Corin stands tall as he watches the creatures burn beneath him.
He looks around and notices that there are a lot more of these creatures than he originally thought. There's even more flooding in from the dissipating barrier as he thinks this.
I need to get home, now. I don't know what's happening but I need to make sure everyone is safe. Corin thinks to himself as he starts running toward the barrier once again until he is quickly stopped by a metallic hand gripping his shoulder.
"Woah, woah, to where do you think you are going?" An electronic voice says behind him
Corin turns to see a tall man in sleek black armor that covers him completely.
Looking at the man, Corin feels a terrifying bloodlust, and by instinct, Corin throws a punch to the man's side, but the armor cushions the blow completely.
"I've been watching you this whole time, and you didn't have magic just a moment ago," the man says waving his fingers through Corin's burning hair.
"And this hair, I've never seen such a spectacle. Only a person's eyes should change color."
Then the man moves his hand to the back of Corin's head and grabs him, lifting him off the floor and squeezing, causing Corin to try and squirm out.
"Tell me, how did this happen, I am dy- actually no, you are dying, for me to know."
He says chuckling
Corin is then plunged face-first into the ground and rendered unconscious, with his hair slowly dying back down to white.
"Ugh, I still need to find where the old man portaled, I know he was here this time for sure." He says as he taps his helmet.
He is caught off guard by a signal that appears in his helmet's visual feed.
"Ah fifty-two, have you found anything?"
He says talking to the person on the other line.
"Actually we have, there is time magic residue, it was produced by a girl, possibly around the age seventeen. I am giving you the coordinates to the inverse portal."
The person says with a certain degree of servitude in his voice.
"This will do perfectly, I am making my way there now."
|Present / Stone temple|
Ida is currently rummaging through the fridge, and she takes out a slice of a blueberry pie.
"Oh yeah, I'm eating you."
She then grabs a fork and sits at their little wooden table and starts to eat.
Chrongrey is currently sweeping the floor, and annoyed at the mess she is making while she eats.
A slight rumble is felt by the two time mages and Chrongrey sharpens up, "Ida Come here now!" He yells while looking past her.
Ida is confused and turns around to see a yellow crack in space with a black metallic hand reaching for her.
She screams and tries to escape but it's too late, the hand grabs her by the head and pulls her through, but right as it starts to close Chrongrey activates his magic and manages to slip through.
Upon reaching the other side he is greeted by the destroyed market district, a cracked barrier, hordes of tar-like creatures attacking civilians, mauling on bodies, and a man in sleek black armor, holding his student who struggles to get free, in the air by her head.
"Let go of her, now," Chrongrey demands.
"You know what, I think I will," the man says as he punches Ida in the Diaphragm and dropping her, she falls to her knees.
Chrongrey uses this chance to get away and within an instant makes his way to Ida and grabs her, escaping before the man can react.
"He is fast, I'll give the old fool that. However he can't leave, he has no spacial stones and the girl can't handle the outside wind. Find him." And as the final command is given the tar creatures start to ignore the civilians and hunt down the time mages.
Chrongrey realizes he can't escape but sees that there is another barrier that intersects the one they're currently in. A nearby housing district.
Knowing that's where he has to take Ida he speeds over in the blink of an eye, but something catches his.
A boy with white hair that's flickering red, dirt and cuts on his face, struggling to stand, until he finally does and his hair and eyes ignite a fire red.
He knows that's not what's important to him right now, but can't help but be intrigued. However he quickly shakes his curiously and tries to reactivate his magic to continue moving.
What he hadn't realize is that he had made a mistake and now it was too late, stopping for even a moment allowed the creatures to catch his sent, and from his left is the man in armor, repulsing him self with flames like a rocket.
As Chrongrey tries to speed up again he coughs up blood, "I- my body is failing me, I wish I had more time." As he says this to himself he struggles to move while holding Ida in his arms making as much progress as he can before the man catches up.
"Have you succumbed to age?! How pathetic!" The man yells as he becomes within shouting distance.
Chrongrey turns to see the man readying an attack on him, and just as the man shapes his hand into a blade, plunging it toward Chrongrey a boy with fiery red hair intersects the man's trajectory.
"Boy? What are you doing? Save yourself!"
Chrongrey urged
But Corin stands there with the man's arm pierced through his shoulder.
"Nah, this guy goes down with me or because of me!"
Corin pulls the man's arm out of his shoulder, quickly grabs him by the helmet, and slams him to the ground.
Chrongrey looks at Corin, a boy who fights even though he is clearly outclassed.
"This boy is..."