“I never thought teaching a bunch of nobles would be more tiring than actually fighting,” Mia said as she stretched. She had just finished her assistant tutoring at Takerth Academy a couple of moments ago and was a bit worn out, at least mentally. She couldn’t say it out loud, but nobles had a warped view of the world, especially when it came to commoners.

It was something instilled in them since birth, and that made teaching them all the more difficult, especially since she was originally a commoner herself. But as she thought about her time at the academy while walking the busy streets, Mia spotted a guard and realized she was actually very close to the garrison.

“Oh right, I do need to check on Magnus; I haven’t seen him since I sent him off with Pezar.” As she made her way closer to the Major General’s Villa, more and more soldiers appeared. When they recognized her walking by, they all saluted her, to which Mia nodded back with a friendly smile.

By the time she reached the entrance to the villa, there were only guards on patrol nearby; no citizens lived this close to the garrison. It was both for their safety and for the safety of the soldiers.

When she arrived at the gates leading to the courtyard of the estate, she saw that the two guards stationed there were busy talking to one of the maids on the other side of the villa gate, who was seemingly on her break.

“Well, it’s good to see you two are so good at your jobs that you have time to impress one of the Major General’s maids.” Immediately after hearing her voice, the two guards jumped and turned around.

“Oh- We uh…”

“Captain? I mean, Captain Reiheim! Forgive us, mam!” The two guards immediately stood straight and greeted her, while the maid they were talking to on the other side of the gate showed a look of shock.

“Captain Reiheim? Wait you're the Mia Reiheim!?” The maid practically yelled out her words as Mia turned to her and nodded with a confused expression while responding.

“Yes? Do I know you?” The maid immediately realized how unprofessional she was being and took a step back before bowing.

“Forgive me; it’s just that I heard the company under your command saved my hometown a few months ago from a raid. I never got the chance to thank anyone, though, since you and your men were always on missions… Oh! But I mean, of course, I’m not blaming you or anything! I know how important your jobs are!” The maid started babbling, which elicited a small laugh from Mia.

“There is no need to thank me; I was just doing my job. Besides, I see you’ve been treating these two to your company; I say that’s more than enough repayment.” The two guards lowered their heads in embarrassment, causing the maid to laugh as well.

Then a more solemn expression came over her face.

“I- We, have all heard of what happened to your company. I’m very sorry.” The two guards got over their embarrassment and showed their sympathy as well.

“It’s fine, but thank you for your kind words. I’m not here for an inspection, so none of you are in trouble. Just try not to be so obvious next time.” All three of them took her words to heart as the guards let out sighs of relief, and the maid gave another bow before saying goodbye and leaving.

“Anyway, I’m here to see the guest that Pezar brought here a little over a week or so ago; do you know where he is?” The two guards looked at each other before thinking. Then the guard on the right seemed to have remembered something.

“Oh, are you talking about that blonde boy the maids are all gossiping about?” Then the other guard seemed to know about Magnus as well, as he clapped his hands together.

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard all sorts of rumors. Everyone’s pretty curious about him, but no one has dared to ask anything outright. From what I’ve heard, he’s been doing some kind of meditation and weird exercises in the inner courtyard for a few days now, so he might be there.” After thanking them, Mia started making her way towards the inner courtyard while wondering what exactly they meant.

Hmm, meditating, huh? I wonder if it has something to do with his abilities.

The inner courtyard was located in the center of the Major General's Villa. Compared to the main courtyard out front, this one was more like a private garden for relaxing, though with no guests, it was never really used for that purpose.

But when she got there, it turned out to be more of a spectator area. About half a dozen maids, who were obviously in the middle of doing their daily duties, were now gathered for some reason, their eyes fixed on something. They were scattered along the walkway encircling the inner courtyard, and all their work had come to a standstill.

Huh, I wonder what they're all looking at.

Curious, Mia craned her neck to see what had caught their interest, her ears picking up bits and pieces of the hushed conversation of two maids as she got close to them.

“He’s been holding that for nearly thirty minutes now.”

“How is that even possible? Isn’t he tired?”

Moving past the maids, Mia’s eyes widened as she finally saw what all the maids were gawking at. It was Magnus; however, it was less about him and more about what he was doing.

His shirt was lying on the ground next to him, and his entire body was glistening with sweat. If you looked close enough, you could even see that the patch of grass underneath him was clearly damp. Still, despite all of that, he was holding a one-armed handstand with his eyes closed.

Although his upper and lower body seemed to be quivering slightly from holding themselves up for so long, he didn't fall, and the arm he was using never buckled, even for a moment.

How is he doing that?

Mia found herself asking the same questions as the maids around her. Magnus wasn’t very strong; she, Gerald, and Marcos could all tell that much from just looking at him. His body simply didn't have the proper definition, and they had been fairly confident that he likely hadn't worked out a day in his life. In fact, it was only now that his body was fighting to keep itself balanced that his muscles became prominent.

Still, something isn’t right about this. From the way his body is shaking, he should have collapsed a long time ago, but somehow he hasn't. Even though the rest of his body is clearly getting tired, the arm that's actually holding him up isn't shaking one bit. Not to mention, he's somehow balancing himself with his eyes closed.

