Chapter Four: Time Gap

Selene leans towards Zephyr whispering softly in his ear, while Blair, T.LAC, and Yozora stood nearby, patiently chatting among themselves.

“Think they’ll ever tell us what the next step is?” Selene murmured

Scratching his nose T.LAC chimed in, “Yo, instructors PDA much? We’re burning time.”

Zephyr adjusted his collar with a smirk, “Yes of course, we were just… discussing a game plan. Mi amor, I’ll let you explain.”

Selene raised finger, directing her attention to Blair. “Blair, call the captain. He’ll get here faster if you summon him.”

Blair scrunched her face in disapproval, “Oh come on. He’s a total party pooper. And if memory serves, he doesn’t think too highly of T.LAC.”

Selene poking at Blair playfully. “Oh, so you do remember! haha. This’ll be fun. Call him now Blair.”

Rolling her eyes, Blair turned her back to Selene, muttering as she flicked her off with one hand and touched her temple with the other. “Captain, report to the control test area.”

Selene gazed up at the sky expectantly, “We should hear him any second now.”

Right on cue, a deafening sonic boom tore through the air, sending a shockwave across the area.

With a satisfied grin and a faint blush, Selene quipped to Blair, “Told you he’d come running the second you called.”

Blair groaned. “Oh, stop it. This isn’t going to be fun. Captain and T.LAC didn’t get along back then, and I doubt anything’s changed.”

The Captain landed with a thud, his commanding presence immediately drawing attention. His eyes scanned the group before narrowing in on T.LAC.

“Blair, is everything alright? Do I need to throw out the trash?” he asked, pulling Blair protectively closer. His gaze shifted to T.LAC, sharp and defensive. “T.LAC, right? Listen, Blair’s not interested.”

T.LAC glanced left, then right, feigning confusion. “Zora, this weird guy talking to me?”

Yozora gave T.LAC a sidelong look. “I suppose… he’s from the past. Maybe.”

T.LAC turned back to the Captain with an exaggerated shrug. “Yeah, T.LAC’s the name, but I don’t even know you, so it’s kinda weird you know mine. No offense, Captain Underpants, but I like women.” He flashed a thumbs-up, grinning.

The Captain’s face turned crimson with anger. “What the hell? I’ll kill him!”

Blair stepped between them, grabbing the Captain by the ear and yanking hard. “Hey! I didn’t call you here for that! If you don’t behave, I won’t go on that date you keep pestering me about.”

The Captain’s demeanor shifted instantly, his expression softening. “Alright, alright. How can I help?”

Selene interjected, her tone sharp. “Enough of that. Captain, if you step out of line…” She cracked her knuckles menacingly. “…I’ll beat you myself. Got it?”

The Captain looked down, chastened. “Yes, ma’am.”

Selene’s expression turned serious. “Captain, this situation requires special training.”

Recognizing the gravity in her voice, the Captain nodded. “What type of barrier do you need, Selene?”

Her gaze hardened. “One that’s forbidden. I’ll take full responsibility. Call it an order, if you must.”

The Captain frowned thoughtfully. “Time dilation, I assume. The situation’s that bad?”

Selene rubbed her temples, exhaling slowly. “You remember T.LAC, I’m sure, but do you also remember Yozora?”

The Captain’s face went pale, his composure momentarily breaking. “You mean… Yozora? The kid who created the freaking Twelve Sword? Who wouldn’t remember that legend, Selene?”

Selene glanced at Yozora and then turned to the captain. “See that guy over there, by T.LAC? That’s Yozora, and he needs the barrier. If they don’t have a barrier that dilates time, they won’t be able to save their friend.”

The captain frowned in confusion. “Wait, weren’t they Zeroed? Why are they back?”

Zephyr, visibly frustrated, interjected. “Cap, I get it—you’ve got questions, but now isn’t the time. We’ll explain everything after.”

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Yozora raised his hand hesitantly. “Um, what is this barrier going to do exactly?”

Zephyr rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “To keep it short: certain Tuners can create barriers or domes over a specific area. These barriers can isolate an enemy, trap or delay foes, or be used for specialized purposes. Cap here is a Tuner who specializes in seals and barriers. This particular one is part of his exclusive skillset. I won’t bore you with the technicalities, but his barrier dilates time. Basically, it gives us a lot more time to train you both while barely any time passes outside.”

