Sparring with Dawn allowed Torrin to calm down slightly, his annoyance slowly washing away. He didn't understand why these elves kept wanting him to prove himself. Once he was in the pocket realm, he didn't plan on being a part of any groups or teams, so he tried to ignore the feeling. He had things he wanted to get done and being dragged down was not one of them.

After a few matches with Dawn, Torrin noticed people had slowly filed back into the training hall and were casting them glances from time to time. Seeing Torrin's mood getting worse from the added attention, Dawn recommended they do a cool down exercise, that was simply sending an element back and forth between each other to work on their control.

Torrin had seen people doing this on his first day there and had tried it with Tillien so he didn't mind taking some time to do this. It allowed his mind to wander instead of sticking on his growing annoyance with the elves he'd met so far. Torrin only really liked the king and Ollivel, and even they had looked down on him when he'd first arrived.

Torrin realized he wasn't able to ignore the feeling, so he decided to lean into it instead. Dawn broke down the earth spear they'd been hurtling back and forth and added the sand and stone back into the basin.

"Would you like to stop for the day?" She asked, her eyes flicking from the growing crowd in the room to Torrin and back.

Torrin shook his head, "No, I want to work on fire control for a bit. If that's fine with you, of course."

Dawn nodded and Torrin reached threads of mana toward the basin of fire. He pushed his will along with his mana, forcing his intent onto the flames, trying to push the negative feelings out of himself. This didn't have the intended effect and the fire began moving even more wildly, flickering about and slipping from his control.

He dropped his mana threads and rubbed his face with both hands, even more irritated at the situation. Dawn spoke up, trying to reassure him, "It's okay, Rin. Sometimes your mood can affect how well the elements respond to you. Or maybe you just need a deeper insight into fire."

The way she said that perked Torrin's attention, "What do you mean, insight?" Torrin had studied the runes Grams gave him, gaining insight into the intentions that they expressed. If all he needed was insight to help with his fire control, he needed to find the right thing to study.

Dawn smiled, saying, "I'm not quite sure, honestly. It's just something I was told once. Trying to understand the nature of the element can help you control it," She shook her head, pausing to think about how she would describe it, "Fire is chaotic. Each flame is different and can serve a different purpose. The other elements are more rigid in their uses in my opinion."

Torrin nodded thoughtfully, trying to analyze what she meant, 'Fire is chaotic...It constantly moves and shifts. Even fire mana moves erratically. There may be something to her words, here. I'll have to think on it more later.'

Torrin gave a short bow, "Thank you, Dawn. I think your words will help me understand my shortcomings," He raised himself up, grinning as she scowled at him for bowing.

"I'm gonna go get washed up and wander around for a bit to clear my head, thanks for training with me. I'll see you later." He said, waving goodbye and moving towards the washroom before she could reply.

To his astonishment and luck, the washroom was empty. He took care of business and came out feeling much better than before. Looking around, he held back a sigh at the few people staring at him. Torrin left the building and began wandering through the trees.

After a while of walking aimlessly he came to the conclusion that staying in a castle was what really had him on edge. Since the trials in Emperor Nim's pocket dimension, he'd been able to sleep better at night, no longer plagued by nightmares every single night.

But seeing the design of the elven castle reminded him greatly of the one in his old world. It brought his feelings of anxiety and rage to the forefront just by staying there. He looked forward to entering the pocket dimension tomorrow and with that thought in mind headed towards where he believed the castle was so he could get ready.

After a few times turning himself around, he finally found the castle. The same guards were on duty once more since it was getting late. He rushed through dinner as politely as he could, eager to finally get a chance at studying Grams' journal.

He sat at the desk in his guest room and brought out the journal. The first few pages were about things that had happened since she came to this world. Though they were fascinating and fantastical in nature, he skipped past them. He found the section on spacial magic that Grams had mentioned and found an intricate rune imprinted on one page.

Torrin attempted to let his will wash into the rune so he could analyze more than just the fancy symbol. He wanted to understand the intent that was imbued in the rune. A blinding pain shot through his head instantly and he nearly fell from his seat as his vision blurred.

"Fuck! Is the understanding of this rune truly that far outside of my reach?" He complained, "And why didn't Grams warn me that might happen?!" He shook his head sullenly and continued his search through the book, flipping from page to page. He finally found something that caught his interest after passing the section on time magic.

"Space-Time anchor? What is this..." Torrin mumbled to himself as he read the description, "Grams can really use something like this?! Setting a point in space and time, then returning to it within five minutes..."

