Chapter 2: The Spirit of Time and the Clockwork Blade
As my mind raced to make sense of the chaos, a memory of the previous night flickered through the haze of my hangover.
"That's right... I remember now. Last night, I let a weird girl into my house. She was rambling about some nonsense."
Suddenly, the crystal embedded in my hand pulsed with light, and a voice echoed from within it.
"Who are you calling weird? Are you talking about me?!"
I jumped, nearly tripping over my own feet. The voice was definitely coming from the crystal. It was as if she was trapped inside the gem.
"What is this thing? What's happening to me?!"
I shook my hand violently, hoping to dislodge the crystal, but it remained fused to my skin. Terror and confusion clawed at my chest.
As I spiraled into a panic, the voice from the crystal tried to calm me down. Suddenly, something began to emerge from the light.
"You're acting very unmanly. Calm down! It's just a Celestial Crest."
A tiny creature materialized from the crystal, floating right in front of my face.
"Wait... what are you? Don't tell me you're the weird girl from last night?"
The little creature's face turned red with rage. She lunged forward and headbutted me right in the gut, sending me stumbling back. She shrieked that calling her "weird" was an insult to her dignity as a Great Spirit.
"Listen to me! Even in this form, you will show me respect. I am a Primal Spirit!"
I stared at her, dumbfounded. Why was this tiny thing claiming to be a Primal Spirit? "Fine then... who are you exactly?"
She straightened up, puffing out her chest with immense pride.
"I am Ora, the Prime Spirit of Time and Seasons. I am the guardian of the temporal flow of this world."
I looked at her skeptically. Who would believe that this noisy, pint-sized creature was a legendary spirit? I didn't know if I should trust her, but then again, I had no explanation for how the world had changed overnight.
"If you're a Prime Spirit, why are you so small? And... so loud?"
Insulted again, Ora headbutted me once more. "Will you stop insulting me?! You should be thanking me! I've given you the chance to experience power beyond your wildest dreams."
She went on to explain that using her power, she had pulled me into a "Time-Space" rift to cross over into a different era—the very era we were standing in now.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"Are you thick-headed? I sent you into the past! Look around you!"
She revealed that the beautiful, bustling city before me was indeed Hayem City—but it was the Hayem of a hundred years ago, long before the war destroyed it. My jaw dropped. It sounded like a prank, but the proof was standing right in front of me in the form of pristine buildings and happy faces.
"Okay, okay... let's say I believe this is the old Hayem. But why?"
"Huh? Why what?" she retorted.
"Why am I here? Why did you bring me to the past?"
Instead of giving me a straight answer, she called me an idiot and reminded me that this was exactly what I had asked for. She claimed she never would have done this if I hadn't agreed to help her save the country.
"Wait a minute! When did I ever say I wanted to go to the past?"
"Last night! You said you'd help me save this nation and prevent the war. So, here we are—in the past, to set things right before the destruction begins."
I immediately protested. I explained that I didn't think she was actually serious. Who talks to a drunk person about saving the world? I wasn't in my right mind; I didn't know what I was saying!
I complained about her reckless actions, but she just brushed me off, saying it was too late to change anything now.
"What do you mean 'just accept it'? Look at me! I'm just an ordinary guy! How am I supposed to save the world?"
She looked me up and down, falling silent for a moment. "Hmm... honestly? I don't know either."
I exploded in frustration, but she admitted she hadn't overthought the "human" part of the plan. She had been so surprised to find someone—anyone—who supported her goal that she just went for it.
I begged her to send me back to my own time, but she shook her head. It was too dangerous, and she no longer had the strength.
Ora explained that Spirits lose a massive amount of energy when they manifest or perform great feats. She had only been awake for a year, which wasn't enough time to recover her full power.
"Unfortunately, I used up all my external energy."
Sending me back a century had drained her almost completely, which was why she was now stuck in this tiny form.
"It will probably take two or three years before I gather enough energy to return us to our original time."
I felt my soul leave my body. I looked up at the sky, asking why the heavens were punishing me like this. What was I supposed to do now?
Ora hopped onto my shoulder and told me to stop being so dramatic. It wasn't the end of the world; she wasn't going to leave me defenseless. Even with her energy drained, she could still grant a "Blessing."
"A Blessing? What's that?"
She explained that Primal Spirits traditionally create "Spirit Items" once a year to give to mortals who show potential.
