Arian stopped right there on the pavement, head turning slowly. Confusion hung heavy in his eyes as he took it all in.
One path, always paved with rock. It never changes underfoot. Still gray. Always leading where it led before.
The same buildings.
A weathered plank still dangles over the little store.
Still high above, the sun hung where it had been before.
Side to side, his head moved slow. Not fast. Just turning.
"This is… the same place."
Fingers pressed into the base of his skull, a wrinkle forming between his brows.
"Didn't I just leave this area a moment ago?"
A weight settled again where it had before. The odd sensation crept back without warning.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Arian rested a hand against his jaw, lost in thought.
"…Could it be?"
A flicker of surprise touched his face. His gaze stretched open, just a touch.
"Is my ability… teleportation?"
A spark lit up his thoughts right away.
Maybe getting yanked into some faraway realm meant strange gifts weren't out of reach. A person might just wake up changed.
"Yeah… that must be it!"
A sudden move brought Arian into view, finger aimed without warning at one jagged edge of the pavement. The gesture hung in the air, sharp but unclear.
"Teleport me there!"
Nothing happened.
Softly the air moved.
A glance, odd and brief, came from a woman passing by.
Arian shifted on his feet, then made a small sound in his throat. Quietness followed right after.
"…Maybe it needs more concentration."
His finger moved once more, now sharper in its aim.
"Take me over there!"
Still nothing.
Arian frowned.
"…Okay."
Outstretched, his arm reached for a building close by.
"Move me there!"
Silence.
A single spark never came. The air stayed still, cold, without motion.
Arian let his arm drift down, inch by inch.
"…Great."
Arms folded tight across his chest.
"So either I don't have teleportation… or this power is extremely bad at listening."
He stood still, then let out a sigh.
"Well… if something strange is happening, I should confirm something first."
Over by the shop, his gaze moved that way. The glance went across to the little store near there.
The bookstore.
That place again, where he'd been before.
"If the shopkeeper remembers me…"
After that, everything stayed normal.
If not, though…
Faces shifted, just a little, into something quieter. Arian's look settled deeper, less bright than before.
"…Then something really weird is going on."
Again, he moved in the direction of the shop.
He got to the door when -
He stopped.
A pair of guys waited by the entrance. Nearby stood two fellows close to where people came in. Close at hand were a couple standing just beside the doorway.
Talking.
"…Did you hear the news?"
"Hear what?"
"Someone from the lord's family died."
Arian froze.
The exact same words.
The same conversation.
Slowly, his eyes grew wide.
"…Wait."
He answered again, much as he had earlier.
"What? Are you serious?"
"That's what I heard this morning."
"That's strange… which one?"
"I don't know. But people are saying it wasn't natural."
"…You mean murder?"
"Maybe. Or poison."
Just like before, the talk between them unfolded step by step. Arian saw it play out just how he'd kept it in his mind.
Word.
For word.
Arian stayed still, saying nothing.
"…Didn't this conversation happen a moment ago?"
A finger dragged across his scalp, pausing at the crown. The motion came again, deliberate, like something searching.
"This is weird."
The group moved off once more, much as they had done earlier.
Arian watched as they left, standing still. Seconds passed like that.
"…Alright."
Blood rushed through his chest, pulse climbing like a startled animal waking mid-step.
"If the shopkeeper says the same thing too…"
One answer remained after everything else fell away.
Open went the door as he gave it a shove.
A soft chime sounded from the tiny bell hanging overhead.
Just like earlier, the inside hadn't changed a bit.
Bookshelves.
Bottles filled with glowing liquids.
A whiff lingers, musty, from yellowed pages stacked too long in shadow. Dust rides the air above them. Quiet holds what words once lived inside.
The elderly man was back there by the register. He had not moved since before.
A small smile came across the shopkeeper's face as he lifted his eyes. Kindness showed in how he held the gaze.
"Welcome."
Warmth came through each word he spoke, kindness tucked into every syllable. Politeness shaped his tone, softening even the simplest reply.
"What can I help you with?"
Arian's eyes locked onto the man. He did not look away.
