Time Holders: The World of Balance

”W-We’ll be learning that...?” one of the students asked in surprise.

Sir Zorum stared in their direction for a moment,

”Yes, but not today,” he said, turning to the whiteboard once again.

”Now, pay attention, because I won’t repeat myself. A Time Holder of the first rank can only learn and use three skills, but those skills are the fundamentals. Their uses can vary and be applied in endless ways; the only limits you’ll face when using them are either rank or your own cunning.”

He looked at them and pointed at the whiteboard. Only three words were written on it.

”Most of you must’ve already heard these concepts, but I’ll go in detail either way. I doubt any of you can actually put them into practice as you are now.”

Without missing a beat, he resumed writing and said,

”These right here are skills we’ve categorized as follows: [Motion], [Freeze], and [Visione]. They are not individual abilities in and of themselves. Rather, they are the three most effective applications of our powers and the pillars of what makes a user of time outstanding. Without knowing them properly, you can only dream about ascending to the second rank.”

Zorum stood quiet for a moment, and then added,

”But do not misunderstand. Knowing and using those skills doesn’t mean you have mastered them. In fact, there’s barely anyone alive we could consider to be a true master. As you ascend in rank, the restraints limiting your power become exponentially weaker. And thus, if you ever manage to achieve rank two, new abilities will be possible for you to use. However, for now you should focus solely on those three.”

Intrigued, Aiden raised a hand and asked,

”U-Um... Sir Zorum, you said mastering them all was a long-term goal, but is getting a basic understanding and control possible for everyone?”

Sir Zorum frowned, displeased,

”Are you insinuating that you would be fine with just that, student Valen?”

”N-Not at all, sir! I was just thinking about the near future...” Aiden practically turned into a tiny ball.

The teacher scoffed and said,

”Well, then. Answering your question, no. Although anyone can learn all three, results differ from person to person. There are Holders who are innately talented at [Freeze] but struggle with [Visione], and vice versa. It’s very common, just like an average human can be good at literature but bad at mathematics.” He turned around.

”That being said, it is possible to control all three to a decent level, but don’t expect to be good with all of them. Even among the fourth-ranks, not a single one of them is able to use all three to the same level. Even if that ’lower level’ might seem like mastery to the rest of us.”

What...? But there’s only five Holders of the fourth-rank alive! How is it that even they can’t do it perfectly?

”I understand, sir. T-Thank you...” Aiden lowered his head.

”Now that that’s clear, I’ll start by explaining each of those, and then you all will put it into practice.”

”First, let’s talk about [Freeze]. This skill refers to the ability of stopping time within your own body or the objects you perceive as your property. [Freeze] can also be exerted against others, but that’s only possible for a second-rank and above.”

He walked around imposingly, with both hands behind his back,

”What I just did with that wine glass was one of the many ways you can use [Freeze]. I perceived that object as my own and stopped the time of its movement.”

He turned around and continued,

”You might not have noticed, but that was even more dangerous than you may think. An object without time to bind it can be manipulated as you wish despite what the laws of physics say. With no time, there’s no mass, no resistance, no speed. If any of those shards were to keep moving under my will, there would be nothing in this world able to stop them. That includes your heads, of course.”

Everyone shivered as they realized they were only alive because he wanted to. Aiden looked especially pale.

”Well, that’s not really true. There are things—or rather, people—who could stop it: either a third-rank stronger than me, or someone above that. It is a simple hierarchy, and that’s what makes it particularly dangerous for you, first-ranks. Holders are always at risk, but those at the bottom are the most likely to die. You are at the mercy of everyone else.”

Y-You’re not helping, professor...

”That is why it is essential for you to learn [Visione]. The only defense you can rely on.”

Sir Zorum clicked his boots on the floor and resumed his explanation,

”But first, I need to explain [Motion], since it’s a prerequisite for [Visione]. This is quite simple: [Motion] is the ability to travel or skip through time.”

”Similarly to [Freeze], you can send yourself or an object of yours to the future or the past within a certain range. The average first-rank can traverse roughly one minute of time. And that limit is also exponentially increased when you ascend.”

Aldrus glanced at Alice. She seemed very dedicated to the lecture and was currently taking notes in her notebook.

Zorum continued,

”I’ll leave you to think about the potential uses that [Motion] has. We don’t have the time to explain everything today, so this first lecture will consist of the basics, and we’ll dive deeper as the semester goes on.”

”Now, let’s get to the important part. Unlike [Freeze], [Visione] is suitable for defense and exploration, but it might be the most difficult to use out of the three. The basic concept is this: You want to use [Motion] to enhance your sight. If you are able to send your sight into the future, even for a few seconds, you might also be able to see the movement of a weapon deprived of time moving towards you.”

”To put it simply, if you had used [Visione] before, your sight would’ve been in the same timeless domain as the shards of glass, and thus, you could have dodged them in time.”

That’s interesting. So there is a way to not get killed, after all.

”But don’t get ahead of yourselves. That would only work with a mere sword or a wine glass. If I decided to attack you myself, my timeless domain would still be above your sight. No matter the situation, the rank is a gap you can’t surpass. So choose your battles wisely.”

Nevermind.

The teacher stopped in place, shifted his gaze to them, and said,

”That’s all for the theory. Now we get to the interesting part.”

Sir Zorum crossed his arms, kept quiet for a second, and then added,

”Form a line.”