"Where I'm meant to be?" I asked, "and how can I trust you?" I wasn't exactly in the mood to become dragon food, so I had to play my cards right.
"Ouch, Grandson," the man clenched his chest to symbolize agony, "I see you inherited your father's skepticism, I just hope you didn't get his disdain for me too."
My thoughts were conflicted, if this man was
really my father's father, then why does he look so young? Now that I think about it, Dad is a bit goofy and over the top, maybe this man really is my grandfather.
"Ah, yes," the man clasped my hands and gave me a pinched smile, "me and your old man are more alike than you think, Murmur.
Come on, there's so much I need to teach you." He'd grabbed my hand and the two
of us made our way to the top floor of the library. I looked down, and I could spot my mother and siblings, still frozen in time.
"Wicked skill, huh?" the alleged grandfather
asked with a scrunched nose, "you know, I can teach it to you; the time-stop ability." His lips curled into a devious smile, it almost felt like I were making a deal with the devil.
"You can do that? I mean, you can teach me how to do that? How, Grandfather?" I asked; I'm not sure exactly when, but at some point during this little interaction, I found myself growing more comfortable with the man.
"Oh, that's easy," Grandfather said as he tussled my hair, "but before I do, Myrlin, do you know what a Signature is?"
"Uh, yeah?" I raised a brow, "a unique script,
usually hand-written; can be used to identify, validate, or authenticate documents."
"Such an academic answer," Grandfather
chuckled as he furrowed his brow, "I mean, you're not wrong, but it means something else in this world. A Signature is a unique ability, tied to ones' soul, and to cast the Signature, you must pull from your Cache, the 'Well of Mana' that is found within you."
It's finally happening, I'm finally getting what I'd been asking for, a place where I belong, a world in which I fit in, perfectly. My grandfather crouched down and extended his arms out to me for a hug, and instinctively, I latched onto him, "Please, Grandfather, please teach me. I'll do anything, anything!" I was crying, I'd cried like I'd never cried before, was this what it felt like to finally find your tribe? I didn't care what stipulation this came with, I knew, deep in my Cache, this was meant for me.
Grandfather gave me a gentle smile before
picking me up, "don't worry my boy, you'll learn how to do it sooner than you think. As a matter of fact, this is one of three Inherited Signatures, so you learning it was inevitable."
"Inherited Signatures?" I interrogated.
"Yep, one of three," Grandfather burped as he sat me on his lap, even with his form resembling that of a teenager, he's still very much an old man. "And lucky for you, you get to start with the hardest one!"
And just like that, I was in a foul mood, "are
you serious?"
"Hey now," Grandfather whined, "It's not that
difficult to grasp, look do as I do." Grandfather sat us both on the ground, legs crossed, placing his forearms on top his knees, "do as I do, Myrlin," he said while closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.
Apprehensive and skeptical, still, I did as I
was told; I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in, and what I saw I couldn't even put into words. I could attempt, but I don't think that would really do it justice, but when I closed my eyes I saw a light. Not like flickering strobes, or anything cliché like that, but it was more like neon signage, one could even call it "Neon Script."
"Woah, what is this?" I marveled, keeping my
eyes shut, "is this magic?"
"That's right, Murmur," a visage of Grandfather appeared before me, "This is what 'Mages' see when they learn a new spell; we call this a 'Signature,' and in order to activate this power, the mage must pull mana from their Cache and 'Scribe' their name. This is the foundation of casting spells in this realm and for those that call it home."
It was already trippy that I was freely having a conversation with him while time was at a standstill, but now I'm seeing his 'Force Ghost', I thought. Grandfather's visage approached one of the neon signs, the color of the light was a soft electric-blue and although I couldn't quite read yet, I knew what it said, "Myrlin Samael Wyllt." When I read it aloud, I felt a massive surge of mana rush into my Cache; it was painful, like my insides were being grinded in a food processor.
"That's it, Murmur," my grandfather coaxed and cradled me, "you're almost done, just a few seconds."
What is he talking about, I thought; it
feels like my organs are exploding right now, why is this happening to me; at that very moment, the pain completely stopped. The burning and ripping of my insides completely came to a halt, and what was even more strange, I felt better; I felt stronger.
"Well, Murmur," Grandfather asked as he held me in his arms, "how you feelin'?"
Genuinely, I feel amazing; I feel lighter,
more nimble. I feel stronger and more capable of accomplishing my goals, I thought; but the most important thing I feel right now is intelligence. I feel far more intelligent now than I'd ever felt whether it be in this life or my previous.
"I feel a lot of things, Grandfather," I said
trying to catch my breath, "but the one emotion that I must express to you is gratitude." I promptly sprang out of my grandfather's arms and wrapped my arms
around his torso, "I don't really know what you did, how you did it, but thank you for being the first person to teach me this wonderful phenomenon called 'magic'."
I know I looked a mess, crying like the
snot-nosed little twerp as I appear on the outside, but these tears weren't coming from the "child version" of me. These weren't a child's tears flowing down my face, they were MY tears, my soul's tears; my soul was finally happy, it was finally getting what it had been longing for.
"There it is," Grandfather chuckled and
returned the hug, "it never gets old, the moment you realize we're kindred. You're welcome, child; now, I don't have much time left, so I want to spend as much time teaching you about your new Signature."
