Isekai No Gakusei: Students From Another World
Time in a Bottle

Darren opened his eyes slowly. The wooden ceiling immediately greeted him. His hand touched something soft as he lay down. It feels like bed sheets.

"Oh, hey. You finally wake up" said Ravenna, sitting next to him.

Darren lifted his body and sat on the bed. He still felt a little pain in his body. Especially in the part of the face where the kick Serina managed to make him unconscious.

"Ukhs..." Darren held his head. After a while, he remembered what was going on. "Wine! I have to beat Serina."

Darren almost got out of bed. But Ravenna immediately pushed him down again.

"It seems you are still not fully aware, yes," Ravenna said. "Look around you now!"

Darren looked around. Now he understands what happened. "I'm back?" He said while letting go of his relief. "That succubus was defeated?"

Ravenna nodded. "Yes. Even though almost all of you have suffered severe injuries. But take it easy, all your friends are safe and get intensive care. Except Akira."

"about?" Darren surprised.

He only remembered that just before his consciousness had completely disappeared, he had heard Akira's voice. Does that mean there was a fierce fight after he was unconscious?

"What happened yesterday?" Ask Darren.

Ravenna thrust a glass of water at Darren. Darren accepted it and took a sip, as Ravenna explained the answer.

"Your new friend, Hain, told us what happened" he explained. "After he woke up from the effect of the sleeping spell, he saw everyone lying on the ground. What astonished him was that he saw you lying there, while the succubus did not appear around. Then he realized that one person had disappeared as well."

Darren put down the glass. "about?"

Ravenna nodded. "Yes," Reply. "About trying to defeat the succubus alone, in order to prevent yourself from being kidnapped by it. He eventually won, though almost half of his body was covered in wounds. We had enough trouble looking for him. But we managed to find him lying unconscious in a cave near there, with the succubus already paralyzed."

Darren clasped his fist. Face lowered. Although he did not show his look, it was clear that he felt guilty. Again he hurt others because of him. It seemed, the bad memories with Rolf and Yuzuna were back in his head.

Ravenna could only watch that. But he didn't do anything. According to him, Darren wouldn't have fallen just because of that kind of thing. Especially after everything he's been through.

"Then how is he doing now? Has it improved?" Ask Darren.

"He got special treatment. His condition has remained unconscious since he was brought here. But judging from the shape of his body, I don't think we need to worry too much" Ravenna said.

"Huh?"

"Some parts of his body were injured. But in some parts as well, the wound seemed to be covered by a green gem, "Ravenna explained. "After being investigated, he turned out to be using his talent to treat his own injuries."

Darren breathed a sigh of relief hearing that. But he was curious as to how the workings of talent working in an offensive direction could be useful as a healing talent.

"Is that possible?" Ask Darren.

"It shouldn't be" said Ravenna. "But apparently, his strong determination forced him so. Covering wounds with hard objects is not the best thing. Do you know what it's like if a wound on your body is touched by a hard object like wood or stone?"

Imagining this, Darren's body immediately goosebumps. It was as if he could feel how the sensation felt. He became more amazed and saddened by how Akira fought against it.

"Then, where is he now?" Ask Darren again. This time his face became more serious.

Ravenna raised her eyebrows. "Don't I tell you? He's in the hospital."

"Not him." Darren closed his eyes.

Hearing her sudden changing tone, Ravenna began to understand who Darren meant by 'she.' But he did not have much ado and immediately told the place where the succubus was.

"The underground chamber. We're keeping him there with high security. Kanrei was also watching him there," Ravenna said. "The plan is, we'll interrogate him later."

"I'm coming, '" Sahut Darren is sure. "I'll make him talk."

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"My mission's almost done. Just need a little more steps."

Serina grinned behind the locked door. Inside the room was pitch black, with the only light source coming from between the small bars at the top of the door. Both his hands and feet are still in the process of regeneration. But it doesn't seem to change the situation. Near the tips of his feet and hands, a chain was attached that was ready to bend him once parts of his body grew back.

Suddenly a metallic sound came from behind the door, which was nothing but the sound of an open padlock. Before long, the door moved and someone appeared from behind it.

"You have a guest" said a man who is none other than Kanrei.

Kanrei lit a lantern nearby. As the light began to crack, Darren and Ravenna stood side by side at the door.

"Hoo, finally you guys came too," Serina smirked. "I'm tired of waiting."

Darren and Ravenna stepped in, while Kanrei stepped aside and stood guard outside.

Darren looked at him sharply, then asked a question, "Why did the Demon King send you again?"

He just realized it. It felt a bit strange if the Demon King sent the same person to capture him. Especially considering that that person had failed before.

"What a confident way of speaking" Serina said.

"Just answer!"

Serina grinned. "You don't know how to interrogate, do you?" He said in a mocking tone. "Do you think, by asking the question directly, you will get an answer from your opponent?"

