TBATE | Timeless Bonds

Chapter 2

Arthur Leywin POV:

A year has passed since my rebirth–my reincarnation into this world. Coming to terms with my situation has been anything but easy. Night after night, I lie awake, restless, haunted by the endless stream of what-ifs. What I could have done differently in the war against Trayden. What I could have done differently to stay alive.

I replayed the battles that led up to my confrontation with the King of Trayden, each skirmish etched into my mind with agonizing clarity. Then, I would relive the final battle against the King himself, feeling the weight of my every strike, the strain of every parry. Even after I finally overcame him, my thoughts shifted to Cecilia, and I found myself replaying our life together.

In the quiet of the night, I would imagine our wedding day–the vows I would have spoken, the suit I would have worn, and the dress that Cecilia would have chosen. Each detail was a desperate attempt to hold on to what could have been, to the life we might have lived if the world hadn't torn us apart.

I knew what I was doing wasn't healthy, and I was certain Cecilia would agree. But when you're trapped in a body that you have barely any control over, your mind clings to anything to pass the time. So, I let the memories and fantasies play out, even though I knew they were only prolonging my grief. It was easier to lose myself in those thoughts than to face the reality of my new existence

Once I had learned to crawl in this new body, I would occasionally visit the family library, wanting to learn about this new world. During sleepless nights, I'd sneak away, hoping to distract myself from the endless thoughts that plagued me. The library became my refuge, a place where I could focus on something other than my own turmoil.

I discovered many new things, especially about the magic system of this world. On earth, we had ki–a natural power that everyone had access to if they wished, but unlike the magic here, ki wasn't present in the atmosphere. Practitioners had to rely solely on the ki within their own bodies. Whether ki never existed in Earth's atmosphere or ceased to exist due to human-caused pollution, we'd never know.

On Earth, practitioners learned to condense and utilize the innate ki within their bodies. Think of it as a muscle; repeatedly breaking down the ki center through use, followed by rest, would cause it to grow stronger, allowing access to a larger pool of ki. This ki was then channeled throughout the body via special channels or meridians, enhancing physical strength and weaponry.

In this world, however, ki was replaced by something called mana, and what surprised me the most was that it existed in the atmosphere. Similar to forming a ki center, practitioners, or mages, would collect and condense the scattered mana that was in the body into a single point, forming the mana core.

While the formation is similar to that of the ki center, the progression of the mana core differs significantly. Mana users draw in atmospheric mana and channel it into their bodies. Once inside, the mana is processed through the mana core, which purifies it by removing the impurities present from the moment the core is formed.

A mana core is classified into six colors: Black, Red, Orange, Yellow, Silver, and White. Initially, a mana core starts off as Black, due to the body's blood and other impurities mixing with the mana particles during the core's formation. Each stage of the mana core is further divided into three shades: Dark, Solid, Light. Silver cores are divided into Initial, Mid, and High, while White stands alone, without any stages.

In general, the lighter the mana core's color, the purer and more powerful it becomes. The higher one's mana core stage, the larger the pool of mana available to draw from. Additionally, as the mana core becomes more purified, the quality of the mana improves, granting the mage finer control over their mana.