Crista, it turns out, is my Lord and savior. She's an amazing teacher, Incredibly talented and good and bringing my focus to what's important. The room we are in is a back room of the library. This library is considered one of the 3 most important buildings in the entirety of the great tree. The third most important is what's called the chambers of mana. All the different mana types for those who use essence to gather essence in. The biggest one is obviously for those of the bone emperor. Mine is far smaller than the largest, as are most others. The most popular affinities here are life, nature, water, and earth. There are a few affinities without a chamber. Death, destruction, creation, fate, knowledge, and time. If time had a chamber, I'd check it out to see if I can get essence from that instead, but for now I'm fine as is. I've already hit max essence for my level.

  We are currently in a back room of the library. The room is spatially expanded to be almost a square mile in size. I stand on one side of the room. A fence separates me from a practice dummy. I hold out a hand. Within my body, mana begins to take shape.

  “Wither and die by the hands of the inescapable grasp of time.” The chant is short and quick. Immediately the leather on the dummy began to turn black as it flashed with mana. The spell name: Rot of time.

  {Spell gained:Rot of time(Lesser).}

  {You have unlocked the spell category. Open your status to view your spells.}

  “YES!” I shout, my hands flying up as I jump up and down, grinning like an idiot.

  “Impressive” Crista nods, seemingly surprised.

  “Ive been getting that a lot.” I say with a cheeky grin. “I don't dislike it.”

  “Your incantation could have been far faster.” She points out. “And I could see that magic circle. You were inefficient with your mana and were far too slow. Too slow for any practical combat application. However, this is far better than I would have expected for someone casting such complex magic for the first time. It seems your knowledge of basic mana manipulation and your time magic affinity has aided you.” She is quite blunt. Not wrong, though. She had demonstrated the same spell to me before. Her incantation had been shorter and her spell hit harder.

  “There was a stability, though.” She points out, vanishing and reappearing in front of the rotted dummy. “My own magic wasn't that stable. Something I've only seen among peak beings, like it wants to obey you instead of fighting back like it does with most.”

  “What does that even mean?” I ask. “I've felt the difference between magics I have affinity with compared to those I don't. It's like trying to pick up sand and throw it, compared to picking up a rock and throwing that instead.”

  “A crude analogy, but it fits.” She nods. “But that's not how affinities normally work. Usually it's like picking up pebbles instead of sand, not something like a rock that you can firmly grasp and move as you please.” She looks me over for a second. “Can I study you?”

  “Uh… please no.” I say adamantly. She frowns, then sighs.

  “Maybe your brother would let me study him…”

  “Don't you dare.” My tone catches even myself off guard. I blink. She blinks. We both blink. We stare at each other. She nods. I turn, and leave for lunch break.

  <{(0)}>

  “Well, you certainly botched that.” Snowstorm says, picking up a sandwich with 2 hands and eating it. A benefit to our demi forms that I never considered is that we can savor smaller food easier. A dragon the size of a large car can exactly snack on sandwiches. That would look ridiculous. Only a cartoon dragon could pull that off.

  “I certainly did.” I agree. “Was I wrong for that?”

  “You could've been nicer about it. However, I appreciate the sentiment.” Snowstorm gives me a smile, and I chuckle.

  “Would you have let her study you though?”

  “Hells to the no.” He immediately responds, shaking his head. His white hair flicks over his eyes and he brushes it off with a clawed finger. He then pauses. Then he shows off a shit eating grin. “Well, the might be able to convince me.”

  “No way.” I say immediately. “You have the hots for the librarian? That's… actually, that exactly the kind of person I imagined you with. But you're an armless lizard only 16 years old, and she's, like, I don't know, a trillion years old?”

  “4503” Snowstorm corrects. I blink at him once. Twice. Then I sigh.

  “You're always so right about everything that I think it's bad for you. I should prescribe you to 3 days of being fed false information and propaganda to cure you. Fox News only.” Snowstorm snorts a laugh. He sets the last bite of his sandwich down on his plate. “yeah, sure. Maybe when you actually read a book for once.”

