"How soon?" Ivan inquired.
"Very. At most, you'd last a few hours before you're entirely obliterated, erased from reality. And all of this for a power incomprehensibly weak compared to what's expected of you," the Time Merchant stated.
"What should I do then?" Ivan questioned.
"Simple. Stop relentlessly striving to forcibly acquire a power beyond your current understanding," the Time Merchant advised.
"I'm not forcibly doing anything. I attempt to suppress it, but somehow..." Ivan began.
"...Somehow, they always provoke you, compel you to reveal the darkness within? What a convenient excuse you've crafted. We both know you desire this—a reason to surrender to that overwhelming strength. And these fools, they keep providing it to you," the Time Merchant remarked.
"You seem to know me quite well," Ivan acknowledged.
