"Rhea…"
The girl repeated the name softly to herself, her lips tightening almost imperceptibly.
So that's her name, she thought.
"Hmph."
She straightened up and forced a smile.
"My name's Mila," she said. "Nice to meet you."
It did not take Chronis long to understand the situation. Mila was an admirer of Serik. The jealousy was obvious—the timing, the forced smile, the unnecessary questions. It also wasn't normal to approach someone who had just arrived and strike up a long conversation without reason.
Rhea turned slightly toward Serik and spoke calmly.
"We were just talking about normal things," she said. "Nothing important."
She then looked at Mila, her tone polite but distant.
"I still have some things to take care of," Rhea added. "I'll be going now."
Mila hesitated for a moment, clearly wanting to say more, but nodded anyway.
Rhea stood up and walked away without another glance, leaving the two behind as the garden slowly returned to its usual noise.
The situation demanded a broader perspective. This was no time to indulge in meaningless interactions or distractions. Compared to what lay ahead, such moments were insignificant.
What truly mattered now was the bigger picture—her goal, and the path she would choose. In this world, once a person reached the age of sixteen, they were granted the opportunity to obtain a Path of their own choosing. A direction that would define their growth, power, and future. The decision was not merely symbolic; it was foundational. One choice could elevate a person beyond limits, while another could bind them to mediocrity forever.
This world was governed by both magic and science. Magic stood at the core—it was the foundation of all power—while science existed as a secondary force, not in opposition but in support. Through science, magic could be refined, amplified, and stabilized, allowing abilities to reach heights impossible through raw talent alone.
Within magic itself, there existed eight fundamental Aspects, the pillars upon which all practitioners built their paths:
Aspect of Cognition — wisdom, thought, and long-term planning
Aspect of Essence — soul, spirit, and will
Aspect of Cinders — fire and destruction
Aspect of Tides — water, flow, and adaptability
Aspect of Steel — the body and combat
Aspect of Echo — sound, resonance, and influence
Aspect of Void — absence and negation
Aspect of Continuum — time and progression
Each Aspect represented not just power, but a philosophy—a way of interacting with the world itself.
When a person reached the age of sixteen, they were finally granted the right to choose an Aspect of their own. This choice was not made casually nor in private. It took place within an academy, under strict supervision and formal procedures.
Only through the academy could one awaken an Aspect. It was there that talent was measured, compatibility tested, and the chosen Aspect engraved into a person's future. Once selected, the path could not be easily changed—if it could be changed at all.
In her past life, Chronis had chosen the Aspect of Continuum—the domain of time, progression, and causality. It was an Aspect that demanded extreme comprehension and patience, but in return granted access to the deepest mechanisms of reality.
This was precisely why she had been able to modify and refine the time machine. Of course, she had not done it alone—the professor had carried out the actual construction. However, Chronis possessed more than enough knowledge to judge whether the work was being done correctly, to spot flaws, and to push the design beyond its original limits.
Each Aspect also possessed its own internal levels, representing a practitioner's degree of control and mastery. The higher the level, the greater the authority one wielded over their chosen Aspect.
These levels were universally recognized:
1.Initiate
2.Engraver
3.Channeler
4.Adept
5.Weaver
6.Arbiter
7.Paragon
8.Dominion
9.Sovereign
Progression was neither easy nor guaranteed. Every step upward demanded talent, resources, and survival in a world where the weak were discarded without mercy.
Of course, there could only be one Sovereign per Aspect—without exception. They were acknowledged as the strongest beings in the world, existences standing at the very peak. No one could question them. No one could command them. Authority itself held no meaning before their presence.
Sovereigns did not walk openly among the world. They remained hidden, entrenched within places unknown, watching from the shadows. Each was an ancient monster—an undefeated demon who had survived countless eras, calamities, and wars. Their names alone were enough to instill fear, and their continued existence was proof of an unbroken reign of absolute power.
The difference between each level was not equal. Progression at the lower stages was relatively easy—advancing from Initiate to Engraver required little more than basic talent and effort. However, the difficulty increased sharply with each step forward.
Advancing from Engraver to Channeler was already several times harder, demanding true control and understanding. Beyond that, every subsequent level widened the gap even further, turning progression into a brutal test of talent, resources, and survival. The higher one climbed, the more impossible advancement became, until each level felt like crossing an insurmountable abyss.
This world was not a singular, isolated existence. Rather, it was a composite of many worlds—a primary world at its core, with numerous subordinate worlds existing within, around, or alongside it.
Despite their differences, one truth remained constant across them all. This system of power—the Aspects and their levels—was the universal framework governing strength in every world. No matter the realm, no matter its laws or civilizations, this hierarchy stood unchallenged, forming the common foundation upon which all power was built.
Chronis, who had reached the Adept level in her previous life, had already been among the top ten percent of all practitioners in this world called Aetheris.
Anyone who reached the Arbiter level or higher was classified as Unbound. At that stage, they had stepped beyond the limits of mortality. The restraints that governed the lower five ranks no longer applied to them.
Against such an existence, those at Weaver rank and below were utterly powerless. No matter their numbers or preparation, they could do nothing. An Unbound stood on an entirely different plane.
An Arbiter was no longer merely a practitioner. They were a warrior without bounds, a being whose existence itself became a weapon. Each Unbound was a legend in their own right—feared, respected, and remembered long after ordinary lives faded into obscurity.
Chronis did not intend to choose the Aspect of Continuum again. Repeating the same path would be a waste. The true advantage of rebirth lay in divergence—by mastering an entirely different Aspect, she could multiply her strength rather than merely restore it.
She still retained all the knowledge of her time-based abilities. The principles, the applications, the limits—none of it had been lost. To regain access to those powers, she did not need to walk the Continuum path again. She only needed the appropriate time-aligned resources. Once obtained, her old abilities could be reconstructed and layered atop a new foundation, allowing her to reach a level of strength far beyond what she had achieved before.
This limitation did not apply to Serik. He had returned to his original body, one that had already chosen an Aspect—the Aspect of Essence. In his previous life, he had reached the Adept level on that path, and rebirth did not change that fact. By the time he returned to this era, he had already passed the academy stage where a new path could be chosen. For him, deviation was impossible.
Chronis, however, was different.
She had been given an entirely new body. That single change erased the binding choice of her previous life. The restriction that locked others into a single path no longer applied to her.
As this realization settled in, a quiet laugh escaped her lips.
"Haha… that bastard of a professor," she muttered.
"He understood what I was planning from the start. That's why he made sure I was reborn after the age when the Aspect is chosen—so I wouldn't be able to pursue another path."
Her smile sharpened.
"But who would've thought," she continued, her eyes darkening, "that even he didn't know the Aeon Node could grant me an entirely new body?"
"That single mistake… ruined everything he planned."
This had been a risk—one that could grant her immense power—but that alone was not the true reason. What truly tempted her was the abnormal amount of secrets she carried.
Over the span of three hundred years, three great wars had shaken the world. In their aftermath, countless priceless resources, hidden inheritances, and forgotten ruins had been laid bare. Locations that were unknown now would one day become legendary, and she knew every single one of them.
With that knowledge, she could seize those opportunities long before anyone else. She could plunder, accumulate, and rise at a speed that defied common sense. It was this overwhelming advantage—this certainty of inevitable growth—that made the idea of time travel impossible for her to resist.
For now, there was nothing she could do. The pieces were in place, but the game had yet to begin. All she could do was sleep for the night.
Tomorrow, she would enroll in the academy—and tomorrow, she would choose her new Aspect.
With that, she went to sleep.
End of the chapter.