The Issue of Time

"You must feel it flow through you if you want to truly excel at magic!"

Professor Tukin was currently informing Ojero of how to use his time magic, which he was lacking at. It had only been a little over a week since the start of the school year, but Ojero had not had much luck with it.

His shadow magic, however, was rapidly growing. He could now make shadows turn solid for two full seconds, and pull them from dark areas into lit ones without much strain.

The progress was astounding, but Tukin was very confused on why his shadow magic was growing so fast but his time magic had barely grown at all.

'This is strange. Usually those which have dual powers have them grow in tandem with each other, allowing some very shocking combinations later on. However, Ojero seems to lean very heavily on his shadow abilities while his time ones stay weaker.'

Ojero closed his eyes and once more tried to focus, trying to see what would 'happen next' as Professor Tukin had called it.

They had determined Ojero's time magic excelled in seeing the future rather than the past, and so they had been trying to train Ojero to use this power to figure out where the Professor would swing his staff.

Ojero had been able to use this ability very easily in the past, but ever since he trained with his shadow magic he had slowly been losing the feeling of time. It was as if the more he gave in to the shadow side of his magic, the less he could control the time side.

It had reached the point where Ojero had to ask the Night Demon for help.

'Do you have any idea what is going on with my time magic? I do not remember being told magic can go backwards in progression.'

"It is your own will, master. You do not value time magic like you do shadow magic. Many mages do not have specific goals at this young point in their life allowing their magic to flourish in all forms, but you know that your Necromantic and shadow abilities are your priorities."

"Magic is a part of you, master. It reacts to your will, your deepest desires. You must realize this and accept it, only then will your magic be stronger than most can imagine. Humans are the only race to be able to control so many various types of magic, yet your knowledge of it is still so little."

'So will I ever be able to master time magic then?'

"That depends on you, master. If you wish to, then your body shall allow it. However, if you instead wish to master Necromancy or shadow powers, you may never master time magic. Life is full of choices, master."

'So then does that mean that acquiring a goal will make me weaker in the end?'

"On the contrary, master, I believe it will make you stronger. Although your time magic may be weaker, your shadow and Necromantic magics will be much stronger. However, soon we must begin your training in the ways of Necromancy to capitalize on your youth. It is at these young ages that your body is the most malleable to magic. There is never going to be a better time for you to grow."

'Where can I practice then?'

"The Shadow Realm will suffice. I have not spoken much about your current training for this reason. The Shadow Realm is a world only accessible by those who have Ethereal tier or above shadow magic, and is essentially the perfect training ground. It mimics the real world, except it allows instant travel in exchange for mana. Everything in the shadow realm looks very similar to this domain, except that it is darker in color."

'Is that where you were in that memory?'

"Yes it was, master. However that domain was very strong in light mana, making the realm be very useless except for pure travel. We will begin your training once you accomplish opening a portal to the Shadow Realm."

Satisfied with this answer, Ojero focused back on the classroom. Professor Tukin was still deep in thought about what the problem could be when Ojero interrupted his thoughts.

"I think I'll just keep practicing with shadow magic if my time magic isn't working well. Maybe I am just not in the right mood for it."

"Really? But we still don't know the issue!"

"It's fine, Professor. I enjoy using shadow magic more anyway."

The Professor was still skeptical but decided to let it go. He had multiple other students to teach that class period and if Ojero was fine with focusing on his shadow magic then so be it.

Once the Professor had walked away to help an earth mage that was struggling to mold stone, Ojero started once more to manipulate shadows. He focused on the connection the darkness gave him, the cold comfort. He then began to move his hands and fingers as they danced around, and the shadows began to once more move and coil to his will.

***

The Book of the Known Undead

Chapter 12: Wendigo

I was exploring the Domains of Death when I found a Legendary tier undead, and have catalogued all I could find out about the creature. Wendigos are large pale monstrosities that have little pigmentation in their skin. They are incredibly thin, to the point of severe malnutrition, causing their bones to be visible from the outside. Their arms and legs are elongated to unnatural proportions, and their fingers seem to have grown small claws.

Wendigos are very talented hunters, and never give up their prey. They also have very unnatural resistance and healing capabilities, making them very hard to kill. Only a very well trained Necromancer can hope to control one of these beasts.

It is to be noted Wendigos can feast on human flesh to gain a temporary boost in strength and speed, although this does not last long.

Wendigos take a very large amount of mana to sustain, and are Legendary in rarity.

Element: Undead

Class: Hunter/Stalker

Family: The Wendigo does not belong to any specific family.