CHAPTER 457 - The Starting Stopwatch
Zilean, a gifted elemental mage from Icathia, emerged into the world nearly 900 years after Shurima had conquered his homeland. He dedicated his life to studying the mysteries of time.
After years of rigorous study, the esteemed Zilean became one of the elders of Icathia's ruling council.
Repeated rejections of proposals for his ascension to the ranks of the Ascended left him increasingly resentful of Shurima.
However, what troubled Zilean even more was the growing madness among his fellow council elders. They had begun openly discussing rebellion.
Yet, with the Ascended watching over Shurima, any rebellion would only bring suffering to the people.
With the fate of the citizens in mind, Zilean journeyed to neighboring nations, pleading with their rulers to form alliances with Icathia. But his efforts were met with unanimous refusals, and he returned empty-handed.
Upon his return to the capital, Zilean was shocked to discover that the council had reinstated a mage-king without his involvement or consent.
The other elders explained their decision, revealing they had unearthed a forbidden power from the depths, a power they believed capable of challenging the Ascended. With this, they declared war on the Shuriman Empire.
Zilean was heartbroken by their choice. He would rather see his homeland subdued once more than unleash such malevolent forces upon the world.
His fears came true.
The Void not only overwhelmed the initial wave of Ascended sent to suppress Icathia, but it also consumed the entire region, plunging it into irreparable ruin. Tens of thousands of citizens, unable to escape, were left to feed the insatiable Void.
In the depths of sorrow and despair, Zilean worked tirelessly to save as many people as he could by sheltering them within his tower. Just as the Void's tentacles pierced through the earth to engulf the structure housing thousands, Zilean performed an unthinkable feat.
He erased the tower from the timeline, rendering it invisible to the Void.
Of course, ordinary mortals untouched by the taint of the Void could still open the doors and seek refuge inside the tower.
Yet as millennia passed, only Li Lin and Kassadin had ever visited Zilean's tower since then.
Initially, Li Lin thought Zilean's suggestion to "give him a push" would function like a passive ability in a game, helping him gain experience and level up, unlocking more skills.
But reality proved him wrong.
Zilean had no knowledge of the "system" Li Lin relied upon. In fact, he didn't even understand how Li Lin had grown stronger. How could Zilean possibly enhance a "progress bar" he didn't even comprehend?
Moreover, magic in games could hardly be equated to reality.
Li Lin's "Data Mind" ability revealed that Zilean's technique, "Chrono Phial," was the power to observe countless branches of the timeline, as Kieran had just demonstrated.
Returning to Zilean's original room, the elder mage pulled several heavy tomes, each over ten centimeters thick, from the bookshelf and placed them on the table. Then, he gestured for Li Lin to come over.
"These are records I've collected on temporal magic, complete with my annotations," Zilean explained.
He unlocked a drawer in his desk and retrieved a small notebook filled with tightly packed writing and intricate diagrams of magic circles.
"This contains my personal notes on temporal magic," he added. "With the immense magic flowing within you and your unique abilities, you should grasp these concepts quickly."
Li Lin nodded and dropped the pretense, activating his "Data Mind" and focusing on one of the tomes about time theories.
Thanks to his enhanced intellect and brain fortification, the speed at which his "Data Mind" processed the content was astonishing.
Within ten seconds, he had memorized the entirety of the massive tome.
In the following minutes, Li Lin absorbed all the content from the books and Zilean's notes. Organizing his thoughts, he channeled the magic flowing through his body and conjured a time bomb in his palm.
Zilean was momentarily stunned but soon smiled, shaking his head with a chuckle. "As expected, you, a being blessed by the world's will, possess talent far beyond my own."
Li Lin dismissed the spell and bowed slightly. "Without your guidance, I wouldn't have mastered even a fraction of time's mysteries so quickly."
Time is an immutable constant that no being can escape. Its profound complexity and enigmatic nature remain largely untouchable, even for Zilean, the progenitor of temporal magic.
The spells Zilean shared with Li Lin represented only a minuscule fraction of time's vast potential.
For instance, the time bomb was an invention of Zilean's research, a spell capable of detonating a target's timeline, destroying them from the temporal layer.
This spell worked wonders on enemies with limited lifespans and had some effect on most objects.
However, against ageless entities, it was far less effective, requiring multiple bombs to trigger temporal explosions in a given area to impose effects like slowing or stunning targets.
Even though Li Lin had mastered this knowledge, most spells remained beyond his grasp.
Unless he chose to follow in the footsteps of Zilean and his apprentices, exiling himself to the river of time, free from the constraints of lifespan and temporal flow, he could only utilize a fraction of temporal magic's potential.
In reality, Li Lin could only employ two spells effectively: "Time Bomb" and "Chrono Gears."
Chrono Gears primarily served to accelerate or decelerate time, though its use in the real world was highly constrained.
For example, most living beings had finite lifespans, so temporal acceleration would only hasten their demise.
However, according to the "Canyon Relativity Theory," an enemy's slowdown equated to one's own acceleration. Li Lin could utilize this spell to delay his foes' time, effectively granting himself an advantage.
As for Zilean's ability to observe the past, present, and parallel worlds using "Chrono Phial," or the now-defunct spells "Time Traverse" and "Temporal Rewind," these required existing in the interstitial spaces of the temporal river.
