Descending Into A Novel-Chapter 77:Rayleigh Von Mez (7)

Rayleigh felt himself get startled awake, clutching his chest as he shot out of his bed. Breathing hard, he could feel the sweat pour down his back endlessly.

’...another nightmare.’

How long had it been since that fateful day?

He didn’t even know anymore. The days seemed to pass by like water in a river. The distinction between morning and night was long gone for him.

He sighed, picking himself out of his bed. He walked over to his window, the dark nights. Illuminated only by the faint beams of the moon helped to calm him. Forget everything for a little while.

Staring out at the endless forests beneath him, Rayleigh turned back and looked around his room. A complicated expression on his face.

He had stumbled upon this abandoned mage tower probably around eight years ago. That would make him forty three at the very least. Although he was more likely to be forty four or forty five.

Exploring it, Rayleigh found numerous abandoned journals and textbooks. Each detailing on several branches of magic. He didn’t know who the owner was, but given that this tower was situated in past Martzu Kingdom territory. He surmised that the owner had likely run away sometime when his father begun his mage hunt and conquered the Martzu Kingdom.

That just left it all to Rayleigh, although he had to admit. It got very boring sometimes. Being all alone by himself. With no company. All of his food and water were sourced from the forest. The nearest human settlement being miles away

Seeing the dotted night sky. Rayleigh admired the views for a bit longer. Quietly uttering to himself.

"System."

Name:

Rayleigh Von Mez (LV 321)

Race:

Advanced Human

Classes:

-Prodigy Mage(LV MAX)

--Starter Dimension Magic Mage (LV MAX)

-Starter Time Magic Mage (LV MAX)

-Dimension Magic Savant(LV 98/100)

-Time Magic Genius(LV 98/100)

Title:

[Pioneer of Dimension and Time Magic]

Stats:

[press here to show]

Skills:

[press here to show]

Status:

[press here to show]

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Dimension and Time attunements

Rayleigh didn’t even know what a dimension was when he was first offered the choice. After maxing out his prodigy mage class. He had been given the option to choose two classes to level up together or only one at a time. He had decided to do the former.

Now at his current level, he had already formed his fifth mana circle—and was rapidly closing in on his sixth. That was enough to consider him a middle-upper elite in terms of strength. His actual combat strength however was much higher.

With the help of the system, Rayleigh had managed to pioneer two entire new magic disciplines. Dimension and time, creating several spells for both.

...he still lacked the strength to turn back time fully. But his experiments had already shown him there were consequences.

Rayleigh called it the Punishment.

It started out small, he had tried eating something. Then turning back time so he could eat it again. To get unlimited food, he ended up suffering a bolt of lightning that caused him to be heavily injured.

Then he tried to go backwards in time, only to end up stuck in a coma for what he presumed was several weeks. He didn’t know.

Yet, it also made him realize. If he did turn back time and saved his mother and William. Wouldn’t it create a paradox?

If they lived, it wouldn’t create the current situation where he was trying to reverse time and save them.

He laughed to himself, what was the point of time magic. When he could barely even use it half the time?

Although so far, it seemed only reversing time brought the Punishment. Using time magic to reverse his injuries didn’t cause it, stopping time briefly didn’t and gazing into the future didn’t as well.

That was how he could tell that whatever caused the Punishment was something intelligent. It could differentiate whenever he used Time Magic. Punishing him if it ever determined he went too far.

The realization had shook him massively, once.

The knowledge that there was some kind of higher being. Looking down upon everybody and making sure they didn’t go too far overboard. Did that mean there was no free will?

He had wondered that at first. If fate and destiny existed. Did he truly have a choice in anything he did? Were all his actions predetermined from the start?

But no, free will did exist. Fate and destiny were all mere excuses only. He could guarantee this after his years of researching time.

His every actions would affect the future, if time was truly locked into one set outcome. It would have remained the same no matter what. But he could see several possible outcomes if he wished. The future was everchanging while the past and the present were fixed.

That was his theory for the main cause of Punishment. Any attempts to change the past and the present would bring Punishment. The future was constantly in flux and therefore, it didn’t matter what he did.

He felt a presence standing outside of his door, their feet shuffling side-to-side slightly.

