Chapter 985: The Beginning Of The End [Part 2]
Chapter 985: The Beginning Of The End [Part 2]
Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.
Months turned to years, and before Ethan knew it, five years had already passed since he first came into the world with the young Nicole.
He watched her grow up from a little girl with an inferiority complex to a proud young lady who had managed to surprise the adults of the Asta Family, including the current Patriarch, Oscar Asta.
Nicole, who was now thirteen years old, was a far cry from what she used to be in the past. Almost everyday, Nicole trained with Ethan.
The young man imparted the sword skills Nicole had taught him in the past and made sure that she built her foundations properly.
Ethan was starting to think that he might have entered some kind of time paradox.
This wasn't the young man's first dive into the past. It had already happened before when he crossed the Nexus with Lily, arriving in the Lands of Alastor.
Later, he went back to the past with Joanne, the Order of the Tidebringer was formed, leaving Princess Ramona as its Saintess and founder.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Ethan had been in denial, and he was still in denial.
Until he had confirmed that the future Nicole was due to his efforts in the past, he wouldn't take things in this reality seriously.
"Mr. Ghost, I've always wondered why I can't see your face," Nicole said after their sparring match ended. "I can see the silhouette of your body, but your face is blank."
"My face is blank?" Ethan asked back. "Really?"
"Yes." Nicole nodded.
She then produced a mirror and handed it over to Ethan.
Ethan took a good look at the mirror, and almost dropped it after seeing that he indeed didn't have a face.
While his features were the same, he simply didn't have a face.
Ethan's body was a shade of dark gray and nearly transparent. He had already confirmed this in the past, but he never bothered to look at his face.
Even in the real world, Ethan didn't really look at the mirror and simply went about his daily routines without seeing his reflection.
He didn't need to comb his hair because his long hair had always been silky smooth without any tangled hair or split ends.
(E/N: Screw you. - words of lady with waist length hair)
"You know, Mr. Ghost, if you didn't call yourself Mister, I would have thought that you are a Mrs. Ghost because of your long hair," Nicole said with a smile. "Now I wonder what you really look like. I bet you're very handsome."
"I'm just average," Ethan replied.
Nicole giggled before she reached out to touch Ethan's hand, which was, for some reason, tangible.
"Mister Ghost, my Uncle is planning to send me to this Magic Academy called Brynhildr Academy," Nicole said. "I heard many things about it. But do I really need to go there? I can just study here at home with you."
"Brynhildr Academy is a good place," Ethan commented. "You will meet new people and get to see many wonderful and miraculous things."
"Then, can you go with me there, Mr. Ghost?" Nicole asked. "Although I need to wait for a few more years before I enter the academy, I can't bear to leave you behind."
"You don't have to worry about me." Ethan smiled, despite the fact that Nicole couldn't see it. "Perhaps, our paths will cross once again in the future."
Nicole then sighed before sheathing her rapier.
"Too bad, Mr. Ghost is already dead," Nicole said with a tinge of disappointment. "If you were alive, maybe you could become my husband in the future."
Ethan was just starting to yawn but that immediately turned into an uncontrollable coughing fit when he heard the young lady's casual comment.
Seeing his reaction, Nicole giggled because it was very hard to catch her Master off guard, as she had now.
"You shouldn't talk about stuff like this, Nicole," Ethan replied.
"I'm being serious, Master," Nicole insisted. "Too bad, you're already dead. In my perspective, you are the perfect partner. Although I can't see your face, your mystery is scratching my heart."
But before Nicole could say anything more, her face paled a bit.
She then closed her eyes and rested her hand over her heart as if trying to calm it.
Ethan's gaze turned solemn after seeing this scene.
Nicole would enter this phase at least once or twice a month.
It was a cramp that came and went like the wind.
But every time it happened, he couldn't help but feel helpless, because there was nothing he could do but watch as the young lady endured the first signs of her body's incompatibility with the Legacy she acquired.
Ethan watched as Nicole's face gradually relaxed as the pain in her chest subsided.
"Master, let's practice using Ice Magic, okay?" Nicole asked. "I think I've already mastered Fire and Water Magic."
"... Understood," Ethan reluctantly agreed to Nicole's request. "Let's first try the basics. Try casting the spell 'Glacies Pila,' and aim at the wall over there."
The young man pointed at the other side of the training ground where the wall was located. "Glacies Pila," Nicole chanted as she pointed her wand at the wall in the distance.
A ball made up of ice that was only as big as a golf ball appeared at the tip of Nicole's wand. A second later, it shot to the wall in the distance.
However, it fell to the ground when it reached half the distance and shattered into pieces. Despite this, Nicole wasn't discouraged.
This was the first time she was using Ice Magic, which wasn't really a specialty of her Origin Magic.
Her true power lay in wielding Fire and Water, which was already a rare combination among Witches.
"When using Ice Magic, make sure to make it as solid as your imagination can make it," Ethan stated. "Magic is the power of imagination. As long as you can imagine it, you can make it
happen.
"Make your Ice Bullet denser, stronger, and faster. Think of it as if you're trying to hurl a
stone at that wall using your wand."
Nicole nodded and took a fighting stance.
She then thrust her wand forward like a sword while casting the spell.
"Glacies Pila!"
This time, the Ice Bullet flew faster and farther than her first try.
However, it still fell just a little past the halfway mark.
But Nicole was already happy because the improvement was there.
"I did it, Mister Ghost!"
"No, you didn't. Try again."
"Tsk!"
The young lady then continued to cast another spell, trying to hit the opposite side of the wall
with her Ice Bullet.
She wasn't aware that she was being watched from a distance by the Patriarch of the Asta
Family, Oscar Asta.
Seeing that she was talking to herself, Oscar thought that Nicole was talking to an imaginary
friend again.
Similar incidents had been reported to him by his subordinates over the years.
They said that Nicole would talk to someone no one could see from time to time, making her
look weird in the eyes of others.
They even brought a Wizard who specialized in dealing with spirits in order to exorcise the
ghost that was haunting the little girl.
However, the Wizard didn't sense or see anything unusual.
Because of this, it solidified their suspicion that Nicole had made up an imaginary friend,
whom she would talk to from time to time.
However, what bothered them was that the imaginary friend, whom Nicole kept calling Mr. Ghost, was training her to become a powerful witch.
Because of this, her standing in the Asta Family had grown by leaps and bounds. Only the two Prodigies of the Asta Family seemed to match her talent for magic.
After looking at her for a few more minutes, Oscar finally left to handle more urgent family
matters.
Ethan turned around to look at the departing Patriarch of the Asta Family with cold eyes.
He had seen how Nicole was treated by the family, and frankly, he had a lot to complain about.
However, knowing that it might lead to complications, he held his tongue and simply watched over the young lady, who was starting to use Ice Magic for the first time in her life.