-Wilbek Laosa's point of view.
[5:38 A.M.]
It was the starting point for Wilbek before he left the academy and went to the meeting. But before that, he had a matter to resolve, something that would only take ten minutes.
Sitting at his desk, he stood up after making sure all the important and confidential information was tucked away, ready to move. However, he hadn't counted on an unexpected visitor.
A muffled sound.
Mana spiraled up as a portal materialized in front of him, and a figure emerged with his hands behind his back and a stern, yet calm expression, like that of an old friend.
"..."
I looked at the fellow, someone who could be quite annoying at times.
I frowned, not expecting this visit at that moment, just as I was about to go see someone.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to accompany you to the meeting."
"Oh, you know better than that, Victor."
Victor Merwin, patriarch of the Merwin family and father of Emilia Merwin, was also a good, if frequently annoying, friend.
"I know, but I still wanted to join you, my friend."
"As you say. Wait here, I'll go see someone."
"Sure, I'll also go see my daughter."
"..."
I glanced briefly at Victor, knowing that visitors weren't allowed at the academy, let alone family visits.
Wilbek let out a long sigh, used to Victor's behavior.
Simply put, Victor was known for not following the rules.
Someone restless and reckless.
But he was a good person all the same.
In the past, he had almost died saving an entire city, when he was not yet as strong as he was now. Since he was a child, Wilbek had admired him, although his recklessness and disobedience to orders had put him in danger on many occasions.
Now, however, Victor was somewhat more responsible and took care of his life for his family.
I knew at that moment why he was here.
To say goodbye to his daughter.
None of the participants in the Grade 0 dungeon raid knew if they would return alive, nor if they would manage to escape.
"Right."
"Sure."
They both said their goodbyes, though they knew they would see each other again in a few minutes before departing, leaving behind the cadets and future mages who would protect this world behind the dimensional rift.
***
-Change of scene.
Wilbek didn't directly enter the cadet's room; he only observed him for a few seconds before using the "Eye of Time" ability.
Before that, however, Wilbek briefly observed Asher for a few minutes, contemplating what he was coming to do.
"Let's see what you do."
He didn't intend to watch him for long.
No.
It would only be two minutes, since Asher was training.
"Perfect concentration, the mana is entering his body at an abnormal speed, too fast."
He continued to evaluate Asher's concentration for a few more seconds until he came to a conclusion.
"I see. Seeing that absorption speed, I can calculate that in a year he would have reached the sixth circle."
He remembered the words he said to Oriana, a question that had also been on his mind for days.
Truth be told, the cadet was extraordinarily talented, but he had decided not to advance in strength for a whole year. So far, he had barely increased his power.
At this rate, Asher would only reach the fourth circle in six months.
This because Wilbek noticed that he was holding back, as if he didn't want to rush forward to the fourth circle.
It was as if he was squeezing all the potential out of each circle.
With this, Wilbek came to a conclusion, albeit a somewhat absurd one.
"It sounds like... you're looking to enhance the circles or bring them to greater power."
If the third circle reached its full potential, it could be compared to a fourth circle.
Wilbek smiled.
I could tell this kid was smart.
In fact, he had never wasted any time; he had dedicated himself to finding the true potential of each circle.
Perhaps that was the strange strength of this cadet.
For, being of the third circle, he tapped more power than anyone at that level.
Right now, he seemed to be close to the fourth circle, though he was still third circle.
For that, Wilbek smiled even wider.
He had in front of him a genius in all positive aspects.
However, he remembered what he had come for, and in an instant activated his ability as he stared at Asher.
But...
"What...?"
Wilbek could only see people's futures in a 0.90 second interval before his ability stopped working for an extended time.
However.
He watched in a blur as his head throbbed so hard he felt as if it would explode.
His heart sank, and an indescribable fear came over him as he saw something barely visible.
"Oh, so we have a visitor from the past."
"You... What the hell... you say...?"
Muffled sound.
A buzzing sound went through his head as he snapped out of the vision of the future.
He could see something.
Something extremely dangerous.
"W-what... being was that?"
He didn't understand.
Because what he had seen was nothing more than a conversation, but....
"That... spoke to me."
As he watched the vision, that strange being spoke directly to him, as the Asher from the future asked him a question.
A being that could somehow see him through the future and beyond his ability.
What... kind of existence was that the Asher of the future was dealing with?
"Haaa..."
I felt like I was going to faint from shock.
My body was shaking so hard it was uncontrollable.
It was the first time I had experienced something like this, having seen something I shouldn't have known at the time.
"The future..."
The future that Wilbek saw for just a split second contained that strange being.
Something that could be described as...
"A god."
I didn't understand how that being had looked through his ability, nor how it had been able to speak to him from the future.
Finally, I looked at Asher.
"Child... Whatever it is you're going to fight in the future.... You must kill it at any cost."
That being was too terrifying, and now Wilbek feared to know more about the future.
***
-Scene change.
-Emilia Merwin's point of view.
Although the investigations continued, Emilia never managed to find out more information about the mana beasts and the marks they left behind.
Finally, she decided to give up and seek the help of Professor Briana, who was the only one who knew more about mana beasts than anyone else.
This was because of her past.
However, as Emilia was about to leave her room, she felt a familiar sensation on her back just as she was about to open the door.
"Hello, daughter."
She heard a voice.
He turned quickly and saw the figure of his father.
Her heart beat with joy at the sight of the person in front of her, and a smile broke out on her face. She ran to him, and they both embraced at the same time.
However, Emilia soon broke away and glared at her father, scolding him.
"What do you think you're doing here?"
"Come on, can't I visit my little, infantile daughter?"
"Infantile...? Won't it be someone else?"
"Uh... Well..."
"..."
Emilia looked at her father seriously.
Her relationship with her father could be described as if she was the one actually taking care of him, reversing the traditional roles. To Emilia, her father was someone foolish who should be punished for his foolish actions.
"Emilia."
Victor, this time, spoke with a serious tone, dropping his playful attitude and staring at her.
Emilia sensed that her father was about to tell her something important.
However, when she looked into his eyes, she noticed a slightly sad and somber expression.
"What's wrong... Dad?"
"I'm sorry to tell you this, but.... I'll be gone for a long time, and I don't know if I'll be able to come back this time."
"..."
A tear rolled down Emilia's cheeks as her chest sank deep.
"What are you saying...? I don't understand."
"You will soon know, daughter.... But it is not yet time. The director, the other patriarchs and I... are meeting to discuss the safety of the continent and that is..."
But he didn't finish his words, because his daughter had stopped listening to him.
Still, he hugged her tightly, not knowing if he would ever see her again.
"I hope you'll come back."
"I hope so too, daughter."
After that, Victor said goodbye and returned with Wilbek. They both opened a portal and crossed it.
[Imperial Year, 2690]
[Month: March/01/Monday]
That was the day when the headmaster and the strongest of the continent gathered in one place, and on March 2 they entered the grade 0 dungeon.
After that day, three months passed, and the last semester of the year had begun....