Rayleigh smiled, striding over and opening it. Causing a small child with black hair to jump back slightly.

The most unique feature about this child however, was the two cat ears and tail on her. The fur sticking up slightly as she recoiled. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Anna. What did I say about staying up late?"

She quietly mumbled under her breath, "That I shouldn’t do it."

He ruffled her hair slightly, causing her feline ears to tilt downwards as she relaxed at his touch.

"What’s wrong?"

"I-I can’t sleep. Can you cast that spell again for me? Please?"

Rayleigh had rescued Anna from a slave trader a few years back on one of his small trips. As the only survivor, Rayleigh had tried to let her go. Helping her to find another beastkin settlement in hiding within the Virex Empire.

She had ran away from the settlement however, choosing to follow Rayleigh instead. In the end, he had brought her back to his tower. Teaching her his magic.

It felt...weird. At first, knowing someone’s life depended on you. It brought a weight of responsibility that Rayleigh couldn’t handle at first. But, he gradually learned and adapted.

It brought an odd sense of satisfaction seeing her learn magic. She wasn’t as talented as him and that was okay. She didn’t need to be.

But taking care of someone like this, he wondered whether this was how his mother and William felt...

Seeing her pleading expression, he sighed.

"It’s not good to rely on sleeping magic."

"I...I had a nightmare."

Rayleigh got onto one knee, pulling her close into a hug. Letting her bury her face in him, her tail swaying back and forth slowly.

"It’s alright now. You’re safe now. They won’t hurt you here. As long as I’m here."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Now, you should go to bed. No magic this time, okay?"

She sniffled, hugging him tighter.

"Can you tell me a bedtime story?"

"Of course."

Standing up, Rayleigh picked her up princess style. Letting her continue to hug him as she brought her back to her room which was below his.

Setting her down on her bed, he tucked her underneath the blankets. Pulling up a chair to her bedside.

"What story do you want to listen to this time?"

"I want to hear about Knight Rayleigh."

He smiled, stroking her head. Brushing a few strands of hair from her delicate face.

"Again? You really like Knight Rayleigh don’t you?"

She nodded, letting out a small mhm as a confirmation.

He thought back to what stories about Knight Rayleigh he knew about he hadn’t yet told Anna. His only source being the stories his mother told him and the occasional times he dropped in to a bar with a bard recounting his tales.

"Then, have I told you the story of how Knight Rayleigh met his beloved princess Margaret?"

Seeing her shake her head, he continued. Reciting the short story of knight Rayleigh saving princess Margaret from the wicked witch.

Rayleigh petted Anna’s head slowly, as he recited the story his mother frequently told him. The same motions as she once did for him.

Anna’s eyes trembled slightly as he reached the climax of the story. When princess Margaret was caught by the wicked witch, "What happened to princess Margaret?!"

He smiled, despite Anna being fourteen years old. She still acted like a child most of the time.

It felt a bit weird, reciting the story of his namesake. Rayleigh was one of the most common names in the empire solely due to how widespread the tales of Wandering Knight Rayleigh was.

While Wandering Knight Rayleigh was probably a real person (many still debated on whether he was real or not). The tale was so old it was hard to trace its origins back.

At minimum, the tale was at least four hundred years old. But five hundred was a more accurate guess.

Finally, as he reached the ending of the story. When knight Rayleigh and princess Margaret fell in love with each other and managed to defeat the wicked witch. Anna let out a sigh of relief.

"It’s sad."

Rayleigh (not the knight) tilted his head in confusion.

"Why is the story sad?"

"Because, knight Rayleigh never got to have a happy ending. He did so much good for everyone. He helped so many people. But he didn’t get to live happily ever after with his beloved. He had a happy life, not a happy ending."

Rayleigh could tell she was thinking of her family right now. Although Rayleigh had killed those slave traders. They were merely the grassroots of the slave trade. Killing them would only delay it. Not stop it.

He had always known he wouldn’t be a true father for Anna. She still had plenty of memories of her real family. Rayleigh was merely her caretaker.

Seeing her closed eyes, and steady breathing. Rayleigh realized she had fallen asleep already.

He laughed dryly to himself.

His mother had named him Rayleigh in the hopes he would have a happy life. Yet knight Rayleigh never got to have his own happy ending.

He hoped he would be different.