"Well, we got that message from your teacher four days ago." The older guard explains.
"What? It's been four days?" I exclaimed out of shock.
'How? Was I asleep for four days after I received these runes?' It's entirely possible but why would that happen?
"We don't know, what have you been doing to be out there for so long?" The older guard asks me.
"I must have passed out without realizing it," I give a half-truth to hide what had happened. It's probably for the best for me to not explain to someone that I was experimenting with ancient mage magic in the deep dark depths of some unknown cavern between dungeons.
"Well, we better get you back quickly, not good for someone of your age to be out here at night. Do you need a guard to escort you back?" The old guard is concerned for my safety.
"No, I will be fine, thank you." After I answered, the guards activated the teleportation gate and I walked through it taking me to Xyrus. Walking through the teleportation gate I got a bad feeling in my stomach making me want to puke like I normally do.
'Will I ever get used to the sensation of teleportation gates?' I thought to myself in disappointment.
Recognizing where I was in Xyrus City, I made my way home. I decided that I should visit my family and let them know I'm alive before returning to school. The ring surely must have gone off while I was gone. I could only imagine my parent's terrified reactions to the ring going off.
I soon arrived at the front steps of the Helstea manor, I tried to walk inside and greet my family once again.
But for some reason I couldn't move my legs, I wanted to walk up the stairs and open the doors to see my family. Why do I need to constantly get myself into trouble?
I constantly get myself in danger and scare them. If I were stronger I could solve problems with ease and never have to worry about my parents again. First with me nearly falling off that mountain on the way to Xyrus. Then twice while adventuring when I had to face powerful mana beasts to save my friends. Once again with those weird corrupted mana beasts.
A huge weight began to form in my chest as I imagined my parent's reactions each time, thinking they lost their son every time. Would it be easier if they didn't think of me as their son? If I told them about my reincarnation then maybe they would just choose to forget about me. Then I won't have to scare them anymore.
I feel the strength in my legs weaken as I begin to collapse to the ground under the weight of my own emotions. I sit down on the stairs and begin tearing up.
I could save them from constant worry just by telling them the truth. But I don't want to, they are the only true family I had. I don't want to lose them like I did Nico and Cecilia. I began entirely crying into my hands as I sat at the base of the stairs.
"Son?"
I heard the voice of my father behind me. I was so focussed on my own thoughts that I hadn't even heard the sound of the door opening.
I turn around to see my father standing at the top of the stairs, revealing the tears running down my face. The second he sees my face he runs down the stairs and hugs me. After feeling him embrace me I hug them back and slowly stop crying.
'Ha, look at me. I'm being comforted by someone about half my age.' What was I thinking? I will tell them my secret eventually. But for now, I'm gonna focus on getting stronger to protect them.
I tune back into reality to hear my father say, "I'm happy you are ok Art, welcome home."
"I'm glad to be back."
After the both of us calm down we both sit there and talk for a bit, "I see you got tattoos are you being a rebellious teenager at school?" My father jokes a bit, making both of us laugh.
"Oh these," I look at the runes exposed on my hands, besides the ones on my neck which I hid with the collar of my academy uniform the rest wouldn't normally be seen. "I actually don't remember getting these." I joke.
"Ha ha! Party animals, just like your father, pass out and wake up with something weird on your body." He laughed.
***
Both my father and I walk into the manor together and almost instantly my little sister and mother run and hug me. It was obvious that both she and my father had been crying for the past few days telling with their eyes.
"Where have you been?! I was so worried when the ring went off. When it never turned back on we thought you had actually died!" My mother cries out while hugging me.
"Wait the ring never turned back on?" I am perfectly fine right now, why hasn't it turned back to normal?
"Yeah, the ring never went back to its normal state. I guess it must have broken," My sister answers in place of our sobbing mother. "Unless your ring is broken."
"No, my ring is perfectly fine," The only thing that has changed from before is my new Runes. Are they causing some kind of error for my ring making it think I have no mana? Well, either way, I'm happy they no longer have that stupid ring to worry them anymore.
