Pure white.

The first thought in my mind was…

“I’m not dead, am I?”

No. I shouldn’t be dead. I only lost 40% of my blood. Normal people would die with 50% blood loss while Awakened would die at about 60-70% blood loss.

This means I’m most likely unconscious.

Phew. That definitely was a fast way to determine I’m dead…

PINCH

“Okay, I can still feel shit… and this place… is different…”

Wow!

My weapons… are floating around this place like being on display. Oh my god does this look cool with my Will slightly shrouding them while they were levitating!

But why were they here? Is this place what I think it is?

Well… it doesn’t look like a library like I imag…

Okay now, why is there a podium with a book in the middle of nowhere? It looked more like someone ripped this part of a building from space.

Or someone hid the rest in pure white. But whatever it is, it wasn’t here the first time I got here.

Moving my feet, I approached the podium standing on a beautiful wooden floor that vanished about a couple of steps away from it.

“Oh! A book!”

…and it was empty. Great.

Besides the title ‘Knowledge’ on the cover, there was nothing else. If this is the representation of my knowledge, then I feel offended!

Nevertheless, that wasn’t really the most important thing in my mind. Seeing my weapons float around in this place meant that I was most likely still alive. And this meant only one thing.

This is that place.

You know. Where I got my runes on my body with the pain of a million daggers stabbing into me.

Obviously, I was sweating buckets! How would you feel when you know you are about to be tormented like that! I had to stay cool though. Freaking out now won’t solve anything.

And I bet by now, I was already on my bed.

Though regrettably, I couldn’t give her her weapon before passing out. I hope she liked it…

"Stay positive, Laith! You can still give it to her after waking up! Now we have something else that wants my attention..."

I looked forward. Or at least what I think is forward. Besides the podium and my weapons flying around, nothing else could be seen. Just pure white.

And that circle made out of 8 rings being in front of me. Its appearance was sudden, scaring the hell out of me. But I managed to not accidentally shit my pants. If I had any pants on that is.

It was smaller than before since the outer ring was already on my body shining brightly in resonance with the circle.

But it was weird. The last time I remember seeing my runes was when I worked in the forge. And they were pure golden coloured. Now, they have little lines of Violet in them. I had no idea what that means but it looked nice…

I should take this matter more seriously. I’ll have to ask gramps about it. He will surely know what this change of colour means, right?

But my thoughts didn’t last long. Because what greeted me next was the slight shine of the 8th ring. With its gold and violet shine, it brought only fear into my very being. I felt powerless in this situation. Because I knew exactly that I had to take these runes onto my body.

And so, I waited for the runes that separated themselves from the circle to form another pattern on my body, burning my very being into another existence.

I braced myself for the same pain once more.

but…

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!"

THIS HURT! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! IT HURTS!

It was nothing like before! I remember that it was supposed to be a million daggers stabbing me from the inside. Not a million pieces of hot iron branding me!

-Now carefully fill the form with your batter. Nice and easy. Now, we will go other to our…

The sun shone through the window, marking the beginning of the day. The air was fresher than ever before with birds inside the barrier chirping along together. It felt… peaceful…

TIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIKTIK

“Damnit! How are these bastards on television always so fast? Can’t even follow a cake recipe…”

Wearing an apron saying “Best chef in the dimension”, Akira was mixing something in a bowl that looked like cake batter. Watching the TV from the open kitchen, Akira was slightly annoyed that a [Mortalis] cooking show was faster than himself.

It would be quite funny for the two kids to see him struggle to catch up with a TV show. But Akira would at least be fine with it. It would be better than seeing one of them in a coma and one of them on the verge of mental breakdown.

Way better.

The morning of the day.

It was quiet inside a certain room. Besides the occasional frustrated comments and the sound of a TV, the room would barely have any noise in it.

A boy with golden and green accented black hair was laying on the bed with a pink accented black haired girl leaning onto the same bed from the chair she was sitting in.

She felt a bit better now than before, thinking that Laith would gradually get better.

Oh, poor, poor girl.

This poor girl didn’t know that her mental energy would get drained once more.

"RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGH!"

