The day began as Yuki awoke to sunlight falling directly on her face. She found herself in the garden and realized she had been sleeping with her head resting on Ryu's shoulder. Ryu was also asleep, holding her so she wouldn't fall. The memory of them falling asleep there together last night returned to her, and she blushed.
"Ryu, you slept here too... for me," Yuki whispered, her cheeks flushed.
A short time later, Ryu opened his eyes and saw that Yuki had hugged him in her sleep. "Hmm,Yuki is still sleeping," Ryu whispered.
Yuki was pretending to be asleep, but Ryu noticed her blush. "Hey,Yuki, are you awake?" Ryu asked.
Yuki suddenly replied, "No, I am still sleeping!" Then she realized what she had said.
"What? ...Still sleeping, but you answered.... You are too childish, Yuki, but it makes you cute too," Ryu said.
"No, Ryu, please..." Yuki whispered and hugged him more tightly.
"Oh, Yuki, don't act like you're sleeping. If you want to sit like this, I could wait longer for you," Ryu said and gently patted Yuki's head.
"Ryu, why are you acting like an old man?" Yuki said with a blush and suddenly kissed Ryu.
"Hey, Yuki.... What are you doing?" Ryu whispered and blushed.
"You deserve this, Ryu, so please don't hesitate," Yuki replied.
Then they both stood up and went to find Daisuke to ask about visiting the royal capital.
"Oh, Ryu and Yuki, you both woke up," Daisuke said. "Yes,Elder. Well, have you seen Master Sora today?" Ryu asked. "Yes,she has gone to bring some magic stones," Daisuke replied. "Well,Elder, I think we have to visit the royal capital now. Maybe we will find some solution there," Ryu said. "The royal capital...Hmm... Well, we could go there. I want to go there too, so let's go," Daisuke replied. "Yes,Elder, let's go," Ryu said.
They left the pact territory to head out. Daisuke began to fly using a wind magic circle. He summoned two more circles beneath Yuki and Ryu, and they traveled by flying. "Well,this is the easy way to go there. Otherwise, we would have to walk a great distance," Daisuke said. "Yes,Elder," Ryu said.
As they flew towards the royal capital, the adventurer who wanted to kill Yuki and Ryu spotted them. "The bastard!Finally, I found him. Now I just need to make a plan to trap him," the adventurer whispered.
---
The scene shifted back to Ryu and the others. They continued flying with the magic circles until they finally reached the Royal Capital, landing in a market area.
"Hey, Ryu, we have reached our destination," Daisuke said.
They finally landed on the ground of the royal capital. "Hey,Ryu, I will meet you after I finish a little work. We will meet at this same place," Daisuke said. "Okay,Elder," Ryu replied.
Daisuke went off to his work. "Hey,Ryu, well, now what should we do here to find any clues?" Yuki asked. "Hmm,I have an idea. Just follow me and trust me. There is a good chance this will help us," Ryu replied. "Yes,Ryu, I always trust you," Yuki replied.
They walked through the market. Suddenly, Ryu saw a dagger and went to a shop. "How much for this dagger?"Ryu asked the shop owner. "Oh,this dagger? Well... it's totally free and worthless. No one has bought it; I've had it showcased for a long time, but no one takes an interest in it," the owner replied. "Okay,so I want to buy this," Ryu said. "What?You want to buy this? Well, you can just take it for free. I don't want to see the dagger in my shop anymore," the shop owner said. "Really?"Ryu asked. "Yes,really. You can take it. I was just going to throw it away," the owner said. "Thank you so much!I have needed a dagger for a long time," Ryu replied. He took the dagger and put it into its cover.
"Well, how much for these armored gloves?" Ryu pointed to a pair of gloves with spaces to fit magic stones. "Oh,these? They cost 30 silver coins," the owner replied. "Okay,and how much for this?" Ryu pointed to an old sword with red lining on its blade. "Well,that one is 80 silver coins," the owner replied. "Okay,give me both the sword and the gloves," Ryu said. "Okay,your total is... 110 silver coins," the owner said. "Well,Yuki, do you want to buy anything?" Ryu asked. "Well...hmm, no, Ryu, I'm not very interested," Yuki replied.