Something about the spell nagged at him. He tried thinking of all of the uses for the spell. It would definitely help him get out of a dangerous situation if he had the foresight to set it up. The spell would help him gain information from someone and then redo a situation with a greater understanding of the person or situation before hand.

He tried thinking of how much he really knew about Grams, besides the fact that she was a master of different crafts and a peak-existence of power... they'd only met because she saved his life. He'd been slightly creeped out by her blindfolding him when they first met, as well, but somehow trusted her because she'd given him good food and had secret information that no one should have know.

This last thought clicked a memory into place. His first time meeting Grams. Had she used this spell before he woke up and then questioned him to find out information about him before resetting time with a more favorable advantage? This seemed to be the only logical thing he could come up with for her knowing his real identity.

'If she did use that spell when we first met... I wonder how our first conversation went...' He thought, shuddering at the various scenarios that flashed through his mind. The old hag was insane, so he didn't doubt she had methods of making people talk. He cut off the thoughts before they could get too out of hand.

"That old hag played me..." Torrin grumbled. It made more and more sense the more he thought about it. If he himself were an all-powerful old witch, he'd probably interrogate a stranger he'd saved thoroughly to learn who they were and their intentions, then reverse time to start over with more complete information. Then he could use the information he already interrogated out of them to tell if they were lying about something.

Torrin shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. He closed the book and sat on his bed as he thought over all the implications of that one spell. It seemed infinitely useful and something he would have to eventually learn.

He hadn't dared try and understand any of the runes required for the spell for fear of hurting himself again. He wasn't ready. He needed some kind of insight to understand them, kind of like what Dawn had mentioned before.

He sat with his legs crossed, allowing his mind to wander until he came to his meditative state. It didn't take long and he wasn't even sure it was necessary since he could just activate the rune on his core to replenish the mana he'd used earlier, but he also wanted to check out his sphere of Saen.

Activating his Absorb rune, he watched as tendrils of mana snaked from the room into his core. A few minutes later, his core was brimming with mana and unable to hold more. Instead of stopping, he activated his Condense rune, focusing his intent on condensing the mana he currently had. It made his core feel slightly strained, but he kept at it.

All too soon, he cut the rune off. His core felt like it was strained in a good way, like a muscle after an intense work out. And maybe that's what condensing his mana was like for his core, a workout. He had no idea if that was right or not, but after condensing the mana he definitely had a fair bit more room inside his core.

He activated the Absorb rune once more until his core was filled and finally stopped. Examining the floating ball of Saen within his core, he couldn't tell if there was a difference, but surely it had absorbed the condensed mana. All of this was new to him and he had zero guidance. Not even Grams would be of help, more than presenting her own theories.

Opening his eyes, he found he was sweating pretty intensely, 'Must be from straining my core? Maybe it is like exercising...' He let the thought linger for a moment as he pulled a tendril of mana from his core, coaxing the ambient water mana to gather and help him remove the moisture from himself. To his surprise, it worked, now he was covered in a slightly gritty film of salt, but standing up and allowing wind to encircle him got rid of that as well.

'Well, that's going to come in handy,' he thought with a smile. Taking time to himself had been a great decision. He felt much better after allowing himself to sift through his emotions and figure out what was bugging him.

Also, going through Grams' journal had been almost therapeutic. He missed the old hag in a strange way. She mostly only caused him trouble, but it was a good kind of trouble, he thought. Figuring out a theory for why she knew so much about him on their first meeting also helped remove a nagging from the back of his mind.

He changed into more comfortable clothing and went to sleep, excited to finally get into the pocket dimension tomorrow.

A knocking at the door awoke him, and he was surprised to hear Dawn calling out to him. He tried understanding why she was waking him so soon, but gave up the thoughts and decided to just open the door.

"Rin, get dressed, it's time to enter the pocket dimension." She said firmly.

Torrin rubbed at his sleepy eyes, "Why so early? Or late? Whatever..."

"Hurry, Rin! An hour before the sun rises is the best time to open the portal, so we don't have much time." She said, her voice slightly rushed.

He didn't understand what she was going on about, but nodded and closed his door to change. A minute later, Torrin exited with a wide yawn.

"Where's your stuff?" She asked, seeing him not carrying anything but the clothes on his back.

He pulled a pouch from around his neck and shook it at her, "All right here."

She looked slightly skeptical but let it go, grabbing his arm and pulling him down the hall to the staircase. They zipped down and out the front door in moments. He soon realized why they were leaving so early. The portal was apparently decently far from Cellinia, deeper into the mystical forest.

