Chương 33: Lucky day

The engraved platform beneath them spread outward and covered the entire room. The hourglass carved into its surface deepened, its grooves slowly filling with flowing sand. Time was still there, so Eric supposed the quest was over. He was eager to learn more about everything. The boy sat on the ground and cried for a long time with Eric by his side. His tears were falling into the sand, vanishing. He punched the sand on the ground and threw it around with his hands. Screaming, Aion stood up and screamed.

"Why me?" What should I do now? There has to be a way to fix this. I have to try. After some moments of uncontrollable sobbing, Eric put his arm over the boy's shoulder and tried to give him some reassurance.

"I can't imagine what you're going through. I couldn't save your father, but I won't let anyone take you." He looked at him. Time wiped away his tears and tried to speak.

"Will you?"

"With everything I can. It's strange how we met. I think it's probably fate," Eric said.

"Fate?! Grandma never liked me that much. She also didn't like father and always said that my uncle was better." Family drama! The perfect ingredient for a potential apocalypse of the realms…" I… didn't know about that. I'm sorry for everything."" Maybe Dad wanted you to come and save me," Time said. His mood was still gloomy, but his tears stopped rolling down.

"Tell me more about this quest. What did it say?" I can't tell him about the decree I read. Now is not the time.

"Well, the quest said something about time dilation. Also, I had to survive the ambush and save you. Looks like we made it," Eric said and smiled.

"Yeah… probably." The notification was still pending in Eric's vision, so while sitting in silence with Time, he saw what it was. Opening revealed something he hadn't seen before. -|——————————|- Quest completed! Salvation Reward: Medallion of Time. -|——————————|- That sounds interesting. Let's check it out. Eric searched his inventory and found the new item. It was circular-shaped and had a design with concentric circles. They started from smaller ones and expanded to the edge of the trinket.

Between the concentric circles were numbers and hieroglyphs. Its size was small enough that Eric could hold it comfortably in one hand. He fiddled with it until Time stole it from his hands.

"Hey! Give that back! I got it from the quest as a reward," Eric said while chasing down the kid. They ran through the sand streams on the ground. That was until Time tripped and fell. He lost the medallion, and it dipped into the sand. The medallion shone brightly after sinking. Emitting rays of light in all directions, it rose into the air while spinning like a miniature sun. Moments later and it shot toward Eric, smashing into his chest. Another notification appeared. -|—————|- New guardian found.

Proceeding with divine intervention Please stand by… -|—————|- What's happening? Ahh… Immense pain shot through the reaper's chest. It was as if the medallion burned a hole in his skin and embedded itself deep in his body. The warmth from the artifact was affecting his ability to breathe. Less and less air arrived in his lungs, and his vision soon began to fade. Eric collapsed on the ground, and the sand in the grooves consumed him.

"Hey! What's going on?" Aion rushed over.

"Wakey, wakey! It's time to wake up. No more sleeping for you!" The same childish voice rang in the air.

"Come on! I'm lonely here! Hello!" Eric tried to get up, but the streams of sand obstructed his movement. He forcefully moved around until successfully standing up. Everything hurts so much… Violent coughing ensued from all the sand stuck in his mouth. It felt like his organs were about to come out from the intense fit. Time moved behind him and gave some pats on the back. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"Don't worry. You'll get used to it."

"What?" Eric tried talking, but another portion of sand came out of him.

"What happened?"

"You're my guardian now! You'll protect me from the bad guys." The little boy smiled and hugged him. Eric got out of the sand river and stepped on the elevated stone edges around it. He collapsed on the ground. It felt as if his body had just exited the deepest winter sleep known to mankind. Except he slept in a pile of moving sand without any oxygen.

"Take it easy, big man. Did you forget how to walk? Let me show you!" Time chuckled and stood proudly before Eric. He slowly placed his feet one after the other as though teaching a toddler, nodding proudly after each one.

"If you don't do it like this, you're gonna fall again."

"Yeah… just… give me a second," Eric said with a heavy breath. He was still recovering his withered-down body. After about a minute of deep breathing, he was able to talk with Time again.

"What… happened?" The boy laughed again.

"You're funny. I can pretend to be an old man too!" I need to get better a bit faster. Ugh! I have sand in places I'd never thought about.

"No. Tell me…why am I like this?" the reaper disciple whispered. His voice was still raspy.

"Because the medallion had to make the adjustment for you to be my guardian. It decides a lot of things on its own. Then, it makes you sleep in the sand!" Time said enthusiastically. More responsibilities… Eric finally got up from the ground and looked around the room. The rivers of sand were flowing, and Time was watching them. Sometimes, he would go near and scoop some sand and throw it in the air. Ash was sleeping in the distance.

As his haze slowly lifted, Eric's brain recalled what happened before the medallion put him to sleep.

"How long have we been here? What did you do?" he asked and moved over to Ash.

"I don't know! It was a looong time. I played with that raven of yours. It's mine now!" Time also ran over to Ash and woke it up. Immediately after it noticed Eric, the raven jumped around, flapped its wings, and let out several playful shrieks. It jumped onto Eric's shoulder and clicked softly with its beak.

