deep diving into his domain(chapter 139)
Chapter 139
"So we have to find a way to upgrade your domain?" she asked as Gray chuckled. "No, it's just that I don't know much about my domain except that it's a domain of alchemy, which embodies the concept of change, so I have to find its specific abilities," he said as Rachel looked at him weirdly. "You don't know instinctively how your domain works?" she asked as Gray looked at her weirdly. "And you do?" They both looked at each other before they sighed and decided not to pursue the topic. Instead, they started experimenting with his domain, and it was safe to say that Gray was basically a child with a gun. He knew that with his domain, he had access to endless magic—or so it seemed—and he knew about alchemy, of course, which meant that his domain of alchemy made it easier for him to do, well, alchemy. He just didn't realize just how much easier it would have been with his domain open. It was so easy that Gray could recreate the Elixir of Elemental Ascension within hours, not only that, but with his domain open.
Gray's experiments were more instinctive. Simple mistakes weren't even possible unless he deliberately wanted to make them. He also knew that he could rapidly alter the environment—changing solid ground into liquid, summoning volatile reactions, or fabricating complex constructs out of raw elements and materials. Yes, he could create potions without using his mana, although that meant he wouldn't get any permanent potions. He tried and made a Sleepless Potion using simply his alchemy. This was an ability he liked, as apparently, as the memories came, he found that the Will wasn't awakening after he died several times. He was getting suspicious of the system, which Gray was assuming was the Will buried inside him.
Additionally, any attack or phenomenon within his domain would be subject to his control, meaning that even an incoming blow could be transmuted into something harmless or redirected as a counterattack—something, again, he liked very much. Gray felt very stupid for not knowing his domain's abilities. His domain blended the principles of transformation, environmental control, and basically small-scale reality manipulation, making Gray not just a master of substances but also the ultimate arbiter of the physical laws governing their immediate surroundings.
So yes, Gray was underusing his domain, and he didn't find all these abilities in a matter of hours. No, it took several deaths—several days—of them trying out different abilities of the domain before they came to know of these abilities. What was weirder was the fact that Gray didn't innately know those abilities, as if someone didnt want him to know, someone deep within him, and he didnt like that fact one bit, it didnt help that his paranoid mind was spawning ideas after ideas, it could also contributed to the fact that he had cheated his way into a domain, while Rachel did the same easily. Her White Raven form was something she had access to already; it was just that her abilities were boosted, and maybe she gained new ones.
The point was Gray was grossly misusing his domain as a simple magic battery to fuel his charms endlessly, which was a waste—a waste that was his only way out of his predicament at the moment. As it turns out, the more Gray knew his abilities, the longer it was taking for the cosmic horror to shatter his domain. Yes, it was taking noticeably longer for the cosmic horror to destroy his domain, even if the difference was only minutes.
-scene change several thousands of death later-
Outside of Pangea and TARDIS, Gray was floating in the depths of space with his domain outstretched, and it was several times larger. Within his domain, which was ever-changing as always, except this time, his domain was a lot more solid, like it was an actual piece of reality rather than illusionary, like it was about to solidify more and more. But he wasn't there yet. For now, he just floated in the vast emptiness of space, with TARDIS following behind as he did some exercises where he'd systematically transmute local matter that floated in space—altering rock into crystal, water into liquid light, even reordering the very atmospheric gases of the celestial bodies that he was near, if they had any—each change carefully calibrated to harmonize with the new laws of his domain.
By manipulating these natural elements on a grand scale, he would simulate the evolutionary processes of an entire planet, gradually rewriting its physical and energetic blueprint as much as he could. This is what he had been doing in the last several thousand deaths without fail. After all, he was Gray Knight. If he had plenty of one thing, it would be his will. But even that will was not absolute, as with each death, Gray's emotions were growing dimmer and dimmer. He continuously transformed and reformed and evolved material after material, trying to comprehend something within his domain, until he finally saw the cosmic horror come. "Hmm," he pondered what to do. Should he try to fight it again, as it had been a while since he fought the horrific thing? Before he sighed as he thought, "It's not like I am completely helplessly trapped in a 24-hour-long time loop." That was right. The effect of the potion was as follows.
[ Name: Return by Death ]
[ Grade: Demi Grade ]
[ Description: Crafted with a Level 12 Potion-Creation skill, this potion is a near-impossible alchemical feat, forged from the essence of pure, condensed time and infused with rare temporal materials: Eonflux Essence (liquefied time distortion), Chrono-Tear Crystal (a shattered fragment of frozen time), Hourglass Lichen (a plant that blooms in reverse), Sands of the Forgotten Epoch (grains of time lost to the void), and Paradox Bloom Nectar (extracted from a flower that only exists outside causality). These components are stabilized using Eternal Clockwork Serum, an alchemical binding agent formed from celestial time tears. Upon consumption, the potion grants the user an unparalleled ability: the power to rewind time exactly 24 hours before their death. This ability forces reality itself to bend, resetting all actions, consequences, and events, yet allowing the user to retain their memories. However, the universe does not take such violations lightly—each use of this ability destabilizes time, causing anomalies such as paradoxical echoes, reality fractures, and unforeseen cosmic disturbances. Overuse may lead to irreversible temporal collapse, where time itself fractures beyond repair. This potion is both a salvation and a curse, offering a second chance at life at the cost of the universe's stability. ]
[ Deterioration Rate: 100% ]
That was right. The potion allowed him to turn back by 24 hours after his death, but it didn't mean that he couldn't die right after returning. All he had to do was die again, and he would return to 24 hours further. As long as he kept on killing himself over and over again the moment he went back in time, he would effectively rewind time even for himself and everyone else. But this also meant that he would lose power after power. Also, it was destructive towards the reality he was in, as each use of the ability caused chaos and destabilization. The only reason he wasn't seeing any disturbances was because he was in between worlds that just happened to look like space outside of his planet. So no, he wasn't trapped in a loop. It was just Gray who greedily wanted to stay in the between-world to learn more about his domain and fix up several recipes, essentially stalling for time.
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A/N so couple more hints dropped in this chapter about the final chapters of this fanfic, and yes, the return by the death ability was something i took from my second favorite manhua, the suicide hunter.