I decided it was time to begin her training. Before any practice, I needed to explain the fundamentals.
— Rina, to master temporal magic you need to understand ten basic points…
She nodded, her eyes fixed on me.
— First: manipulating time. — I opened my hand, letting a few leaves fall. They stopped in the air, suspended. — It's like holding water between your fingers. You can speed it up, stop it, or slow it down… but a slip can freeze more than you intend.
Her eyes sparkled.
— Second: time travel. — I pointed toward the horizon. — Like crossing a door to the past or the future… but every step can change everything in unpredictable ways.
— Third: precognition. — I touched my temple. — Echoes of the future that appear as glimpses, sometimes without warning.
She breathed deeply, absorbing every word.
— Fourth: fixation. — I held a stone and placed it on the ground. — Freezing something at the instant it is… like an eternal photograph.
— Fifth: absorption and donation. — I crossed my arms, serious. — Stealing years from someone… or granting vitality. A gift that can turn into a curse.
— Sixth: nullification. — I closed my fist, and the wind that was stirring the leaves around us simply stopped. — Undoing even the time of another magic. Extremely rare… and far too dangerous.
Rina gasped softly, surprised.
— Seventh: mana. — I pointed to her chest. — Time demands rivers of energy. One mistake, and you'll be drained to unconsciousness.
— Eighth: requirements. — I traced symbols in the air with my finger. — Some powers only respond to rituals, charms, or artifacts.
— Ninth: physical limits. — I touched my own arm. — Your body will protest: pain, fatigue, invisible wounds.
— And tenth: consequences. — My tone grew grave. — Altering time is playing with paradoxes. A single mistake can tear the fabric of the world.
For a moment, silence reigned. Only the wind among the trees accompanied us.
— Damn… — Rina murmured, her eyes shining. — Now I understand why you said this can destroy kingdoms, Ray.
I nodded, looking at her seriously.
— And that's why we're going to start slowly. Today… you'll just feel the flow of time. No advancing, no going back. Just feeling.
After lunch, we would finally begin the training.
— Ray… — Rina called, her voice low and soft, almost as if she were afraid of breaking the silence of the road.
— What is it? — I asked, curious, raising my eyes to her.
She hesitated for a few seconds, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her clothes. — You never told me about your past, did you? We've already been traveling together for a day and a half… and only I talked about my life.
I looked ahead, at the long road that vanished into the horizon. The memory of the castle, my brothers, the weight I carried… everything surfaced in an instant. I took a deep breath. — Rina… it's complicated. — I replied, my voice laden with frustration.
She sighed, but her blue eyes did not lose their firmness.
— It's okay, you don't need to tell me now. But I still want to know, Ray. I want to know who I'm traveling with. I want to adventure alongside someone I know and can trust… not a dramatic, scowling stranger like you. — she said, with a teasing half-smile.
For a moment, I stayed silent. Then, unable to help it, I let out a slight smile. — Hm… you really are persistent.
She chuckled softly, as if she had won a small battle.
I closed my backpack, standing up from the log where I had been sitting. — Well, since you're done with lunch, let's start your training.
Her eyes shone with anticipation as I extended my hand to help her stand.
— Rina, we'll start with concentrating your mana. — I said, in a firm tone. — Close your eyes… and focus only on feeling the flow inside you.
— Okay… — she replied, taking a deep breath.
She sat down on the grass and joined her hands. Gradually, her breathing became light, almost silent. The aura around her body began to tremble, as if the air around her were vibrating. Rina's concentration was so intense that I had the impression she had already done that countless times in secret.
(This girl… if she keeps this up, she might even surpass my control one day.)
— When you feel the mana touching your mind, you can open your eyes and stand up. — I instructed.
— Right!
Rina slowly opened her eyes. A bluish glow appeared around her, like a magical mist escaping through her pores. Her eyes widened in surprise.
— Ray… what is this?!
— That's your mana emerging from your body. — I explained with a discreet smile. — Can you see it? Your concentration is impressive… you really have great potential.
— I-I see! — she said, still amazed.
— Now comes the hard part. I want you to try to cast a time spell.
She blinked, unsure. — But… how do I do that?
