Transmigration Into The Beginning After The End

CHAPTER 24 - MEMORY

As I walked down the same hallway I walked with Gramps yesterday at night. To be honest, he really did not question me further on the veil that made my core look fake or artificial. I thanked him for that. But I would've revealed everything if he kept on pushing a little more and that idea was something I had to work on. My mentality was still low compared to anyone's here in the castle. 

Before I could continue with my mental side note. A loud cute yell or something like that threw me off and I ran towards the source of the voice. 

"KYAAAAAA!"

"--there?" 

Wha–

When I arrived, the elf princess was holding onto the squirming black little cat that looked alike…

Wait a minute…

Is that…

"Kyu!!" the small little dragon cried.

The "father" of the little dragon let out a defeated breath and fell back into bed.

"A-Art… is this?" I said, astonished by the black creature trying to run from the elven girl. 

"Her name is Sylvie and she just hatched from her shell yesterday. You should let go of her, though. It looks like she doesn't like being strangled," He muffled through the pillow that covered his head.

I got closer to Sylvie. Her head was shaped like a cat's but the snout was just a little bit more pointed, otherwise the same. The tail, though, looked exactly like Sylvia's tail. It was a reptilian tail that had two red spikes at the end. Along the spine of this one day old were also small red spikes that matched the color of its eyes. It didn't have wings but where the wings should be located, were, instead, two small bumps.

Being distracted by her appearance, Sylvie had finally freed herself from Tessia's grasp and was glaring at her while she hid herself behind Arthur. 

"Grrrrr…" Sylvie let out a high-pitched growl.

"Don't worry Sylv, she's a friend," Art said while patting her head. 

After Sylvie settled, she looked at me, turning her head in confusion. 

I, being confused as well, forgot that she can communicate with Arthur through telepathy. Convenient. I thought, being somewhat envious of them. 

Suddenly, Arthur shot up from his bed and looked at Sylvie with a tense look. Slowly he turned to me with eyes that were trying to make sense of whatever Sylvie told Arthur. 

A sense of fear entered me, thinking that she might have found out my secret. 

That shouldn't be possible, not even the Lances–the two strongest warriors of the Elven nation could understand much less make note of my secret now that I knew how to hide it. And now Sylvie, who was just born yesterday, made note of it just by looking at me? 

A sense of frustration entered my mind. It was directed towards Sylvie or anyone who was in the room, in exception to myself. In fact, I couldn't be more glad that if Sylvie actually found out, it meant that she barely knew what it was and her description to Arthur might be sloppy. Perhaps the best thing that she would say to describe whatever she felt or saw, was familiar yet not at the same time. 

Still, how were things going my way until they weren't? Just how many times was Fate going to play me by letting me think that I had the upper hand just for Fate to throw it all into the ground? Making me realize that I was never two steps ahead but rather five steps behind every move I mustered? Moves that perhaps take claim of people's lives? People that are dear to me.

Noticing my absence in the moment, Arthur, who had been quietly staring at me, spoke in a teasing voice as he got off bed. His eyes no longer on me, but rather on Tess who was literally drooling over the sight of Sylvie. I could see little hearts come out of her eyes as she was itching herself closer to both of them, her hands twitching lewdly like a predator's. 

"Okay, now you just look scary, Tess. Get out of my room, both of you, so that I can change." 

Quite the fact that Arthur had described from his perspective in the novel…

I walked downstairs alongside the princess. Tessia still being in love with Sylvie, nothing but heart eyes and small little resembles of hearts around her aura made her even more creepy to me. Nonetheless, it still bugged me. The reason for Art to look at me with an expression that at the moment I may have thought it was one but it could've been wrong. 

Shock? Confusion? Anger? Frustration? 

No matter how long I'd pondered on this situation, what truly mattered in the definition of true understanding. I lacked. 

What Arthur was thinking, and what Sylvie saw on me, brought some desperation and complication towards my plans. I can't just intervene, but what was the whole point of training and mastering the techniques I need for the future? Sure, over these past years, my training hasn't been the best or easy. Yet I still believe that it was–still is–enough for until the academy invasion starts. 

More specifically, when Dravnee starts brainwashing the students into being guinea pigs for the spellforms that Alacryian's use. Except that instead of the ceremony method, it was something that was a type of liquid. 

