Chapter 20. Sleeping Beauty

Morning caught up with me faster than I could process the fact that last night had slipped into the early hours, and then, suddenly, I was already up and on my feet.

Family chats, plus a few extras with Mom, Tomoe, and Senko, were so captivating that I nearly forgot we'd just arrived in Kyoto. Kitsune — these fox spirits in the flesh — were, unsurprisingly, even more intriguing than their furry forest counterparts. Though honestly, after meeting a real youkai, my curiosity maxed out in record time. We didn't get to bed until nearly dawn.

Speaking of which, how exactly does youkai biology work? The entire subject of supernatural physiology is pretty fascinating. As for humans… well, I'm practically an expert on that, thanks to Atlas. Why bring this up? Because we crashed around four in the morning, and it's just after ten now. Even the witches — my sister and mother — are still lazing around in bed. So here I am, the "most responsible" human in the house (spoiler alert: definitely not), wandering through the kitchen in search of something to kickstart my still-resting brain. Coffee, tea… maybe youkai have their own special pick-me-up?

No clue. I'll have to ask Senko about that. And yes, my mom's reaction to me drinking coffee at this age was completely blase… Her approach to parenting is a whole tragicomedy of its own.

Standing by the counter, I thought back to how much easier university would have been if I'd had access to Alchemy of Atlas back then. Six hours of sleep, and I wake up feeling like I've been reborn! Although, if we're being technical, it's less about the alchemy itself and more about the foundations behind it. Split consciousness, accelerated thinking — those are advanced techniques, sure, but the key lies in the so-called "basics," which revolve around understanding human potential and being able to develop it to its fullest.

Alchemy of Atlas, for all its complexity and impressive name, is essentially a science of the human body. Biology on steroids, if you will. Of course, like any scientific discipline, Alchemy of Atlas specializes in a specific area — namely, the potential of the brain and nervous system. Why this focus? Sorry to disappoint, but there's no sacred mystery behind it.

Pity, because I love stuff like that.

Anyway, it boils down to the fact that, in the world where this magic originated, the founders of Alchemy of Atlas faced one tiny little problem… namely, preventing the end of humanity. Nothing special, right? Just one of those insignificant issues you might discuss over morning coffee and a cigarette before concluding that it's all the government's fault.

I won't delve into all the details — thank every god I don't live in that world — but, long story short, the first director of the Atlas Institute foresaw the apocalypse and threw all resources into preventing it. He actually managed to prove that the end of the world could be avoided, but that's where things got interesting. This process gave birth to a real trap — a so-called "cobra effect," but on a global scale.

The point is, most methods of preventing catastrophe can easily be turned into instruments of destruction. Imagine a device that deflects meteors headed for Earth. Great, right? But it could just as easily be used to attract those meteors back. Or take technology designed to stop global warming — it could just as easily trigger a new ice age. In short, Atlas Alchemists became something like mad scientists with doomsday blueprints locked in their heads.

Back to my original point: Alchemy of Atlas is, at its core, the science of the human body. Atlas Alchemists aren't exactly the most gifted of mages. Almost all Alchemists are born without magical circuits, which means they possess little to no magical energy. But, someone still had to figure out how to save the world, so they chose a different path — one that relied entirely on the potential of the body. That's why, at seven years old, I possess strength equivalent to the peak of human capability. The potential within me, as an Atlas Alchemist, allows me to reach this level.

Of course, if I weren't working my ass off like Django on those damn training sessions, all this potential would be wasted.

Another key aspect of Alchemy of Atlas that stems from this path is that most of its abilities are focused on enhancing mental capacities. It wasn't just about having to rely on the body — it's more than that. Atlas Alchemists have a unique perspective on the relationship between the body, mind, and soul. In their world, the brain doesn't simply control the body; the body exists to make sure the brain functions as efficiently as possible, gathering information that is then passed on to the soul. It's a fundamentally different mindset from what most mages or even "mundanes" believe. To Alchemists, the body isn't just a vessel — it's a unit of calculation, an instrument for processing, computing, and executing events. This mentality allows them to perform magic purely through mental processes.