As Mia tried to figure out what exactly was going on, Magnus hadn't even noticed her presence; in fact, his focus was turned completely inward at the moment. What Mia and the other maids were thinking was right: Magnus, as he normally was, would be incapable of performing the feat he was doing now for longer than a few brief seconds without falling over or collapsing.

However, that was only if he was a normal person, relying solely on his own body.

If one were to peer inside Magnus's mind right now, they would find it akin to an ocean, one that seemed to change phases every few seconds. One moment it would be focused, the next that focus would be lost and chaotic thoughts would surge, only to then be tamed, and the process restarted.

This was the normal state of Magnus's mindscape, the place in which his inner voice echoed and his imagination took shape. However, even as this strange cycle of order and chaos whirled, one thing in his mindscape stayed pristine, seemingly unaffected by the rest of the mindscape, and that was the visualization of his own body performing a one-armed handstand.

This mental snapshot wasn't perfect; that much was obvious.

Most of his body was blurry and undetailed, like looking through a camera that just couldn't focus. Yet, it never got any worse either. Everything else in his mind seemed to be shifting and changing, but this image remained steadfast and unmoved. And more importantly, although most of the body was hard to discern, the one clear thing was Magnus's right arm.

This was how he was doing it. By focusing on the important parts while leaving the rest ambiguous, Magnus could use the Command Console to manipulate parts of his body in the real world. If anyone were to touch his right arm right now, they would realize it felt solid and immovable, completely unaffected by things like gravity, wind, and external forces in general.

Still, that didn't mean he could hold this kind of pose forever. Although he could target his own body easier than a cube of soap, he still couldn't effect all of it at once. At most, he could only use the Command Console on one or two body parts at a time. That meant eventually he would need to take a break so that the rest of his body that wasn't under the effects of the Command Console could rest.

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Well, that should be enough for now. I feel like I could definitely hold this visualization for longer, though.

With his focus completely vanishing, the Command Console's execution ended, and Magnus's arm became free once again. Almost immediately after, Magnus collapsed to the ground, panting as he caught his breath. Seeing that he was done, Celia, who was watching from the sidelines, walked forward with a towel in hand.

Thanking her, Magnus took the towel and let out a sigh of relief that he was done for the day.

At the same time, Mia started making her way toward him.

"Hey, Magnus." When he heard that familiar voice from behind, Magnus got up and spun around.

"Mia? When did you get here?"

"Oh, I've been here a couple of minutes or so. You were so zoned in, you probably didn't even notice." Hearing this, Magnus let out a chuckle. He had ended up closing his eyes so he could focus better, so that made sense.

"It's refreshing to see someone I know; things have been kind of awkward around here..." Magnus remarked, casting a look at the maids, who quickly dispersed to resume their work.

"Though Celia here has been super helpful." He nudged Mia towards Celia, catching the moment Celia's composed mask slipped into nervousness as she swiftly greeted Mia respectfully.

"Um, it’s an honor to meet you, ma'am."

Mia responded with her usual warmth, but Magnus was inwardly surprised. Celia was always so standoffish with him, making him feel like he was trying to befriend a robot or something. Yet, Mia's presence seemed to cut through her maid persona effortlessly; clearly, he had underestimated just how great her reputation was.

"Anyway, I came here to talk to you. Celia, would you excuse us for a bit?" Of course, Celia wouldn’t say no. Although all the maids here served under the Major General, only the Head Maid actually talked to him. His position was simply too high for people like them to meet him casually.

Though Mia wasn't as high up the ranks, she commanded an entire company. She was often on the front lines of border defense, where she and her troops became the unsung heroes for many refugees. Thanks to them, a large number of refugees found a new home in Arlcliff City, renowned for being a fortress-like city. And of course, those very same people told stories about Mia and her group, which only increased their fame.

Leaving Celia behind, Magnus tagged along with Mia as she led them to a room he guessed was meant for meetings or gatherings.

I wonder what she wants to talk about. Hopefully, they're not kicking me out or something.

As he had that thought, he noticed a change in the atmosphere the moment the two of them stepped into the room. Mia closed the door behind them, took a seat, and motioned for Magnus to do the same. Noticing the strange vibe, Magnus decided he would let Mia lead the conversation.

“So, you’ve got a handle on your powers now?” Her question was straightforward, causing Magnus to think carefully before saying his next words. Overselling himself was a no-go in a war-torn world like this, filled with medieval politics. Yet, at the same time, underselling might get him kicked to the curb.

As someone who spent most of his time gaming and binge-reading novels rather than picking up practical skills, the idea of him getting a job to make money was completely beyond him. He was under no illusion that Mia or the Major General were sheltering him in their villa just out of the goodness of their hearts; after all, they were doing it because they were interested in his abilities.

So with that in mind, Magnus replied, “To some extent. What I can do right now isn’t much to write home about at the moment, especially compared to what you and Gerald witnessed. But I’m sensing there’s a lot of potential for growth as long as I practice."

Mia nodded at his response, then hit him with another question.

