As their foreheads parted, the image in Loki's mind shattered like glass.
"Seems you need a sufficient link with you to pass through the world-bubble—even if it's just a sliver of thought," Loki mused. She roughly understood now: to slip out of this world would require Tsuna's help.
"How was it?" Tsuna asked.
"Clearer than I expected," she replied. "A special terrace high on a mountain, a half-petrified tent, and that naked-eye-invisible coordinate."
"Hm?" Tsuna frowned. "Loki-sama, besides the tent… you didn't see anything else?"
"You wanted me to? The traces around it?"
"Yes. Any signs that someone searched the area?"
Prompted, Loki reconsidered. There really were no such signs.
"Not a single mark," she said. "The surroundings were pristine—no extra footprints, no hints of anyone nearby."
"That's strange," Tsuna murmured.
He didn't believe his unreliable old man would ignore his disappearance. He'd been gone nearly a month on that side; the tent he'd last occupied should have been combed over. How could there be no trace at all?
"My dad's the head of a tenth-generation yakuza family over there. No matter what, he'd keep tabs on me."
"If I've been missing this long and there aren't search marks, something's off."
"Then it's a matter of time," Loki said, landing on an answer the moment he finished. "Worlds have curious relations. Time is the strangest of them."
"The rate of time's unfolding differs between worlds. Some run fast; relative to another, one may as well be still."
Time dilation…
Tsuna understood the idea well. He'd literally crafted something akin to a "room of time and mind." Given how complicated relations between worlds were, it sounded entirely reasonable.
"In that case, you don't have to worry about being away from home 'too long,'" Loki said. The reassurance eased him—though it raised a new worry.
"I just hope my time runs… longer," he said wryly. "Otherwise, if I suddenly shoot up in height, my mom won't recognize me."
"That might be a problem for others, but not for you," Loki said. "I still don't know your hidden secret, but I'm confident your 'time' isn't as short as a normal person's."
"You can't see it yet. In a few years, you will."
"Eh?" Tsuna hadn't expected that. He'd daydreamed about 'longevity' before, but he never thought it would land on him. He hadn't changed species; he wasn't cultivating immortality. He was just an ordinary adventurer with a little helper.
"Spacing out?" Loki teased. "Don't overthink it. The abilities you command already let you do a great many things. You simply need sufficient strength before you violate the rules of a normal world."
"You know what I mean."
He did. It was the same advice he'd once given Bete.
"Rest easy, Loki-sama. I understand that better than anyone."
"Good." Loki wasn't worried that a sudden impulse would make him overreach; Tsuna wasn't that kind of person.
"In that case, stop fretting and focus on growing. Just… rein yourself in a bit."
"Your body isn't fully developed, and you've already thrown it into such brutal training. Think about whether you can actually withstand it."
By Tsuna's physical metrics, he wasn't suited to soak in that harsh space for long. Loki hadn't stopped him before only because she'd let him sate his hunger for power once. But not twice. She would never force his growth—and she refused to let him become a second Ais.
Tsuna took the lesson to heart. Truth be told, he'd regretted it once he was inside. He was merely a person who'd trained for seven years—nowhere near the physique of a Lv.3, let alone Lv.4, adventurer. Under that pressure, he was far likelier to suffer dual overload—body and mind.
"I understand," he said, drawing a deep breath. "My body isn't ready to carry that load. I won't continue training in that state."
"I'll switch to outside work—use a stable gravity bracelet for timed sessions."
"Good." Loki nodded, reassured he wouldn't walk Ais's path. One anomaly in her Familia was enough; this special child must not repeat her road.
"That settles that topic. Now for something else."
"It's about your level-up. After I selected your development ability, your magic also changed from 'unknown' to visible."
"My development ability? You didn't ask me beforehand," Tsuna said, genuinely surprised.
"That's because yours was unique. If there'd been options, I would have asked."
"Unique? Was there so little to choose from?"
"That capability may as well have been designed to unlock your magic. Once your promotion was done and your development ability set, your magic finally surfaced—just like the development ability's name."
"The Dying Will Flame."
(End of Chapter)
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