"The first reason is ‘passive’. Typically, people unconsciously abstain themselves when they use time magic. Why do you ask? Because most of them can't see time as something they can interact with."

"Of course, I just showed you that it could actually be interacted with, a lot easier than you may have thought as well. But it’s not sufficient to solve the problem. The real issue is that people think too much about consequences when they use time magic, and sometimes, they do it the wrong way."

"Let me explain. The consequences one could envisage are things like paradoxes due to time travel, this passive thought prevents them from using time magic correctly. Because they tend to think that if they mess up somehow, they will create a parallel line or a devastating paradox. But it's only an assumption and a self-destructive move."

"Things like paradoxes are most likely possible, same with parallel timelines, and that's the problem. No one has never really experienced something like that, nor ever tried. But people still think that they know what will happen and how it will happen. That's what hinders your time magic. False knowledge."

"Stop thinking about corollaries when you use time magic. Believing a theory of which you have no proof is true and of which you don't understand the process is the best way to fail your magic," Arima smiled and a raised his index finger. "This is the first reason."

The students exhaled. They were already sweating buckets. Now, they were patiently waiting for the second reason. The first one was simple enough, but the same wasn't definitely true for the second.

"Don't worry, the second reason is not that complicated as well," Arima said and everyone relaxed. "Well, it's even effortless. When you use time magic, you shouldn’t try to control it. That’s all," he declared and the listeners tilted their heads.

"Time is definitely something that can't be controlled by humans. It would be like trying to control a higher dimension. The only thing you can do with time is work along with it. ‘Cooperate’, in another word. Contrary to space, time doesn't compose us and we are not part of it. Time is simply something that practically dictates our lives."

"Time also enfolds everything. If you want to control it, you would need to be some kind of omnipotent being. That's why, instead of controlling it, you should strive to make a connection with the space-time and kind of ‘ask’ for its help," Arima explained and the students thought that it made sense.

"There's also a widely spread misconception. The most useful aspect of using time magic is to slow down or accelerate the flow of time. But when they attempt to do it, they visualize that everything around them will suddenly go slower or faster, which is wrong. How could you affect the whole world by yourself? What are you? The creator?"

"The correct method is to gather space-time within your body and operate it to transform yourself into a sort of semi other-dimensional being. It’s like temporarily going from 3D to 2D. But, of course, it puts a lot of strain on your body, so you can't use it for a long time. "

"Well, that's it about time magic, I guess. There’s still the practical use and the magic theory to talk about but I think you can find it out by yourself. For the former, it’s easy; time breaking blades, aging, eroding, healing, etc… As for the latter, it’s entirely your choice to choose what kind of theory you want to pursue," Arima said and his students were surprised. They actually expected time magic to be more complicated, although they were happy it wasn’t.

"Of course, time magic is still difficult to grasp, even with all of this. But, if you keep in mind everything that I told you today, you will definitely be able to improve naturally as you train it," Arima added and students nodded seriously.

He smiled then stood up. "Well, we did most of the work already. There are only two subjects remaining for me to teach you; spiritual forces and a certain non-elemental magic that I discovered by chance," Arima stated and the students were shocked by the last part.

A self-created attribute. They were astounded but extremely curious at the same time. "But before that, for a few days, I will coach you to help your progress with my teachings. Don't hesitate to inquire about anything you may not understand during that time."

Arima announced and the forty students started leaving, except his picked-up group. Then, from that day onward, he started training them rather than teach them.

***

In the Time Garden, Lilis was watching the images shifting on the pond’s surface. She was following Arima’s life as he grew up in the orphanage.

Arimane was a smart child, since the day he joined the orphanage, he tirelessly continued to learn new things. His thirst for knowledge and the way he memorized it so easily even at his young age attracted the attention of the staff.

He soon became a hot topic for them. He was the kid that was left strangely in front of the orphanage and he also turned out to be the smartest they ever saw.

As he grew older, Arimane started talking to some others orphans in his division and he soon made friends. At the age of four, he could already speak like an eight-year-old and his thoughts, although not that deep or complicated, were not something matching his age.

During the same week he turned four, he was transferred to another section of the orphanage, with children ranging between the age of four and ten. The lessons became a bit more advanced but nothing too difficult for him.

A few days after he entered that advanced class, some people wearing white coats came in the middle of the day and gathered all of the children who had recently transferred. Therefore, every four-year-old.

One after another, the kids were injected with something.

"What is that?" Arimane asked when it was his turn.

The woman making the injection smiled. "It's Nanomachines. They will make your body stronger and your mind a bit clearer," she explained and brought the syringe to his arm.

"Children who reach the age of four in this orphanage are all injected with this," she said while making the injection, her words caught Arimane’s focus so that he would feel less pain.

