Sitting on the couch I think about what had happened last night.
'If magic is based on intent shouldn't it be easy to just...'
I tap into my mana which is easier than expected and bring it out. Trying to bring cold, distant, and isolated intent into my mana. The temperature begins to drop around me and frost appears on the floor and couch.
'Ice magic.'
[Maybe you should have been the heir of ice. Fits you better.] The voice says.
I ignore the voice more inclined to focus on my magic which I am way more interested in.
[Thats rude :P]
Tapping back into my mana I notice that it has gone down a little.
'Hmm, I expected it to take more mana to create new magic from nothing. Maybe I have more than I previously thought. Maybe my mana went up from last night when I drained all of it. Maybe it's because I have an unknown affinity to ice magic. (It wouldn't be a surprise) Maybe due to the simplicity of the spell and if I, per se tried to make a ball of ice off rip it would have taken way more mana. Maybe I'm just overthinking.'
"Questions questions questions. So many questions and so little time." I say.
But I could change that.
Not the questions part, the time part.
Just needed to clarify.
The sounds of birds chirping, the cars driving around, and any other ambient noise of the world stop as I tap into my innate magic.
Time.
[Wow! Your mana pool has made a significant increase since last night! Now you can hold this time stop for over 30 minutes. That's after you used your mana to make ice magic. That was also smart too might I add. Now if you expand upon ice magic it will just be you shaping and forming the ice that you already have a grasp on instead of you starting from nothing.] The voice says in an excited voice.
Hmmm, that's extremely good to know. Was it because I drained all my mana? I'll have to experiment.
But that's beside the point right now.
Now? Now is all about magic.
I no longer need to bring in the cold intent. So feeling my mana I make the surroundings cold yet again but this time instead of just letting it run free I try and control it. Bringing intent of something small and spherical. Condensing it into a small ball of ice the size of a tennis ball.
I look in awe at what I just created.
'it's so surreal. Like... I'm really controlling ice right now!'
[You now have exactly 28 minutes left in time stop.]
"Amazing..."
As much as I'd like to just sit here and experiment, with the constant drain on my mana, I'd end up in the state I was in last night. Although it does seem to be the reason why my mana pool got so much bigger so much faster I'd rather not make some type of magic and then suddenly become a potato on the couch. Too many questions. Too many eyes.
But that doesn't mean I won't roam around in my time stop.
I look over to see the tv which was switched off before time stopped.
I grab the remote next to me on the couch. It's a little frozen over but it's not broken.
I press the power button and nothing happened.
'What did I expect?'
A little disappointed for some reason I get up from the couch walking around the house.
I walk back down the hallway to where the two bedrooms are and enter the left door to my room.
'Why is she in my room..?'
I see my roommate in my room standing around.
'Perfect time to experiment.'
I walk over to her and look her in the eyes.
'Hmm..'
I grab her left cheek with my right hand and it feels squishy.
(Author: It's on her face, you perverted bastards. Get your minds out of the gutter)
'Soo just because time has stopped doesn't mean I can't interact with things as if they weren't.'
I reach over to her exposed belly due to the tank top.
It's warm and squishy.
I mold her belly making shapes and faces.
'Heh'
Then I give one good smack to her stomach.
'Maybe that'll teach her not to go in my room.'
I grab her arm and then bend it.
'Hmm, no problem with moving joints around.'
I grab her face and then open her mouth with my fingers. I touch her tongue and feel her slimy saliva on my index finger.
'No problems here as well..'
'This... is dangerous.'
If I was anyone else, A normal male teen, A normal male in general even, This power would be catastrophic.
I close her mouth and move away from her.
"How much longer?" I ask out.
[25.. 24 minutes now!] The voice responds.
'What to do, what to do.'
I have half the mind to just go back to experimenting, I'll let my mana drain again, fall asleep, then wake up with even more mana then move on from there. But I don't have an estimate on how long mana drain would make me sleep. And now? I want to go to that party. So much that I could do. I can experiment on so many people care nothing about. Maybe make poison magic and see the effects I can make? Maybe kill someone and see the possibility of reviving them? Maybe...
Now hear me out here.
Necromancy.
