Karen sat back down and covered her face in frustration, “Just what did you do…”

“I did nothing, I barely talk to my brother. I don’t see how any of my actions could have stopped him from wanting to learn magic.”

Karen sighed, “Of course you didn’t do anything.”

Hiro paused, “You know you’re not making any sense here.”

Karen stood up and walked up to Hiro. She stuck her finger out and tapped Hiro’s chest, “Don’t you remember what I said earlier. You don’t belong here. In the timeline, I described you were never born. Your very existence has drastically altered the timeline and right now I have absolutely no clue what to expect anymore.”

“Hmm, I see.” Hiro finished his cup of tea, “Well good luck.”

“You don’t believe me do you.”

“Well it’s not that I don’t believe you, which I don’t, it’s more that I’ve got more important things to worry about.”

“More important than the destruction of six countries, including your own, and the death of millions!? Think about how many people will be killed by the beast tides alone ignoring Tribole’s advances. If Quinn doesn’t get out there and stop them you won’t even have a single fief!”

“I am aware.”

“Then why? Even if you don’t, believe me, you should know if there’s even a one percent chance I’m telling the truth then you should at least take precautions. Look I can even prove I’m telling the truth, in about three years-”

Hiro interrupted her, “It doesn’t matter.”

“What?”

“The events you’re describing are in the future, let’s say a decade from now correct.”

Karen nodded her head, “Around a bit over a decade.”

“Alright, then do you think in these 10 or so years you can stop any of this from happening? Can you make Quinn passionate about magic? Can you stop the Elemental Tide? Can you hold off the invading beasts?”

“That’s… but if we do nothing...”

“So what if we do nothing? The tides of history aren’t so easily changed. So tell me what do exactly do you plan on doing? If your visions are true then all you need to do is flee.”

Karen paused and looked at the ground, and muttered, “I can’t.”

“Hmmm, why not?”

Karen clenched her fists, “I just can’t…”

“Is that so.”

Karen looked up and asked, “I don’t get it why don’t you want to help me if it’s you then-”

“What do you think I can do? Let’s say you are telling the truth, the Elemental Tide occurs, the beasts invade, and Tribole marches southward the what? Do I fight off the beasts on my own? Do I attack Tribole? Am I supposed to stop the Elemental Tide?”

Karen shouted, “Yes! Any of those things would do, if it’s you surely you could pull off something.”

Hiro shook his head, “I don’t know what you’ve heard or seen, but your trust is unfounded. I’ve got more important things to take care of.”

Karen gritted her teeth, “Then what about your family! Are you just going to leave them to die?”

Hiro sat down on a chair and began to read a book, “From my understanding my father has more than enough means to safeguards my family, and it’s unlikely Tribole would go around massacring the citizens. Besides just because Renton is missing a single powerful individual doesn’t mean they’ll fall.”

Hiro turned to Karen, “You overestimate yourself girl. Now let’s go.”

Karen followed Hiro, “Where are you going?”

“To class obviously.”

“...”

But as Hiro reached his door Karen tugged his arm and said, “Wait.”

Hiro turned around and asked, “What?”

“Three years from now your sister will be kidnapped. Originally your brother should have saved her, but as he is now I don’t know what will happen. I don’t know the exact day or time, but it was around three years from now. There’s no other way I would know this if I didn’t see the future.”

Hiro paused, “Thank you.”

Karen smiled wearily, “Please, tell me if you change your mind.”

“It won’t happen.”

“Well, it was worth a try.”

“Oh, and Karen right?”

“Hmm, yes?”

“Do you know of anyone referred to as the Demon King?

“Hmm?”, Karen thought about it and asked, “The Dark Cult’s God?”

“The Black Mist? Alright, thanks.”

~

As Hiro was walking to class, he noticed in a brown haired child and a blonde haired girl on one of the central building balconies. He felt as if he recognized these two so he gathered some mana from the surroundings and strengthened his vision.

To his surprise he found Quinn was up there with Maria, Baldar’s sister and a princess. Hiro thought about it and then reinforced his body shooting up and towards the central building. Maria noticed the sudden burst of mana and turned her head.

As Hiro landed beside them, and Maria looked up and said, “You surprised me.”

Hiro laughed, “Well you surprised me as well so let’s call it even.”

Quinn looked into the distance, and said, “It’s been a while, Hiro.”

Hiro nodded, “How’s the general curriculum treating you.”

“About as well as you could imagine, Owen’s been coming around try to convince me to try other courses so I’ve been dipping my feet in the water.”

Maria looked at Quinn and asked, “You two know each other?”

Hiro scratched his head, “In a sense.”

Suddenly Baldar showed up behind Maria followed by several other magic knight students, “Hiro? Maria? What are you two doing, classes, are about to start.”

“Ah!”, Maria turned around, “Brother! Oh, I lost track of time.”

She turned to Quinn and smiled, “I’ll be taking my leave now Quinn.”

Maria walked over to Baldar, and looked over at Hiro, “Come on Hiro let’s go.”

Hiro turned towards Quinn, and said, “Alright just give me a minute, go on ahead.”

Maria waved goodbye, “Alright.”

Hiro waved back and watched the four of them go down the stairs. He got off the railing he was standing and leaned over staring into the distance. He asked Quinn, “So, in the end, did any of it interest you?”

“Hmmm?”

“Like Swords or Bows, or let’s say Magic. Which one would you pick? ”

Quinn looked up to the sky, and replied, “No, it didn’t.”

Hiro paused, and turned around, “Well have fun.”

Hiro thought of what Karen told him. He wasn’t sure whether to believe her or not, however, if the events she predicted would occur three years from now occurred then it’s likely there was some truth in what she said.

Hiro took a quick glance at Quinn before descending the stairs. But even if it were the truth, he had no way of changing anything, and there were more pressing matters at hand. He had to return to the north, to the Holy Empire, and he had to figure out just where in the world he ended up.

Also, there was something concerning stuck in his head. If Karen was telling the truth then just what in the world was going on? Why wasn’t he in the original timeline? Why did his existence drastically alter the future? And why does no one seem to know what the Demon King is…

He just couldn’t get it out of his head, like every other question from before and it just made him grow even more frustrated.