"A terrifying card."
Rowan felt the world snap back twenty-four hours and let out a slow breath. Of all the Clow Cards, Time was the one he respected most. Strength meant little against it. You could overpower, evade, or outlast most cards, but Time simply removed you from the fight. Without a working understanding of temporal magic, resistance was meaningless.
"Not today," he decided.
He returned his focus to the Lightning Card. By now, he had fully absorbed every lightning-based technique preserved by the Yanagi family, which meant he finally had the foundation needed to dissect the card itself. Time could wait. Sakura and Shōma would handle it, and when they did, he could study the card through Shōma if necessary.
As expected, the timeline reset three days in a row.
On the third rewind, Sakura and Shōma sealed the Time Card together. Shōma carried most of the burden in that battle, and the card responded accordingly, choosing him as its holder. Rowan merely nodded when he sensed the result.
While his attention in this world remained on lightning and cards, another part of him was already moving.
In a different world, Rowan's panda incarnation stood alone on a barren island, holding a sealed nesting doll. His power here had long surpassed the great figures of legend. Merlin. Morgana. Both were behind him now.
Lightning flowed easily through his body, refined to its core. Against it, the magic of this world bent and broke.
It was time.
With a quiet shift, he teleported to the island, far from witnesses. The nesting doll was placed at the center of a prepared circle.
"Release."
The seal broke.
Dark magic surged outward like a storm tide, thick and suffocating. Moments later, a woman took shape, elegant and furious, her presence heavy with ancient power.
"I'm free," Morgana said, laughing softly. "Finally free."
Her gaze fell on Rowan, and her smile faltered.
"…Who are you? Where is Horvath?"
"Still sealed," Rowan replied mildly, studying her with open curiosity.
Morgana scoffed. "Useless. And you… I never imagined my legacy would be carried by a panda."
She waved it off. "No matter. You freed me. When I rule the world, you'll be the most revered panda to ever live."
She glanced around the island and frowned. "No resurrection array? Tsk. I'll prepare one later in the cities."
"That's generous," Rowan said. "But I didn't free you to conquer anything."
Lightning erupted.
Power far beyond anything native to this world crashed into Morgana before she could react. Her body locked instantly, magic spiraling out of control as the current disrupted every spell pathway she had.
Before she could recover, Rowan stepped in close.
"Legilimency."
Mind and magic pressed inward together. Memories tore loose.
It took ten minutes.
Ten minutes of tearing through forbidden knowledge until he found what he wanted: the Book of the Dead, its rituals, its truth.
Resurrection, as Morgana envisioned it, was a lie. The spell did not restore life. It dragged souls back, binding them into obedient constructs. The dead returned with their skills intact, mages retaining magic, warriors retaining strength, provided their bodies had not decayed too far.
Morgana's plan was simple. Raise ancient kings, archmages, forgotten tyrants. Build an army that history itself could not match.
Rowan had no intention of letting that happen.
He reached forward and ripped her soul free.
"Traitor!" Morgana screamed as she tore herself loose from the lightning, magic igniting into black fire. She hurled it at him in desperation.
Rowan inhaled.
Then exhaled.
"Dragon Slayer Magic: Fire Dragon's Roar."
Red, blue, and black flames engulfed her, burning into the soul itself. The scream that followed was sharp, furious, and afraid.
"I'll come back for you!" Morgana snarled, fleeing into the sky.
Rowan watched her go without chasing.
He already had what he came for.