"!!!"

“What’s… shit!”

The old man appeared next to the girl that woke up with wide eyes. The scream that woke her up came from that boy laying on the bed yet it sounded like the howl of a beast. The boy was in pain, thrashing around without holding back any strength he had, slowly breaking this hut apart.

And then, the old man saw them. Running down from the side of his head all the way to his chest.

The runes.

Yet new ones appeared over the screaming boy’s shoulder. And all these runes had now a tinge of violet in them, making it more obvious that the boy was evolving his runes.

And then they saw them. The runes running down from the side of the head and his chest were the ones the two knew about. But now, new ones came and all the runes had a tinge of violet.

The old man’s eyes widened with amazement. Although this boy was in pain, the meaning of this violet meant more than one could think.

But it wasn’t the time to be amazed at this boy when he was thrashing around while howling.

“O-Old man! W-what is happening?”

“I’ll explain later! Just hold him down with me! If he moves too much, he could hurt himself permanently!”

"Alright!"

BANG

Black energy that contained slight dark green and gold accents was leaving this boy’s body, surging through the room like raging flames and a violent thunderstorm. Small violet sparks appeared around the boy’s body, making this scene look more like an ascension than the boy being in pain.

If only the screams wouldn’t be there, then it would really look magical to the average person.

Holding down on this very boy, the two of them tried to hold him down without hurting him.

RUMBLE

Somewhere inside a small hut, the clattering of iron could be heard. Realising what was actually happening, the old man was yet again shocked by what was happening in front of him. Especially seeing Keyser and Regina shake more than any other weapon around, the old man could confirm his thoughts.

‘This boy is resonating with the weapons… or the weapons are resonating with him. Has he already come so far or was that supposed to happen so soon?... the future…’

“Be careful! Those runes contain some space elements! If you get harmed by them then you-”

“Shut up, old man! I just have to hold him down, right?”

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

The pain intensified as the whole room started to shake by the Will of this boy. The old man couldn’t suppress it without knowing the consequences and that was a risk he was not willing to take.

The howl of a beast could be heard all around the barrier, scaring any animal that was inside it to flee outside the barrier at this instant.

And this went on for a whole hour. The runes didn’t want to get branded just so easily, forcing the boy to be tortured by this pain for that hour.

But with his expression relaxing and his pale coloured face returning to its normal colour, the two of them could ease up a little bit. He wasn’t thrashing around while howling. Panting out of exhaustion, the boy could slowly open his eyes with the new sets of runes written over his shoulders.

"Ha...ha... Fuck... How long... have I been... Screaming?... Ha..."

—

"Ha...ha... Fuck... How long... have I been... Screaming?... Ha..."

"About an hour, boy."

Damn… was it really that…

Short?

It felt more like an eternity with all the pain I got from these runes. But now, I became better with the pain slowly vanishing and feeling the energy on my shoulders.

Seems this time, it was on my shoulder. The first time runes were engraved on my body, they went from the sides of my cheeks all the way to my chest, stopping right on them. If the first time felt like daggers stabbing me the whole time, then this felt more like a lot of tiny pieces of hot iron were placed on my body yet were hot enough to even brand my soul.

That painful.

"Sorry... About that..."

"What the hell happened?"

Alyssa asked with a worried look. I could tell that she wanted to check herself if I was fine yet held back. I’m not sure if the reason was my current situation or the fact that I threw her out of the forge so forcefully while forging Regina. But my mental energy was already used up, making me unable to answer properly.

Thankfully, gramps did it for me, taking a burden off of me for once.

“You already knew of his runes and that his body became a ‘Weapon’. This was the process of how he became one. If his previous state would be equivalent to [Common] grade then now he had the body of an [Uncommon] grade weapon. And besides that, his runes contain a bit of Space element. The reason why his runes have now a bit violet in them. My guess is that the runes are adapting to his space affinity. Training the [Phasing Flash Step] which uses space to phase through objects may have made your body accept ‘Space’ a bit more… but that can also be just a coincidence and nothing more…”

So that’s it… space…

It sounded cool but it was painful as hell! Why the hell do I need to take this much pain now? At least let me understand ‘Space’ more before doing that!

