Chapter 7: "Back to Square One" (True)

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The spell creation achieved success, no time to waste.

Without any extra thought, I conjured the spell instantly.

All the mana in my reserves was spent, after which the mana that was still flowing followed, leaving my body completely empty of magical essence.

Technically, I had just died.

The energy of my fleshly body vanished, adding to the spell, and finally, both my physical parts and those of the magic circuit self-destructed.

The pain stopped at that moment, as my pain receptors and nervous system in general had ceased to exist, but the pain was never a problem in itself.

When my entire body, both carnal and magical, and every last bit of my energy was sacrificed, leaving me only as a mere part of my soul—my consciousness—the conjured spell began to show its power.

Reality itself seemed to shatter like a mirror, but in reality, it was I who was broken.

Time ceased to flow at its normal speed, but in reality, it was I who was slow.

Light changed color as it had a slower speed. Matter cooled due to the scarcity of motion.

But all this was relative, for neither space nor time were absolute.

In a concrete world, yet made up of variables, reality was spun anew.

The needles that reweaved reality were weak. They did not have the influence to change everything from zero, much less could they do so due to the limitations of the spell. However if the spell succeeded, then it would all be worth it.

As for failing, it was not important in my eyes.

Finally, the world reached a qualitative change. At that moment, the gears that moved the world forward came to a forced halt.

The river of time began to flow in the opposite direction.

My consciousness was beginning to be destroyed, and I knew that that of the other conscious beings also did, because, in the past, it did not exist, so only information prevailed.

Hm... success or failure, I feel... happy...

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My eyes opened, and without waiting for anything, I investigated my surroundings.

Hm... Darkness everywhere, warm liquid all around me—I don't feel suffocation, so there is still oxygen reaching my body. My mobility and senses are reduced, probably due to my nerves not being properly formed.

In conclusion, I am currently a fetus.

That aligns with my calculations... The spell has sent me to the first point where a human being forms his soul and consciousness.

So... I have succeeded... And to think that I would have to use my second chance so soon.

Probably, this is one of the few times I will be truly able to rest; I just have to wait for the moment to come and go out into the outside world.

Hm... The world being rewound... it was certainly a beautiful scene; it has advanced my knowledge in many types of magic and also confirmed some of my hypotheses.

When I conjured the spell, I stopped focusing on my surroundings, as those who were trying to stop me could no longer do anything once it had been activated. I couldn't do anything to them either, so focusing on them would have been a complete waste. It was much better to try to understand the depth of the world through the influence of the spell.

Unfortunately... the spell has quite a few errors. It is something normal; having been recently created, I did not have time to perfect it. However, making use of this spell was not a mistake in itself, as my path would have ended if I hadn't used it.

The greatest weakness of this spell was certainly that it did not solely affect me. At a given time, all conscious beings would receive the information and experiences they had lived through their lives up to the point when I activated the spell.

However, as I was the epicenter of it, I received these memories in the first instant.

On the other hand, it would take a few decades for others to receive the information naturally... But there was another possibility: to receive them once they were on their deathbed.

Supposedly, it would be those close to me at the moment of activation who would be the first to get their old memories. This closeness was either physically or in other ways, such as by blood relation, by having spent time together with me, or for other reasons. For example, Társalo and Adaphia would be the next to remember this information, as they were close both physically and in other ways. After them it would be the time for former friends, lovers, enemies, and my parents to get them back.

In conclusion, the benefits and possibilities this spell gave me outweighed the risks by far; it was a gamble I did not hesitate to take. And even so, I have not feared death for centuries. He who is prepared to take a life must be prepared to lose it, for every being is mortal. From a plant to my peak state during my former life, there is no difference between the two when viewed on a larger scale.

Hm... The spell I created doesn't have a name yet... I'll simply call it «Back to Square One». There's not much of a problem with that.

Now, I'll use this time to plan my next steps... I'll also be able to improve my knowledge after reflecting using the new information of the world I've obtained.

Although... this speed of thinking is certainly terrible, I have become an idiot... This fetus is not yet fully formed, plus the nervous system is not magically improved... But it will do for the time being.

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Hm... The uterus is shaking... This must be contractions; it's unlikely that Hyprónesis—Mother—is exercising or in combat, so there's only one obvious possibility, which was reinforced by the amount of time I've spent here: I was going to be born.

I can't deny that I enjoyed this place... Being alone with my thoughts, with nothing to interrupt me, it was almost like a dream. However I could not allow myself to be cut off from the world, for, with that, much of my theory would be completely invalid due to a lack of practice. Or, at best, I would have the theory but no real power to carry it out.

The amniotic fluid in which I was submerged began to leave. After that, due to muscle contractions, my body began to be expelled.

This was quite an interesting situation to witness, but really, nothing was out of my estimations; there was not much gain in reliving this experience.

My body finally came out, the light blinded my eyes. Although I could keep them open, I decided to close them since, from now on, my life would be an act until I reached my goals, something which I was completely willing to do.

A few mere years were nothing to achieve my goals. In the name of understanding the workings of the world to achieve eternal life, or achieving eternal life to understand the workings of the world, any risk or sacrifice were trivialities.

Feeling the icy wind on my skin, I began to cry, screaming lightly as small tears streamed down my face. This was the reaction of many newborns to the new circumstances of the world around them. Thankfully, the amniotic fluid in my lungs was expelled due to this action, my lungs expanded and I was able to breathe properly.

