I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Meanwhile, the blazing elf suddenly reappeared before the duo. His burning body rapidly condensed into a solid form as the exhilarating feeling he had tried to hold in overwhelmed his being.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Selene roared, his scorching mana dancing around his clenched fists. Never had he felt his energy flow so smoothly. Smoothly wasn't even the right word to describe how attuned he felt to it. Yet, his thoughts turned chaotic as his newfound power demanded to be unleashed as if they wanted to celebrate their own birth.

Adam's pupils constricted in response. As the temperature rose and the mana grew increasingly unstable with each passing moment, he hurriedly grabbed Julius. Dread danced in his heart, compelling him to scream, "Run! He can't control himself!"

In a flash, the duo fled the small room, the boy dragging his trustworthy big brother without asking questions until they reached the corridor. Sighing in relief, he asked, "Are we safe here?"

Before Adam could answer, a burning sphere exploded in the wooden chamber, charring the ground and engulfing the entire room. The fiery mass threatened to burn the majestic tree into flowing cinders.

"Regain control!" Screamed Adam, his ethereal frame trembling as he imagined the consequences. Without its nexus, the floating island would collapse on the southern continent, killing every living elf inhabiting it. Well, if Selene's mana didn't burn them to a crisp first.

"I-I can't!" Selene stuttered, cursing inwardly. The morning sunlight rays constantly replenished his energy, forcing his circuits to evacuate it. The worst part was that, contrary to his old ones, the excessive use didn't seem to take any toll on them. He swiftly understood they could keep going like this for a while before overheating, making this blessing a curse in this situation.

"Just fire all your mana into the sky, then!" Yelled Adam, gritting his teeth. Meanwhile, the alarmed elders and youths raced to them, witnessing the terrifying spectacle with widened eyes.

Without answering and with a grimace, Selene difficultly gathered his raging mana into his palms, causing white steam to rise from the distorted air. Then, he swung them, firing condensed solar balls through the room's opening.

They darted towards the sky before lingering like hundreds of miniature suns, casting blinding lights everywhere. After emptying his reserves and witnessing how incredibly low his consumption became, Selene detonated them.

Beautiful white fireworks greeted the unaware citizens, causing them to bow their heads in reverence towards the tree as they believed the Lorienwyns celebrated some major event.

Next, Adam gazed in relief as Selene reabsorbed the scorching mass filling the room, refilling his empty but now stable circuits. Suddenly, loud wailings attracted Adam's attention.

"Boohoo! Bad master! You burned Lily!" Cried the short girl, aggrieved to see her arms burned. Fortunately, she rapidly acted after Adam's scream, reinforcing the throne room by covering its walls with her own limbs to resist the elf's powers temporarily.

Baffled to see that she only suffered from a few wounds, Adam watched Selene soothe her before their familiar teacher stood in front of him. "Let's return to the college. We all need to rest after what we went through," she said, her eyes and bitter smile shining with guilt.

The duo nodded, understanding they had nothing more to do here. The grimoire was theirs. Selene revived and visibly got something from Julius' soul sea. Even if curiosity gnawed at his mind, Adam knew he wouldn't get the answers he hoped for. After all, the arcanist or mysterious force wouldn't have blocked his entry if he was meant to see what happened.

"Time to train and learn new things peacefully," he said, smiling as he deemed they deserved to rest.

Next, they waved at Selene to bid him goodbye, afraid to enter the room. Even standing outside caused beads of sweat to cover their bodies, making their clothes stick to their skin and reveal their forms. Then, they followed Elysia to the Gate, satisfied by their trip, albeit sad for the teacher's family.

****

After three eventful days, they finally returned to the familiar yet always enchanting college garden. Despite the quick trip, the abrupt succession of events and shocks weighed on them. Fortunately, they were finally safe and could relax their tense nerves without fearing something unexpected would happen again.

As the duo lingered, appreciating the simple sounds of nature, the few students eagerly discussing magic theory seated in the grass or on benches and the campus' majestic main building, Elysia coughed to draw their attention.

After a lengthy apology, assuring them she didn't know what would happen, she said, "I'll handle everything before returning, including reporting to Shepard."

"Oh. When will you come back?" Asked Adam, with a smile. Despite their different opinions, he believed Elysia was trustworthy and grew to appreciate her and Selene, especially after the latter gave him a tier-five material...

The teacher lingered briefly before answering with a cracking voice, "I won't. My family needs me more than ever, and I want to be there for Uncle Ted." Then, she added, her green eyes watering, "I guess we won't see each other for a while, so take care of yourselves."

Despite their bitter smiles, they understood her place had never been in a human college in the first place. With a sigh, Adam remembered their first meeting, her arrogance, his insults, and how they fled. Then, her trust in sharing her family's hidden story despite his rickety promise and subsequent adventure.

Closing his eyes, he said, "We had a rocky first interaction. But I now consider you a valuable ally. I wish you all the best." Then, he swiftly brought a few papers for the dream place and handed them to her.

Curiously, she read the bold letters composing the title, her eyes widening as he mouthed them, "Adam's method to become an adept." Then, she gazed at the ghost, warmth filling her heart.

"A deal is a deal. Train hard, and you'll reach the fifth tier in a flash," he said, his lips curling into a bright smile before turning to leave, unwilling to prolong their goodbyes or hear her thank him.

"Goodbye, teacher. I hope we'll meet again in the future," said Julius as he raced to his dorm before giving her time to answer. He didn't like farewells much, too, since, unlike his big brother, he bonded with others easily.

Gazing at their shrinking figures, Elysia smiled softly. She didn't know if it was her hope or something more, but she believed they would meet again someday in the future. Perhaps they would all be adepts at that time, or the duo would have left her in the dust, reaching the arcanist tier in record time.

"If it's them, it is possible," she muttered, taking slow but steady steps towards Shepard's tower.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om