PASSAGE OF TIME

Lynne sidestepped an arc of flames, tumbling sideways on the ground, as he gripped scythe’s shaft tightly. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his ankle forcefully to propel himself into the air, slashing downward with the scythe, causing white flames to erupt like a tsunami towards a figure standing on the ground. The arena the two fought in had already been almost blown to smithereens, and even the clothes of the two were ragged and bloodied.

As a response to Lynne’s slash, Rygone grinned brightly, pummeling his spear into the ground beneath. A moment later, wall of crimson flames erupted upward, clashing against the white ones, causing explosion to erupt followed by a strong shockwave that blew both backwards.

Lynne pushed himself onto his knees, his body still weakened as he panted heavily. Crimson droplets fell from his forehead unto the ruined stone beneath as his eyes looked up at the standing Rygone.

“Not bad, not bad Young Master,” Rygone said, laughing wildly as he approached slowly. “But, still not good enough. Although you’ve tamed the Skyfire Flames, you’ve yet to learn to properly utilize them.”

“Just then, you used the wall to wrap around my slash and redirect portion of power elsewhere, right?” Lynne asked as he got up onto his feet, feeling wobbly.

“Exactly! Nice catch! Although I would love to go against you head on, red flames stand no chance against your Skyfire Flame in a direct clash. It’s actually kind of depressing that I have to win using these cheap ways…”

“It’s more depressing for me, trust me,” Lynne said, chuckling lightly. “Anyway, this should be enough for now. I sensed a faint notion of what you’ve been saying so I’ll go back to meditate on it.”

“Ah, mind if I ask you something?” Rygone suddenly said.

“Sure, what is it?”

“Why’d you choose Skyfire Flame?” he asked.

“Why’d I choose? Huh, I don’t really know,” Lynne said, stroking his chin for a moment. “It just felt natural to me, if I’m being honest.”

“’s that so? That’s good, ha ha, that’s good! Anyway, good luck with meditation!”

“Yeah, yeah, good luck fixing this place…”

“Ha ha, no problem, no problem!”

Lynne left the second world and found himself in the field of green, tired. Spirit and the God were playing chess nearby, pausing when they noticed him exit.

“You gained anything?” the Spirit asked.

“A little bit.” Lynne said. “Ugh, although I told Thalia I’d definitely break through, I’m starting to lose confidence…”

“Well, you are an idiot, after all,” the crimson-haired child said, smirking. “To break through twice within a year? Get off your high horse, you stinkin’ brat.”

“I gotta say, though, breaking through is pretty arbitrary in the Grand Realm, isn’t it?” Lynne said, sighing. “I mean, I don’t even have a clear goal to work towards. I just… sort of feel, I guess, that I’m nearing it.”

“It’s a culmination of everything,” the Spirit explained. “Your body mostly just naturally passes through a barrier.”

“That’s… annoying,” Lynne sighed, shaking his head. “Aah, doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter. Even if Skyfire Flames bend to my will regardless of the command, what is that small piece that is missing?”

“… every flame, Skyfire included, is a living thing on its own,” the child said. “So, maybe you should try making it your lover or something.”

“Fuck off.”

“Aii, and here I was trying to help you.”

“But, you’re right. They are living. I can even faintly hear their approval whenever I command them something. Like this,” Lynne raised his hand and extended his index finger, above which a small flicker of white flames appeared that then distorted into various shapes, one by one. “Regardless of what I imagine, I can project. However, if I want to double-on onto this, it takes far too much time. In the end, I can only use it directly, rather than weave it in and out of existence by will and create shapes that suit me at a moment’s notice.”

“You’ll figure it out eventually,” the Spirit said. “Even if someone advised you, it wouldn’t necessarily be a good thing. Everyone has their own path they follow, especially when it comes to Empyreans. It’s not just in the choices of flames, but their usage and purpose as well. So, just take your time. No need to rush.”

“You’re right,” Lynne said, sighing. “It’s just frustrating… knowing it’s within reach, but feeling unable to extend my arm for some reason to grab it.”

“Well, you have four more months, I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” the child sneered as it refocused onto the game of chess. “Time sure flies by, doesn’t it?”

“… what the hell?!! Just four more months?!! Fuck, I’m deep shit here. Better train, train, train~~”

“You seem to have recovered well,” the Spirit and the God continued the conversation as they played the chess. “That was quick.”

“Well, I’m not a Sanguine God for no reason,” the child said, chuckling. “Besides, I didn’t burn that much Mana the last time.”

“’s that so? He he…”

“… shut up. Don’t say a word about it.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Anyway, it looks like you’ll lose. Can you really afford to be pissing me off while pissing yourself in the chin?”

“… what’s with that saying? Does that even make any sense?”

“Just shut and make a move already.”

“Ah, sweet Sanguine God, I have loved thee for so long, and wished to ravish your heart~~”

“You disgust me.”

* * *

The tournament which lasted over five months had slowly begun coming to an end, with only 10 more participates remaining. In the stands, surrounded by cheering audience, Silo, Rena and Amelia were sitting, their expressions terrified, as Fyre stared angrily at them.

