Chapter 41 – Taking Progress to New Heights

  The next morning, Kaelin arrived at the training grounds earlier than usual. The air was crisp, the sun barely above the horizon. She closed her eyes, steadying her breathing.

  Listen.

  She had spent the night replaying Kana’s words, trying to shift her perspective. If Time Sight wasn’t something she could force, then maybe she had to let it unfold naturally.

  She opened her eyes and focused.

  For a moment, there was nothing. The world was still, the distant sounds of students murmuring in the background.

  Then—

  A flicker.

  It was faint, barely a whisper of sensation, but for a fraction of a second, she felt something shift. A ripple in the air, a subtle pull at the edge of her awareness.

  And then it was gone.

  Kaelin sucked in a breath, her heart pounding. It had been there. Brief, fleeting, but real.

  She could do this.

  She just had to figure out how to hold onto it.

  Footsteps approached, and Kaelin turned to see Caeria striding toward her.

  "You’re early," the instructor noted.

  Kaelin straightened. "I need the extra practice."

  Caeria studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Good. If you’ve already warmed up, let’s begin."

  They moved through the drills, but Kaelin kept her focus inward, trying to recapture that flicker of awareness. It was frustrating – every time she thought she had it, it slipped away.

  Caeria struck forward, and Kaelin barely dodged in time.

  "You’re hesitating," Caeria said.

  Kaelin exhaled sharply. "I’m trying to– “

  "Stop trying. Just do."

  Kaelin gritted her teeth. Easier said than done.

  She forced herself to focus. Caeria moved again, her blade slicing through the air. This time, Kaelin didn’t react immediately, she felt for it first.

  A flicker.

  She moved.

  The wooden sword missed her by inches.

  Caeria’s expression didn’t change, but Kaelin swore she saw the faintest hint of approval in her eyes.

  "Again," Caeria said.

  Kaelin nodded.

  She wasn’t there yet. But she was getting closer.

  By the time she met up with Kana that afternoon, Kaelin felt like she had taken the first real step forward.

  Kana raised an eyebrow as she approached. "You look less miserable than usual. Did you actually figure something out?"

  Kaelin smirked. "Maybe."

  Kana sighed dramatically. "Guess we’ll see."

  They found an empty space to practice, and Kana took a step back. "Alright. You say you’re getting closer? Let’s test it."

  Kaelin braced herself. "What are you going to do?"

  Kana’s smirk was sharp. "Try to distract you. Try not to fail."

  Kaelin barely had time to process before a wave of confusion slammed into her. It was subtle, a whisper in her mind, but it made her second-guess everything—where she stood, what she was doing, even the passage of time itself.

  She staggered, her vision warping slightly.

  Kana watched her with interest. "Well?"

  Kaelin clenched her jaw. No. She wasn’t going to lose.

  She forced herself to listen. To focus past the unnatural fog in her mind.

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  A flicker.

  It was stronger this time, more distinct. She latched onto it.

  Suddenly, she saw it.

  A flash of movement – a glimpse of Kana’s fist barrelling toward her.

  She opened her eyes, but it was too slow. Kana’s fist was already there. It met Kaelin’s face, and she was thrown to the side.

  Kana blinked.

  Then, to Kana’s surprise, she grinned. "Well, well. Finally."

  Kaelin let out a breath. "I’m getting there. I saw something, I did!"

  Kana nodded, an unfamiliar glint of respect in her eyes. "You sure? Looks to me like I hit you."

  “Oh shut up, I did! Just not enough to do anything with it.”

  Kana stepped closer, her golden eyes gleaming with amusement as she looked Kaelin over, head tilting in mock curiosity. "Let me guess," she said, her voice dripping with condescension. "You think you’re special because you caught a tiny glimpse of the future?"

  Kaelin’s jaw tightened.

  She didn’t – no, wouldn’t react. Kana fed on reactions, thrived on them. If Kaelin so much as twitched, the other girl would drag the conversation on, pushing deeper and deeper until she found something to tear apart.

  Still, a hot spark of anger ignited in Kaelin’s chest. Because Kana wasn’t wrong.

  For a fleeting second, she had thought it would be enough. That if she could just see a little further ahead, everything would fall into place.

  But it hadn’t. It had barely helped at all.

  Kana laughed, the sound light and airy. "You should see your face. You really thought that would be enough, didn’t you?"

  Kaelin exhaled slowly through her nose, schooling her expression into something neutral. She didn’t have time for this. She had more important things to focus on than Kana’s petty games.

  "I don’t have time for this," Kaelin said, voice flat.

  "That’s funny," Kana mused. "Since you’re supposed to be a Time wielder and all."

  Kaelin’s fingers curled into fists.

