Chapter 3: Phase Dash

Bzzzzzzz! The bell somehow louder than it had been in the morning went off, kids rushed out of Mr. Andy's class. I followed behind after I packed up… I hate it here, I should have stayed home. The kids here think they're all better than me, but I'll change that I swear!...

*****

It's been years since I had dreams about my past life…

Anyways, it's been three years since I last spoke to the goddess. I printed her words in my brain, but I still don't understand, what could she mean? "broken worlds" those words rang in my head since the day she left them with me.

"Ash, what are you staring at? It's creepy" Nanala said as she tilted her head to the right. "And you fell asleep during class…that isn't like you. Are you feeling well?"

"I'm fine just tired, I was practicing with Azaria all night" I lied, the truth is I had been exploring the kingdom a bit more than I should have. The teacher dismissed everyone, and we began walking to our next class when I felt a push from behind.

"Move you dirty human" a stubby noble boy with short black greasy hair pushed past me "Why do you even come to this class? You can't use magic at all"

"You okay ash?" I nodded in response to Nanala's question before I stood. 

"I wasn't in your way—" the boy punched me in the jaw which made me stumble backwards.

"I can't believe you're our prince, you don't deserve that title... I do!" the boy yelled just before throwing another punch. I pivoted to the right causing him to fall face first onto the ground. The boy got up quickly—most likely out of embarrassment before he tried again. This time he lunged forward and struck me in my lower abdomen, he swung again and again striking different places as I blocked each time. His movements became predictable but faster and more powerful, he swung his arm towards my left. I raised my arm to my face to intercept the attack and used his momentum to flip him to the ground. The scene caused a crowd of students to gather around us.

"Arghhh" the boy winced, as the other students began to mutter and laugh.

"I think it's time we stop here or you might hurt yourself" I said before I began to walk off.

"D-don't… go anywhere" the boy voiced in pain "we'll fight in the training arena, and since you're so confident I'll use my mana"

"Fine, I can beat you with or without mana," the boy responded with a sharp nod before grabbing his stuff to head to the training spot. Nanala followed us to the training room, expressing her doubts along the way.

"Ash, I know he was mean but this isn't a good idea," she sped up to match my pace. "you'll get yourself hurt"

"I'll be fine, you can stop it whenever you want" I lied knowing the mana platform will activate and limit entry until one of the participants forfeits or is unable to fight.

We entered the training room, the elevated platform at the center catching my attention. The walls were lined with an array of training weapons, and the dim lights created an atmosphere quite different from the castle. Apart from a few students sparring on the side, the room appeared almost empty. The boy dropped his belongings by the lockers before selecting a bo staff from the wall. I, too, chose a wooden sword with a subtle curved design.

"You ready to lose, pretty boy?" the boy teased, grinning mischievously as he ascended the platform.

"Is that a compliment?" I retorted playfully, following him up the steps. Nana's giggle echoed from the nearby benches.

Taking our positions on opposite sides of the platform, the boy charged towards me with astonishing speed. It dawned on me that pure mana could enhance one's physical abilities, but I hadn't anticipated its potency. I quickly realized that I stood little chance of winning, especially when he augmented his body with mana. He swung the bo staff, forcing me to retreat, and it barely missed grazing my nose before he launched another attack. The onslaught continued relentlessly, leaving me struggling to keep up. Doubt crept in—I couldn't do this. I needed mana, I needed to focus. Clenching my fist and taking a deep breath, I attempted to visualize the flow of mana. But nothing happened. I racked my brain, desperately seeking a connection to mana. Then, the words of the goddess resurfaced in my mind: "travel through broken worlds." Suddenly, it clicked. If my theory was correct, I should be able to tap into that power. I concentrated, picturing vividly the world I had last seen when encountering the goddess. And in that moment, everything began morphing…I did it.

Nanala's Pov

Asher... he was fighting Beriah a moment ago, how could he have disappeared like that? The only thing left behind was a purple cloud of mana. Then he suddenly reappeared on Beriah's right before he struck him with a swift kick to the face. Then he disappeared and reappeared again. This time it was different; he left a purple trail that traced the distance he traveled. The dashes became faster, his attacks were precise and timed with each step. Beriah couldn't react fast enough to block the attacks.

"You win, I forfeit" Beriah fell to the ground, blood dripping from his nose.

Asher offered him a hand but Beriah refused and stormed out of the training room. Asher looked pleased with his new ability. I wanted to ask him what he did but I knew he'd never tell me.

