Takara sighed, shaking her head gently. "As I've mentioned before, that's Everran, the Reverter. He essentially creates save points, as I like to call them. He breaks things without hesitation because he knows he can revert them. It's... it's like a game. But sometimes he doesn't fix them."
An elf suddenly clasped Roy's hand, trembling with fear. Roy stared, perplexed. "Uh, you good?"
The elf's eyes widened dramatically. "He's not just some crazy old man! Everran's a retired Beyond-Class adventurer, above even the S-Class! He trained the last two heroes!"
Siren cleared his throat, joining the conversation with his usual calm. "Heroes are only born every century or so, yet he's trained two. The first was when he was seventy, the second at one-seventy. If memory serves, he is two hundred and forty years old."
Roy's eyes bulged. "Wait, two hundred forty years old? Seriously? He looks pretty spry for someone pushing three centuries."
Siren chuckled softly. "He reverts his body daily, never aging past a certain point. He's been around for a long, long time."
Takara shivered lightly. "When he first arrived here, I was among his initial students. He once showed me memories from his past battles, imprinted on these strange scrolls." She hesitated, visibly haunted. "Please, don't be deceived by his age. He's as terrifying now as he was when younger."
"Oh! Oh!" Eryndra suddenly chimed in excitedly, eyes sparkling as she turned to Siren. "By the way, you're now officially the second strongest opponent I've faced!"
Siren blinked, genuinely startled. "Second?"
"Yeah!" Eryndra grinned widely. "That Tyrox? It would absolutely stomp you to death!"
Roy groaned audibly. "Eryndra, come on. Seriously, what's your beef with the old guy?"
She pouted innocently. "Nothing! I like him, actually."
"Anyway," Takara interjected swiftly, redirecting the topic. "Everran is utterly sadistic in his training. His mantra is that death teaches best, since he can revert you after you die. Just... remember that the reversion doesn't affect memories."
Roy winced sympathetically. "That sounds horrifying. Sorry you had to endure that."
Takara's voice trembled slightly, spiraling into a PTSD-laden ramble. "He told us stories about being a prison guard long ago. Each morning he'd shove prisoners off cliffs, letting them hit the ground, reverting them repeatedly until they stopped screaming—then he'd add obstacles. They'd bounce, splatter, revert, bounce, splatter, revert—"
Her voice trailed into an uneasy silence. Roy quickly intervened. "Wait, hold on. If that enchantment trick works, we could test it on my gear. Takara, do you know if he went home or to the academy?"
She snapped out of her trance. "Classes start soon, so he's probably in his office at the academy. Just... please, Roy, for my sake, be nice."
"What are you talking about?" Roy asked.
She hesitated. "Earlier, you were just so different with him, unafraid and outspoken. I've never seen you like that before."
Roy frowned, thoughtful. "Weird, anyway, moving on the the most important part of our day!" He waved his crew over. "Everyone, formally meet our newest member: Zehrina."
Zehrina bowed dramatically, smiling sweetly. "Thrilled to officially join you. I hope you're all as nice as Roy."
Warrex scoffed loudly. "Fat chance, I'm mean, people say I bite. Do I? You'll find out."
"Behave, Warrex." Roy scolded mildly,
"See?" Warrex retorted instantly. "Goody two-shoes."
Zehrina giggled quietly. Lutrian tilted his head curiously. "Zehrina, do you even have a last name? All I've heard is 'Oath Maiden.'"
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... Zehrina Gunn?"
Roy and Takara blurted out in unison, "Nope, absolutely not."
Zehrina's cheeks flushed pink. "Oh... well, what about yours, Eryndra?"
Eryndra struck a dramatic pose. "Thunderborne, born from the thunderous cannons of the Nightshatter!"
"Save the drama for tonight," Roy groaned.
"Perfect!" Zehrina clapped happily. "We'll be sisters!"
"You're basically sisters already," Roy muttered dryly. "It's hard to tell you apart."
Eryndra smirked confidently. "I'm stronger, though."
Zehrina bristled playfully. "That's not true. You only won last time because you surprised me."
"We can test that right now."
Zehrina raised an eyebrow challengingly. "Love to."
Roy raised his hands in surrender. "Find out who is lamer later. Let's find that crazy old wizard."
-
At the academy, Roy marveled at its transformation. Previously incomplete, the campus now thrived with beautifully finished buildings and bustling students. Everran's reputation apparently hadn't deterred enrollment, though parents now insisted he only taught older classmates—fearing for the younger children's sanity.
