Dan go to the side hall. He stood in front of the door and spoke to himself in a quiet voice.
I hope this is just a regular session...
He knocked on the door and heard someone say, "Come in."
Inside, Professor Serena was standing next to a small table with a small clear vial filled with a pale red liquid to her left. She closed her eyes and glanced at Dan, then smiled reassuringly coldly:
"Good evening, Dan. Thank you for coming."
She smiled slowly, then looked at him with a look of anticipation.
"Are you wondering why I asked you to come here by yourself?"
Dan lifted his eyebrows and paused for a second before shaking his head slightly.
"I was wondering, yes."
Serena looked at him and said
"Your blood element... it's not subject to the usual limitations. That's his biggest strength, but also his biggest weakness."
Dan stared at her, realizing the depth of her words.
She looked at him and kept talking.
"The Blood Elemental is pretty powerful, but it's got a big downside: it uses the user's blood, which limits how much it can be used."
Dan nodded along.
"Do you know what the best solution for that is?"
Dan showed some reluctance.
"Wouldn't the best solution be to end the fight as soon as possible?"
Serena smiled.
"Right... but there's another answer."
She got a little bottle from behind her desk and put it on the table in front of Dan.
Dan was surprised by her.
"Oh... a bottle? Thanks, Professor, but I couldn't store my blood very well before."
Serena gave him a look that said she was a bit annoyed.
"kid, did you think I'd give you a regular bottle? It's an artifact."
Dan was even more surprised and asked.
"An artifact? "Don't artifacts refer to rare objects made by the most skilled artisans?"
Serena smiled lightly:
"You're right, but this artifact isn't one of the rarest. What it really does is store water."
Dan was amazed by her.
"That's really cool, but it's still an artifact."
As if she had read his mind, Serena said:
"Blood is mostly water, so you can store your blood inside this bottle. And since it's an artifact, it can also store your mana."
When Dan heard this, he was thrilled. He had tried storing blood in regular containers before, but the mana didn't last long, so it was all for naught. This bottle might be the real deal.
But he couldn't hide how doubtful he was.
He said, a little hesitantly:
"Professor."
Serena looked up at him.
"Yes."
Dan let out a sigh.
"Why are you helping me? You have no reason to."
Serena laughed lightly.
"There are two reasons. First, you've got talent, and I'm not one to waste talent.
Second, your older sister asked me to watch over you."
Dan smiled.
"So that's it... it looks like my big sister is still taking care of me.
Serena looked at him seriously.
Let's give the bottle a go.
Dan nodded, grabbed the bottle, and lightly cut his hand with a small cutter. The blood flowed into the vial until it filled the bottle. It wasn't a lot, but it sufficed. He thought to himself, "I can at least get a couple of shots out of it," and felt a little dizzy.
Serena did a quick check.
"That's good. Now, go back to your room. I just drew your blood, so you must be tired. And don't forget, there's a practical tomorrow."
Dan gave the professor a nod of gratitude and then carefully made his way out of the room, holding the bottle.
He then decided to go to his room.
The rooms at the academy were arranged based on the rank of the badge.
The rooms where the bronze badge holders stayed were shared rooms with four people.
Silver badge holders shared a room with only one other person.
Gold badges get a private room.
Only the best of the best get diamond badges, and their rooms are the biggest and most well-equipped in the academy.
Dan was sitting in the corner of his room, with a bottle next to him and his notebook open in front of him. He took a deep breath and then remembered what Professor Serena had said.
"Space messes with all the rules."
He stopped for a second and then said a little bit
"If I don't start now, when?"
He reached out into the void, focusing all his will, trying to touch that thin thread he felt deep inside... After a brief moment, his body started to glow with a silvery light, almost as if the whole universe was wrapped around him.
Then it started to gradually sink into the wooden floor beneath him.
He let out a faint cry as he sank deeper and deeper into the ground until only his arms were left, clinging to the edge of the bed.
Rocks started to penetrate his body, passing through him like needles, piercing his muscles, ribs, and even his skull.
sharp scream ripped through the room, his body shaking like he was being pulled between two dimensions.
Every bone broke, every nerve burned, every thought disappeared except for one feeling
pain.
And then darkness...
Silence...
⸻
Dan opened his eyes on his bed, sweating and breathing heavily. He looked around, and everything was just like it was a few minutes ago—like nothing had happened at all.
His body was shaking, and he could still feel the pain.
He looked at his hand, as if it remembered the pain before his mind did.
He muttered to himself under his breath.
"I... went back in time."