Rheanne stood before Brandon, long white hair swaying gently in the breeze.

She tilted her head slightly, repeating his name "Brandon Kael."

"Kael, huh. Never heard of that weird family name before. I guess you are a commoner."

Her tone wasn’t dismissive, merely curious.

Brandon remained silent, letting her speak while his mind raced to catch up with the situation.

Rheanne took a small step closer, "You realize the power granted upon you, right? You are a ’Chosen One’ like me."

Brandon’s heart gave a hard thud.

He kept his expression carefully neutral, but inside, his thoughts were spinning.

’Judging from her words and reactions, I think I am in the time where she is the first and only awakener.’

’But she was talking about another person... the second awakener and her companion when I met her in the church...’ - [1]

’So... she hasn’t met that person yet. For this time period, I’ll have to play along with her.’

He nodded slowly, keeping his voice steady.

"Yeah..."

Rheanne watched him for a long moment, as if searching for any sign of deception.

Then she stepped back slightly, giving him a little space "My name is Rheanne Himelle. But I guess you already know."

Brandon let out a low, genuine chuckle, trying to mask the whirlwind inside his chest.

"Yeah... I mean, you are the talk of the whole nation. I’m surprised I stumbled upon you in the tower."

Rheanne frowned slightly and asked "When did you awaken your powers?"

Brandon panicked for half a second as his mind scrambled for a believable answer.

He masked it quickly, forcing his expression to stay calm "I... it was about two years ago, I think," he replied casually.

"But I kept it a secret from others."

Rheanne’s frown deepened for a moment "Two years ago, huh," she murmured. "Good thing you kept it a secret."

She looked away for a moment, gazing at the endless dunes as if remembering something painful.

"And you are lucky you met me first."

A soft sigh escaped her lips "The Emperors of many kingdoms are already trying to use me in war to destroy other kingdoms. They see me as a weapon."

"And if they come to know about you, they will do the same."

Her voice grew quieter, "But after the recent breakdown of those monsters... many kingdoms have united. They realized that the monsters are the real enemy... which is a good thing."

She turned back to him, her sky-blue eyes steady but carrying the weight of someone who had carried the world alone for far too long.

"I’ve been fighting them by myself. The creatures that spawn from the rifts. It’s... exhausting."

Brandon listened in silence.

He could see the burden of being the only one who could wield this "otherworldly" energy.

The constant pressure from kings and emperors who wanted to weaponize her power for their own greed.

Rheanne looked at him again "What do you plan to do with your power, Brandon Kael?"

Brandon sighed in his heart ’Guess I will have to give the answer that satisfies her.’

Looking at her, he replied "I don’t have big ambitions like conquering. I just want to help people and fight monsters."

"That’s why I entered this tower, but it seems like this tower is harder than I expected."

Rheanne’s eyes softened slightly, and a faint smile touched her lips "I see... You are a true warrior, Brandon Kael."

Brandon: -_-

’True warrior, huh...’

He kept the deadpan expression off his face, but internally, he couldn’t help but feel a little awkward at the lofty title.

Still, he didn’t correct her. In this time period, she clearly needed to hear that kind of answer.

Rheanne turned her head toward the rolling sandy dunes that stretched endlessly in every direction.

Her long white hair fluttered softly in the hot breeze, "This is one of the worst towers I have entered."

"The desert seems endless, and I still can’t find an exit."

She glanced back at him, her gaze flicking over the cuts and bruises that still marked his body despite the partial healing.

"Looking at the shape you are in, I guess you must have also suffered here."

Brandon gave a small nod "Yeah... the storm caught me off guard. It wasn’t fun."

Taking a soft breath, Rheanne muttered "I can’t stay long in this tower."

"There are soldiers out there fighting the monsters without powers like us, so we need to leave fast."

She glanced at him "You can fly, right?"

Brandon shook his head "No, I can’t..."

He can technically, if he uses his ether discs, but he is not in a position to waste ether from his body.

Rheanna raised an eyebrow in surprise "I see. I can fly. We both got unique powers, it seems."

Brandon smiled dryly ’Ehh... it’s just because you have already reached SS rank. But I guess, she doesn’t know that.’

’Heck, the power system like ’ranks,’ ’ether,’ and ’awakeners’ must not have been established yet either.’

With a thoughtful face, she spoke "I can take you with me."

In the next instant, Brandon felt a gentle force wrap around his body.

His feet left the sand as he levitated smoothly into the air, rising until he was floating beside her.

Rheanne dashed upward with graceful speed, shooting into the sky like a white comet.

Brandon’s body followed automatically, pulled along by her power.

Flying beside her, Brandon glanced down at the endless sea of sand.

’It will take me forever to walk across this,’ he thought grimly. ’Even with healing, I’d run out of water and energy long before I find an exit.’

He glanced around at the warped sky ’I am not sure if the time moved only inside the tower or not.’

’If I really got time-traveled to 1502, when I get out of this tower... will I end up in 1502 with her? Stuck in the past?’

’Or if only this tower got time-warped to 1502, then when we leave... this past Rheanne will end up in the current modern world with me?’

’Which one is it gonna be...’

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[1] - 457