A light fog flowed between the trees adding an eerie quality to the trip. Torrin spread his will outward and sensed a few mana beasts on their way, but one twitch of pressure from Torrin's willpower sent them scurrying away or standing their ground defensively, but they didn't approach.

"There's usually a few mana beasts out here, so keep your guard up," Dawn said.

Torrin hadn't noticed a single mana beast above the green core stage so far, but nodded anyway, "Of course, princess. You can count on me." A punch to his arm was the only response from her.

"Ow," he said, even though the hit contained no power. He was unsure why girls in this world kept hitting him. He wished they were all as kind as Bell had been.

"Oh, quit whining, we're almost there," she said.

He looked over at the girl, wondering why she seemed so nervous, but eventually decided it must be because of their upcoming expedition. Soon enough they arrived in a small clearing in the forest. Five ten foot tall pillars rose in a circle around a platform of cracked rocks.

Torrin eyed the ground suspiciously. He didn't like the aged look of the stones, but decided it must be normal as many elves had already gathered and didn't seem bothered by it. Torrin sat down with his back against a tree on the edge of the clearing. He closed his eyes, entering a meditative state to examine the portal setup. It didn't help much in the examination as there was only ambient mana in the area, but it did help quiet the chatter of all the gathered elves.

In his mind's eye he saw intricate runes on the stone pillars gorging on ambient mana. They looked like his core did when he activated his absorb rune. Streams of mana flowed from the surroundings into the pillars and disappeared, as if they entered an empty void.

After a while, Torrin grew bored of analyzing the incomprehensible runes, luckily avoiding a headache since he didn't send his will into them. He spread his will out in the forest like a soft blanket, taking stock of everyone in the clearing. As soon as what he assumed was the last member of the expedition arrived, he stood up from the ground.

Ollivel stood on the stone platform and his voice spread over the crowd, "Okay, that should be everyone. We will have ten teams, with five people on each. We have already picked the groups, with each one containing one member of the top ten of the selection."

This announcement caused a murmur and Ollivel waited a moment before continuing, "We have fifty yellow core mages total and our guest, Rin, makes fifty one. So he will join whoever he wishes to. While you're in the pocket dimension, please be careful. The majority of mana beasts inside are at the yellow core stage, at the least. Some may be stronger, so it is in your best interest to stay together and work as a group. Though we've decided your teams for you, once you enter you may decide all of you want to stay together once you see the dangers within. Remember, this is not a testing stone you're entering. If you die... There is no coming back."

The words made Torrin's spirits soar. He was the odd man out so unless there was a compelling reason to stay with the group, he planned on setting out on his own.

Older elves began passing something to each of the participants, "These artifacts have been programmed to emit a signal to you once you bind them with a drop of blood. The signal will go off every 30 days, helping you keep track of time inside. It will emit a longer beep after the first year has passed and a similarly long beep after 23 months. Since there is a time dilation, the time inside that realm will pass 6 times faster than out here. You will be inside for 24 months. Two whole years. The device will also light up a symbol on itself to indicate how much time has passed. If anyone would like to drop out now, please let us know before you make a mistake and get yourself killed."

The only sound in the clearing were the shuffling foot steps as the older elves move to pass out the amulets and give a murmured instruction on how to bind it. No one called out to leave the expedition.

"Before we finish up here, I want to reiterate how dangerous this place is. Inside are various mana beasts as well as a temple to each element. If your team is strong enough, you can visit the temples to gain understanding of your element--gain insight. This is crucial for advancing in the mastery of your affinity." Ollivel shook his head, his tone turning even more grave than it already had been, "But... Be warned... Not a year has passed that some elves don't make it out alive. You have until we send the first set of groups through to decide. Choose the best option for yourself."

Torrin was unfazed by the warning, actually growing more excited. It'd been a while since he'd had a good battle with mana beasts and he looked forward to seeing these temples they mentioned. Torrin hummed softly to himself as he waited for his amulet.

A wiry elderly elf passed him an amulet and scrambled off without a word. Even this couldn't dampen his mood as he let sword aura slice into his finger and drip a single drop of blood onto the artifact before the wound sealed shut.

Torrin could feel the eyes on him, but he ignored them. He wanted this excitement to carry him all the way to his first temple and none of these elves were going to ruin it.

"Okay, does anyone still need an amulet?" A few moments passed with no one speaking up, so Ollivel continued, "Does anyone want to leave?"

Silence once more. Ollivel shook his head before regaining his stride, "Alright, remember... 24 months. If you are not here when the portal is set to open again, you will be left behind. The time dilation causes the portal to be unstable most of the time, so there is only a short window for us to use it."

