The advent of a New beginning

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'As the runes echoed and distorted in shimmering light, Philip chanted something incomprehensible as his right hand pointed forward.'

/Gleam.../

'Under his control, a stream of dark light was slowly released from his fingers as he started to draw something in the air.'

'A perfect circle, followed by a complex sigil, then another circle, layering them all atop each other.'

/Crack…/

'The seemingly solid rock of the ground started to move like waves in the ocean, crunching and breaking in synth with the movement of his fingers...'

'Until he stopped, and the dark light in the air gathered at the center of the room.'

/BANG!/

'With a strong flash of light, the dark light descended onto the floor like water falling from a waterfall, forming a black pool darker than the night sky.'

'This... Pitch-black water was still, completely still…'

/CRUSH!/

'He closed his hand, crushing the strange symbol he had made, and with it, all floating runes shattered into pieces of glimmering obscure light...'

"... It worked." Philip said in a dark tone

Smoother than I thought.

"It did?!" Laplabe questioned in exasperation

"There is no need to be surprised, I already expected this outcome."

From my preliminary tests, I already confirmed that all Schools of Magic were functioning as normal, however, Conjuration works a little bit differently, hence my skepticism...

Perhaps not all Schools of Magic, as the Schools I practice in do not, by any means, cover everything the world has to offer...

To name a few...

Sword Singing or the art of Shehai, the Spirit Sword.

Shadow magic, Flesh Magic, Blood magic, the Tonal Architecture of the Dwemer...

Magic stones... That in itself is one rollercoaster of a ride.

The Elder Scrolls themselves.

It's even possible to stretch and add Mysticism and Thaumaturgy, though in their case, those schools can kind of fit within the ones I study.

And that is just a few to mention, magic in this Universe is as broad as the mind can be, and in a sense, that may be what it is.

Not that magic in Eden is any different, but I would say a mage is much more limited with his resources in Eden than he is in this Realm.

It's not like in Eden you can see a shadow and study it, only to see the myriad possibilities it holds, and through its study, shape the world through its reflection...

Regardless, not only is Conjuration different from the others regarding the way I needed to test it, but it was dangerous too.

Even then, after a few isolated experiments, I came to the conclusion this ritual was possible.

Making a portal like this was hard, especially considering I lack the materials such as Sigil Stones, the appropriate location, or specific coordinates to bind myself to.

And I had to do that while avoiding all possible mistakes and traces...

Having come this far in a little less than 2 weeks was already impressive, all thanks to the power of money.

I had more than enough resources to splurge until I got it right.

'Blinking, Philip stopped thinking and started moving.'

"Let's go." He said as he walked forward

"Wait! You're going in just like that?!"

I have never seen something like that, I can't feel anything from it!

On the contrary, I feel an intense urge to get away from here!

"There is no point in waiting." Philip urged as took a single look back before moving to the edge of the pool

"You…"

I don't even...

'In the end, the mimic jumped up and bound itself to his beck like a small collar.'

...

"..."

'Standing at the edge of the pool, Philip took a deep breath as he stared below.'

/SPLASH!/

'The portal was just like water, the moment he touched it, the dark water splashed all around, but it didn't stick to his skin.'

'It felt like air, but wet? A very light liquid.'

/Bubble.../

'The pool had a very weak current, pulling him to the bottom.'

'However, as soon as he touched the "bottom" of the pool, he kicked it, emerging into the outside.'

/SPLASH!/

"!"

'And as the water fell down...'

It worked… But I can't breathe.

'Philip and Laplabe stared at this new world… Or tried to because there was nothing there.'

'Complete emptiness, darkness, nothing in sight, a bone-chilling cold...'

'A complete Void.'

Oblivion.

'If it wasn't for the faint light coming from the purple runes shining on the edge of the pool, Philip wouldn't even be able to see his own arm.'

/Shuaa.../

'Emerging from the dark pool, Philip grabbed its edges, trying to step out as the pool tried to pull him down again.'

'The current didn't care where he was or what he wanted, it kept trying to pull him down, but unless one was a child, there was no way to be overpowered by it and drown as you were trapped between the dimensions.'

'This was what the pool was, a passageway, while completely submerged, you wouldn't be here, either on there, but in between.'

'To drown in it would be very strange... Yet, an 'epic' way to die... Or some might say.'

