Chapter 743: Time’s Running Out
(There was a mistake with the previous Chapter due to an error on my part. If you read the Interlude Chapter that was updated on Wednesday, please go back and read the Chapter titled ’Training or Torment?’ — that’s the one that was originally meant to be there.)
"Evan, I’ve mentioned this before, but your Flame Singularity form—while powerful—has some serious drawbacks.
For one, you can’t use any element other than ’Fire’ during that time. Your flames burn through ally and enemy laws alike, meaning you can’t receive support either.
And because this form is so destruction-focused, it’s easier to use your red flames, which in turn makes it much harder for you to use the abilities of your other flames.
I noticed how much you struggled to heal yourself while summoning those Serpentine Dragons earlier. If I had asked you to use your orange flames at the same time, your magic power would have destabilized, and all three techniques would have collapsed.
You need to work on that.
The ’Fire’ you embody isn’t just about Destruction. It is Support, Purification, Healing, Dominion, and Creation as well."
Clapping his hands, Jamie concluded, "Beyond those major flaws, the rest will improve with training and experience.
I know these abilities put a strain on your bodies and energy reserves, but you need to use them as much as possible to become more proficient. That way, you wouldn’t struggle when you’re forced to rely on them in a real battle."
The two boys silently nodded without a word, far too mentally exhausted to verbally respond.
Arthur’s eyelids were slowly fluttering shut, and he was already half-asleep when a sudden sensation forced them wide open.
A Temporal Distortion.
Jamie sensed it as well, and the two simultaneously turned their gazes towards the source—Evan.
But before they could say a word, Evan spoke up.
"I know."
Sighing, the Rogue Hero raised his right arm, revealing the sight of the limb glitching in and out of reality.
"I’d been able to tell for the past few days. My ’time’ in the ’past’ is running out."
The only reason Evan had remained in this time period—his ’past’—for so long was because the Authority of the one who sent him back in time was cloaking his existence from the Universe’s corrective laws.
Now, that cloaking had run out, and the Universe had taken notice of his existence which was from a future point in the space-time continuum.
"How long do you think I have?"
Evan posed the question, and Arthur observed him in silence before responding with a sigh.
"Less than a day. The time left is getting shorter with every passing moment. It’s almost as if—"
"The Universe is trying to find exactly what point in the future you came from," Jamie interjected, his superior Temporal Authority revealing the deeper mechanics at play.
Now that the Universe had detected Evan as a temporal anomaly, it was working to determine his origin, so it could send him back. His Singularity nature complicated the process, but it wouldn’t be enough to stop it.
As for his glitching body parts, that was a ’mark’, to ensure that even if another Authority cloaked him again, the Universe would still find him.
When Jamie finished speaking, Evan’s lips curled up into a smile, and seeing this, Arthur commented.
"Someone’s excited."
Evan let out a short laugh.
"The word excited isn’t enough to cut it.
Do you have any idea how worried sick I’ve been about everything happening while I wasn’t around? The amount of anxiety that plagued me on a daily basis is beyond words.
But more importantly—" His expression grew softer as he fiddled with the ring on his left hand. "You have no fucking idea how much I’ve missed my fiancée. If it weren’t for the fact that even when I get back, I still wouldn’t be of marriageable age, I’d probably marry her on the spot the moment I return."
Arthur chuckled lightly at Evan’s words.
"You miss your fiancée, huh? Well, I can kind of relate." He paused before adding, "Speaking of marriageable age, it just occurred to me that the age on your status changed at some point..."
When Arthur pointed this out, Evan stretched his arms and responded.
"My birthday was sometime in October. But thanks to a certain bastard," He shot a glare at Jamie who looked away. "We were stuck in the Infernal Dimension back then."
Arthur silently nodded in understanding, and Evan tilted his head and remarked.
"Speaking of which, Arthur, the age on your status board changed this morning too."
Evan had appraised Arthur earlier in the day for a different reason—checking his stat levels—and that was when he noticed the change.
"Yep," Arthur said casually. "Today’s my birthday."
Indeed, the last day of the year had arrived, and with it, Arthur Vaughn was officially 18 years old. In human terms, he was essentially an adult.
"Doesn’t feel all that different, though," he mused.
"Of course, it doesn’t. In the end, Age is just a number quantifying how many years you’ve been alive, nothing more."
Evan responded with a distant look in his eyes. Then suddenly, his lips curled into a grin as he added.
"But besides this age talk, you really didn’t think I was going to ignore it, did you?"
At that moment, Jamie, who had been silently focused on a tablet in his hand, finally spoke up.
"Nope, Arthur. We were definitely not going to ignore that."
His gaze snapped towards the silver-haired teen and he continued.
"You said you could relate to Evan just now. Explain."
Arthur froze for a split second before casually shrugging. "Oh, that."
Evan sat up at this point, not bothering to hide the curiosity in his eyes as he spoke.