“Got it. And how exactly did you gain control over them? You mentioned before you couldn’t actively use them, so what changed?"

"Well, your advice definitely played a part. It cleared up a lot for me, but to be honest, it kind of came to me in a dream." Magnus's words made Mia pause, her brow furrowing in silence.

"What? Magnus, come on, I'm being serious here. I need to report back to the Major General about any developments involving your abilities." Seeing Mia's skeptical look, Magnus let out an inward sigh. He couldn't really fault her; it did sound pretty out there.

"I'm not messing around, Mia. I know it seems like I'm making this up, but it genuinely came to me in a dream. Actually, it was just two nights ago." He could still remember it vividly.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and lightning danced across the dark gray clouds, casting its light on the earth below. The rain had barely started to fall as three figures dashed through the woods.

Leading the way was clearly Magnus, unmistakable even from a distance. Trailing behind him were two figures, bearing a striking resemblance to the bandits who had chased him before. Yet there was a strange blur about them; their clothes and swords were clear enough, but their bodies and faces seemed to shift and swirl, never settling into a distinct shape.

Despite this bizarre sight, Magnus didn't slow down or even show any confusion. He just kept running, driven by a need to escape.

"I just need to avoid going back to that hill; as long as I can avoid the hill, they won't catch me." It was a thought he meant to say internally, yet for some reason he said it out loud. Another oddity that he couldn't explain, and yet again, was one he completely ignored.

"Stop running, kid; it'll be easier for you," shouted one of the bandits, his voice eerily closing in as he spoke. At that moment, Magnus felt a wave of panic flood through him.

"Dammit!" He pushed his legs to move faster, desperately scanning for any kind of escape route. But all around him was a relentless expanse of trees, melding into one another, new ones emerging as soon as he sprinted past the others. Then he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.

Straight ahead, in the very direction he was running, a clearing came into view, one ominously familiar to him.

"Shit, that's the hill!" he cursed under his breath, quickly veering off in another direction to avoid it. The bandits, seizing the opportunity, turned to follow, gaining on him as his momentum faltered.

But it all seemed futile.

Magnus, in a full sprint, burst into a clearing. There was a shift in the terrain that caught him off guard, his pace slowing without warning as he realized he was standing at the foot of a hill.

"Wha- What? But I turned, I swear I-" His confusion was cut short as two bandits emerged from the trees, their menacing smiles chilling him to the bone.

"Now we've got you, you fucking brat!" one of them yelled, stretching an arm out towards him, despite there still being some distance. Magnus's instincts kicked in; there was no choice but to climb the hill. But as he scrambled upwards, his legs felt unnaturally heavy, as though he were dragging them through thick mud.

Suddenly, exhaustion slammed into him like a tidal wave, his heart thundering in his chest while his breaths came in quick, shallow gasps.

"No, no, not this again!" Magnus yelled, cresting the hilltop just in time to feel a bandit's blade rake across his back, slicing through his skin. Oddly, he felt no pain, yet his scream echoed as if he did. Turning and tumbling down, his back crashed against the all-too-familiar boulder at the hill's summit.

"You really enjoyed having us run around like idiots, huh? I think you've earned yourself a reward for that," one of the bandits remarked, stepping closer. The other, eerily silent and eyeless, just stood there, watching Magnus intently.

"Wait, wait... thi- this can't be right. None of this makes any sense," Magnus muttered to himself, his voice laced with panic as the bandit's blade inched closer, catching the light of the storm above, while rain began to hammer down relentlessly on his body. Fear engulfed him, a strange mix of dread and confusion seizing his heart.

"Stop!" It was all he could manage, shouting and squeezing his eyes shut as the blade neared his abdomen, threatening to impale him.

But the anticipated pain of metal-piercing flesh never arrived.

"Huh?" Opening his eyes slowly, Magnus saw something completely unexpected: the Command Console.

Command Console

↑…

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↓…

Users:Magnus_Wright:\>

Just like his time in the bath, the Command Console was crammed with completely incomprehensible code. Magnus scanned his surroundings, realizing time had stopped. The rain hung suspended in mid-air, lightning froze mid-zigzag across the sky, and a bandit's blade paused a couple of centimeters from his stomach.

Suddenly, Magnus’s thoughts cleared.

"This..." His voice faded as he rose to his feet. Despite a slash across his back, the pain was absent. Closing the Command Console, he eyed the two bandits, who now seemed more like vague, humanoid outlines in clothes than actual people, their swords not even properly in their hands.

"This is a dream..." It hit Magnus as he surveyed the forest from atop the hill. At a casual glance, everything seemed normal. Yet, the longer he looked, the more off it appeared. Trees lacked branches and roots, appearing only as bare minimum sketches of themselves, details his mind had previously overlooked.

"But wait, if this is all a dream, how come the Command Console is here?" Magnus opened the console again and just stared at it, his mind racing with two thoughts.

The first was the idea that perhaps all of this was some kind of vivid, lucid dream, including the Command Console in front of him. Meanwhile, the second idea was a possibility Magnus hadn't even considered before.

The Command Console could manipulate anything he could visualize; in that case, would that include things that existed only in his mind?