Chapter 173 - Training the Aspect of Time

I woke up to an unexpected smell filling my apartment.

“Food?”

I got up, gently nudging aside a cat that had been lying with her head on my stomach. When I walked out of my room, I was greeted by a surprising sight: a beautiful fox girl in the kitchen, wearing a maid’s apron and smiling as she focused on cooking.

“Kinue?” I said, a bit startled. For a moment, I’d forgotten that she now lived with us.

After discussing it with Professor Adrihna, she had obtained permission to move in without any issues.

“Good morning, Nathan. I’m making breakfast for all of us,” she replied, stirring the ingredients with practiced precision.

“You don’t eat at the dining hall?” I asked, curious.

“I don’t like it… there are too many people there,” she answered, with a slight hesitation.

I get it. That place can be chaos with the morning rush.

“Don’t worry. Whenever we’re free at the same time, we can have lunch here together,” I suggested.

She smiled and went back to tending to the stove. I looked around and saw a full breakfast spread—bread, fruit, juice, everything laid out perfectly. Kinue was plating some eggs, moving with the grace that only came from years of experience.

“Good morning…” Chloe appeared, still half-asleep but quickly waking up at the sight of the set table.

“Kinue, did you make all this?” she asked, clearly impressed.

Kinue sat down and motioned for us to join her. “Just because I’m not living with you guys at the castle anymore doesn’t mean I’ve set aside my skills as a maid. I need to reclaim my position,” she said with a determined look.

She still wants to hold on to her maid role, even here?

Before I could respond, an insistent “meow!” echoed through the room. A gray cat came running over, leaping straight onto the table.

“Car-Ca-Carnellian!” Kinue gasped, pointing at the cat with wide eyes.

Oops! They didn’t see each other yesterday.

Chloe and I exchanged confused glances, unsure of how to explain that the little panther was, in fact, our resident phoenix. By the time Cylla started going through her bodily transformations into dragon form, Kinue was no longer living with us.

“Don’t worry, it’s not Carnellian,” I reassured her. “She’s just a cub, and she’s tame… at least with people she knows.”

“That smells amazing! The food is so fragrant,” Cylla commented directly to me. To everyone else, it probably just sounded like a meow.

The panther climbed onto a chair, and Kinue watched her warily.

“She’s… tame? Are you sure? Moon panthers can wipe out an entire village…” Kinue muttered, visibly nervous.

“Couldn’t you do something similar? You must be at the age where you can transform at will,” I said, trying to steer the conversation.

“That’s different…” Kinue replied, still uncertain.

“Don’t worry, Cylla’s tame,” Chloe assured with an encouraging smile.

Kinue stopped, giving us a puzzled look. “Cylla?” she asked, glancing between us as if seeking confirmation. And naturally, Cylla gave us a look that seemed to say, Now what?

Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Of course, to Kinue, the name Cylla refers to the phoenix.

“Well… actually, this panther cub is our Cylla,” I admitted.

Cylla hid her face in her paws. “I’m not theirs, I’m yours…” she murmured, curling up as if suddenly embarrassed.

Why are you getting shy after saying something like that?

Kinue’s eyes widened in even greater confusion as she cautiously approached the panther. “What? How is this possible?” She tilted her head, leaning closer to whisper to the cat, “Are you the little fire-breathing bird?”

Cylla let out a tiny burp, and a small flame escaped her mouth, making Kinue step back.

“Moon panthers don’t do that,” she exclaimed, eyes wide in shock.

“Exactly,” I said, trying not to laugh. “We’re still keeping the phoenix a secret. She managed to disguise herself pretty well as a Carnellian cub.”

Kinue let out a sigh of relief. “Well, I’m glad she’s not a real moon panther. They’re… lethal.”

Technically, Cylla is even more dangerous than any moon panther, I thought. But there was no need to say that out loud.

Kinue looked at Cylla thoughtfully, then picked up a piece of steak from her plate and offered it to the little panther. “I made this for myself, but I remember how much you loved meat,” she said, holding out the steak to Cylla.