I don't remember exactly what it was, or what it was called.

"Hello, Grandpa!" Tess shouted, waving a hand and got next to Virion in a flash. 

Those words alone were enough to get me out of my daydreaming faction. 

I greeted the old elf as well before sitting in front of him. Of course I couldn't just start trailing off into my own thoughts knowing full well that Virion is the type of person to sense when something is wrong. 

Moments later, Art appeared with Sylvie on his head, not wanting to let go. 

"Gramps! We're here!" He shouted, all while Virion sipped his tea while reading an article that wasn't familiar to me in any way. Turning his head, he smiled, "Ah! Art you're here! Why was Tess fussing about some sort of pet that…"

"Here…we…go…" I managed to mutter without catching the attention of those surrounding me. 

His cup fell when he noticed the horned black lump sitting on Arthur's head. 

"T-thats…" He continued to stutter something incomprehensible.

"What is that?" He finally managed to ask, his eyes glued to Sylvie.

"Er… I think she's something like a dragon, although I'm not entirely sure myself," Art responded unconfidently. 

"Kyu?" 

Tess came through the door into the courtyard practically bouncing up and down. 

"You said it's a dragon? But it's so cute! Art! Can I hold her? Can I? Can I?" she begged, eyes sparkling.

"Grrr~" Sylvie started to hiss at her mortal enemy as she clawed at the boy's scalp.

"Ah ow ow OWOW! Sylvie your claws!" 

I stared at the scene. Wondering what to say. If I were to say anything like I already knew about the stone being an egg–which I already did, however I couldn't say anything–meant I would be suspicious of anything I do now and into the future. Restricting my movements and thoughts. 

There is only one thing for me to do…

Grandpa Virion, who was half dazed, still trying to make sense out of the creature on the main character's head, finally spoke up. "If that really is a dragon, how did you come across an egg? How did you hatch it?" 

"The dragon that left me her will entrusted me with a stone that I thought was a valuable gem–"

"That stone was an… egg?" I said. Making a surprised face towards those who knew the situation. 

His single nod was enough as an answer. 

"Supposedly, dragon's eggs, assuming it really is one, aren't just able to hatch just through the passage of time. It is said that the dragon inside must feel that something capable of protecting and loving it was close by in order for it to hatch. Even then, there must be a very close bond between them," he explained.

Virion is right. Though at first glance, Sylvie's birth out of the egg seems a little too sudden, there is only one specific reason for her appliance to leave her shell. The answer is the assimilation with Sylvia's will. 

"Activating the will, Gramps! I think that's what made her come out!" Arthur Leywin exclaimed.

Gramps scratched his chin, slowly nodding. "That is a viable explanation. The draconic races haven't been seen for hundreds of years, with only limited records of them so I can't say for sure. No use thinking about it now, though! Just be sure to keep that hatchling close by at all times. While it does look very like a creature of the draconic races, I would be the one of the only few that would be able to make that connection. Most people wouldn't know that creature was a dragon, so it should be fine by just feigning it off as a sort of rare mana beast."

After that matter was settled, I watched as Arthur and Virion began their training, to ensure that he could use or get accustomed to Sylvia's beast will. Perhaps hours and many more, I stared blankly at the two people–which then turned to three because of Tess–trained their mana cores and physical bodies. 

I learned a thing or two just by watching them spar and use magic to an extent, but it was my time to train now. I ignited mana to circulate around my body, of course it had to be done quickly so that neither Virion or Art could notice me leave the room. It was successful, until I noticed the small little dragon looking in my direction. Afraid that she would out me, I made a silencing gesture, in case that she spoke in her mind, alerting her bond. 

Thankfully, she only nodded. 

Somewhat relieved, I left the room, leaving no trace of me ever being there and headed towards where my masters were.

When I got to my destination, two huge wooden doors covered in green vines and some dead vines, awaited to be opened. Revealing a center of an area that was bigger than where Gramps trained the two kids. 

Being big enough to fit at least thirty to forty dragons with space still in between each other, stations with wooden weapons and steel weapons, and the training ground in the middle were two people with a level of mana core that I still couldn't read now. Perhaps in a couple of years their status will be revealed to all of Dicathen, ready to be officially named Lances. 

