For the first time since he reincarnated again, he felt a slight sense of trepidation. Whatever it was.
The thing coming for him had the means, perhaps, to injure or even kill Magnus. He didn't waver, though.
With a few concealing spells that ensured their safety from a myriad number of spells, the weird energy included.
Changes in the world were no joke. The truly powerful seemed to go under hiding and the whole society on the surface seemed to regress.
They worshiped the strength of the old. Unaware of the power, the powerful hold. How would a lamb complain when it didn't know that it could?
Over the next few days, Magnus investigated various places and approached the more powerful auras he detected.
He came to a conclusion that there might be an entity behind the scenes.
A strange sense of irritation sprouted within his heart. The throbbing heart that generated weird heat inside.
The powerful concentration on the fact which could be called an obsession.
Something like this never happened in both of his lives. In the end, he didn't cross paths with the enemy and hid with Airis.
The magical formations which received reinforcements for many years had the power to make the place impenetrable when he wished for it.
Now, he spent half of his time trying to find back to his old world and another half training his powers.
Centuries passed, and yet his hope remained. His visage didn't change much except for a few unnoticeable wrinkles.
Airis, on the other hand, grew quite the bit. With a sudden growth, the little girl now turned into a rebellious teen.
Days where she wished to clean for fun were nowhere to be found. Her always positive lifestyle had changed, too.
Now, she learned to be mischievous. Not in a way that would hurt anyone, but it sure pissed Magnus off many times.
Albeit annoying. The conversations and pranks brought back laughs. Sometimes when he reminisced about the past.
He'd arrive at the question. Will she ever leave?
At first he brushed it off with ease, but now. After those years, where generations grown and died.
The very notion of her dying became his first nightmare in who knows how long.
Albeit not the dumbest and certainly experienced to some degree. He didn't realise what was going on.
Dreams and aspirations he had soon included her. It didn't matter if she stood in some corner further back. The important part was her appearance in it.
Airis carved her way into his heart. Like a daughter, he never had those thoughts gave him more motivation than ever.
If she could live without the burden. Her life would become much more colorful.
No longer would the need to be happy at all times be a requirement.
It could be a luxury. Something that wouldn't govern her life and dictate it.
From time to time, he left his hideout to see the outside world. Hundred years after he holed himself up.
The world didn't change much when he came back. A few auras grew in strength, but they held no power against the current him.
Three hundred years passed in a blink of an eye and the world changed and he couldn't almost recognise it.
Two hundred or so years when he holed himself up. Humans made a comeback.
Through the sacrifice of millions, the God they worshiped somehow summoned a human.
A hero of justice, they called him. And he bought it all up. Day by day he would slaughter innocents without the knowledge.
He didn't know their language, after all. From his viewpoint, they were chanting some weird 'sounds'.
None of the sounds were even remotely similar to his own planet language tree.
After he almost took control over the world. He stumbled across a slave.
A demon girl with small horns and strawberry hair. Strange sense of pity took over him and he took the girl in.
Then the inevitable happened.
He learned of everything he did, and he almost crumbled. To his dismay, the God expected something like this and solo escape had no future.
Then he found his key. The girl he picked up had supreme talent. If he couldn't break the curses himself, he would train people until one of them could.
His fame grew, and soon the number of students increased. While all of his students were girls, he didn't pay it much heed and thought of it as a world difference.
Soon after that, a classic harem story happened with a happy ending.
Afterwards, he finished his conquest and truly unified the continent. Humans now didn't need to hide.
However, remnants survived. Parts so rotten that even he lacked the qualifications to cut their roots.
And on the 100th anniversary, they gained the name of villains. By this time, Magnus had appeared and learned about the world.
Time and time again. Fate proved her power and nurtured absolute talents.
Well, except the little energy ball right beside him. The moment they left, though, the peak powers seemed to notice.
Their total might eclipsed the force he felt hundreds of years ago. Were it not for the planet growing in strength as well.
Those auras alone would be able to dig holes hundreds of meters deep. True power they held.
The trepidation he felt a long time ago resurfaced. This time, however, such a feeling had a bare minimum amount of strength.
The growth trend has already reached a breaking point. If such a thing continued, it wouldn't be long before Magnus would be totally outclassed.
His time came, and he had no way to run from it. Unless he abandoned Airis, that is.
Such a notion held no emotional or physical attraction. She was just a light and he, a poor moth, could do nothing more than to get close.
The hero had arrived as well with now his wives. A few of his outstanding descendants stood tall with pride pouring out of their bones.
In a flash, the villains arrived too. Their lineup had been much more glamorous.
The atmosphere became heavy, and no one on both sides moved an inch.
Soon enough, battles began. They didn't forget about their goal, though, and Magnus soon joined the fight.
As a neutral third party. The thought that he would join the hero had more merit at first.
However, the secrets she held which somehow connect with world extinction wouldn't give the hero a sense of peace.
And the ruthless harem heroes always got rid of danger. Things they couldn't control had to be destroyed.
Spells he developed shone in brilliance.
Magical constructs of mythical dragons and creatures appeared. The problem of basic weapons soon showed their weakness.
They never battled a being of such size and thus had no large attacks for this fight at all.
With a light breath, the dragon killed and wounded many. The fight went well, and both sides were suffering equally.
Perfect situation for him. The good news didn't last forever, though.
A new foe appeared, the thing Magnus knew would decide it all.
On instinct, as if he grew a nose to sniff out the puppeteers. The one before him, no doubt, held the power of the world.
Sure enough, his hypothesis turned true. He forced the God to descend into his body ahead of time.
The apostle grew in strength and eventually dwarfed Magnus. It rendered spells that used space useless.
To travel through dimensions, too. Anything related to the escape he had in his arsenal didn't hold much power.
Of course they worked, but the overall power needed was too much for the current him.
He grew cocky. A revelation that didn't surprise him too much.
Step by step, he watched as Airis blocked the blast and disintegrated before his eyes.
A black light engulfed everything, and he blacked out. He could describe the place he woke up in a single word.
Nightmare.
The thirst for revenge was high, and he would stop at nothing to get it.
And yet he woke up in a wasteland. Vegetation dead, every lifeform seemed to die or have mutated.
And the most important thing. Mana vanished.
His one road to power, way home and, most importantly, revenge. Had turned in all but a fantasy.
For a hundred days, he barely survived. He lived off of mutated herbivores that didn't evolve into proper carnivores yet.
His steps were soulless and something dear to him he missed. It didn't bring him mental anguish only.
From the day he woke up. A tight feeling around his heart never left. He treaded through the wasteland and found a small piece of water.
Small life began to grow anew near the water.
Vegetations that didn't depend on mana. He looked at the struggling weeds before he looked at himself.
Then he blanked out. Years of memories flashed by and he lived through them again.
A silent tear trickled down his face. A common occurrence his body did out of nowhere from time to time.
He could end it right here. But when he remembered Airis and her resolute sacrifice.
He became ashamed of himself. Instead of plunging the rusted dagger into his heart.
With a shaking body, he stood up. When he did, he found himself in an entirely different place.
Numerous walls appeared as they grew in size.
The very first then cracked before a small wisp of light rushed into Magnus' body.
He felt a change in his body, or rather, soul, and mind.
A subtle difference that could snowball into a massive advantage. Realisation and an inspiration were a bit different though.
The power just reared its head, and he doubted that he would be able to use this power before he broke through the third wall at least.
"Congratulations." said an ethereal voice that came from the other side of the walls.
He couldn't see them and right as he organised his thoughts. The world changed again.
He has been reborn once 'again'. And once more, it became his 'second' life...