CHAPTER 11 - THE LONG AWAITED TIME I

LUKE HODGES

After finding what I was searching for so long–even without a freaking map that neither Mordain or Rinia had–I was now able to relax. Since the next part of the main story was to wait until he fell from the cliff to save his mother who is pregnant.

In those silent times that I would get during my two year training in the Beast Glades, numerous memories of this world and my past, flooded into my mind even now. Some of those memories were beautiful like buying my first car, entering the college of my dreams, having a loving family in this world just like in the old.

However, having only happy memories doesn't make the healthiest people. What does is having both, painful and amazing memories, moments where you can recall and give thanks to fate or life for the opportunity it has given you.

My eyes slowly gazed thoughtlessly at the crackling bonfire in front of me. I remembered Elder Rinia’s words of caution towards my actions in this world, after all she knew that I was a type of other worlder like Arthur but not exactly the same.

Though her words really didn’t give me a whole lot of information about the future, it would’ve defeated the purpose of telling me to be cautious in the first place. In those two years of my mana training, I never met Rinia ever again. Whether it was because of her duty as an elf or as a seer, or perhaps a totally different reason as to not see her in the Beast Glades. It was too suspicious to be taken lightly.

Taking my eyes out of the blazing hot fire, powered by the dried up branches and logs I had to work hard for as a four-year-old boy and into the distant night sky. There were times where I had thought that living in this world– more like being part of this world would just be a lunatic… dream that I would eventually wake up from. Yet, staring at the sky and scenery was telling me something different. That I was for sure in another world… and in The Beginning After The End’s world no less.

“Totally a different world…” I let those words loose on the air, like I was waiting for something or someone to respond to my crazy words. Unfortunately, I wasn’t granted that part of selfishness I craved.

I miss Mia. I miss James.

My parents… I wonder how they are doing right now…?

A small scoff left my mouth. I shook my head in disbelief towards what I was saying. How could I say that? They are my parents, and god knows how they are dealing with the sudden disappearance of their one and only child.

Again, one of my promises rose from the deepest part of my mind, especially from my heart.

I had made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t make my parents worry, and yet, here I was, all alone in some part of the Beast Glades, maybe a day or two away from the Grand Mountains if I were to run using mana reinforcement without taking breaks.

Mana… huh?

How long will it take for me to use elemental affinities again like when I struggled in Mordain’s test? Ever since that day, my connections to the affinities have died, no mental image or chanting could make them appear.

I had grown tired of false hopes these past two years in search of a proper training method. There were times where I had completely given up in thinking about the affinities and instead focused on using pure mana. But then again, that wasn’t going to help me defeat the enemies that lay forward in this path.

Seeing how my mana control in affinities wasn’t progressing, alternatively, I had to gain some experience in combat. Forcing that gap to close as I too lacked combat knowledge as well. There was a whole lot of beating, but it was for sure worth it.

The calluses in my hand started to bleed once from too much pressure in the grip of a sword. Then again, I had the healing ability which has saved me from deathly blows or burns… even wounds towards others.

Something deep down told me and assured me that everything until now was worth and faith was needed. On the other hand, my gut said otherwise.

“Haaa…”

Even I could feel the pressure and horror from that exhale. I was exhausted from my two year long training in the Beast Glades along with many other things that lay heavy on my mind.

Doubt is the only thing on my mind when I see or even think of changing things, like the deaths of some characters, or the power that they hold later in the future.

Most importantly, if there are fixed times that I can’t change no matter the scale of power or influence I have. The topic right in front of me being Sylvia: the princess of the dragons of the Indrath clan.

To set that chain of gears in motion to align the original story, Arthur Leywin must fall from the cliff after saving his mother. Later he wakes up and hears Sylvia’s voice out of nowhere and proceeds to follow her instructions to her stay place. After, he stays with her for some time before being surprised by Cadell, forcing Sylvia to hurry the portal—which doesn’t lead him to his destination but rather towards Tessia’s kidnappers—but before that she gives him her beast will and her child: Sylvie.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

To me who’s read the story multiple times, I realized that when Arthur comes to Sylvia’s death, things go downhill from there.

I stood up from the log, grabbed some dirt and threw it to the fire. Extinguishing it, not fully, I stepped on it as well as to put handfuls of rocks on it before taking my leave.

That was my next step, to make a change in that particular spot. Whether it is by going with Arthur to Sylvia’s cave or to take Sylvia away from Cadell and perhaps heal her in my time there.

But then again, Arthur was the key to opening the door to the next stage. Which is the reason for my early week of being here and to make sure it is not any early.