My thoughts could only go on halfway as Alyssa looked at me with such worry, that it grabbed my attention. I felt guilty now that I was yelling at her all the time but I believe it was worth it for Regina.

"...how are you feeling, Laith?"

"I… I'm sorry for…how I was treating you…"

"You mean the times when you screamed at my crying face to scram that instance otherwise you'd be damned if I could sleep happily that day?"

Ugh… past Laith! Why were you that aggressive? Was it the sleepless nights, the burning pain inside my right arm and the desperate attempt to finish that weapon as fast as possible?

Maybe.

"Yes… I was extremely rude and all of that time you deserved to be treated kindly yet I shouted at you for caring about me just because I was scared of getting distracted."

"What does that have to do with me? Is that stupid thing really that important to be so dramatic about? Do you really need to forge that thing?"

"For you…"

"...what?"

"It is for you… that stupid sword. I was obsessed with the idea of doing something for you even if I'm not there and so… I forged Regina. She was meant to be held in your hand. To be there for you all the time which I most likely can't. Because I know that my future doesn't look like a beautiful flower bed. So I was obsessed with the idea that if you are going to stay by my side then I have to take responsibility for all the trouble I'll bring you so… I was scared of getting any distraction because anything less than this sword wouldn’t be something I’d be satisfied with… so here…"

Taking Regina that was leaning over the nightstand next to me, I presented it to Alyssa, whose mouth was wide open, to say the least. She was most likely stunned that I was possessed by that idea but I was.

I just didn't like to be at fault for trouble that will come for her just because she is with me. I know my future won't be a relaxed day in the park. The universe is fair and if one person has more talent than the other then that person will encounter more hardships to surpass as well.

But these hardships will become dangerous. So much that I wished to be alone for that to never involve someone else

But we are talking about Alyssa. That one girl who was so persistent to stay by my side to even harm herself instead of leaving the forge when she wasn't even awakened.

Looking at the sword in my hand, Alyssa most likely didn't know if she wanted to accept it. Who can blame her? It was the reason I got into this situation. But I don't regret my choices. I did it for a reason, knowing full well what the consequences were.

"I must say, boy. This sword is the second-best weapon you ever created."

"Second? What do you mean? It's my masterpiece."

"It is the best you forged, yes. But not the best you created. Wouldn't say that this 'Regina' was better than your Keyser though."

"Oh! Of course!"

Keyser was still the best weapon I had. The curvature, the thickness, the balance, the centre of gravity, the hilt. Everything was perfect for me.

"But boy… your speech was very emotional~...Sniff… I could barely hold my tears back when you said that the girl will be by your side. Almost as if you proposed~."

This fucker said it with tears in his eyes, even taking out a handkerchief for his tears, but I knew that behind that emotionally crying face was a smirk hidden. Even if what I said could be interpreted like that, I wasn't going to say anything else besides the truth.

And even so, Alyssa most likely knows what I meant with that, right?

Oh fuck… I can see her tomato face already. She is already in her fantasy land, imagining things that were too much for me.

"You old fucker! Don't give my junior such weird ideas."

"Hahahahaha! You were the one making her fall for you so take responsibility!"

Don't you dare mock me, fucking old bastard!

"I didn't do shit! And besides this fucking conversation, what's next?"

"Changing the subject now, are we? You have to learn to be subtle with that."

"Whatever! What is up with the 5-day fight with you?"

"Oh, that?"

Why do you have such a goofy face right now? Is this another of your jokes that only you can find funny?

"You see, I knew you were going to make that sword. Who wouldn't when you made her try so many different swords to write her comments down. But what I also knew was that if you took it easier, you'd have most likely failed to make this one, only to start once again. So I had to find a reason to push you."

"So you are saying that we don't have to fight you for 5 days straight?"

"Yes."

"Thank god."

"Thank god."

It really was great that I didn't have to fight with him. Knowing him well enough, I could already tell that it would be him beating us two till all our bones are broken rather than just a fight.

