Chapter 14: Chapter 14
Aiden's body convulsed violently as it hit the ground, his limbs jerking uncontrollably as if an unseen force had taken hold of him.
The white of his eyes glowed with an eerie light, flickering in time with the spasms wracking his body.
His friends were by his side in an instant, panic streaming on their faces as they reached him and tried to pull him back from whatever had taken hold of him.
The world around Aiden dimmed as the frantic voices of Finn, Mira, and Jaxon fading into a far echoing hum. His vision narrowed, the edges blurring as darkness crept in, swallowing up the light until there was nothing left but void.
Then, silence.
"Am I…dead?"
He tried to move, but his body felt weightless, disconnected from the world he knew.
This feeling caused panic to surge through him as he realized he was completely alone in this empty space.
Was this death?
Again?
No.
He was still aware. Still conscious.
He felt weightless, suspended in space, his thoughts sluggish and disjointed.
There was no ground beneath him, no sky above—just the vast, empty void that seemed to stretch on forever.
"What is this place..?"
He asked as a sense of familiarity began to assuage him.
He was familiar with this feeling as it was what he'd experienced upon death. However, while he was immediately pulled by an unseen force on the first visit, this time, it seemed like…he was here to stay.
As an advanced level mage despite his rank, Aiden was well practiced in Mental related Magical techniques, so with a thought, he willed himself to move and his astral form moved.
He hadn't moved much in the strange, ethereal plane when a sudden flash of light exploded in the distance, followed by another, then another, each one a brilliant burst of energy that illuminated the darkness.
The lights grew brighter, closer, until they coalesced into something… more.
As if in response to his growing fear, the void around him began to stir, faint flickers of light sparking into existence.
Aiden watched in stunned silence as the void around him began to ripple.
The very fabric of reality trembled as the lights converged.
From those lights, Worlds began to form—vast, sprawling realms of existence that burst into being, each one a new creation.
Stars ignited, their fiery cores blazing with life, and planets took shape, spinning in the orbits of their nascent suns.
He bore witness to the birth of the First World.
Then, he witnessed the birth of the First Universe following the destruction of the First World.
And from the First Universe, he witnessed The Expansion.
Countless Universes, each one alike but with a unique expression of existence, each following its own set of Rules and Forces.
These Forces pulsed through the multiverse, each one distinct yet interconnected, holding everything together in what Aiden perceived to be a delicate balance.
Aiden felt their power, their raw, unyielding energy, and he understood that they were the building blocks of all creation, the very essence of reality itself.
It was the magic of Creation.
But then, something changed.
A ripple of energy surged through the void, disrupting the harmony of the forces.
A new energy, different from the others, began to coalesce, a force that was not part of the original seven, yet had emerged from the very fabric of reality.
It was wild, untamed, an infantile force born from something entirely new, something unique..
The vision shifted, and Aiden found himself standing, if it could be called standing, in the presence of beings whose forms defied comprehension.
As Aiden beheld these forces, he felt an overwhelming surge of power and understanding.
His mind strained to comprehend the vastness of what he was witnessing yet failed to.
They were vast, towering figures of light and shadow, their bodies shifting and changing with each passing moment, as though they were not bound by the same physical laws as the rest of existence.
But even as he tried to grasp their nature, he realized there was something more to the nascent and undefined force, flickering at the edge of his awareness.
He felt a bit of familiarity to this Nascent force for some odd reason.
Just as Aiden was about to dive into that sense of familiarity, the beings began to speak, as Aiden perceived and pulled him out of his trance.
Their voices echoed through the void, resonating in Aiden's mind, though he could not understand their words.
It was as if they spoke in a language beyond language, communicating ideas and concepts that were too complex for his mind to grasp.
"An anomaly has formed," one of them intoned, its voice like the rumbling of distant thunder, yet soothing at the same time.
"This… new force…" another one of the beings began hesitantly, its voice reverberating through the void like the tolling of a distant bell. "It should not exist."
"An infant force… born of a human's ambition," another said, its tone one of curiosity.
"It is dangerous," another agreed, its tone filled with unease. "The balance of the Cosmos is delicate. To introduce another force… it could unravel everything."
Aiden felt a pang of fear, his heart pounding in his chest despite the lack of a body to contain it.
Were they talking about him?
Was he responsible for this new force, this dangerous disruption? He was just creating something out of random curiosity!!
"We should remove it," a voice interjected, its tone sharp and decisive. "It is an anomaly, an error in the design."
There was a pause, a deliberation among them, though Aiden could not comprehend the specifics of their discussion.
He had seen enough to know that these beings held the power to reshape reality, to erase entire universes with a thought.
They were just…all encompassing.
If they deemed this new force a threat, there would be nothing left of it—or him.
He didn't know how he knew this but at that point in time, he just knew it.
Finally, the first entity spoke again, its voice tinged with a resigned acceptance. "It poses no immediate threat. Let it be. It will either flourish or perish on its own."
But then, another voice spoke, softer and more contemplative than the others. "It is true that this new force is dangerous. But it is also… unique. It is born from something we have not seen before."
The other beings seemed to hesitate, as his perception of time passed. "And what would you have us do?" one of them asked, its tone cautious.