Cylla’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she eagerly began to eat, clearly enjoying the treat.

Problem solved!

***

“It was actually fun eating with Kinue,” Chloe remarked as we walked through the bustling hallways.

“Yeah, it really brings back memories of when we were younger,” I agreed, watching students hurrying off to their respective classes.

“Do you have the same class as me this morning?” I asked, double-checking our schedule.

“Yes! My first class is Combat Healer,” Chloe replied, a smile lighting up her face.

“Perfect! That’s my first class too,” I said, pleased to know we’d be sharing it.

Chloe seemed genuinely happy about it, and we made our way to the classroom together. Cylla, still half-asleep, was nestled in my arms as I carried her along the hallway.

Suddenly, I heard someone murmur, “The cute boy is passing by.” I glanced around and noticed a group of girls whispering and sneaking glances at me.

Wait… me?

Chloe noticed and gave my arm a quick tug.

“Don’t pay attention to that,” she advised, steering me forward.

The Healer Mage classroom was a large, semi-circular amphitheater with rows of seats descending toward the center. We quickly found our friends, Syvis and Thyra, who had saved us seats and were waving us over.

“We saved you guys seats. Not that anyone would dare sit next to us,” Syvis joked with a hint of sarcasm.

I settled in next to them and noticed Edmund across the room. He was surrounded by a few students, likely other nobles, who were hanging on his every word as he explained something with deliberate hand movements.

“Looks like he’s already building his network,” Syvis observed, catching my gaze. “Edmund mentioned he’d use those more opportunistic nobles as stepping stones to connect with others,” she added.

Before I could respond, raindrops unexpectedly began falling from the ceiling. The students looked up, confused, noticing several floating orbs dripping across the room.

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“I apologize to everyone,” the professor, a stern-looking older man, announced. “If a single student loses focus during my class, you will all get wet.”

“My name is Harrison Cavanagh,” he continued, his deep voice resonating through the amphitheater. “Today, we begin our journey into the realm of Healer Mages, one of the most vital classes in our society. But before we start, I need confirmation: is everyone paying attention? I’d prefer not to have to give you all another unexpected shower.”

The students, eager to avoid a repeat performance, nodded emphatically in unison.

“Thyra hates getting wet for no reason,” Thyra grumbled.

Harrison moved to the magical board on the wall and, with a tap of his finger, projected the first page of our book, enlarged and vivid for all to see.

He instructed us to retrieve our own books from our storage bracelets. As the books materialized in our hands, we followed along, ready to delve into the explanation.

“Let’s start… with the basics,” he said, pointing to the image on the board as the fundamental concepts of healing magic appeared before us.

“There are many types of mages,” the professor explained, “but Healer Mages are, without a doubt, among the most unique. A water mage can be a Combat Mage, a Shooter Mage, or a Healer Mage. The first two depend mainly on the mage’s mana category, but the last one… that depends on whether your mana has healing properties.”

He turned the page in the book, and the image on the board changed to reveal a mage beside three floating orbs: one blue, one yellow, and one green.

“Having mana with healing properties is incredibly valuable in our world,” Harrison continued. “There are only three elements with this capacity: water, plant, and light. These elements are special, and two of them happen to be exclusive to elves and high elves.”

As he spoke, the magical board now displayed the image of an injured person with a mage beside them, hands outstretched, forming a sphere of water around the wound that emitted a soft, comforting glow.

“There’s no specific rule to determine if your mana will have healing properties,” he explained. “It simply happens. A Combat Mage could unexpectedly discover this healing ability. Remember, a Healer Mage is always in demand, and there’s never a shortage of work for them. Every noble superior has Healer Mages among their subordinates because the importance of this talent is immeasurable.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing my mana to flow through the channels of my body, winding through each unexpected curve as it slowly made its way to my eyes. Something peculiar awaited me there. Even after years of living with this ability, the mystery within my mana channels was still difficult to grasp. It was an intricate network, like an Ouroboros—the serpent devouring its own tail—an infinite cycle, turning endlessly without beginning or end.

