Her innate talent was astounding. In the few short months that he’d been teaching her, Garyth had seen how rapidly Lirya had grown to control mana. She fought well with borrowed power and would surely be a formidable fighter with her own—if she could overcome the hurdle that was to control the explosive power within her.

To be honest, I am afraid of what will happen if she fails to control her power, Garyth admitted to himself, But I cannot keep making excuses when she has already exceeded the bounds of my mana.

Today marks the seventh month since Lirya came to the ivory palace. It is time to set things in motion… my final act… my final gamble.

<--<< >>-->

Much to her surprise, Garyth joined Lirya for lunch. Though they’d fostered some kind of mentor-student bond over the months of training, Garyth had never taken the initiative to seek her outside of their training sessions.

“It has been seven months now, Lirya,” Garyt began curtly, then asked again, a little hesitantly, “A-Are you certain that you do not wish to be returned to your home?”

There was a hint of finality in his voice—like an unvoiced goodbye.

So, it seems to be time for me to serve my purpose and be released from this place, Lirya realised.

I-I guess I’ll have to kill this ‘unholy half-godly creature’ he spoke of when we first met soon.

Out loud, she said in a decided tone, “No, I do not wish to be returned to Throeyns castle. I can hardly call that place a home anymore—even this palace would be more of a home than Throeyns castle ever was.”

A brief look of surprise flitted across his face before he quickly masked it in an expression of indifference. A stranger wouldn’t have noticed, but Lirya had begun to see even the things he wanted to keep hidden.

“T-That can’t be! Why do you say that?” Garyth asked.

With a hint of bitterness, Lirya said softly, “For the first sixteen years of my life, I had never set foot outside of my ‘home’. All I knew were the inside walls of Throeyns castle, and I would have stayed that way—ignorant—if I hadn’t met Jason and been chased out by my father, who needed me gone when my younger brother was born!”

Almost imperceptibly, Garyth’s fist clenched ever so slightly where it rested on the dining table. His stony face was a tad more grim than usual and his crimson eyes darkened a shade.

“I see,” Was all that he said, “I… will return you to the guardians when you complete your job.”

“It’s fine. It’s not like you could’ve known,” Lirya said quietly, as she rose from her seat and made her way to the exit of the dining hall.

She addressed not what he’d said, but rather what he hadn’t said. Lirya smiled slightly as he blinked and registered what she’d said, then sighed and shook his head, a small smile on his face.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

<--<< >>-->

Garyth slumped in the dining chair as Lirya left the room.

Since when has she been so good at reading my emotions? He wondered, as he sighed and ran his hand through his snowy hair.

His thoughts turned to her softly spoken revelation and he frowned. Garyth knew he should’ve been happy to hear that, because it meant a greater chance of success, but a part of him mourned the childhood she’d been denied.

Well, I have gone too far to turn back now. What’s done is done. I cannot undo the damage I have wrought up countless innocents in pursuit of my goal. It is merely yet another sin I shall bear.

I must not weaken now, He thought vehemently, I swore I’d do anything to achieve my goal.

Dimly, as an ever-present reminder of the borrowed time he lived on, his body ached. It was hardly more than a brittle shell held together by his mana and determination at this point.

He’d scarcely been given a chance to brood when the doors to the dining hall slammed open and Garyth sat up hastily, erasing all weariness from his face and straightening his posture. Eryian ran in, spotted Garyth and walked over with a rare serious expression.

“Master, can I ask you something?” He asked.

That was strange in itself. Eryian had been spoiled rotten since Garyth had taken him in and the boy had developed a healthy dose of fearlessness around Garyth as a result.

Garyth nodded slightly, now very curious to know what Eryian had to say.

“Uh… Master… does it have to be Lirya’s body you possess?” Eryian questioned, unconsciously shifting where he stood.

Now that’s interesting, Garyth mused.

It was the first time Eryian had expressed any objection to any of Garyth’s plans.

As Garyth stayed silent a moment longer, Eryian continued in a voice filled with more hesitancy.

“What if you had one of the guardians instead? I could get you the strongest of the other guardians!” Eryian suggested hastily.

“Why, Eryian?” Garyth asked sharply.

He had a feeling he knew why, but he wanted to hear it from the boy’s own lips.

Eryian hesitated, but then answered quietly, but with a glint of something else in his eyes, “I don’t think Lirya should die. I don’t want her to die.”

Garyth nodded, restraining himself from showing any emotion.

He leaned back in the chair, crossed his arms and said with a faint grin, “Fine. We will go with what you suggest.”

<--<< >>-->

Night fell and Garyth made his way to the middle of the palace. It was chilly, but more so for him as the body struggled to regulate temperature. Garyth wore a long robe in a deep purple shade with long wide sleeves. The hem of the robe dragged along the ground as he walked.

Finally, he came to a stop and looked up at the night sky—green-tinged and filled with glittering stars. Garyth stood still a moment, took a deep breath, then raised his hand and condensed his mana. He clenched his fist and felt the magical time barrier dissolve and felt the warm mana trickle back into his body.

I gave you seven months, He thought.

He closed his eyes and visualised his mana core, gathering every last bit of his mana reserves.

Now, come to me!

Garyth’s eyes flashed open as he let his mana erupt outwards in a sightless, soundless wave that transcended worlds. Every mana sensitive creature in Dargon, Heresh and the Ether all felt the roaring pulse of his mana wave as it passed them, instilling a deep sense of fear.

But it was not those whom he aimed to alert, but a certain group of highly sensitive magical beings who happened to be searching for him. The guardians.