“You guys…” Fyre said somewhat angrily. “What the hell did you come here for if you’re not gonna watch matches?!!”

“It’s because you told us to come or you’d kill us otherwise!!” the trio exclaimed at the same time.

“Of course I would! I want to show you what talent truly is! None of you made it even in the top 1000!! I have no face to appear in front of anyone here!!”

“…”

“Ugh, whatever. You three started training late, so I suppose it’s not that bad,” Fyre sighed, feeling a strange sense of defeat. “Just make sure you do your best once you become Outer Disciples, okay?”

“… yes, Master.”

“Come on, no need to feel that dejected,” Fyre said, feeling sorry for his disciples. “Watch the battles. These are the people you’ll be striving towards, okay? They’re all your age, but they’re already so much stronger. It’s sometimes good to know the difference, okay?”

“… yeah.”

The arena at the center was five hundred meters in circumference, currently occupied by a slender boy and a veiled girl. They were roughly a hundred meters apart and were waiting for a signal to begin the duel. Both had serious expressions on their faces as they put forth the most domineering auras they could muster. As the signal came, neither held back as they bolted towards one another.

As this was a battle between only Foundation Realms, usage of Magic was very limited. It usually came out at most crucial moments and, until then, duelists would fight using mainly martial arts, which was the case for these two. The girl slid toward the boy’s feet at great speed, causing the latter to leap above her. While he was midair, she swiped her other leg upward and hit him squared on the back, causing him to groan. In return, the boy flipped in the air by using a tinge of wind and pushed against the ground as he landed, leaping towards the girl.

As he spun midair to gain momentum, his right leg extended, tracing towards girl’s side. In response, the girl raised her right arm, pushing it sideways with her left and guarded. As the hit landed, she was forced sideways a few dozen meters but quickly recovered. Faster, she thought as she pushed onward, gritting her teeth. Stronger! I have to see her, no matter what! Whoever stands in my way can just fucking die!!

As the two got closer to one another, the girl halted abruptly, causing the boy’s kick to whiff cleanly through the air in front of her chin. While on loose footing, the girl smirked and slashed her arm outward, with open palm; with the slash, wind carried on like an invisible blade, striking the boy squarely against his chest and blowing him back, completely out of the arena.

The audience broke out in cheers while the girl panted for a moment, forcing herself calm. After bowing toward the judge, she turned around and left for the waiting area, where a woman eerily similar to her was waiting. The woman nodded and smiled as the girl sat next to her in a meditative pose, recovering.

“Just three more matches,” the woman said in a calm tone. “What do you think about your chances?”

“Only that boy who uses flames is a bit of a problem,” the girl replied honestly. “But, I’m fairly certain I can handle him if I drag it out a bit.”

“Hm. Good. The goal is near.” the woman said.

“Yeah,” the girl suddenly opened up her eyes, flash of anger within them. “I absolutely need to see big sister. I don’t care if he’s King or whatever, she belongs with us, not in some third-rate wannabe Kingdom.”

“I like your resolve. Keep at it.”

“Of course.”

Up in the observatory deck of the stands, Y’se and Parsia were casually drinking Heavenly Ale as they watched the tournament unfold beneath. Both were incredibly bored, but they couldn’t exactly slip away as there were dozens of excited Masters of young children fighting awaiting the verdict.

“I think I may have been spoiled by your lil’ brother,” Parsia said as he forced a yawn back down his throat. “None of these kids seem that good, if I’m being honest.”

“Ah, that’s your problem,” Y’se said. “You can’t pit them against that… something… and compare them. That’s just unfair.”

“Something? Ah, yeah, he really is something. Anyway, it’s not like you’re having fun so stop lecturing me.”

“… yes. God this is so boring.” Y’se sighed, looking dejected. “I mean, it wasn’t that bad during the first month because, well, we could just skip. Luckily, though, it’ll all be over soon.”

“… I’m terribly sorry for proposing that top winners will be accepted as Direct Disciples. I didn’t expect it to go like this…”

“Ah, it’s fine. That girl that just fought was a bit interesting,” Y’se said. “Her talent isn’t that bad, it’s just that her heart is a bit rotten.”

“Eh, you’ll probably end up with her while I’ll take that hotheaded boy that can only spit fire.” Parsia said. “Still, I think the tournament was a good idea. Atmosphere has been on the upper side ever since it started.”

“Yeah.” Y’se nodded. “Those two will be coming out soon as well, so we’ll finally have some time to relax.”

“Ah, relax. Now there’s a word I haven’t heard in a long, long time.”

“We’re running short on Heavenly Ale though…” Y’se said, sighing.

“Eh? Wait, how?!”

“How?! We’ve been drinking like twenty bottles a day recently!” Y’se exclaimed back. “It’s fucking insane! Before, twenty bottles could have lasted me almost half a year!”

“God, I just want this tournament to end…”

“Yeah… tell me about it…”

Outside of the arena itself, the Skyfire Paradise had slowly begun taking shape. As per original plans, surrounding the Tower in circular fashion were several separated ring-like divisions. While still in a relatively child-like stage, the first city began to slowly sprawl out of the ground, at least leaving a mark beneath the sky that something there existed. A place some were beginning to call their true home.