Sealed 𝄽 (That was the title)
Klaus glared at me, his frown sharp enough to feel like it could devour me. "What the hell do you mean by that!?"
The others didn't even blink. To them, my words weren't worth that much attention. Only Klaus seemed genuinely concerned…
I sighed and raised my hands. "Alright… maybe this wasn't the right time to say it."
Asta stayed silent, staring at me intently. "He's not a prince. He's my rival; we grew up in the same place."
Yuno approached quietly, his voice calm. "How do you know that? Who are you?"
I raised my hands in a peaceful gesture. "Okay, my name is Ren. You can call me Tempo. Apparently… that will be the name I use when I appear in these W͟͝͠o͡͝r̸̀̕l̵̀͘d́̀s̕."
As I spoke the last word, a sharp pain shot through my throat, and a symbol glowed in front of my mouth. "𝄽" It expanded and enveloped me, preventing me from continuing to speak about it.
A burning sensation rose from my stomach to my chest, forcing me to clutch my neck with both hands and fall to my knees.
Klaus stopped Mimosa from approaching. "Wait! We don't know if it's dangerous."
The pain didn't last long, and I soon calmed down. I raised a hand and assured them, "I'm fine… seems like I'm okay."
Silence stretched for a few seconds. Asta and Yuno watched me impatiently.
Klaus pointed at me, clearly intrigued. "That… what does it mean?"
"I'm not exactly sure," I replied, still on my knees, feeling my heart race. "But it seems… like a seal. It stopped me from saying more."
Mimosa frowned, concerned, though still restrained by Klaus. "It must be magic… someone is preventing you from speaking."
Yuno studied me, his ever-unshakable calm on full display. "Ren… Tempo… say no more. I don't care. I'm still a Magic Knight of the Golden Dawn Order, and I don't need anything else but to be myself to become the Wizard King."
Asta quickly stepped forward, unable to stay silent. "The Wizard King will be me!"
I nodded, clenching my fists. "I know… I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted… to give you a warning." (Seems like I can't break canon right now.)
Klaus shot me another glare, this time more distrustful than angry."Better keep your secrets for now. We don't need you; we don't know you."
I stood up, still feeling the residual heat of the seal along my throat. "Understood."
Asta stepped forward, as if trying to break the tension with his overflowing energy."Well, whatever. As long as you help us with what's coming, that's enough for me."
Yuno nodded slightly, Mimosa let out a relieved sigh, and Luck smiled, amused by the situation. I heard a faint thought from him (As long as he helps me fight the captain, I don't care).
After a brief silence, Klaus looked at everyone seriously. "We need to report what we found in this dungeon. And there's something else… that boy," he pointed at me, "the one who appeared out of nowhere… Tempo, right? We need to decide what to do with him before reporting to Captain Vangeance."
I tensed slightly, feeling all eyes on me. "I don't think it's necessary… yet," I said, trying to sound calm. "I can only help while you're here, and I can't interfere with things that aren't supposed to happen yet."
Noelle chuckled softly, crossing her arms. "Come on, don't worry so much. It'll be better to take him to Captain Yami."
Mimosa watched me with concern. "I'm not sure it's wise… he could be a problem; he's from outside the kingdom."
Asta approached Mimosa, taking her hand, and said enthusiastically, "But he helped us! The Captain will know what to do. Trust me." Mimosa blushed and nodded, unsure of what to say.
Klaus frowned. "Problem or not, we need him to come. No escaping. He can be useful, and as long as he stays under supervision, there won't be any issues."
Yuno, calm as always, interjected, "He won't be a problem."
I felt a slight chill. It's not that I didn't want to help… but being introduced to Yami meant exposing myself too much. "Don't worry… I think it's time for me to leave," I said, trying to sound confident as I adjusted my guitar on my back.
Klaus glared at me, his anger evident. "What do you mean by 'leave'?" he stepped closer, crossing his arms. "You can't just vanish after all this. You have to come with us to the captain. Period."
Asta, ever impulsive, jumped toward me. "Hey, hey! Don't think about going alone."
Mimosa approached cautiously, her eyes shining with a hint of pleading. "Please, Tempo… just come with us for a moment. It doesn't have to be forever, just until everything's clear."
I sighed, lowering my head and clenching my fists. "Alright… I'll go with you. But one thing: don't make me promise anything I can't keep."
Asta, grinning, crossed his arms. "Relax, nothing's going to happen to you… as long as you don't get in trouble with the Captain. Although, honestly, you'll see… he's… intimidating."
Klaus shot me a side glance and added, closing the conversation: "Besides, you have the treasure, and we need to deliver it. Don't think we're allies if you try to keep it; it belongs to our kingdom."
The group began walking. They didn't put restraints on me, but they didn't let me go ahead or fall behind either; everyone watched my every move.
I sighed, gripping my guitar. I knew meeting Yami would be risky, but I also understood I couldn't avoid it. I just hoped the dream would end before we arrived.
The return journey felt longer than expected; this dream seemed to last longer than the last. Thanks to Klaus's magic forming a metal carriage, we arrived quickly, right at the Black Bulls' gate.
Upon arrival, Asta flung the door wide open and rushed inside, immediately flying out again.
Captain Yami shouted at him, "Can't you enter like a normal person?, brat!" He approached us.
Captain Yami raised an eyebrow, looking at me with that unmistakable expression; I felt like I was facing a beast. "Who the hell are you… and why are you here?" he said in a deep voice, his sword resting lightly at his side, ready to move.
My heart skipped a beat. This was the kind of moment where a single misstep could mean serious trouble. I tried to stay calm. "I'm… Tempo, and I'm just helping the Black Bulls with this mission," I answered, measuring every word.
Asta, ignoring the risk entirely, stood by my side, crossing his arms with his usual confident grin. "Captain, he helped us defeat a mage from another kingdom! He didn't do anything wrong!"
Yami looked at me silently. "You're a foreigner, right?"
I nodded slightly, trying to keep my voice steady. "Yes… I come from another place. I'm just here to help."
Yami remained silent, his eyes scanning every detail of my figure as if searching for any sign of deception. The tension was suffocating; even Asta seemed slightly more cautious, knowing what the captain was like.
Finally, Yami sighed, letting his sword rest with a light thud on the ground. "Hm… as long as you don't cause problems for my Black Bulls, I don't care much. But… don't get the wrong idea… one false step, and there won't be a second warning."
He rubbed the back of his head and muttered, "I guess I can give him a chance, like the one I was given."
Asta turned to me with a triumphant smile. "See! I told you nothing would happen… well, almost nothing."
I just nodded. As I took a step forward, I felt my body weaken and swirls of white magic envelop me. I was about to vanish. I looked at the others and said goodbye, "Hey, I don't know if I'll come back, but it was a pleasure being with you!"
I forced a smile and closed my eyes, expecting to wake up in my apartment.
"Mana Zone – Dimensional Cut."
I fell to the floor, looking at the space torn behind me, and my system sent a message:
(Transport blocked – Error)
I opened my eyes, unaware of when the captain had gotten beside me. With a swift movement, he grabbed me by the neck and muttered, "I told you there wouldn't be a second warning..."