— Feel time. — I replied calmly. — Not just yours, but that of everything around you. The time in the swaying leaves, in the passing wind, in the flowing water, even in the animals breathing nearby. Time is the rhythm of existence… try to reach it.
— Okay… I'll try.
Rina closed her eyes again. Her expression became serious, almost solemn. The power began to flow with greater intensity. I could feel the magical pressure increase, as if the very atmosphere had grown heavy.
The leaves began to tremble, the wind spun into whirlwinds, and the grass around her bent backward, as if being pushed by an invisible force.
(This power… it's even greater than I imagined!)
But the flow was getting out of control. Cracks appeared in the ground, and for an instant, I had the sensation that time around me slowed down.
— Rina! Control your mana! — I shouted, already preparing a containment spell.
Her body trembled, the energy was nearly breaking its limits.
— Stop now, Rina! — I shouted, taking a step forward.
— A-ah… o-okay! — she replied with effort, cutting the mana connection.
The aura around her dissipated like smoke in the wind. Rina fell to her knees, panting, her face sweaty and pale. She was almost out of mana, and her body could barely hold itself up.
I ran to her and held her by the shoulders. — Rina… next time, try not to release so much force at once, okay?
— I-I'm sorry, Ray… — she murmured in a weak, almost trembling voice. — I'll be more careful… I promise…
Her eyes conveyed regret, as if she had committed an unforgivable mistake.
I gently placed my hand on her head and smiled. — You don't need to be upset. Remember… this is training. The goal isn't to win now, but to learn to control your power. You're doing very well.
Rina blinked, surprised by my words, and lowered her gaze, lightly blushing.
— Ray… — she said in a low, hesitant voice. — How do you know how to use temporal magic if… that isn't even your magical attribute?
I looked at the sky for a moment, as if remembering something distant.
— When I was younger… I spent hours in the library of my old home. There were hundreds of books about different types of magic, from the most common to the forbidden arts. I read them all… without exception.
— A-all of them?! — Rina widened her eyes, incredulous. — That's… incredible!
The glow in her eyes changed from regret to pure admiration. She looked at me as if she were facing someone unreachable.
I let out a light laugh. — It's nothing special. I just… didn't want to be ignorant about the world around me.
— I admire that side of you a lot, sometimes I wonder how strong you are Ray...
I had never shown my true strength to her, but it also wasn't something I needed to hide.
— Before I show you, I'll tell you how I became so strong, okay?
— Yes!
I told her that I always trained at the place where I lived, which was actually the castle, I used swords, trained magic, but I was never good and I had even created spells.
— You always trained since you were little?
— Yes, I wanted to show everyone that I wasn't a failure.
— I always trained with swords and magic, even though my strong point is magic, I can use a very powerful ancestral magic created by the first king of Elseria.
— Wow! Could you show me, Ray?
— Okay... I'll show you now.
I stood up and closed my eyes, I needed to connect with the multiverse, and I used Black Role even though I still didn't fully master it.
Silence spread across the field. The pressure of my mana made the air tremble. Rina widened her eyes, unable to believe what she was feeling. To her, it was as if a demon king stood awakened before her. The wind roared chaotically, my hair floated and shimmered as if it shone with the very energy of the multiverse.
— Ray... — she murmured, her voice wavering.
— Wait, Rina. — my concentration was total. — If I lose focus now, this country could be destroyed.
She swallowed hard, paralyzed between fear and admiration. Above us, the sky began to darken, as if the sun had been erased by an invisible force.
I closed my eyes, channeling every fragment of mana to the limit my body could withstand. Then, I pronounced firmly:
— Black Role!
A gigantic black hole appeared in the sky, slowly spinning, devouring light and sucking everything around it. Space distorted as if reality itself were being consumed. I held it under control with extreme effort — a single slip would be enough for that force to swallow not only the field, but the entire continent.
Rina covered her mouth, incredulous. Her heart raced as she watched the impossible before her.
From afar, the neighboring kingdoms had already noticed the anomaly. Watchtowers sounded alarms, soldiers ran in despair. To them, there was no doubt: a demon king had awakened.
With a final push, I ended the conjuration, dissipating the vortex. Silence returned, heavy and suffocating.
