Master of Time

However, the magical incantation diagram I have just created is barely visible.

It dissipates immediately, within a fraction of a microsecond, and I feel like I have just run for several miles in the process.

It is extremely exhausting to cast magic without any magical energy. And I am unable to have magical energy flowing through me due to the burning curse by a fucking dragon.

My magic will fuel the curse and torture me physically and spiritually. And I cannot use magic without magical energy.

This is a dilemma.

An important question remains, however. When did I become able to cast magic? Is it when my power first awakens? It seems likely since I have always been able to feel magical energy when it first appears even if a little and spiritual aware of my surroundings.

Spiritual – does that mean I can also cultivate? How?

I need to compile a Heavenly Book on that, but I am currently lacking resources and knowledges.

It isn't as simple as demanding to cultivate and I can magically cultivate. Even casting magic requires basic foundation and understanding. I doubt I can even create a magical incantation diagram without understanding how it works.

The only reason Alex manages to blow up the lavatory and a good chunk of the base is because he has studied the Nazi runes for so long. Even so, the rune didn't activate properly, thus resulting in a huge explosion.

The Nazis never understand the true power of the rune they had inscribed on their bullets.

I am relatively sure the rune they had used does not cause an uncontrollable explosion even when not being casted within a magical incantation diagram. Such explosion only happens due to a poor or lack of understanding of the magic rune.

What does the Nazi rune do exactly if casted correctly?

Those books I have scanned does not have any information on that rune. In fact, none of the runes we have learned from the Nazis are referenced to in any of the books. They are probably not for beginner mages.

So many questions. And not enough answers.

"Mr. Mercer. I have warned you about the danger of magic. Did the Nazi not destroy their entire world when they are meddling with force, they do not fully understand?"

I ask and pick up the health potion off the table. It is a 3rd rank Greater Potion. It is design to heal and restore a mage of the 3rd rank from grievous injuries. However, it should still be effective for a normal person or someone who had just awaken their magic.

Unlike stamina potion, a person couldn't over-healed, could they?

Well, there is only one way to find out.

"Drink this. I want to see its effect before I heal you. Consider it as your punishment for being reckless just because I am here."

Not much of a punishment really. I tell him to drink a small sip since the potion is extremely potent as I have experienced.

Alex shrugs and takes a small sip from the glass bottle. He then describes a refreshing coolness wraps around his body the moment the liquid hits his stomach and gets absorbed into his body.

The massive bleeding on his stump quickly stops, and I see that his blown-off arm is beginning to heal in real time. His bone grows alongside muscle tendons and fibers before everyone.

Emilia gasps and covers her mouth.

In contrast, Hans has seen too many weird shits himself in Hydra, so this isn't anything new. The man has witnessed a human heart being fabricated cell by cell by a fabricator because he wants to learn. It is quite an interesting experience.

Alex looks at his mending hand with speechless surprise while skin covers the raw muscle fibers. And Within a minute, his arm looks like it hasn't been blown off. His torn shirt and missing Hydra ring tell the real story, however.

"Now, this is some crazy –

Alex convulses as he grabs his chest.

"Fuck! I'm too young to die! Tell my wife, I hate her!"

Alex curses out a mouthful of blood before his heart literally explodes inside his body. With a smile on his face, he collapses on the ground, unmoving.

It seems that the potion is too potent for a normal person, even just a small sip.

"Is he…?"

Emilia utters before Alex snaps open his bloody eyes and grabs her hand. She screams in terror.

Hans kick Alex in the head, angrily.

"Scare you. I don't have a wife. Too much baggage. Ah… no. I'm seriously dead. My heart just explodes, I think.

Well, see you all in hell. We are all definitely going there."

Alex coughs out a huge amount of blood before falling backwards against the floor. His bloodshot eyes remain open. His jaw might be broken thanks to Hans.

Hans didn't hold back at all.

I think Alex is getting more eccentric the more time he spends studying magic. Could magic affects a person psychologically? And didn't Alex feel any pain at all? His heart and several of his organs basically explode and turn to mush.

Hans seems unaffected mentally even though he spends as much time as Alex, so I guess no. Magical energy doesn't really harm a person. Otherwise, there are plenty of homicidal mages running around on Azula.

This is just plain crazy Alex, as usual.

I swear Alex really needs a girlfriend or someone of the sort. He also needs to go out more often.

When I first recruit him all those years ago, he was an incredible loner, preferring to stay in his labs, conducting his researches, days after days, years after years.

Work is work, but a person must socialize every now and then or they will go insane. I am somewhat a living example of that.

With a thought, Alex is back from the dead. His clothe is also restored along with his Hydra ring. Since it was his punishment, I let him keep the memory. He doesn't seem to bother by the excruciating pain or anything of the sort.

"I thought I saw an angel. She has incredible knockers, spilling out of her tiny white outfit."

Alex mutters. His eyes glimmer for a second.

"How could you? You were burning in hell."

Hans responses. He is still annoyed at Alex for scaring his little sister. There is definitely more than just normal sibling relationship between Hans and Emilia.

"Might have been a devil, tempting my innocent soul."