  “You know I just stare at them for 30 minutes before going to bug you into playing some sort of game. This park would be great for some tag.”

  We are currently within a garden. One of the many, many, many gardens in this mega city. Over a billion people, yet all they can think of are parks and gardens. Well, in their defence, they are very nice gardens. Me and Snowstorm sit at a bench in one of the gardens east of the big tree. I'll be honest… I forgot what the tree was named. Something generic. Anyway, we are away from the big pile of wood for once, having bought an array of sandwiches from a local cafe. They have great food, but the egg salad sandwich just didn't do it for me.

  Sowstorm sighs.

  “You're so immature.”

  “I'll take that as a compliment.”

  “You really shouldn't."

  “Too bad.”

  <{(0)}>

  “Return to what you once were.” The words flow from my mouth softly like a breeze, tangling with the magic circuit within my body and creating the effect. I had created a small cut on my hand with a knife in order to test it. Time magic flows gently, carrying the scent of happy days long gone. Days it would bring back. A light purple Mist swirled out of one finger, curling around the small wound and healing. Healing. Healing. until the wound was gone. I create a simple water ball to wash the blood away and grin.

  “2 spells down, 2 to go.” I say to myself. Of course, the tier 4 super librarian behind me heard. She would probably hear a butterfly's wing flap a thousand miles away. At this point, it wouldn't surprise me if that were a power. It probably is. Anyway, off topic.

  “You are progressing in leaps and bounds.” Christa nods approvingly, adjusting the pair of glasses she wore. At first I had thought they were just cosmetic, since nobody over tier 2 needed glasses or anything. But it turns out it's enchanted to let her see mana without a skill or mutation for it. Smart, in my eyes. In my MANA SEEING EYES!!! BEHOLD THE POWER OF COOL FLESH ORBS!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! ahem. Cool eyes. Yay.

  “So I'm some sorta time magic prodigy?” I ask curiously.

  “Almost as much as your brother is a prodigy in knowledge magic and ice magic.” Crista says, nodding. She writes something in the air, which solidifies, then vanishes. I notice a trade of mana leading to the notebook strapped to her waist. At the moment, the stunning woman currently wears grey robes with a green T-shirt and black jeans underneath. I believe my demi form has led to me developing a sense of what humans and other bipeds find attractive. She seems to fit the picture. A curvy frame, lively skin, and… I think snowstorm called them assets? I don't fully know what that means, but she has those too. I don't personally find her attractive though. I have yet to find many people attractive. That autumn dragon was hot. But she's both many years older than myself, and taken. I ain't a homewrecker.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “So snowstorm is better than me?” I ask, sighing.

  “It depends on what capacity you are looking for.” Crista replies. “In terms of magical mastery, tour brother is a prodigy among prodigies, while y-you are just a regular prodigy. But if you were to fight, I imagine you would win quite easily. Especially if you learned another dark magic spell beyond Darkzone.” She sits down in a couch that was not there a second ago and smiles. Speaking of which, I should give an update, shouldn't I?

  Name:Abhor

  Level:57/150

  Age:16

  Titles:Timebreaker, Barterer, adaptable, Tier 2 evolution, Humanify, TIME, Legendary progenitor

  Strength:150

  Durability:150

  Speed:150

  Stamina:172.5

  Intelligence:150

  Essence: 58,000

  Class:Eternal darkness

  Soul weapon:Eternal darkness

  Timewarp demi-dragon[2/5]

  Skills: Greater Enhanced stamina(High)Rare, Bartering(low)Common, Heat resistance(Low)Uncommon, Breath of time(Low)Rare, Voice of the word(High)Rare, [LOCKED](?)Unknown, Illusion mana manipulation(Medium)Rare, Shadow warp foundation(Low)Uncommon, Demishift(low)Rare, Eternal pierce(low)Rare, Throughout time[Species max]Legendary, Eye of the forbidden(High)Epic+, Greater shadow manipulation(High)Epic

  Techniques:Mana manipulation(C), Time manipulation(E), Dark Mana defense(C), Potential(???), Calm(C), Overload(C), Confusion(C), Illusion mana manipulation(C), Shadow warp(C), dark magic claw strike(E), Legendary proficiency(B), Invisibility(C), Illusion mirror(E), false strike(D), Lesser illusionary sight glasses(D), Dark mana manipulation(B), Dark trident(C), Mana sense(D)

  Mutations: Abyssal eyes(A), Time transmuted skeletal structure(A)

  Spells: Rot of time(Lesser), rewind heal(Lesser), Darkzone(lesser)}

  “Can time magic undo death?” I ask Crista, turning back to her after thinking for a moment.