"Anyway. I'll go back for now. Just try to recover, for now, boy. And girl, please look after him."

And just like that, the old man left the room, leaving me and this crazy yandere alone in my room. With Regina still in my hand, I looked at it with concern. Alyssa didn't take her. Was it not good enough? Maybe I should just try anew. I may be able to do better.

But before I could even try to stand up, the air started to be filled with pink particles while I could feel nothing in my hand anymore. Where is she? How? Why?

SMACK

"You just didn't want to go make another weapon just because I didn't take… her…"

Wait. Regina is next to the nightstand next to Keyser and Alyssa wasn't on her chair anymore.

"Alyssa… What are you doing? Could you please not lay on me? You make me nervous."

"Good!"

But that nervousness isn't the one you think of! I'm scared that you will chop my head off while you push me down with your body and your ability. Don't!

I struggled to move. She was moving dangerously. Please stop it!

SOB

!!

"I'm sorry… you did that sword for me but… I don't want you to do something like… just don't make me worried anymore!"

I could feel something warm on my chest. It was wet. And salty…

I'm sorry… for making you that worried…

SOB SOB

"Laith… I'm sorry…SOB…I'm-HICK- sorry…"

Alyssa must have it rough with such an irresponsible senior. I felt like shit, seeing her cry like that because of me.

"I'm sorry, Alyssa."

I tried really hard to lift my hand. I was astonished at how much she could force me down with her ability but I could lift my arm as long as I used my runes. Alyssa glared at me but I never moved my hands towards my side.

PAT PAT

“There, there. I’m fine and it’s not your fault. So please… stop crying.”

“I shouldn’t have left your si-HICK-side! SNIFF… I should have stayed there! It was my fa-HICK-fault!”

I wanted to deny it. It was my obsessive self trying to make myself feel better. It was my anxiety about not being able to be responsible for my actions, even in the future.

But I had to take responsibility now. This was something I caused. Now it was time to take responsibility for it and not run away.

Because I can take the easy road and run away. But then I will never learn. And she does not deserve to be treated in this way.

Hugging her, I pulled her closer as she bawled her eyes out. It was ugly. Her running nose, the hiccups she had, her tears ruining her beautiful face and her occasional trembling. It was ugly, but it was… human.

And sometimes, you just want to be supported while crying like that. And sometimes, you want to be left alone, scared of showing your weak side. But she was crying in front of me, so I assumed she would like my support.

“I’m sorry, Alyssa. I won’t make an excuse. It was my fault. Ju-”

“Waaah!”

I wanted to continue my apology but hearing her wailing, I stopped myself. Maybe silence would be better. So I just hugged her, letting her let all the tears out of her system.

Maybe her snot as well. But that didn’t matter really. Just let it all out, Alyssa.

I tried to reflect on myself while being pinned down on the bed. My head was glued to the bed and my arms were the only thing able to move slightly. I was talented in a fight but fighting against gravity isn’t something I could do at the moment.

So I could do nothing but hug her while staring at the ceiling of my room. Was what I did really necessary? Was what I did all that important to make her cry like that. Did I have to make this sword right now?

Sadly, I could do nothing but agree to myself to all these words. I don’t know how to explain it but I had a strange feeling again. Like I didn’t have as much time left as I thought.

And from my last experience, I trust this feeling more than before. But that didn’t mean that I couldn’t have handled it better.

But what the old man said was also true. My work may not have ended the same way if I was more relaxed about it. Especially the rune part where I hat to give about 2 litres of my blood.

I could have called the sword bloodsucker for what it did.

But I accept my fault, trying to find a better way to do such weapons.

PAT PAT PAT

Patting the now sobbing Alyssa on the back, I could feel the slight weight on my body fading. As she stood up I could see her Will around the room slowly fading.

“...I’ll not ask you to promise me to never do that again. I can’t go over my bounds. BUT! Please let me be there the next time. And just try, okay? Try to not overdo it. Okay?”

It hurts to hear this. That she understand that I’d not keep such a promise. Because I never know what the future may be. But I could at least promise her to try.