In the end, he indeed felt absolutely nothing and looked at his arm in a daze as the nurse pressed cotton on his vein. "Done," she smiled. "Now you'll be able to live even longer."

Arimane blinked and nodded before letting the next kid go. The next day, when he woke up, he immediately noticed something. He was sure that something was different about his body. Then he remembered the injection he had the day before and came to a realization. It was the Nanomachines at work.

In fact, if the scientists that invented these machines were to know that Arimane noted the changes in one day, they would have been stupefied and would definitely try to research his body. Obvious effects shouldn't be felt. The Nanomachines could only improve the physical prowess and its internal defenses very slowly during the entire aging process of an individual.

The truth was that if they had scanned or investigated Arimane's body right then, they would have discovered that his metabolism had reacted abnormally to the Nanomachines. His muscles had mutated as if something was waking up in them.

It was the same for the machines themselves. They seemed to have been programmed to act considering the constitution of its host which usually was always the same since every human has the same biology. But in Arimane's case, the Nanomachines were inexplicably. They actually improved his body even more than it was theoretically possible.

Of course, the boy in question wasn’t aware of that. He didn't even know what Nanomachines were in the first place. He thought that his new physical ability was normal.

After that, the days and the years passed and Arimane continued to grow up. He kept learning more and more. To the point, he had read almost every book the orphanage had to offer when he was only seven years old.

It was at that age that Arimane first started to have different thoughts and new ones at the same time. The more he learned about the world, the more he was confused and thrown into deep confusion, trying to understand.

Politics, wars, protests, racism, discrimination, dictatures, murders… every time he stumbled upon things like this, no matter how many times he re-read it, there was only one word that he could pronounce.

"Stupid," Arimane muttered and put back the book he was holding.

That book was about history and some important dates. History was the subject Arimane disliked the most. He was fed up of seeing so many nonsensical things. Every time he saw something that he could not comprehend about history, he could only wonder.

"What is wrong with these people?" He uttered with an annoyed tone. He could only wonder what the hell was going through the heads of the people in those periods. "Were they all born mentally handicapped?" He wasn't even sarcastic, that's genuinely what he thought, literally.

When he was eight years old, Arimane joined a specialized program to train soldiers. Obviously, he nailed every exercise thanks to his unique constitution. A constitution that he still didn't notice at the time.

It was only when he became ten years old, with his mind becoming even sharper, that he realized that he was different from others. No matter if it was speed, strength, endurance, resistance, he was considerably better.

A while after Arimane became ten years old, the man who had registered him nine years before, Moria, showed up in front of him.

"From now on you'll be joining my squad. I will also be the one training you," he stated with a detached voice and a sharp look.

Arimane instantly nodded. He didn't even have any thoughts other than accepting. He could never refuse something coming from Moria. He was the captain of this orphanage's security. A former sergeant major and a spec op soldier. He was recruited here to teach the children how to be soldiers. Basically, someone you didn’t want to get on your bad side.

"Follow me," Moria turned around and headed toward the main corridors of the orphanage. Arimane obediently followed.

"Do you know what is the purpose of this facility?" Moria asked as they were walking.

Arimane nodded. "Yes, I think so."

Moria glanced at him. "This orphanage is an experimental organization made to train special forces able to act at any given moment if necessary. The ones who are trained here become in the end, assassins, saboteurs, spies, and so on," he explained with a straight face.

Arimane blinked and his eyes flashed with surprise. "Is it okay to tell me that?"

"I'm telling you this because I estimated you to be perfectly ready to hear it," Moria answered and Arimane fell silent, he smiled though. Being praised and recognized was quite a gratifying thing at his age.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a sort of big dojo. There was already a group of people waiting there. Most of them were around fifteen years old and all observed Arimane when he entered.

"He's Arimane. He will be the new entry to this squad," Moria pointed at him and quickly presented him.

"Nice to meet you," Arimane coolly said.

The group of adolescents looked at each other and the older one, maybe around seventeen, turned toward Moria. "Sir, I'm sorry, but I don't think most of us would accept a ten-year-old child in our ranks."

Arimane smiled wryly and shrugged when he heard that. On the other side, Moria coldly stared at the boy who had just spoken and the latter took a step back before bowing his head.

"Arimane is someone I deemed to be perfectly worthy and prepared. If you want to add anything else, try to convince me of the opposite, Erin. But beware since it would mean you’ll be trying to contest my decision."

"Yes!" Erin straightened his back and made a salute. When Arimane saw that, he frowned.

‘I hope I won't have to make that salute one day, it's awkward,’ a childish thought emerged in his mind.

"But I, of course, understand that you all may be reluctant to accept him," Moria suddenly declared. "So, I'll have him prove himself," he added and tapped on Arimane's shoulder.

The latter felt the hand on his shoulder and froze. "Eh?"