This structure of channels intertwined in a chaotic way, almost like deep roots. They didn’t flow in a straight line but seemed to form a complex barrier, hiding something deep within my mind. Something buried, something I was only beginning to glimpse.

At the center of this web, a subtle light shimmered—extraordinary in its brilliance. I could feel its presence, concealed beneath layers upon layers of tangled energy. This glow… I knew what it was. Or at least, I had a strong suspicion: it was the Mana Gem of the serpent-dragon. The threads of mana coursing through my body seemed to stretch out like living roots, reaching toward that hidden light, as if trying to connect to this unknown power. I understood what they were doing... just as my mana channels had rooted themselves in my eyes during the awakening of my Special Eyes, they were now trying to reach and attach themselves to the Mana Gem of the creature.

Is this the power beyond the Celestial Eyes that Sisika spoke of? The Mana Gem of the creature, hidden deep within my own essence… what would happen if my mana channels finally connected with it? Would I start drawing power directly from the serpent-dragon?

The mana channels were slowly organizing themselves, as I mastered the Celestial Aspects. It was as though my control over these powers was clearing the way, untangling the knots, and opening a path for my channels to finally touch the hidden Mana Gem.

I exhaled, feeling both excitement and apprehension building. I knew there was far more to this power than I could yet understand, but that wouldn’t stop me from moving forward. It was time to begin the training.

I threw the pencil into the air and, focusing all my will, shouted in my mind: ASPECT OF TIME!

The world around me took on a new hue—a deep, intense blue, as vast as the ocean. Reality froze, stretching as if time had become an infinite elastic, compressing and expanding in a flow I could barely conceive. All sound vanished, immersing me in absolute silence, but there was something else—a distant murmur, almost like a song muffled by a veil, suggesting the presence of an invisible crowd around me.

“What happened?” Cylla asked, jumping off my lap, surprise evident in her eyes.

"I’m training the Aspect of Time," I responded. "But normally, I don't bring you inside the frozen time with me."

The sound of time around me was like a distorted symphony, as if waves were crashing in slow motion while simultaneously retreating, creating a hypnotic effect.

"Today, I'm going to train with you here," I said, as I observed the room. Everyone was completely motionless, paralyzed in the same position, oblivious to the frozen time.

"Wait, you’ve started training again? This isn’t good for you," Cylla said, concerned.

"Lately, I've been... training a little. But only for about one or two minutes," I explained.

"This is dangerous, Nathan," she told me.

After discovering that the beings known as the Illuminated were the same enemies of Sisika's people, I had grown more anxious and decided I needed to sharpen my use of the Celestial Eyes.

"Five minutes is enough to drain all my mana at once. I don’t want to run out of mana, so I limit my training to no more than two minutes. My goal is to increase how long I can keep time frozen. To do that, I need to reduce the amount of mana it consumes per second. And the only way to achieve that is through practice. Today, I’m pushing myself to handle the pressure of keeping another living being here with me."

"Besides," I continued, my thoughts growing more complex, "I need to train in an environment with as many frozen people around me as possible. I want to understand if the number of living beings frozen in time affects the mana consumption or the stability of this power. Does having more people frozen strain my Celestial Eyes? Or is the effort the same, regardless of the number of individuals affected?"

The bluish glow of the sun filtered through the window, casting an almost ethereal light across the room. I knew exactly where that glow came from—it always appeared when I invoked the Aspect of Time. It came from the sun.

"I hope you're not using this to peek at girls in the bath," Cylla said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What? Of course not!" I exclaimed, shocked. "It's exhausting to use this power, and you think I’d waste it on something so trivial?"

She studied me for a moment, her golden eyes narrowing further as if trying to detect any hint of deception. "I'll believe you... for now," she said, her tone playful but with a hint of seriousness.

