A voice suddenly shouted behind me, and I hurriedly turned around. No one is there, but I can feel the presence somewhere around me. The voice was static and unstable, but I can tell that it came from a woman.
"Who's there?"
"You are not supposed to return yet!! Not until you fulfilled the mission!"
The scary echo-ing voice of the female shouted at me, and I had a guess who owned that voice. I also noticed that the voice is only inside my head, but it was definitely a genuine voice of a person.
So, I replied angrily.
"Oh, is that so!? Then tell me. What fucking mission, huh?! I came to that world without knowing a single thing!! If you are the one responsible, then--"
Suddenly, the space around me became warped. I knew I was being pulled, and I tried to move from it, but the pull was already very powerful.
I didn't even get to finish my words. And just like that, I fell into an endless nightmare again.
The wormhole pulled me all the way as I protected my entire body with magic energy just in time when my skin started to burn. Thanks to the magic protection, my body was still able to stay intact once more.
The wormhole pulled me back, and I arrived on that world again.
I fell from the wormhole that is kilometers away from the ground, and I activated my flight magic again.
What…
The hell just happened to me…?
I looked around and realized that it is somehow snowing now. It wasn't snowing this heavily before when I entered the wormhole, and normally the weather doesn't change in just an hour. How long have I been gone?
Hearing the loud thunderous noise that came out as I exited the wormhole, Ren quickly came out from his shack, panicking the fishermen inside. He quickly got on a boat and went to the island.
Sensing that a person was coming from the main island, I quickly approached and landed on the beach closest to it. I waited for the boat to get close, and I was able to recognize who it was.
It's Ren, and he is riding the boat hurriedly.
And from his expression, it doesn't seem to be good news.
"Ren? What happened--"
I asked as his boat was arriving on the island, but then he didn't even bother to dock his boat and immediately jumped out. His leg was dipped into the water, not minding the cold temperature of the snowstorm at all.
Ren's face looked really serious. He rushed to me and slapped his hands on my shoulders.
"Melv, listen to me! You have to return. Now."
"W-What? Why? What is going on?"
"You were gone for two months, Melv! The war has started!"
"… W-What…?"
My face quickly turned pale, and my mind began rapidly processing all the new information I am receiving. I slapped Ren's hands away and looked at the skies, realizing that those dark clouds weren't there when I first went through the hole. Meaning that somehow, time has passed while I was in that world.
The air is so much colder, and I couldn't even see the sun. It's very clear that it is now the coldest weather of winter, which shouldn't be possible unless it is two months into the future.
I didn't even stay for a whole day… and two months passed?
That's when it hits me. It wasn't staying in that world that made the time pass quickly. Because time moves just the same, Lila is now a high school teenager, which is what she should be in two years after my disappearance.
So, our worlds have the same timeline. Then the reason why time moves differently…
It's the wormhole.
Wormholes are a form of spatial travel, and since it connects two different places by a really high speed, it is highly possible that time moves differently inside.
A single trip takes an entire month, while to me it only felt like a few seconds. That few seconds turning into minutes that I spent floating between worlds, a single month has actually passed on both worlds.
"T-That's… really fucked up…"
"Melv, you have to go… The people are fighting already."
"O-Okay, okay."
I patted his shoulder, and he quickly got startled.
"Thank you. For letting me see that world again."
I said with a pained expression, and Ren began forming a grin.
"No problem. What things did you see?"
"The fact that my sister has grown into a high schooler."
"W-Wow... Okay, you need to go."
I nodded at him and turned towards the beach, and I took a deep breath. I used all of my magic energy this time, and I didn't even bother saving any energy.
I opened my black and red eyes, and began flying at the speed of the devil, leaving Ren alone on the island.
The entire air space exploded as I went past certain areas. The trees on the ground even got pushed from the air force, and the snow even froze in the air when I passed before finally blowing towards the other direction.
The jets on my legs and on my wings are speeding my movements tenfold, and each flap from the wings causes a sonic boom in the skies. It was cold, but due to the heat caused by the devil form, I didn't freeze. But, it doesn't mean it's any less painful.
The situation has gone so dire. I won't spare anymore time, even if I have to be in pain just to travel quicker. I don't even want to think about anything at this moment, considering how chaotic things have become.
Flying in heavily cold weather has taught me many things in the past. After not being able to save Lury's village in time, I took some notes on how I can travel faster, even if I have to receive some pain and damage in the process. As a result, I am at the fastest flight speed I can ever get, though the most painful.
I arrived at Mazino in only thirty minutes, the fastest record I have ever gotten from Naverne. Upon arrival, I realized just how things have surely changed.
Fucking time and space... I missed so goddamn much.
The knights can be seen patrolling the roads everywhere in the kingdom. Despite the heavy weather, they are still walking around while holding torches in each of their hands.
Most of the shops were closed due to the heavy weather and the war, and everyone is now in their houses, praying things will get better.
I quickly landed on a familiar restaurant that is still open. I entered expecting to see Hod, but instead there's only his mother at the front desk.
"Is Hod here?"
"No, why would he be here? He is at war!"
Hod's mother replied angrily at me for some reason, and I left the restaurant immediately without questioning anything.
Where should I go?? Everyone else I know should've been drafted, since they are mostly combatants…
Right, Lescia.
I went back to my house, and realized that no one was there. But I didn't fly out immediately again, because I needed to get changed into my armor. I was wearing the jacket from when I visited my world, so I got changed. I then flew again and this time towards the middle castle, specifically to the area where the princess room's balcony is at.
Lescia described it to me last night… or the night two months ago. She told me where her room is, so I can visit her at any time in the future. Didn't realize it would be two months later, though.
I landed on the balcony and knocked on the glass door. I sensed one person inside, and I'm sure Lescia was present.
Lescia opened the glass door and quickly got shocked seeing me.
"Can you let me in? It's cold."
I said while freezing a little, and she quickly let me in. But, she is wearing quite the angry expression.
"Where!? Where have you been!?"
She shouted as I walked in, but I don't need that right now.
"Story later, do you have a towel??"
After covering my body with a large amount of clothes, I started telling her about my journey back home. About the time consuming warm hole, and my experience going back to my world.
"That's… I don't know what to say… Everyone was waiting for you, and you went back home??"
"If I knew that the wormhole was gonna be bad, I wouldn't have entered. Plus, I really wanted… to see my home. To see my family."
Hearing my reasoning, Lescia felt guilty for scolding me. She let out a sigh, and returned to me with a curious expression.
"Did you… at least see them?"
Her question was rather obvious, but we both know that it has much deeper meaning.
With a wide grin, I nodded.
"Yep!!"
She nodded and smiled as well, and then her face turned serious.
It is time to get serious, after all.
"As you have heard… the war has begun."