But Yuki kept looking at a magic ring again and again. Ryu noticed. "Well,how much does that ring cost?" Ryu asked the owner. "Oh,this one? This one is... 90 silver coins," the owner replied. "Okay,give me that one too," Ryu said. "Yes,so now your total is 200 silver coins," the owner said. "Okay,that's 200 silver coins, right? So, can I pay with 2 gold coins, since a gold coin is worth 100 silver coins?" Ryu asked. "Yes,of course," the owner replied. "Okay,"Ryu said and gave the owner the two gold coins.
He took his purchases, storing the sword and dagger in his storage magic. He put on the gloves and then went to Yuki. "Hey,Yuki, you want this, right?" Ryu asked and gave Yuki the ring. "Ryu...."Yuki whispered and blushed. "Ah,don't hesitate. You helped me on the hunt too, so you equally deserve these things," Ryu said. "But,Ryu..." Yuki started, but Ryu cut her off. "No,Yuki, don't find excuses. Just take it," Ryu said. He pulled Yuki's hand and gave her the ring. "Well,it's a magic ring which can store some mana and also some items, as it is enchanted with a dimensional spell," the shop owner said. "Really?"Yuki said. "Yes,it's a special ring from our shop," the owner said.
Finally, Yuki accepted the ring and put it on. The ring glowed with a green light, and the gemstone turned green, glowing for a short moment.
"Thank you for coming! Please come again!" the shop owner said as Ryu and Yuki began to walk away. "Sure..."Ryu and Yuki replied with a smile.
They walked on, and the scene shifted to the adventurer who wanted to kill them, following them from a distance.
---
The scene changed back to Ryu. "Well,Yuki, do you want to eat anything? We haven't even had our breakfast," Ryu asked. "Well..."Yuki was saying something, but a sound cut her off. The sound came from her stomach. Yuki blushed. Ryu heard the sound, looked at her face, and smiled. "Okay,let's go eat something," Ryu said. He held Yuki's hand and ran with her to a shop. He bought some sandwiches, and they went to an open area, sitting together on a bench to eat. "It's tasty,"Yuki said. "Yes,Yuki, it's more tasty than simple bread," Ryu replied.
After they ate, they decided to go to the place Ryu had wanted to visit when they came to the capital. "Okay,Yuki, all done. Now let's go to the place," Ryu said. "Yes,but which place?" Yuki asked. "You'll know when we get there,"Ryu replied.
They started walking. Ryu was looking for the place, and eventually, they entered a narrow road where no one was around. "Well,it's a too narrow road, Yuki," Ryu said.
No reply came. He suddenly turned back, but no one was there. "Wait,where is Yuki?" Ryu whispered.
Suddenly, someone attacked Ryu from behind. Ryu noticed, jumped suddenly, summoned the sword he had just purchased, and attacked the person. The person turned and blocked the attack. "Hey,who are you?" Ryu said. Wait, he is not normal. He is a trained warrior. I can tell from his sword skills,Ryu thought.
The mysterious person didn't answer and charged another attack at Ryu. Ryu dodged again. "Hey,I asked you a question!" Ryu said.
Still, the person said nothing. "Ah,he has covered his face with a mask, so I can't see his face either," Ryu whispered. "So now I have to do this!"Ryu shouted and ran to attack the person. He used his shadow slash from many sides and suddenly jumped behind the person to attack with his sword. But the person used some shields and blocked all of Ryu's attacks. "Hey,wait, what... He blocked my every attack!" Ryu whispered.
The mysterious person suddenly attacked Ryu again. Ryu dodged, and then the person suddenly appeared behind him. Ryu sensed it and moved his sword to his backside, blocking the attack. Wait, he is so fast too. Who is he?Ryu thought.
Ryu quickly created distance between them and held his sword tightly. "Oh,I am forced to do this," Ryu said in anger. He put his purchased sword away in his magic space and drew his real sword. He stared at the person with an angry expression. "Kindly tell me where Yuki is,or die," Ryu said in a cold tone. It felt as if he was not Ryu, but someone else had entered his body.
The person didn't answer. "Now,die," Ryu said and charged an attack. His eyes glowed with a blue aura. Suddenly, Ryu's attacks became stronger. He attacked the person swiftly, and the person's sword began to crack. The person, shocked, pushed Ryu back and tried to escape. But when the person turned, Ryu suddenly appeared in front of him. "Who gave you permission to leave?"Ryu said.
Suddenly, a stripe of blood hit the wall. The scene focused on Ryu's sword; blood was dripping from it. He gave the sword a shock to clean the blood, then turned and started walking. A moment later, Ryu's expression returned to normal. "Hey,what happened to me just now? And where is the person?" Ryu whispered.