  She turned on her heel, ready to leave, but Kana’s voice followed her, softer, now dangerous in a way that had nothing to do with her magic.

  "You’re going to get left behind."

  Kaelin froze.

  Kana stepped closer, her voice a quiet murmur, meant only for Kaelin to hear. "Zephyr, Lena… they’re moving forward. And you? You’re stuck."

  Kaelin’s nails dug into her palms, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

  She didn’t need Kana to tell her that.

  She already knew.

  It was something she had felt creeping in, inching closer with every failure, every moment where she couldn’t quite keep up. Zephyr was a prodigy. Lena was growing stronger every day. And Kaelin?

  She was still here, struggling to make use of a power that was supposed to set her apart.

  She wanted to snap at Kana, to tell her to shut up, to remind her that she wasn’t infallible either.

  But the words caught in her throat.

  Because Kana had already won.

  She forced herself to walk away without another word, even as the weight of those words settled heavily on her shoulders.

  ***

  By the time training ended, Kaelin’s irritation hadn’t faded. If anything, it had only deepened, settling into something cold and heavy in the pit of her stomach.

  She needed a distraction.

  She headed toward the cafeteria, not entirely sure why. Maybe she was hoping for something familiar… something normal. Maybe she just wanted to sit with Zephyr and Lena and forget, even for a little while, about how frustratingly useless both she, and her magic felt right now.

  But the moment she stepped inside, she hesitated.

  Zephyr and Lena were already sitting together at their usual table, deep in conversation.

  They were laughing about something, something Kaelin wasn’t a part of.

  She stopped in the doorway, the noise of the mess hall fading into a dull hum around her.

  They hadn’t even noticed she wasn’t there.

  Her gaze lingered on them for a long moment. Zephyr leaned forward, gesturing animatedly, a smirk tugging at his lips. Lena was grinning, her head tilted as she listened.

  They looked… at ease. Like nothing was wrong.

  Like they didn’t even know she wasn’t there.

  Normally, they would have saved her a seat. Normally, they would have waved her over. Normally, she wouldn’t have even thought about it – she would have just walked over and joined them.

  But now?

  Her stomach twisted.

  They don’t need me here.

  The thought came unbidden, cutting deeper than she expected.

  She should go over.

  She should sit down, act normal, shake off the weight pressing down on her.

  But she didn’t.

  Instead, she turned on her heel and left without a word.

  ***

  Later that evening, Kaelin found herself in the library, hoping the quiet would drown out the restless frustration clawing at her chest.

  The table in front of her was cluttered with books, heavy tomes filled with theories on Time magic, detailed analyses of sight and perception, even historical accounts of past Time wielders.

  She had flipped through nearly a dozen of them, searching for something, anything that might tell her what she needed to know.

  But nothing helped.

  Nothing told her how to make her Foresight work as it should. Nothing told her how to make that one second stretch into something useful.

  She ran a hand through her hair exhaling sharply, and a chair scraped against the floor.

  "You’re restless," a familiar voice observed.

  Kaelin glanced up.

  Aric stood nearby, watching her with his usual unreadable expression.

  She hesitated for a moment before sighing and closing the book in front of her. "I saw it."

  Aric raised an eyebrow. "Did you?"

  Kaelin nodded. "Only for a second. But it was too short. I couldn’t react in time."

  Aric hummed, stepping closer. "That will change."

  Kaelin frowned. "How?"

  Aric pulled out the chair across from her, folding his hands together as he sat.

  "Futuresight isn’t about seeing," he said. "It’s about understanding."

  Kaelin blinked. "Stop waffling! What does that even mean? Are you trying to be like some weird riddler? Just speak normally!"

  Aric studied her for a moment before continuing. "One second means nothing if your mind cannot process it fast enough. What good is foresight if you do not comprehend what you are seeing?"

  Kaelin’s fingers tightened around the edges of the book.

  "I still don’t get it! Can’t you just tell me what I need to do?”

  Aric inclined his head. "Fine, if I must. You need to practice, train your body to react within that second. Your mind to think within it. Only then will your sight become more than just a passive glimpse."

  Kaelin swallowed, her frustration warring with a new, simmering determination.

  Aric leaned forward slightly. "But be careful, Kaelin. Time is a dangerous thing to wield carelessly."

  Kaelin exhaled slowly. "I know."

  Aric held her gaze for a long moment, as if weighing something unspoken. Then, finally, he stood.

  "Then I expect progress."

  With that, he turned and left, his presence fading into the quiet hum of the library.

  Kaelin let out a slow breath, rubbing her temples.

  One second wasn’t enough.

  But it was a start.

  And she wouldn’t stop until she made it work.