After Aruna's departure, I began training alone. Every day, I practiced magic and trained with the sword. Now, I am ten years old (or thirteen, depending on how you count), and I decided it was time to move on—to an entirely new level.
I trained in chronological magic, which consisted of:
Recreating time loops.
Creating doubles—up until now, I've managed to make 10,000 clones.
Creating the illusion of an endless path that stretches on forever, without end.
I spent five years on this. Five whole years of training. But this time, my body aged. I am officially fifteen now. And yes, time hadn't passed in the real world. I grew older in just one second. It felt so strange.
Next, I moved on to elemental magic:
I reviewed what I had learned with Aruna.
I improved a demonic spell into a Demonic+ spell. This removed the side effects, the slowness of the incantation—even though I had already created a way to cast without chanting—and made it nearly invincible. It may not sound like much to you, but for me, it was a nightmare. Imagine this: if you make even the slightest mistake in the incantation of a spell you created, you'll suffer a massive headache.
For cosmic magic, I learned how to:
Move celestial bodies and even create an eclipse.
Improve my Quick Assassination skill.
Summon a sealed demon, multiple clones, and even an ancient Demon King.
I also learned a single spell of ecliptic magic. Yes, just one. But that spell was the Spell of Creation, which allows me to create, send, or even transfer objects from another world.
When I returned home, my mother suddenly shouted at me:
"Who are you, young man? What are you doing here?"
"It's me, Mom. Your son," I replied.
"No, my son is ten years old. You're just an impostor. Unless… are you Tom? No, impossible!!" she retorted.
"No, Mom, it's me. And who is Tom?"
"He was our first son. He died a hero… He was an adventurer. But impossible—you can't be Henray!" she questioned.
"Well… do you remember when I kissed Aruna at seven years old, and you accidentally walked in? Or when you laughed at me because, after preparing noodles, I spilled them all over my head?" I said, laughing.
"Yes, yes, I remember… but then who are you?" she asked again.
"It's me. Henray. I just used chronological magic to grow five years older." I declared.
"Ah… well then… come in!!" my mother finally said.
Then, my mother told me the story of Tom:
He was their first child, little Tom. Tom became an adventurer. He was renowned for his courage and strength. But unfortunately, he died facing a dragon. Nobody knows what truly happened, but they told us he was gone.
Hearing this story, I was shocked—terrified, even. Then my mother came to me and whispered:
"Don't think about it anymore, my boy."
"But… you lied to me all this time. Why?" I answered, saddened.
"I only came to tell you that next year, you can enroll in the Academy, if you wish. Otherwise… I'm sorry," she said as she walked away.
Poor Mom… she must have suffered even more than I did. She only wanted to protect me. I have to forgive her, thank her, and tell her I'm sorry. She is always positive, no matter the situation. How could I ever bring sadness to the light that has always guided me on every path I follow?
So, I went to forgive her and thank her for everything—especially for the proposal.
Love your MOM ❤