Faster than a startled bird, his mind darted between ideas.
A second time, those two fellows by the door went through identical words.
Could it be…?
Could I possibly
For a moment, he paused. Then words came slowly.
"Sir…"
It seemed like he wasn't quite sure how to say it.
"…Wasn't I here earlier?"
The man behind the counter shifted his head slightly to one side.
"Earlier?"
"Yes."
Arian continued carefully.
"I asked you about the nearest big city."
Folks could tell something didn't quite click behind his eyes.
"…No."
Slowly, he moved his head from side to side.
"This is the first time I've seen you in my shop."
Arian's eyes widened.
"…What?"
The shopkeeper kept speaking without rushing.
"You must be mistaken."
"I have been here all day, and I would definitely remember someone dressed like you."
A sudden cold prickled down Arian's back. His breath caught, though he didn't move. Stillness held him tighter than fear ever could.
A thought landed sharp and clear. His head felt lighter after that.
The same street.
The same conversation.
Funny thing - that store owner has no recollection of my face.
Only now did his mind settle on an answer.
This isn't teleportation.
I didn't move.
I skipped saying it again…
Each breath came slower. The space between heartbeats stretched thin.
I…
Back in earlier days again.
Arian stayed quiet, eyes fixed on the tiles below.
It struck him with more force than he'd thought possible.
"…I really did."
He spoke so softly it almost vanished.
Backward through years I stepped.
Arian paused, motionless, mind racing through tangled ideas. Yet still he did not speak, caught in quiet reflection.
Time travel.
Strange it was, even forming those words inside the mind.
From somewhere near the back wall, he moved forward, step by step, thoughts searching through fragments of moments lost when time folded again. The edge of the room appeared as memory flickered - brief images slipping past like pages turned too fast.
What led to that outcome...?
A faint tightening appeared around his eyes.
It was effort that brought the memory forward. The instant surfaced, sharp, through will alone.
A figure stood beyond the entrance of a store. Movement ceased only at the threshold where glass met pavement.
Thinking about the city called Khaenri'ah.
Then -
"…I yawned."
Arian blinked.
"Yes."
That was it.
He had yawned.
A moment passed before he shut his eyes.
Afterward, the eyes reopened.
There he stood once more, without warning.
"…Wait."
He frowned.
"So I closed my eyes…"
"And when I opened them…"
"I went back?"
A strange idea it seemed at first. Yet somehow it held together when tested.
Yet the same applied to every event of this day.
Far off in his mind, Arian sat quiet, while a slow glance from the shopkeeper settled on him. One stayed still, the other watched without speaking.
"Is there something you need?"
Thoughts broke apart as Arian returned to awareness.
"…Ah, yes."
A hand moved slowly behind his neck, pausing there without reason.
"Sir… how does magic work?"
The shopkeeper blinked.
"…You don't know?"
Arian smiled nervously.
"…Not really."
The arms folded across his chest, one brow lifting slightly. Stillness settled around him as if waiting. A pause came before any words followed.
"Well, we do have many books here that explain magic."
A hand motion indicated the books lined tightly on a high shelf.
"You could purchase one and learn the basics."
Arian's expression froze.
"…About that."
A hand moved to the nape once more.
"I… don't know how to read."
Surprise showed in the way his brows rose. A pause followed, silent but clear.
"And I also don't have any money."
A brief pause settled before the man turned his gaze upon him.
"…Hmm."
He hummed quietly.
Afterward, an unanticipated shift passed across his face.
"Well."
He shrugged lightly.
"I suppose I could teach you."
Arian blinked.
"…What?"
A quiet curve touched the shopkeeper's lips.
"I'll teach you how to read and write during my free time."
Arian looked his way, eyes wide with doubt. He stood motionless under her gaze.
"Really?"
"Yes."
The laughter came soft from the man.
"To be honest, I've always wanted to become a teacher someday."
Against the counter, he shifted his weight a little.
"Teaching children, sharing knowledge…"
A quiet shift passed across his gaze.
"It has always sounded like a pleasant life."
Arian hesitated.
"…But I don't have any money."