— I-incredible... — Rina said, her voice trembling. — Ray, that was... unbelievable!
Her gaze shone with admiration and desire.
— I want that too. — she exclaimed, firmly. — I want one day to control that much mana... and cast a magic as colossal as that!
I smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder.
— And you will, Rina. Keep training, expand your mana... and you'll get there. — He says that, but... how will I reach Ray? — Rina thought.
Rina had returned to her concentration training, but there was something she hadn't considered. I didn't know there were other kingdoms around here. Now that everyone saw that black hole, I'm sure they will investigate.
In the neighboring kingdoms, several meetings were taking place about the incident and how they would deal with it. Most believed it was a demon king, and a worldwide force might be hunting me at this very moment.
— But what was that!? — asked the king of the Kingdom of Arcelor, Rina's father.
— It seems the demon king has awakened, sir... — said a castle mage, his voice tense and filled with fear.
— T-that's impossible! That man's seal is reinforced and grows stronger every three years! — said the king, visibly shaken.
— This is not the work of a demon king... — spoke aloud one of the magic knights.
— Ah... Taylor, thank goodness you're here. But... if it's not the work of the demon king, then whose could it be?
— Your Majesty, there are two types of outsiders in this world: those we summon to be heroes... and those who reincarnate from another world into this one.
— Are you telling me this was caused by someone who came from another world!?
— Yes, Your Majesty...
— T-this is very serious... Contact the other kingdoms! If there is such an overwhelming force out there, we need to form an alliance immediately!
— But my lord, we'll be mocked if we ask for help from other kingdom and...
— Silence, I order you to do this immediately, if there is a human powerful enough to cause this then we need to unite forces, send messengers to the kingdom of Elseria and tell the king there that I am calling a meeting among the kingdoms to talk about a matter of extreme importance!
Meanwhile, in the Kingdom of Elseria, my brothers were replacing my father. But that's where the danger begins: they know that the only person capable of using such magic was me.
— Richard... did you see that? — Albert asked, his expression serious.
— Yes, I did. But that's impossible, because the only person we've seen use such magic was that insolent Ray. And since we already put an end to him, this would be impossible.
— Yeah... but, as a precaution, let's investigate more deeply.
I ended up revealing myself unintentionally, and now I run the risk of being discovered. But I can't be afraid. I have the responsibility to train Rina and prepare her to manage on her own.
Two weeks passed since the black hole incident. In that time, Rina had already mastered a good amount of mana; she could cast spells with confidence and even better control the rhythm of her energy.
— Ray! — Rina shouted.
— What is it, Rina?
— It's already getting dark. Aren't we going to set up the tents and have dinner?
I stood up and walked to the chosen campsite. I touched the ground and, with earth magic, prepared the terrain: I cleared the area and removed the grass, leaving the space ready for the tents.
— We'll set up here. Can you fetch some firewood so we can light the campfire? — I asked.
— Of course, leave it to me, Ray.
Rina went into the forest in search of firewood, but in truth, I had only given that excuse to keep her occupied. I had already sensed five presences watching us.
— You can come out from where you are. Did you really think I wouldn't notice? — I said in a calm, cold tone.
— Well, well... isn't he actually good? — one of the men laughed. — I thought we were completely camouflaged, but your perception is sharp.
— What do you want here, you idiots? — I asked, alert to any movement.
— Don't be foolish. We're after you because we suspect you're the one who caused that black hole two weeks ago! — said the leader.
— And if it was me? What do you intend to do?
— We're going to capture you and deliver you alive to the king of Elseria, of course.
I clenched my fists, feeling anger take over, but I took a deep breath and regained control. I already imagined they would be the first to suspect me.
— I understand. In that case, I won't hold back, since the intention is to capture me — I declared, my expression serious and cold.
— As you wish. Men, attack!
The hunters advanced one by one. While I faced one of them, the others cast spells to try to immobilize me. I dodged quickly, but the sequence of attacks was intense and unrelenting.
— Having trouble, my dear!? — the leader mocked.
— No. I'm just playing with your men — I replied with irony.
The leader ground his teeth in fury, his aura increasing and becoming more and more oppressive. One of the hunters then launched a sphere that gathered the four elements. The resulting explosion opened a crater and reduced several trees to ashes.