Zephyr gestured toward Yozora and T.LAC as he continued, “When the barrier goes up, T.LAC, you’ll train with Instructor Selene and Blair. Yozora, you’ll be training with me.”

With a quick nod to the captain, Zephyr signaled for the barrier to be activated.

Above their heads, liquid silver shimmered and flowed like molten mercury, forming a translucent dome that encased Yozora and T.LAC in an enigmatic glow. The captain wove the barrier with precision, ensuring it drew as little attention as possible.

Inside, the atmosphere felt dense yet breathable. Selene folded her arms and addressed them. “Now that the barrier is up, let me explain in more detail. This space dilates present time—what’s hours out there will stretch into days inside. That gives us the critical time we need to prepare you both for what’s ahead.”

Pacing thoughtfully, Selene continued, “T.LAC, Yozora, the primary goal of this training is to master Hindo and its techniques. The objective is to use the least amount of Hindo possible while maximizing the effectiveness of your attacks.”

Selene turned to T.LAC. “Follow me. You’re an Augmenter/Reducer, so for the next fifteen hours—well, fifteen days in here—you’ll focus on augmenting and reducing these five blades.” She gestured to a set of intricately designed swords resting nearby. “Your task will be to precisely add or reduce the Hindo within each blade. Too little, and the blade will become brittle. Too much, and it will shatter. For an Augmenter, using the wrong amount of Hindo can be fatal. Mastery of this classification is incredibly difficult.”

T.LAC’s face paled. “Fatal? You mean I could die just by miscalculating Hindo?”

Selene laughed, though her tone was both reassuring and firm. “Yes and no. Imagine you harden your arm or fist for an attack. If your Hindo application is too weak, your attack won’t do enough damage, or worse—the enemy could break through and kill you. Or let’s say you attempt to convert your body to a gas state but use the wrong amount of Hindo. Your molecules wouldn’t hold together, and, well... you’d dissolve.”

T.LAC swallowed hard but then smirked. “So this training is high risk, high reward? That’s just my style!”

Selene glanced at Blair, shaking her head with a smirk. “I see why you like him.”

Blair's face turned crimson. "Shut up, he's right here!" she hissed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Selene smirked as she grabbed Blair by the arm. "You like having fun, right?" Her tone shifted, becoming cold and menacing. "T.LAC, you have one minute to augment each blade while being slowly frozen by Blair. And you'll do this... for four hours Earth time."

T.LAC’s face went pale, the expression of impending doom etched into his features. "That’s four days!" he cried out, his voice trembling. Turning toward Yozora, he pleaded desperately, "ZORA! Let’s trade—please!" He made a frantic dash toward Yozora, but Selene grabbed him mid-stride.

"Oh no, you don’t!" Selene snapped, her grip unrelenting. "You’re all mommas.”

Blair, watching the struggle unfold, grimaced. "She’s evil," she muttered, wincing at T.LAC’s futile attempts to escape.

Meanwhile, Yozora stood a short distance away, preparing to train with Zephyr.

Yozora’s expression was blank as he looked at the older man. "So, what are we going to do, old man?"

Zephyr stretched lazily, his eyes drifting toward the sky. "First, mijo, I’m going to break Mamá’s rules," he said with a chuckle. "I’m not going to train you as an instructor this time—that approach didn’t work for anyone in the past. Instead, I’ll train you with the heart of a Papá."

Yozora rolled his eyes and turned away. "Yeah, whatever. Let’s just get this over with. Mara’s waiting on us."

Unfazed, Zephyr took a seat on a nearby rock. "First, let’s talk a bit more about the Toro. Every Tuner has a weapon, armor piece, or item their Toro manifests as, called a Raimu. It could be a sword, shield, pin, book, wrench, or even something as delicate as a medical scalpel."

Yozora tilted his head, intrigued. "Is that something that can change over time or whenever someone chooses?"

Zephyr crossed his arms thoughtfully. "Good question. The answer is no. A Tuner’s Toro manifests in a form that aligns with both their classification and their deepest desires. For example, a Tuner who wants to heal and help others might have a Toro that takes the form of a scalpel, a staff, or another healing tool. On the other hand, a Tuner driven by destruction might manifest a sword, an axe, or even a predator-like weapon."

