Time Holders: The World of Balance

It had been a week since Sir Zorum’s first class. In the last few days, Aldrus had learned that he wasn’t nearly as mediocre as he’d thought. Thanks to Alice, they had spent that time analyzing the details of his abilities. Although they couldn’t know for certain what he excelled at, they were at least sure of one thing: he was likely incredibly powerful in one of them.

Since Aldrus had grown up in an ordinary household, he lacked much of the knowledge others had about how a Holder’s powers worked. Most of them came from wealthy families with generations of Holders before them, while he was merely a commoner whose only experience came from the few days Ludwig had spent teaching him after saving his life.

The following days passed uneventfully. Aldrus learned more about his abilities with Sir Zorum, while Miss Leona put him through increasingly demanding physical training.

Since perspective was, at its core, a form of mental endurance, Time Holders specialized in short battles, and they couldn’t afford to fight for long unless they were seeking death. That’s why relying on their powers alone was out of the question; they had to hone their hand-to-hand combat skills and weapon mastery as well. Strengthening their bodies to fight back—or run away—was just as important.

This daily routine continued unchanged until Friday.

That day, Aldrus was surprised to see Miss Leona in Sir Zorum’s class, as well.

As it turned out, they had been assigned to take Class Five on a week-long training camp in the woods and test them in battles designed to simulate real combat.

Aldrus wondered why the academy seemed so eager to accelerate the students’ progress, but he didn’t question it. For all he knew, this could have been part of the regular program.

He also didn’t like the idea of leaving the city at his current level, but he reassured himself that nothing bad could ever happen with Leona and Zorum there to protect them.

***

The weekend went by in a blink, and before Aldrus knew it, he found himself aboard an academy bus. It was early morning, and dark clouds veiled the sky. The air beyond the city was surprisingly fresh and pure, and he gazed out the window without any particular thoughts in mind.

Alice slept beside him, oblivious to everything around her. Ever since he’d met her, she had sleepwalked almost every night, so he was a little short on sleep.

He looked at her reflection in the window.

Now would be the time for you to sleepwalk, you know...

Two hours later, they arrived.

The surroundings were similar to those of the place where he had nearly died six months ago, but the feeling this forest gave him was entirely different.

Back then, the forest he’d been trapped in had felt as though it were calling to him, like a magnet pulling him toward its depths. Ludwig had frozen most of his memories of that day to keep him from going insane, but fragments still remained untouched.

Still, since nothing seemed wrong here, he didn’t dwell on those thoughts for long. Soon, he got off the bus and followed the rest of his classmates into a large wooden cabin.

That was the place they were going to stay in for the next week... Or at least that’s what Aldrus thought.

The inside of the cabin had a rustic charm to it; the dark wood of the walls and the timber by the fire smelled of old newspaper and coal.

The students were assigned rooms to spend the night. They were furnished with two bunk beds and a bedroll, enough to accommodate five people.

The walls were lined with large windows offering a view of the outside. The area around the cabin was mostly free of trees, leaving at least three hundred meters of open grassland.

From a distance, the place could have been mistaken for a spooky abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. However, the structure itself was in excellent condition, almost as good as new.

Aldrus leaned over an open window, feeling the pleasant cold breeze against his face. The light rain, the gray sky, the moist air... those were all things he deeply appreciated.

He loved the place.

After unpacking and settling into his room, Aldrus scanned the area in search of familiar faces. Alice had been assigned to another room, so they would be separated for a while.

For a teenager, anyone would expect him to feel sad about it, but Aldrus had the total opposite reaction.

Finally!

He would now be able to sleep properly, even if only for a week.

It wasn’t like he felt happy at the fact that Alice wasn’t with him anymore; he was just relieved to be granted a little break. Besides, he could always afford to miss her company later.

For now, he was just going to enjoy this week as much as he could.

Peaceful...

He rested for a while on his bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the rain outside and breathing in the scent of mint drifting from the woods.

Since he got bored quite quickly, he stood up and went to meet his roommates.

Some time later, all five of them were sitting in a circle and smiling awkwardly at one another. Nobody seemed willing to start the conversation, so Aldrus spoke first,

”Well, then. Let’s start introducing ourselves, yeah? I’m Aldrus. I guess some of you might already know that, but I’m known as the worst [Motion] user in class... a pleasure!”

Everyone nodded at his words, though some grimaced, knowing exactly who he was.

The next one to introduce himself was a large, tanned boy sitting to Aldrus’s right,

”Name’s Oriel. A pleasure.” The robust boy looked friendly, but wasn’t very good with words.

You look like a caveman...

”I’m Sornel, I come from a small noble family in the western part of the nation, near the border. Nice to meet you.”

Sornel was a small, slender boy with red hair. He looked well-mannered, and didn’t strike Aldrus as someone he would struggle to talk to.

The rest introduced themselves in turn.

Loyu was a pretty girl with long eyelashes and brown hair. She seemed quite reserved but well-intentioned; she shyly described herself as a member of a very well-known noble family.

And finally, it was the last girl’s turn.

She was outstandingly beautiful, easily on par with Alice herself. Her silver hair rested over her shoulders, while a long, glossy braid fell all the way to her lower back. Her eyes were as blue as the clearest summer sky, and her skin—like a smooth and flawless porcelain armor.

As everyone looked at her with anticipation, she smiled at them before introducing herself. Aldrus thought he saw a dangerous spark in her eyes,

”Hi~ My name is Seris Valen, it’s nice to meet you! I hope we get along~,” she said gracefully, twirling a strand of her hair.

Eh? Valen...?