“I promise that I’ll try, okay? But let me say this again. This wasn’t your fault. I did it out of my own choice. So please don’t feel guilty about it.”

“I won’t…”

“Good… now, lastly…”

Getting to something long overdue, I looked back at Alyssa with a serious gaze. In my hand was that one sword that may be the result of this situation. The one sword I gave so much blood, sweat and tears. But it was the one sword that will grow stronger with her, accompany her more than I could.

“Regina is the one I made for you. To be your strongest aid. And help you out more than I could at times. Take it. Because it was never made for me.”

Glancing at the sword I presented with both hands, I could see her worried expression as silence descended onto the room. But that silence never stayed for long as she slowly went for the hilt of the sword. And the moment she did, her Will seeping inside the gems was visible to the naked eye.

No.

The sword was not just filling the opals with her Will but also the blade, the veins, the runes and the guard. The sword was now more or less filled with her Will with the guard rotating slowly around the guard point, the runes shining slightly pink and the opals gaining the slight tinge of pink and violet.

It was a breathtaking sight. As if Alyssa was chosen by Regina. As if Regina was chosen by Alyssa. And that was the final moment before all this sight slowly returned to normal. I could see a little smile creep on her face. A slight smile that would have been impossible to be spotted unless you would look extra carefully at her face.

And so, I was satisfied. She liked Regina. She liked Alyssa. Those two could understand each other better in the future. That is what I was hoping for.

“...so much care…I don’t know what to say…”

But this situation is getting more awkward for me, to be honest. Let’s try to ease the mood a bit.

“How about a thank you? You know, like a normal person?”

“Hey! Are you serious?”

“Oh, true! We are [Discipulus]. Not something you would call normal. Want to decide how we handle situations like that? I would say we have our own handshake for thanking.”

“Wha-”

“Or when we have to train, we could use a keyword instead of just saying ‘Let us train’ as boring normies would do.”

“Wai-”

“Maybe even secret messages in from of what we cook can also be made. You know, like spies. I found it interesting how spies during the cold war used the way they tied their shoelaces to communicate with each other. So? What do you say?”

“Pfft…hahahahahaha!”

“Hey! I’m serious here!”

Success!

“You can stop it, Laith. Because frankly, your attempt to lift the mood is cute but not subtle.”

“Look here! Who is using gramps's arguments at me? Not like you can be subtle about so-AH! Shtop puwwing own ma ccheeks”

“Don’t even think about criticising my ‘Subtleness’ because I never even tried to in the first place. It’s called strategy. Anyway…”

“Yeah. Let’s go to the living room. Come up!”

And just like that, Keyser moved towards my right hand. Alyssa still looked quite worried at me.

“Don’t worry. Physically, I’m fine. I just can’t do any forging for now. And frankly, a break from that is something I needed. Mhm~. Maaaaaan my shoulders feel stiff!... come on! Let’s go.”

After nudging Alyssa with my left elbow, I went towards the living room, seeing the old man checking what seems to be a cake inside the oven. Oh, boy! The cake gramps makes are always very delicious!

But I could see the slight worry in the old man’s eyes when he glanced at the two of us. Was something wrong? I thought we could rest…

"Kids, please sit down for now... I got to tell you something..."

The old man rather looked… apologetic. That isn’t like his usual self, always joking or hitting while hiding his true intentions only to reveal them after the deed is done. I could even say he sometimes is bad at showing his true emotions but maybe it’s just something I overthink.

But now, it was like hiding his feelings wasn’t an option. And this wasn’t a good sign. Not that I was scared of a beating. Well, I am but not now. Because I can tell that the seriousness wasn’t something like that.

I sat next to Alyssa, who was a bit too close, on the couch while Gramps preferred his favourite armchair. A sigh left his mouth as he looked at us with a tired yet serious face.

Who was the one that made him this tired? Who here is messing with my Gramps!

“I’m sorry to tell you this so upfront but… I’ll be leaving.”

“Oh! Like last time? Is it something that serious?”

“Yeah. not like we didn’t see you leave for a couple of days.”

“But this isn’t a couple of days…”

What…

“What… are you trying to say? That you will leave us for months?”