'However, he kept every single precaution he could think of at all times, no matter what happened, the portal must remain active.'

'Although he could recreate the portal were it to fail, thanks to something he left back in Eden, he would prefer to never have to think about it in the first place.'

"..."

If something goes wrong, just like how I used Conjuration to come here, I can use it to Conjure myself back into Eden as long as the things I left behind are there.

Now that I'm here though, I should've been a tad more careful...

'There were many ways to travel through Oblivion.'

'One such way consisted of projecting oneself into Oblivion, not through a real body, but through a myriad of ways, thus making whatever happened to you irrelevant as in case of death, reawakening in your original body would be immediate unless powerful forces were at play.'

'Unfortunately, Philip had no such methods available to him.'

It seems my portal bound itself to a stray floating rock within Oblivion… Just as planned.

The ritual, instead of teleporting me to Oblivion, was supposed to create a passage, however, for that, it needed a physical object of a minimum size to bind itself to.

One of the reasons why I tried my best to decrease the size of the portal, the bigger it was, the lesser places it can bind itself to, and the greater the risk of it just popping inside an already established dimension and realm.

The absolute worst-case scenario would be to appear within a realm under the control of a Lord, Demi-Prince, Daedric Prince, or literally anything else.

It isn't about a matter of power, it's about a matter of being low-key.

Though... I would've liked if the place was a bit bigger.

'Climbing out of the portal, he assessed his surroundings as he created a magical light to illuminate the dark void.'

"..."

A rock about 24 meters in diameter floating calmly in space, its a bit conical in shape, making it ideal for what I seek.

/FLASH!/

'Kicking a small rock on his foot to test gravity, he cast several types of magic in quick succession.'

'Rolls of stone rose from the ground, each with a flame ignited atop it.'

'Several colorful waves of energy were generated beneath his feet, digging into the stone...'

'And a small bubble formed around his body, allowing him to breathe while also heating his cold body.'

'One of the reasons why he didn't freeze to death was thanks to the many protective enchantments layered on his clothes, once again, not that he needed it.'

'Obviously, Philip wasn't wearing a dark cape to look cool, only partly so.'

'These clothes were made of special materials and enchanted with the best things Philip could think of, perhaps not his strongest Enchantments, but the best he thought he would need upon his expedition into the unknown.'

"Hum..."

It seems to be made from a mixture of Gold, Iron, and other minerals.

There should be several tons of it here…

'He smiled.'

Space is truly bountiful, but I didn't come here to enjoy this.

'Tapping his foot on the ground, he pondered.'

During the creation of Mundus and many other Realms, scattered pieces of those worlds and the ones that were broken in the process were flung across Oblivion, perhaps even older pieces lay there in the darkness.

This must be one such piece, so I wonder where it originated from.

Is it from before or after Mundus' creation?

'He looked above, identifying something in the dark, including… A massive sphere in the distance.'

"..."

Is that the Mortal Realm of Mundus?

Technically speaking, Mundus refers to a collection of astral bodies made by the Aedra when Lorkhan conceptualized his idea, so what I'm seeing must be the barrier that prevents residents of Oblivion from trespassing, made long ago.

The Liminal barrier.

Oblivion is an infinitely large place, and a completely different Universe from Mundus.

However, just like traditional empty Space, mortals from Mundus observe Oblivion as the emptiness of the sky where the stars reside.

In that way, just like how they can behold Oblivion, I can behold Mundus, so I must be pretty damn close to it... As close as I can perceive it, the sun can glow brightly in the sky, but it's tens of millions of Km away.

And until proven wrong, I can't say if being this close is good or bad…

"Sigh..."

That's why common sense can't be used here...

'He continued to look up, seeing the stars that filled the empty space, including a very large one.'

The Sun, or in other names, Magnus, is a hole made by… Magnus, the Arcthect of Mundus.

An et'Ada that tore through the limits of Oblivion and left for Aetherius upon seeing the 'disgusting' creation that is Mundus.

And this hole is thus viewed as the Sun, and it's responsible for a lot of the magic energy everywhere, and many other phenomena.

Some of these guys followed Magnus, tearing smaller holes seen as the small specks of light in the sky, the other stars, these beings are classified as the Magna Ge.

