Wyllt Manor; Garini, Garyudōra, Ryudō-ShanGriLa; 12 Yangsary 12R7X
It's been thirteen years since I've been living my new life as Myrlin, and about six years since my grandfather bestowed me with his
Signature. Since then, I've gotten a firm grasp on my limit; initially I could only stop time for two seconds, and I was limited to that to three times a day. However, everyday since then, I maintained a strict meditation regimen and the results were finally starting to bloom.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before saying, "Temporal Stasis." Upon the phrase, I felt a wave of mana pulsating from within my Cache and my hair began to glow that same soft electric-blue color, all those years ago; I use each pulse as a time marker, which means the more pulses I feel, the longer I've been in suspended time.
Fifty-six, fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty… I released my ability, and my hair reverted back to its original midnight purple color as the color filled the room around me. It looks like I can push it to a full minute now, and on top of that, I think I can spam the signature a couple of times before I'm down
for the count.
From my daily meditation and training, I've come to the understanding that my Temporal
Stasis Signature controls the carbon-dioxide molecules in the atmosphere, causing a lapse in one's perception of time; and because the Signature's foundation is carbon, it means that I have an elemental affinity for earth magic. Shortly after my grandfather bestowed his signature onto me, I underwent my innate Signature's awakening, a simple Sand Signature.
I honestly wasn't expecting anything flashy or over the top; however, the simplicity of sand left me desiring for at least something a little more destructive. Nevertheless, I spent every single day increasing my mana output
and my control over my elemental affinity. A small head start in this new magic-filled life can definitely make a difference, I thought.
BANG—! There was a slam at my bedroom door, and before I could answer it, Minerva and Monspeed came rushing in, the former was chasing the ladder. I quickly snatched Monspeed by his shirt collar, "explain,
now!"
"We were racing, and your room was a short cut, and—," Monspeed began with a quivering lip, I looked over at Minerva, and all she could do was shrug her shoulders. It was clear to me that Speed thought I was going to yell at him, and he wasn't entirely wrong, but I know how sensitive he can be.
I let out a long-winded sigh before meeting my brother at eye level, "Speed, you have nothing to worry about, I'm not upset, just annoyed, which doesn't mean it's the end of the world." My younger brother looked at me with these giant puppy dog eyes, he was about to start crying, and I wasn't in the mood to hear Rubella attempt to calm him down by scolding him.
"Speed, c'mon," I grabbed my brother by the shoulders and gave him a good shake, "we're supposed to be Big Bros for Meliodas and Baby Bo!" I stuck my arm out and flex,
showing off what little child muscles I had, which seemed to have worked, because Monspeed was mimicking my current pose.
"Big Bros!" Speed sniffled as he flexed.
"Speed, your such a crybaby," Minerva announced, there was a moment of silence before the three of us erupted in a fit of giggles as I chased them out of my room. I
didn't think what Minerva said was harsh or anything, actually quite the opposite; Speed is very soft spoken and gentle, he's the type of person that will listen to you talk for hours without putting in his two cents. The type of
person that was perpetually naïve, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, on the contrary, I find it to be a rather pure trait.
Two months prior
Speaking of my siblings, I was surprised to find out that Minerva was also reincarnated
in this world, which I guess kind of makes sense as to why I was able to speak English around her. She and I would frequently meet in our family's wine cellar to chat when no one was around; she told me that her name was Jamisha, and she was a Culinary Arts major in college.
"Yeah, it was some scary stuff," Minerva recounted, "and that fucked up angel-thing had been possessing my father for who knew how long and when I finally came face-to-face with that monster, he came to save me."
"Who?" I asked, not wanting my sister's story to end.
"Astaroth," the look in Minerva's eyes was one of nostalgia, the look a millennial gives when they see a relatable Instagram post. "Do you know him? Did he send you here
too?" Minerva's questioning grew more frantic.
"I don't know who that is, I'm sorry," I answered, although, the name does ring a bell, perhaps one of the adults would know more about him. "From your story, he sounds like a total badass!"
Minerva Cosmina Wyllt
Present Day
Speed and I made our way outside to the courtyard where we had our show down. The two of us stood outside, the harsh sun beaming on our brown skin. I lifted my hand in the air before pointing it at my twin brother, "Your time has come, Fiend!"
"You'll never catch me!" Monspeed chuckled before the two of us rushed at each other.
But before we could even attempt to finish playing, a woman stepped in between us. The air felt similar to how the atmosphere was back during the last moments of my previous life. This woman had quite literally stepped out of thin air. She wore a long white dress and had crimson-ash colored hair.
She turned and directed her gaze on Monspeed who was visibly frozen in place. The woman looked over her shoulder at me and placed two fingers on my forehead. What's happening? Is this my end now? I was just warming up to this place—. Two
orbs of light appeared, and the courtyard went dark.
Myrlin Samael Wyllt
As I roamed the halls of our manor, I'd run into my Uncle Aether; he and my father were twins, with the ladder being the eldest. Uncle Aether sported a perfectly shaped navy-blue afro with an equally neat beard, he didn't wear a kimono, instead it looked like he was wearing a military uniform. From what I know, Uncle Aether lives rather far from his brother, something about looking over some land or whatever.
"Oh hey, Murmur," Uncle Aether called out, "great to see my favorite eldest nephew, how are you?"
"Good afternoon, Uncle Aether," I gave my uncle a slight bow, maintaining pristine poise and elegance, "I am well, how are you?"
