "But it is not enough."

To prove his point, Hatori stops. Ahim also stops, looking at his father. Hatori considered for a moment before he started to frown. Ahim suddenly felt as if an entire house had been put on his head.

"Move." Said Hatori.

"I... Can't." Said Ahim, unable to move a muscle.

The pressure suddenly disappears. "That was the same level of pressure master Zeko put on me. It was not his full power, and neither it is mine. I could have beheaded you with one spell then and there."

Ahim starts to look at Hatori with fear. "But don't worry, that is exactly what I'm going to fix. I have put on some time dilation. We have a long time. Not only you'll get better, but we'll spend lots of time bonding as a father and son, just like this book recommends." Hatori waves a book which seems to be warned out. "I swear. It was the best investment I made when Sushima was born. The lessons are quite good. I even managed to adapt them to raise Daphne Junior."

"O... Kay?" Ahim doesn't get that. Why would you need a book to raise children?

"This is insane! That's not training!" Said Ahim, while fleeing a group of mammoths.

"Oh, come off it. You're not in any danger." Said Hatori, hovering above him like an unhelpful spirit while he observed the mammoths. They seem to be evolving further since humans are not out to hunt them and they are not stuck on some island, inbreeding among themselves.

"I swear, if I could, I'll make you regret this!" Said Ahim, using a volley of fireballs on these mammoths. This caused the forest to catch on fire, giving him the chance he needed to flee from these giant creatures.

For the past several days (Ahim forgot the count), he has been on a grueling training regimen. Hatori is teaching him various spells. To make sure he understands those spells and can use them in high-pressure situations, he often drops him in the middle of the wild creatures. He is constantly hovering over him, managing to keep up with him while he runs around trying to avoid getting torn apart.

At night, Ahim hears stories from Hatori about his exploits or something from his favorite manga series. Ever since the trade started with the other side, those are proving to be quite popular in the Subcontinent. Hatori tells him about the older manga of his time.

He taught him how to handle the fire in the camp, collecting the wood for it, how to light it, how to control it with or without magic, and how to cook food on it. Though he did let him handle some of the parts, Hatori never let him handle the fire alone. He allowed him to gather the wood by himself. Ahim noticed that no attack happened in the night. He is certain that Hatori is the reason behind it.

Despite his fury over this training regiment, Ahim is Cherishing these moments with Hattori. He is certain that no other boy from his class is spending this kind of quality time with their parents.

During his recount of his experience in the Academy so far, Ahim tells Hatori how it has become a less violent place. "On one hand, good. On the other hand, I suppose we'll see a drop in quality for a few years. If they drop that module, the quality will dip further. I'm also annoyed. Why couldn't they do that when I was attending?"

"They were more insane than you and that's saying something." Said Ahim in a dry tone.

"Well done my son." Said Hatori, making his voice artificially boom. "For six months, you have survived in this forest, demonstrating your adaptability and willingness to survive. You are a true Human, willing to slaughter anyone and anything that gets in your way. Now, here's a final challenge for you. Remember what I have taught you, it will serve you well."

"Why do you have to talk like that? It doesn't suit you." Said Ahim. "What exactly is this final challenge anyway?" He sighed when he saw that the entrance to the gate (which he presumed led out of there) was blocked by a shadow.

"Admittedly, it doesn't sound good without music to accompany it. Maybe I could ask Shin to help with a spell for some background music?"

"Only you would think about doing something like that." Grumbled Ahim. The shadow attacked him, and he was sent flying with the blast.

He attacks it in return, but his spells do not affect the spirit. "What?" The ground shook and Ahim had to jump.

"What the hell? I could have died in the crater!" He said, looking at the crater filled with rocks. "How do I deal with this dad?"

"Don't give up so quickly." Said Hatori. "Sense like I taught you."

Ahim doesn't have to focus to sense magic anymore. He vowed to learn it quickly after Hatori put a blindfold around his head and dropped him in the middle of termites and ant colonies. He also knew this quickly because he was horrified by living like this. He cannot fathom that his father lived like this at his age.

He noticed the change in Hatori's magic and the small ember landing on the spirit. It had an immediate effect. It is behaving like the person who has grabbed a cup that is too hot. "Now you try."

Ahim tries the way his father has shown him, though his first few spells do not work. But once he has a stronger understanding of that change, he sensed in Hatori, that he can land consistent spells. He watched that spirit disappear after a nasty volley of fireballs landed on it after Ahim cornered it. "That's for nearly taking my head off with that tree!"

