Ch 71 – A Bittersweet Goodbye

(The Next Morning)

Outside Rintarou's house, the witch could be seen sitting on a wooden chair looking intensively at the duo in the distance.

"So Lute, imagine space as mana, but more complex. You can move it around, create portals, and more, but that's just the simple applications, when you're good enough, you could even shrink or expand objects" I said as the space around us move rapidly while Lute gulped at the sheer display of my prowess.

"But don't worry too much, you'll get used to this power the more you use it," I said as Lute nodded and swung the sword around to create cuts in space.

"But let's first train your swordsmanship, you're good right now but not great, so let's do a quick spar before you guys finally go away," I said as the duo decided to embark off in a few hours and I enjoyed their company, they have their flaws but they're enjoyable to be with.

As I said that, Lute looked at me in confusion because what sword would be able to contend with Yamato but I chuckled in response and took out a wooden sword.

"Won't that sword get cut by Yamato in a single hit?" asked Lute in concern.

"Don't worry about it too much, but you should worry about yourself. I could revive you all I want, so treat this as a desperate fight to the death" I said as the air around me started to get covered in killing intent.

"What!?" said Lute in shock as I instantly appeared behind him swinging my wooden sword towards his neck as he got beheaded in one hit.

"Tsk tsk tsk, you should have parried," I said as Lute started to revert back in time with his memories as he puked on the ground.

"Guwah!" said Lute as a gross puddle of bile and mashed foods was created on the ground while the witch looked at me with awe because I could just revive people with ease.

"Hey, mister K," said the witch.

"Hmm?" I asked the witch while Lute stopped his puking and lay down on the ground with a blank stare.

"If we were to die, would you be able to revive us in the future?" asked the witch.

"Hmm, life is a concept that should be cherished, if death is a fickle thing towards mortals, then won't life be worthless? But let me ask you a question, you don't fear death do you?" I asked the witch.

"Yes, I'm already immortal," said the witch with a smile.

"Well, why not, if you want to find my whereabouts in the future to get my help, just follow the feeling," I said as the witch looked at me in confusion.

"What feeling?" asked the witch.

"This," I said as I imprinted a mark on their existence as they felt that feeling I was talking about.

"W- what is this?" said the witch in confusion as she sensed that she could somehow know where I am no matter where I am.

"Just a little mark. Well, come on now Lute, it's just one death" I said as I yoink him up from the ground and threw the Yamato towards him.

"What do you mean just one death! I died!" said Lute as he patted his neck at the point it was beheaded.

"Yes yes yes, let's get going already, you guys will be gone inside that dungeon for possibly years, we don't want you to go in there unprepared," I said towards Lute as I got into a fighting stance.

"Sigh, okay then!" said Lute as he swung the Yamato towards me cutting the space just right in front of me but he was thinking too small and I instantly teleported my wooden sword inside his chest.

"W- what?" said Lute as he fell down to the ground with a wooden sword piercing through his chest as the witch looked at it in surprise.

"Again," I said and revived Lute as he clutches his chest feeling the phantom pain as he probably might have PTSD but who cares, he'll just be a little quirky at night.

"HA!" shouted Lute as he teleported behind me but I was a step ahead of him and teleported behind him and grab his neck.

"I'll go easy on you with the killing," I said and walked back to my spot as Lute looked at me with steeled eyes.

With us not uttering a word, Lute disappeared from view but I noticed the spatial fluctuations and swung my sword upwards creating a spatial cut that shot towards Lute high above the air as his body was cut in half.

"Again," I said with a yawn as Lute revived in front of me and instantly rushed towards me with enraged eyes but I just created a spatial cut near the ground as his legs were crippled without me even swinging my sword.

"Come on Lute, this is space we're talking about, don't think like it's magic, it's much more than that," I said as we appeared in the black void while Lute look around in confusion.

"I'll give you an example of what you can achieve with space, watch this," I said as my wooden sword started to appear everywhere through thousands of portals as Lute look around in awe.

"Or even this," I said as all the swords disappeared replace with a gigantic towering wooden sword high above in the sky that brought the fear of death to Lute.

"H- how?" said Lute as he looks at the gigantic wooden sword in the sky in disbelief.

"That's the problem, you think like space is magic when it's far from that, even though I said think like it's mana, it's much more. Space is everywhere around us, but let's think about distance, let's say I am 2 meters tall, 2 meters is a spatial unit, and I can expand that" I said as I became a giant right in front of Lute as he gulped in response.

"Now, are you ready for more training!" I said as I shrunk down to normal size.

"Yes sir!" said Lute as we appeared back in the forest while the witch actually went to make some sweet potato fries which surprised me but it also brought a sense of pride inside me.

"Remember, space isn't magic," I said as we got to our respective places as something seems to have changed with Lute as he looked at me with a sheen in his eyes.

With us giving an intense stare at each other, we both disappeared from the witches' view. We rapidly teleported around with tons of spatial disturbances rapidly appearing all around as spatial cuts, portals, bends, and more filled the area.

