Even the sisters blinked a few times.

Amelia broke the silence.

"You tried to create a new element? You know it's not possible, far more than anyone."

Feeling his body recover ever so slightly, he placed his face between his hands.

"Give me a moment. I don't have the strength to explain now."

As he closed his eyes, Orion sat there, unresponsive.

"..."

"Did he fall asleep?"

Dramia looked over his shoulder and frowned.

"Yes, again."

The four girls stayed by his side until he woke up.

...

Thirty minutes passed before Orion opened his eyes.

"What a mess that was. I expected it to work, but I guess I don't have the stamina necessary to succeed yet."

Orion stood up and stretched.

"Thank you, both of you. Without your help, I wouldn't have been able to try this."

He turned to the twins and sincerely thanked them for their assistance.

"For what that was, I'm glad to have been here."

"We've repaired your magical circuit, so we'll be going now."

Dramia moved past Orion swiftly. Drania smiled at Orion and waved before following her sister.

"Sis, we have to talk about this."

"Yes, we have to."

The two walked away, leaving Orion, Amelia, and Karteira on the training ground.

"So, would you mind explaining what that was? I can't believe you tried something impossible again."

Amelia was angry. She hadn't heard anything about his new, crazy objective.

"Do you remember-"

"What?"

Orion frowned as Amelia interrupted him.

"If you could let me finish, that would be great. Don't be angry. You'll understand."

Amelia crossed her arms and stared at him. Karteira let out a small giggle while watching her friend act like this.

"When I went to finish the last underground room by myself, the ability I used made my whole body change."

"Yes, I remember. What does that have to do with creating new elements?"

Amelia uncrossed her arms and nodded.

"When I thought about it, I realized. I already used an element that didn't exist. Have you ever seen a weapon being used without being held? Have you ever seen someone use that many long-ranged weapons?"

"No..."

Amelia and Karteira looked at each other, lost in thought.

"Do you mean to say the ability you used that day was all about that new element?"

Karteira thought about his form. There were numerous inconsistencies with reality during that moment.

"So why can't you use it then? Is it not something you managed to create at that time?"

Orion explained what his thoughts were.

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"That was only borrowed power from the 'Key'. It said I could only use a fraction of its power, and only now do I understand why. You are not supposed to use something that doesn't exist yet."

Both girls were stunned. Did he just say that he used a power that didn't exist yet?

"What do you mean? You've clearly used that power in there."

He explained his thoughts.

"It is rather complicated, even for me. This is something only the 'Key' knows, so I can't answer with a clear picture of the matter."

"But what I know is that it opened many opportunities for us. With plenty of effort, I'm sure we will be able to create new elements. Nobody ever said that it was impossible. They simply never tried."

His logic was correct. Nobody had ever tried it, or at least, it had never been recorded in history.

"For you, it might be possible."

Amelia shrugged. Only Orion would have the idea to break the laws of creation.

"Do you realize the mess you created by only trying to fuse two elements? If you begin to do that every time, the world will end in no time."

He chuckled lightly.

"This was my first try, and I understood a lot just from that."

"Nothing of this amplitude will happen again. That's why I asked the sisters and even Tiohr-nam for help. If it had worked, that would have been great, but it didn't. And I know why, thanks to that failure."

Having obtained his answer, Orion smiled.

"I won't try again for some time, since there's no point. It requires so much stamina and strength that I cannot forcefully bring them together. The next time should be smoother and faster."

"Good for you?"

Amelia smiled at the excited Orion. Just knowing it would not be a recurring sight calmed her down.

"So, what were you both doing here anyway?"

"We were going to train before we noticed something wrong in the training arena."

Karteira was the one to answer.

"I'm sorry, then. I've bothered you by taking some of your time."

Orion scratched his cheek in shame.

"Well, I was originally looking for you, but since you were nowhere to be seen, I was going to train alone before Amelia said she'd accompany me."

After hearing that the two would train, Orion pondered further about training.

"I'm going to rest for the day, as that took everything I had. Have fun, both of you."

He chose to rest, which was rare. It showed how exhausting this experiment was for his body and mind.

"See you later, Orion."

The girls waved as Orion walked away, fatigued.

