The power of a Space/Time mage and upcoming conflict

"I'll show you the strength of a Master Space/Time Grand Mage"

He said that as he took a step forward. Dad did the same too. He told me to stand in the corner. I didn't have any idea about what was going to happen.

Suddenly, my father raised his hand and pointed it towards Chrestos and from it formed a giant fireball. I was shocked. Are they going to fight here, in this small room?

The fireball then launched, and it went straight to Chrestos with a great speed. It reached in front of him in just a second. I was in the corner and the fire was away from me but the heat from it was unbearable.

I thought Chrestos was done for. The attack was just half a meter from him.

But to my extreme shock, a giant gate, twice the size of the fireball, appeared from thin air. The giant fireball went into it and disappeared.

When I looked at Chrestos, He was gone from his position and suddenly a gate appeared in front of dad and from it a hand stretched out and then Chrestos stepped out of it.

He took his sword and swung it at dad but dad dodged to the side and grabbed his wrist. Chrestos made another gate but it was beneath him. Dad jumped out of it and Chrestos sunk in it and appeared in his initial position.

That was amazing. If Chrestos wasn't up against a skilled veteran like father, I doubt anyone would be able to survive from his sudden attack.

I looked at him in anticipation, like a puppy waiting for food from his owner. I wanted to know how he was able to do all of that.

He looked at me and said

"This is how we Space/Time Mages fight. We use Time affinity to accelerate our movements and speed while also shortening the time needed to cast spells.

We use the Space affinity to redirect spells thrown at us. We can also throw them back at the attacker from different locations. But we mostly, use gates to instantly appear next to the attackers and launch close-quarter combat and surprise attacks from various locations to fight."

I was astonished. It was a very interesting fighting style. Practical for surprise attacks and being able to evade and back away from the fight in case of danger was appealing too.

Now, Time/Space abilities seemed very good to me.

"… But, to reach this level in Time/Space mastery requires a strong imagination, intelligence, accurate calculations, and mastering mana control and close-quarter martial arts. And this requires extreme talent.

I have been practicing and improving my combat prowess and trying to develop more spells for almost thirty years. But unlike other affinities, Space/Time ones are very difficult because we don't know much about them. So we have to practice harder than anyone else in order to not being left behind."

I just saw the potential of Space/Time abilities and I knew that no matter how much time and effort I spend on mastering them, it would pay back handsomely.

Thus with renewed determination, I clenched my fists and swore to become the strongest Space/Time mage that ever existed.

Dad, Chrestos and the king looked at me and smiled. They sensed my resolve.

Dad looked at the king, and said

"So, any development?"

The king had a serious face and spoke:

"The situation is escalating and becoming more and more dangerous. The noble households are against the new regulations. The are against slavery abolishment and they think the way the crown is working right now is not going to bring glory to the kingdom. Some of them want to attack small nations and seize their resources."

"Damn, those greedy bastards, all they want is increasing their wealth and power. If we do end up fighting other nations for resource. Soldiers will die and nobles will thrive. But without soldiers, we will be like a rabbit waiting for an eagle to come down on us. They can't even think of the consequences."

said Chrestos, he seemed really angry.

"So, what are you gonna do?"

"I really don't know, we can't easily get rid of them. We need their power and assets. All major nobles have huge armies and great money. but we can't forcefully take it.

One of my spies told me that they are planning something, but he didn't know what it was about. He said there was an increase in secret meetings of many major nobles."

The king nodded to Chrestos who stepped to dad and handed him a piece of paper with a red stamp on it. Dad took it, looked at the king and said.

"What's this all about?"

"This is a royal permit, It gives you the right to decline participation in any war we launch against other countries. But If the kingdom is attacked you have no choice but to serve"

"Why are you giving me this?"

"I guess I have some fears. But you have to take this"

Dad looked at the king then sighed and put the paper inside his bracelet.

Chrestos looked at me then at dad then said:

"If I remember correctly the next academy year will start in three months, If it's alright, I can drop by once a week to train Edward at using Space/Time spells or maybe creating his own, If that's okay with you Roland, your majesty"

The king looked at me and smiled:

"I really don't mind, In fact, I have a great expectation of young Edward"

Chrestos looked at dad who nodded:

"I would be really grateful if you can show him how to use his affinities to their fullest"

Chrestos looked at me and then said:

"I'll drop by next week, after all he awakened his abilities yesterday and he needs to have a basic knowledge"

After the conversation happened, we left the room and got back to the throne room. I looked at the throne and saw two people standing next to it. A boy, my age, with blond hair and blue eyes. He resembled the king, so he must be his son. Next to him, a woman with a long black hair, and brown eyes, her pale skin complemented her hair. She must be the queen.

I looked around and saw the people standing besides the red carpet glaring daggers at dad. I didn't know what it was all about. He didn't seem to mind them. but I figured I'd ask him on our way back.

We got out of the palace and were headed towards the building where the transportation gate was located. I looked at dad and asked him:

"Dad, why were those people at the throne room looking at you that way?"

"You noticed? you really are observant, well, we have some animosity going between us. It's been like that for a long time"

"Can I know what happened?"

"well to keep it short, We my son are from a major noble household, but certain things happened that led me to hate the noble faction and their traditions. So, I discarded my title as a nobility and decided to live my life like normal people. They didn't take that nicely, and took it as a sign of disrespect for noble families.

But, my position as a general and as a close friend and aid to the crown, prevented them from taking action against me. In return, every time a noble commit any kind of crime or trespassing someone, I would be there to deliver appropriate punishments, which irritated them even more"

"why have you chose to discard your noble title? what happened?"

Dad looked at me and I could see sadness and grieve in his eyes. he said:

"Don't worry about it, It happened a long time ago"

I didn't ask anymore. I could fell father recalling some kind of bad memories.

We got home just when the sun started disappearing. I didn't get to do any sightseeing in the capital. I wanted to at least experience how was life there. But, unfortunately, the mood was grim, and it was getting late. We didn't want to miss dinner.

Dad seemed to get his normal mood again, and I was happy. I didn't want to make him feel depressed or anything like that.

He looked at me and smiled:

"Tomorrow will be your first day of training with me Eddy"

"Really dad"

I was very excited hearing that, I just couldn't wait to start practicing combat with magic mixed in. From, my previous life, I had some military training, and I have the bare basics on how to fight. But , if you add magic to the equation, It's something else.

"Tomorrow, we'll just start with the basics, Until Chrestos how to make spells and creating your own spells. You'll be learning how to strengthen your body with magic. practicing combat with me and how to use different weapons and include them in your fighting style"

I was very pumped up. So, I went to bed early so I can sleep it off so that tomorrow comes quicker.