"Let it be," the contemplative voice responded. "This force, though young and untested, is not a threat in its current state. It may grow, it may change, but for now… it is simply part of the natural evolution of the multiverse."
The beings fell silent, and Aiden could sense their agreement, though it was tinged with reluctance.
They would allow this new force to exist, for now, but they would be watching, waiting to see how it developed.
"We shall leave it," one of the beings finally declared, its voice carrying the weight of an ancient decision. "But we will remain vigilant. Should it become a true danger, we will act."
With that, the beings turned their attention away from Aiden, their forms fading back into the void, leaving him alone once more.
The vision began to blur, the multiverse and its forces fading from his sight as consciousness slipped away from him once again.
When Aiden finally opened his eyes, he found himself lying in a soft bed, the familiar scents of herbs and healing magic filling the air.
The room was dimly lit, and as his gaze drifted around, he saw Mira sitting beside him, her fiery red hair draping down her face as she slept with a serious expression that Aiden just found cute.
"I'm alive…" he whispered to himself and sighed in relief. He couldn't handle the thought of dying so soon without really achieving anything noteworthy.
With a calmer sense, he closed his eyes and focused his consciousness on himself and found that his entire body was in a mess.
None of his previous mana pools were alright in the slightest.
His psychic energy was turbulent, his heart pathways scattered and his mana reserves dried up.
He had a rudimentary understanding of how his Force works and knew that it functioned on his three energies.
His Psychic Energy, Physical Energy and finally, Mana.
What had caused him to have a seizure and collapse during the spar with his friends was due to his Force energy running out.
'Independently, they each allow me to function at the level of an Archmage, but The Force is another beast entirely.' Aiden reflected on this realization with mixed emotions.
While the combination of his Psychic Energy, Physical Energy, and Mana made his Force immensely powerful, it also revealed a glaring flaw—its energy consumption was extreme.
Unlike when he used his energies individually, the Force drained all three simultaneously, and once they hit critical levels, the result was catastrophic.
He clenched his fists. "Running out of Force energy doesn't just leave me defenseless—it completely paralyzes me," Aiden muttered, recalling the white-hot pain and sudden loss of consciousness during the sparring session. "It's like my body, mind, and magic all shut down at the same time."
The experience had been a harsh wake-up call. The Force wasn't just a tool; it was a high-risk, high-reward power.
To understand this Power, Aiden's mind worked furiously to analyze the issue.
Each energy pool—Psychic, Aura, and Mana—replenished at different rates.
Psychic Energy depended on mental clarity and emotional stability. Mental Overexertion or negative emotions drained it faster and Focus channeled it.
Physical Energy/Aura was linked to his heart's strength, stamina and physical endurance. Pushing his body too far left him physically weakened.
(A/N: Proper description of Aura coming up soon.)
Mana, while vast and replenishable through meditation or simply resting, required precision. If mismanaged, it destabilized, left any mage powerless.
"The real issue," Aiden concluded, "is synchronization." The Force demanded a perfect balance between the three energies. If one runs lower or fails to keep up with the others, the entire system collapses.
Determined not to repeat his mistake, Aiden quickly decided on a new course of action.
The first, Energy Management Training, a training where he would focus on techniques to monitor and control the flow of each energy type while using the Force.
The second would be Energy Reserve Expansion.
While his current reserves were impressive, they weren't limitless. He needed to expand them further, especially his aura, which lagged slightly behind the others.
The last would be Gradual Mastery.
Instead of using the Force in bursts or overextending its capabilities, Aiden resolved to practice smaller, controlled applications.
"If I want to use the Force without collapsing, I'll have to breakthrough—not just my powers but myself. Let's see if I can outdo even the Archmages on this."
As if hearing his mutterings, Mira who was sleeping peacefully by his side woke up groggily and stretched herself while withholding the yawn that was threatening to escape her lips.
She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the dim light of the room, and turned her gaze toward Aiden, noticing the pensive expression on his face. "What's on your mind?" she asked softly, her voice still laced with sleep as she gently reached out to touch his arm.
"I…think I'm a genius." Aiden replied with a slight pause causing Mira to look at him weirdly.
"..." Mira speechlessly looked at the bedridden, yet seriously looking Aiden.
She didn't know whether to simply act on her impulses and punch him or to just entirely ignore that statement. "Looks like you're already in good health. I'll be on my way then."
Aiden seeing her reaction burst out laughing before stretching his hand to ruffle her hair. "What's the rush? Although I was unconscious, I was aware of everything going on around me."
"Stop that." Mira scowled and slapped his hand away from her head despite the slight blush on her face. "If you're healthy enough to mess around like this, then you're healthy enough to take care of yourself."
Saying that, she resolutely stood up and turned to leave the medical ward.
Upon reaching the door, she stopped and looked at Aiden over her shoulder. "I know you're strong, but all of this will amount to nothing if you end up dying anyways."
Without waiting for a reply, she opened the door and left, leaving Aiden to reflect on what she said for a few seconds before he chuckled wryly. "If only you knew the dangers of the world we live in, Mira, you won't be saying that…"
…
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