That was another thing, the butterfly effect. My encounter with Mordain and Rinia was something off the books. Arthur doesn’t know these people until later chapters. With Rinia being the closest one for him to meet and Mordain being in a couple of years from now.

So in conclusion, my meeting with them shouldn’t affect the original story in any way.

Or at least I thought.

More like hoped.

In the original story, Mia and James perhaps don’t exist in this world or maybe they do but as background characters. Nameless people that the readers don’t know or acknowledge in any sort of way. Much less a new character named Luke Hodges who a troublesome deity has already made contact with.

Well, let us just hope that things go well for the better of the savior of Dicathen of the lessers, as the deities put it.

***

After some time, I was able to finally make it to the Grand Mountains, which they do live up to their name personally, and now all I needed to do was stop the correct route towards Arthur’s fall.

Yet, I could learn the scouting ability and sense their mana signatures.

Not having elemental affinities was a challenge, I could have everything like a cheat or something like some isekai main characters say but this was way different in any form or shape.

Handed power wasn’t a factor in this world but rather the hard work of the person’s determination. Sure, there are some people who are great at things when they try it for the first time, being called prodigies and many other things, but in reality, the older they get the harder things become. Expectations is one of them.

The expectations that parents put on their “prodigy” child could pressure them into believing they are the greatest or the laziest people.

Time and that child’s decision are the only things that make up the route they go down later in life.

In time, parents are at fault as well.

Let's say for example, the father is a great mage whose mana core reached solid yellow but small mana pool, and the mother who’s a mage as well has a light red stage mana core with the largest of mana pools. Their genes of course complement and counter each other, but if destiny really wants it, the child could perhaps be the strongest mage in history with enough training and discipline. However, if that child receives the most unnecessary of genes, the defective ones, he or she might be pressured into thinking they were supposed to be the greatest and be damned as failures or mistakes.

This is truly based on examples which could or not apply to some in this book.

If any were to apply to me, I would just simply go overboard with the expectations and limits that were given to me and achieve something extraordinary. And to do that, I must need discipline and patience.

There is for sure some time between now and the upcoming war. Especially when that happens.

“So… let’s just look for the main protagonist, shall we?” I once again said, stretching my arms and legs before pushing the mana from my core to my body, especially my legs.

I am not confident to fight a mana beast right now, as to not having a weapon to much less using my nonexistent affinities.

If I am totally honest, the most I could fight would be an E-rank beast like a small horned bunny or something similar. Anything higher than E-rank and I will for sure die in that spot.

Meaning, whether or not I can fight, the best option is to run or hide, get my thoughts together before acting.

I thought. Feeling the wind as I countered its path, coldness and a little bit of wetness on my face, my eyes were being stingy with the wind.

Running through the ground on some times and even jumping from branch to branch like some ninja out of an anime.

That’s when I had arrived, taking around some days before getting there early. But I still wasn’t sure whether or not it was the right spot.

With the huge mountains giving me nothing but doubt of my spot, I decided to wait. Taking refuge in some near cave that was just there on the side of the Grand Mountains. Being just a minute or two—if I were to use mana—from the main road towards the teleportation gate on top of the mountain.

It was a perfect place for now.

Nevertheless, that didn’t mean that I could lay down my guard. No. I had to be more on guard since I was just a couple of minutes away.

I had to kill some time. Quite the opposite of what I had just said, my training of mana control was a little more complex if I didn’t exercise it enough before some little movement. It was still night time, so of course they wouldn’t travel at night and wait for the sunrise to continue their journey.

At least that was the most common thing to do.

Closing my eyes, crossing my legs into a comfortable position, I concentrated on the atmospheric mana. Motes of white particles enveloped my sight, almost like the dark night sky. The multitude of white stars didn’t seem to have an ending as I tried to see the ending of them but it was futile.

In any case, I didn’t hesitate to move them to my liking or at least I tried. Forcing the white motes to cooperate into my core was… vigorous. In context, it was like me, a four-year-old child, trying to move a boulder without mana but my bare hands.

No matter the magnitude of my thoughts to push these motes, nothing really seems to work. Perhaps my thought process was or needed to be different to move or comprehend how I should move them?

Or maybe I must have reached my limit?

Arghh… This is too much to think about, and too early for me. I must and will get stronger, now or later. But I have to be strong when Arthur decides to go adventuring. It must be there where I will become stronger than Luca’s brother: Bairon Wykes.

Again. It is only a matter of how, then, I will show these gods and fate that everything could be changed to how it’s supposed to be.