Part 1 –

Two days have since passed in the blink of an eye. Nothing of interest occurred during these two days, apart from Uru’s overnight disappearances. When Exrite confronted her about it, she only replied with:

“Just Business.” In her haughty voice.

It was ambiguous. And no matter how hard he tried to get it out from her, she never gave in.

Today however – was different. With Anoma’s loud appearance so early in the morning, the three staggered to change into proper attires in their individual rooms. And despite Exrite’s morning weakness; he was suddenly filled with nothing but vigour as he briefly sorted himself in a large mirror.

The pink sky outside caused him to wryly smile, wondering if Anoma waking them up at this time was out of spite – or for a legitimate a reason.

Not that he minded.

The dim room gave him some trouble as he wore his black clothing. Every glance he had of himself in the mirror caused him to inadvertently clench his teeth.

Not a single scratch was embedded into him, as if everything he had gone through was just a lie.

But that was only a thought.

Finally, he armed himself with only a one-handed crossbow and a pouch of wooden bolts. Confident in his overall appearance, he left the warm room and entered the golden hallway. There, he was met with the towering Khaos.

“Geez…” The man rubbed the back of his head and yawned. “Why’re we up before breakfast?”

Khaos’ complaints brought Exrite to a yawn as he gently shut the door behind him.

“I wish I knew.” Exrite briefly looked down both sides of the hallway. “Is Frosty’s still asleep?”

“I think she’s changing.” Khaos sighed and leaned against the wall.

There wasn’t much chatter between the two. After all, it was still far too early for anyone in their right mind to be awake. They embraced the warm silence, and occasionally heard Frosty’s pleasant voice from a nearby room. Khaos would smile every time without fail, savouring the rare, free-spirited side of his sister.

Shortly after, she emerged from her room with a weird smile. Her dark blue cloak perfectly matched the attire underneath and complemented her brown-leather gloves.

“Did that take long?” She sarcastically asked, her pony-tail swaying as she firmly shut the door and met with them.

“Not at all.” Exrite greeted her with a small smile. “We ready to head out?”

“Kinda.” Khaos yawned again, his stomach growling.

“I’m ready – I’m just hoping you are, Exrite.” Frosty leaned closer to him. “She’s probably doing this on purpose because of you, so you better be prepared for whatever she throws your way!”

“Hmm… your voice, sis.” Khaos winced in a grumble as Exrite replied with a firm nod.

“Of course. I’m expecting the worst to come.”

“Hey – show some concern, will you? Or at least look like you’re ready to face her.” She lightly shook him.

“Like this?” He tried to force a grin but ended up with a wry smile.

Even if he was full of vigour in the morning – he still couldn’t function nearly as well as he thought.

“Better… I think? Anyway – be careful. You’re not wearing your armour, so don’t be reckless.”

Frosty’s stern reminders etched themselves into Exrite’s being. With a firm nod, she slid her hands away in relief and sighed.

“Honestly, if no one tells you these, then you’ll end up throwing your life away again. Little things will easily catch up with you.”

“Sis, Exrite’s not your kid.” Khaos chuckled at the sight of his doting sister. “I mean, you didn’t care one bit when I had my back- Ouch-!”

An elbow swiftly found its way into his arm.

“Idiot. There’s no point in worrying over a meathead like you.” She growled, her eyes dangerously sharpened, yet still held some sort of warmth.

If it were anyone other than Khaos, they would’ve taken her words for what they were. As her older brother; the one who watched the little Frosty turn into the cold woman today – he knew she didn’t mean any harm.

It was her ‘unique’ way of expressing her warmth.

* * *

They promptly left the castle after a shortly traversing the inner layout.

When they left through the giant doors, they were met with the stagnant winds of the early dawn. Not even the grass danced beneath the sombre sky.

Exrite took in a deep breath of air as they descended the pale staircase, his eyes holding a gentle sheen of delight. The meadow was always a sight to behold, and now it seemed to have a ‘whimsical’ feel to it. It was dimly lit, apart from a few glowing plants which hid within the many flower patches.

It was quiet, apart from their heavy footsteps. They were alone in the field, save for a certain Guild Master.

“You took your time, didn’t you?” Anoma sternly spoke at a short distance away from the staircase.

She stood in a large clearing, where a plethora of training tools were set up and fitted for use. From dummies to targets, and not to mention the silver weaponry that sat in a large, dangerous heap. The sight left the group in slight awe as the armoured woman impatiently tapped her metal arm in wait.

“Even the soldiers of Pathfist can get up and get changed in ten minutes flat. I can’t see why you can’t do the same, Exrenity.” Her rough voice was far from polite as she wore an annoyed face.