“Maybe even years…”

I was silent after that. Years… years… years…

The old man was leaving. For years.

But why?

“...Why, old man?”

“Yeah… why, gramps?”

I could see him sigh again. Was it that difficult to explain? Or did you just need time to find a way to explain it?

“I’m actually wanted. Not by the association but by the neutral faction or in other words the awakened families. Because of reasons I do not want to tell you to keep you out of it, I ended up getting hated by almost all the big awakened families. One family alone is not enough to even scare me but when more than 100 families are banding up to fight me with all their forces, I can do nothing but be on the move. Fighting them straight on would only lead to innocent deaths and I can’t risk having humans lose their strong fighters just because of my mistake.”

“Then take us with you, Gramps!”

These words left my mouth without me even thinking about them properly. But I was confused. Why did he have to leave us behind? Wasn’t our training just starting?

“I wish but… if I take you with me, then I’ll only drag the two of you into something way too dangerous for the two of you. And I can’t risk it. I’m sorry.”

And just before he apologised, the old man bowed with his hands on his knees. This fucker!

Alyssa and I both jumped up as soon as we saw the old man bow down that deep. That was not something we both want to see him like. Before a monster, he was our master. The one teaching us how to become strong. The one supporting us as much as possible and the one that gave us the possibility to change. So seeing this man we owed so much so seeing him bow like that hurts more than it should.

“Get up, Gramps!”

“Please, Master!”

“Hehehe… how happy I am to have you two as my students…”

The old man raised his head, showing a genuine smile to us. He is most likely happy that we reacted this way but what could we do? I’m not going to see someone like him bow down to me without me deserving it.

But now begs the question. So taking a deep breath, I asked the questions that I had for now. Only two questions. But they were important to me.

"...what are you planning to do, Gramps? And for how long will you have to do so?"

Please just give me an answer I can work with. You can give me an answer I will not like but not an answer with which I can’t start anything. I need concrete answers, not relaxing once.

"I'll probably go around the world in a roundabout way to confuse the awakened families. They most likely went for me now that they see me all alone. That’s why I have to move around, even if it means going to a sub-dimension if needed. But they can’t search too much for me here in Berlin. If they find you two then it’s over. That’s also why I rather not want the two of you to know too much about my plans. As for how long… I am not sure about that myself."

So we are dead weight for him. Figures. I wasn’t expecting to be a help now since I’m just at the starting line but knowing full well that I’m a liability to the person that helped me so much makes me feel like crap.

If only I was stronger… I could have been at least not a burden for him.

Fuck…

Alyssa seemed distressed. She was most likely just as confused as I am. Maybe a bit more since I kind of felt that this departure was going to happen. Just not so soon…

"Old man... What are we going to do from now on?"

"My dear... I'm sorry... The teacher who was supposed to help with your healing affinity and both of you with your space affinity will be coming to this hut. You'll be meeting her next week. I'll give you Angelina's number so you can call her any time you have something to talk about but communication with me will be cut off. I can’t risk it."

Silence.

No wind blowing through the window.

No birds chirping.

Not even the sound of our breaths was audible as I just felt guilty. I feel horrible and I know it’s not my fault but…

I just feel horrible.

"Don't blame yourself... It was my fault to begin with so just stop giving yourselves the fault. We have 5 more days is what I'd say but it's better if you two go back home now. Concentrate on your school life while you have it and don't create any trouble for each other, okay?"

I trembled. I just… I didn’t want it to end so fast. I spent more than a year's worth of time with this old… with Gramps. My expectations were not a steady rise to the top. But I just hoped… I just hoped for more time.

This training began with so much blood, sweat and tears. And for this long, I endured everything he threw at me, becoming only stronger and stronger. And yet… he…

I fell back on the couch with shocked eyes. I really didn’t want to believe that this routine is over. That I won’t return to the forest. Fucking hell! Give me two… no! Just one year! Please!

Why not?

Why not?!

Why?!?

I was lost in thoughts, not knowing what to think about. But I was lost. But ultimately, I had to step away this time. It was too big for me. I could see Alyssa look at me with expectations written all over her face. She probably was waiting for my words. Maybe because I knew Gramps more or maybe she just felt bad saying it herself but I understood what she wanted me to do.