He turned back and saw the person lying on the ground without a head, the head some distance away. His eyes widened in shock. "Hey,who did this?" Ryu whispered and looked at his sword. Some blood was still on it. "Hey,did I do this? Did I kill him? But how? I don't know when it happened," Ryu whispered. He put his sword away in his dimensional space and ran from the place.
A mysterious person in a black hoodie watched everything from the top of a building overlooking Ryu.
---
The scene shifted to Ryu, still running. I have just killed a human now,he thought.
He reached a place and stopped. It was the very place he had wanted to come to before. It was where the academy was built, but since he was in the past, the place was empty. "Hey,I got here. It's the place where our academy is. Since I am in the past, the academy hasn't been built yet," Ryu whispered.
He used his detection spell and found an underground passage. "Hey,it's real!" Ryu whispered.
He used his earth magic and opened an area to enter. "I have to do it fast,and I have to save Yuki," Ryu whispered.
He entered the area, and the candles suddenly lit up as he did. I heard a rumor that there was a secret labyrinth under the academy, built thousands of years ago. Someone discovered signs of a high-powered relic there, but the area was already looted. Although it's a rumor, I found the place, and I'm sure it's the same royal capital from our time. Now I have to find the treasure,Ryu whispered.
He ran inside, using his Third Eye skill at a low range to find traps. He reached a room with a grave. It's the grave of the great mage who lived millions of years ago. He discovered magic first, and all the magic we use is part of his spells,Ryu whispered.
He went close to the grave. As I expected, it's a fake grave,Ryu whispered.
---
The scene shifted to Yuki. She was unconscious in a closed room, tied with ropes.
---
The scene shifted back to Ryu. He used a spell, copying a magic circle drawn in the room. He added many parts to the circle by copying circles from different areas, then cast it on the grave. Suddenly, the coffin's cover opened, revealing stairs leading down to a secret place. "Yes!I was right. This is what happens when someone reads books," Ryu whispered.
He went down and walked through different areas. Suddenly, he found a low-rank monster there, killed it using his dagger, activated his shield and Third Eye skill, and ran forward. He reached a place where the path was locked. He looked at a slot meant for a magical circle and tried to fit one he cast into it, but he failed. Well, I think this place is for fitting an item,Ryu thought.
He looked around and, after searching for some time, found an area different from the others. He cast a fireball at the place, and the wall broke open, revealing a new path.
When he entered, a stone golem suddenly appeared and attacked Ryu. Ryu sensed it, summoned his new sword, and blocked the attack. He noticed a glow from the sword; it changed its appearance, becoming sharper and lighter, and began to emit energy. "Hey,the sword just changed its appearance and started emitting energy," Ryu whispered.
He observed the power from the sword and began attacking the golem. Ah, since the golems were created many years ago and are made of stone, they have become weak,Ryu whispered.
The fight went on for a little while before the golem broke into many parts by itself and dropped a round magical item. Ryu took it and saw another item levitating on a pillar-like stone table enchanted with magic. He took that item too; it was a magic crystal.
Ryu went to the door, placed the items, and the door opened. He saw an area filled with many magical items and spell books. "Wow,this area is amazing. Well, some books are the same as the ones in the academy's library, but there are some different ones. I will take them," Ryu whispered.
He took the books and the magical items, then saw a magic circle on the floor. He walked over and activated it. Suddenly, he was teleported to the real grave of the mage. There were so many gold coins and a magic staff there. Since the mage was also a warrior, he knew both sword and magic skills. Now I have to take his legacy to save the world from the Demon Queen and the Shadow Cult,Ryu whispered.
Ryu took the things he wanted.
---
The scene changed. Ryu came out of the area and sealed it again with his earth spell. "Now I have to find Yuki.It's a good thing I put some of my magic in the ring I gave her," Ryu whispered.
He used his Third Eye skill. "Hey,I can't find any trace of her," Ryu said. "Let's try again,"he whispered.
He tried again and still found no trace. He decided to go back to the place where the person had attacked him. He ran to the area and saw that the body was gone, and the area was clean, as if nothing had happened. "Hey,what happened? The body disappeared, and there's no trace of him. Ah, forget it, I need to find Yuki," Ryu said.
He used his magic detection spell and followed Yuki's magic trace. After reaching an old house, the trace ended. "Hey,the trace ends here," Ryu whispered. He summoned his sword and suddenly opened the door of the old house.
