Chapter 4

Eden sat in quiet contemplation, the darkness that had consumed his vision doing little to hinder the clarity of his thoughts. Attributes—fundamental forces of mana—determined the strengths and weaknesses of every awakened. His mind sifted through the knowledge ingrained in him.

There were eight known attributes: Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Ice, Light, and Shadow. Each attribute shaped mana in a unique way, empowering martial arts techniques with their properties.

Water flowed with fluidity, embodying adaptability and grace. It allowed its wielder to shift seamlessly between offense and defense, enhancing movement and striking speed while reinforcing the body's resilience. Masters of Water techniques could bend their bodies like waves, slipping through enemy attacks with near-effortless evasion before striking back with devastating precision. Some could even manipulate moisture in the air, turning the battlefield itself into a weapon.

Fire burned with raw intensity, the embodiment of destruction and overwhelming power. It did not falter, did not wane—it consumed all in its path. Fire users were known for their ferocity in battle, their strikes carrying explosive force capable of incinerating anything unfortunate enough to stand before them. But Fire was not just about raw aggression; those with enough mastery could refine its destructive nature, compressing heat into piercing precision, striking with the searing sharpness of a blade.

Earth was the cornerstone of endurance, an unshakable force that granted its wielder unnatural resilience. Those who wielded Earth as their attribute could harden their bodies like stone, absorbing devastating blows with little consequence. They were the unmovable object against the unstoppable force, using sheer fortitude to outlast any opponent. Some could even shape the terrain around them, creating walls of stone or reinforcing the ground beneath their feet to never lose balance.

Wind carried the spirit of freedom and swiftness, granting unparalleled mobility. Wielders of Wind were elusive, moving like a gust in an open field, never allowing their enemies to gain an advantage. They could ride the air itself, maneuvering unpredictably, turning every battle into a dance of movement and momentum. The strongest of Wind users could generate cutting gales with mere gestures, their strikes carrying the force of slicing tempests.

Lightning surged with unrelenting speed and explosiveness. It was instantaneous, overwhelming, a force of nature that struck before an opponent could react. Those attuned to Lightning could supercharge their bodies, enhancing their reflexes to an almost unnatural degree. Speed, precision, and raw power defined this attribute. A single well-placed Lightning strike could decide a battle in an instant, and the fastest users moved as if they defied time itself.

Ice was a unique fusion of Water's adaptability and Fire's destructive potential, albeit in a different form. It was both elegant and deadly, freezing opponents in an instant, limiting their movements, and turning the very air around them into a cage of frost. Masters of Ice wielded cold not just as a weapon, but as a means of control, restricting their enemies' actions and dictating the pace of battle.

Light shone with purity and precision, amplifying the user's perception and awareness. Light wielders were often revered as healers, their mana capable of mending wounds and restoring vitality, but in battle, Light became something else entirely—a force of relentless illumination, piercing through defenses with energy-based attacks and overwhelming opponents with blinding radiance.

Shadow lurked in deception, excelling in misdirection and overwhelming surprise. It was the embodiment of the unseen, the unknown, striking from angles that left opponents helpless. Shadow users manipulated darkness itself, bending light to their will, vanishing from sight only to reappear with a strike aimed at their enemy's throat. Those who mastered it were ghosts on the battlefield, phantoms that could not be predicted or countered.

Yet, despite the wide array of choices, Eden had already narrowed his options.

His ability, Time Sight, allowed him to perceive the future, but foresight alone was meaningless without the ability to react in time. Speed was key. Lightning was the perfect complement—it would allow his body to move fast enough to make use of the glimpses into the future. But something in the back of his mind, an instinct not entirely his own, whispered that there was another option.

As he cycled his breathing, following the technique embedded within his new martial art, One With Mind and Body, something strange happened. His perception sharpened, and for the first time, he saw them—tiny particles, smaller than anything he had ever sensed before. They shimmered faintly, unlike any of the known attributes. Unlike Water's fluid waves or Fire's flickering intensity, these particles seemed weightless, existing between states of being. Their color, a deep purple mixed with streaks of black, was mesmerizing.