After his celebration, Ahim loses consciousness. Before he could land face-first on the ground, Hatori caught him. He gave some of his magic to the spirit. It has recently taken form. For the payment of Hatori's energy, it agreed to help him out with the training of his son.

"Well done kid. Let's take you out from here." Once Hatori leaves, all the damage is repaired automatically. The time dilation stops working, and the dimension resumes its usual operation.

Hatori took Ahim to the Academy after he recovered. This time, he is sitting on Hatori's shoulder while they fly to the Academy. "Do you see that tree? I planted it when I first arrived here. I can't believe it survived to this day."

"Yeah. There are more thorny trees there too. Garuda and Sushima had too much fun planting those." Said Ahim.

Hatori pats him on the shoulder before leaving. "You did good. But don't expect me to lighten up on you. More challenges are coming your way. So, stay sharp." Ahim gives him a nod, after which Hatori disappears into the sky.

PART 5.

Avinash is hearing the report of Raven. Things went smoothly in the steppe; nothing had changed from their incursion in the past. Raven and his team arrived there and left without any incident.

In short, this was a boring mission that went according to the plan. Unfortunately, this doesn't last long. "Your majesty!" Said the clerk, running into the office and yelling in an urgent tone.

"What?" Asked Avinash.

"Hatori... He..." The young man was huffing and was not able to speak properly.

"Relax." Said Raven, causing him to straighten up. "Now tell us what happened."

"Archmage Hatori appeared in a restaurant. He ate up a lot of food." Said the clerk.

"I fail to see why this is a concern?" Asked Avinash.

"But my king, he did not pay up. When the staff demanded the payment, he beat them up and left the entire place as a ruin!" Waled the man. "The owner is outside complaining about it."

"That's out of character. In fact, Hatori doesn't go out to restaurants in general unless Daphne or Ravina force him to go." Pointed out Raven.

"Yeah. He is not a public person like that. If it was a tea stall or a snack shop, maybe then. Could it be an imposter?" Asked Avinash.

"Doesn't make sense. Maybe it might fool some people, but no imposter is going to beat up the security of a restaurant." Raven turns to the clerk. "Is this restaurant a luxurious one?"

"Yes. It is the same one where the new prime minister was hosted when he came here." Said the clerk.

"Definitely no imposter then." Said Raven. That restaurant has a very high security. No imposter is going to fool them.

"Your majesty!" Barged another man into the office.

"What?" Asked Avinash, giving him an irritated glair. He is a king; you can't just barge into his office.

The man smiled nervously at first, realizing what he had just done. But his nervousness disappears when he realizes why exactly is he here in the first place. "My king, there was a stampede in the concert of Shin. I was in charge of the security there."

"What happened?" Asked Avinash. The concerts of Shin are not known for stampedes. Maybe some noise pollution by all those screaming people, but not stampedes.

"Someone who looked like him appeared on the stage while he was performing. He started to sing with the strangest of lyrics, and then the whole stadium was lit on fire. We managed to put out the fire, but he got away in the chaos." Explained the man.

"I don't think anyone can fake his abilities either." Said Raven. "Shin has a unique talent. Not many are like him in this country, let alone the world."

"That's true." Said Avinash. "Could it be some jealous rival of his?"

Before Raven could answer, the door opens and a woman from the finance ministry walks in. "Your majesty, is that a bad time?" She asked, seeing the crowded office.

"What is it?" Asked Avinash, already dreading what she has to say by the looks of her face.

"Minister Josh was seen beating up several factory workers. Apparently, they were not efficient enough. The whole thing was seen by a reporter. For now, I've managed to stop the paper from printing anything, but I don't think I can stop them from doing that for too long."

"That is strange." Said Avinash. "I know Josh is not on this side. He is in India to meet his opposite for some joint plans we have."

"Did he use any high-level magic?" Asked Raven.

"Nothing of the sort. He just conjured up a stick and started to beat everyone." Explained the woman.

"Your majesty!" Said Suresh, entering the office and saluting the king.

"What now?" Avinash asked, knowing that his second general wouldn't come here just because he felt like it.

"Raven blew up one of our barracks. He has not been seen since." Suresh noticed who exactly was sitting near Avinash. "Oh."

"Exactly. I've been here for the past two hours." Said Raven.

"When did that happen?" Asked Avinash.

"One and a half hours ago. I just got the report, and then I came here to report to you." Explained Suresh.

"Not him then." Said Avinash.

The door opens, and Hatori walks in. "Hey, so I had a wonderful time with my son--" He notices the crowd in the office. "What's going on?" He asked.