"Absorbing the power of the Dark Dimension?"
Fenris was startled. "Doesn't the Dark Dimension's power corrupt the mind and make people completely lose themselves?"
"It won't." The Ancient One shook her head. "That is true for others, but for you, those effects are meaningless."
"But..."
Fenris's brows drew together slightly. Even now, his heart was still full of questions.
In the scene he had just witnessed, that shadow had been defeated while facing one or several unknown but immensely powerful beings, and in the end, it had scattered into nothingness.
But was that defeat his predetermined future, or the future that his future self had seen?
If his future self truly possessed the power to travel through time, then why not come in person? Why go through all the trouble of having the Ancient One seek him out instead?
Most importantly, if those enemies really were that powerful, already standing above all worlds, then his future self must have mastered power capable of rivaling them.
If that were the case, what difference did it make whether he came into contact with this kind of power sooner or later?
To beings at that level, did time still have any meaning at all?
Countless questions echoed through his mind. Fenris's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. At a time when he was still weak, being abruptly exposed to such a vast world, with unknown enemies and an uncertain future, brought him nothing but confusion and a trace of fear so faint that even he himself had not fully noticed it.
"Of course it has meaning. Time never loses its meaning. The difference is only whether that meaning is great or small."
After patiently listening to all of Fenris's doubts, the Ancient One smiled faintly. "The difference between early and late, for you at that time, is the difference between completeness and incompleteness."
"A tiny deviation can lead to an enormous error. There are many things that cannot be spoken aloud. You may not understand now, but time will give you the answer."
The Ancient One lightly waved her folding fan and quietly watched him.
"I understand."
Fenris let out a long breath.
This information pressed down on his heart like a mountain, making it impossible for him to sort through his thoughts all at once.
"Go back. You still have a very long road ahead of you."
The Ancient One waved her hand, and a portal opened beside Fenris.
On the other side was his little wooden cabin.
"Can you tell me how the you from the past came to know the me from the future?"
Fenris still refused to give up and asked again.
"I'm sorry, Fenris. I cannot easily..."
Meeting Fenris's gaze, the Ancient One suddenly stopped halfway through her sentence.
After a brief silence, she changed her wording.
"Perhaps because of a secret pact."
"A pact..."
Before Fenris could think any further, the portal beside him suddenly shifted and swept him back into the cabin.
Through the portal, the Ancient One gave him a long, deep look and warned him, "Fenris, the power of the Dark Dimension is profoundly seductive. It may not cause any negative effects for you, but there will still be times when you need to restrain your pursuit of power."
"Very often, fast is slow, and slow is fast. Do not lose yourself in the pleasure of drawing in power. You should spend more time feeling the effects and changes that dimensions of different natures bring to your body and to your power."
As soon as the words fell, the portal closed.
"Hey, my notes."
The next second, a much smaller portal opened, and the three items were shoved straight into Fenris's arms.
"The past, the future..."
He sighed.
A future that had already been hard enough to make sense of now seemed even more shrouded in mist, impossible to see clearly.
"One step at a time."
Fenris let out a helpless sigh and opened the thick notebook.
Familiar handwriting met his eyes. Every stroke was unmistakably his own.
Fenris quickly flipped through the notebook.
Just as the Ancient One had said, it contained detailed records of practical magic such as soul spells, the Mirror Dimension, and dimensional portals.
But spells like the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, the Images of Ikonn, and the Bolts of Balthakk were only briefly mentioned, just enough for Fenris to get a basic understanding and grasp their strengths and weaknesses before moving on.
As for knowledge related to drawing power from other dimensions, the notebook went into astonishing detail.
This included, but was not limited to, how to steal power without attracting a dimension lord's attention, how to hide if discovered, and how to escape. Every method was explained with meticulous care, without the slightest omission.
"This..."
Seeing that, the corner of Fenris's eye twitched.
He had assumed that drawing power from the Dark Dimension would require complicated spells like Kaecilius used. He had even prepared himself to take on a certain amount of risk, or, if things went badly, call on the Ancient One for help.
He had never expected the actual method to be this plain and unadorned.
And judging by the look of it, he was probably a repeat offender. There were hundreds of pages of failure experience alone.
Smack.
He flipped through page after page until the notebook finally reached the last one.
"It really is an incredibly precious gift."
Fenris sighed inwardly. Just as he was about to turn back and begin studying it properly, 3 neatly written words abruptly came into view on the final page.
"Believe in yourself!"
Believe in yourself?
Seeing those familiar words again, an indescribable feeling rose within him. Fenris pressed his lips together, his mind going momentarily blank.
Those words had somehow reappeared before his eyes after who knew how many years. Fenris gently brushed his fingers over the words. In their bold, unrestrained style, he could almost still feel the confidence and pride of the one who had written them.
"Hah!"
"Fenris, you bastard!"
After that strange shout rang out, the hollow mountain fell silent once more.
Time slipped away bit by bit within that stillness.
Who knew how long had passed when several slightly heavy footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the mountain.
"Fenris, are you in there?"
A booming voice called out, and the footsteps drew closer and closer.
"I already made a round trip to Alkali Lake and back, and this kid's still sleeping in the mountain?"
Logan instinctively wanted to take a drag from his cigar, then belatedly realized he was wearing a bulky radiation-proof suit. He grumbled unhappily, "Had to wear this damn thing. I don't even need it..."
"Hey, Logan, this web-shooting device is very delicate. It's packed with radiation-resistant components, so be careful with it."
Hank's slightly dissatisfied voice rang out. This was his life's work, after all.
"Hmph."
Logan snorted in disdain, but the movements of his hands immediately became much gentler.
"I originally told Fenris I'd have the device ready in two days. After making the first-generation model in those two days, I kept feeling like it still wasn't perfect, so I just kept refining it while waiting for Fenris to come pick it up."
"But after all this time, he still never came. Since you happened to be back, I had no choice but to drag you along to check on him."
The corners of Hank's mouth lifted slightly.
It was obvious that he was extremely pleased with his brand-new invention.
"Fenris, get out here. I brought you something good!"
(End of Chapter)
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