CHAPTER 15 - TIME

Climbing up the platform rather awkwardly, Arthur and I had forgotten about using mana to jump it instead, propping ourselves next to the throne, one of each side next to her.

Art spoke first, saying, “Uhh… excuse me for being rude, but you don’t exactly look like a lady. How should I– rather, how should we address you?”

The being took a second to respond, looking up to the skyless ceiling for some disclosure perhaps or something else, I didn’t understand her even after reading the novel for 400 chapters. Sylvia’s thinking and thoughts were never revealed, rather, it was never understood how she thought and how she wanted things to go.

A true mystery. I solely thought, keeping my gaze locked in the ground while processing the novel’s chapters, more specifically, Sylvia’s chapters or at least her involvement in the chapters.

“You’re right. I don’t exactly look like a lady, now do I? I wonder why I said that. My name is Sylvia,” she replied, a soft chuckle leaving her mouth.

To be honest, if I was reincarnated into this world without any memories about the novel, I would for sure think that the giant demon lord-like being was anything but the owner of the name Sylvia.

I stayed quiet about that of course, being from Earth really has its perks. For one, I get to experience this medieval–magic–world like no other person from another world, sure I could get over dramatic over some words or actions, but to be honest, I rather enjoy this as the “Luke Hodges” and not the “Cain Lambard” for most of my time here. Though I doubt I was brought here for some second chance at life in the first place.

Perhaps something big or maybe a mistake of someone, or something.

Having these thoughts–which were going randomly in my head like some sort of torpedo being shot into the empty void of the ocean–made me miss some of the dialogue that Arthur and Sylvia were having. Not being an important dialogue, it was still something to learn from, emotion wise I mean. Sure I am an adult mentally, but back on Earth I wasn’t really taught how emotions work the proper way. Which is why I had no friends, I was a loner the majority of my life, my parents were always on marriage trips or overseas enjoying life while I stayed in one specific country learning all about business and what not.

My actions weren’t in the list of problems that came with me, but emotion and the understanding of it was the biggest one. It was like the elemental affinities are being with me right now, uncontrollable and unknown. Sure I had an ambition or the like of doing it but nothing too serious, I would drop it when things seemed boring instantly.

“I was under the impression that amongst humans, the earliest mage to have awakened so far was the age of ten, and even then, because the child couldn’t grasp how to use it, there was very little he could do with it. Yet, not only have you already formed your mana core, but, by the way you use mana, you seem to be more efficient than a lot of full-fledged mages.”

Arthur shrugged, feeling proud of himself. “My parents said I was a genius or something. I can read really well and I get what the pictures and words in the book are saying.”

Spoiler, it’s because your dad doesn’t know you are older than him!

I loudly spoke in my mind while having a second, but interesting thought.

Sylvia said she saw how Arthur used mana efficiently though she was miles away from the Grand Mountains, bringing to the topic that she is an Asura and a direct bloodline of Kezess Indrath himself.

So that means…

I slowly felt the blood drain from my face, noticing that the fight I had with those mana beast earlier were seen by Sylvia. She must be wary of my own actions and potentially be considered a spy from Alacrya…

Without dragging her conversation any further, Sylvia got up and said, “The spell will take some time in order for it to be completely safe. I do not wish for you to land in a destination you are not familiar with. Even one inconsistency can lead to you being transported a couple of hundred meters off the ground. Please be patient; you will be able to see your loved ones.”

“Now, go to sleep while I work on the spell.” Sylvia said lightly in a gentle tone that my mother would use on me when I was younger.

Arthur nodded and headed behind the throne looking-thing was, behind the throne resided some spare blankets.

Meanwhile I wanted to as well, leaving right now would only give Sylvia more suspicion about my “abilities” and possibly bring up the conversation about Alacrya to me when Arthur isn’t paying attention.

Well, I think it’s time for Cain to take this opportunity. I thought, like I had some other persona or whatever they’re called. When I looked up to speak with the dragon princess, she wasn’t in front of me anymore but a few steps away facing the farthest corner in the cave.