VUUM

“Laith!”

I pointed Disparo, my revolver-like gun, at Gramps's head with a serious look on my face. I can’t beg him to stay nor to take us. Alyssa looked at me shocked since this was clearly not what she wanted me to do but my next words made my actions clear.

“Don’t you dare make us wait for too long. Otherwise, the final thing I’ll do with this gun is to point it at your face, pulling the trigger instantly. And you know exactly that I am someone that stands behind his words. Even until the bitter end.”

VUUM

Disparo vanished with me pulling my left hand back. A small tear threatened to fall but I stayed strong.

“Don’t you dare forget about us and not return, Gramps…”

Nothing but a threat would get into his thick skull. He was the one that trained me, so I know exactly how thick that skull is. And seeing the old man’s kind smile at my words, I let my tense body relax with a wry smile on my face.

He understood my message. Even if I had to make such a show.

The old man stood up and seeing this, we did as well.

"Now I won't be going without a gift! But before that, one last thing. You two… you two have 100% affinities. Even if that looks like something you want to have, it may also be a curse. But what you should know is that your body and soul want the best for you. So trust your instincts. Especially you, boy. Since you have 100% Space affinity, you will have to be extra careful with your instincts. Now here, catch!"

Gramps threw two rings at the two of us. I wasn’t going to take a marriage joke from Gramps after what he said with those affinities. I already knew the consequences of not listening to them. But that joke never came. Well, I could tell he was struggling to hold back but that was just how I knew him.

"Ehehem! These rings are what you would fall a [Dimensional Storage]. You can access the contents and put stuff in by making your Will flow into it. Boy, your ring can hold the whole little hut and the stuff you build throughout the time. This includes the forge inside and I also put a few more materials into the ring for you. Girl, your ring can hold the bigger house easily. You have a bit more space since the boy has a greater space affinity and should be able to figure out how to create a storage ring by himself when he gets strong enough. Your second gifts are these here."

A storage ring! I knew that they can hold more items as if time is frozen. Although the old man explained to me that it is not actually frozen time but any chemical and physical reaction stopping inside the ring.

Catching the second gift, I held three booklets. [Shadow movement], [Theory of Elemental Combat] and [Full Vision]. The three booklets in Alyssa’s hands were a movement technique called [Time Step], a fist technique called [Paradoxal Fist] and a self-written explanation about time element manipulation.

They are very generous gifts. Gramps was always thinking that giving us high-end techniques from the beginning that suited us the best was better than giving us low once at first. That was because techniques are executable for every Awakened. It’s just a matter of how much someone can show their full potential.

Gramps looks satisfied with giving us these gifts. I was happy to get new techniques but…

“Here you go! These should be enough to last for you two until you become [Transcendens] stage Awakened.”

Sighing, Gramps was pausing for a moment. Maybe his next words were hard to say but he continued nonetheless.

“I’ll turn off the barrier in about an hour. At this hour, you two will leave this place as soon as possible with everything. It should be about 4:43 when I break the barrier so you should have a bit of time to rest before going to school again. Live your school life as much as you can, don’t cause too much trouble for each other and please… stay safe. This is goodbye now…”

The old man turned around, leaving the hut but before he could even step out properly, he was stopped.

THUD

The two of us were hugging Gramps tightly. It didn’t feel right to say goodbye to him with just words. Especially since every one of us will most likely experience more danger than we all want.

"I'll see ya around... Gramps"

"Yes...old man..."

"Haaaa... You don't make this easy for me...I'll see you as soon as possible, kids"

I couldn’t see Gramps’s face but… I could tell. That one tear. He was holding himself back. But he still walked forward, vanishing from sight with nothing left from where he just stood.

I looked at the place he just stood before moving towards the little hut after putting my booklets inside the ring. They worked by touching the items you wanted to store while channelling Will into the ring.

Just looking at the little hut in front of me, I remembered all the weapons I made all this time.

These memories won’t disappear and so won’t the chance to forge but… it may not feel the same.

