Two days before the exams began, Finn sat crossed legged on the training room floor with Kaeline a few feet in front of him.
"You're saying… I have a true cosmic affinity sensei?" He asked, eyes full of surprise.
"Yes." Kaeline replied calmly.
He sat there for a moment staring into his small rough and bruised hands in a contemplative silence. It was as if he couldn't believe or even fully process what she said. He snapped back out of his trance and looked back up to her.
"But how do you know for sure sensei? I never had an affinity my entire life and I don't remember using any either." He asked, a slight confusion in his tone.
Kaeline met his curious gaze.
"During our fight just a planetary cycle ago, I noticed something strange. Your speed and movements weren't consistent at all throughout the course of the battle. Most of the time you were unable to dodge or stop my attacks, but there were a couple times you evaded them easily. It was as if you knew the attacks were coming ahead of time."
Finn's eyes widened slightly. He remembered exactly the moment she was talking about.
"When you threw the kunai to my feet…" He mumbled out subconsciously dropping his gaze to the floor.
The image of the transparent shadowy tendrils seeped out of the floor in front of him just like it did from her kunai.
"So you know what I'm referring to then I see?" Kaeline stated casually, still observing him with a subtle but calculating gaze.
"Yeah, but… I still don't get it. What does that have to do with me having a true cosmic affinity?" He asked, his eyes looking back up to hers.
"That's not all." She replied, raising a finger.
The room lights dimmed and a holo-projection of his fight with Kael appeared between them. It replayed the final moments of the battle when he dashed forward and brought his blade down against Kael's, shattering it before finishing him off.
"Do you notice anything?" Kaeline asked, peering through the projection at him
Finn watched the moment replay a few times before subtly shaking his head.
"No I don't sensei."
Kaeline snapped her fingers and the projection changed like she changed the channel on a tv to another moment—their battle just the other day. It replayed the moment he dodged her surprise attack from the kunai she threw to his feet.
"What about now?" She asked.
After watching the replay, he shook his head again.
"No sensei. I'm not sure what I'm looking for." He answered slightly confused.
Kaeline's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Despite one moment being on the offensive and the other on the defensive, they share something in common. During both of these moments, it seems as if time itself within a certain radius slowed down significantly… everything—"
The projection fizzled out between them, their eyes locking onto one another once more.
"—besides you."
Finn's body stiffed, his back straight and pointy elven ears perked up.
"Are saying… that I…" He stuttered, unable to speak at the realization hitting him.
"Yes. I strongly believe you possess the true cosmic affinity of time." Kaeline finished for him.
Finn sat there silently for a short moment trying to process it all. Him? Possessing not just any affinity, but one of the twelve true cosmic affinities? He simply couldn't imagine such a thing and if it was almost anyone else telling him this, he wouldn't dare believe it. But this wasn't just anyone, it was Kaeline… his sensei. Why would she joke or lie about something like that?... She wouldn't.
"We won't know for sure until we reach Jinx's homeworld and verify by visiting a seer there, but from here on out, we'll train as if you do possess it. That being said, your control over it seems weak, only during times of heightened emotions or subconsciously when backed into a corner." Kaeline added, breaking his trance.
Finn nodded in agreement, still unable to speak at the prospect of such a thing. Kaeline, however, continued to analyze him. Something else about him intrigued her. She leaned forward until their faces were less than a foot from each other, examining his light brown eyes as if she lost something in his gaze.
"Were your eyes always this color since you were born?" She asked curiously.
"Uh… yeah. Since I remember they've always been brown. But why ask sensei?" He responded, his face blushed red and pointy ears fluttering slightly at her sudden proximity.
Kaeline retreated from his face until she sat straight up shaking her head.
"It's nothing. But my point still stands as mentioned. Our training moving forward will slightly alter because of that possibility and another that Elysia mentioned to me about Kaito earlier."
"Kaito? What about him?" Finn asked, his head tilting to the side subtly.
"Elysia believes Kaito too possesses a true cosmic affinity, or a version of it at least." She mentioned casually.
Finn didn't respond. He simply stared at her with wide eyes. Kaito has a true cosmic affinity too?
Kaeline continued to speak despite not hearing a response.
"For the next two cycles until the exams, you won't be able to leave this room with me until you complete all of your training including additional things with this new information about you too. Both of your powers will be crucial in our—"
But she wasn't able to finish her words. Finn jumped up from the floor onto his feet grabbing her by the hand pulling her up to her feet as well.
"Why are we wasting time sensei!? Let's get started!" He demanded passionately.
The sudden change in demeanor truly started her.
"I… I wasn't finis…" She tried to say, but her mouth wouldn't work.
"Kaito is probably over there training is behind off with Elysia right now as speak after learning about his new affinity. That means I need to do the same."
He looked down to his hand bawled into a fist in front of him with a small smile on his face.
"I made a promise to him that we'd change this universe for the better together, that means if he needs to get stronger than so do I. Whether it's during the exams, adventuring on a planet, fighting guardians at wells, or even fighting captain Elara, someone has to watch his back, and that someone—"
He raised the same fist to the right of his head, his thumb extending pointing directly to the side of his face. His green essence began to flare around his body, but this time small but subtle streaks of gold sparkled inside of the green flames of energy.
"—is me!"
For a fleeting moment, she saw it. His eyes flickered from its usual light brown to the green, the same as before during their fight.
Kaeline stared at him in utter awe. Goosebumps along with a subtle chill traveled across her entire body. His smile was contagious. The corner of her lip twitched until a smirk crawled up her face.
"It seems we were both correct Elysia…" She began to think as she stared at his determined face.
"These two boys will be the catalyst that will save our worlds from collapse and bring peace and prosperity to the entire universe."
"Sorry for keeping you waiting then." She said, reaching behind her and tossing him a kunai that he catches by the hilt.
Her black essence flared around her.
"Let's begin."