Ollivel took a few more moments to call out all of the teams and their members. Torrin sat at the edge of the clearing without worrying about this part. He called up the first five groups and they smushed together on the platform. He looked each of them in the eye to confirm their resolve, before nodding and activating a script on one of the pillars.

Instead of a wavering portal like he had seen before, there was a bright flash of light and the elves were gone. Only a cracked stone platform remained. The last five groups and Torrin approached the platform and instead of closing his eyes like usual, Torrin enhanced his perception and held his eyes wide open after Ollivel met his eyes and nodded.

A bright flash nearly made Torrin shut his eyes, but he fought through it. It winked out and Torrin saw himself twisting through a myriad of rainbow lights. Torrin arrived on the other side of the portal, instantly falling to his knees. All he'd learned was that keeping your eyes open was much worse.

He allowed mana to cycle through his body, hoping it would help him get back to tip top shape. It helped a bit and he sighed in relief, standing and looking around. They had arrived on a near identical platform surrounded by five pillars. Torrin stepped off and took in the scenery.

They stood in a forest with trees a much more reasonable size than the elven forest had. The foliage was dense and he could hear various animals fleeing from the bright flash the portal had made. Birds were silent and creatures disappeared deeper into the foliage and copse of trees.

Torrin's will spread out from his body in a wide area around the group and he noticed there was already a predator stalking them from the trees. It seemed to be some type of panther-like mana beast. Enhancing his ears, he heard bushes rustle softly as it passed. His analysis was broken as he felt the approach of the one and only, Yawnel.

He sighed, sure that this meant trouble. He walked towards where the mana beast was because he was sure that no one else had a strong enough willpower to sense it. Torrin was unsure if the elves here even knew how to spread of their awareness. Dismissing the thought, he strode along with Yawnel and seven other elves in tow.

Torrin placed himself so that the beast would be on his right side when it inevitably attacked them. Summoning a mana shield, he turned around to look at the elf.

"How's it going, Yawnel? Nice weather in here, am I right?" Torrin called out in his kindest voice.

Yawnel didn't seem to like this as his already pink-tinged face turned a deep red. The elf stomped up right to Torrin and pushed him. Torrin played along and kept his focus on the mana beast.

Venom dripped from the elf's words as he spat, "You dare to try and embarrass me in front of everyone? Now that you don't have anyone protecting you, you're dead, human. No one wants you here and no one will stop me from taking your life."

Torrin rolled his eyes and used a thread of mana to place a hardened wind barrier in front of Dawn, who seemed hellbent on saving him from the situation. He hadn't looked in her direction once, but just shook his head slightly, hoping she got the message.

"Whatever do you mean, Yawnel? I have nothing but the highest respect for you and your clear knack for leadership," Torrin replied, still using a voice that seemed to drive the elf into even more of a frenzy. As he spoke, he waved behind Yawnel, indicating the elf's crew.

"You despicable human! Just die already!" Yawnel screeched, unsheathing the sword from his side and swinging it at Torrin.

Torrin took a step to his right and waved his sword aura covered left hand, batting the sword away. He replied as he felt the mana beast crouch, "Do you think this is a game, Yawnel? That this is some trip for a picnic?"

"What are you talking about?!" Yawnel spluttered, spit flying from his slavering jaws as he stepped forward to attack once more.

Torrin just raised an eyebrow, enhancing his perception and sending Saen shooting into his legs and his right arm. He stepped around Yawnel and grabbed the leaping mana beast by the leg. He pivoted his body, using the beast's momentum to slam it into the ground, causing a crater from the impact.

Allowing his Saen and mana to return to his core, he looked at Yawnel directly in the eyes, "Listen. I have no time for your petty vendetta or whatever the fuck this is. If you weren't paying attention to Ollivel's lecture earlier, this place is dangerous."

Yawnel's face had paled and Torrin allowed his will to settle around the elf like a cloak before pressing down, "And I'm more dangerous than anything here." Torrin slipped sword energy around his hand and speared it into the beast's chest, removing the yellow core in one swift motion. He made a show of using his pouch and sucked the rest of the beast's body right in.

Not a single elf made a noise as they stared at Torrin in shock and horror. Torrin smiled broadly at the elf, tossing him the beast core, "Now that we understand each other, take this as a reminder of the dangers that this realm has."

The core hit Yawnel in the chest with a soft thud, before landing on the ground and rolling away a bit. Torrin looked at the core and back to Yawnel, before shrugging and turning around. Torrin left the dumbfounded elves and struck out on his own, ready for some adventure.