The others that stood after this event was further divided into many groups, like some that let themselves be consumed and fused with Nirn, be it willingly or not, and those that only partly helped it, becoming the astral bodies around it.

And also the ones that stood outside and watched it all unfold and stood behind for their own reasons.

But enough of this, with each passing moment, the danger I'm subjected to increases.

'He took out an item from his inventory, it was very large… Metallic nail?'

"Where do I put this?..."

Technically speaking, oblivion isn't void space, it's the emptiness between realms and dimensions, chaotic matter that has no shape or form.

It shouldn't be seen or interpreted through common sense, even worse, another world's common sense has no place here.

The way a mortal perceives this world may be completely different from the et'Ada, the same goes for me.

But I don't really care.

The only thing that matters is, to make my own realm… I'll puncture this chaos and make a small pocket of 'order', from this, I can start to make more use of this instability to further increase my own plane and its capabilities.

I have no intentions of making it extremely complex by layering even more magic rituals or anything of the like, in fact, this rock is big enough as it is.

Neither do I have the intention of using a part of myself in its confection, as I have no need to grow this Plane in order to raise my own power.

This would make it much easier for anyone to just steal it away... But it doesn't matter much to me.

I just need the basics.

Without further ado, it's time to start, before Laplabe loses his patience and starts asking me his barrage of questions…

/CRACK!/

'Philip grabbed the nail and chose a decent spot, plunging it onto the ground with a mighty swing before stepping on it brutally.'

'How barbaric, if a mage were to see this, they might question just what kind of fool he was...'

'Though for Philip, there was no need for an overly pretty ritual, he wasn't here for that.'

/Shine.../

'Atop the nail at its base were a series of runes, and by injecting Magicka onto it, they flared, and a sudden wave of energy blasted his body and the rock…'

"Wow!"

Careful...

'Philip was almost sent into outer space due to the lack of gravity, but he had many ways to propel himself back to position.'

With the nail now in place, this dimension can be considered stabilized, however, this now means that any other traveler that happens to be nearby may notice me.

And since I have no intention of playing with lady luck, I have to hide.

Thankfully, I'm near Nirn, so I'll just use it as a smokescreen.

A small enough rock at the bottom of a waterfall… Who would notice it?

"Though... I'm quite stretching it here."

Oblivion is endlessly massive, so much so travel through the emptiness of the Void is naught impossible, just like how hard it is to move from the Earth to Mars, but instead of Mars, you're trying to reach Andromeda.

The chances of me meeting anything like that are... Infinitely small.

And in this case, perhaps being this close to Mundus may be a detriment rather than a boon, as now I'm closer to the center of where everyone's gazes are at.

Nevertheless, a little bit of effort to hide even when I'm in the darkness won't really take much, and it'll greatly help me.

Though in the scenario I do meet with something moving across Oblivion, I should already start praying to the Divines...

Something that can cross the endless dark won't really miss my tiny humble rock... Or perhaps, it might just ignore it, even mistake it for a speckle of dust.

"So I ought to make it convincing."

'Raising his hands, Philip focused as a protective barrier formed around.'

'The barrier connected to the nail through a pillar of yellow light, and thus, his "realm" had been made.'

'As soon as that was done, he started removing a series of objects from his pocket space, scattering them throughout the area without a care in the world, using magic to put them in place and modify the terrain to his liking.'

…

/SHUA!/

"..."

It's here.

'Not long after he started, a strange liquid started to rise from the cracks of the stone he called home.'

Finally, albeit very little, this means I have succeeded in making this place a plane.

This strange substance is called Chaotic Creatia, It is a shapeless but energetic Padomaic material...

"Ugh... Uhum!"

/Clears throat.../

What this means is that I can use this shit to further improve my plane, and it's also a key component behind the creation of a Daedra's body or artifact.

For now, I'll just dig a small pond here and let it accumulate as I try to make this place habitable…

…

/Half an hour later…/

'The previous stale rock now had one of its sides completely smoothed out, fully embracing its conical shape.'

'At the center of this area was a small pond of bluish water, next to it was the metallic thorn Philip imbued onto the ground, and the dark pool that acted as the portal connecting Eden and Oblivion.'

'Not only that, a small barrier covered the sky like a dome.'

'On the ground, many small trees already covered the place together with a faint layer of grass, even then, Philip couldn't breathe even if he wanted to.'

