Sacrificing his sanity

Tenji stared blankly at his student wondering why she asked about something so trivial.

Finally breaking the awkward moment, he clears his throat and replies, "let's just say my ability has something to do with my mental state. It enables me to control any type of mana without having to expend much effort."

Asahi stares wide-eyed at his teacher after hearing those words coming from Tenji's mouth. His mind goes completely numb upon realizing just how dangerous his abilities truly are.

The fact that Tenji had mastered his unique skill made things worse because there wasn't anyone else capable enough in Meiji and probably neighboring cities to challenge him.

A shiver runs through Asahi's body thinking about everything that happened earlier today.

"Professor Tenji, we are safe as long as you're with us, right?" Rumi asks nervously looking around their surroundings.

"I am not training you to rely on me alone! If you want to survive outside our walls, you need to be able to defend yourself by yourselves. That includes being aware of potential dangers lurking nearby," Tenji scolds gently.

Both students nod solemnly.

Patting his wall, he turns around with a grin as he questions, "are you two ready?"

*****

It took nearly half an hour of walking through a spatial dimension before they reached the outskirts of the city. There weren't many people roaming around during late afternoon hours which allowed them some privacy.

Once again, Tenji stops abruptly, forcing his students behind him to stop as well. This time, however, he doesn't wait for either of them to catch up. Instead, he walks ahead slowly scanning every nook and cranny carefully.

When he reaches the end of the street, he looks left and then right before stopping dead in his tracks.

"What now?!" Rumi hisses angrily under her breath.

Looking straight forward, Tenji points directly above his head. A large shadow looms overhead blocking most sunlight rays from reaching the ground below.

Rummaging inside his pocket, he produces what appears to be a small black stone.

Holding onto its surface tightly, he closes both hands together until only his thumb sticks out. Then, he opens his palms slightly revealing the object within.

With great concentration, he begins chanting softly. In mere seconds, the entire area becomes pitch dark except for the light emanating from the tiny rock floating high into the sky.

Asahi takes a step back, regrouping beside Rumi once more.

He feels himself shaking uncontrollably despite knowing full well that Tenji is responsible for creating this eerie atmosphere.

"P... Professor? Are you sure this isn't forbidden?" He whispers fearfully.

Without replying, Tenji continues reciting incantations. Soon, faint green lights begin appearing throughout the darkness surrounding them. These orbs float freely in midair forming intricate patterns resembling constellations.

In less than five minutes, the whole place was illuminated brightly making it impossible to see even ten feet beyond. Even the shadows cast by buildings disappeared leaving nothing but pure white illumination everywhere.

At last, Tenji finishes casting his spell. Looking over his shoulder, he smiles proudly seeing his students still stand strong against the unnatural environment created solely by his magic.

"Do you know where this is?" He questions.

Neither of them answers immediately, instead opting to look around themselves first.

Asahi raises his hands, waiting to be called by Tenji.

Giving a nod of acknowledgment, he says, "this is the outer perimeter of the city. Somewhere I definitely do not know."

Rumi nods her head silently agreeing with his statement.

She tries desperately hard to keep her cool especially considering all the horrible experiences she went through recently.

Tenji smiles and shakes his head lightly saying, "this here is a part of my inner sanctum. No matter who or whatever comes knocking, none will ever find their way past these barriers!"

He could understand why neither of them answered him yet. After witnessing firsthand the power unleashed when he used his special ability, they were understandably terrified.

"I can't do this in the confinement of the city or I might create a disturbance among everyone living inside. However, if someone manages to get close enough, they'll never make it further unless..." His voice trails off suddenly becoming quiet.

Turning towards his students, he sees both standing stock-still like statues unable to move due to sheer terror.

"I brought you two here so you would learn exactly what kind of danger lurks outside the safety of our walls. Although still vague even for myself, I have been trying to figure out the texts in my possession."

"Why were we chosen, again?" Asahi finally speaks after several moments pass without any response coming forth from Tenji.

His question seems to snap Tenji out of his trance state causing him to smile wryly at his student.

"Amassing so much power requires sacrifices. The same goes for knowledge too. You may think your life is worthless compared to mine, but there's no such thing as free lunch. Everything has its price whether good or bad. It just depends on how one chooses to use those resources available to them." Tenji replies calmly.

Asahi looks down, carefully thinking through all that had happened since being tangled in the web of the professor. At long last, he asks quietly, "...what did you sacrifice?"

Tenji remains silent momentarily while staring intently into space. When he eventually answers, his tone sounds distant almost as though talking about something else entirely.

"...my sanity," he admits sadly, "but I didn't have a choice."

Asahi and Rumi stare blankly at each other wondering what sort of person Tenji truly is deep beneath his calm exterior.

"We should head back soon. I wouldn't want anyone tracing my mana signature to you two." Tenji states plainly as he deactivates his barrier.

The hairs on Tenji's neck rise instantly, sensing an ominous presence approaching fast behind them. Without turning around, he quickly activates his ability sending bolts of lightning flying toward whoever approaches.

A loud thud echoes loudly followed closely by another sound similar to metal scraping across the concrete floor.

Turning slowly, he sees a creature made completely out of steel standing on top of a boulder. Its body is covered in thick plates which are studded with sharp spikes along every inch possible. A pair of large horns protruding from either side of its skull gives it a demonic appearance.

Its eyes glow red hot, emitting intense heat radiating outward. With a single swipe of its arm, it sends a wave of fire shooting straight forward engulfing everything within its range including itself.

Rumi rushes to create a portal leading away from the area before the monster reaches them only to realize she doesn't possess the necessary amount of mana required to open multiple portals simultaneously.

She stands frozen watching helplessly as flames approach closer and closer until . . .

*****

A/N

I would really appreciate your comments and support of this novel with your power stones on Webnovel. Your active comments would motivate me to write more chapters.