Descending Into A Novel-Chapter 89:Rayleigh Von Mez (19)

Rayleigh’s hands moved shakily. Fingers trembling as he fixed his own appearance in a mirror he summoned.

In front of him, a massive tree nearly as tall as castles. Surrounded by a forest of smaller similar trees.

After hundreds of years, the original dying tree had now flourished. Spreading its seeds everywhere to create the forest he now stood in.

At the base of the tree, lie two small mounds. Freshly dug, with proper gravestones this time.

"Hey William."

No one answered him, but Rayleigh still continued talking nonetheless.

"And...mom."

"I’m sorry for not giving you two a proper grave for so long. I was...scared of seeing you two. I didn’t know whether I could even hold it together."

"Yet time is really powerful. I still feel sad over you two. But...I think I’ve come to terms with it already. Knowing that I can save you two by getting stronger helps with that as well, I guess."

He took a deep breath. Voice quivering slightly.

"But I can save you two. I just need to get stronger. Once I rewind time, I’ll save you two. I’ll kill father and Silas as well. I don’t think either of you would want me to live like this...I’m sorry for that. But I have to."

Silas was the red-haired man who killed both William and his mother. Rayleigh only found out his name when his name and picture was listed as a casualty of the war. How sad for a supposed right hand man of the emperor.

He looked up at the bright sky. Littered with a few clouds here and there. Wondering whether he should say what was on his mind.

"To be honest...I’m a bit happy that you two are dead...I don’t mean it like that. But, If I saw you two and both of you forgot about me like everyone else..."

"I really don’t know if I could continue."

What a cruel Punishment.

Rayleigh had survived every Punishment that had been thrown at him. But this was the one that killed him the most.

It also made him realize, if he did save William and his mom. They would soon forget him. His own brother and mother wouldn’t even know he existed.

At least they were still alive then. Better alive and unknowing to his existence, then dead and aware.

He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Thank you. William, mom. For everything. But, I’m tired. I’m tired of fighting, I’m tired of the empire, I’m sick of it all."

"So after this one last thing. I’m planning to take a break. A vacation to help me relax. I’m going to be going somewhere far, far away. I don’t think I’ll return for a long while."

Again, he didn’t get a reply.

But strangely, he felt as if a burden had been lifted off his shoulders. His body felt a lot lighter now. His posture straightening slightly. His muscles loosening as he relaxed.

Taking out a yellow lily and a white orchid from his storage dimension. He planted the stems side by side in a small vase each.

"So just wait for me a little longer. I’ll return when I’m ready."

***

Sitting in an elven restaurant. Rayleigh admired the view from his balcony seating. The restaurant empty as he had rented the whole thing for himself today.

He quietly sipped on a cup of coffee. Grimacing, before adding in several cubes of sugar and stirring it into his cup.

Taking a sip again, he proceeded to add another two sugar cubes.

’How do people drink this stuff black?’

Rayleigh felt like coughing it out the first time, but he also didn’t want to leave a bad first impression for his yet to arrive guest.

Just as his mind started to wander, the door which lead to the balcony opened. An elven lady with cascading pale golden hair, eyes that seemed to resemble sapphires. A beauty that made it hard to look away after seeing her.

She was as beautiful as he remembered.

Dressed in a simple white dress, with hints of gold and silver—alongside a few pieces of jewelry that glimmered. Rayleigh suddenly remembered that Sophia was from a wealthy family.

He set down his cup of coffee, introducing himself as she sat opposite to him. Slightly wary at his identity as a human.

"Greetinfs, Sophia Arwen. I’m glad you were able to make the time to meet me here today."

"I was intrigued by the spell you left on the letter. The time magic discipline has only recently been discovered, but you seem to be extremely proficient in it already?"

Her tone held some suspicion to it. Rayleigh didn’t blame her. According to the world, Anna had only started spreading both magic disciplines half a century ago. There should have been no individual that could use either disciplines at his level.

Even Anna, since her mana attunement was actually shadow-attunement. Casting any time or dimension magic was much more difficult for her, then if Rayleigh tried the same spell.

"Once enough time passes, more and more people like me will appear. I’m merely an early mover."

He smoothly deflected the question.

"Is that so? Please tell then, why do you seek this meeting with me? Even going so far as to request for a private meeting, and renting out this entire restaurant as well by the looks of it. You even asked me to bring my research."

"I merely wish to discuss magic. It is not everyday I get to meet another mage at the same level as me."

The limit of Erde was the sixteenth level. But there were currently only two individuals at the fifteen level.

As for the fourteenth level, there were only around two dozen give or take a few. Making meetings between them extraordinarily rare. Without the war they would have almost never met at all.

He sipped on his cup of coffee, ignoring the still suspicious gaze from her.

"Aren’t you going to order something? If you’re worried about the money, everything is on the house."

"I’ll take a cup of tea then."

Once the waiter left them alone again and then returned with her tea. She took a sip from it, before saying.

"Since you have already shown me your magic. I shall begin first then."

She swiftly pulled out a potted plant. Barely reaching an arm’s length in height. It’s stem and twigs extremely thin. With only a few green leaves scattered throughout the whole plant.