Exrite knew she was trying to rouse something within him. So, he only apologised as they stopped mere meters before her. The group held eager eyes, save for Frosty who stood with narrowed eyes.

Anoma approached them with an unreadable face. Slowly, she reached for Exrite’s face with a hand and touched his forehead.

“Hopefully I’ll be able to [Analyse] your body now. Khaos, Frosty – is it alright if I check yours as well?”

Khaos didn’t have any problems, since Anoma was willing to help them get stronger.

“I don’t mind.” He honestly claimed, as Frosty couldn’t help but to feel wary.

Her brows knitted. “What exactly are you going to see with that?” Frosty wasn’t so keen with having someone they barely knew tapping into their bodies and secrets.

For all she knew – Anoma could uncover her ability to see and devour souls.

“Afraid that I’m going to see something you don’t want? Don’t worry – I’m just after your baselines.” A small magical circle formed at the tip of her finger as her eyes suddenly broadened.

They intently stared at her, the many thousands of glowing symbols flickering by her eyes in mere seconds. Soon, the magic dispelled with her eyes returning to normal. However – her face puckered in bewilderment.

“… Exrite, what the fuck is your mana capacity?” She couldn’t help but to utter, her voice a mixture of both shock and awe.

No matter how hard she tried to deny her findings – her [Analyse] had never lied.

“It’s small, I know.” Exrite easily admitted.

However, the woman suddenly clutched onto his shoulder with an iron grip.

“Small!? It’s fucking tiny-! No- it practically doesn’t even exist!” She cried and shook him strenuously. “You’re learning magic with a mana capacity like that!? You’re asking for a mana overload!”

Exrite could only wryly smile in response to that. The most he could do without a magical circle was the light magic [Flare] he used back when the bandits attacked. Light magic wasn’t something that used too much mana, hence why he was able to use it without a catalyst.

Even so – it was majorly stupid on his part. One step too far would’ve either exhausted him or; forced him into a mana overload, which was perhaps the worst way a person could die.

“Why would the Gods choose an imbecile like you as their Exrenity!?” She finally let go of him with a violent sneer.

“… Anoma, I know I’m an idiot for all sorts of reasons – but I’m still trying my best!” Exrite suddenly retaliated with an angered hiss.

Held his ground with furrowed brows and clamped teeth.

It was the first time Anoma garnered a reaction from the man. His stern face and unwavering eyes caused her to become mused as her temporary anger deflated.

In this world, the average human had a sufficient mana capacity to facilitate the use [Second Tier] magic without a catalyst or magic circles. However, those with larger capacities could obviously do better – but they were rare.

A certain girl who just recently left the Guild and adventuring as a whole came to mind. She was one of the few who could cast magic of the [Fifth Tier]. But because of her sheer mana capacity – her physical strength and figure was petite at best.

On the flipside – those with little mana capacities weren’t rare, but those who teetered on the edge of not having one was practically unheard of.

Exrite was an extremely rare case; and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. But for now –

A small smile of satisfaction crept across her face, surprising the angered Exrite.

She found a silver lining.

“I think things have gotten much more interesting.” She began, folding her arms as she erected her posture. “Exrite, do you know what it means to have such a tiny mana capacity?”

“… I guess I can’t use magic as effectively as anyone else.” He seemed to calm down as Khaos grew intrigued with the topic.

Anoma simply shook her head and grinned. “There’s that. But – it also means you have every potential to become physically stronger.” Her words were confusing at first, but after some time, Exrite roughly began to understand what she was getting at.

There was a rule in nature he moderately knew of. Where a being’s mana capacity was low; their physical strength would undoubtably be high – and vice versa. It was the reason why mages like Bailey were smaller than others, and why Exrite was built the way he was without prior training.

But then; he remembered Uru and the magic-lacking dwarves, who where the antithesis of the phenomenon. Needless to say – it might’ve been human-related for all he knew.

“With such a low mana capacity, I’m surprised you’re not any taller or stronger than you are. Just goes to show how much you really care.” Anoma’s words were vile, and full of loathe.

Exrite couldn’t deny it.

He had been so caught up in learning magic and taking the backlines, that he neglected any potential growth – mostly because of their focus on their four-month journey to reach the Children of Balance. And now, with his returned mortality; he was already committed to self-preservation, even if he wasn’t actively trying to half of the time.

His fingers gently brushed the handle of his crossbow as he wryly smiled.

“Yeah. I’ve been taking the back role for a while.” He looked over at his two closest friends and smiled. “And I have no plans to change it.”

“Are you out of your-!?”