"I'm happy to see you too!" Eric could hardly contain the emotion in his voice. He was relieved to see his companion unharmed. Time wasn't finished bothering him and didn't miss the chance to give a lecture.

"You don't understand. It's happy to see me!" Yeah, right. Is this how Mom felt when I didn't stop talking all the time? Actually… all this adventuring and risk has to pay off. There's no other option. I'm here to save her and help my family. I have another one on my shoulders. No information from the Key Warden definitely slowed my search for his loved ones. Now I have to protect this kid…" Hey, are you listening?" Time pulled Eric by his clothes to grab his attention.

The young reaper turned around and smiled, trying his best to sound calm and collected.

"Sure, but first I have to ask some stuff. How do I protect you and what to I have to do?"

"You'll see. Next time we meet, I'll have a surprise for you. Better be ready!" The boy took off his necklace and opened the watch that was dangling around his neck. He adjusted the hour hand by rewinding it several times.

"You're getting out of here! I want to relive some memories with my dad. Fortunately, he taught me how to see into the past. I'm still learning to do it for the future!" Just after that, sparks rotated in the shape of a circle with blazing speed. The image of the old library appeared, and ripples distorted the otherwise crystal-clear view. Blood rushed into Eric's head, and he felt panic creeping in. The information on how to protect Time was vital, so he didn't want to go back.

Nothing about Lureon, nothing about where to meet again, or even what it meant to protect. How was he supposed to continue? Ash flinched when a sudden portal burst into existence beside them.

"Now go away!" Time demanded with a flick of his finger. He was starting to get angry, and Eric didn't want to test the patience of the hyperactive, probably otherworldly powerful ruler of the aeons. Making some mental notes of the room and the appearance of his new little friend, he walked over to the portal. The exit message brought some clarity to the whirlwind in his head. -|—————|- Do you want to exit Time Keeper's Clocktower? All progress will be lost.

Warning: Next time you enter this area, the layout will be different. Older snapshots are no longer available. This area becomes a boss area upon entering a second time. YES | NO -|—————|- Blood-churning roars moved swiftly through the damp library air. The demon was still there. If anything, it sounded even angrier than before. The roar snapped both Eric and Ash back to the present.

"Your little tricks don't impress me, Tormentor!" In the distance, a silhouette was getting bigger. Moving with great speed made it even more menacing. A flaming bolt shot past Eric and singed his shirt. Kayle appeared right after.

"Move. Now!" She took him by the hand and summoned a wave of fire. Their feet touched the burning surge and surfed effortlessly. The young woman fas focused on spawning as many waves as possible to keep away from the horned pursuer. Looking back, she saw the distance increasing and managed to speak for a while.

"Why were you standing there? That's how you get killed, you know?" Is it possible that she doesn't know about my battle with Time? Maybe the realm was frozen for them. How does the demon know then?

"Um… I asked something. What's wrong with you?" Kayle looked over and raised her eyebrow. Eric snapped out of his mind and quickly handled the situation.

"Nothing. It's not important. What's the plan?"

"I have no idea. We're being chased by a demon. Any other questions?" The crackling fire underneath their feet left a trail of black ashes on the library floor. Kayle was moving fast and effortlessly, but she was visibly tired. The battle before Eric entered the time loop took a toll on her. Her white hair was all over the place, but her green eyes were laser-focused.

"We have to kill him. I don't see any other chance. You're gonna run out of essence soon, and I'm not feeling great either. Let's challenge him while we still have something left," Eric said after contemplating for a bit.

"Are you mad? Have you completely lost your mind?" Obviously, the screams of the young woman weren't happy ones. She channeled more essence, and the blazing fire train sped up. Behind them, the demon dug his claws into his own flesh and ripped a small part. Hurling it forward, the chunk materialized into small flying eyes. With two wings and a sharp mouth that closed with every blink, the swarm reached Eric. He turned around and summoned his weapon.

"Get these things away from me or we crash into the ground!" Kayle shouted. The speed of the fire surf was so great that the incoming wind made communication difficult. Eric understood perfectly, even though he could barely hear. Some of his swings hit the flying demons, and they evaporated. More chunks of flesh flew through the air behind them. Before they landed, each one burst apart into another swarm of flying eyes. The flapping menaces moved together, and slashing through them was less and less effective.

Eric tried to swat them away with a Phantom Hand, but sharp teeth scratched his wrist before the spell could form, breaking his concentration. I wouldn't mind some help. Wait… where's Ash? From the side, another set of flapping wings carried a big, open book. Eric recognized his avian companion and smiled. The book it carried was big and heavy, with numerous pages. Moving in the air behind the swarm, Ash imbued the book with energy and shot it forward.

It opened mid-air, and the blank pages pulled inside all the small demons, spreading ink across the parchment paper with every creature consumed. Eric extended a phantom hand and caught the tome. He closed it and yelled at Kayle.

"If I told you I knew how to beat the demon, would you believe me?" The young woman shouted back, keeping her eyes on the road.

"Not in a million years."

"Well, it's your lucky day." Eric picked her up by the waist and teleported both of them to the side. The fire stream crashed into a nearby column and ignited the books inside. Rolling on the floor several times, the duo got up and faced the demon. Its screams were getting louder and louder.