Alex responses.

Hans rebuttals with another comment, which I didn't bother to hear. This is their usual battering when they are in a room together. They do produce good works, so I will let it go.

"Alright, enough, Mr. Mercer and Mr. Richter."

I speak up. That shut the both of them up. I pay attention to Emilia.

"Please, Miss Richter, send these potions down to research. I want a full analysis of their composition as soon as possible. Please label them as follow."

Once they are labeled correctly, Emilia heads out of the room with the items. The research division of Mystic is down the hall. Most members there are temporary. Very few scientists want to study magic since it fucks with their current understanding with the universes.

Hans returns to trying to awaken his magic.

As for Alex, I pass him a storage ring before he attempts to blow himself up again. He is more reckless when I am around, as I can undo any kind of injuries.

"Just to channel your magic into the rings. They are spatial ring, allowing the user to store items in a sort of pocket dimension. Think of it like an inventory in role-playing games."

I point out. I explain a bit more to get him interested.

"What is a role-playing game?"

Alex questions.

I didn't answer that. And he didn't want to know either.

Alex is too focus on the ring. He channels some of his magic into the ring before blinking. It seems that he just saw what is inside the ring.

"Spatial compression? I thought I have seen everything."

Alex speaks up as he takes out a few items from the ring. He put those items back into the ring just to experiment. It does take a lot of effort at first, but he gets use to it quickly.

I have him takes out two black orbs.

Once Hans finally activate his magical power, I have them both channel their magical energy into those black orbs. Eliana tells me that this should reveal their naturally affinity. Each mage has one.

The orb in Alex's hands turn red. Flames swirl within. Hans is wind, on the other hand.

I also test the black orb again. It remains completely pitch black as before. Oh well.

"I want you two to research how to replicate this spatial effect on a much larger scale. I don't need to tell you what kind of application is possible with it. However, I want this to be a secret between us."

I order them. Alex and Hans acknowledge my order. They understand full well how dangerous spatial magic can be. If fall into the wrong hand, the world can be destroyed in an instant.

Once they did, I smile and blink out of existence for a nanosecond.

"But don't neglect your magic training. Also, sends out a census to see how many Hydra members are interested in learning magic. If there is sufficient number of people, a magic combat division is in order, don't you think?"

I speak up after I have gained what I needed.

There are many ways to introduce magic to the prime universe, but from what the future just tells me, it will only create chaos. So many people use magic for malicious mean, and there are just not enough good guys to stop them.

Magic must be controlled – that is a fact.

I talk to Alex and Mercer a bit more about the future of Mystic. They give similar opinion since even if their personalities don't match well, their intellects do.

I make a mental note on all their suggestions and leave them to their work.

I teleport to another location – completely off the radar. It is somewhere in China, however. The Asian country provides me with all the man power I needs.

Darkness fills my vision for a second before red light fills the corridor. There is only one path to follow, so I did. It leads me into a large open room.

White light radiates the entire room as the wall shifts and the door is removed.

"Legion greets Supreme Commander."

"Greeting Legion. Selene will give you technical information on spatial compression as well as some of new schematics. Decipher the information and apply to the room. I want near infinite dimension since what I am about to do might destroy the world."

"Affirmative, Supreme Commander."

Legion – the brain of XCOMBAT – takes a couple of moments to decipher the technical information on spatial compression.

Alex and Hans have done a very good job on researching spatial magic, but it did take the more than a few millennia. An incredible long time to be honest. I thought they would figure out everything about spatial magic within a decade or so.

Oh boy, I was wrong. There is a reason why Space and Time cannot be learned, at least from a magic perspective. From science perspective, it is different.

I also see the end of humanity at the hands of magic. Humans can really use anything to destroy each other huh. Give them a knife, they stab each other to death. Give them a gun, they shoot each other, and give them magic, they fuck with the world!

Damn it!

"Applying Spatial Compression, Supreme Commander."

The room expands into the distant.

I could no longer see the walls or the floor or the ceiling.

The floating platform is the only thing that holding me up in what appear to be an endless abyss. This is an application of spatial compression.

"Alright. Let's figure out what I can do. Legion, record and analyze everything. Primary objective is to figure out how to negate or suppress the entity known as Dragon God Ingra."

I order.

"Affirmative, Supreme Commander."

Legion replies in my head. Its intercom is no longer within range.

I take out a mana potion from my pocket. A sip fills me with magical energy. Within a second my body engulfed in flames. Agonizing pain pierce through my being and existence. The flame spirals upwards, forming a titanic dragon.

"Show me what you got, puny Dragon God."

As if the astral projection can understand me, it roars as the space around me ripple. However, even with its overwhelming power, it cannot break through this spatial dimension.

This is the cultivation of some of the greatest mages in history! Alex and Hans are mages of 10th circle – they are on the verge of ascension to a higher realm in order to pursuit 11th circle and beyond. That explains why there are no 10th mages on Azula.

They have all ascended, and their knowledges are forever lost.

Nevertheless, Alex and Hans continue to wait for me in the mortal plane of existence, so they can give me their complete research on spatial compression.

That is quite a loyalty!