Ever since I was a kid I loved the thought of necromancy.
All the things you could do with it.
Make skeletons fight for you with swords, bows, and even magic itself!
Make zombies and ghouls that can evolve and grow stronger and have many variations to cover up all your weaknesses and blind spots.
That's why whenever there was a chance in a game that I may play I'd always 100% choose the necromancer.
Although sadly it's never really fleshed out.
It's just "Oh make that thing my subordinate and make it fight for me!"
No variations, no evolutions, no imagination.
It got boring after a while but now?
I basically can do whatever I want!
Never mind necromancy I CAN BEND REALITY!!
Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
Not only do I not have nearly enough mana to even think of attempting that the problems that can come with bending reality can only be bad.
But who says in the future when I'm more knowledgeable and I'm stronger I can't do that?
"Sigh"
My imagination is too wild.
[Nothing wrong with having goals for the future! And your imagination is perfect! Every good mage needs a good imagination.]
You're right but I can't let that take control of me. I still need to think somewhat logically no matter how illogical this whole situation is.
I walk back into the living room and plop onto the couch like a potato.
"How much time left?" I ask.
[21 minutes]
I lay down lazily and start playing with my ice magic.
I first make a ball and then shape it around.
Making a dagger, a fork, an arrow, a spoon, a sword, anything I could think of that isn't too big or small.
After 5 minutes of doing the same something clicked in me.
The shaping becomes easier and more fluid. I feel the drain on my mana as I shape it around become less prominent. I feel I can do more than these small shapes and such.
'Ice manipulation..'
[Yes. You have gained the power to manipulate ice. Although technically you always were manipulating it now it has become something like second nature. Instead of you using your mana like a hand and molding it, the ice will mold on its own to your whim. Now with ice magic, the limit of intent is somewhat gone! Congrats!]
...
This...
So many more possibilities!
I already have a magic boner.
"How much longer do I have?"
[7 Minutes]
'Damnit maybe I should just drain it all so that ill have way more mana when I wake up.'
Goddamnit I hate these restrictions.
I stand up to do one more test.
"Tell me when my time limit reaches 1 minute."
[Roger that!]
'I have offense but I need defense. So now making an ice shield of some kind would be a natural progression.'
Instead of making a ball of ice I just release ice around me kinda like an ice aura.
The temperature around me drops drastically.
I also feel that in the small domain around me, controlling and manifesting ice magic is way easier.
But that's beside the point because now I'm creating the much-needed defense magic that I'll need to make myself well-rounded for now.
I form a thin sheet of ice in a small dome around me, covering me so that I'm unseen from all sides.
I make this thin sheet thicker but then it becomes thin again, compressing the ice to make it stronger.
I make it even thicker and then it becomes thin yet again.
'One more time'
I can feel sweat drip down my brow before it freezes up and my mana reaches a dangerously low stage.
[1 minute left in your zone~]
The thin sheet of ice becomes thicker one last time before it becomes thin again and it all shatters.
Time starts to flow again and I flop down on the couch exhausted.
*Smack* "OUCH!" A smack and shout reverberate throughout the house originating from my room and the tv that's in front of the couch starts to play but I'm half the mind to listen to it due to my exhaustion.
"You can influence my mana to cast spells right dear voice," I ask out.
[Yes I can.] It says and I can almost hear its smirk.
"Then may I ask you to influence it so that I absorb the ice magic and stray mana around back into me," I ask quickly already feeling my tiredness taking over me.
[Hmmmmm... I could... But that is a pretty advanced spell... And once I influence you to do it you'll be able to do it on your own without the struggle... I don't know... I might not be allowed to do it... But maybe... If you were to do me a favor I'll be able to bend the rules this one time.]
"What favor," I said gritting my teeth.
[Oh nothing big... Just kill someone for me today. I want some thrill you know?]
I sigh.
"Fine," I say.
I feel a lock get placed on me somewhere somehow but I don't care to ask right now.
[Alright done and done! Now I gotcha gang you can just go to your beauty sleep now!]
"Wake me up at 4 pm so I can go to the party," I say.
[Alright! Toodaloos! Catch you on the flip side!]
"Never... Say that again..." I say as I fall asleep on the couch.