'To do he had to resort to magic and materials he left in his inventory to do so, even then, it wasn't exactly hard.'

'Magicka was abundant in Oblivion, he felt like he could keep going without stopping.'

'However, despite everything, he was very satisfied with his progress.'

"At this rate, a day or two would be enough to turn this place into a fully-fledged Oblivion plane where someone can live in."

It's a bit lackluster, and I'll say that it was my fault, as some mages can make planes far better than this in less time as well, but it was my first time and I was working under terrible conditions…

Even then, if you take the total time I've been studying magic to the creation of this plane... Then it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I'm amidst the fastest to reach this stage in existence.

"I can take a breather now." He said calmly as he sat down on a small dislodged rock

Enough excuses, it's time to use my Skill.

'Yet, before he did so, he remembered someone...'

"..."

"You there?" He asked concerned upon noticing Laplabe's silence

'He waited and waited until he finally got a response.'

"I am… Just a bit confused…"

'His voice was wavy, confused, perplexed... He was in dire need of attention and care...'

"Alright, then we're golden." Philip said quickly as he stretched his arms outward, ignoring the poor creature

"..."

Insensible bastard.

...

/A minute or so later.../

'Sitting down on his rock, Philip stared at his newly created Plane.'

Perfect, this worked much better than I thought.

"I have established myself here, not for anything but this." He mumbled to himself as he inspected his Class Status

I wanted to use it first, however, I should try and learn a bit about the surroundings first.

As I have no idea where in Oblivion am I... And even though that doesn't matter much in the grand scope of things, it would be beneficial to me to get access to 'Oblivion', even if I won't explore it.

There are many dimensional hubs and whatnot scattered all around, without a key, I cannot move around.

/Fuom.../

'His right hand gathered dark chaotic power as Magicka bent to his will, changing the world.'

/CAST!/

'The orb of darkness materialized on the ground, bringing forth a twirling cloud of dark smoke,'

*Conjure Unbound Daedra.*

/Step.../

'A being stepped from within, wearing blackish-red armor that shone slightly in the darkness.'

'Without a helmet, its face was visible for all to see, a pair of horns, an ashen complexion, and a dark red war pain on its face.'

'It was a Daedra, a Dremora to be exact.'

(Image)

"Foolish."

'The being's voice was raspy and heavy, so dark it would make anyone uncomfortable.'

"Another mortal that oversteps his boundaries, I shall take your..."

/SMACK!/

"?!"

'Before the Dremora had time to say its cringy lines, Philip vanished, slamming its face onto the ground, caving it into the stone.'

"Phew, I was a bit tired... I just needed a sandbag." Philip said as he took a deep breath, cracking his knuckles

"MORTAL! THIS TRANSGRESSION!"

"ONCE I GET AHOLD OF YOUR SOUL THERE WON'T BE..."

/SMACK!/

'Philip stepped hard, shoving the Dremora's face onto the solid ground again.'

/Tremble.../

"How can a mortal possess such physical..."

/SMASH!/

...

'The Dremora had no chance.'

'As he looked down at the Dremora, Philip crouched, taking him out from the stone by grabbing his horns.'

'Its face bleeding heavily, it looked at Philip with a twisted expression.'

"This isn't the end, I shall come back and..."

"Who said you're leaving?" Philip asked with his own twisted smile

'His hands started to shine...'

"Hm?! Mortal! What do you think you're doing?"

"Binding your Vestige to my Plane." Philip said as his expression grew dark and diabolic

"YOU?!"

/Thud.../

/Thud.../

'The Dremora tried to counterattack, but its fist did nothing even upon hitting his face.'

"This hardness! What are you mortal?!"

"A very buff wizard." He replied calmly as he pulled something from within the being

"STOP IT THIS INSTANT!!" He screamed in anger in agony as his Vestige, his Soul, was torn apart into pieces

"If you scream any louder I'll bind you to my toilet seat."

"Your threats do not scare me, mortal, even if it takes millennia, I'll..."

/SMACK!/

'Philip punched his face back onto the ground.'

...

/Not so long later.../

"I'll do so as you wish, M'Lord." The Dremora said as it stepped inside a small portal

/Fwoosh!/

'And as it vanished, Philip let out a sigh.'

"Stubborn."

Dealing with Daedras is a pain in the ass...

