Chapter 23

The sound of magical gears turning slowly filled the interior of the ship as the Arinelle River snaked through the water. The time chamber, a room carved with ancient magic and sealed by runes of temporal compression, vibrated with latent energy. It was as if time itself breathed within those walls.

Rand held the enchanted doorknob. His eyes met Helena's one last time before she stepped inside.— "Two days out here," he said, his voice heavy with a weight she didn't yet fully understand. "But for you… it will be six months in there."Helena nodded. Her face showed determination, but also fear. She crossed the threshold… and the world changed.

Inside, time slowed. The light was soft and golden, like an eternal sunrise. Trees and illusory structures created an environment that at times resembled a forest, at others an arcane library. Rand adjusted the seals, and then it began.

5:00 AM – Awakening and PreparationThe first sound she heard every day was the clinking of vials. The Instant Vigor Potion burned her throat like liquid fire but swept away fatigue like a gust of wind.

Then came stretching and exercise. Helena's body ached, her muscles protesting the repetition. But pain became habit. Habit became strength.

5:30 AM – Meditation and OcclumencyRand made her sit cross-legged before a black mirror.— "Focus. Close your mind. Build walls."Helena tried. At first, thoughts rushed in easily, like water through cracks. But day by day, she learned to raise mental walls. She learned to hide feelings behind psychic doors.

And every failed attempt came with searing pain — proof that Rand was indeed trying to invade her mind.— "You think enemies won't do the same?" he said. "They won't show mercy."

7:00 AM – TransfigurationRand guided her through spells that seemed simple on paper but required surgical precision.— "Again," he said.Helena turned needles into toothpicks. Stones into frogs. Rats into cups. Then cups into doves.Sweat dripped from her brow as things broke, twisted, grew wings, or fell lifeless.— "Magic isn't just energy, it's intent, Helena. Control. Emotion channeled, never spilled."

9:00 AM – Defense Against the Dark ArtsMechanical goblins with red eyes and sharp claws surrounded her like predators.Helena learned to block, dodge, think fast:— "Protego!"— "Expelliarmus!"— "Impedimenta!"

Every hit, a sting. Every failure, a lesson.

Rand had her face multiple foes at once. She stumbled, screamed, tried again.She cast a Patronus… but only a silver mist emerged.— "You have light in you, girl. You just need to trust it," Rand murmured — for the first time — with a hint of tenderness.

11:00 AM – Combat MagicStupefy. Incendio. Reducto.Helena moved like a warrior. She jumped, spun, cast spells like every motion was part of a deadly dance.Rand trained her breathing, focus, magical and physical endurance.

Every mistake was punished with magical feedback shocks. But she endured. Stronger each time.

1:00 PM – Lunch and Resistance PotionsThe food came imbued with nourishing enchantments. The potions, thick and hard to swallow, burned from within.

The Pain Resistance Potion braced her for the worst of the afternoon.The Enhanced Memory Potion etched lessons into her mind like fire on parchment.

2:00 PM – Potions with the GlobinsSmall, grumpy creatures tested her with rare ingredients.She crushed sandalwood leaves, distilled phoenix tears, boiled poisons until they became cures.— "One drop wrong and you die," the globins said. "But only once."

4:00 PM – Runes and ArithmancyAncient texts, written in lunar runes, danced before her eyes.Each spell required intense focus.Arithmancy had her predict outcomes, spell probabilities, strategies.

The mental strain was excruciating. Headaches became part of the routine.

6:00 PM – Empowerment RitualBlood runes. Magic ribbons. Ancestral circles.Rand oversaw the ritual as Helena knelt. The ritual burned her skin.Protective runes appeared on her arms like living tattoos, glowing whenever she channeled magic.

She screamed. Rand nearly stopped it. But she endured.

8:00 PM – Evenings with the CentaursStars. Constellations. Visions.The centaurs taught her to listen to the sky.She learned to see patterns in the cosmos, to predict future events, to interpret signs.She also practiced Palmistry, studying her own hands for answers she didn't want.

10:00 PM – Herbology and Magical CreaturesHidden forests inside the chamber held dangers.Mandrakes that screamed, plants that tried to strangle her, magical beasts that tested her courage.

She rode a Hippogriff. Saw a Thestral up close — and didn't look away.

12:00 AM – Dinner and Deep SleepThe Deep Sleep Potion was the only thing keeping her mind from collapsing.Even so, strange dreams came. Dreams of blood, shadows… and voices.

As she stepped back through the door, Helena was blinded by natural light. Only two days had passed. But within her, six months had forged something new.

She looked at the Arinelle River. Her arms marked, her back stiff, her soul calloused.

She was now an apprentice.The fresh outside air struck Helena's face like a sudden gust. She blinked repeatedly, blinded by the natural brightness after so long immersed in artificial, constant light. The sound of the Arinelle flowing seemed distant, muffled by a strange sense of dislocation. For her, six months had passed. For the world, only two days. Time had been cruelly fair and unforgiving.

Rand stood waiting outside. His expression carried a mix of worry and pride. He watched the girl who emerged from the chamber — or rather, the young witch now standing before him. Her shoulders were straighter, her gaze steadier, her movements more controlled, like a silent predator. But what drew the most attention were the glowing marks on her arms — strengthening runes, still pulsing like living embers.

— "How do you feel?" he asked, voice low.

Helena took a deep breath before answering.— "Tired… and different."

Rand nodded, understanding perfectly what she couldn't put into words.

He handed her a black cloak embroidered with silver threads.— "Put it on. It's cold out here, and you're still adjusting to real time. Your body needs to reacclimate."

She accepted the cloak without question, but as she put it on, she noticed her senses were too sharp. Every fold of the fabric against her skin felt amplified. The magic now flowing through her veins, stronger than ever, reacted instinctively to the world around her. She could feel the river's current, the heartbeat of the trees on the shore, the shimmer of magic floating in the air particles.

— "Everything feels so… alive," she murmured.

— "This is the real world," Rand said. "Now you can feel it like few ever will."

They walked in silence to the bow of the ship. The sky was tinged orange, announcing sunset. Helena watched the horizon for long minutes, a quiet smile spreading across her face.