ARTHUR LEYWIN

"You need to remember to evenly spread your weight down from the legs, to the torso and through your fists" I said to the young woman in front of me, who was panting in exhaustion and drenching the floor in sweat. "Pivot your body off your center of gravity as you twist your waist. Also, do me a favor and stop closing closing your eyes every tim-"

"Ok! I get it!" she squeals in a slightly raised voice before meeting my eyes and lowering her head in embarrassment, before dropping her body to a knee out of exhaustion among other things. "My apologies Crowned Sage, forgive me for my disrespect."

"Its fine. Good to know the younger generations have some bite."

"I shall take my leave" The red haired girl makes her way to the portal on the other side of the room with a limp, her body no doubt aching in an all-encompassing hellish pain. Before she could take a step through the portal, I toss her a black ring, devoid of any notable features or designs.

"I-Is t-this what I t-think it is?" Her voice stuttered in utter shock and confusion as she looks down at the ring, using both hands to cup the ring in her palms. Her eyes dart from me back to the ring, nervously waiting for an answer.

I give her a soft smirk. "Of course not. I came up with something new and volunteered you as my guinea pig. If it works as intended, you won't have to take as many breaks between training sessions." At my words, she started to smile in excitement before she puts on a pout and stares me down.

"And if it doesn't work as intended?" Cocking up a brow in a questioning manner.

"Well in that case, you can just throw it in the trash or find some other use for it. Just don't bring it back." I turned my back to her, walking away to end the conversation.

"I will again visit in a weeks time. Thank you for everything you've done. Goodbye for now."

After walking through the portal, I mutter to myself. "Goodbye to you too, Astera Indrath."

Pausing for a moment in contemplation, I make my way down the long halls of my home, passing by countless rooms whose doors had various names engraved on their surface. The familiar silence jabbing my mind, but I simply ignore it.

Reynolds Leywin | Alice Leywin | Eleanor Leywin | Sylvie | Regis | Virion Eralith | Tessia Eralith

Jasmine Flamesworth | Lilia Helstea | Nico Sever | Cecilia | Caera Denoir | Myre Indrath

I slowly walked to my room, located at the very end of the hall. Inconvenient, but I always had time so it wasn't much of a bother. Without even a passing glance to the names, I open the large wooden door, letting the stale air from my room flood into my lungs.

The modestly sized room was lined from inch to inch in countless objects that shimmered in a purple hue. Some looked as simple as a floating purple crystal while others seemed to portray 3-dimensional maps and loggings, indecipherable through normal means. The only objects in the room that didn't glow were the tidy bed, a clothing closet and a long desk.

Propped up on the long, white desk were photo frames depicting the important events in my life. Etched and printed straight from my memory, the photos ranged from the first time I saw my parents, all the way to the scene of me holding a colorless, transparent blade as I pointed it up to the midday sun.

I go through my usual routine of staring at these pictures for hours at a time, before letting out a long sigh and making my way towards the mirror. It was possibly my last days left, I might as well look the part.

After rummaging through some spare clothes, I stand in front of the mirror to see a young man in his early twenties, wheat-blond hair tied in a loose, short ponytail with long bangs covering parts of his face. His solid golden eyes, moved along the body, eventually making it to the black horns resting on his head, covered in white and golden markings. The man's slit shaped pupils relax as he stares at the sharp horns that protrude from either side of his head, jutting up, then down, before coming up again just above his forehead, circling his head like a crown.

After approving my plain white shirt and peach colored pants as acceptable attire, I navigate my way to the front door exit. I take a deep breath, enjoying the scenery around me. From thousands of meters off the ground, I gaze upon the edges of the Beast Glades all the way to the previous borders of the Kingdoms of Sapin, Elenoir, and Darv.

Taking a seat at the edge of the floating rock, I once again reconsider if my future actions should be abandoned. My abilities have far ago passed a reasonable threshold. There was no living thing, including myself, in this world capable of measuring my power. If measuring my power could even give an actual result worth consulting.

In comparison to me, the Asuras who claimed to bear the title of "god " were little more than laughing stock in my presence, yet I knew there was still so much more. I knew that aether had no limits, and even with my reality bending abilities, I was just scratching the surface.

But what's the point? What's the point of such power in a peaceful world?

Wiping the tears from my eyes, I slam my hand on the ground, feeling the pleasant heat of a godrune igniting under the sleeve of my left forearm. In a flash, the ground underneath me along with my home disappear into thin air, leaving me to rush to the solid earth under me. Slowing my descent, with a bit of wind and landing with a soft thud, I start walking eastward.