I pulled away from Grandfather and placed a
hand above my diaphragm, it was warm, and the heat it was emitting pulsated at a steady rhythm, "Grandfather, my chest is hot, what is this?"
Crouching down, Grandfather placed his hand over mine, "that is where your Cache is located, it's right behind your diaphragm. Whenever you channel mana, your Cache will exert mana into your 'Mana Veins,' which run parallel with your blood vessels. To cast a spell, you'll need to use the mana in combination with your name, usually writing the name in the middle of the air; this is called 'Scribing'."
I looked down at my hands, trying my hardest to consume as much of what Grandfather was teaching me, because for some reason, I felt like this was going to be the last time I'd probably get to see him. I redirected my attention to my grandfather, and he continued his lecture.
We spent what felt like days, maybe even weeks going over the Signature I'd inherited, as well as getting to know each other; I learned quite a bit from him, and the Signature that I'd inherited from him was the very time-stop ability that was active, he'd call it "Solid World," and it controls the carbon-dioxide in the air, allowing the user to slip into a suspended world.
I wasn't too fond of the name, though, so
naturally I had to change it and make it my own, and I'd decided on the name "Temporal Stasis". It's simple and straight-forward, plus I won't feel weird saying it out loud, at least the name I gave it wasn't embarrassing.
"You'll need to continuously meditate and use the signature in order for your body to fully adapt to the Signature," Grandfather lectured. "In your current state, I'd say that you can slip into suspended time three times a day, each for about two seconds; and that's just my guess after you just received the bestowal. So, I know that you'll be moving freely in here in no time."
I could feel Grandfather's heartbeat through his chest, "are you okay, Grandfather?"
"Oh, no need to worry, my boy," he said with a smile, Grandfather stood up and tussled my hair, "I just overstayed my welcome is all; I'd best be making my exit."
This was something of a bittersweet moment; on one hand, I didn't really know the person that was claiming to be my grandfather, however, I couldn't deny the obvious similarities not just between the two of us, but with him and my father as well. And I wanted to learn more from him, I craved it; like a fiend that needs their daily fix. I wanted to learn as much as I could from him; I should be more grateful and appreciative.
Grandfather began to emit a bright light and suddenly morphed back into his dragon form, "It's going to be some time before I see you again, but I left you with someone I trust in my stead!" Grandfather began to turn around and walked toward the source of the light, "he can be a bit of a brat sometimes, don't be too hard on him, and Murmur, never forget; protect the ones you cherish deeply."
I was holding back tears, and despite that I was doing my best to stay stoic, "I-I p-promise, Gran-Grandpa," I choked.
"Whenever you use that Signature," Grandfather added, "I'll be right behind you, as a part of me resides in the ability, so this isn't a goodbye, it's more like a 'see you soon'."
"You mean it?" I asked, catching my breath
from crying.
"See you soon, Little Prince," Grandfather placed his forehead on mine, "see you soon," and in an instant he was gone, with no trace.
The emotions were raw and overwhelming; I'd just met my grandfather, and to make it even better, he's a fucking dragon! I was a mixed bag of feelings at the moment; I was now aware of mana and my Signature, I have a blood relation to a dragon, and the ability to stop time. I felt like every anime fan's favorite overpowered character, but I did promise Grandfather that I would hone my skills; as much as I'd like to slack off, it's imperative that I improve Temporal Stasis.
Once Grandfather vanished, the color in the
library faintly returned, almost as if the grayscale nature of the suspended time was thawing out. As such, I ventured my way back to my family, who were none the wiser of my absence; was it wrong of me to have that interaction with Grandfather? How do I even know that was my grandfather? Well, that second question is a definite given, but I feel like learning that Signature was a taboo of some kind.
By the time I made it back to my family, the
color had completely returned, and time resumed. Mother was still in the middle of her tale, "and in order to defeat the Umbrazin, the seven Asura Lords had no
choice but to trap the vile creature inside of the Husk of the Dragoness and then sealed the husk inside the 'True Void;' the thin, imaginary line that connects the sky with the land or sea." The lounge grew quiet before the tension broke due to Monspeed's loud snoring.
"Geez, M'Lady," Jade shivered, "Lord Chronos was right, that story gives me the willies."
"Yes, it is rather dark," Mother said as she
gave us a smile, "but it reminds me that Our Great Mother didn't leave us here alone. Deep down, I know the descendants of the seven Asura Lords will quell her rage."
We didn't stay in the library much longer
after that, in fact both Monspeed and Minerva fell asleep. I on the other hand had adrenaline coursing through my veins and I was eager to start training this new Signature I received. The ability to stop time with a single thought is some next level power, like Dio Brando from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, or Homura Akemi from Puella Magi: Madoka Magica; this power I have, I must protect my loved ones.
Once I made it back to my room, I leaped in my bed and clenched my pillow in excitement, I can't believe I just met a fucking dragon, I squealed. In my previous life, I was obsessed with anything fantasy, and this world is honestly like something ripped right out of one of my dreams. And even though things in this world may seem complex and hard to grasp, one can find unraveling the complexity is just rudimentary. Grandfather said that I could activate Temporal Stasis three times in a day for about two seconds each time, I pondered; I'm going to have to lock in if I want to be someone that can protect his family.
To be Continued…