Chapter 219 - The Ark Of Borrowed Power

"Then what do you have?" asked Minwoo, confused.

"I wasn't kidding when I can see the future."

"The Clairvoyance Element."

Ashley nodded.

"That's why I don't need a scope on my rifles. I can tell where my opponent goes and when they'll move to the right spot. It's for a split second but it's better than nothing," explained Ashley.

"But you couldn't tell the future for the battle between you and Mavislin, right?"

"I saw it, but I was too naive to care. At that time, my emotions and judgment covered the truth. I'm still not proud of that decision," mumbled Ashley, shifting uncomfortably in his spot.

"I was given a choice to use the Time Element. A Time Mage gave me the power to rewind time on a person but warned me if I overused it, it might have side effects."

"But why did you have to do that? What happened to Hwee that needed so much power?" asked Minwoo, concerned.

"I was away on a mission when a suicide bomber detonated right behind the house that Hwee stayed in. I rushed back when my mates told me about the bombing. Most of the neighbors were awoken and tried to help out but things were looking grim," explained Ashley.

His face twisted into pain and regret as he remembered the scene from that terrible night. Mavislin snuggled closer, trying to comfort the stick man. Ashley took a large gulp of air and calmed down.

"When we found her in the debris of the house, half her body had been blown off. It wasn't an accident, it was sabotage. I didn't know what to do until a Time Mage came out from the crowd."

Ashley closed his eyes once more as he remembered that little boy who squeezed his way out of the crowd.

"She still has some signs of life. I can lend you a bit of my Time Element to reverse the damage done but it will render some side effects."

"Why can't you do it? I'll pay you back."

"I don't want to be the one responsible for tampering with Time. It gives a bad name for me, I'm already a wanted criminal. Besides, if you truly want to save her, do it with your own hands," replied the young boy.

"Then give it to me. I don't care if I die or I lose an arm. So long as it saves her, that's all I care about..." said Ashley, on the brink of tears as he held the love of his life in his arms.

His eyes screamed for help when his voice was filled with desperation. The unknown Mage sighed and proceeded with the small exchange.

"No turning back. From now on, you won't be human again."

A large blue orb emerged from the boy's hand and into Ashley's arm. As the newfound power shot through his body, the Mafia boss braced the fiery pain of his arm. It took quite a substantial amount of willpower for Ashley to reopen his eyes again.

"Time Alter: Reverse The Shift!" yelled Ashley as the entire place plunged into bright light.

"My arm ached for days but Hwee's body was back to normal as soon as the light went off. The only thing was that I started to see certain events happening before it was occurring. At first, it started small, like knowing what mission I was assigned to before the boss says it. But then..."

"It's not really a lot of power. If a human uses any form of Magecraft, there's bound to be some side effects. But my question is, who gave you that power? There are very few people who can do so," asked Gillian seemingly interested.

"Wait, so not all Mages can transfer their power to others?" asked Ashley, confused.

"That'll be overkill. We are from different worlds. Hell, different Universes. Our bodies are only conformed to what powers we are born with," explained Gillian.

"Could it be Raiyen?" asked Gillian, looking Ashley intently.

"I never did get the fella's name. I was busy being in pain and worrying about my girlfriend," answered Ashley, sarcastically.

"And now, my whole life as a human has been turned into something that I loathed."

"You hate us that much?" whispered Mavislin, pouting at Ashley.

The stickman flinched slightly as he saw a tear forming in the young girl's eyes. His eyes widened as he tried finding something to calm her down.

"Not you... Others that are bad... Uh..."

Ashley the stickman struggled to find his reply as the girl in his lap was starting to be quite upset. He could only cuddle her tighter.

"Not her?! You were on a mission to kill her!" exclaimed Gillian.

"Doesn't mean that I hate her!"

"I beg to differ!" yelled Minwoo.