Darren returned his smile with another smile. A smile that felt cold, but also felt burning from within.

Suddenly a fold of space was created above Serina's head, slowly descending and devouring her head until it stopped right in the middle of her neck. While on the other side of the space fold, Serina's face bulged out and saw her own body was on the threshold of the portal gate.

"You-you. What are you doing?" Serina became worried to see Darren who constantly showed his sinister face.

"It's nothing. I was just wondering how it would be if I closed this portal when your body was in the middle of it" he said with a wider grin.

That smile was truly sincere. Sincere to kill. Without realizing it, sweat dripped off Serina's forehead. Making him wonder, was this before him the same young man he had met before?

So did Ravenna. Looking at Darren who seemed to change, he also questioned the same thing. But he didn't want to think about it first. After all, right now, Darren's nature like that will be useful in interrogation sessions.

"Alright, alright. I'll answer. But, get my neck off that portal first!" Shouted Serina.

Darren smiled as he slowly lifted the portal from above Serina's head. Finally Serina breathed a sigh of relief after coming out of that tense situation. However when he raised his eyes, Darren had stood up and approached his face with a gaze that seemed to pierce through the soul.

"Just answer my question!" He said slowly, but it felt like a dagger piercing the heart.

Serina grunts. "I wasn't actually assigned to arrest you" Serina said. "My master ordered me to keep an eye on this village."

Hearing Serina's reply, Darren glanced at Ravenna. Which was soon followed by a nod from him.

"Summon: The Thunder Wolf." Suddenly a wolf appears at Ravenna's side. "Raiko, please tell me if he's lying."

Raiko sniffed a few times, then concluded that Serina was still hiding something else.

"What he said is right. But I found something else out of him" Raiko said. "Something with a weird smell."

Ravenna turned her eyes to Serina. He was confused when he saw how minimal the clothes worn succubus.

"Are you sure, Raiko? It looks like he has nowhere to hide anything" Ravenna said.

"My heart can't be wrong."

Ravenna began to feel Serina's body. From top to bottom he rogoh. But the result is nil, in addition to the soft sensation of succubus skin after touching it.

"There's nothing." Ravenna retracted her arm and declared that there could be nothing behind the tight skimpy outfit.

Raiko's face became slightly flabbergasted, and Darren saw it. The wolf's face was sure. But when he heard that he was wrong, he was disappointed.

Raiko is a wolf spirit. An ordinary wolf's nose could smell sharply, moreover he was a spirit wolf. There must be something hidden here. Something invisible.

"Let me see for a second." Darren advances, replacing Ravenna.

In front of Serina, he stuck out his hand, then cast a spell. "Cancellations!"

At that instant, a necklace appeared around Serina's neck. They were surprised because there was nothing there before. But Darren immediately grabbed the necklace and removed it from Serina's neck.

He looked at the necklace carefully. The material is made of silver, with a tiny hourglass-shaped decoration as its pendant. Judging from anywhere, this was just like an ordinary necklace. But why did Serina wear it, let alone having to hide it with magic?

"What's this necklace?" Darren turned his eyes back towards Serina.

"Sad. Caught, yeah." Serina grunts. "But don't expect me to answer that easily"

Sringg... A sword blade was directly pointed at Serina's neck. He was unable to move in the slightest after feeling the sharp tip of the sword gently touch his neck.

"Jawab now!" Darren's eyes looked at him sharply. Even though she was only a human, the aura that her gaze emitted was enough to make Serina's hair shudder.

"Darren..." Ravenna who watched it became a little worried about the change in Darren's nature. He had not thought about it. But now, for some reason he became goosebumps.

Darren's eyes grew sharp. Unmistakably, this was a gaze that had no hesitation. He did not hesitate to scratch his sword into the neck of the succubus.

"W-Why are you? You're Darren, right? I'm not the wrong guy, am I?" Serina brought up something else. And that makes Darren not like.

Sretti... A drop of blood flowed. Slowly boil it down to the dull floor. Serina could only stare in silence while feeling a biting pain in her neck.

"Use your words wisely. Don't let it get you killed" Darren said. He put his sword on.

Sweat started flooding Serina. "It's impossible" he thought. That naive young man should still be in front of him. The young man who once gave him a second chance after barely dying by the hands of the Ice Demon King.

Is it possible.. The young man has vanished? All the trips he went through, what might have changed him so far?

Darren gave a slight push to his sword. The longer the deeper it becomes in the skin of Serina's neck. The blood drops are getting heavier.

"All right! I'll be honest!" Shouted Serina. "That thing can speed up time."

Hearing this, Darren immediately drew back his sword.

"Speed up time?" Darren tilted his eyebrows.

Raiko sniffed Serina's words. "He's not lying" she said.

Darren asked again. "What do you mean by speeding up time?"

Serina replied, "We call it: Time in a Bottle."

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To be continued...