Temporal Dominion

The echoes of battle had faded, but the consequences remained.

Lucian sat in his dorm room, a dull ache pulsing through his muscles as he examined his bandaged arms. The fight with Dorian had left more than just bruises—it had exposed the gaps in his abilities.

He sighed, leaning against the headboard of his bed.

His Chronokinesis was powerful, but unrefined. Against an opponent like Dorian, raw power wasn't enough. He needed control. Precision. Strategy.

And to do that, he needed to understand his abilities on a deeper level.

---

The Lecture Hall – Understanding Temporal Power

The next morning, despite the lingering soreness, Lucian made his way to the Academy's lecture hall.

A vast amphitheater, filled with floating holograms displaying complex diagrams of various power classifications. Students were already seated, murmuring among themselves.

At the front of the hall stood Professor Alden Vale, an older man with piercing golden eyes, his presence commanding absolute attention. He was one of the foremost experts in power theory and one of the few instructors Lucian actually respected.

Lucian took a seat beside Elara, who shot him a sideways glance. "You look like you barely slept."

He smirked, "Didn't have time."

She sighed but didn't press further as Professor Vale began speaking.

"Today's lesson will focus on an advanced concept—Empowered Techniques. Specifically, the refinement of one's natural abilities to create unique combat applications."

The room fell silent as holographic projections flickered into existence.

Lucian's attention sharpened as he saw examples of various power users enhancing their abilities.

A pyrokinetic compressing flames into solid structures.

A telekinetic sharpening their control to exert pinpoint force on a single atom.

A speedster manipulating inertia to change direction mid-motion.

Professor Vale turned toward the class. "The most powerful individuals are not those with the most overwhelming abilities, but those who refine their power to its absolute limit."

Lucian's mind raced.

I can manipulate time… but how do I refine it?

His current abilities were crude—short bursts of acceleration, slowing opponents down, and rare instances of stopping time for a fraction of a second.

It wasn't enough.

As if sensing his thoughts, Professor Vale's gaze landed on him.

"Mr. Vale."

Lucian straightened. "Yes, professor?"

Vale studied him before speaking. "Since you've recently demonstrated your abilities in combat, tell me—what is the greatest weakness of Chronokinesis?"

Lucian paused, choosing his words carefully.

"Energy cost," he answered. "Manipulating time requires massive mental strain. The longer I use it, the more it drains me."

The professor nodded. "Correct. However, that is only half the problem. The true limitation of temporal power is not just energy, but precision. Time is an abstract force, and attempting to control it recklessly will always lead to diminishing returns."

He gestured to the board, where a complex formula appeared. "What you need, Mr. Vale, is not more power, but a way to maximize efficiency. Instead of brute-forcing your abilities, find a technique that requires less energy but yields greater results."

Lucian frowned, absorbing the information.

Less energy, greater efficiency.

He needed to stop thinking of time as just a force to slow or accelerate things.

He needed finer control.

---

That evening, Lucian sat in the Academy's training hall, surrounded by reinforced dummies and environmental simulations.

Elara stood nearby, arms crossed. "So, what exactly are we testing?"

Lucian rolled his shoulders. "Precision. I'm not going to slow down time—I'm going to focus it."

He took a deep breath, channeling his power.

Instead of enveloping himself in a field of temporal distortion, he concentrated on a single point—his hand.

The flow of time around his palm slowed, condensing the energy into a single focal point. His fingers trembled under the strain, but the effect was undeniable.

His movements felt sharper. Faster. The moment he clenched his fist, the energy compressed.

Then, he struck.

His fist met the training dummy—and the impact was instant.

Not a delayed reaction, not raw force—but a perfectly synchronized burst of acceleration at the moment of contact.

The dummy cracked.

Elara whistled. "Not bad. You just compressed time into a single strike."

Lucian exhaled, feeling the remaining temporal energy fade.

A new technique.

More refined. More controlled.

He smirked. "Yeah… but I can make it even better."

Elara chuckled. "Of course you can. Just try not to break yourself in the process."

Lucian flexed his fingers, already planning the next phase of refinement.