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A Song Through Time - Chapter 34
🕑 Added 2024-04-28 19:22:25 +0000 UTCAfter having a long conversation with Yggdrasil, William returned to reality, his body feeling refreshed.
Even though he had been sitting cross-legged for over five hours, his body felt no fatigue but rather the opposite: he felt fully rejuvenated.
Sighing, he appreciated the World Tree even more.
In the past few hours that he had been talking with the World Tree, he has understood that drastic changes are happening to the world. Yggdrasil was a being that was created by Roia itself and acted as one of the beacons that kept the world together, thus being called the World Tree.
After the World Tree was destroyed in his previous timeline, things turned sour extremely fast, from plants transforming into abominations to beasts charging toward cities without any rhyme or reason. It was one of the main reasons why the seal that had been maintained for so many years crumbled in an instant after the four God Spirits were destroyed.
William found it quite improbable that someone like Dean, who had barely any power, was able to harm such an entity as the World Tree with ease. It turned out that Demons and demonic energy, in general, were the natural counters to its power, and it usually required her to go into defensive mode.
Knowing this, Dean, or most likely the demon behind Dean, used this to their advantage, forcing the World Tree into a state of slumber. This made it completely helpless to defend itself. After awakening, the World Tree found the thing that had caused her forced slumber; it was a long nail that was entirely covered in demonic energy. It had guessed that it belonged to an extremely powerful Demon, who had decided to assist with the invasion.
As for William returning from the future, the World Tree didn't pry further than its own demise. William understood that the more it knew about the future, the more significant the changes that would happen. Even the small changes William had made caused such a vast difference in timelines.
In the following days, William spent a lot of time in the still-standing remains of the elven library, scouring for information that had been lost. Although he was a speedy reader, managing to finish a five hundred-page book within twenty minutes with the use of apprentice-level magic, the mental strain on his still weak body was too much, so he had to rest quite a lot.
By the time they had to leave, he had read over a thousand books, managing to retain the majority of the knowledge, from elven traditions to the methods of their craft. Some people may think that such information would be useless, but for William, some of the most minor things contained inside the books might give him a way to do things he thought he couldn't do before.
For example, he found an enhancement drug in one of the elven books that were about botany, a drug that was easily made but was highly potent, causing hallucinations by just injecting a microgram of it. William then used his knowledge of crafting this drug to create an alchemical concoction that would cause nausea and momentary memory loss when inhaled.
Having an in-depth knowledge of a lot of things would allow him to put his creativity to good use. From the geography of the nearby terrain to even mundane things like animals and plants that lived in the area, and of course, the history of the elven race.
In the future he had experienced, the elves were eradicated entirely, and the only living elf, Sylmare, was an evil individual who had singlehandedly caused their extinction.
It was on the morning of the eighth day that the army began their return to the Thelwedean empire. The journey took days and was mainly made through carriages, of course, only after exiting the elven territory since the trees inside the forest would make their use impossible.
As they traveled back home, William was looking out the window and couldn't help but wonder how his family was doing. Adam had returned to the Royal Knight Academy to finish his final year, which left only Rose and his mother at home alone.
Turning around, he glanced at Vincent, who was just mindlessly looking at the inside of the carriage, amazed by how classy it was. Sighing, he glanced at the seat across, looking at his father in the eyes.
As soon as their eyes met, Malcolm smiled deviously, which gave William a bad premonition. Suddenly, he remembered what his father had said before they began their attack, which brought him back to reality and what he had to go through in the next few months.
Since he was only twelve at the moment, he wanted to improve his mana and Aura as much as possible since the faster he grew at this age, the better it would be for him when he reached his growth spurt at around the age of sixteen to twenty.
'If only I didn't go in without talking to him first, but I guess it doesn't matter now. My father is a good trainer anyway, so it should assist me in the long run.'
Even though he was thinking of it like this, he still grumbled, knowing that he was going to suffer for a bit.
Seeing William grimace, Malcolm laughed for a moment before getting serious.
"You know, William, I've been thinking of a lot of things the past few days. I know you’ve always been the brightest among your siblings, but you’ve changed too much in the past few months to the point that we aren’t able to recognize you anymore. Tell me, what 12-year-old is able to do the things you do, participating in meetings with literal strategists tens of years older than them and even exhibiting knowledge in aura and magic that should be impossible without prior knowledge.”
