Time Holders: The World of Balance

Thirty students stood before Sir Zorum, forming a long line across the classroom.

”Now, I’ll start calling you one by one. The order is not important, but for convenience, I’ll go from first to last.”

The teacher scanned the youths with the same stern expression he always wore before gesturing for one of them to come forward.

”You, come over here,” he said.

A purple-haired girl looked around, making sure she was indeed the one being called. Then she obeyed and hesitantly approached the man.

”Take this,” he said while handing her a thick leather-bound book. ”Show me [Motion].”

She froze.

”B-But you haven’t shown us how...” Zorum’s frown deepened.

”I’m pretty sure I already explained everything. If you can’t do it, go back to your seat and let the rest try instead.”

The girl shook her head.

”I-I’ll do it,” she said, wringing her hands in panic.

Taking a few steps back, she closed her eyes and finally focused on the book.

As the rest watched the scene with interest, Aldrus quickly noticed that the book was no longer in her hands.

H-Huh? Where did she send it?

Everyone remained silent for a few seconds. Rather than reappearing somewhere else, the book seemed to have completely vanished into thin air. Of course, that made perfect sense. Sir Zorum had already told them that they wouldn’t be able to see through a timeless domain unless they used [Visione].

The seconds passed, and nothing seemed to change. However, just before any of them could say something, a heavy leather-bound object fell on top of Aiden’s head.

*Thud*

”Agh! W-What the he—h-heavens?!”

That’s not how you say it.

Aiden grabbed his head and jumped in pain. Then, with teary eyes, he slowly looked down at the floor.

There it was.

The small girl had managed to send the book roughly twenty seconds into the future. Not only that, but she had also moved it from one place to another, which required additional effort.

As she headed back to her place, Aldrus caught the subtle signs of mental strain in her face.

Huh? Don’t tell me...

It wasn’t serious. She wasn’t on the verge of perspective burnout or anything, nor did she seem incapable of continuing. Yet the fact that she looked even a little fatigued after such a basic application of [Motion] caught him off guard. After all, how could a Holder fight with such poor mental endurance?

Is she messing around? That can’t be all it took for her to stop, right?

He didn’t intend to be mean; he was just sincerely shocked. The only Holders he had ever seen in action were Sir Ludwig and Miss Leona, so it was only natural for him to be disappointed by those of his peers.

Shaking these thoughts off, a deep voice cut through the air once more,

”Hmph. Next,” Zorum said, unimpressed.

***

After a while, about ten of them had already attempted to use [Motion]. Most of them did well, not so different from the first girl. However, the rest had failed in the first step—perception.

Soon, Sir Zorum called again, his figure darkened under the shadows of the room.

It was Aiden’s turn.

”Good luck, Den!” Aldrus encouraged him.

”D-Den?!” He looked at Aldrus, confused.

”Oh, you don’t like it?” he said, a mischievous smile on his face.

”I-It’s fine... I guess.”

With that, Aiden shuffled toward the teacher.

”Same thing, hold the book and use [Motion] on it however you see fit.”

...Why is he so curt?

”A-Alright, here I go,” Aiden said while gripping the book tighter than needed. Soon, the familiar sequence unfolded once more.

As the book vanished, Aiden opened his eyes and smiled nervously.

”Um... I-It’s done.”

Aldrus studied his face, looking for any sign of exhaustion. Surprisingly, he only found the usual awkward smile of his.

Wow, Aiden. You’re the first one to keep your perspective intact! Maybe I wasn’t being a complete jerk after all.

At the moment, everyone was covering their heads as they waited for the book to fall again.

With the exception of Aldrus and Alice, no one seemed particularly interested in Aiden’s state.

Well, actually, there was someone else.

Sir Zorum’s eyes seemed to gleam with a slight—almost imperceptible hint of interest.

Ten seconds passed, nothing.

Twenty seconds passed, nothing.

That’s a new record...

Thirty seconds passed, still nothing.

And then a minute.

And then two, and then three.

There was still no sign of the book. The students exchanged confused glances and began whispering among themselves. Some believed Aiden had sent it to the past, but that wouldn’t make much sense.

Several minutes had passed since the exercise began, so if the book wasn’t lying somewhere that a previous student had left it, that meant it could only have returned to the box it had originally come from. But that would mean Aiden had sent it more than thirty minutes into the past—which was not possible for a first-rank.

They were about to ask Sir Zorum, but he raised a hand and stopped them from talking.

*Thud*

No one said a thing; every head snapped toward the source of the noise.

After a few more seconds of silence, Sir Zorum was the one who finally spoke,

”Four minutes and thirty-two seconds.”

Those were the only words he uttered as he took a step toward the student before him. He put a hand on Aiden’s shoulder and said,

”Student Valen,” the boy froze in place. ”...You have talent, well done.”

With that, he turned back, crossed his arms, and flatly added,

”Next.”

Aldrus raised an eyebrow.

If it is from first to last, then...

”Yes, sir.”

Alice nodded and took a step forward. Aldrus watched her go with a hint of nervousness.

Good luck, Alice.

She stood at the front of the classroom, the book resting lightly in her hands. Then, she closed her eyes with a serene expression and swiftly made it vanish. The process was no different from before, but she somehow made it look... graceful.

Before long, the familiar dry sound echoed through the room, and just as it did, Zorum spoke again,

”One minute and twelve seconds.”

Nice, Alice! That’s above average! Aldrus smiled, somewhat relieved.

As he had done with the others, Aldrus searched her expression for signs of fatigue, but found nothing at all. Even if she couldn’t match Aiden’s result, she sure had some talent of her own.

Sir Zorum nodded to himself as he jotted down something in a notebook.

”Good. Next.”

Man, you really could be a little more generous with your words...

He sighed. It was his turn now.

It’s not like he didn’t want to try, but he somehow felt a bit anxious about it. After all, if he were to fail as a Holder, his only chance to fulfill his wish would be shattered.

As he walked wearily to the front, Alice met his gaze on her way back to the end of the line.

”Good luck, Aldrus.” She smiled gently.

That’s right, I can’t be hesitating now. This is a chance to prove myself.

”Thanks, I’ll do my best.”

Just like that, he was now standing face to face with Sir Zorum, surrounded by a dozen curious gazes.

It’s okay, I got this.

Steadying his breathing, Aldrus took the book between his hands, focused, and closed his eyes.