Ch. 24 'Moving Backward'

"Richard! Richard!"

Niken patted the invisible wall while calling her brother. But Richard starting to lose his strength, he began to fall but strengthened himself not to faint.

He felt the help of the three people behind him, so he didn't fall. Alas, his head felt dizzy and get dizzier in time.

"What happened? Weren't you okay before?" asked Shin Ha.

"My brother... he shouldn't be able to move along with the others either. He used his energy to walk in my time zone. As a result, his energy depleted rapidly."

"That's why..." sighed, Richard tried to regulate his breathing. "Hurry up and rerun the time."

Richard regained his breath before continuing. "Your friend will not die like what happened when you failed to save the rabbit. Just wet a little. Well, seeing that lump of water, it might be soaking wet. But only like that. She won't get hurt."

"But I don't like the way others look at her. I don't want Karyn depressed and isolated. She is my first friend. I love her very much."

"I know. I have talked with her. She is a good girl." Richard sighed and tried to stand up with the rest of his strength. "What do you want to do?"

"I want to return the time before all this happens. Right before the water sphere falls, soaking everything."

Richard's face became tense and stiff. "Are you tired of living? Your energy has drained a lot, yet you still want to turn back time. I'm warning you, Niken. If you die, I will die too. Do you understand?"

"Richard," Niken pleaded with pleading eyes. "Please allow me,"

"I beg you. Please run time now."

Niken's eyes became more glaze as she couldn't get permission from her brother. If Richard disagreed with her, it was better if she didn't unfreeze the time and stayed like this.

"If I give my energy to her, will it help?"

Richard turned to Kazuto, confuse why a stranger was willing to share his energy. The next moment, he remembered Scarlet's words.

'And we will protect her too. Besides, she will be part of us sooner or later.'

Is it possible? This one Elementalist knight...?

No. He can't hesitate anymore. He will do anything for the sake of his sister. Thought Richard.

"Yeah. That might be very helpful."

After obtaining approval from Richard, Kazuto was silent for a moment. Not long afterward, a black mist enveloped Niken's body.

"Richard, I think I can do it. I feel my energy is replenishing again."

Richard smiled as he nodded his head. "Just do what you want."

Hearing that Niken smiled broadly, and at that moment, Niken's body radiate a bright light, and everything began to move. Not moving forwards, but instead, the time was moving backward, including Niken. Except for the four people outside the barrier.

And no one noticed the dark green circle that glimmering under Niken's feet. It was a weird circle and tiny, so no one saw it.

"Shin Ha, go transform back and hide your weapon."

Shin Ha immediately obeyed what Scarlet ordered and put his weapon back inside his astral dimension.

"After this, Niken won't remember what happened. And she won't remember you either," explained Richard.

"How come?"

"Because she let herself trap in her power. I guess she doesn't want to remember this bad incident."

Minutes later, the classroom's door closed with a 'bam' sound followed with a voice of running video from inside.

"Are we going inside?" asked Shin Ha.

"What for?" Kazuto replied.

"I thought you will always want to see her."

"I do want to see her, but right now, what's more important ..." just as Kazuto was about to say that Richard's condition was more important, Richard fainted on the spot.

Kazuto and Shin Ha caught Richard swiftly right before his head hit on the floor.