Chapter 3: A Test of Time
Elias walked through the grand halls of the academy, the weight of the day's lessons settling in his mind. It was the first day since his arrival that the reality of his situation hit him squarely in the chest. This was no longer just about understanding time—it was about survival.
His thoughts were interrupted when he arrived at the courtyard, where a crowd of students had gathered, waiting for the professor. Professor Aris, with her sharp, calculating eyes, stepped forward, silencing the chatter. Elias felt a wave of anxiety ripple through him, but he quickly squashed it. He couldn't afford to let anyone see him hesitate. Not now.
"This afternoon, you will take part in your first official test of time manipulation," Professor Aris announced, her voice cutting through the murmurs. "The academy has high expectations of you. As you know, your Chrono Rank determines your place here, but it's your abilities and control over time that truly matter."
Elias looked around, noticing the top students standing confidently at the front, their Chrono Ranks shining brightly on their wrists. Their postures radiated composure—they weren't worried about the test. Not yet.
"Today, you will be tested on your ability to manipulate time in different scenarios. The environments will be altered to simulate different challenges, and it will be your job to adapt." Professor Aris's eyes briefly flicked to Elias. "It's a test of not only your powers but your ability to think under pressure. The best way to learn is to face the unexpected."
The students exchanged glances, some eager, others hesitant. Elias's mind was a whirlwind. He'd never faced anything like this before—this was a real test, not a practice. The academy wasn't just a place for learning—it was a place where only those with the strongest potential would thrive.
"As you all know," she continued, "manipulating time is not only about raw power. It's about how well you can control it, shape it, and use it to your advantage." Her gaze turned back to Elias, and he could feel the weight of her assessment. "For those of you who think time manipulation is simply a matter of bending time to your will, today's lesson will prove otherwise. You must use your abilities strategically, or they will become your weakness."
The students murmured in agreement, and Elias felt his stomach twist. He had no idea what to expect, but he knew one thing for sure: the other students weren't going to make it easy for him. As the test drew nearer, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was about to be thrown into something much bigger than he had anticipated.
Professor Aris raised a hand, signaling for the students to gather their things and prepare. "Your first challenge will involve real-time manipulation scenarios. You will be placed in an altered environment—a simulation of a time-stressed area. There, you will encounter time traps, time distortions, and challenges that will test your ability to think under pressure."
Elias stepped forward, his heart racing. He glanced over at the other students, who were all quietly assessing one another. He wasn't like them. He wasn't tied to a Chrono Rank or a fixed lifespan. He was a wild card. The more he thought about it, the more it became clear: his lack of a fixed timeline made him a dangerous outlier in this world. But would it help him in the test?
Elias stepped into the simulation chamber, a vast, open space where the air itself seemed to hum with time energy. His heart pounded in his chest as the holographic environment around him began to shift, time distortions rippling across the walls.
"This is the test." The voice of Professor Aris echoed in his mind, though she was nowhere to be seen. "The environment will shift in real time, and you must adapt. The task is simple: survive."
Elias took a deep breath and focused, trying to calm his racing mind. His heart was already pounding from the intensity of the moment. He had no idea what kind of obstacles awaited him, but he had learned one thing: time manipulation wasn't just about raw power; it was about control and adaptation.
He moved cautiously, feeling the ground beneath him shift and ripple like a distorted mirror. The air around him thickened, and the environment morphed from a sterile white chamber into a crumbling cityscape, with buildings in ruins and time distortions pulling at the very fabric of reality. The sky above was a kaleidoscope of twisted time, shifting from past to future with every blink.
"Focus on your surroundings, Elias. You must manipulate the time of this place, not just your own." Professor Aris's voice cut through his thoughts, sharp and clear.
Elias closed his eyes, focusing on the time energy that surged through him. He had no set timeline—no fixed limit on his lifespan—and for that reason, his manipulation of time was unpredictable, but it was also limitless.
The first obstacle appeared in the form of time traps—pulses of distorted time that flickered like shards of broken glass in the air. The traps sped up time in one area and slowed it in another, creating a chaotic battlefield where time itself acted as the enemy.
Elias immediately felt the pressure. Time was bending around him, and if he wasn't careful, he'd be caught in the chaos of the traps. The test wasn't just about time manipulation—it was about adaptation, about knowing how to react in the midst of time chaos.
He quickly assessed the situation. There was no need to fight the traps directly. Instead, he slowed time in his immediate area, allowing him to move quickly through the shifting environment. His movements felt fluid—as if he was one with the time around him. With each pulse of energy, he bent the flow of time just enough to move around the traps, staying ahead of the dangerous time fluctuations.
As Elias navigated through the environment, he couldn't help but notice that the other students were struggling. They had to manipulate time in a controlled manner, but they couldn't match his speed or precision. Their time manipulation felt clunky compared to his, as if they were constantly fighting against the flow of time.