Yozora raised an eyebrow. "Wait... are you saying Tuners can cast spells, like magic?"

Zephyr grinned. "Finally got your attention. To answer your question, it’s not quite that simple. Let me explain. Hindo is the mother of all energies that exist. Before Tuners, only the gods could access Hindo. Beings’ incapable of using Hindo rely on what we call ‘fractions’ of it—energies like Qi, Chi, Ki, Nen, Prana, Mana, Chakra, and many others."

He gestured toward Yozora. "So yes, Tuners can access these fractions to cast spells, use techniques, or even manipulate natural elements. However, the extent and nature of that ability depend entirely on the Tuner’s classification."

Yozora grimaced, clearly frustrated. "So, basically, we can use magic and spells depending on our classification. Got it. But why bother with fractions if you have Hindo? Isn’t Hindo better?"

Zephyr chuckled and pointed at a nearby boulder. " Let me show you. First, I’ll use Chakra to perform a fire technique."

Zephyr brought his hands together, forming the Tiger, Horse, and Snake seals. "Fire Style: Ember Strike!" A small fireball shot from his finger, striking the boulder and leaving faint burn marks.

"Now pay attention to Hindo." Zephyr opened his palm, his demeanor shifting as he summoned raw Hindo. This time, he repeated the same technique with Hindo. "Fire Style Fumi: Ember Strike!"

A larger fireball formed in Zephyr’s hand, blazing with a divine intensity. He released it, the fireball obliterating the boulder and the hillside behind it in a deafening explosion.

Yozora’s locs flared back from the blast as he stood in stunned silence, staring at the smoldering crater left in the fireball’s wake. His eyes shifted sideways to Zephyr. “That’s insane. The difference was like night and day.”

Zephyr lowered his hand, the residual energy dissipating around him. “The reason we use fractions of Hindo rather than the full force of Hindo is simple: to avoid killing innocent bystanders. Most Tuners focus on learning one of the fractions until they’ve mastered control over their Hindo output. For you, though, it’s different—because of your Suits. Like I said before, every Tuner has a Raimu, the manifestation of their Toro. Instead of focusing on controlling Hindo or its fractions, you need to focus more on Raimu Fumi.”

Yozora tilted his head, his expression uncertain. “But why? What’s so different about me?”

Zephyr’s tone grew serious as he replied. “From the emergence of the first Suits user until now, the Suits classification has produced some of the most sought-after weapons, armor, and items—each of them Legendary grade or higher. Before you were zeroed, you created some incredibly powerful items, unique weaponry, and entire armor sets. Tuners have searched, fought, and killed for these artifacts.”

“However, there’s one weapon—one that no one has ever been able to touch, let alone wield. That weapon is called Jūnikagami—the Twelve Mirrors.”

Yozora folded his arms, his brows knitting together. “Seems like I did a lot in the past, but nothing good came from it. So… where’s the Jūnikagami now?”

Zephyr’s gaze softened, a single tear tracing down his cheek before he pointed at Yozora’s chest. “Zora, close your eyes and repeat after me: ‘Compress the universe into singularity, Jūnikagami!’”

The moment the words left his lips, Yozora’s right hand began to tingle. The veins in his arm glowed with a violent, radiant light as energy coalesced in the palm of his hand. Slowly, a katana formed—its blade black as the night sky, shimmering with specks of light like a sea of stars.

Yozora’s eyes widened as he stared at the weapon. “So… this is my Toro manifested. This is Jūnikagami, the Twelve Mirrors. What a beautiful katana.”

Zephyr nodded, his expression reverent. “Beautiful—and unimaginably powerful.

Jūnikagami is without equal. No one has ever seen a blade as overwhelmingly powerful as this. Fortunately for you, no one else can wield it. It’s part of you, Zora. Even when you were zeroed, Jūnikagami remained, because it is bound to your very soul.”

“Jūnikagami has twelve forms, each more powerful than the last. For now, I’ll train you to control the first mirror: Kagami no Yaiba—the Mirror of Shadows. Close your eyes, Zora, and bring Jūnikagami closer to your core. Then say: ‘Illuminate the infinite sky, Sutā Geizā no Yaiba!’—the Blade of the Star Gazer.”