Standing in the radiant light coming from a small window, a woman in a black apron was busy cooking. She glanced at the watch next to her and then stepped out to the stairs. In a loud voice, she called, "Ray, come down! Food is ready."
Sometime later, she repeated the same call, but this time, she heard a knock on the door. Turning around, she went to open it, confused for a moment. Then, she said, "I still can't believe you're going out, Ray." In front of her stood a boy in a full training suit, his body covered in sweat. He sighed slightly and replied, "You'll have to get used to it.
Even I'm not used to it yet." After a moment, she turned back toward the kitchen, telling him to take a shower and change his clothes before the food got cold. Her voice was a bit cold and distant; she was clearly upset, possibly because he was leaving the house without telling her again.
He nodded in acknowledgement and headed to the bathroom. As he showered, memories flooded back from just three minutes ago.
He recalled entering the time void and returning from it, where he had been able to freely express his emotions. He reflected on the incredible experiences he had there, but it still felt like something was missing. After finishing his shower and changing clothes, he joined his aunt in the kitchen.
She took off her black apron, and they chatted about everything that had happened during the week.
Ray mostly listened as she recounted her life, feeling grateful to have returned to this normalcy. Despite everything that had occurred and all the people he had met, he valued this life and the person sitting next to him more than anything the time void had to offer.
After they finished eating, they began cleaning the plates.
While standing next to her, he asked, "So you don't know anything after I vanished?" His aunt replied immediately, "No, nothing.
Honestly, it kind of feels like you went crazy when you told me all those things." He remembered how shocked his aunt was after he returned from the time void. She was relieved he was back but confused by his revelations.
He had told her he spent more than five months there training and fighting, but she informed him that he had only been missing for six hours, as she thought he was at school.
She mentioned having an unsettling feeling before he returned home, but none of it made sense to her. After gathering his thoughts and helping his aunt, he went back to his room and lay down on his bed, stretching his right arm.
Suddenly, a card appeared in his hand. He looked at it, amused, examining it as he always did, but he didn't discover anything new. He hesitated to activate it because it might emit a signal that could be sensed by others, including his aunt.
The first time he activated it, it was in the middle of the night when he discovered he had been caught by surprise.
Instantly, he found himself back in the same environment he had felt inside the time void, indicating that the card was connected to his experiences there. He examined the information written on the card, which read:
Class name: Dancer
Class type: Combater
Class rank: S
Class info: A little monster fought an ancient hero. In the end, the little monster consumed the hero and became it.
Each time Ray read those words, his face twitched, feeling a bit of embarrassment reading it, then he looked at the bottom, which read
Timer: 30 seconds
He then let go of the card as he got up and went out it was Saturday, so he did not have school, as walk through the street, he felt as if life would not change, considering everything so far only happened because of so random chance.
If even something were to happen would be able to go out from it after all, he is now a Rifter which enables him to see the time void and allows him to have superpowers. Out said that he knew if he just stayed under the radar, he would be fine.
He began contemplating his thoughts, realizing that he was somewhere he shouldn't be. He was in a district that most people avoided.
Before he could turn back, he sensed that someone was following him. With no choice, he started walking deeper into the streets, and the more he walked, the more worried he became.
He knew he could easily handle the situation, but he didn't want to draw anyone's attention.
As he continued, he reached a narrow alleyway, thinking it would be the best way to escape. He entered the alley and soon spotted a bar. Without hesitation, he went inside.
There were only a few people present—some adults, some students, and a few random patrons.
Ray sat down next to the bartender, who looked quite young. The bartender had brownish skin, black hair, and brown eyes. With just one glance, it was clear that he could easily be a great model, as most of the women in the bar were staring at him.
After a while, someone entered wearing a dark coat and a black top hat. The moment the man stepped inside, Ray felt an overwhelming sense of danger coming from him.
Before he could do anything, a glass of water was placed next to him, and the bartender gently leaned in to speak silently in his ear, asking, "Are you being followed?" Without hesitation, Ray nodded.
The bartender smiled gently and reassured him, "Don't worry, you can leave. He's not going to follow you."
Ray didn't fully understand the bartender's implication, but for some reason, he felt it would be wrong to disobey him. As Ray walked out, the man did not follow; instead, he remained inside the bar.
Ray no longer felt a sense of danger and continued on his way. He soon realized it was a good time to leave the district, so he hurried away, feeling a mix of sweat and fear.
When he arrived home, his aunt looked puzzled, unsure of what had just happened to him.
He simply told her that he wanted to run while going back home. She didn't buy it but let it go, not thinking too much of it.
He went to his room and fell asleep, still feeling anxious about the day's events. He felt a sense that he was being pulled toward something he didn't want to face.
As he tried to process it, he sighed, thinking, "This is painful. Well, I guess I'll have to get used to it."
The next day, he woke up before sunrise and went through his normal training routine, which he had been doing for the past three months. His progress had improved significantly compared to before, and he could feel that his muscles were being trained well.
While doing some of the exercises, he recalled the lessons he had learned during his time in the void. The more he trained, the more he felt his body returning to its original state.
He assumed he would reach that state within a year, without using any special powers.
However, he could still rely on the card to regain some of that power if necessary, but he didn't think it would be wise to do so, especially since he was living among people he didn't fully trust and didn't want to attract the attention of the Repleanse.
After finishing his training, he headed home. On his way, he saw the bartender leaving with groceries. Ray didn't understand what had happened the previous day and didn't want to confront the bartender, so he walked past him.
Just as he did, the bartender called out, "How was your time in the void?"