Chapter 7:Growth with time

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"Where is the order in this chaos?" Cael muttered to himself as he perceive the surroundings of his mind.

The Mindscape could only be realised and entered after knowing what it was. Everyday Cael would meditate to find his answers hoping for some hint.

"Even an origami is confusing at first but after knowing why it is done and how, everything makes sense." Cael thought to himself.

"I need to see it's purpose, this chaos holds the answers I seek." Cael focused intently to look for answers.

Minutes passed hours go by, Cael was sitting under the tall tree where he usually meditates.

Since the first day he trained to unlock his Mindscape, he had come a long way. But there was one step left. A small chasm he needed to cross.

Maybe today would present the moment he had trained so hard for.

Suddenly Cael's face showed joy as he laughed loudly.

"It was this all along, i succeeded!!" Cael shouted, his voice reverberating through the forest.

"I did it!! I succeeded!!" Cael expressed his joy loudly.

"My imprint Interval doesn't just fold space or manipulate time—it folds the in- betweens—the pauses that exist in between every points.

Cael had found the answer he sought after all this time. This made him scream in happiness.

Suddenly,Cael saw the space expanding in his mind, his Mindscape revealed itself.

Everything in it moved like reflections in broken glass. Buildings twist and fold like origami. Streets spin into circles, walls stretch and bend into one another and entire cities can flip upside down without anything falling.

It's like the whole world is made of shifting puzzle pieces—and someone's always rearranging them. You can be walking straight, and suddenly, the ground turns sideways and you're climbing a wall without even noticing. The laws of gravity, space, and logic—it all seemed as though they did not exist.

It made a grand spectacle. And Cael was floating around in it.

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[Time Skip – Three Months Later]

The forest clearing echoed with the sound of fists clashing and feet pounding the dirt.

Cael and the old man had been sparring every day for the past three months. Each day, Cael had been beaten down, pushed past his limit. But each day, he got back up.

Today, something felt different.

The old man smirked. "You'll need at least two years to even force me to try."

Then he lunged forward—fast.

Cael's eyes narrowed. He took a breath and vanished just as the old man's hand reached for his chest.

Folded Space.

In a blink, Cael reappeared to the side, sliding across the grass. He was getting used to using it now. Not perfect, not clean—but good enough to move mid-fight.

He shot forward and kicked. The old man raised his arm to block—but Cael's strike landed harder than usual. The thud echoed, and the old man's feet shifted back slightly.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I see," the old man said. "You've been training your body, not just your skill. And your strikes—there's something different."

Cael didn't respond. He rushed in again, throwing a fast punch, then another.

The old man blocked, countered with a fist to the ribs—Cael twisted just in time, but still caught the edge of the blow.

Cael winced, but stepped in closer, his fists moving faster.

"You're layering them," the old man muttered as they clashed. "Delaying the force and stacking it… I know that feeling. You're calling this Folded Impact, aren't you?"

Cael nodded between breaths. "Took me weeks… but I finally got it to work without tearing my arm off."

Their fists flew again. Cael ducked under a hook, swept low, but the old man flipped backward, landing with ease.

Cael's chest rose and fell. He was breathing hard now, but not giving in.

"Still not enough to win, though," the old man teased. "But I'll give you this—your timing's cleaner."

Cael gave a half-smile. "We'll see."

The old man raised his fists again. "You've got fire. Let's finish this. I'm getting hungry."

They both moved.

The clearing shook with the force of their strikes. Dirt kicked up. Leaves spun in the wind. The sound of hits and blocks rang like small explosions.

Cael threw a sharp kick. The old man blocked and countered fast—but Cael vanished again.

Folded Space.

He reappeared behind the old man with a hard punch—but the old man spun, blocked, and shoved him back.

"Too slow," the old man said, turning.

But then he paused.

"Wait... why was that last punch so light?"

He turned his head slightly.

And that's when he felt it.

A strange pressure behind him. Like something coiled. Waiting.

Then—boom!

An invisible force slammed into his back.

The old man's eyes widened.

Another hit. Then another.

The ground shook lightly beneath his feet. Each strike came from behind, delayed... but real.

He turned sharply—but what he saw made him blink.

There were faint shapes, like afterimages. Blurry versions of Cael—each frozen mid-strike. They flickered like broken glass, then vanished.

Then came the final blow.

Cael moved in with a sharp step, his fist lined with all the force he had stored. The punch came straight at the old man's jaw—

WHAM!

A clean, direct hit.

The sound echoed like a thunderclap. Birds burst out of the trees. Leaves swirled in the shockwave.

The old man was sent back a few steps, steadying himself as dust rose around him.

Cael dropped to one knee, panting. His arms felt heavy. His head throbbed.

"Ahh... damn it," he muttered. "Overdid it again."

The old man stood still for a moment. Then let out a deep, loud laugh.

"Wonderful!" he said. "You finally landed a real hit."

He rubbed his jaw, still grinning.

"That trap… that was smart. Delayed punches, placed ahead of time using Folded Space. You waited, made me focus on your fake strike—then boom. You stacked the past on top of the present."

Cael looked up, smiling tiredly.

"I had to try something different," he said. "You never fall for the same trick twice."

The old man walked over and offered him a hand.

Cael grabbed it, pulling himself up.

"You're still not ready to beat me," the old man said. "But you're not a rookie anymore. You're learning fast."

Cael nodded. "I want to push this further."

The old man looked at him for a moment, then smiled.

"Then you better be ready" he said. Because when I start using my real skills..."

He grinned at Cael.

"You'll need more than tricks to survive."

As they walked back toward the cabin, Cael looked up at the trees. The wind was calm again. But something had changed.

For the first time, he had made the old man step back.

And next time, he planned to make him fall.

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