Nevertheless, I got myself a minion.

Once you make them submit, it becomes simple... Until they find your weakness or a chance to strike, there is no such thing as honor and chivalry in this place.

Even if there is, I won't risk it.

Now, time for the main dish...

'His hands flashed in reddish light as he activated his powers.'

*Conjure Daedra Merchant*

/FUOM!/

'The air immediately emitted a sound as space twisted, folding onto itself and forming a strange egg-shaped dark spot.'

'From within its turbulence of energies, a being stepped from within, downing an expensive robe full of golden-black designs.'

'Its skin was charcoal black, though most of it was hidden under its expensive robes.'

'Its face was adorned with colored markings, akin to tattoos.'

'Though minimalistic, they seemed to reflect their owner's desire for elegance and luxury.'

'Atop its head laid a long dark hair that reached past his shoulders and a pair of dark horns that curved to the back of his head.'

'Another Dremora, albeit an unusual one, as this one sought to trade and not fight.'

"Ahh… I greet the contractor in the name of his Lordship, Prince Clavicus Vile." The Daedra said with a gracious bow

"You may call me Wygroicus, for what business may we partake in today?" He asked without taking his eyes from Philip

'Seeing this, Philip smiled.'

'It worked.'

'The start of his grand growth would soon commence.'

…

/But before that, a few days ago, somewhere unknown…/

'Deep within a forest of twisted and dried trees, a group of people covered in ragged robes followed a stony path in the middle of the night.'

(Image)

'Passing through a stone archway that seemed extremely ancient, they gathered around an old and seemingly abandoned tower that stood tall amidst old ruins.'

'Most of them stopped right there, entering and disappearing amidst the ruins of this desolate place, one, however, entered the tower without much hesitation.'

'Step by step, the person climbed the tower up to the last floor… Where a crooked old door awaited him.'

/Knock knock…/

'The door creaked heavily under the weight of his fist as if it would fall each time he touched it…'

"Enter." A man spoke from within

/CREAAK!/

'Moving the door carefully so it wouldn't collapse onto itself, the hooded person entered the room.'

'The room itself was very rustic, yet in much greater conditions compared to everything else.'

'It was filled with shelves and it contained a single table full of complicated mechanisms and books.'

'And in this room next to a window stood a man with his back turned to the door, staring at a window where the moon could be seen.'

'Next to him was a strange circular runic object, floating in the air silently.'

'It was made of a ring of metal clad in strange patterns almost invisible to the naked eye due to a cosmic cloud that covered the entire object, forming something akin to a Nebula.'

'At the center of this nebula was a strangely shaped object, akin to a distorted star.'

(Image)

"Welcome back brother, may I inquire about the reason for your sudden visit? It is greatly ahead of the scheduled time." The man responded without turning back

"Apologies for the intrusion, Traungent." The person replied, obviously another man

"I'll be direct..."

"The keeper has spoken… And very likely for the last time also."

"He is currently in a deep coma, the abbey has determined that he has achieved his True Observation and thus a new Keeper must be appointed."

"..."

'The man on the window reacted, turning his head slightly, albeit his features were kept in the dark due to the moonlight.'

'Even then, his face seemed pained, full of regret.'

"To think I wasn't there to hear his words and had to rely on someone else to deliver them to me… I failed as a son."

"Traungent…"

"My pain is secondary, please, relay to me everything in great detail."

"Understood."

"Everything was going as per normal until the Keeper went into the Moon Chamber, in there, he mentioned having received a warning about the future."

"However, upon gazing at this future, the High Priest said that the Keeper was mortified, thus once again entering the Moon Chamber to seek answers…"

"Next time he left, his eyes had vanished, together with his right arm and vocal cords."

"The Keeper has expressed a great need to seek the 'Torchbearers', and that our approach is currently too passive and we must seek it more aggressively."

"His exact words are within this textbook, the original notes written by him are contained within, however, the High Priest has solicited them back within 5 days for safe storage."

"... Passive…"

'These words left a bitter taste in the man's mouth.'

"We do not have the means to be aggressive now, however." He said as he shook his head

'The strange circular object moved and he held it by the edges.'

"The Reflection of Ivur is almost complete, we have no time nor should we move hastily, instead, the procurement of the necessary materials should be maintained as the utmost priority, no matter what the Keeper saw or said…"

"Or so I would like to say."