After spending the rest of the afternoon calming down my mother with some help from Eleanor and my father I went upstairs to my room since it was really late. I had told my family I was going to get some rest but I was really just gonna spend some time experimenting with my new Aether Channels.
I spent nearly an hour trying to find something new I could do with these Aether Channels but I found that doing stuff like trying to add the Aether to Mana or vice versa was extremely difficult and required more training.
I am desperate at this point to get stronger, with the knowledge of the other continent's attacks starting I had little time to prepare. I want to protect my family at any cost.
I decided to do something risky, I took out the Phoenix Feather Saya had given to me to absorb. While I knew there would be drawbacks to this method it was still worth a shot.
I sat down in a meditation stance and began focusing on drawing the mana held within the Phoenix Feather. It was a difficult process with the mana refusing to move at first. It was like trying to move tar at the bottom of a well with a spoon.
It was a long process but hours later I seem to have gotten nearly half of the mana in the Phoenix Feather. Deciding that was enough for now I went to sleep before it got too late and morning came.
Saya Asclepius P.O.V.
Waking up I hear a conversation going on outside my cell.
"Move aside soldier," An unfamiliar deep voice says.
"Yessir," A younger-sounding voice quickly says in response.
I hear footsteps approaching my cell, I soon see two men stop in front of my cell. One I recognized as Kezess Indrath. So he decided to visit me after all?
I didn't recognize the other one but considering Kezess Indrath brought him along I should be wary.
"Good, you're awake," Kezess says. "We will now discuss."
"What is there to discuss?" I ask in an annoyed tone.
"Tell me who you made the vessel, my offer still stands and you will be let go," He says in a commanding tone.
It's as if he believes I will listen just because he has authority. "There is no vessel you old fool."
"Must you do this? I've heard from Sir Asclepius that you used to be such a good kid. Why are you doing this?" He asks.
(E/n did the bad dragon daddy just called him Sir!")
"I have no idea why you even bother trying to get answers out of me, there is nothing to tell you," I replied not backing one bit, despite the pressure he kept exerting on me.
"Sigh, well this is to be expected." He steps back and the other man he brought with him enters my cell. As he was walking toward me I tried to get away but the mana-suppressing cuffs made me too weak to even move.
He placed his hand on my skull and I felt him using a mana art on me. After a few seconds, I was knocked out.
I later woke up with my head feeling fuzzy, I looked around and saw there was no one outside of my cell. I sigh, hoping that the previous event was just a dream.
I found that I was able to move my arms and found that I no longer had cuffs on my wrists. I got up off the ground where I had been sleeping and tried to use mana. It didn't work but it was at least worth a shot.
"Saya?" I hear a familiar voice coming from the other side of the cell. Recognizing the voice immediately I turn to the front of the cell. 'No, it can't be.'
Outside of the cell was Arthur, but how? "You Idiot! What are you doing here? They are looking for you." I grew scared thinking that they would find out he was meant to be the Vessel.
"Don't worry, we are both gonna be safe." he entered my cell and walked over to me. I was scared but I couldn't stop myself from running into his arms and hugging him. I was so worried that I wouldn't see him again that I moved without thinking.
I felt his arms go around me to hug me back, but then I felt nothing there, my arms fell down as though what I had been holding was nothing but air. I looked down and Arthur was gone.
I look back up towards the cell door and see Kezess and the other man standing there, Kezess with a wide grin on his face.
"Arthur Leywin huh, I should have guessed it was gonna be him," Kezess mutters just loud enough for me to hear.
Wait… How was I not able to tell it was an illusion-. I was trained to see past illusions, did they somehow mess with my memories as well to make me not notice the abnormality of Arthur appearing out of nowhere?
I was pissed off that I had been tricked, but even more sad that I had so easily given up the information putting Arthur in danger. Dammit!
Kezess continues to say, "You no longer matter here. We can move ahead with your execution now."
Before I could even react I felt a warm feeling in the center of my stomach. I looked down and there was a longsword sticking through my stomach. I couldn't feel any pain as my vision once again, and likely for the last time faded to black.