“However! – I want to be stronger, for everyone’s sake!” Exrite returned his gaze with voice that prevailed over her.

His right, light blue eye held a tinge of warmth as an indomitable ember burnt within. Anoma instinctively held her breath, for this was the first time she saw such unwavering eyes from the man the Gods called the ‘Exrenity’.

“I only made it this far because I fought together with Khaos and Frosty. I need to be stronger to hold my own weight, because if something happens to them – then there’s nothing I can do with only a crossbow and low-tiered magic from the backlines.”

He wholeheartedly knew just how weak he would be in any fight without them. It’d be beyond idiotic to dismiss the chance to grow stronger, because in an event where he’d be singled out – there’d be little he could do to fend for himself.

It was the basis of his rationale.

He’d still provide support from the back but be able to endure close combat when the time called for it – particularly if he was alone.

There was a strange smile on Frosty’s face, but Khaos didn’t hold back and smiled with everything he had. It was reassuring to have Exrite still remain as their ‘party leader’, who’d support them from afar.

“Geez… you know, if this ends up going well then we won’t have to constantly worry about you.” Frosty sighed and lightly punched his arm. “At least you’ll be able to fight back.”

“Hey, if your mana capacity’s low enough then maybe you’ll be as strong as me!” Khaos laughed, folding his arms as Exrite broke into a soft smile.

“That’s impossible. I’d die if I had no mana capacity like you.”

Anoma’s eyes twitched as she silently stood, studying the bizarre group of three with perplexed eyes. She passed it as only banter.

“But you heard the lady! Yours pretty much doesn’t exist!”

“It’s much different from at least having one and not having one.” Exrite replied.

“I’ll call you ‘Khaos Two’ if you end up becoming like him. One meathead’s already enough.” Frosty teased. “We’ll end up traveling twice as many circles.”

“Hey! You still remember that!?” For once, Khaos became quite flustered.

In the midst of their bickering, Anoma couldn’t help but to stare annoyedly at Exrite’s dangling crossbow. From what she’s heard, Exrite was rather skilled with it. But to what extent wasn’t exactly clear.

What she did know however – was his genuine thirst for strength. Exrite had potential for it, but he’d have to work tirelessly through blood, sweat and tears.

She remembered Mildly Taniawort. The legendary adventurer was in some ways similar to Exrite; for they both carried the same cursed trait of lacking any real mana capacity.

Except Exrite’s was smaller by a tenfold.

A small smile formed across her face. The prospects of the man were certainly appetising, although she honestly wondered if he could ever surpass the heroic icon of the kingdoms.

And with his baseline in mind – she knew exactly what to do.

But first, she needed to [Analyse] the Frostbitten siblings.

* * *

Part 2 –

The following evening was like any other night, save for the thick blanket of clouds that covered the moon like curtains. The busy roads were kinder this time around, baring a fair amount of people who traversed either lengths of the main western road.

Uru strolled around on her own, whistling a catchy tune. It was drowned by the city ambience, yet she continued like it was perfectly fine. Above and around her, people scurried around, some half-drunk while others settled into inns for dinner and a night’s rest. Small cloth among other things were hung from the overhead wires and balcony rails.

Though she wondered why they didn’t hang any clothing. It must’ve been the morality of the humans and the other races that lived in this peaceful city.

Uru couldn’t help but to smile at such meaningless things. They were strange in the eyes of a being like herself. The pride and annoyance they exhibited when doing such insignificant tasks was rather amusing.

She set the thought aside, spotting a familiar face in the near distance.

It was a mature woman with sky-blue hair. Endowed in the finest, most pure dress of a matching colour; the woman was nothing short of an angel. It seemed to be the case with the cheerful children as well. Their joyous remarks and playful interactions with the woman were warm, even to the onlookers who couldn’t help but to mellow at the sight.

Uru, in a way, was the antithesis of the woman in both appearance and mentality. Where the woman bestowed love to children, Uru despised such futile things.

She came from a dangerous place in Demora where the children could only learn from experience, not from nurture. With such long lifespans and the brutality of her race’s hierarchy – they needed to bolster themselves for the grim future ahead.

The woman’s eyes suddenly narrowed as the ambience grew to a silent halt, as if sensing Uru’s presence. Only her approaching footsteps resounded from behind, along with her haunting whistle.

“You’re still here? Hm. I thought you were on your way to the mountains.” Uru’s haughty hum brought the woman to shut her eyes.

“I was waiting for you, ‘dark elf’.” She spoke with a cold voice. I’d be insane to let you roam around this city unchecked.”

The light-blue eyes came back, laced with nothing but ice and spite. But the children and the onlookers didn’t know any better, for her body and face remained unfazed.