  “only if the person you aim to save died recently, and only with incredibly powerful magics. It would have to be greater rank, not lesser, and unlike your little cheats with essence, you can't slide through learning the magic.”

  “Oh” I pause. Then I nod. “That makes sense.” I sit down on a chair next to her. I had created it from earth, water and darkness. Darkness makes for a comfy cushion it turns out, no matter how cold it is. I had been hoping… It was stupid to hope.

  “there was someone you wanted back, I assume.” Crista says, turning to me. I hesitate, then nod.

  “I might have been able to save her too… but I wanted to play instead of being with her. Now she's rotting biomass under the earth, and there is nothing I can do about it.” I slump against the chair. “Sometimes I want to scream. To fight. To rage. To kill something. I want then to pay. And one of them did.” My head lolls in the direction of crista. “I just keep throwing myself into every distraction I get. And if that distraction makes me stronger… that's all the better.”

  “Abhor, I think you should maybe start to see someone.” Crista says delicately, standing up from her chair and walking over to mine. “You will crash soon. You're just hurting yourself. I know it's not my place, but…”

  “You're right” I interjected. “It's not your place. I don't need help. I need to fight. so please just teach me, like you said you would.”

  <{(0)}>

  A woman was dragged through the dirt. All around her, men, women and children were collared and loaded into large carrier vehicles by armed personnel of a force she didn't know. She lived in a small town separated from the world, just off the southern coast of New Camica. Most were forced in the carriers easily. Others were not. She was not. Her legs dragged through the mud and dirt of the famous ground, blood staining her skin and clothing as she was forced into a separate carrier vehicle. The collar suppressed her stats, her magic, and her mind. Luckily, her mind was stronger than the collar could handle. She resisted. Even so, she couldn't manage more than a candle flame. All this fire, and this is all I can do with it, she thought to herself as she is forced into a separate vehicle from the rest. I was supposed to protect them. I failed them. What will happen to us now?

  A soldier kicked her into her small cage, making her cough blood. Luckily, her stats weren't fully suppressed. She could take a kick like that.

  “bitch.” The man mutters, spitting on her. She glares right into his eyes. That seemed to just anger him more as he slapped her over the face, knocking her head to one side. Fighting blackness, she saw her father, her siblings, even her children being forced in chains into one of the carriers. Her blood boiled with rage. She wanted to scream. She wanted to chant a spell. She tried to chant a spell. Searing pain shot through her throat, aiming specifically for her vocal chords, forcing her to cancel the spell. She vomited blood, falling to her knees in the cage. Soldiers sneered as they passed, entering the vehicle. Some were covered in bloody wounds and burns, as if slashed by a spear made of fire. She had fought. She had lost. Now she had no idea what would happen to her. What she did know was that she didn't like it. And neither will my loved ones. How do I save them? Please, oh Lord Pyronite, save us. Please.

  The god gave no response. She was alone in her suffering. Or, she wished she were. But she wasn't. She was stuck with these people. She didn't know who they were, but she knew that they didn't have good intentions for her. She needed help. But her god had abandoned her. Now, there was nothing.