Two out of the six strongest mages in the whole continent. 

"You're late. One second more and I would've hunted you myself." Said one of the elves in white military uniform with a teasing voice.

I let out a chuckle, knowing god damn well that she wasn't lying. My feet took me to the center of where those two were. 

"Let go of your magic, now that you are in here, there is no need for it. Come one now! I don't have all day since your departure day is four months from now. Meaning you must absorb everything that we teach you. That will be your last lesson in your training!" 

The elf with black hair was right. In four months I will leave Elenoir and head towards Xyrus city towards my family… Yet, I didn't know how to act. It had been years since I last saw them, and it lands in false hope that they get to remember who I am after so long without any contact with them. 

Heeding her words, I concluded that I need to train harder if I wanted to master this power. It might be a curse or a blessing, but things are sure, these upcoming challenges are not something I can easily avoid. Not after being useless in saving Sylvia from her wound. 

I let go of the mana that cling to my body like a child for its mother. Releasing large amounts of mana into my surroundings was I able finally to understand how the elemental affinities worked. It took months to get a grasp of what Elder Rinia had given me to read, but I had it now. 

Having the ability to use the elemental affinities, it felt like true power. It was intoxicating at first when I learned how it worked, that my greed needed to be fed as I achieved the most powerful spells and converted them into non-chantable spells. I wanted more, and the more I got, the better it felt. 

That was a problem. It got to the point where I needed to be humbled by the strongest mages as they only used their weakest affinity while I used all of them in hopes of winning. 

I let out a breath. Moving a portion of mana into my left arm, conjuring water affinity, dead heat with fire on my right arm. Forcing the earthen affinity to coexist over with the ground, no more than four feet of me, was in my range of attack. A flock of wind dispersed from my body before coming back inches away from me and served as a barrier. Forming a wrathful tornado as my shield, I was now ready to perform my last four months of training. 

Though it may seem like I was a overpowered character, without any weaknesses. It was the opposite, I had more weaknesses than anything else while I unleashed all four elements. My concentration was the biggest one. I had to pay attention to every single molecule of mana that resided and moved around my command in order for it to function correctly to my liking. 

I closed my eyes, in order for me not to run out of mana, Mana Rotation was the solution. However, I couldn't still use it like Art did. To me, using all four elements at the same time was easier than using Mana Rotation for more than two seconds. 

As I tried to activate Mana Rotation, I felt the mana in the atmosphere change direction. 

They were making a move. 

I stepped into the ground, allowing wavelengths to freely flow like waves in the ocean, in return it told me their positions. Instead, I found vines flowing through the ground like worms in their nature. It was Alea, she was attacking me first. 

In all these past years of training with them, winning wasn't an achievement I got once. Not a scratch or a lucky blow was I able to land on them. But what was I expecting? They were Lances! Beings that reached the white core stage–with the help of the artifact–and were capable of destroying nations if they wanted to. 

The vines I detected were not only one but rather twenty-six eager plant spells that wanted to kill me. But I wasn't going to let that happen, I couldn't. 

Using the fire attribute on my dominant hand, I struck the ground, sending flames into the vines trying to intercept them. It was successful. Yet, I doubt that was all the attacks they were going to throw at me while being in this state. 

And I was right.

Instantly, a whistle of wind yelled at my left side. I let my tornado take the hit, thinking it was enough to block it but I was wrong. The spell that broke the sound barrier, broke through my defense like it was paper, unstabilizing my spell. I had to dismantle it before it got worse. 

With my eyes opened now. A burning sensation on my cheek told me what I needed to know, it was Aya who attacked me next. 

I pulled back. Trying to regain my focus with my eyes opened, but it was difficult, seeing how my spells flickered as I sensed my mana reaching its limit. 

Without my barrier and almost half of my mana gone, I needed to improvise. Alea was next to attack, using her plant sword with a barrage of attacks. I was again in defense, dodging the best I could against her attack, anticipating Aya's turn to end this session. 

Using the fire to my advantage, I conjured a fire wall when Alea reached for a strike towards my chest. The white haired elf sensed my intention, forcing her to back away from my fire wall. That is when I deactivated the wall and dashed towards her using an earthen stepping stone and wind magic as a boost.