Time in my mindscape moved much slower than the outside world. I meditated for hours; I should've been dead by now. Cal slept soundly in his ice box. I thought of waking him a couple of times but decided against it. We'd been through a lot and could both use a break. I was a bit salty that he actually attacked me in my mind. Cal's aggression and demeanor told me it was much more than a spar to him. It was one thing to expect an attack; it was another to face it.

While I'd openly admit I had no idea what I was doing in my mindscape, I didn't quite care. This was my realm, and I'd learn to master it.

My confidence, with a dark shade of arrogance, somewhat surprised me. I was out of my league, and yet I had the confidence of a master… more than a master. I felt like a god inside my head. It was dangerously intoxicating. I'd need to ask Cal when he woke up, but I guessed feeling a solid connection to one's mind was natural.

Mine was more than a connection. I felt connected to water. We had a tight bond that allowed us to influence each other. Water mana tempered my emotions, helping me find calm and balance. It enticed me with the urge to be free, to resist any type of confinement. It was adaptable and open to change; whatever water needed to be, it would become. Perhaps even some of my passive tendencies stemmed from our connection.

I influenced water with direction and purpose, compelling it to be its best version in any situation. I gave the mana a foundation to become powerful, a chance to be free of all cages.

The azure energy was a part of me—almost as integral as the pillars of my mind. However, my connection with water mana paled compared to my mind. Water energy wanted to be free. My mind was free. It could change and become anything it wanted to be, and within its realm, it had the power to do so. It wasn't just a part of me; it was me.

Not even my thoughts could adequately describe the connection between my mind and me. Of course, it was me, but it felt so much more than that. … if I had mind mana like Cal rather than water, my reality would be so different.

I stopped dwelling on the fantasies and focused on the intricacies of my mindscape, taking the time to forge my realm and shape it into the kingdom it was meant to be. What started as a humble sanctuary of walls inside a dome became a castle. I trained sentinels how to defend my kingdom, forged tools of war, and equipped watch towers with weapons. Secret rooms were built inside the castle with trap doors, hidden rooms, and endless labyrinths. I buried the entire kingdom and built an improved empire on top.

Wars were fought against my sentinels, which I ordered to find weaknesses and exploit them. They tore down my empire four times before I was able to repel them. In the seventh battle, they didn't even get to my walls.

When the wars became redundant, I created the perfect master suite. A room so perfect it encapsulated the essence of relaxation. The endless possibilities and refinement intoxicated me. My bed floated in the air, and the bath was an ocean of perfect temperature with endless waves. I had a sparring room where I fought myself several times, and attached to it was a game room where I played war games. I created food, feasted on delicacies, and drank from an endless cup.

When I realized I could create my friends inside my realm, the temptation to talk to Lana once more nearly derailed my entire purpose. I retreated from the thought and built walls and resistances to keep it from returning.

The implications of my success astounded me. I, indeed, was the master here. It was no wonder Cal considered himself a god.

I studied my soul and practiced skills, refining my technique. The act of condensing water opened my mind to new possibilities, which I applied to my summons and armor. As my armor coated me, it was no longer white and blue. It had turned black, and even a thin layer provided five times more protection than my old armor. It wasn't just assumptions, either. I tested the limits of both and compared the results. A sliver of black ice withstood hammer blows five times heavier than my original coating.

My excitement could not be contained, nor did I want to. I had found a way to cheat the system. I continued to practice my techniques and refine my skills. I learned the art of domains and touched on the fundamentals. I still hadn't achieved dominance over my mana, but I was getting closer.

I sensed the end of my loop before it claimed me. Even here, where time didn't seem to exist, death had a hold on me. I closed my eyes and prepared for the next life.

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I stood alone in a forest of massive trees. Grass and shrubs covered my crouched body, and my hand rested on a tree. Wait! This was different—a good different. There was no puddle. No Tenty… No death. Massive trees crashed to the ground a few miles north of my position. They fell with heavy booms that cracked like thunder. Darkness and thick clouds covered the sky, and smoke filled the air.

"Lana," I whispered. My heart boomed heavier.

Without a thought for caution, I darted through the forest, whipping myself past trees at breakneck speeds. I pulled and pushed myself faster, knowing full well I was already late but wishing I still had time. I reached the clearing seconds later. I was too late by a long shot. My friends were already dead.

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I coated myself in black armor and took to the battle. I made it five steps before turning to ash.

I stood alone in a forest of massive trees. Grass and shrubs covered my crouched body, and my hand rested on a tree. Massive trees crashed to the ground a few miles north of my position. They fell with heavy booms that cracked like thunder. Darkness and thick clouds covered the sky, and smoke filled the air.