Aether.

The name surfaced in his mind as though it had always been there, buried deep beneath layers of forgotten memories. But how? He had never heard of such an attribute. If it was real, why wasn't it documented? Why had no one ever spoken of it?

A choice lay before him. Lightning—proven, powerful, and the perfect partner to his ability—or Aether—unknown, mysterious, and potentially far beyond anything in existence.

His instincts screamed.

Both.

If One With Mind and Body allowed him to shape his attribute, then why limit himself? Why not forge a new path?

He steeled his will and sent it outward, guiding his innate mana to command both the yellow and purple particles to merge with his own. Lightning responded instantly, crackling to life as if it had always been a part of him, eager to obey. But Aether… Aether resisted.

The particles slipped through his grasp like mist on the wind, untamed and defiant. No matter how much he focused, they remained just beyond reach, an unseen force rejecting his very presence. It wasn't like the other attributes—this wasn't simply a test of control but a fundamental refusal, as if Aether itself deemed him unworthy.

Frustration swelled in his chest, but he exhaled slowly, forcing it down. He had expected this. If Aether were meant to be wielded easily, someone would have mastered it long ago. But they hadn't. And that only meant one thing—if he wanted to claim it, he would have to earn it.

Time passed. Days turned into weeks.

Eden trained relentlessly. He pushed his body to its limits, honing his control over Lightning while tirelessly reaching for Aether. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, the elusive particles remained beyond his grasp. Each failure only strengthened his resolve. He would not give up. He could not give up.

Then, one night, as he meditated under the vast emptiness of his sightless world, something clicked.

For the first time, he felt it. Aether.

His pulse quickened. He extended his will toward it, but the moment he did, a surge of resistance pushed back against him. It was as if Aether itself was testing him, demanding something more than just effort—understanding.

Time Sight allowed Eden to perceive the future, but perception was not the same as vision. The darkness remained unchanged. He was still blind. No colors, no shapes, no outlines—only the endless void that had swallowed his sight since his Awakening.

But then, something shifted.

A flicker of awareness ignited in his mind. His breath hitched as reality itself seemed to lurch forward. It wasn't his surroundings that changed—it was time.

He exhaled, and an instant before he felt his own breath leave his lips, the sensation was already there. The faint ripple of air, the subtle movement of his chest—it had already happened.

His fingers twitched, and before he even willed them to move, he had already felt them shift. Every action, every sound, every motion—the world was no longer unfolding in real time. He was living half a second ahead, experiencing the future as it was relayed back to him.

He hadn't regained sight. He never would.

But in that moment, for the first time since his Awakening, he wasn't just reacting to the world—he was ahead of it.

A shiver ran down his spine.

This wasn't a mere extension of his senses. This was something far greater. He was existing outside of the present, untethered from the limits of normal perception.

And he was only scratching the surface.

It was then that his mana pool bottomed out. Just a few seconds of Time Sight had been enough to drain him completely.

A sharp, hollow pain spread through his torso, radiating from where his mana pool once pulsed with energy. His body lurched forward as he dry heaved, a deep emptiness clawing at his insides. It was as if the life had been siphoned from him, like he had been thrust from a lush rainforest into an endless, barren desert.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to steady his breathing. He began cycling mana through his body using his breathing technique, hoping to speed up his recovery. The pain dulled slightly, but the lingering hollowness reminded him—this was his first taste of mana exhaustion. And it wouldn't be his last.

Better to experience it now, in safety, than in battle. Now he knew the cost. He wouldn't make the same mistake if he didn't have to. In this world, running out of mana at the wrong time meant death.

Just then, his father's voice echoed up the stairs.

"Eden, come down. It's time to register for the academy."

Eden exhaled slowly, pushing himself up. His body ached, but he had no time to waste. His real journey was about to begin.