"The promised time is fast approaching and the pages of this Era will be turned, if the Keeper has determined our approach to be unsuitable for these times, then change it we must."

"Even then, it is our duty to carry on the decree of Vur and welcome his arrival."

"..."

/Tick-tock Tick-tock…/

'Silence reigned the room as the man stopped speaking, with the only sound being the ticking of an old-style clock on the side…'

"Send this message to the High Priest, the Ivur is almost completed, there is no time to delay its preparation, so I won't move."

"Instead, have him start the search for these 'Torchbearers' and determine their goals and aspirations."

"The Keeper's words are chosen carefully, if he deemed them as Torchbearers, it means the future is to be made by them…"

"Or they'll burn it all down."

'The man looked at the distant moon as the runic object floated near his face.'

'His thoughts were an enigma, but this silence was also an order, one the other man moved to enact.'

'To be left alone.'

/CREAAAAK/

'With the old door closing, the man was left alone in his room…'

/Tremble…/

'But as the runic object trembled in an unknown rhythm… Perhaps he wasn't all that alone.'

…

/Time passed…/

'With everything he wanted to do out of the way, and a bright future ahead of him, Philip started his fast growth and training in expectation for even harder quests.'

'He had finished what he went outside to do, securing the fragments and the scientist, getting a few extra things along the way, such as a talented mage and strange mimic.'

'But overall, his mission can be said to have been completed with only secondary objectives left for him to pursue, as the world was big, and many treasures were left buried under the sands of time.'

'Relics that would be discovered in the future to come, not essential, but useful, he just had to plan ahead and grab them.'

'Even then, there was much to do, learn, and grasp, yet, he didn't let himself be overwhelmed as he hammered away his skills, swing by swing…'

'Reading and rereading the notebook Dae gave him, Philip prepared his days as in the process to maximize his effectiveness, his schedule became completely full.'

'Be it reading, improving his language skills, sharpening his techniques, raising his capabilities as a craftsman… Looking for someone suitable to inherit the principal's Skills…'

'Or just spending some time with Viera.'

'It would be an understatement to say he was occupied.'

'Viera and the others might say he was overworking himself, and in a sense he was, but Philip couldn't remove the sense of extreme fulfillment he had every time he unraveled a mystery, leveled up a Skill.'

'The euphoria of seeking power and mystery, it was just as great as when he received his powers for the first time.'

'His mindset might've changed and lifting a boulder with the pure power of his mind might not feel as cool as it once was, but seeing the numbers rise was enough of a motivation factor to get him going.'

'He somewhat understood that this mentality wasn't healthy in the long run, but at the same time, what Philip wanted mostly was to have fun in this endlessly large world.'

'His first adventure was coming to an end, yet his story was only beginning.'

…

/CLANG!/

'Even then, the world revolved, be it with his will or not.'

/CLANG!/

'Warriors strive for greatness, mages develop new spells…'

/CLANG!/

'Inside his own workshop, Philip might bleed day in and day out in pursuit of greater meaning…'

/CLONG!/

'But he wasn't the only one doing so!'

"HUFF!"

/SLASH!/

'In a green forest full of thick trees, an old man continually slashed his sword against a tall metallic humanoid creature.'

'His breathing was in harmony, his gaze was focused, his thin gray beard moved in the wind, following the path of his long saber cut.'

/CLANG!/

'Each slash was timed perfectly, and over time, they seemed to create a song…'

'Perfect hits that went one after the other, albeit they barely left scratched on the strange creature, though they forced it to assume a defensive stance as it kept being pushed back as more and more dents formed on its body.'

/Step…/

"Hupp…"

'The old man stopped, his sword held atop his head in a stance, ready to strike.'

'But he remained still, pensive.'

Truly…

'He smiled.'

'As he watched this bizarre scene, one he couldn't even begin to fathom in the past, he suddenly had the urge to laugh.'

From a battered old body that could barely hold a sword… To this.

Back then, moving to the bakery to buy bread did a work on my feet, and now I can climb these beautiful mountains in a matter of minutes.

My body isn't the same anymore, its appearance may not have changed, but its essence has.

The wonders of life, one I once thought I had seen everything it could offer.

I couldn't have been more wrong, a truth shown to me by kids a Fifth my age.