He found some adventurers inside, and they attacked him. Ryu swiftly dodged all their attacks and started killing them one by one. "Ah,since I've already killed one, I don't need to fear killing bastards like you!" Ryu shouted.
After the fight, the area was full of bloodstains and dead bodies. Ryu used his detection spell, found a place below, used a spell to destroy the ground, and entered.
---
The scene shifted to Yuki. She slowly opened her eyes. She found herself in a closed room with the adventurer. She tried to move, but as she was tied, she couldn't move her hands. The adventurer came close to her and tried to open her clothes. Yuki shouted and cried, begging him not to.
Suddenly, the door broke and fell down. The adventurer stopped and looked at the door. He saw Ryu standing there, covered in blood. "What?You came here? But where are my subordinates?" the adventurer shouted.
Then he suddenly saw a head in Ryu's hand. "W-w-what?Whose head is that?" the adventurer asked in terror.
Ryu threw the head at the adventurer's feet. "Don't worry,you will be with them in just a few minutes," Ryu said in a cold tone.
Yuki was terrified, looking at Ryu like this. Then Ryu noticed the tears in Yuki's eyes. "Wait,did you try to harm Yuki?" he asked in a cold and terrible voice.
His eyes glowed blue, and a dark aura erupted from him, covering the room. Suddenly, Ryu appeared in front of the adventurer and killed him too.
Then he walked to Yuki and cut the ropes with a slash of his sword. "Hey,Yuki, are you all right?" he asked in a soft tone.
Yuki stood up, cried, and hugged Ryu. "Ryu...!"Yuki shouted, hugging him tightly and crying.
The shadow domain that Ryu had created dissipated. Ryu hugged Yuki back. "Don't worry,Yuki, everything is okay," Ryu said. "I...I was so terrified. Thank you... thank you so much for saving me," Yuki said through her tears.
---
Time passed. They went to a riverside and cleaned off the blood. "Hey,Ryu, how did you become so powerful?" Yuki asked. "Well...I visited a place before I reached you. That place was underground, beneath where the academy will be. It's the grave of the great mage from history," Ryu said.
He explained everything that had happened. "Oh,that's the reason you became so brutal," Yuki said. "Yes,but I don't know... when I was fighting that person, I felt like someone else was controlling my mind. Afterward, when I got my consciousness back, the person was killed. And after that, I wasn't afraid to kill anyone if they weren't good," Ryu said. "Oh,but what about the domain, Ryu?" Yuki asked. "Domain?Hmm, what domain?" Ryu asked. "The domain you created when you killed the last adventurer,"Yuki said. "What...at the time... a domain? But I don't know about that. I was even in my own control. How is that possible?" Ryu said in shock. "Yes,Ryu. Well, we have to ask Elder about it," Yuki said. "Yes,Yuki, you are right," Ryu said.
Then they went to the place where Daisuke had said to meet. They saw Daisuke waiting there. "Hey,Ryu, is all your work done?" Daisuke asked. "Yes,Elder," Ryu replied. "Okay,so we can return. Sora should teach you in the evening," Daisuke said. "Yes,Elder, we can cultivate in the evening," Ryu replied.
They returned, and neither Ryu nor Yuki told Daisuke or the others about the day's events. They finally reached home. "We have returned,"Daisuke said. "Oh,Daisuke, you finally returned!" Kiyomi replied. "Yes,and Ryu and Yuki were with me all day," Daisuke said. "Oh,we all thought you had disappeared when we went out," Kiyomi replied. "Yes,but we both wanted to go to the royal capital for our work, so we went there together," Daisuke said. "Okay,but did you do the work I asked?" Kiyomi asked. "Yes,I bought some magic stones for you," Daisuke replied.
They entered, and Ryu went to cultivate with Daisuke. They entered the Crimson Valley to practice. There, Daisuke noticed Ryu's gloves. "Well,Ryu, what about the gloves?" Daisuke asked. "Oh,the gloves? I bought them from the royal capital," Ryu replied. "Oh,well, you can use some mana crystals with those gloves," Daisuke said. "Yes,Elder, but I don't know how to use the crystals with the gloves. I forgot to ask you," Ryu replied. "Oh,that's the reason," Daisuke said and summoned some mana crystals. "These are some A-rank mana crystals. Show me your gloves." "Yes,Elder," Ryu replied.