...

'Alright, let's return home and-'

Just when he stepped outside the training arena, a face he hadn't seen in months appeared.

"Young man, how was my gift?"

"What are you doing here?"

Orion walked to the middle-aged woman. It was the merchant who gave him the artifact on the way to the 'Ceremony', the person who listened in on their conversation at the time.

"Your little light show managed to catch my attention, so I came to take a look."

She smiled with her large bag on her back.

"You are... How did you manage to enter this place?"

With a smirk, she shook her hand in a dismissive gesture.

"I have my ways."

The woman grinned.

"Anyway, young man. I have another gift for you."

She rummaged through the big backpack she had after dropping it to the ground with a large thud.

"No, not this one. This one? No. This?"

She searched for a minute before finding it.

"Oh! There it is! Here you go."

An hourglass full of white sand, surrounded by a carved wooden frame, was in her hands. The frame had carvings of a demon and an angel familiar to Orion.

"Where... did you find this?"

The woman laughed at his questioning gaze.

"I made it myself, like most of my items. I would like it if you don't question it too much and just accept it. For what it does, let me just say that it is your time limit."

Orion took the hourglass from the woman and touched the carvings that looked very similar to his parents.

"How do you know about them-"

When he tried to ask the woman how she knew his parents, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Just like last time..."

He murmured and walked toward the mansion, continuously watching the white sand flowing down. When he turned it upside down, the sand defied gravity and flowed upward.

'This is interesting. She said it was my time limit.'

As an idea popped into his mind, he immediately went to confirm it.

'Could it be?!'

Orion touched the glass containing the sand, and a number appeared inside.

'137. Are those days? That means four and a half months. The end was further than I thought. In four months, Elliott and I will...'

Orion clenched his free hand and, with a new determination, returned to the mansion to rest.

~

"Lady Kamala, we have received a report from our scouts asking us to prepare our defenses. Lord Ivan is currently sending his whole army toward our city."

Kamala placed her elbows on the table in front of her, then placed her face in her hands.

The situation in Hocride was turning sour.

The Apostle named Ivan Borias had completely lost himself and was sending his army to take over another Apostle's territory.

'Something like this never happened before. What am I supposed to do?'

Kamala has had time to think since the first report of strange activity from Ivan. From what she knew, she had two weeks before the army arrived at the walls of her city.

Two weeks would be enough to notify her 'friends', but she was reluctant to do so.

It would be inappropriate to ask for help when she has just formed friendships with others. This could be considered a way to exploit them, and she wanted to avoid that.

Even then, it wouldn't have been enough to save Hocride. The time necessary for an army to travel the distance from Hocride to Albriar was at least three weeks.

'I have to stop this myself.'

She was ready to defend the port city and its citizens by herself.

"The priority of the soldiers is protecting the lives of those living in the city. If you manage to persuade a few boats to board them, that would lead to a better outcome, but there is a price to everything."

"I will deal with the army personally."

It was time for Kamala to talk. When necessary, she was able to switch from her quiet demeanor to that of a leader.

"Lady Kamala?! What do you mean by that? At least take a few elites with you."

She slammed her fist on the table.

"From the previous reports, I read that the enemy's soldiers are weirdly aggressive. They cannot control their thirst for blood, and they simply attack like mindless beasts. Do you want me to gamble on the lives of my people?"

The servant turned his face away.

"No. In no way did I ever ask you that."

In fear, the man avoided her gaze.

"I understand your worries, but do remember. I am not like our common soldiers."

She stood up from her chair while a heavy aura exuded around her.

"I am one of the few people in this world capable of using two elements. I won't allow anyone to belittle me."

A quiet wind and grains of sand began to revolve around her.

"If that man asks for war, then war he will have. I don't care if his city is lacking supplies or if he is jealous."

"I will have his head for even considering trampling the city I worked so hard to develop."

Her servant once again realized why he was following her. Kamala's charisma was something no one else had.

"Yes, milady! I will notify all units about what you said. We will defeat our aggressor and win this war!"

The man bowed and left the room.

Kamala cancelled her magic and sat back on the chair.

'I'm not good at being a leader.'

She slumped on the table, her head laying on her arms.