Kaelen stood alone, the moonlight filtering through the trees as the wind carried the lingering traces of divine presence. The Great Holy Spirit of Time and Ramiris had vanished, leaving behind only silence — and the burden of new powers. He took a deep breath, trying to steady his heart and mind.The silence didn't last long.
Lyra: "Kaelen!"
Turning, he saw his sister rushing toward him, concern painted across her face.
Lyra: "What really happened? You vanished earlier—and Sophia said you looked like you'd been through a war. What did you do?"
Kaelen hesitated, then spoke the truth, calmly and with unwavering resolve.
Kaelen: "There was a bandit camp nearby. I couldn't ignore it... I had to protect you. Our family. Everyone."
She looked at him, disbelief flickering in her eyes—then fading when she saw the quiet determination on his face.
Lyra: "...You're unbelievable. Fine. I still don't buy all of it, but if you're going to throw yourself into danger again, I'll be watching. Someone has to keep you alive."
She sat on a nearby tree stump, arms crossed, refusing to leave. Kaelen smiled slightly. That was her way of worrying.Without another word, he turned and began practicing.
Channeling his Light Manipulation, Kaelen formed a sword — pure, radiant, and humming with divine energy. He layered it with Holy Enchant, causing the blade to shimmer with celestial power.
Then came the challenge.
He tried to merge Lightning into the blade, to create a hybrid weapon of raw light and storm. Ten times he failed. Then twenty. Sparks exploded, mana destabilized, and even Lyra flinched once when the blade cracked mid-cast.
But Kaelen didn't stop. He analyzed every miscast with his Mystic Eye of Analysis, theorizing, adjusting. And finally—
FWOOSH.
A crescent of electrified holy light tore through the air, slicing cleanly into a combat dummy. The impact left a burning arc across its chest.
Lyra's eyes widened.
Then Kaelen raised the blade again, focusing. The spell paused—delayed.Seconds later, the same crescent slash appeared again, striking the dummy from an invisible point.
Lyra: "Did... did you just attack the future?"
Kaelen didn't answer immediately. He was watching the afterglow fade with satisfaction.Unseen by either of them, a hooded figure stood on a hill in the distance, their gaze locked on Kaelen.
??? (muttering): "So... a new true hero stirs within the shadows of war. I'll be watching, Kaelen Caelthorn."
Lyra: "H-How did you do that?!"
Kaelen: smirking weakly "Secret..."
Exhausted from the intense spar and spellwork, Kaelen collapsed beside his sister, letting his head rest on the grass under the moonlight. Surprisingly, Lyra smiled, nudged closer, and soon dozed off as well.
Moments later, Sophia arrived, having sensed the magical disturbances from afar. She quietly approached, only to find both Kaelen and Lyra sleeping peacefully side by side.
Sophia: softly, smiling "Honestly... you two."
She gently placed a blanket over them both, her heart warm with affection.
As midnight passed and the world fell into silence, Kaelen slowly stirred awake. He rubbed his eyes and noticed Lyra still fast asleep beside him. Carefully, he picked her up and carried her back to the estate. Upon reaching her room, he tucked her in and gave her a small pat on the head.
Kaelen: "Good night, sis..."
Then, without another word, he turned and walked toward the distant training camp where bandits had attacked before. But this time, he wasn't going through the front gate.Using his skill [Molecular Manipulation], Kaelen floated silently into the sky and hovered above the bandit camp. His eyes narrowed, glowing with light magic.
Kaelen: calmly "Photon Bullet Barrage."
Countless photon bullets formed around him, raining down a devastating storm of compressed light bullets. Screams filled the night as the camp exploded into chaos. The barrage obliterated tents, shattered weapons, and annihilated nearly every bandit within seconds.
[Unique Skill: Devourer of Essence] activated automatically, drawing in the soul remnants and essence of the fallen. His body pulsed with rising power.Suddenly—!
Kaelen's senses screamed a warning. An attack was coming.
Whoosh!
A Wind Lance spell shot toward him.
Kaelen's eyes shimmered with golden light—[Future Attack Prediction] activated.
In a flash, he dodged mid-air, body enhanced by Godspeed, barely avoiding the deadly wind magic.
Kaelen (thinking): "Not like last time... I'm a lot stronger now."
A figure lunged at him from below—a summoner-type bandit wielding a short sword. Kaelen twisted, flipped back, and conjured a blade of pure light in his right hand.
The duel began.
Kaelen swung. The summoner blocked. The clang of energy against steel echoed in the night.With [Future Attack Prediction], Kaelen could barely keep up, but the enemy was skilled and relentless. Slowly, the bandit began to push him back.
Kaelen (thinking): "If I don't finish this soon... I'll lose."
He charged his light sword with lightning magic—"Crescent Thunder Slash!"
The blade cracked with energy as he targeted a point in the bandit's movement that would happen seconds later. Then, using a new spell he improvised—
"Chrono Sever!"
—a delayed time spell that suspended the Crescent Thunder Slash for a few seconds before releasing it at the exact predicted moment. The light-thunder slash activated with a sudden delay, catching the bandit's arms mid-dodge and slicing them clean off.
The bandit screamed in agony.
From above, the Greater Wind Spirit that had launched the lance reappeared.
Kaelen: "You're next."
He dashed mid-air, using the same Crescent Thunder Slash, this time as a tracking, moving strike. The light blade slashed across the spirit's body, dispersing it in a brilliant burst of green wind particles.
His Devourer of Essence skill triggered again.
Kaelen felt an enormous surge of magicules. The essence of a Greater Spirit was far denser than that of humans. A new ability appeared in his window:
Unique Skill Acquired]: Wind Manipulation
Grants the ability to control air pressure, wind currents, and atmospheric slicing.With a heavy breath, Kaelen turned back to the battlefield. Only silence remained.
The night was his.
As he floated down toward the woods, his body trembling from exhaustion, a strange sensation twisted in his stomach. His vision blurred. He fell to his knees——and vomited.
Kaelen: " In the end im still a human..."
Even though it was his second life, this was the first time he had killed anyone—truly killed. Not monsters. Not simulations. Real people.Kaelen wiped his mouth, his hands shaking slightly.He stood up, eyes dim but determined, and slowly walked back to the estate. Quietly, without a word to anyone, he slipped into his bed and passed out.The night was long, and the boy who thought he was weak... had taken a giant step into the world of power.