I slowly walk through the thick foliage of the Beast Glades, trotting through mud, quicksand and water alike. The sun and moon cycle through the sky as I continue my journey.

The countless beasts that dwell in the the trees and under the ground move away from my path, leaving only mindless bugs and plants to intrude me. The weather, uncaring for my presence, rains down with snow and hail, before settling into a blistering heat after some time.

I didn't know nor did I care how much time had past since I left my floating house. While I had no need for sleep and much enjoyed long walks through the night, on occasion I'd hunt down a wild boar or bird with my bare hands. Without reason, I crafted myself a handmade axe to gather firewood, using shards of flint and steel to light the wood. I took my time to season and cook my catch properly, taking slow, deliberate bites. Savoring the taste of fresh meat, I understood why Sylvie would inhale my meals at every sitting, even though-just like me now- she never had any real reason to. She simply wanted to satisfy her taste buds and feel included at the table.

Eventually I made it to The Grand Mountains, making the decision to cross it through the old war base, The Wall.

The remnants of The Wall tower far above the ground, attaching itself to the side of two mountains much like the colossal dams from my old world. The rusting metal from my memories replaced by shiny new support beams. Every brick seemed to be newly placed, the countless doors and windows leading in and out of the wall made me compare it to a side view of an ant farm. At the highest points on either side of The Wall, stood a large, white flag depicting a purple flower, adorned with three petals, each engraved with a rune representing the branches of aether.

On the flat ground in front of it, was a bustling town the size of a city. Large roads and foreign architecture left me feeling hazy. The people no longer dressed in medieval clothes, there were no deadly weapons in plain sight nor was there anyone wielding a mage's staff. Some people traveling on foot while many where on horses or bikes. The most anybody would carry in their arms were children, flowers or food, any other possessions stored away in a dimensional amulet or ring.

The lack of long robes or cumbersome capes made me chuckle, wondering how out of touch I must be with the current fashion trends. My simple attire should fit in good enough in any era.

I twirl my neck a bit, as I feel the horns on my head disappear from normal sight. Never stopping my steps, I look up to a large overhead sign, indicating the town was called Ray's Outpost. I set my eyes near the center of the large "Outpost," noticing a familiar mana signature, a signature attached to a person I wanted to meet.

Standing in front of a large multi-story building, which along with the fields and gardens, cover a footprint the size of a small airport, I take in a deep breath. For a minute or two, I stare up at the large lettering in nostalgia, before walking in through the academy gates, ensuring to not activate any alarms or traps. I follow the signature until I end up in front of the principals office.

I politely knock three times while I think over my questions. After a brief silence, a strong, mature woman's voice rings out.

"Who is it?"

"An old friend" I reply, muttering a mute. "Hopefully"

"Why so stiff? Come in already." I let a genuine smile stretch my lips as I open the door with a bit more force than expected.

Taking a seat, I take a glance at the woman sitting elegantly in her chair. Her uniform was grey in color, a perfect mix between style and professionalism. Her large horns punching up from her forehead, a slight curve pushing them back to perfectly contrast against her pearl colored hair which was tied up in a tight bun on the back of her head. Her face was as beautiful as I remembered it, with only the healthy wrinkles around her eyes and lips betraying her otherwise youthful appearance.

She gave a light chuckle and spoke before I let my confusion show. "You know, I rather like my privacy. Without my authority, you shouldn't have been able to even find the door, much less turn the handle with such ease."

Giving a small laugh of my own, I slightly squeeze the armrests of my chair "My sincerest apologies for being so great, I'll try to tone it down next time."

"Next time?" She cocked up an eyebrow in a questioning, almost scolding manner, the previous mood all but washed away.

"Arthur. I might be dead by the time you decide to take your "next time." I'm sure you don't even know how long it has been since you last graced me with your presence." Her tone continued to get lower and less charming, the seriousness with a dash of anxiety showing through her voice.

"7 years? Maybe?" My voice as unconvincing as a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"How old do you think your Champion is? Do you even know how long you've spent training her?" Odd questions, but ones I had a confident answer to.

"Astera? Of course I would know, I'm her teacher. She's eighteen years old and I've spent around 5-6 years training her. I still remember when she was still young enough to have baby fat on her cheeks." I smiled, remembering when I first met the girl and had the pleasure of pinching her cheeks.

With any hints of amusement gone, Seris says, "Arthur." She lets out a sigh before continuing. "I don't know what hobbies you've picked up to keep yourself distracted over the years, but it needs to stop. Now."

