2. I Who Have Return

The explosion between the attack and the golem body was enormous, but luckily Zein managed to avoid the attack. If he hadn't used the magic earlier, he might not be able to do anything now.

Zein was currently standing next to his castle, thanks to the teleportation magic. His golem magic slowly crumbled, as did the castle he had built, which began to crack. He gasped in pain, his right eye bleeding. His body was badly beaten with just one attack from the Artifact weapon. It felt like every inch of his body was about to explode.

"I can't imagine what would have happened to me if I hadn't used that magic," Zein thought to himself.

There were four knights left who were ready to attack Zein. The hammer knight approached while swinging his hammer. Zein couldn't do anything because of the pain he was currently experiencing. Bughh! The hammer swing hit Zein's body, causing him to be thrown and crushing the cracked castle.

"UGHHHH!!!" Zein was thrown quite far until he stopped after hitting several trees.

"Damn it! I didn't expect the strength of the Artifact to be this far!" Zein cursed inwardly.

Zein's earthen castle was destroyed, leaving Lucy sitting on the ground holding her head.

"Argh...." Zein tried to get up. He held his right hip. His ribs were broken. His vision began to blur, looking towards his little sister.

Lucy...

"Let's end this...." The blue sword knight approached Lucy, then kicked her until she fell.

Lucy was surprised, her eyes widened. She saw her brother from a distance with a body full of wounds. Then her gaze focused on someone in front of her.

Settt!!! The swing of the knight's sword didn't give Lucy time to react, immediately beheading her. The silhouette of her little sister lying there after the incident made Zein's heart filled with anger.

"LUCY!!!" Zein tried to run, but his leg was injured badly enough that he fell down.

"It should have ended like this from the beginning," said the sword knight.

"You bastards!" Tears began to flow from Zein's eyes. He felt like exploding right now. "You damn Melinda dogs!"

"Even in a situation like this, you can still talk, it seems." The sword knight approached Zein, who was still lying on the ground. When he was close enough, the knight kicked Zein.

"Arghh!"

"Say it again!" The knight kicked Zein harder. "Say that I am a dog!"

Bugg...! The kick made Zein fall. The knight then raised his sword, ready to pierce Zein's body with it.

"Last words... banished prince?"

"Hah...hah... You asked the wrong question...." Zein's hands slowly moved closer together. Like a needle that kept piercing his skin, he kept moving his hands until both palms were tightly closed. "This is my farewell. Curse Magic... Equal. Burning Hell..."

"Hah! What are you talking about!" The knight swung his sword. But he stopped when Zein's body was covered in purple flames. "What is this?"

"Arghhhhh!!!" Screams came from behind the sword knight.

He saw his comrades burning in the same flames. The fire slowly consumed them, their screams getting louder. Rolling on the ground, running, even tearing off their clothes to get rid of the flames that stuck to them.

"What have you done!?"

Zein replied to the question with a satisfied smile on his face. Soon, purple flames appeared on the sword knight's hand. He began to panic. But whatever he did, the fire did not go out, but instead grew larger.

The fire continued to consume the bodies of the knights, including Zein. He looked up at the gray sky, the wind getting stronger. His weak eyes had surrendered to what he had done. But he couldn't forgive himself for the death of his sister Lucy.

"Ah... is this the end... it feels abandoned... alone, again."

A light shone from the sky approaching Zein.

"Is this how you want to end, Zein?" the figure asked.

Zein couldn't see the face that was currently asking him because his vision was so blurry, but from his voice, he could recognize that it was his teacher.

"Isn't it too late, teacher...." Zein smiled falsely.

"I ask once again, do you want to end up like this?" Zein's teacher seemed to ignore his words.

"Of course...I don't want to...who would want to end like this...you know, teacher? I just want to go home and meet the people I love. I never wanted my father's throne if that's what they wanted, I just want to live...peacefully...is my exile..." Zein didn't finish his sentence, his tongue became more and more dry.

"I think I have gone too far, forgive me. I should have helped you earlier. But my ego kept holding me back. I wanted to know if you were worthy or not."

Zein was confused by everything his teacher had just said. "What do you mean, teacher?"

"I have always been looking for someone who could correct my mistakes in the past. But every person I met never met my expectations." The old man with the long beard looked at Zein seriously. "Listen, Zein, you are the only one I acknowledge. In this time and beyond."

The figure called Zein's teacher made a symbol with his hands, then slowly opened his hands. Like an electrical current, something appeared between his fingers. A blue magic circle surrounded the area - 9 layers of magic circles in the sky.

"When time passes and fate cannot be changed, the god who rules the world is the exception. The lost existence will be replaced with a new one. 9th-level magic: God of Time Chronos."

Sett!!! Suddenly, Zein was in an all-white place, still lying down. The ground, trees, and the knight from his fight disappeared.

"This is my final message. In your next life, be what you want to be."

"What do you mean, teacher..." Zein's eyes grew heavier, he tried to stay awake but eventually closed his eyes.

***

Zein opened his eyes. A white ceiling greeted him, adorned with a series of golden ornaments. He looked at his hands, trying to understand the situation.

"What is this?"

Zein then put his feet out of bed. It felt weird but familiar to him when his feet touched the shining white marble tiles. He stood and looked at the mirror beside his bed. The reflection of a teenage boy with black hair and blue eyes was staring back at him. His face was smooth again, the wounds around his face disappeared. His rough hands now looked soft and weak. He saw his current shadow, which was very thin.

"This is me at the age of 15, if I'm not mistaken... so, I've gone back to the past." Zein clenched his fists. His gaze was sharp.