"You know, I get that Jamie is practically married to one of his fellow Hybrids, and I have a fiancée, but you, Arthur..." His eyes narrowed. "What’s the update on your love life? I know your novel has the romance tag in there."
To that question, Arthur crossed his arms and looked away.
"I reserve the right to remain silent."
Evan and Jamie exchanged a glance before simultaneously shaking their heads and responding.
"Nah, bruh. You lost that right the moment you said you could relate," Evan said.
"Spill it," Jamie added.
However, Arthur stood his ground and didn’t budge.
"No matter what you say or do, you’re not getting anything out of me."
What was he supposed to even say when he hadn’t even sorted himself out yet?
"I’ll update you next time."
When Arthur said that, Evan’s expression shifted into a melancholic one, a sigh escaping his lips as he repeated.
"Next time, huh?"
"I did say I’d be returning to this Universe, didn’t I? I’ve made far too many investments here. I’d like to stay longer, but sadly, I can’t afford to."
Arthur responded as he got to his feet, dusting his clothes, before continuing.
"All things must come to an end...even this Crossover."
The moment those words left his mouth, Jamie and Evan turned to him with incredulous expressions.
""Dude! The fourth wall’s barely holding on!""
Arthur scoffed. "The audacity of these pots calling the kettle black."
Jamie and Evan burst into laughter at his retort, and soon, Arthur joined in as well.
"We should plan a reunion with the whole gang. Maybe after my Godslayer’s Legend," Arthur said, stretching his body.
Hearing that, Evan got to his feet and responded.
"Not so sure. Timeline-wise, that might be before I get my Reincarnated Hero System."
"All this is long after I got dragged Beyond the Bloodline, so I’m good for a reunion anytime." Jamie added.
Arthur sighed. "Fair enough. I guess we’ll all be waiting on Evan, then."
"Hey, don’t dump all the responsibility on me!"
Arthur and Jamie casually ignored Evan’s protest, much to his annoyance. Still acting as if they hadn’t heard him, Jamie checked the time and spoke.
"Let’s head back to Aramis. It’s about time Uvton said Artemisia and Beatrix would be there."
While saying that, Jamie raised his hand, activating his Authority and conjuring a Spatial Gate. The three entered, and with a single jump, they were in Alvey’s mansion in the city of Militopolis on Planet Aramis.
The moment they landed, Jamie glanced at his hand, clenching and unclenching his fist as unstable cosmic energy coursed through his arm.
"I don’t think I have enough left for another big jump like that," he muttered.
Arthur shot him a knowing look. "You should be preparing to head back, too. Any more than this, and your soul fragment is going to start taking a hit."
They spoke as they walked, making their way toward the mansion’s drawing room.
Upon entering, they were met with the unexpected sight of Beatrix pulling on Alvey’s arm for some reason.
Evan, Arthur, and Jamie exchanged confused glances before turning to Artemisia and Sigesi, who stood nearby.
"What’s going on?"
To Arthur’s question, Artemisia gave a concise explanation.
Apparently, Beatrix wanted to drag Alvey—and everyone else—somewhere, and in true Beatrix fashion, she was trying to get Alvey to agree by whining about it.
Hearing this, the trio collectively nodded and said in unison, "Typical Beatrix."
Just then, a thought crossed Evan’s mind, and he stepped forward, calling out to the white-haired goddess.
"Beatrix, can you g—!"
Before he could finish, his arm suddenly glitched. Before everyone’s eyes, the space around it distorted momentarily. Then just as quickly, it stabilized.
Arthur and Jamie’s eyes immediately widened at the sight.
"Jamie..." Arthur began.
"Yeah, it’s exactly what you’re thinking," Jamie finished.
Switching to telepathy, he spoke directly to Evan.
[If you wanted to spend more time here, getting close to Beatrix might not have been the best idea. But if you were looking for a fast track home... congratulations.]
Then, out loud, he stated, "The Universe has pinpointed your exact origin, Evan. As we speak, it’s already gathering cosmic energy to send you back."
A stunned silence filled the room as everyone processed his words.
"Wait, already?!" Beatrix blurted out. "But I thought you could stay longer!"
The disappointment was clear in her expression, and it didn’t take much to see that she had really been hoping he’d stick around.
Evan, however, simply shrugged.
"Well... it is what it is."
Beatrix let out a long sigh, her expression shifting to one of sadness.
"I just wanted everyone to have fun one last time.
Arty and I are going to be stuck in the Regal Void Expanse for the next few years, so I thought we could have one fun moment before that..."
Her shoulders slumped as she spoke, and Artemisia silently stepped up, giving her a reassuring pat on the back.
Meanwhile, Arthur rummaged through his subspace, sifting through the countless items stored inside.
"Well, we might not have time for a big sendoff," he said, pulling out a camera, "but we can at least make some last memories."
He held it up for everyone to see, pointing to the built-in printer that would instantly print out each photo taken.
The second Beatrix saw it, her entire mood shifted.
"PICTURES!!" she shouted, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"WE’RE TAKING PICTURES!!!"