Daisuke fixed the crystals into the gloves. "It's done now.But remember, only wear them when you need to. If you wear them permanently, your body will always suck mana from them, and you could develop a mana leakage problem," Daisuke said. "Understood,Elder," Ryu replied.
Ryu tested his new gloves and charged an attack; the attack increased fivefold. "Wow,Elder, it's too amazing!" Ryu said. "Yes,but still, you don't know about their real potential. You should learn it if you use them for some years," Daisuke replied.
They ended the training session and returned to reality. "Oh,Ryu, is it over?" Yuki asked. "Yes,Yuki," Ryu replied. They went for dinner.
---
After dinner, as in past days, Ryu went to the same tree and sat in the same place. Daisuke was also there. "Hey,Ryu," Daisuke said. "Oh,Elder. Well... do you sit here every day?" Ryu asked. "Well,yes, Ryu, but I think you are the same," Daisuke replied with a smile. "Ah,well... Elder, this place gives more pleasure at night time," Ryu said. "Yes,Ryu, you are right. It's a nice place where I find peace," Daisuke replied and looked at the sky. "Well,I think this is the last time I am watching the moon," Daisuke said and closed his eyes. "Elder,don't think everything has ended. I will try to help you, even if the reality is changed," Ryu said. "Well,Ryu, if it were anyone else, they might agree, but... you don't know what could happen. The future cannot be changed easily. If you do it, you could become trapped here permanently. If that doesn't happen, an infinite time loop could be created. Or, if we are very lucky, the future will change. It could also happen that the people you know—your mother and father, even your friends—could be changed or might not even exist. Your reality could be deleted, and you could lose your existence. Or, if you are extraordinarily lucky, this same incident will happen again after you return to your timeline. I don't want to change the whole world for my life," Daisuke said. "Elder,why do you think about others?" Ryu said. "No,Ryu, I want to die with pride and don't want to live like a coward. But I want to help you for the last time, so tell me what you need. I will also hand over the Crimson Valley and the weapons I have to you," Daisuke said. "Elder,you are too kind. But I want to tell you something," Ryu said. "What do you want to tell me,Ryu?" Daisuke asked. "Well,Elder... I have a book, but its language is too ancient. Could you help me read it?" Ryu said. "Oh,an ancient language? Even in this time, which is already ancient for you? Amazing," Daisuke said.
Ryu summoned the book. "Here is the book,Elder," Ryu said. "Oh,this book? Well, I think it's a very old book. Even I can't read it properly; everything is written in an ancient code language. Well, wait a second," Daisuke said. "Yes,Elder," Ryu replied.
Daisuke summoned a magic circle over Ryu's head, and it passed through his body. "Okay,now you read this," Daisuke said. "What?But how, Elder?" Ryu asked in shock. "Well,I have transferred the knowledge of the language to your memories, so you can understand it now," Daisuke said. "It's amazing,Elder! Well, I will try to decode it when I go to my timeline," Ryu said. "Oh,nice, Ryu. Well, have you found any way to return?" Daisuke asked. "Well,I think yes, Elder. When I went to the capital, I found a room with ancient magic, and there was something about time magic there. So when I am ready to go, I will try that," Ryu said. "Oh,Ryu, you are really a genius. Well, wait a second; I have something for you," Daisuke said. "What?For me? But what is it, Elder?" Ryu asked. "Yes,for you, Ryu. This thought came to me just now, after you showed me this book," Daisuke said.
He summoned an ancient book. "This is a book I got from my family.I was unable to decode it; even my family wasn't able to. But I have seen your potential, and since I will die soon, there will be nothing left, as my family and everything will be destroyed. So I want to give it to you," Daisuke said. "What?Your family legacy?" Ryu asked in shock. "Yes,as I trust you the most," Daisuke replied.
Daisuke gave the book to Ryu, and Ryu accepted it with honor.
---
Time passed, and then Yuki came to the garden. "Hey,Ryu, come and sleep. It's already too late at night," Yuki said.
No reply came. She went closer to Ryu and noticed that both Ryu and Daisuke were asleep. She went to bring a blanket, covered both Ryu and Daisuke, gave Ryu a kiss, smiled, blushed, and then went to sleep, whispering "Goodnight."
---
The scene changed to the old house where Yuki had been trapped. The same hooded person who had observed Ryu's fight from the rooftop entered the house and saw that all the adventurers were dead. "Tch.They are too weak. They couldn't even kill a child," the person whispered.
...