“How troublesome.”
“Nothing but troublesome things from here on out.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Reiya left the blue planet behind and returned to the Dimensional Brigade’s base. As always, Reflect and Refrain were doing their usual back-and-forth but Reiya paid them no mind.
“What became of Scheherazade?” Adelbert asked.
“Kaguya has captured her. She’s likely a part of the ‘time spinning’ system at this point… Yet, I can’t shake the feeling she allowed herself to be absorbed.” Reiya reported to Adelbert.
“Now why would she ever do that?”
“I don’t know, but, you of all people should know she doesn’t take any unnecessary actions. That being said, I’d rather not have more opponents to fight against.”
“I see...” Adelbert looked at the barrier confining Re-Earth. “I cannot enter that barrier as I currently am. I have no choice but to rely on you, Reiya. I trust you understand the cause of the strange occurrences going on inside that barrier?”
“Ooo tell us~!” “We want to hear!” Reflect and Refrain interjected on the conversation. The two curious children had witnessed all manner of bizzare events, yet something like this was a first for them.
“Very well then, allow me to explain.” Reiya looked at the barrier as she began to speak.
“There are three factors you should know about time magic. The invoker, the nature, and the rule. First, the invoker. The one who invoked the time magic, in our case the Kaguya who fused with Flute, is the invoker. The problem occurs when the invoker can’t control the power of time magic, as once it is activated it can’t be easily cancelled. Even the almighty Alhama’at chose to seal this power rather than use it, a testament to how unwieldy it is.”
“Second, the nature of time magic. Time magic is essentially the ability to reconstruct a scene in the past and momentarily rebirth it. The selection of what scenes from the past will be reconstructed is heavily influenced by the invokers feelings. There’s no doubt Kaguya’s goal is to recreate a scene she can save Fiethsing at. Once that is done, time will continue to rewind.”
“Finally, the rule. Perhaps the most important factor. To continue operating time magic, a large amount of energy is needed. For that reason, the invoker seeks out those with power to absorb. The world is currently enveloped by a barrier, but the world’s power and memories haven’t been consumed yet. It’s more like a pathogen in wait. By taking the time to go through each era of the world’s history, more and more beings of high magical energy are absorbed by the invoker. Those absorbed become subordinates to the invoker and are erased from the world’s history, ceasing to be reborn in further reconstructions of the past. Incidentally, Alice and the other Wanderers who managed to escape the planet in time can’t be reconstructed as well. Lumia made the correct call to evacuate them.”
“Why does such a power exist? To absorb magic energy?”
“It’s a mystery, but the creator likely intended to recover lost powers of the world. What is clear however, is that if no one stops it Re-Earth’s history will be consumed and everything will be destroyed.”
“Do you have a method to stop it?”
“If we defeat the invoker in the recreated world, time should once again begin proceeding towards the future.”
“How can you be so sure? Rather, how do you know so much?”
Reiya recalled an ancient memory. A memory so distant it was beginning to slip away, yet that event surely, truly, had happened before.
“...I’ve slain an invoker before.”
“...I see. You need not say any more. One last question, what made you join our companies ranks? Our fame? Our power?”
“This was the perfect place to observe Re-Earth until the time was right.”
“Is that all?” Adelbert replied, clearly disappointed.
“That is all.” Reiya said bluntly.
“Haha! Amusing! Well, feel free to do as you please! I’ll be taking care of some small business. Reflect, Refrain, let’s go!”
“What~, I didn’t get any of that!”
“I understood it all.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Reiya had a duty to fulfill. She would save it, this planet her mother staked her life to protect.