After waking up from his horrifying blackout Max took several days to regroup and think about where he went wrong before deciding on a new approach to master the element.
Going back to the time- loop method Max decided to influence the shape of the rock within an isolated time pocket so that the backlash from altering reality could be mitigated.
Sitting cross-legged, Max focused on the simple rock that laid before him. His past experiments with Chaos had been volatile at best, but he had a hunch that he was approaching it all wrong.
The time-loop, he realised, was his ideal testing ground.
He began by trying to visualise the rock not as it was, but as he wanted it to be — a slightly different shape, smoother edges and a completely different structure.
As he focused, he willed the Chaos energy to swirl around the rock, its unpredictable nature fluttering around like a turbulent storm.