Zilean had already used Temporal Rewind in conjunction with Chrono Phial to create countless parallel timelines.
If Li Lin were to attempt such feats, he would risk being rejected by time itself, ultimately exiled from its flow.
Once cast out, he could no longer influence his original timeline. Any action would merely create a new parallel timeline, leaving the original unchanged.
Time-related spells were of little practical use to Li Lin at the moment. However, the texts Kieran provided held significance not in the application of time magic but in the theoretical knowledge they contained.
When paired with quantum theory, Li Lin might discover ways to explore temporal applications without interfering with his own timeline or risking temporal exile.
Kieran observed Li Lin, who appeared deep in thought, sorting through the knowledge he had acquired. Patiently, he waited until the light returned to Li Lin's eyes and their gazes met again before continuing. "If you encounter challenges with temporal spells, you may return here to discuss them with me. The Void beyond shouldn't pose much of a threat to you, right?"
Li Lin nodded and chuckled softly. "Unless it's a Void creature on par with a demigod, this place isn't particularly dangerous for me."
"Good. Still, try not to use the energy weapons from your battle armor; they might awaken the dormant Void here."
After another brief warning, Kieran formed a gesture with his right hand, summoning a circular emerald-green magical array.
Li Lin immediately recognized the spell—a type of temporal sealing magic, similar to the one he had just used to seal the door that led to rooms observing alternate timelines.
Two seconds later, a plain pocket watch emerged from the palm-sized magic array and floated into Li Lin's hand.
His eyes widened, shock written all over his face.
[Perfect Timing (Initiating Stopwatch · Legendary): A fragment of a World Rune classified under the ingenious tools category. Once it absorbs sufficient temporal magic, it will evolve into the "Perfect Timing Stopwatch."]
[Base Attributes: None]
[Abilities and Effects:]
[Secrets of Time: Only exceptionally gifted mages can unleash this item's full potential (requires at least 10,000 maximum mana to wield).]
[Form Transformation: The wielder can consume mana to alter the item's appearance at will. Mana consumption depends on the target form's size (minimum cost: 500 mana; current form: stopwatch).]
[Temporal Accumulation: By absorbing time, the Initiating Stopwatch will evolve into the Perfect Timing Stopwatch, gaining enhanced capabilities (current time accumulation progress: 39.66%).]
[Stasis: Transforms a target into an indestructible golden statue. Mana consumption depends on the number of targets and duration of the transformation (minimum cost: 3% of maximum mana).]
[Time Lock: Temporarily halts time in an area, creating a stasis zone. Mana consumption depends on the duration and range (minimum cost: 5% of maximum mana).]
[World Rune Fragment – Inspiration Class: Due to energy depletion, "Perfect Timing" cannot currently integrate with keystone runes. It must first evolve back into the Perfect Timing Stopwatch.]
"This… this is..." Li Lin was nearly speechless. "A fragment of a World Rune?!"
Zilean maintained his kindly smile and nodded. "Indeed. I discovered this fragment, submerged in the flow of time, absorbing temporal energy as it drifted.
"World Runes cannot be wielded by mortals—they corrode the will. Even deities struggle against their allure.
"In one parallel timeline, a god obtained this fragment and used it to reverse their impending demise at the hands of their enemies. They came close to conquering the world.
"Seeing this, other Darkin sought fragments of World Runes and succumbed to their corrupting influence, igniting the Rune Wars prematurely.
"The combination of the Darkin Wars and the Rune Wars resulted in catastrophic destruction, ultimately dooming Runeterra in that timeline."
Kieran sighed. "I didn't study this fragment extensively. Even I was almost seduced by its power when I first discovered it. However, I believe you can wield it without issue."
Li Lin stared at the World Rune fragment in his hand, his brow furrowed in thought.
Initially, he had no intention of using World Runes—let alone fragments—this early.
While World Runes employed celestial magic, their precise source of power remained a mystery, and it was clear they were not of Runeterra.
Even if one were to collect all five series of World Runes, it remained uncertain whether their combined might could defeat the Void Watchers. No one had ever witnessed the full power of a complete World Rune.
Li Lin wished to avoid overreliance on the Runes, intending to reserve them as a last resort.
But now, with Zilean giving him this new fragment—and with the "Initiating Stopwatch" unable to integrate with keystone runes until it evolved into the Perfect Timing Stopwatch—things had changed.
Sealing it in the underground palace of Demacia's Petricite Forest, relying solely on the passage of time to accumulate its energy, would take at least a thousand years for it to regain its original form.
In other words, Li Lin had to carry it with him and periodically cast temporal magic on it to accelerate its accumulation.
"Even though I'm unsure how to use this World Rune fragment, its constant absorption of temporal energy makes it unsuitable for Ryze to seal away in the Petricite Forest.
"That said, based on the abilities of another ancient temporal artifact we found—the 'Ancient Hourglass,' which could turn a person into a stasis statue immune to all external influences—I believe this fragment can offer you considerable assistance."
Zilean's reminder prompted Li Lin to take a deep breath. He channeled mana to reshape the fragment into a wristwatch and strapped it to his wrist.
"I understand. I'll keep it with me."
Kieran nodded with a satisfied smile. "I've done all I can for you. It's time for you to leave."
(End of Chapter)
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