There she began to use mana arts for the spell. I felt the purity of the mana but there was something else on top of the mana, a guidance of some sorts… is that how aether feels? It was kind of a weird feeling that I couldn’t describe right now. Was Sylvia using the aether to guide and keep in check the mana for the spell so that it couldn’t go berserk and teleport us to another place?

“You should be sleeping child.”

Sylvia’s eyes didn’t turn to meet mine and instead focused on her task. Her giant hands moving around an oval object that contained mana, perhaps it was made by the mana and the aether arts Sylvia wields.

“Uhhm… Lady S-Sylvia…?”

She didn’t respond right there and waited for me to finish my words that were stuck in my throat. It was impossible to let out the words that would impact her way of thinking but… I don’t know. There was a part of me that was hesitant in saying another word and chuck it into a “never mind” case but there was another deep part of me, maybe it was the real Luke Hodges that was having an impression on me.

“Why didn’t you speak about the forest case to Art when you two were talking?” I blankly asked, unable to think of any other question that would be less reasonable for my success of being a none spy card in Sylvia’s eyes. “If you wanted to, you could have revealed to Art that I was a higher stage core than what a human mage would ever awaken to.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Again, I was met with silence.

Her entire focus was on the spell and I really didn’t want to push the gun to the point where she would be forced to end her spell formation just to speak to me.

If anything, I was being the rude one here. The outsider to this story which has been the case ever since Mordain teleported me to the Beast Glades.

I waited for another moment before finally giving up on talking about her motives without revealing my identity, so I went to sleep…

The next couple of days were awkwardly quiet. Times where my eyes didn’t meet her red eyes, and times where I would completely try to avoid her by moving to the farthest corner.

While I was in that awkward position, I would take the opportunity to meditate with the rich mana surrounding the place. It was quite indulging and interesting seeing how the mana would give me small amounts of power to spark the elemental affinities. Then again, it wasn’t fully. Only small quantities of elemental energy would show and then it was no more.

A limit?

Did I have a limit to how much elemental energy I could use? I solely thought, focused on the digestion of the raw mana perhaps thinking that it was my mana core being the point in this particular problem.

That sort of thinking was soon the very nightmare that would haunt my dreams and even my process of making a decision of putting a stop to my mage path and doing something entirely different.

I even had nights where I would dream about myself with my Dicathen family, having a great time, all grown up, and actually have the feeling like a family would be. Maybe I would learn how feelings of love and emotions properly worked and live like any other being. But it was before a boy with short hair and long locks with red eyes would stand in front of me, holding a face that would express hatred and anger towards me. Saying, “You aren’t even their real child, I am, I was, until you took over my body and mind, taking the life I was supposed to be living!” That is all I would hear before waking up in cold sweat, realizing that I was in Sylvia’s cave.

As time passed and the days began to accumulate themselves, I noticed how Arthur and Sylvia’s treatment towards me changed into concern. My body felt heavy as time passed, my concentration in mana was falling out to what I thought was still normal.

Ahh dammit. I need to pick myself up before even thinking about the future plans in this continent. I said in my mind, eating a yellow juicy fruit that the giant humanoid provided us with. Not only that, but Arthur asked Sylvia on my part for water, which she then later magically pulled off by using a spatial magic thing summoning fresh water into what seemed to be a giant bowl. I knew it couldn’t be an elemental affinity because it was Mordain who drilled it into my head on how to sense elemental magic when someone is using them.

Nevertheless, I used that suspicious water to clean my face. It took a couple of splashes of the cold water to get me out of my sleepy phase. Not only that, but Sylvia’s wound was getting bigger and bigger as time went on.

Noticing Art’s concerned eyes, Sylvia said with a weak smile at the end, “Don’t worry little one, this wound festers from time to time.”

Another day, Arthur and I were training in mana absorption but with strict movements in hopes that we would master a technique. Perhaps we were doing ridiculously stupid movements that even Sylvia interrupted, “Luke, Art. Try absorbing mana while you are making movements. Ideally you should be able to absorb at least a fraction of the mana you would during meditation while you are fighting. Although you would be spending mana faster than you can absorb mana, you will be able to prolong the usage of your mana.”