"I'm not bound by a fixed timeline," Elias thought to himself, "and that gives me an edge. But I must be careful. Too much power, and I could make things worse."
The test wasn't just about surviving the time traps. It was also about surviving the time manipulations of other students. As Elias passed a crumbling building, a Chrono Rank 3 student launched an attack at him—a wave of accelerated time that aimed to knock him off his feet. The student was trying to disrupt his focus, but Elias wasn't about to let that happen.
He countered the attack by slowing time around him just enough to avoid the strike. The student's attack passed right through him, unable to reach its target. Elias smiled to himself—his control over time wasn't perfect, but it was growing stronger with every second.
Suddenly, the environment shifted again. The crumbling buildings disappeared, replaced by a frozen landscape, where everything was locked in time, suspended in motion. Floating hourglasses hung in mid-air, each one representing a different timeline.
Elias's Timeless System activated, the familiar voice echoing in his mind:
"You've unlocked the ability to manipulate the flow of time in different environments. Continue to adapt, and you will pass the test."
The message felt like a reward, but Elias knew there was more to it. His progress had been swift, but it also meant that the academy would keep testing him—pushing him to see how far he could go. The students around him were already beginning to catch up, each one trying to find their own path through the time-altered landscape.
As Elias moved forward, he realized the true nature of this test: it wasn't just about using time to win—it was about understanding time, about shaping it to fit his needs.
He had to stay ahead of the others, because the moment they realized just how much power he had, they would stop seeing him as an anomaly and start seeing him as a threat.
Elias stood still in the midst of the crumbling time-manipulated environment, his heart racing. The Chrono Rank 5 student, Seraphis, was blocking his path, his stance ready for combat.
"You're an interesting one," Seraphis said, his voice dripping with disdain. "I've never seen someone manipulate time like you do. You're breaking the rules of the academy."
Elias frowned, clenching his fists. "I'm not breaking anything. I'm just learning."
Seraphis chuckled darkly. "You're skipping ahead. The system doesn't work like that. Time is something you earn. You don't just take it. People like you don't belong here."
Elias's jaw tightened. He had heard the whispers, felt the stares, but hearing it directly from Seraphis made him realize just how out of place he truly was. He wasn't just an anomaly—he was an outcast in a world governed by rules that didn't apply to him.
"Step aside, Seraphis." Elias's voice was firm. He had no time to waste on pointless challenges. The test was about survival, and Seraphis was standing in his way.
Seraphis's lips curled into a smirk. "No, I think it's time for you to understand your place here."
Without warning, Seraphis raised his hand, and the environment around them shuddered. The air became thick with pressure, and time around Elias slowed. Seraphis had activated his Chrono Rank 5 ability, freezing time in the immediate area, making it difficult for Elias to move.
But Elias didn't panic. He closed his eyes, feeling the flow of time around him, like a vast ocean that he could shape. The Chrono Rank might give Seraphis the ability to freeze time, but it was no match for Elias's innate connection to time itself.
I don't have to stop him, Elias thought, I just need to move faster than his frozen world.
Elias accelerated time around himself in small bursts, just enough to make his movements faster than the frozen world around him. He darted to the side, narrowly avoiding Seraphis's attack. Seraphis's eyes widened as he saw Elias move with fluid precision, the world of frozen time barely able to keep up with his movements.
"You—what are you?" Seraphis hissed, clearly frustrated. He was used to being in complete control, but Elias was something different—unpredictable.
But even as Elias outmaneuvered him, a thought lingered in the back of his mind. Chrono Rank only granted access to certain levels of time manipulation. Age, however, was the true determining factor in how well one could manipulate time. The older you were, the more mastery you had, and Seraphis's age—coupled with his Chrono Rank—should have been enough to overwhelm Elias if he were only a few years older.
If he were older, this would be a different fight, Elias thought to himself, panting slightly from the effort. I wouldn't have been able to dodge him so easily.
Elias's gaze sharpened. He wasn't bound to the same time limitations as Seraphis, but he also wasn't as experienced. That was the key difference. Experience wasn't something that came with Chrono Rank—it came with the longevity of time, the years spent mastering it.
Elias moved again, faster now, his actions becoming more fluid as he finally closed the distance between him and Seraphis. In one final burst of energy, Elias slowed time around Seraphis, just enough to throw him off balance.
Without a word, Elias stepped aside, allowing Seraphis's momentum to carry him forward, and leaving him tumbling into the time-shifting void.
The world snapped back to normal, the time distortions dissipating. Elias stood still, catching his breath. He had won, but the battle had been close. He had only narrowly outpaced Seraphis's manipulation.