Uru met side by side with her, feeling the woman’s side-long gaze as she held a devilish grin.

“Then stop wasting your time on children. Come – I’m sure you want to ‘talk’ with me some more, little spirit.”

“Gladly.” Her whisper was subtle and instant.

As Uru moved past her, her warmth in her eyes returned, as so did the pleasant ambience of the peaceful city.

“Sorry young ones. I need to return home.” The forced voice caused Uru to utter something beneath her breath mockingly. “Next time – I’ll tell you all of the story where the daughter finally beats the baddy and saves her mom!”

Their little cheers of joy left Uru with a bitter taste in her mouth – a rather pleasant one in this case. But it wasn’t just their obnoxious naivety that caused her eyes form into wicked slits.

She dampened her lips with a black-inked tongue.

“Nobody can save what’s already dead, Phase.” Her utter never reached anyone and was lost in the sea of chatters along the busy road. “Not when they’re killed by you.”

* * *

Somewhere across plains out to the east of the Capital, the two made their solemn march. The woman was now in the body of a young child, who had no difficulty in keeping up with the wandering Uru who whistled into the night sky.

This was Phase, the Spirit of Balance. After the birth of the Maiden of Time, she took it upon herself to leave the realm of the Children of Balance in order to find her.

Or rather – Exrite specifically.

From the very beginning, the cunning spirit knew that Exrite would inevitably become the Maiden of Time, and so did her masters. Yet they did nothing about it. Nothing angered her more than the way the Children of Balance made light of the situation.

Even if they couldn’t leave – they could have sent her to the mountains earlier, for she knew exactly what resided in its depths.

Or in this case – who.

Her brows remained furrowed, and her eyes sharpened in the chance Uru would attack her. A distance was kept between them as they ploughed through the faraway plains. The Capital was barely a beacon of light, but even from this distance; a battle between them would surely be felt from here.

She still hadn’t forgotten what the Uru had done to her mother. Likewise – Uru didn’t forget that Phase was the one who caused her lover to betray her and imprison her for a thousand years.

“I didn’t come here to settle things with you, little spirit.” Uru suddenly spoke, as if reading Phase’s mind. “I’m only asking that you leave me be. There’s no point in getting revenge onyou. Not quite yet.”

She didn’t deny her yearn to crush the spirit with her claws. But now wasn’t the time, nor was this the appropriate place to do so.

Phase’s mindset was much the same, except she put aside their differences for now – no matter how much it pained her to do so – for she needed to know of Exrite’s whereabouts.

If there was anyone who’d know, it’d be Uru; the demon beneath the ‘Dwarven city’.

“Zeluru, I know you know where Exrite is.” Her dangerous voice failed to match her childish appearance. “You’ll tell me where he is, won’t you?”

It was uncanny, because those words held a weight that far surpassed her being; and a power that resounded within Uru’s body.

She responded with only a devilish grin.

“Oh? Will I? With your futile commands?” She tauntingly laughed. “My imprisonment only strengthened my energy reserves and mind. Such a powerless thing won’t sway me to submit to something as weak as you, you lapdog of balance.”

The vengeful hiss brought Phase’s eyes to further sharpen as she managed to hold herself back from killing the wretched demon. If Uru died, then she’d lose her only way of finding Exrite; the Maiden of Time.

The Capital was far too large for her to search through every dark alleyway. The castle was the natural place to look first – but with Uru’s presence, it was nearly impossible to infiltrate it at all.

And above all else – she wanted to avoid any conflict within the Capital, or its surroundings.

“I’ve said it before – the Maiden of Time is in the mountains, along with her poor Frostbitten friends.” Uru reminded.

Her formulated lie was to throw off Phase from finding the Maiden, and to lead her away from the vicinity of the Capital, where she could finish off what they started a thousand years ago.

Uru needed Exrite and the Frostbitten. The risk of Phase reclaiming them from her possession was far too high.

The child-like spirit growled. “You lie. No demon of Demora, no less you, would ever dare to mistreat the Maidens or even think of imprisoning them.” Phase’s reply only caused Uru to gracefully hum.

“I’m no longer a demon of Demora, but a demon who lives for the sake of surviving. You don’t know, little spirit – I could’ve broken down over the last thousand years and bounded the Maiden of Time in my chambers.”

“You’d be a moron to keep the Maiden in the same place she was born. You can manipulate the masses, you friends and even my mother – but not me, Zeluru.”

Uru’s lips suddenly stagnated as her eyes sharpened along with her teeth. It seemed like Phase struck a sensitive part of the demon.