As they entered Everran's office, Takara began hesitantly, "Master—"
Everran spun around instantly, startled, firing a blistering magic bolt straight through Warrex's shoulder. Warrex winced in shock before Everran casually reverted the wound as if nothing had happened. "Ah, apologies, you startled me!"
Takara paused suspiciously. "If you reverted it that quickly, you did it deliberately. You're lying."
Everran laughed heartily. "Well spotted, Takara. That's why you're my favorite student!"
She glowed despite herself. "You said that to three others yesterday."
"Exactly why I knew you were my best," he smoothly deflected.
Roy, distracted by a massive poster detailing magic systems, refocused. "Old bro, before you teach class, can you test one of my weapons? See if enchantments will hold on complex tech?"
Roy grabbed his second side arm, a fancy revolver he found in the nightstand in the captain's quarters one day.
"Certainly!" Everran smiled widely. Before they realized it, he'd snapped his fingers, reverting them all instantly to the courtyard outside. After a brief, dazed pause, he led them toward the towering Fourth Wall.
Everran, Roy, and Eryndra stood atop the battlement, the others watching safely below. Roy unholstered his revolver and offered it to Everran, handle first.
Everran eyed the weapon curiously. "So, this intricate thing… how exactly does it function?"
Roy activated his AllPhone, quickly bringing up a detailed schematic. He showed it to the old mage, who squinted briefly at the glowing diagram, no longer than a second, before nodding sharply. "Understood. Simple enough."
Everran raised a hand over the weapon, muttering softly at first, his voice multiplying into an echoing chorus of whispers, each syllable precise yet alien. The revolver disassembled itself into dozens of floating components, each spinning slowly, suspended in air. Glowing runes etched themselves briefly upon each tiny piece, barrel, hammer, cylinder, even the smallest pins, screws and springs. Then, with a gentle final whisper, the weapon smoothly reassembled itself and drifted back into Roy's open palm.
Roy held it awkwardly, half-expecting it to explode at any moment. "That's it?" he asked skeptically.
Everran smiled, his eyes glinting with amused anticipation. "Go ahead, test it out."
Roy aimed out past the wall, hand trembling slightly. He hesitated, lowered the gun only to quickly lift it again. Images of the shattered table from earlier vividly flashing through his mind. He paused, swallowed hard, then quickly shook his head. "No, no, I can't. I'm… genuinely afraid."
Everran rolled his eyes and sighed. "What a delicate little flower you are."
"I'll murder you, old man!" Roy snapped.
Eryndra stepped forward eagerly, hand extended. "Can I try? I've never fired one."
Roy gratefully handed the revolver over. Eryndra took careful aim out toward the distant clearing where the Tyrox's remains had fallen. She steadied herself and pulled the trigger slightly.
Everran quickly tried to stop Eryndra. "Wait, Tyrox hair is absurdly valu—"
The shock of his outburst caused Eryndra to flinch and fire the revolver. The roar was catastrophic. Roy immediately dropped to a knee, covering his ears as pain shot through his skull. The stone beneath Eryndra's feet cracked, spiderwebbing outward violently as her entire body pivoted with the recoil. She stood frozen for a moment, her arm flung back and causing her head to drape over the edge of the wall.
"What the hell!" Roy shouted, barely hearing his own voice through the ringing. "You would've let me shoot that thing!? You are a danger to this entire city!"
Everran, unaffected, cupped a hand behind his ear theatrically. "Sorry? Can't hear you, one moment." He snapped his fingers, instantly clearing Roy's ears as if the damage had never happened. Roy stumbled upright, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You seriously would've let me shoot this?" he repeated furiously, glaring at Everran. "It would've ripped my arm clean off!"
"I had the reversion ready," Everran replied cheerily, utterly unconcerned. "Look, your ears are fine."
Roy stared, slack-jawed and speechless, utterly dumbfounded by the mage's casual disregard for his safety. He turned, glancing toward where Eryndra had fired. His eyes widened in astonishment. A massive, smoking crater, at least sixty feet across, marked where the forest clearing had once been.
Eryndra's stunned expression slowly transformed into awe. "I… I kind of want to shoot it again."
Roy immediately dove to the ground, desperately covering his ears as she raised the revolver again. Another deafening blast echoed through the valley, shaking the ground beneath them. From the city behind, distant but unmistakable, angry voices rose up in protest.
Everran clapped his hands as Eryndra fired a third shot, laughing delightedly. He was oblivious to, or perhaps greatly enjoying, the chaos he'd unleashed. "Marvelous!"