Seraphis climbed to his feet, frustration clear on his face. He glared at Elias but said nothing. It wasn't defeat he feared—it was the knowledge that Elias, despite his Chrono Rank 1, had a unique connection to time that Seraphis couldn't replicate.
"You've won this round, Elias," Seraphis muttered, "but don't get too comfortable. There's much more to time manipulation than just speed."
Elias didn't respond. He was too focused on the reality of the test. He knew Seraphis's frustration was rooted in more than just a battle for pride—it was the beginning of something much bigger. There was a dangerous gap between his abilities and those who were bound by Chrono Ranks and time crystals. Elias was learning quickly that strength wasn't defined by Chrono Rank alone.
As Elias continued through the test, he couldn't help but feel the weight of the academy's expectations. If they found out just how much power he truly had—unrestrained by time—things would become even more complicated.
Elias stood at the center of the simulation chamber, surrounded by the final stage of the test—a time-manipulated arena where the world around him seemed to pulse and shift in unnatural ways. The air was thick with time energy, and every step Elias took seemed to distort the ground beneath him.
He had already navigated through the time traps, the shifting landscapes, and the time distortions. He had outsmarted Seraphis, and now he was nearing the final obstacle: the chronomancer's challenge. It was a test to see how well he could adapt and manipulate time when the environment itself became the enemy.
The test area now looked like a ruined city, with buildings half-collapsed and streets warped by time manipulation. Some areas were frozen in place, while others moved at an accelerated speed. Elias had to navigate this dangerous labyrinth, using his control over time to avoid being caught in the time rifts that could tear him apart.
Focus, Elias thought to himself as he began to walk through the distorted city. He didn't have the luxury of overthinking—this was his final chance to pass the test. He couldn't afford to make mistakes.
As he approached the end of the test, a sudden time surge ripped through the air, throwing everything around him into disarray. The ground beneath his feet shifted violently, and Elias instinctively slowed time around him, stabilizing the environment just enough to keep his footing. He could feel the pressure building—this was it. The final test, the one that would determine if he was worthy of staying at the academy.
For a moment, everything froze. The time rifts ceased, the manipulation paused, and Elias found himself alone in the center of the chaos, holding his breath. The entire test area seemed to hold its breath, waiting for him to make his move.
Just one last step, Elias told himself. He gathered his remaining strength and accelerated time around him just enough to push through the final obstacle: a shifting time wall that threatened to crush him under its weight.
With one last surge, Elias managed to break through. The final distortion shattered, and the test area returned to its original state. Time reset to its normal flow, and Elias was left standing in the center of the academy grounds, breathing heavily but victorious.
The voice of Professor Aris echoed through the speakers, signaling the end of the test.
"Congratulations, Elias. You've passed the Time Manipulation Test."
Elias exhaled slowly, finally allowing himself a moment of relief. He had survived, but there was no time to rest. The academy's gaze was already upon him, and he could feel the weight of their expectations.
---
As Elias made his way to the academy's courtyard, still processing the events of the test, he felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere. His senses tingled, alerting him to an unusual presence.
A familiar figure appeared in front of him—Elara, the kind student who had warned him earlier about the dangers of attracting attention. But there was something different in her expression today—an edge of concern in her eyes.
"You made it through," she said, her voice soft but filled with an underlying tension. "I knew you would. But now, it's time to talk."
Elias nodded, still feeling the residual adrenaline from the test. "What's going on, Elara?"
She looked around, her gaze shifting warily. "It's about you. You're attracting more attention than you realize. People are starting to take notice of your abilities, and not in a good way."
Elias frowned. "What do you mean?"
Elara took a deep breath, her eyes flickering with concern. "You've passed the test—but it's more than just that. Higher-ranking students are watching you, and they don't like how you're breaking the system. You're an anomaly, Elias. You don't have a fixed timeline, no rank, no status. And people don't like that. Especially not the ones who've spent years climbing their way to the top."
Elias's chest tightened as he processed her words. He hadn't realized how much attention he was drawing. The politics of the academy, the factions, the alliances—he hadn't understood it fully until now. He was an outsider, and that made him vulnerable.
"Elara, what should I do?" Elias asked, his voice heavy with the weight of her warning. "I can't just walk away. I need to know what comes next."
Elara's gaze softened, but the worry in her eyes remained. "The truth is, Elias... you may need to leave before they come for you. You're too much of a threat to their system, and if you don't disappear now, they'll come after you with everything they have. They won't stop until they've neutralized you."
Elias swallowed hard, his mind racing. This wasn't just about time manipulation or passing tests anymore. It was about survival.
He had no fixed timeline, no rank, and that made him a wildcard in the academy—a wildcard they couldn't control.
And as he stood there, facing Elara's concerned gaze, Elias realized something else: if he didn't leave now, he might never get the chance to leave at all.