Rina, who had felt the tremor, ran back toward the camp. Desperate, she tried to stop time to arrive faster, but realized they possessed some artifact capable of nullifying any magic that represented a threat.
— Damn it! Ray's in danger, I need to get there fast! — Rina ran desperately.
Meanwhile, I had barely managed to protect myself with my mana. Two of the assassins were lying on the ground, unconscious from the impact of the explosion.
The enemy leader approached laughing. — Are you stupid or do you just want to get beaten for free? Hahaha!
— What do you mean "get beaten for free," you maniac. You injured your own men with that attack. — I replied, mocking.
— So what? They're tools. I'm a tool. Tools exist to be used until they're discarded.
I rolled my eyes. — Seriously... it makes me want to land a really big slap right on your face. But enough of this stupid talk!
— Then come on! — he shouted. — I'll show you the difference between us!
— Bring it on, partner! I'll show you how a Brazilian throws hands! — I said smiling, just to annoy him.
He didn't understand anything, but came at me with everything.
I exchanged hand-to-hand blows with him. His punch hit my face, but I counterattacked, striking his stomach hard. Each impact made the ground tremble.
I was already tired, hungry, but I couldn't lose. — How about we end this now? — I asked, panting.
— Good idea! — he roared. — Scarlet Fist!
His hand glowed with reddish flames.
— Minimal Black Role! — I invoked a small black hole in the palm of my hand.
Our attacks collided. The shock of energy made the air shudder, but my technique began to devour his. The vortex sucked everything in with brutal force.
— N-no... this is impossible! — he screamed, being swallowed.
— Good riddance, you trash... — I murmured, before collapsing to the ground, without strength.
Rina arrived running and found me sprawled on the ground. Her heart stopped for an instant. Her eyes filled with tears, and she fell to her knees beside me.
— Ray! R-Ray! — her voice trembled. She shook me with trembling hands, desperation stamped on her face.
— Don't leave me, please... I'm sorry! — tears fell nonstop as she screamed, overtaken by panic.
To her, at that moment, it felt like she had lost someone irreplaceable.
I slept for three days. During that time, Rina took care of everything: she arranged the tents, hunted animals, gathered firewood... and even protected me while I remained unconscious.
When I finally woke up, a throbbing pain ran through my body.
— O-ow... — I murmured, with difficulty.
Immediately, Rina ran over to me. — Ah... Ra-Ray, you woke up! Thank goodness... — her eyes filled with tears, and her voice carried an unmistakable tone of relief.
I tried to form a smile, but didn't miss the chance to tease: — By the way, Rina... you didn't clean me up and change me while I was unconscious, did you?
Her face turned red in a matter of seconds. Only then did Rina realize that, while taking care of me, she had bathed me and changed my clothes while I was unconscious.
— M-me? Of course not, Ray... your imagination! — she replied, trying to hide it, but whistling and looking around awkwardly.
— Ah, whatever... — I grumbled, letting out a sigh. — Have you been training like I asked?
The blush still hadn't left her cheeks, but she replied confidently: — Yes! I've already mastered a bit of my mana... now I can stop time for fifteen minutes. — she said, puffing out her chest proudly.
— Congratulations, Rina. I'm very proud of you.
A sense of relief ran through my chest as I realized she was becoming stronger and stronger.
The next day, we set out toward the next city, located east of the kingdom of Lancis. The road was long, but we spent the time talking about magic and also about our lives. Even so, as always, Rina seemed interested in only one thing: my past.
— Ah... Ray — she said, in a concerned tone —, I've always wanted to ask you about your past, about who you are... but you never tell me. You always fall silent.
She was right. I had been avoiding this subject for a long time. I couldn't keep hiding it forever... but I also couldn't reveal everything now. I took a deep breath and replied firmly:
— Rina... I never told you because it's too complicated. But... one day you'll know. I promise. Just wait a little longer.
She lowered her eyes, but eventually nodded. — Okay...
We continued our walk. The sun was already setting on the horizon when, in the distance, stone walls began to rise before us. Thus, at last, we caught sight of the city of Phalion.