"Hey! Studying the intricacies of aether and applying that knowledge to craf-"

"I'm still speaking." I shut my mouth, knowing any excuse would just make me bite my tongue.

"Your Champion, Astera Indrath" she emphasized the 'Indrath'. "Is nearing her first century of age. She has a family of her own, nearly reaching past the fourth generation and will soon be crowned the next queen of this continent."

"She has a family? I thought she was an asuran war orphan who stayed in one of the orphanages I built. I wonder why she never told me."

Seris' face turned to a grimace, her nearly shouting voice ringing through my head. "She has told you, you complete idiot! But apparently, you were so preoccupied with something that you would forget or not even pay attention to her words!"

I was a bit startled, and opened my mouth to say something before she spoke again. "The poor girl saw you as her father figure, always excited to spend time with you in that stupid flying castle of yours. She would always come out of the portal with a beaming smile, thinking that she was sharing the moments of her life with someone who was listening. Yet after years of your neglect, she began to flinch when she heard your name, seeking out people like me, people who knew you before the war, begging for guidance on how to deal with you and refusing to give up on mending her relationship with you."

With widen eyes, I sat there in embarrassment and shame. It was one thing to acknowledge a problem and choosing to ignore it and it was something completely different to not even know there was an issue to begin with. Seris was right. If everything she said was true, I really didn't have any recollection of any of the things she mentioned. In my mind, Astera was only a young orphan who I had chosen to train for her talents and stubborn survival instincts.

In the palm of my hands, I conjured a picture from the dimensional rune carved on my right forearm. An old image, depicting me holding a pre-teen Astera up on my shoulders as we walked around the forest and lake that surrounded my home up on the floating earth. Both of us had stupid grins on our faces, enjoying nothing more than the time we spent with each other. For a few seconds, I stared at the picture, letting a single tear shed from my eyes.

"I always knew I'd turn out to be a terrible father." I paused as my lips quivered and my eyebrows twitched. "It's a little late to attend her high school graduation, isn't it?"

"Her coronation happened nearly a year ago, they're still in the process of settling her in. She told me she even took a week off from training with you. The girl said she invited you but I haven't heard from her since that day." Seris said with a sigh, her anger replaced by disappointment.

"I do remember her saying she was taking a week leave, but that was a few days ag-" I caught myself from saying anymore. Connecting the dots before I spoke, I only now realized it had been almost a year since I started my journey.

With tears watering my eyes and uneven hiccups, I start balling my eyes out, drenching Seris' desk and documents in snot and spit. I couldn't control it, all the memories and emotions from both of my lives flooded my mind like a torrential wave. The acute mental control I had developed over the years became paper thin defenses against the sea of painful memories.

The war. The damn war.

I won.

Against all odds, with even fate pitted against me, I had swung my sword at anything that could even be considered a threat. The asuras, the Vritras along with some groups of the lesser races and deranged Djinn, all of them falling to my sword, no matter how many swings it took. Standing as a pillar of freedom and independence not only to my own continent, but to every continent on this planet, I was the pinnacle of power. But it was the last fight that had taken almost every thing from me.

Killing my mother and sister was nothing more than a ploy to enrage me, to make me blind to some bigger picture or greater purpose. It had worked like a charm. Tired of plotting and mind games, I walked to the enemies front doors and fought them head on. Yet while my individual power was the greatest, I couldn't overcome the raw difference in numbers through wishful thinking. It's was then that Sylvie, for the second and last time, had sacrificed herself to save my disintegrating body, separating me from my human origins but not exactly fully asuran either. Shortly after, Regis gave up his body and mind to prevent my cracking core from shattering. To this day, my core still had a few cracks, probably an intended feature by Regis just to annoy me.

My friends and comrades only continued to fall throughout the lengthy battle. Caera had torn off her own horns, in the hopes of giving me a final push in power to end the fight and perished from an attack shortly after. The shape of her horns influenced the shape of mine, her curious demeanor forever lost.

Nico, Cecilia..... and Tess.

I wiped my tears as I looked up to meet Seris' anxious gaze. She was worried about me, but she was also worried for her academy. As a white core mage, my emotions could greatly influence the mana around me. I could only imagine what aether would do if I had allowed it to properly respond to my intent.

I take a deep breath before I finally ask her the question I had came here to ask.

"Seris, will you come with me?"

"Are you asking me out on a date? Because if you are I'll have to decline. I'm seeing someone at the moment." She said with a sigh of relief. "But if you simply want to go somewhere, I don't mind going as long as I can pick where."

I deepen my gaze, watching her with an ounce of the dignity that the world accredited to me.

"Seris, will you come with me to a time before strife?"