"Geez kiddo," Uncle Aether chuckled as he patted my back, "loosen up, I know you live in this fancy manor, but you gotta learn to be less stiff and find the vibes."
"Find the vibes?" I raised a brow; I feel like I'm back at my old university during spirit week, could he use a more cringe phrase? "My apologies, I mean, my bad. It's just I'm not around many kids my age, except for Minerva and Speed. I guess I just want to seem more grown up than what I appear."
The two of us began to walk aimlessly through the manor; my uncle was extremely smart and just as strong as my dad. He'd go on to tell me that he and my father formed an adventuring party and they travelled throughout the entire realm.
"Exploring the entire realm," I repeated the phrase to myself, "how does one optimize the time to pull off something of that nature?"
"Oh, Great Mother," Uncle Aether chuckled and sighed, "there you go again talking
like some sort of automated bookworm. Providing the solution to your question;
answer found; just freaking do it, kid." The two of us looked at each other before we burst into laughter; my uncle was right, I really needed to loosen up. I feel like a robot that has to give out perfect answers or otherwise people will start to get suspicious of me.
"My B, Unc," I chuckled as we continued our stroll; however, he'd stopped dead in his tracks, as if he just seen a ghost. "Hey, Uncle Aether, what's the matter—." In that moment, I felt a wicked and twisted wave of mana flood the hallway, the feeling was so overwhelming that I unintentionally vomited. "What is this?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.
"Bad news, kiddo," Uncle Aether said as he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, "bad fucking news; Trigger: Gate!"
CLAP—! In an instant, a sliding paper door appeared in front of us, the wood was a roasted chestnut color, and the panels were a plain beige, and when we stepped through the door, we were no longer in my manor's hallway. Instead, we found ourselves in another, separate hallway, one that was free from that wave of malevolent mana. My uncle put me down and I was able to get a better look at my surroundings; the hallway was more like a Japanese outdoor corridor. The atmosphere was serene and tranquil; however, something was telling me not to get too caught up in the peace.
"This way Murmur," Uncle Aether motioned me to the door at the end of the corridor. When he opened it though, I was met with a nightmarish sight; it wasn't a destination on the other side of the door, instead it was a swirling vortex or portal of some kind. I was apprehensive about going in, but my uncle was in a hurry, so he took it upon himself to scoop me up and jump into the portal, and when I opened my eyes, we were back at the manor, the manor's courtyard to be exact.
"Uncle Aether, what was that?" I asked both franticly and wide-eyed.
The courtyard looked like something straight out of a psychological horror film; there
were hedges set ablaze, and the once beautiful blue sky and golden sun that
would beam down on us, was now scorched with dark ashen clouds, and the one in
the focal point of it all was a woman. Not just any woman, but one with a familiarity about her that I couldn't quite shake. The woman had deep mahogany skin, ash-crimson hair… It can't be, is that The Goddess? The gravity of this situation was finally starting to sink in, and that's when I'd noticed Minerva, lying unconscious in the middle of the courtyard, "Unc, look, it's Minerva!"
"Yeah, I see her Murmur," Uncle Aether acknowledged, "It's a spell called 'Gate,' to
keep it short, it's a teleporting spell; now wait here, I have to keep our uninvited guest company until your father shows up." My uncle ran over to my sister, and with his shadows acting like something of a pocket, Uncle Aether placed Minerva inside, keeping her safe for the time being. "Myrlin, stay right here, and don't let your sister out of your sight," my uncle summoned the shadow that was carrying my sister.
I nodded my head to confirm, and he returned the gesture with a smile while directing his attention to the woman, "Aspect of Space: Void Missiles!" My uncle clapped his hands together as several orbs of purple light manifested over his shoulder, the orbs stretched and grew into miniature rockets that, when it came in contact with its target, completely erased it out of existence.
The woman's face was plastered with madness as she dance across the courtyard, expertly dodging each of my uncle's attacks, all while carrying an unconscious Monspeed, "Oh, is that the best you can do, False Space Lord?" The woman's crazed eyes locked onto mine and without a doubt, it really was The Goddess, why is she acting like this? The thought came back to me, right before she'd sent me to this world, she said that she would go on a rampage, is this what she meant?
"Aspect of Time: Dismantle!" I heard a booming voice from behind us and a massive wave of sand came rushing toward the courtyard, it was my father. "Getting yourself killed like always, huh, Aether?" Father met with my uncle and the two prepared themselves for battle.
"What's this?" The crazed woman squinted, "The False Time Lord and The False Space Lord, along with the Failed Chaos Lord, reunited at last!"
"Bashi, that's enough!" Father cried out, I wasn't sure, but it sounded like he called the woman by her name, "you're not the Chaos Lord, and you didn't fail; I failed. I let you down, so if there is anyone to blame, you should blame me."
The woman erupted into laughter as she set my brother to the side, "Oh brother, of course I blame you, and I blame you too Shangomaru. I blame both of you for not keeping your promise to keep me safe." There was another wave of mana, followed by a soundproof barrier preventing me from eavesdropping.
What are they talking about? Did she say that she blames my father and uncle? And
most importantly, why did she look like the Goddess; why did she call my father and uncle "False Lords," nothing is making any sense, I was having a hard time collecting my thoughts, so much so, I found myself in the same position as my two siblings, knocked out, due to over processing.
To be Continued…