And that's where I differ from the Atlas Alchemists of the Nasuverse. In addition to mental processes, I still need magical energy. I'm not exactly sure why, but it's probably because I never fully embraced the theory about the relationship between body and soul. And man, that's frustrating! Sure, I don't need a ton of magical energy, but I can only keep my abilities active for nine hours a day. And, damn it, that's far from enough. So I've had to tweak my training regimen, making sure that split consciousness and accelerated thinking only activate during sparring with Tomoe, during study sessions, or when I'm directly training those abilities.

Fortunately, I can cast magic while simultaneously using split consciousness and accelerated thinking, without throwing my magical energy flow into chaos.

So, here's what my typical day looks like: nine hours dedicated to learning, three hours for physical training, five hours for school, leaving me only seven hours to sleep. How do I not go crazy with a schedule like that? The answer's obvious: I need to make sure I'm getting the most out of those seven hours of sleep!

It might seem like a bit of an unconventional strategy, I admit. But hey, we're finally circling back to the beginning here… It turns out that in order to understand even a fraction of this world, you've got to dig through books like it's your life's mission. I'd say I've done pretty well speeding through and explaining it all.

So, while everyone else is blissfully drooling their way through an eight-hour sleep cycle, I'm fully recharged after a mere six hours. Given that in nine hours of study, with Split Consciousness and Accelerated Thinking running, I can practically absorb a week's worth of information… and then wake up feeling fresh and ready, like a brand-new pickle Rick. Although, come to think of it, he didn't look all that fresh. But the point is, I feel great.

In my case, the whole pickle Rick and six-hour sleep bit sounds like fantasy, but here's the thing — it's all backed by science with a touch of magic, mainly rooted in understanding my brain's potential, controlling that potential, and throwing in a sprinkle of magic for good measure. Of course, unlike pickle Rick, no magic was involved in my creation.

So, here's the deal. Deep sleep isn't just a rest period; it's a complex process where the body goes through several phases, each with its own importance. Let's start with slow-wave sleep. During the first and second stages of this sleep cycle, your brainwaves, breathing, and heart rate all slow down gradually, and your muscles relax. These processes aren't just key for physical recovery — they play a crucial role in cleaning up your system. During these phases, your brain's glymphatic system kicks in to clear out metabolic waste, including beta-amyloids associated with neurodegenerative diseases.

But that's not all. As you shift into the third stage, your brain produces slow but powerful delta waves that help with cellular repair and boost your immune system. In this state, your body achieves full relaxation, and your brain "resets," shaking off the day's accumulated stress and mental clutter.

Now, let's get to the fast waves — or REM sleep, also known as the dream stage. In this period, brain activity suddenly spikes, which, despite the paradox of sleep, actually enhances cognitive functions, especially memory. This is when your brain processes and sorts all the information gathered throughout the day, transferring it from short-term to long-term memory. Think of it as a built-in archiver.

As for me, this is where Body Control and my knowledge of Alchemy of Atlas come in. Using these, I've learned to speed up these natural processes, guiding my brain through the sleep cycle more efficiently by redirecting my body's energy to the parts of the brain that need it most. I'm still getting all the critical recovery benefits, but I'm doing it in less time. Essentially, I've hacked the sleep system, trimming down the duration of each phase and the time between them without sacrificing their effectiveness.

Yes, magic can sometimes be almost disheartening in its simplicity — especially when you realize it's just an upgraded version of processes that nature already laid out. And even more so when you remember that magic in my world is rooted in the mathematical calculation of phenomena the mage wishes to recreate.

Admit it, though, it takes the fun out of it a little once you've cracked the mystery, and all that's left is a bunch of scientific facts. But like any science, the path to results was a rough one. Initially, I had to consciously control these processes, turning sleep into something closer to meditation. Back then, I'd manually slow my heart rate and regulate my breathing with Breathing and Walking. That technique helped a lot, not only increasing my magical energy reserves but also teaching me how to control the flow of life energy within my body — which was just as important and undeniably cool.

Still, that version of sleep wasn't exactly restful.

Over time, though, as I honed Body Control and delved deeper into Breathing and Walking, I managed to fully automate the process. My enhanced control over both magical and life energies allowed me to integrate the technique into my physiology, making it a natural part of sleep. Instead of actively guiding each phase, I let my body manage the recovery and information-processing on its own.

And so, while mentally drafting this little "essay" and scanning the kitchen, I was suddenly interrupted by a voice behind me.