[Author Note: There is a typo in last chapter. It was said Time Slipping and Unrememberance are two of the many types of Time Death.
However, it should’ve been ‘Remembrance’ instead of ‘Unremembrance’.]
….
Neo frowned.
In this round, until today, all of his actions were the same as he had done in the last regression.
He had been wary of buttery effect and made sure he did nothing different.
“This can’t be possible.
“I’m sure I didn’t do anything different. There is no way this is the result of butterfly effect.
“Then how?”
Suddenly, a voice spoke to him.
“It’s the mechanism of Fate.
“Whenever you travel through Time, the Fate will interfere to stop you from changing the timeline.”
Neo swiftly turned his head.
There was no one around him.
“That was Professor Daniel’s voice.”
His face hardened.
“The symptoms of Remembrance started already.”
The ability to hear voices of Time was called Remembrance.
Neo had acted oblivious in front of Professor Daniel, but he knew about the Time Deaths.
“I don’t have much time left since the symptoms began already.
“I need to awaken my Time element quickly, or I’ll be lost in Time.”
He joined the graduation ceremony.
His friends were surprised when they saw him.
“Neo…? Is that really you?” Jack questioned.
“Yeah. I’m back.”
“What about Professor Daniel?”
“He agreed to teach—”
Before he could complete his words, he was jumped by Arthur and Felix.
They hugged while laughing and crying.
Neo smiled.
He had ghosted them for two years, yet they treated him the same as ever.
The ceremony ended without many incidents.
Neo did not receive any honorary mentions.
He was, however, the center of attention of the ceremony.
Just not in a good way.
Arthur, Felix, Jack, Neo and Nathan had a party in the evening.
They told Neo about their academy life.
He listened with a smile on his face.
While waiting for D-0 day, Neo checked his status.
[Neo Hargraves]
[Rank: Grade 1 Awakened]
[Divine Energy Purity: Grade 3 Mythic]
[Stats]
﹂Strength: 77
﹂Speed: 81
﹂Dexterity: 76
﹂Constitution: 69
﹂Luck: 0
[Affinity: Death, Shadow, Darkness, Void, Water, Time]
﹂Magic Spell: Necrotic Touch, Ocean’s Embrace, Essence Breath
[Bloodline: Monarch of Death]
﹂Unique Skill: Death, Immortal
[Quest: Complete Barbatos’ Training (Part 1)]
﹂Training Completed: 3/5
Neo pursed his lips.
The stats carried over his regressions.
“Professor Daniel must be a high-level mastery in Time if he can let me retain my stats and ranks.
“It’s weird how I never read about him.”
The next day Neo visited Professor Daniel’s office.
“Come inside.”
The two sat across the table.
“Did you win the lottery?”
“I didn’t.”
Professor Daniel was slightly surprised.
“You lost already? How low is your Luck?
“Even those with 2 or 3 Luck can win a few lotteries until Fate interferes with them.”
“It’s quite low.”
Professor Daniel did not ask Neo about the exact value of his Luck stat after Neo dodged the question.
He continued.
“This was the reason I told you to buy lottery tickets.
“Just because you can go back in Time doesn’t mean you are invincible.
“Fate’s interference is one of the many roadblocks Time Travelers like us face….”
Professor Daniel stopped speaking when he realized Neo was not surprised.
He asked cautiously.
“Did you know about Fate already?”
“I have heard about it.”
“From who?”
“….”
Neo’s silence answered Professor Daniel’s question.
Professor Daniel slowly sat up straight.
His eyes grew fierce and he stared at Neo with a hawk-like gaze.
“The voices of Time told you about Fate’s interference?”
“Yes.”
“Dammit, why already?”
Professor Daniel punched the table.
He stood up.
“The original plan was to let you adjust to the Time slowly and send you further back into the past with each attempt.
“But we don’t have that luxury.
“I’ll chuck you as far as your body can handle.
“It will put immense pressure on you and increase the chances of your awakening.”
Neo nodded.
Professor Daniel placed a palm on Neo’s back.
“I’ll say it again.
“Resist the flow when the River of Time tries to wash you away.
“Do anything you can to stop yourself from slipping.
“If you don’t, the River will drown you.”
Professor Daniel pushed.
Neo felt a gallon of water smash into him.
He staggered.
The powerful current began to erode him.
He gritted his teeth and tried to hold on.
Neo could not tell if he had been swimming against the flow for a moment or for a month.
