I Refused To Be Reincarnated

Despite his quivering lips and abundant sweat, the mage snapped his head towards the original. He had to protect himself from the rogue first.

He squinted, his eyes releasing wisps of icy mana as he mobilised the potent energy to cast his spell.

However, his eyes widened the next second as a terrible realisation struck him like a hammer: the man conjured his strike faster than him.

In a hurry, he strategically changed his spell, opting to defend himself before counter-attacking.

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*"Hoarfrost Guardian!"* He roared, his mana condensing into a hulking tier-five yeti.

The frozen creation came to life the next second, moving before its creator in a flash. It crossed its disproportionate forearms over his torso to endure the flickering ball already on him.

BOOM

The seemingly harmless small ball roared like a beast as it blasted the yeti, melting its icy body in a second. Unimpeded, the blast continued its carnage, rushing for the slack-jawed mage like a hound out for blood.

*'No way! Is he an arcanist?!'* He thought, his pupils trembling in dread.

They had scanned this plane before crossing the passage and knew it was poor on mana, so how could that man be faster than him? He isn't faster. He has a perfect affinity for this strange energy!

Unfortunately, the spell blast violently collided with his body before he could finish thinking. His feet took off as he flew back like a rocket until he collided with the wall, losing consciousness amidst rumbling noises.

"Well done, Prometheus! You even managed to keep his equipment intact!" Said Luna, clapping her hands in excitement, pointing her finger at the mage's smoking tunic and spotless magic staff. "The winner should always take his spoils. They are yours!"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

She grinned, causing a tint of red to find its way into his cheeks. However, he quickly remembered how she hid things from him and sobered up.

"Why didn't you tell me they could use the same energy I do? More importantly, how did you close the vortex?" He asked, suspicions ringing loud alarm bells in his head. After all, if he could vaporise vortexes, he would have already closed them all!

Luna locked eyes with him, letting a heavy silence linger for a moment before sighing.

"I can't tell you everything yet. But..." She hesitated, her sparkling pupils trembling as she chose her words carefully. "I-I'll never put you in danger. So please, trust me until the end."

He could see honesty in her eyes but also fear. She was afraid to see him leave. He could also see something else...

'What is it?' He wondered.

He didn't know. But he enjoyed this sensation. It was as if his body was back to normal instead of this rickety appearance he had been hiding for years.

"I'll trust you," he said after a tense minute of silence. Then, he added to himself, 'I just hope you won't betray me.'

Simultaneously, Adam gazed at the scene, a disgusted grimace covering his features. The air reeked rose and honey, two things he didn't want to consider!

"Bring me to the next scene! I don't want to see that!" He yelled, his brows twitching as he gazed at the original... Or was it Prometheus now? Anyway, as he stared at him while he retrieved the adept's equipment.

As if to grant his wish, reality cracked like a mirror again the next second. When he reopened his eyes, he was back in the military canteen.

This time, he saw Atlas, the woman who had mocked him in the conference room with Luna and Prometheus, who sat behind them. The adept was also here, bound to a chair with metal chains.

"I'm done," she said, nodding at Luna before moving aside.

"Good job, Mnemosyne. You can release him, Atlas," Lune said, her lips curling into a smile.

Now, she was confident Earth had at least a twenty percent chance of being saved. Even if it seemed low, before capturing that man, erasing his memories of their battle, and injecting the English language into his brain, she had estimated their success rate to be around a meagre three percent.

Next, a jolt shook the mage's body as Atlas' emerald eyes locked onto him. Then, the man's arms trembled like leaves battered by a storm as a soul-tearing pain assaulted him.

"ARGH!" He roared, spit flying everywhere and tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Calm down, friend! We found you unconscious in a cave and brought you here. Can you understand us?" Asked Atlas, patting the adept's shoulder to comfort him.

After a moment of soothing, the mage asked, unconsciously speaking in English to answer the question. "I-I... Where is my team?"

"We don't know about your team, but we found your long-lost sister!" Atlas said, pointing at Mnemosyne with a mocking grin. "Say, she is really interested in your unique way of manipulating energy. Can you share it with her?"

"M-My sister? She is alive?" He asked, his heart menacing to leap out of his throat as he gazed at the unfamiliar woman. Yet, memories kept appearing in his mind, all of her at different ages.

Simultaneously, Prometheus muttered, his tone solemn. "If you use that ability on me, you are dead."

"Hah? Who told you I didn't already?"

Mnemosyne's teasing smile caused his brows to twitch before he turned to gaze at the mage. This woman was too infuriating. Anyway, he had warned her.

"Sister! It's me, Andreas! I can't believe we can finally reunite! Come, come. If you are interested in magic, I'll teach you everything I know!" Andreas said, tears of joy rolling down his cheeks as a tender smile stretched his lips.

Meanwhile, Mnemosyne rolled her eyes. Even she was scared by her ability's effectiveness sometimes.

Next, Adam facepalmed watching the adept share his mana-gathering technique with them for an hour before they asked him about his purpose here.

"Our lady, Elisabeth, noticed that a world passage would soon open. So she mobilised trusted teachers from her academy and sent us to investigate what lay beyond." Andreas explained before sharing his knowledge about the magic world.