Asher's pov

I did it, I phased into the other world—or what I thought was the other world. It was still a foggy canvas, but the image was different. Instead of the hero,I saw the training room, with shadowy figures that resembled the people in it.The room began to shape itself into the scene of the hero fighting those creatures, as if it was reacting to my thoughts. My mind seemed to slip because the room started to change when I thought of my past life, it morphed into my classroom. It seems like this place changes depending on what I think. I looked around the room, all of the shadowy figures had deformed faces, except for one. This one was sitting with his head down in the back of the class, he burned a bright white. It looked up, its face completely blank, it began to transform into a wide black grin that contrasted with its white glow. The transformation sent a chill down my spine, but I couldn't tear my gaze away.

As the figure's grin widened, the classroom around me distorted and twisted, the walls melting away into a void of darkness. The other shadowy figures vanished, leaving only me and this eerie, grinning presence. I could feel a malevolent energy emanating from it, suffocating and oppressive.

Fear gripped me, but I couldn't move. It was as if my body was paralyzed, trapped in this nightmarish manifestation of my thoughts. The figure slowly rose from its seat, its form elongating and contorting. It grew taller and taller, its limbs stretching unnaturally. Shadows swirled around it, obscuring its true form.

Suddenly, it lunged towards me, its elongated arms reaching out with claws that seemed to materialize from the darkness. Panic surged through my veins, and I desperately tried to break free from the paralysis that held me captive. But no matter how hard I struggled, I remained frozen in place.

Just as the figure's claws were about to tear into me, a blinding light erupted from my chest. It was a surge of pure mana, radiating with a brilliance that rivaled the figure's darkness. The light engulfed the room, banishing the shadows and forcing the figure back.

With a final, bone-chilling screech, the figure retreated into the darkness, disappearing from sight. The classroom slowly transformed back into the foggy canvas, and I found myself standing in the training room once again, gasping for breath.

I realized that my new ability to phase between worlds was more than just a physical transformation. It was a gateway to a realm where my thoughts and fears took shape, where the line between reality and imagination blurred. I had tapped into a power that held both great potential and immense danger.Utilizing my newfound ability, I seamlessly transitioned back into the training room where I had confronted the bully. He appeared as a shadowy figure, frozen in place. Taking advantage of the moment, I swiftly approached the motionless figure and delivered a powerful kick to his head. Just as my foot made contact, I phased back into the real world, landing a direct hit on his face.

Before the bully could react or retaliate, I seamlessly phased back into the other world, my movements becoming ethereal and intangible. I continued the fight, effortlessly phasing in and out, evading his attacks with grace and precision. Each time I phased into the other world, his strikes passed through me harmlessly, as if I were a ghost.

With each phase, I gained an advantage, attacking him from unexpected angles and disappearing before he could counter. The bully grew frustrated and disoriented, unable to land a single blow on me. My ability to seamlessly transition between worlds gave me a distinct edge in the fight, allowing me to outmaneuver and outsmart my opponent.

As the battle raged on, I maintained my fluidity, phasing in and out, delivering calculated strikes and swiftly retreating into the other world. The bully became increasingly bewildered, his attacks growing wild and ineffective. It was clear that my mastery of this ability had granted me an upper hand that he simply couldn't overcome.

I continued to exploit my phasing powers, using them to my advantage, until finally, the bully conceded defeat. Exhausted and defeated, he slumped to the ground, acknowledging my victory. I stood there, triumphant and empowered, knowing that this new ability had forever changed the dynamics of my battles. 

********

I spent the rest of the month dedicated to studying and exploring my new ability, which I had aptly named Phase Dash. One intriguing discovery I made was the ability to absorb objects into the void. By holding an item and envisioning it being swallowed by the void, I could make it disappear from the physical realm.

To test this ability, I gathered various objects I found within the castle. Taking the largest rock I could find, I focused my attention on the void and willed it to consume the rock. Slowly but surely, the rock began to be enveloped by a deep wine-colored purple hue, vanishing from sight. Curiosity compelled me to occasionally phase into the void to check if the absorbed items had made it through.

To my surprise, most of the objects I absorbed became shadowy and indistinct within the void, their physical appearances distorted or obscured. However, I noticed a fascinating exception. Rocks and plates, unlike the other items, retained their original appearance even within the void. They seemed to maintain their solidity and integrity, unaffected by the transformative qualities of the void