I made it eight steps…

I stood alone in a forest of massive trees. Grass and shrubs covered my crouched body, and my hand rested on a tree. Massive trees crashed to the ground a few miles north of my position. They fell with heavy booms that cracked like thunder. Darkness and thick clouds covered the sky, and smoke filled the air.

Sixteen steps…

I stood alone in a forest of massive trees. Grass and shrubs covered my crouched body, and my hand rested on a tree. Massive trees crashed to the ground a few miles north of my position. They fell with heavy booms that cracked like thunder. Darkness and thick clouds covered the sky, and smoke filled the air.

Head down, eyes strained, I pushed forward. With each step, a torrent of fire, death, and earth mana tore into my domain. My own mana wilted away under the heavy onslaught. I wasn't even the focus of the mages fighting; I wasn't a focus at all. I was on the outskirts of the battle and still struggled to stay alive. The pressure in the air was so thick I could barely breathe through gritted teeth.

I stood alone in a forest of massive trees. Grass and shrubs covered my crouched body, and my hand rested on a tree. Massive trees crashed to the ground a few miles north of my position. They fell with heavy booms that cracked like thunder. Darkness and thick clouds covered the sky, and smoke filled the air.

It became clear that my loop had changed starting points. Spending so much time in my mindscape must've sped up my soul transference—the process by which my soul left my primary body and transferred to the clone I now inhabited. The how and when this all happened remained a question, and Cal was currently doing time in the ice box. I could wait for answers a while longer. There was a clear path in front of me, and I would follow it.

I didn't run straight into death on this ninth attempt to get to my friends. Before leaving the cover of the forest, I entered my mindscape, said hello to my frozen parasite, and started working on my domain. I used the memories from the previous three deaths to create a template of the forces I faced. Against my template, I'd forge a shield to weather the mana storms of mages. It was a bit complicated. Fortunately, I had a wealth of time inside my mind.

In my mindscape scenarios, I died several times, testing out different techniques. There were multiple problems: the mages battling had more commanding wills than mine, their connection to their mana was more potent, and the force they could apply their power was far greater than I could muster. I was a trickling stream compared to their waterfall of might.

My only advantage was that I was still less than secondary to them. They weren't trying to kill me; I was just a casualty. I still hated every one of the ten soldiers who walked out of the battle. I only knew the face of one, but I'd eventually know them all by name and hunt them down—a devourer of stars.

Before that could happen, I needed to go further than sixteen steps.

Another part of the problem centered on willpower was my need for more heart. I knew I wasn't ready for this fight. My squad made it into the center of conflict in the first place because the mages hadn't unveiled their full power yet. Then once inside the storm, the opposing energies softened the killing intent of mana. At least, that was my theory. By all accounts, I should've died on the stake…

No, I knew I wasn't ready to face mages or step on the same field as them, but that wouldn't stop me from trying. I would leverage all the experience I could gain.

After running through several iterations of my domain, it was time to put the skill into practice. I exited my mindscape and ran towards the battle. Once there, I summoned my armor, created my domain, and stepped out of the clearing. I made it ten steps before I felt the violent energies crash into my domain.

I commanded my water to resist.

The droplets of water around my area of influence heard my command and connected to my will. Within a twenty-foot radius, I had authority over the water. It was almost like being in my mindscape but not nearly as potent, and there were many more restrictions. I still had to act within the laws of the element. My extended energy absorbed the onslaught of domains and didn't shatter, though the force pushed me back to eight steps. I pushed more intent into my energy, allowing it to adapt to the powers at bay.

I could create a shell and use that as a barrier. Previous attempts and tests within my mind proved that no matter how hard I made my protection, a hardened domain couldn't withstand the pressure. I needed the water to absorb and adapt to the volatile energy and, where it could, strip the various manas of their root elements. It was a difficult battle. The fact that talented templars and higher-ranked cultivators could maintain a domain passively was leagues beyond my skill. I had to actively keep my influence to have any effect.

I took two steps forward, returning to my spot, and directed my mana to change and adapt to the volatile energies. The pressure lessened, allowing me to take another step and then another. I stayed at sixteen steps, the furthest I'd made it into the battlefield, and adapted the water around me. It felt like I battled several castors at once.

Droplets of water intercepted fire, dowsing the flames before they could touch me. Ice blocked harsh winds. Earth was eroded by water and ice before getting washed away. Death was absorbed, and the toxic mana was purified and sent out to intercept more domains.

I took a step forward, and then another, and another. At twenty steps, I was crawling. After moving five steps further, I settled in my spot.

Against the grindstone of mages, I sharpened my domain.