I felt a wool blanket wrap around me, and I knew that my umbilical cord had been cut, as I now had to breathe through my lungs.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, looking at Hyprónesis. My vision was blurry, but I could get an idea of how it was thanks to my memories... It seems that nothing has changed for now.

But... The real doubt is whether Társalo and Adaphia will also be born; if they don't, this will mean quite a few problems for the future... But it's nothing that has no solution. Besides, according to my knowledge about Kronos and Bios, this should be so, but only with time will I be able to truly confirm it.

From now on... I will restrain my thoughts and give a good performance, for I can never be sure if some magus will read my mind for any reason. Life, after all, is something random for mortals without omniscience....

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Hm... I'm past the age of fourteen. My body has a grade Alpha aptitude, just like in my previous life.

In the next year, Társalo will mature his magical heart; when that happens, I can officially begin my plan....

Currently, it is the safest time to think about it, as there is no reason to suspect me. Besides, thanks to the celebration, father and mother aren't alert.

During these years, I have done a successful job... I have tried to get closer to Társalo, Adaphia and our parents. As for personality, I decided to be a young kind heart, there is not much to say about it. As for intelligence, no one seems to suspect me, I tried to look innocent and ignorant in the beginning while I showed growth that is within the limits of expectations.

Normally, the growth that comes from practicing with the sword or the maturity that experience bestows is a very difficult thing to fake. However, my knowledge of the human heart and mind is vast, coupled with my centuries of acting experience and all the life experiences of outsiders that I gained from reading their minds in the past; this was a child's play.

Now, I will continue to be a promising youngling, yet nothing excessive compared to Társalo and Adaphia.

When Társalo reaches fourteen, I will start with the ritual, one of the results I got from my experiments on aptitude and Mortalities; currently, it is quite perfected.

I will drain Társalo's life slowly. The Goetia Mortality excelled in the magical aspect, but was weak in the carnal.

In some cases, some of the possessors of this Mortality could worsen in health instead of remaining stable, although such occurrences usually only lasted for the first few months or years and were rarely fatal.

However, this was a very good thing for me, as it made it much easier to make it seem natural.

When Társalo dies, thanks to the ritual, the Goetia Mortality will end up in my hands. The aptitude, after all, is still something physical; it can be altered, extracted, and stored; it's just that only a few have come to find out how to do it. The same situation is repeated with elements such as time or space.

Hm... It will be best to do it during the course of 2 years, so I will take the opportunity to use the ritual on Adaphia. Due to her Soma Mortality, her weakness is in her magic circuit.

Magic circuit problems are generally much more difficult to detect than simple fleshly problems. With my parents' current level, they should not detect any irregularities, and if they do, the same situation will occur as with Társalo; everything will seem natural.

When everyone is focused on the death of Brother, Sister will die without them realizing it... Everything will be logical because both Mortalities are related. To think that if one brings problems, the other also does is a natural and intuitive concept.

Evidently, all this is possible thanks to the fact that both Társalo and Adaphia have low ranks. If I tried to use this ritual on father and mother, it would be completely useless, I might even give myself away in the worst case. Besides, doing this would serve no purpose, as my goal is to gather a sample of each Mortality for future plans, not mere aptitudes.

Hm... When I have both Mortalities, it will be easy to hide them; the ritual will seal them in the form of mana circulating in my magic circuit. Unless a high-ranking mage investigates me for long periods of time, noting how that mana neither stagnates nor is absorbed by the magic heart, no one will notice that I am the culprit.

One of the obvious problems is that I cannot make use of Mortalities for now, as each being can only possess one. If I tried to force it, I would certainly die. Each Mortality, after all, is the apex of affinity to one aspect of reality; putting two together would cause instabilities and, with them, death.

When I get a Kronos Mortality, I will certainly use it on this body if I manage to get rid of this identity and escape this place.

Hm... Although, before I leave, I will have to kill Father and Mother. I can't allow elements related to me to be loose. High-rank magus could relate and track me down through the two of them, as we are related by blood closeness.

After all, when my former relations and enemies... No, when all people recover their memories, I will once again become one of the most wanted beings.

After centuries of experience, I came to the conclusion that there was no one I could depend on, for friendship, love, or enmity; all were mere tools to reach a goal... Hm... Probably, I should eradicate all of these people... It is more difficult to draw conclusions through them, but one can never be too cautious.

Hm... Enough thinking; my free time is over; I can't afford to think freely. At least my thinking speed has increased greatly, though it is still deplorable. Now, I'll continue with the act, both physically and mentally.

I finished brushing my teeth, spitting out the paste residue after rinsing my mouth with the water from the small glass beside me.

He, he…! An A Grade aptitude! According to Father and Mother, this is the same one they possess!

A smile had instinctively appeared on my face, it was wider than usual and radiated joy.

When I make it past the magic apprentice stage, I'll officially become a knight! It's a dream come true!

Alright...! Relax, Dýnalo; a great monarch must be under control...

Much better now... Good! When I become experienced in completing missions, I will invite Brother, that way I will be able to teach him how to act in missions! Also, this way I can completely ensure his safety and that he learns correctly... What a great idea!

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2,418 words.

Author's note:

That's right, the whole story so far has been narrated in a third or even second person narrative.

At this point, it's when the story truly begins.

After reading this chapter, you should read the titles of the previous ones. You will realize that these titles, which seemed to refer to the story of Társalo, actually narrate the story of the true protagonist of this novel: Dýnalo.

At this point, I will inform you that this story is realistic; if the protagonist ever gets into a dangerous situation that is impossible to escape, he will die, just as it happened to Társalo and many others.

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the story!