The strong flow of the River suddenly disappeared.
Neo fell to his knee, gasping, clutching his heart.
He checked his device.
“D-250 day—”
“Blergh!
Blood mixed his bile juice came out of his throat.
Neo wiped his mouth with the sleeves.
He was trembling, short of breath.
Suddenly, another powerful force hit Neo.
He tried to resist and—
He slipped.
Neo felt himself being washed away.
He was drowning.
He tried to resist.
His body and soul were strained to the limit.
The powerful current disappeared and Neo reappeared in the corridor outside the Professor Daniel’s office.
He used the wall as a support.
“What… date is it… today?”
His voice cracked.
The thick dark circles beneath his eyes and his pale, thin face made him look malnourished.
“D-150 day.”
Neo bit his lips.
“I time slipped 90 days forward. From D-240 to D-150.”
He tried to suppress the aftereffects of Time Travelling when suddenly he heard a shout.
“Neo!?”
Jack rushed to him with dinner in his hands.
It had been his turn to bring the dinner to Neo.
He never expected to see Neo like this on a usual routine.
“What is happening to you!?”
He swiftly took out his device and contacted the medical ward.
Neo cut the call before Jack could call someone.
“N-no need to worry. I’m just training.”
“What do you mean training!? You look like you are about to die!”
“I’m completely fine—”
Neo heaved his stomach.
Jack’s expression worsened when he noticed the blood mixed in puke.
He helped Neo sit.
“Take deep breathes. In and out. In and out.”
While Neo followed his advice, Jack opened the dinner he had brought and gave him water.
He massaged Neo’s back.
“How are you feeling now?”
“It’s better now.” Neo drank the water and nodded. “Thank you.”
Watching his condition, Jack opened his mouth and closed it, unable to decide whether he should say his mind or not.
“What is it?” Neo questioned, still short of breath.
“You should stop. I don’t know what is going on, but this… this isn’t training.
“You are just killing yourself.”
“Don’t worry. I’m Immortal.”
Neo tried to chuckle when Jack’s face contorted.
“I told you I’m Hades’ kind. Death isn’t enough to kill me.”
“But—”
“Let’s go.”
Neo stood up, cutting off Jack’s words.
Jack’s eyes widened.
“You are leaving the hall?”
“Yes, the Professor agreed to teach me. I don’t need to stay here anymore.”
A sense of relief washed over Jack.
The two returned to the Seraphim Hall.
Jack had to support Neo to help him walk.
The two stood entered Neo’s dorm room.
Neo frowned when he sensed multiple presences inside.
“I’ll take a leak. See you later.”
Jack tried to slip away.
But Neo grabbed his shoulder.
“Did you tell them about my condition?”
“No.”
“Look me in the eye before you answer.”
“….Yes, I messaged them and told them I was bringing you.”
Neo massaged the bridge of his nose.
He could feel the headache coming before he took a step inside.
“Neo! You are back!”
Nathan, Arthur, and Felix came out into the hall.
They surrounded him and asked questions about his health and why he looked half-dead.
Neo stared at them with a blank gaze.
He wanted to rest, but they wouldn’t shut up.
Shifting his gaze, he stared at Jack.
‘I’m starting to wonder if it was correct choice to save this guy.’
After a loud meal, Neo finally thought he could rest until he was hit by another bombshell.
“You guys are going to sleep here?”
“Yes. Isn’t it okay?”
Felix stared at Neo with puppy eyes
“No, it’s not. Get out.”
“Bu—but we are worried about you.
“You suddenly grew thin and started puking blood today. What if it happens again?”
Neo stared at her with an unimpressed gaze.
Felix stared at Jack with a side eye, asking for assistance, but Jack looked away when Neo turned to him.
“Pretty pleaaaaase.”
Felix continued to persuade him.
Neo’s clicked his tongue.
“Whatever, but nobody will sleep with me in my room.”
The next morning, Neo woke up from the noises.
He noticed everyone was in a hurry.
“What’s up with you guys?”
“We have out mid-terms from today! Dammit, I forgot about them because of everything that happened yesterday!”
Jack was as pale as a sheet.
Arthur was nowhere to be seen.
He was probably on his morning jog, having prepared for the exam.
Nathan was muttering gibberish, while revising everything for the seventh time.
Felix, although prepared, was helping Jack, since Jack had not prepared anything.
“Yawn, I’ll come too,” Neo said.
“Huh? You? Have you studied anything?” Felix questioned.