"You're lucky. I had one item hidden away before I went into my long slumber."
She told me that even a normal human could gain power through these items. And because she was giving it to me directly, I didn't even have to pass a trial.
She mentioned that the seven members of the Black Scorpion had been given Celestial Items because the Primal Spirits saw "potential" in them.
"Since you've partnered with me, I am giving you my Celestial Sword."
The crystal on my hand glowed, and a surge of energy erupted from it, taking the shape of a blade. As the light faded, I was holding a sword unlike any I had ever seen. The guard was shaped like the hands of a clock.
The moment I gripped the hilt, a strange energy surged into me. My heart hammered against my ribs. It felt as if time itself had slowed down, and Ora's voice echoed in my ears with newfound authority.
"This is the Time Sword. It is a blade capable of manipulating the time around it. From this moment on, you are its master."
"Your mission is to stop the coming war at all costs and save the hundred million lives destined to perish."
Caught up in the awe of the moment and realizing I had no other choice, I finally accepted.
"Fine. I accept. I'll save this country."
A few minutes later, we headed to the outskirts of town. Ora wanted to test my abilities and explain the limitations of the Time Sword. We walked into the woods, hoping to find some weak monsters.
"I assume you know how to fight?" she asked.
"I know the basics," I replied. "I was a hunter and a town guard. I've fought rebels and small monsters, but I'm no legendary warrior. I'm just average. I've never fought a real battle alone."
Ora nodded. It was better than nothing. Even with a powerful weapon like the Time Sword, it required strategy and energy to use correctly. She warned me that my low energy levels would limit the sword's power.
Soon, we spotted a group of wild boars—the perfect test subjects.
"Hold the sword and feel its pulse," Ora commanded. "The Time Sword is a part of you now. Once you synchronize, you can move as one."
A faint, glowing circle appeared on the ground around me. Ora explained that only I could see this boundary.
"Your territory covers about 10 meters. Anything within this circle is subject to the power of the Time Sword. Now... command it to stop time."
"Command it to stop time?" I whispered.
I faced the wild boar. As it tensed to charge, I focused all my intent on the space around me. "Time Freeze!"
Everything stopped. A butterfly froze mid-air. A falling leaf hung suspended. The wild boar was turned into a statue, mid-snort.
But after only a few seconds, the world snapped back to life. I suddenly felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion, as if I'd just run a marathon while standing still.
Ora explained that because the sword hadn't fully recognized me as its master yet, it was draining a massive amount of my stamina.
"You have five seconds of frozen time. You must use those seconds to decide your next move," she said.
"Can I attack them while time is stopped?" I asked.
"You can move and position yourself, but you cannot physically harm them while time is frozen. They are like indestructible statues in that state."
"What?! You mean I can't just stab the boar while it's frozen?"
"No. But you can use the time to get behind it or dodge an unavoidable attack."
I let out a dry laugh. It felt like she gave me a legendary weapon but forgot to include the best features.
"Stop complaining! Be grateful I gave you anything at all!" she snapped. "Besides, the Time Sword also has the power to Rewind—up to five seconds."
She explained the Rewind spell. It could revert the state of anything within my 10-meter territory. However, it only worked on things inside the circle. If a boar ran into my territory from far away and I rewound time by one minute, it wouldn't teleport back to where it was a minute ago; it would only go back to the edge of my 10-meter boundary.
"I get it. I only control what's inside my space. But can I choose what to rewind?" I asked, pointing at a butterfly. "Can I rewind the butterfly without moving the boar?"
"Yes, if you command the sword specifically. But be warned: using multiple abilities in a row will drain you instantly."
Ora emphasized that I still needed to improve my actual swordplay. If I couldn't cut through an enemy's energy barrier or armor, freezing time wouldn't save me.
"Can't you just, I don't know, magically make me stronger?" I asked.
"You're being greedy! Work for it! I'm a Primal Spirit, not a genie!" she huffed.
She told me to keep practicing in the forest. But then, a more pressing thought hit me. We were in the past. We had no money.
"Wait... how are we going to eat? Where are we going to sleep?"
"That's your problem. I can just live inside your body."
With a flash of light, Ora turned into pure energy and vanished back into the crystal on my hand.
"Hey! Wait! You're seriously just going to leave me to sleep on the ground?!" I yelled at my own hand, but there was no answer.