  <{(0)}>

  I feel suspicious of my treatment. It's too good. This room, this luxury apartment, has everything I need. I'm stronger than any human alive could hope to be back home. I could probably take a bullet. Not that I intend to shoot myself in the head, though. I stand up off my bed, looking out the window. My bedroom has a dark brown wooden floor, the walls are white, with nice paintings covering the surfaces. A queen sized bed with white sheets sits in the center of the room. I have a walk-in closet in the corner of the room, and my bathroom has a large shower that has relaxing properties nothing short of magic. I reached the city yesterday, and the people here were extremely accommodating. I didn't see the grand general man, but I've learned a few things about this world from asking questions. Firstly, this world is called Terrairis. Apparently, there was some freak super event that smashed the earths of 2 different universes together. Both were planet earth, but each had differences. An interesting thing is that this planet has more size than the previous world, yet has no more gravity. The planet is at least the size of the sun from my universe. The sun here is far larger. Also it's slightly more colorful than back home. It looks like a normal star, with its same red-orange-white coloration you'd expect. But sometimes you see flickers of other colors, like blues, or purples, or gold so vibrant you think it's not possible. If increasing my durability didn't let me literally stare at the sun for a while, I would likely not have noticed. Even so, my eyes started to hurt rather quickly. Seems the magic sun doesn't care that my durability is at 50. Is there a mutation that just amounts to having sunglasses?

  {Jim:yes, there are a few. Mostly to protect from light element damage specifically.}

  Wait, really? What isn't there a mutation for?

  {Jim:you can only purchase a mutation if someone else in this universe has had it. You can unlock unknown mutations at any time if you meet the conditions for it.}

  What does that mean for me? That there is an infinite number of mutations, and I can only see the ones this universe has had before?

  {Jim:That's exactly it. However, if you purchase 2 mutations for the same organ, you are likely to have them fuse or evolve into something better. This can also happen if multiple skills resonate with a mutation, making all fuse and evolve together into a skill and a mutation that work together deeply. It has only happened a few times in history.}

  Really? That's interesting. Why only a few times?

  {Jim:Because your skill fusions and mutations bring you closer to who you are as an individual. Only those who have certain traits can unlock certain mutations and evolutions. You can unlock all of them for reasons unknown to me, but skill evolutions and mutation fusions will follow the same rules for you.}

  Oh, so I'm not a full cheater. Just a half cheater.

  I open the sliding glass door to my balcony and sit down on a lawn chair. What greets me is a city of wonders I've never seen before. 5 massive floating islands dominate the sky above the city of skyscrapers which seem to try to reach up to them. I'm the center of the four outer mansions, the central mansion looks less like a simple home and more like a futuristic mesh of a castle and a war camp. Planes come and go all day, none like the planes I remember. I don't remember planes being able to just stop mIdair like that. I think a few planes could to that back home though. The technology here is basically just what was being made back home, but better in every way. The city has lots of constructs working for the sapient species. Species plural. I've read a few fantasy books. I liked corruption wielder quite a bit. There were other races in those series as well. That's what confuses me though. How would they know what elves, Dwarves, fairies, and giants are like? The populous her is predominantly human as far as I've seen. Nothing beyond elves and dwarves, but I've seen a few of the other races. Seems racism is a bit different here, as one would expect when there are races And prejudice with nothing to do with ethics. Or, well, little to do with ethics.

  These people hate dragons as well. Like, real dragons. According to those I asked about, dragons are species with no sapience at lower tiers, and no compassion at higher tiers. They consume and slaughter all around them. Another thing is they apparently have strange vocal magics, so when fighting dragons, it's best to wear earplugs and aim for the throat to slash the vocal chords, in the weak spot most dragon types have under their scales. The people here know more about how to kill dragons that anything actually about dragons themselves. It's another suspicious thing. Back home, people would clamber over the chance to interact with such creatures alive, and study these apparent vocal magics.

  I hear a knock on my door and turn, exiting my balcony and heading to the door. My living room is much the same as my bedroom, and it even has television, though better television than anything I've ever seen. No need for CGI anymore, I guess. Nice. I open the door to reveal a woman with black hair ties back in a ponytail, wearing a black suit with a white tie. She gives a respectful nod as I blink at her in confusion.

  ‘Um… hi.’ I say, my thoughts projecting towards her.

  “Hello, Mr Akabis.” She says, her tone formal but kind. “I am here to ask you to come with me. The grand general wishes to see you again. He wants to make you an offer.”

  FREEZE, Tier 2 evolution, Humanify

  DEATH, Other-worlder