Wait… this was something that Sylvia had taught Art how to use, and if I’m not wrong, only at a young age can someone achieve this technique. Later, after Arthur came back from Alacrya, he decided to teach the Lances about this technique. I don’t exactly remember how many succeeded and which did not, however, what I do know is that with enough time, I may be able to teach them sooner than later.

Then again, I can only do this when I enter the academy and see the pathways I could take without giving the Alacryan spies enough information to give Agrona. I have to learn this method for my catapult in my affinities. This might be the only way for me to re-unlock my elements before the war.

And the only one I could perchance, rely on is Elder Rinia, and maybe Mordain but that doesn’t seem to be the case with how he portrayed his continuous hiding for god knows how long.

“Let me try.”

I only nodded silently with confidence.

“Humans have a very linear mindset in regard to mana to find it hard to deviate from anything that already works. Practice hard now though, because you can only acquire this skill while both your body and mana core are immature. Even mana beasts learn to do this naturally, but humans awaken much too late and in most cases, their bodies are not adept for this ability when they first awaken. Considering you two are so young, there shouldn’t be a problem if you practice,” Sylvia continued with a proud puff of her nose all while I multitasked my mind trying to listen to her words and put up the concentration into small movements as I absorbed mana.

It was difficult to simultaneously take mana in while I made movements. First it was my right hand, moving it up and down seeing if there was a limit to what I could do. When it was stable for me to move my right hand, I began with my left. Then my legs at the same time, but I broke concentration.

I let out a sigh.

Come one Luke, it was lucky enough to complete both arms without stopping the inward flow of mana. There will always be holes in my plan and even my actions in the future, even when I begin to be hasty in my decisions.

Letting that self pep talk enter my system, hoping that it would give me some self confidence, it still felt embarrassing. An adult giving himself a pep talk with no power to back it all up.

Practicing this essentially skill that could help me in future fights where they will be dragged out for some time. Making up for my lack in swordsmanship. The short auburn hair boy had seen me practice my amateurish sword stance that made me at some point think that I was in middle school back again doing a play of knights and dragons.

With some time, a day or two, he decided to help me improve something that I could make up when I started to see some changes in Mana Rotation.

Sylvia’s only advice was that, according to her, an exceptional mage must be able to split his thinking mind into multiple segments in order to process information at fast speed.

Not only that, but I was still uncomfortable with this body. My feet wouldn’t listen to my command and would stutter like an old TV from a hundred years ago trying to get connection to the newer channels.

Two months had passed since then, keeping some company to Sylvia. There would be times where Art would tell us stories of his family and the town he was born in.

Behind the scenes, while Arthur would be practicing the technique, I would ask Sylvia about real name. To which she responded with a serious look that lasted seconds behind giving me the, “That name isn’t something you must know. Neither of you are ready for the real truth.”

Over this time of period, I would often ask myself questions or either Sylvia about certain emotions and feelings. Then, we came to find out that I had grown attached to Sylvia, someone who in my past life would say that if I was Arthur, keeping my distance was the better option but now it is a different story that even I can’t comprehend.

There’s a chance that maybe she filled that void that I’ve been yearning for many years in my past life and even perhaps in this one during my training in the Beast Glades. Sylvia’s kindness was the reason why I felt like that, like a mother giving her sons affection or like a grandmother giving and enjoying how her grandsons would grow up in a certain time.

And because of that growing relationship that we had, the other boy couldn’t ignore her injury.

“Sylvia, please tell me what’s happening to your wound? Why is it getting worse? It wasn’t like this before! You are saying it was only a fester every now and then was clearly a lie! This isn’t going to go away on its own, it;s actually getting worse!” Arthur’s voice grew in a frustrating tone, concerned as equally as I was when I saw her vomit a pool of blood in the middle of the night.

“That wound, would you let me treat it?” I boldly asked, already igniting the healing process in both of my hands. Imagining that if it were to work, things would entirely change for the better or for the worse, and only it would be known if I tried to.