Malcolm said, his voice carrying a mix of doubt and probing.
“And don’t try to talk about that old master that you met, 'cause I can tell it’s a lie. I believe and trust you because you’re my son and I can see that the fundamental 'you' hasn’t changed, but I’m having doubts that you're actually my real son. Tell me, William, what am I supposed to do as a father when my own offspring suddenly transforms into a completely different person overnight, has knowledge of things no one else does, and even has no fear communicating with the emperor and his retinue.”
William opened his eyes wide, not expecting a question like this out of the blue. He had thought of this issue many times in the past few months but had never come to a concrete solution. He knew that his lie would crumble soon since it was very obviously flawed.
With the knowledge and power he was exhibiting, he should have been doubted long ago. As a father, it was clear Malcolm had placed a lot of blind trust in him, but it seemed like that trust was running thin with the recent events.
For someone who was supposed to have thought ahead about everything, William was stuck. This was the one thing he was scared of, not only from his family but also those close to him.
Biting, his lip, William didn’t know how to handle the matter and remained silent for a few seconds, his father’s gaze turning heavier by the moment.
He couldn’t truly tell him the truth, since he had agreed with the World Tree that any further involvement would actually cause another massive shift in the timeline. Though that would in turn change the fate of the world, William knew that fate was a strange thing and would always balance itself.
He knew that there was always a possibility that fate would balance itself out and somehow bring forth events that were supposed to happen, like the death of his family. Fate wasn’t something to be easily messed with.
He sat there, wracking his brain for an answer, but nothing came to him. His father's eyes bore into him, waiting for a response. William felt like he was drowning in guilt and fear.
Finally, he managed to muster up some words.
"Dad, I... I don't know what to say. I'm sorry if I've been acting strange lately. I guess I've just been trying to figure things out."
It was a weak response and he knew as soon as he spoke that his father wouldn’t buy it. He knew he had messed up big time when his father’s aura was suddenly unleashed, scaring Vincent in the process.
As Malcolm's aura flared up, William's heart raced with fear. He hadn't seen his father this angry in a long time. Even Vincent, who was usually carefree, looked scared stiff.
"Dad, I..." William stammered, struggling to find the right words. "I've just been trying to understand everything that's been happening. It's been a lot to take in, you know?"
Malcolm's expression softened slightly, but his eyes still held a hint of suspicion. "Understand what, exactly? What do you know that you're not telling us?"
William felt the weight of his father's gaze bearing down on him. He couldn't reveal the truth about his time travel or the conversations with Yggdrasil. It would only cause more chaos and uncertainty.
"I've just been studying really hard," William said, hoping his father would buy it. "I want to be able to protect our family and help however I can."
Malcolm's aura receded slightly, but he still looked unconvinced.
"You've always been a smart kid, William, but this... This is different. You're not just studying hard. You're acting like someone who's been through things no one your age should have experienced."
William swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his father's disappointment. He wished he could tell him everything, but he knew he couldn't. Not without risking even more.
"I'm sorry, Dad, I'll try to be more open with you, I promise."
William said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Malcolm sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.
"Just... Just be careful, William. I don't know what's going on with you, but I don't want to lose you. I will entrust your training to someone else for the time being."
Those words hit William like a punch to the gut. He hadn't realized how much his father cared about him, despite everything that had happened.
"I will, Dad."
William said, his voice trembling slightly.
"I promise."
The rest of the day’s journey passed in tense silence, with William feeling the weight of his father's scrutiny every step of the way, though he could clearly tell it had significantly lessened.
Finally, after many days on the road, they reached the capital, which was their main destination after their return.
Getting off the carriage, William nonchalantly looked around, not fazed by the buildings around him. Vincent, on the other hand, was utterly lost amid the massive structures. Shaking his head at Vincent's childlike innocence, William followed his father, who had already gone up ahead with the Aura Saints.
His father had also told him that he would be personally taught by another teacher, Raymond Olson, the aura and swordsmanship teacher of the royal guard, which William was pleased about, but he could tell that his father had other plans with this arrangement.
William and the rest were soon escorted in a separate area where they could clean themselves and change into better suited clothes.
After doing so, It was time for them to meet the Emperor and get rewarded for their hard work.
