Chapter 8:

An Incomplete Spell and a Complete Night

"The Beyond Hero: Reincarnated After Five Hundred Years"

After many months…

Clear sky.
Soft winds.
Clear clouds drifting through the wind.

Under the great tree Vertis…

Kurose was meditating beside the tree.

Pure mana and Kurose’s mana were
on the verge of connecting.

Kurose felt as if he were drifting through a void of connection.

He straightened his posture while calmly exhaling.

After a while,

Pure mana and Kurose’s mana finally connected.

He eased his shoulders, exhaled,
and stood up, leaving his meditating posture.

He opened his eyes.

“Finally, I achieved control over pure mana!”

Kurose murmured.
He placed both hands on his waist.

“It took me one and a half years to fully control it?”

“But…
it’s still faster than my past life…”

A trace of sweat appeared on his face.

“But let’s set everything aside for now.”

Kurose stretched his body.

“Let’s try testing it.”

“With this control… can it work?”

He placed his hands on both of his leg joints while stretching.

He straightened his posture, closed his eyes,
and calmly exhaled.

“It should work out…
I think it will.”

Kurose murmured in his mind.

After a while…

Pure mana and Kurose’s mana connected together.

He realized.

Kurose composed his shoulders.

He slowly inhaled.

“It should work out, right?”

He murmured in his mind.
His face tightened.

He changed his stance.

He slightly moved his right leg behind his left,
moved his left hand forward with tightened fingers,
and placed his right hand behind the left,
as if handling a bow.

After a while…

Kurose’s heart was beating calmly.

“Right here…”

Kurose murmured.

His expression hardened.

Slowly—

An arch bow began forming from fire.

With both hands, Kurose held the arch bow.

He felt as if his whole body were covered in fire.

He exhaled.

A trace of sweat appeared on his face.

Shortly after,

He intended to shoot an arrow—

But…

Nothing happened.

Kurose opened his eyes.

“Eh…?”

He murmured, tilting his head slightly.

He lost concentration.

The arch bow disappeared from his hands.

“Ah…”

Kurose exhaled.

“I can produce the arch bow, but not the arrow?”

“Does the arrow hold more power… than the bow?”

He placed a hand under his chin,
tapping his leg on the ground.

Shortly after—

“Well… let’s leave that for another time.”

“This spell isn’t something
I can master in one and a half years anyway.”

Kurose murmured

After a few seconds passed..

Kurose stared at the sky.

“Oh, today is…”

His gaze narrowed,
a hand placed under his chin.

After a while…

Kurose walked along the village path.

“I should buy one honey bread…
but if I buy two honey breads, I will get a discount.
What should I do?”

Kurose murmured in his mind,
while staring at the ground.

“Kurose!”

A lady shouted from a little far away.

He noticed.

“Oh! Granny.”

His posture composed.

In a few seconds,
Kurose ran to the bakery.

“Granny!
Give me two honey breads!”

Kurose said to Granny,
with a smile on his face.

“Okay!”

After a while—

“Today is your little sister’s happy birthday, right?”
Granny remarked to Kurose.

“Here, take ten more honey breads to celebrate!”

Granny handed twelve honey breads to Kurose.

“There’s no need, Granny!
The honey breads you make are delicious enough!”

Kurose replied,
smiling with his body relaxed.

“Thank you, Kurose!”
Granny remarked.
A smile appeared on her face.

“Then I should go home now!”
he replied.

As Kurose was walking out of the bakery—

“Kurose! Good luck for the Destined-One Ceremony!
It’s in a few months, right?”

Granny shouted.

He turned around.

“Yes! Thank you, Granny!”

Kurose replied while eating a honey bread,
his posture eased.

“T-they are for your little sister’s birthday party too,
d-don’t forget that.”

Granny replied,
a light sweat forming on her face.

“Yes!”
Kurose said.

After a few moments—

The night was on the brink of blooming.

Kurose reached home.

He opened the door.

“Mother, I’m ho—”

Kurose stopped,
his eyes widened.

The house was filled with warm lights
and warm decorations.

Kurose looked around
while walking to the table.

“It’s so beautiful…”

His eyes glittered.

“Welcome home, Kurose!”

Hely remarked,
her gaze softened.

“I’m home, Mother.”

Kurose replied,
his gaze softened,
his posture eased.

Kurose placed the honey bread bag on the table.

“Here, Mother!
The bakery’s Granny gave ten honey breads for celebration.”

“Oh!
She didn’t have to worry about that.”

Hely replied,
covering her faint smile with a hand.

Kurose looked at his little sister
sitting on Hely’s lap,
his gaze softened.

“Besides that, Kurose,”
Hely said.

“Yes, Mother?”
he replied,
a smile on his face.

Hely looked into Kurose’s eyes.

“Happy birthday, Kurose!”

Hely said softly.
She tilted her head slightly as her gaze softened.

“S-stop that, Mother!
I’m not a kid anymore.”

Kurose replied quietly,
turning his head away.

“Well, that’s not a lie…
a children is only a children until eight years old,
and I turned eight today, with my little sister turning two.”

Kurose murmured in his mind,
smiling.

“So what, Kurose?
For a mother,
her children are always children.”

Hely remarked,
patting a soft rhythm on his little sister’s stomach.

Kurose sat on the chair by the table.

“Y-yes…”

He replied.

Shortly after—

Ven came downstairs, carrying a grimoire.

“Oh! Kurose!
Welcome home!”

Ven remarked,
with a smile on his face.

Ven went to the table.

He handed the grimoire to Kurose.

“Here, Kurose.
Your birthday present.”

“The advanced grimoire I first gave you
focused mostly on fire.”

“But this one is different.
This grimoire teaches every element in one book.”

Ven placed both hands on his waist.

“Well,
you have to first learn the first grimoire I gave y—”

“I already learned the first grimoire.”

Kurose said calmly,
his face composed.

“I-I see…
Then do your best with the second grimoire.”

Ven replied,
a faint smile appearing.

“Yes!”

Kurose said,
his gaze eased.

A few minutes passed.

Kurose looked at Hely and Ven.

“Mother and Father,
what are we waiting for to cut the cake?”

Kurose asked,
his face composed.

“Wait a little, Kurose,”
Hely replied with a smile.

“Someone’s coming.”

“Who’s someo—?”

Kurose asked,
his eyes narrowing.

The entry door opened.

A girl entered, breathing heavily.

After calming down,
she walked to the table.

“Sorry for being late!”

she said, bowing.

“It’s okay, Cecilia!”
Hely replied.

“Cecilia… I think I know he—”

Kurose murmured in his mind,
his curious gaze narrowing slightly.

“Kurose, this is Cecilia.
She comes to play with your little sister.”

Hely said calmly.

“Oh! The weird gir—
sorry, I mean Cecilia.”

Kurose replied,
his eyes widening.

A few seconds passed.

Kurose stood up.

“Thank you for playing with my little sister.
As her brother, I can’t be more thankful,
especially since I’ve been training for the Destined-One Ceremony.”

Kurose said,
bowing politely.

Cecilia looked around nervously.

“Y-you don’t have to worry…
I always had fun too.
So please raise your head.”

Cecilia replied,
her cheeks reddening as her fingertips touched.

“Oh… okay.”

Kurose replied quietly,
his posture relaxed.

After a short silence—

“Both of you,
sit down. Let’s cut the cake now!”

Ven said.

Kurose and Cecilia looked at each other.

After a second—

“Yes!”
“Yes!”