Touching the hut, I channelled Will into the ring, letting it store the whole hut inside the ring. It was quick. But somehow painful…

Lost in my thoughts, I was blankly looking at the ring on my right index finger. I felt… lonely.

Even though I’m not alone. I could feel someone tuck on my shirt. Looking back, I could see my junior looking to the side, hiding her face. With no hut behind her, I could tell that she was already finished with this.

"We should...go back home first. Like the old man told us."

I didn’t say anything for a good minute, staying just like that. But the time barrier will be gone soon so wasting time wasn’t something wanted to do now.

We had to leave. Now…

"...yeah... You're right... Let's go."

Making our way out of the forest, I could see small scars of the time I was thrown here. How it all began… how Gramps’s looks were so different from the first time I met him…

BZZZT BZZZT

The two of us looked at our phones at the same time. We were currently at the bridge where I first met Alyssa in real life. Even remembering what she dressed made me feel like this situation isn’t real.

[Angelina Edwards - 0176xxxxxxxx. Stay safe kids.]

Sighing, I put my phone away. I’ll have to go back home with Keyser strapped on my waist and everything else inside my ring. Alyssa was walking a few steps behind me with Regina in a weapon box on her back.

The sky was still dark with its night sky shining so brightly. It was a beautiful night for sure.

"I'll see you in a couple of hours then?"

"Laith... Is it fine if I come with you?"

"...Is something wrong?"

"My home is further than yours and... I ... I don't want our time together to end like that..."

She looked at me with a sad expression. Maybe she was scared that now with Gramps gone, our time together would be shortened. She looked more anxious than ever today but who could blame her? She was the most emotional madman among the three of us. Maybe that is what makes her more ‘normal’ than me and Gramps… even with a couple of screws loose in her head.

Sighing, I gave her an answer that should elevate the mood.”

"Sure. Come with me. I can make us some breakfast."

"That's my task."

"Hahaha! Nope, let me do it. Since you cried that much today, you must be ti-SMACK HEY!"

"Payback for last time! And don't you dare mention that again or I'll beat you up next time!"

"Says the one who always loses whenever we practice."

"Ugh... But if I use my ability!"

"Haha! If you use your ability I'll use mine and use every weapon in my armoury to beat your ass again. On a side note, remember I'm now an [Uncommon] grade weapon."

"Hmph... You shouldn't be happy to be an object."

"Hey!"

Our bickering continued as we moved forward. But before we crossed the bridge, I had an idea.

“Hey, How about not using the bus?”

“But then how are we going to get to school on time?”

“Aren’t we already faster than the bus? Why not just jump from roof to roof until we are home. The night sky is covering us and as long as we don’t release Will, we should be able to go home unnoticed. So? What do you say?”

“I say the winner can ask anything from the loser!”

“Wait! You don’t know where I live!”

“I don’t?”

Definitely more than just a few screws loose. This crazy yandere even followed me all the way home. Creepy.

Dashing back to my home, I felt free for a long time, feeling the wind past my ears. Although my life will change from now on, I should be more prepared than sad.

So I have to grow stronger than I am now.

“Haha! I won!”

“When you cheat with your ability? I said not to release your ability!”

“But no one was around? Why not then?”

Ugh… this troublemaker is going to give me a huge headache. But we finally arrived at my apartment. I didn’t have to tell her why I lived in such a big penthouse all alone since my parents were on the news already.

"Alright! You sit down somewhere in the living room while I go and prepare some breakfast."

"Which one of these rooms is the living room? All of them are biiiiig...."

"The one down the floor at the end. You really can't miss that room."

"Okaaay!"

Preparing dad’s favourite breakfast meal called Menemen, I was thinking about the two of them. My first goal was still the same. Get to London and find out more!

Just where the hell are you two? And are the two of you fine?

But thoughts like these had to be put aside. No use in thinking about it so much. For now, just something to eat. We ate our fill and ate the cake Gramps prepared beforehand.

It was delicious…

But now it was time to prepare for school. Since even after becoming more than normal humans.

We still wanted to have a normal school life.