“I never manipulated my friends, nor your mother.” She came to an abrupt stop.

The scrunching ceased altogether. Phase stood her ground, her body primed for inevitable combat. Uru gripped onto the air in anger as her eyes returned to their golden-dark colour.

Despite her gruelling anger, the demon managed to faintly smile.

“I didn’t drive her to death. That was her wish, you ungrateful spirit. No one wants to live beyond their destined age in a world like this.” She spat. “It’s no wonder the Gods kept you trapped in there for four thousand years. A shame that we had to cross paths when you were let out. But I’m sure they imprisoned you again for your foolish meddling with the ancient Exrenity.”

Phase didn’t deny it. Of course, after she led on the Exrenity to betray Uru in the mountains, the Children of Balance promptly contained her within their realm for another thousand years.

“… enough.” Her face regrettably shrivelled as she turned back to the direction of the Capital. Even with her back turned to Uru – she knew she wouldn’t dare to attack her here, no matter how riled up she was.

All thanks to the Maiden of Time. She knew she was somewhere in the Capital, but with Uru still around, it was impossible to do anything without resulting to inevitable violence.

And so, she’d go along with Uru’s desire to head to the mountains where she could avenge her mother once and for all.

“I’ll be waiting for you there then, while I search the mountains for the Maiden and Frostbitten you stowed away.”

“You’ll definitely wait there. Just don’t expect to find them so easily.” Uru had a hunch that Phase saw through her bluff.

In the beginning, she opted to stay in order to monitor her, but now she was willing to leave her alone to search for the Maiden of Time. As she stared at the back of the departing spirit, she licked her lips in bloodlust.

Now, how do I tell this to Exrite?

She honestly wondered as she deflated with a long sigh.

* * *

Somewhere in the Capital, a woman silently laid with her body spread across a giant bed in defeat. The soft cushions of her not-so-fancy bed more than made up for it in comfort, as she easily sunk with little effort. Even if she parted from Exrite’s group midway through noon, the shock and fatigue never left her body, no matter how many times her trusty maid tried to heal her.

She stared up into the blank darkness of the room atop. The faint moonlight shone through the giant window above her head as she loudly sighed in the quiet room.

Seriously… Just what the fuck are the Frostbitten?

Khaos’ strength was far from humanly achievable. Even if Exrite had one of the lowest mana capacities to date – his strength would never compare to what the giant juggernaut was able to showcase.

However, when she found out that Khaos had no mana capacity himself – she denied every reasonable explanation that came to mind as to how it was even possible.

Anything that lives MUST have a mana capacity.

It was truly bewildering, and Khaos didn’t look or feel like a reanimated corpse. He had a healthy pulse, his pupils would dilate to light – everything was ‘normal’, or rather; above normal. He had ridiculous physical resistance and strength, however, in the absence of a mana capacity, he virtually had zero resistance to even [First Tier] magic.

Then, there was Frosty.

Anoma grumbled and turned to the side where she scooped a pillow and dug her face into it.

If Exrite has two bodies, then why the fuck does Frosty have hundreds?

She had absolutely no explanation for it, and when she asked, Frosty would either dodge the question or firmly dismiss her. And even if she wanted to further study her with [Analyse], there was no telling whether they were ‘bodies’ like Exrite, or something entirely else.

She was also surprised with Frosty’s combat prowess and magic handling – even if she was conservative with it most of the time. The woman had frightening manoeuvrability that was without a doubt unmatched by anyone registered in the Guild.

Including herself.

What an amazing woman. Not even I can stand a chance against her.

Anoma sincerely wondered if she had anything at all to teach the Frostbitten siblings. She sighed again and rolled onto the other side, where she picked a thick blanket and covered her lightly-clothed self.

As for Exrite…

She yawned.

While the skill he exhibited when using ranged weaponry was phenomenal; she couldn’t ignore his lack of skill with just about every other weapon that wasn’t a sword or a dagger. There wasn’t a real way to gauge him at this time. But if there was one thing that was certain –

We’ll have to wait and see if this hellish training pays off. It’s only the first day, after all. There’s no fucking way in hell I’m letting that guy catch a breath. Not in the state he’s in.

Anoma vowed to make his training as miserable as possible. The fact that he was the Exrenity in the first place was an insult to all the other great men and women out there.

However…

Keep pushing forward, even with all the bullshit I’ll be throwing your way.

For something as rugged and futile as an insect corpse, under the right circumstance, could become something as powerful and valuable as limeite.

And as a famous saying went:

Only time will tell.

She silently rolled onto her back and delved into the darkness behind her eyelids, wondering what other sort of surprise the group will show her tomorrow.