"Oh ho, it seems like you're standing to understand how this works," I said with a smile behind my mask as we appeared back at where we were previously standing while Lute was filled with sweat and breathing heavily as his chest heaved with each breath.

"Huff, puff, checkmate," said Lute with a smile as Yamato suddenly appeared through my chest which is an impressive feat as he concealed Yamato in space and made it stay there in just an instant which allowed it to pierce through me, but in the end, he's still an amateur.

"Checkmate" I responded back as the Yamato just fell to the ground phasing through my body as he looked at me in shock because I just made myself transparent to all non-spatial attacks.

"Sigh, how do I even do that," said Lute in defeat as he walked back to the witch and grabbed some sweet potato fries for himself.

"Take a short break, we'll continue a few minutes later," I said and disappeared from both of their views as I appeared inside my dimension and rapidly went to make equipment for the two for their oncoming adventure which involves going to the place where the beast is sealed which will probably take them from a month to 10 years due to how perilous and deep the dungeon is, so I could bring them some help through some magic tools.

A few minutes later, I arrived back at my house as Lute was sitting on the ground looking at the Yamato with a deep stare.

"Okay, let's do our final fight," I said to Lute as he nodded and walk towards me with a determined glare.

With a swing, both of our swords clashed as my wooden sword surprisingly survived the strike of Yamato and went on to rapidly teleport everywhere.

As I teleported behind Lute, I swung my sword towards his back but encountered a spatial barrier as he teleported Yamato behind me but I teleported away in response.

With a grin behind my mask, I threw my sword towards Lute as he blocked it with Yamato but I teleported below him with a kick going upwards but he smirked in response.

"HA!" shouted Lute as he swung his Yamato towards my foot in an instant as it got cut off but that's where space comes in as my foot was still there and Lute looked at it in shock because I did get cut but I simply made my body still attached to each other and I used that split second of shocked to teleport the sword inside his open mouth as he gagged and spew out the wooden sword.

"Guwak," said Lute as he rubbed off the dirt in his mouth and looked at me in resentment.

"You did well after only a few hours wielding the Yamato, both of you take a rest now so you could head out tomorrow," I said and walked back home as they both nodded and followed me inside.

Lute went to clean his body in the river outside the house while I went to whip up a quick meal for lunch today as we enjoyed the remaining time we have left together.

Inside the dining room, all three of us were sitting down with our meals as I just casually ate through my mask while Lute was wolfing down on his food.

"So, how would you guys try to get the help of the beast?" I asked the witch who ate some food.

"I have my ways," said the witch as she still remained full of mystery but it was fine because I was doing the same.

"Well, you still haven't told me your name after all this while, you mind telling it to dear little me?" I said with a chuckle.

"No," said the witch with a blank stare.

"Well that's sad, but I'm sure you'll reveal it to me in the future," I said and ate my meal as we enjoyed the rest of the day together while giving some tips to Lute along the way.

(The Next Day)

"You guys ready?" I asked the duo as we stand outside my house just beside the farm.

"Yes, we're ready," said the witch as Lute nodded.

"Aww, you won't even say a little thanks," I said as the witch sighed.

"Thank you mister K," said the witch as I clapped my hands.

"Good good, now take these gifts of mine," I said as they suddenly don on new clothes along with new equipment as they were a bit surprised at the sudden change.

"W- what!?" said the witch as she felt her magical prowess rising through the roof along with Lute who went to punch a tree and watched his fist pierce through the tree with ease.

"What is this?" asked the witch as she looked at me with wide eyes.

"Don't ask too many questions, just take this as my payment for you guys spending time with me, now go on, you have a grand adventure that awaits you two, I wish you both the best of luck" I said as I patted their backs and pushed them towards the forest.

"I really must say my thanks now mister K, I hope you will reveal your secrets to us later," said the witch as she looked at me with eyes full of thanks.

"And thank you too mister K, I hope you find joy in your life," said Lute as he took me into a tight hug which I enjoyed.

"Hehehe, me too Lute, what about you? Don't you want to take your dear little mister K into a hug" I said towards the witch.

"Ugh, fine," said the witch as she hugged me with a blush while I chuckled and patted them on the back.

"Mmm, well go on now!" I said and pushed them towards the forest as they nodded and walked away into the distance.

And as they looked back towards the river, the farm, the house, mister K, all of it was gone as if the house and mister K never existed in the first place.

"Huh, gone just like that," said Lute as he rubbed his teary eyes.

"Let's go," said the witch as she walked forward with Lute nodding and following her from the back.

But just outside the edge of the forest, Rintarou could be seen with his mask now taken off as he looked into the wide-open field with a grin.

"With that chapter closing, a new one shall open! A new era with the appearance of the 10th hero!" said Rintarou as his hair fluttered along with the wind while the grass around him swayed with the fresh breeze that passed through the area.

AN: This is 2261 words, you're welcome.

The Sword of Damocles hangs above each and everyone one of you with its ever present threat of despair, so send me some power stones with your power of friendship and save the thousands perhaps even millions to come who will read this masterpiece immortalized in the tunnels of time.

(March 31, 2022 – 127th day of writing)