"That's fine."
The store owner moved his hand as if brushing something aside.
"Consider it practice for my future career."
For a second, Arian remained still. Then, without rushing, he tilted his chin down just a fraction.
"…Thank you."
The man gave a gentle nod.
"Now then."
The man gave a gentle nod.
"Before we talk more about magic…"
A small reach forward began the gesture. His fingers moved a measured distance into open space.
"We should introduce ourselves."
"My name is Benjamin Miles."
Arian blinked once.
"…Arian."
He paused.
One moment passed before he paused.
Afterward came his soft remark -
"…Arian Hoshino."
A slight nod came from Benjamin, his smile carrying quiet warmth.
"Nice to meet you, Arian."
With a slight motion of his hand, he indicated the chair.
"Now then."
His eyes moved slowly toward Arian.
"The first thing you need to know is whether you possess a magical element."
Arian shifted the angle of his head slightly.
"…Element?"
"Yes."
A figure behind the counter gestured at a seat made of timber.
"Sit down."
Arian did as he was told.
Forward he moved, near the man. Closer still, without sound.
"This may take a little time."
A single hand lifted, then settled softly upon Arian's chest.
Following that, his eyelids moved downward. After a pause, sight ceased entirely.
Stillness entered the space between words. Silence settled where speech had been.
Arian remained motionless, uncertainty clouding his understanding of the moment. Suddenly, hesitation shaped every breath he took.
Minutes passed.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Only then did the shopkeeper open his eyes, doing so with deliberate slowness.
But this time -
A look of surprise crossed his face.
"…That's strange."
Arian blinked.
"…What is?"
Staring came first - then silence followed. Carefully, his gaze rested upon the figure before him.
"I sensed two magical elements inside your body."
Arian's eyes widened.
"…Is that unusual?"
The store owner moved his head downward in gradual motion.
"It is rare."
"Most people possess only one."
Arian shifted a fraction closer.
"…So what are mine?"
A signal formed with two lifted digits. The gesture stood clear in the quiet air.
"Your first element is darkness ."
Yet he made an adjustment moments later.
"More specifically… Havoc."
Quietly, Arian let the word leave his lips again.
"…Havoc."
The shopkeeper nodded.
"Those who possess the Havoc element can release the mana within their body and transform it into a black mist."
With a small shift of his fingers, he continued speaking.
"This mist spreads around the user."
"And anyone caught inside it loses their five senses."
Arian blinked slowly.
"…Wait."
"All five?"
"Yes."
"Sight. Hearing. Smell. Touch. Taste."
A slight backward tilt marked his posture.
"…That sounds extremely dangerous."
The man gave a slow nod, composed in his manner.
"Havoc users are usually feared for that reason."
A pause came before his reply.
A thought emerged next, shifting the quiet within him.
"…What exactly is mana?"
Again, surprise crossed the shopkeeper's face.
"Oh."
"You don't know about mana either?"
Arian moved his head from side to side.
A soft laugh came from the man.
"Well then."
"Mana is the fundamental energy that composes everything in this world."
A soft touch met the wood of the counter. The motion came slow, deliberate. Fingers made contact without force. A pause followed after that brief connection.
"This table."
"The air."
"The earth."
"Everything contains mana."
A finger moved close to Arian's chest once more.
"Inside our bodies, we have something called a Mana Gate."
"It connects to a storage inside our body that holds mana."
"The amount of mana someone can store differs from person to person."
Arian listened carefully.
"So… magic is using that mana?"
"Exactly."
The shopkeeper nodded.
"You imagine the mana flowing out from your Mana Gate…"
"And then shape it into a technique."
A small light appeared in Arian's gaze.
"I see."
Forward once more he leaned.
"…So besides that black mist ability…"
"Are there other techniques I can use?"
A response began forming on the shopkeeper's lips. His voice emerged just as the question settled in the air.
Yet silence came first
Ding.
A sound came from the metal piece hanging by the entrance. It moved when someone stepped through.
A figure appeared inside the doorway. Entry followed a brief pause outside. The bell gave a soft sound then silence returned.