Haha… Life is truly worth living… When you have the desire to seek it out.

/FWOOSH!/

'Albeit he stood still, the creature didn't, swinging its massive metallic fist forward.'

'But the old man did not move.'

'He felt like there was no need to, or in better words… He felt like standing there.'

I can finally understand their excitement, it took me long enough to realize it.

I am old, stuck in the past, and thus, I cannot understand how these youngsters feel…

But I don't need to.

What I need to do is… To find my own excitement.

That is what I lack, my own desire to move forward.

While they barely lived long enough for their fire to weaken, mine's already worn out…

I just… Have to rekindle it!

'A spark seemed to shine in the old man's eyes.'

/CRACK!/

'With a mighty stomp that made the surrounding forest tremble, the old man dashed forward with his sword on his side.'

'Just a step away from the creature, he swung his sword with incredible speed.'

/FWOOSH!/

'Only the sound of air being cut followed his sword's path.'

[Your proficiency in the Taima-Senkō style has reached Great Perfection]

"HUPP!"

'Yet, even then, the old man ignored the notifications as he changed his stance, swinging his blade upward with one hand as he balanced his body with his left hand.'

/FWOOSH!/

[Your proficiency in the Two Heavens style has reached Great Perfection]

"!"

'Not enough.' He thought to himself

'Something was missing, so he struck again…'

'His speed was such the world seemed to slow down.'

…

[Your proficiency in the One breath…]

…

[Your proficiency in the…]

…

[Your…]

…

[...]

[Your Sword path has been determined]

'With one last notification, the old man stood there, motionless, he didn't sheath his weapon, there was no need to since as he stopped, his sword crumbled into several pieces.'

'Breathing heavily, he closed his eyes to think.'

/CLANK!/

'With that motion, the metal monsters fell into pieces in front of him, making the ground tremble as its pieces rolled around.'

"Sigh, you broke it yet again." An elderly voice said from the side

'From the side, another old man stepped out, his back was slightly hunched, his face marked with many years of work…'

'Such an old man would usually be seen trembling as he walked, but his steps were firm.'

'He was brimming with energy.'

"Isshin, are you okay?" He asked, concerned

"My back hurts a little, apart from that, I can assure you I'm up and running." Isshin replied as he took a deep breath

My hands are trembling, my back aches...

But I'm...

"That is good… Though it's a shame it broke, it just means I have yet much to accomplish."

Should I make it lighter?

"I never really thought I would be able to see a robot like this if not through computer rendering, yet in a change of fate, lady luck gave me the opportunity to make one myself…"

"How did they call it again? Golem? I can't really understand, for me, it's just a robot." He said as he shook his head, smiling slightly

"A very strange one regardless..."

"Antony…"

'Isshin also seemed to smile, but for another reason completely unrelated.'

"Shall we continue?" He asked as he raised his head

"Is it necessary? I was thinking about taking a rest and drinking something by the riverbank, why don't you accompany me?"

'Antoinoine or Antony for short was the Head of the engineering department back on Earth, at 92 years of age, he was already one step into retirement.'

'Now here, even though many magical opportunities awaited him, he couldn't see himself becoming as energetic as those children.'

'They say men don't age, they only act mature...'

'But for him, who already has grandchildren, does he have the right to act young?'

'Opting to do everything at his own time, he walked forward, step by step.'

"... Sure."

'Isshin on the other hand hesitated.'

'In the past, he wouldn't, however, now, the desire to move at a pace beyond his zone of comfort grew into him.'

'It is unhealthy for an old person to suddenly change their habits like this, but Isshin thought that… It wouldn't be that big of a deal.'

'If he could explain how he felt in words, they would come as… His youthful spirit has opened its eyes again.'

'Even then, he needed some time to process what had just happened, many notifications still played at the back of his mind and it would be preferable if he were to stop and study them.'

'The path ahead wouldn't run away from him, he could move forward, one step at a time.'

…

.

.

.

Notes

The time skip is here, we'll be jumping a few months in time.

Next chapter will be mostly about Dae and Petter, and the one after that will focus on Philip in his last task before returning.

Then, the fateful encounter and the start of a new Arc into greater mysteries.

I don't have new images this time as I focused on making some for the other one as requested by the Patrons, but I'll hopefully have more by next chapter.

That's all from me, bye.