I was sitting in the chair, beginning my usual exercises, testing the limits of frozen time. A pencil floated mid-air, immobile, caught in the eternal moment. I reached out, trying to grasp it. Something strange happened. My hand passed through the pencil, but at the same time, it didn’t. It was like trying to grab something that was there but could never truly be reached.

"It’s as if the distance between us is stretched to infinity..." I murmured, analyzing the situation. "Infinity! The distance is being compressed and expanded, placing the concept of eternity between me and the pencil. Even though it’s so close, it's separated by an eternity. No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to touch it."

It was a disturbing, yet fascinating sensation. I began to grasp the profound implications of what was happening—the sheer magnitude of manipulating time. The concept of proximity and touch didn’t exist in any simple way in this state.

Trying to touch someone would be even more dangerous. The effect would be an unbearable pain, futile to endure since, in the end, I would never be able to break through the barrier of infinity.

"So, I'm not really sitting in the chair… I’m sitting in the infinitude between my touch and its physical matter?" I muttered to myself, still reflecting on how this power interacted with the physical world.

"The sun..." I whispered, "It's like the sun itself has become my eye. When I use the Aspect of Time, I feel like everything is subjected to it, like this all-seeing gaze is observing, immobilizing everything. Maybe the key to mastering this power is understanding why that eye appears—why it manifests as a symbol above all else..."

Cylla approached, observing the frozen world around us in silence. Everything seemed like a still image, captured in the instant I had imposed: birds hanging motionless in mid-flight, students paused mid-laughter, the professor caught mid-lecture. Everything, living or inanimate, was trapped in this frozen moment.

"There’s something I’d like to test, but I’m still too weak for it," I said, turning to Cylla, who watched me with curious, sharp eyes.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.

"I want to know what would happen if I ran as fast as I could. Time is frozen everywhere, right? But I don’t actually know if that’s true. The most logical deduction is to think that it is, but that would be almost omnipotent. Yet, even with this immense power, it’s limited by the absurd amount of mana it consumes. I need to understand more about the limitations—how far I can move within frozen time. For instance, with you in your panther cub form, I can bring you into this place. But when we tried it in your dragon form, it didn’t work. That shows me there’s a limit to the power level I can carry with me in this state."

Cylla stared at me intensely as I continued reflecting.

"I need to know," I went on, "what happens if I move fast—really fast. Is there a radius of effect? A boundary that determines how far I can freeze time before it starts unraveling?"

"Nathan... this is dangerous. You shouldn’t toy with the Celestial Aspects like this," she warned, her voice laced with concern.

"It’s fine," I tried to reassure her, offering a small smile to ease her worry. "I'll just sit here and think about how it works. No risky experiments today."

I gave one last glance at the pencil, still hovering mid-air, completely immobile. It both fascinated and challenged me.

"Could I reduce the 'infinity' of frozen time? If I manage that, the speed at which things seem paralyzed might slow down..." I muttered, mostly to myself.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of..." Cylla began, but I interrupted her, confirming her guess.

"That's right," I said. "Instead of completely stopping time, I want to slow it down—just enough so that things still move, even if only barely. After that, I want to see if I can apply this effect to a specific area. Instead of freezing the entire world, I’d like to focus the effect on individual objects or people."

Cylla looked perplexed, but before she could respond, my eyes were already drawn to the sun outside—the giant, watchful eye in the sky.

"The answer is in that sun-eye out there, and I need to understand it." I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and focusing my mind on the immense power I sought to control.

"I've got two minutes... two minutes of pure hell." The familiar tension settled in, that anticipation of the pain I knew all too well, but I was ready. "I'm going to try to activate my mana in this space where it refuses to flow. Every time I've tried, the pain has been almost unbearable. But maybe, if I can understand the mechanism, I can uncover the secret behind the Mana Gem of that creature."

As I prepared myself, the heavy silence around me seemed to hum with hidden energy, as if the very air was brimming with anticipation. I knew each second would be a fight, but I also felt that I was getting closer to the answer I sought.