Yet despite the extremely scrawny plant. At the top of the plant, hanging off a twig. Was a large apple, the size of two fists combined. It’s weight causing the branch to dropp downwards.

"For the past few years. I’ve been working to create a super plant."

"The plant will be able to grow continuously, constantly flower no matter the season, resistant to insects and disease. It must be able to survive extremely harsh environments, able to grow several different varieties of fruits and vegetables, each being extremely nutritious while still being delicious."

She pointed at the bizzare plant in front of her.

"Currently it has the capability to be able to grow infinitely as long as it is provided sufficient water and sunlight. I have managed to reduce the quantities required as well as make it more difficult to be damaged but-

Rayleigh put his chin on his hands, his eyes fixated on Sophia. Completely ignoring the plant.

Every once in a while, he would ask a question of offer a suggestion. For mages at their level, any new knowledge was always welcome.

"I’ve never considered modifying the plant to naturally grow engravings which can channel mana. The difficulty of such a thing is immense, but if the plant can grow it’s own engravings...

Rayleigh already knew about this, but he loved seeing her excited expression as she explained her project.

"I have my mother to thank for the idea, once when I complained to her. She asked me, why not simply use magic to enhance the plant via engravings, enchants or other such methods. But that us only viable for singular plants. I wish for every plant to have the same features an-

She paused, a slight embarrassed look as she realized she had been rambling on for perhaps too long. The sun had already begun to set, and the man in front of her still seemed to be completely absorbed in her explanations.

"Ah, I-I apologize for talking so much. I doubt that such a mundane project likely would not arouse much interest."

He smiled, causing butterflies in her stomach as she suddenly realized how handsome the man was.

"It’s fine. Seeing your project was enlightening. Although I do wonder why you wish to create such a plant?"

He also already knew of her reasons.

As for her project. It indeed was enlightening, when Sophia had shared it with him previously. Rayleigh had actually gotten a level up from the system.

"Truth be told, I grew up in a time of great famine. Most elves managed to get by, but I often heard tales of humans or dwarves fighting each other to death over scraps of food."

Said famine occurred around seventy years before Rayleigh was born, so he never experienced the famine. Only read about it in his history lessons.

"So I wanted to help. A small potted plant that each family could own. Providing a stable source of food without requiring much of anything. It...it may be foolish of me to try but I sincerely believe in it."

Her blue eyes blazed with a passion, before shifting back into embarrassment once she remembered he was still looking at her.

But the expected laugh or jest never came.

"Amazing. Such a goal is truly respectable, miss Sophia."

"Thank you...come to think of it. I am unaware of your name."

He closed his eyes, removing his chin from his hands as he pondered slightly.

"You can just call me Rayleigh. I don’t have a last name. "

She tilted her head slightly.

"Rayleigh. As in the Wandering Knight Rayleigh?"

Rayleigh was one of the most common names, so she shouldn’t have been surprised. But for such a powerful individual to have a common name felt a bit odd.

"Indeed. Strange for someone at my level am I correct?"

"Ah. I do not mean to insult you. But yes, I do find it a bit strange."

He took a sip of his now cold coffee before answering her.

"Well, with a name like this. It makes it hard to forget me doesn’t it?"

The two of them continued their magic discussion for several hours after that. Sharing their knowledge built upon centuries of magic.

They talked for so long, that the sun began to rise again. The dark sky turning into a extremely light blue.

A small part of him wished that this conversation would never end. But as is with all good things in life, it had to.

Waving her off, Rayleigh paid the bill for everything. Before teleporting elsewhere.

Opening his eyes, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast open plains. Grass everywhere, stretching nearly as far as he could see, before meeting with a forest equally as massive.

This was the place where Rayleigh had returned to when rewinding time.

Now, it would be the place where he departed from this dimension.

A purple rift opened in front of him, the insides dark. Spilling out fog, appearing extremely mysterious. But Rayleigh held no fear.

He had already calculated everything, his magic was perfect. There were no flaws or dangers.

He put a hand through, then his right foot. Before stepping into it entirely.

Rayleigh didn’t look back.

***

Raymond opened his eyes groggily. A white sterile looking roof the first thing he saw. Moving his pupils left and right, he found himself lying down on a hospital bed. Tucked in neatly, with several machines hooked up to his body. A constant beeping sound that irritated his ears.

His entire body felt stiff. His throat dry, every micro movement requiring immense effort.

On his left side, a familiar figure sat with her back towards him. Gazing out at the current night sky and admiring the stars. Her long golden hair standing out even with the lights turned off. Illuminated purely by the light of the moon.

His mouth opened, the sound barely audible. Yet his whisper was clearly heard.

"Ellen...?"

Like a rusty gear, her body turned to face him. Eyes widened. In a span of only a second, Raymond could see her expression shift from simply being startled, to shock, then relief—before finally landing on joy.

Their eyes met, a clash of pale blue and a pallette of colours. Hundreds, thousands of words unspoken yet so very clear. Communication without the need for anything to be said.

In the end, she could only say a few words.

"You really...kept me waiting."