Sacrifice: Time of Mine

"Sea of Flames..."

That was the last thing I heard before- ARGHH---!!

Avion was finally freed. But his mind was filled with nothing but torture and the relieving thoughts of death. Only when he was about to suffocate did his will to live surged.

Revert!

He did not even have the thought of bringing his clothes with him.

All he felt was the pain. Everywhere!

It was much more than just getting his skin peeled off. It was like there were a hundred thousand micro knives that was trying to pull him into hell. Every blood that was spilled were vaporized.

'Make it stop!' was the only thought he had.

People say that getting burnt to death was the most painful and drowning, the scariest. Getting cut off from air from what makes us live, our body wants us to feel the most fear, to become the most desperate, so to find another source of air.

In the sea of flames, Avion was experiencing both.

Revert

He was no longer conscious. It was his body that was telling him to use his ability. The process was neither slow nor fast, thus, the body was able to keep up with the danger. It knew that he would die if he doesn't activate Revert.

His body was clinging to its last hope.

Revert...

How many hours have passed since he was placed in that hell? Avion has no idea, he just wished to make it stop, that was everything that he was asking for.

Death, he longed death. The pain overrode his instincts but his body didn't let him. The force to continue, life was surging within him, trying whatever ways to let him live.

This force tried to increase his sensitivity, wanting to make him superhuman but it just made him feel more pain. This force hastened his mind but it just made the torture becomes slower. Each second feels like an eternity.

This force makes him the strongest.

Death gives life the most potential. It pushes life to do its best. Without it, there's no life in the first place.

Revert... the flames bathe him one last time before it finally stopped.

His body charred and white foam came out of his mouth, Avion dropped onto the ground. The sea of flames came abruptly and disappeared abruptly as well. But for him, the time there was like another decade of his life.

It was more painful than when there were hundreds of wood shards in his body, piercing him in every movement.

Avion didn't even have the consciousness to use Revert again.

"Avion"

"Avion"

"Avion..."

Voices wanting him to wake up didn't reach his ears. Is it better to let him die a hundred deaths than being bathed in flames? Darea could only ponder without coming to a conclusion.

A normal human would have died after a second there. But the force of life made use of Avion's ability to control time. He should've died but he did not.

If this was before, his body would still be foreign to his time abilities and would no rely on it. Only after many uses did his instincts relied on Revert.

"Avion... wake up..." there was a gentle voice that rang.

Avion trembled but no tears came out of his burnt face. He could still feel the after-pain, yet, he did not have the mentality to think of reverting himself to perfect condition.

"Oh? Another Life Elementalist? Is this the one Kalin wants me to release...? Is he... dead?" old Galion frowned, "Wait... is he not a Life Elementalist? There's an abundance of life force in him though."

He looked at the body lying on the ground filled with ashes. Lifeforce is there within the person's soul. It should not come out and emit an aura and that was why Galion midunderstood.

"Galion knew more about Life Element than me. How? Is it because he has been researching about it?" Darea was much older than Galion. But unlike the seemingly older dude, the Conqueress didn't dedicate herself to study, but instead, the path to strength.

"Avion..." Darea called again, standing up straight, looking down on him as if he was a stranger she saw on the road, "Avion..."

She was expressionless until Avion finally moved.

But before he could think, Galion made a move again. Even as a senile old man, his face became sharp when he noticed the changes in the queen's aura, suggesting that she was secretly casting an outre.

Whatever it is, Galion wouldn't let her. He raised his hand but froze.

"Huh...?" he shivered up to his spine, feeling a cold touch on his neck, like the blade of a guillotine, as he "looked" near the charred body. Knowing that no one was there, "That fear... was that just my imagination..? What was that... -wait!"

Carrying King Isero, Queen Teresa jumped off like a bullet towards the princess's direction. Galion failed to deter her due to an unknown interruption. making her casting successful.

When Galion flew off and followed, Darea massaged her temples, "Calm down, getting angry does not have any benefits." she reminded herself.

Only when there are no consequences would she let her fury out. She is, after all, the Great Conqueress and does not recklessly abide by what her emotions do.

"Avion..." she called out again.

Once more, before Avion could move, something interrupted. There was a roar that shook the land.

"A Rank Bih Elemental Beast? This is bad..." she whispered as if it doesn't concern her, "Wait, no... not a beast but beasts. Why are there so many?"

The earth trembled and just like a giant fish coming out of its water, there was a giant beast that came out of the land itself!

Roar--!

Its ear-deafening roar caught the attention of the other servants, having their residents far from the center of the Trading-Hills Resort. The branch families also came out and saw the chaos.

The pool had lost its water. Its vaporized form clouded up to the sky as the land burn. There was nothing since everything that stood on the ground before was now either destroyed or burnt to ashes.

The scenes seemed like the remnants of war.

Forest fire spread and the people outside the Trading-Hills Resort were alerted. However, what made them fear the most was the deafening roar earlier.

"An Elemental Beast!? Inside the capital?! Is the world ending!?" many screamed and panic, Riskers didn't wait for Guild Master Gon to make it an emergency mission. The scarce security within the capital took a blow. They could only panic.

"Why is there an Elemental Beast here!? Aren't we on the safest spot in Haliviana!?"

"I didn't sign up for this!"

"Just from its roar, that should be at least Rank Cee!"

"It came from the resort, the Royalties are there, right!?" instead of worry towards their rulers, it was hope. Rank Bihs are the peak and if they cannot withstand the sudden appearance of elemental beasts, then the commoners could only be lambs waiting to be devoured.

[Julio, as the descendent of my servant, avenge your parents, protect your ruler, and accept my Hundred Beasts Assimilation.]