Nova stood at the cliff's edge, the sea wind tearing at his cloak, carrying with it the briny scent of salt and the raw, untamed spirit of the ocean. Below, waves hurled themselves endlessly against jagged rocks, as if trying to claw their way onto the land, only to be broken and dragged back into the abyss.
Behind him stretched the island, still wild and half-formed, marked by the scars of wards newly anchored into the soil. The protective arrays hummed quietly underfoot, each rune pulsing with restrained power, waiting like silent sentinels for their master's command.
The wards were done — weeks of work completed in mere days, thanks to the meticulous preparation he had laid out beforehand. Runes etched into enchanted plates, veins of crystals harvested and refined, lines of power inscribed into tablets that only needed to be slotted into place.
Layer by layer, the island had been wrapped in a cocoon of protection strong enough to keep gods at bay. Yet even as he gazed at the invisible shield that stretched over him, he knew he had little time to enjoy his accomplishment.
Because he had made one mistake.
He had forgotten that he registered himself as a mutant. That meant Xavier's summons would arrive soon, and the school year would begin in just two weeks. If he wanted this island to be more than rock and sand, if he wanted it to stand as the true headquarters of the Trader's Guild, it all had to be completed before then. Two weeks. Fourteen days. No extensions. No excuses.
But time, in his hands, bent differently.
With a mental command, a translucent interface of his system appeared before him. His eyes slid down to the line he needed, the one option he truly loved: Time Ratio Modifier. He adjusted the setting with practiced ease.
"One day outside… one month inside."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: RATIO ADJUSTMENT COMPLETE – EXTERNAL FLOW 1:30]
[REMAINING EXTERNAL TIME: 14 DAYS]
[INTERNAL EQUIVALENT: 12 MONTHS]
Nova exhaled slowly, his heartbeat steadying. A year. A full year to breathe life into stone and soil. A year to sculpt the island into something that would not only house his headquarters but also stand as a symbol of permanence, power, and vision.
The island had once been little more than a scattered collection of rocky hills and stubborn shrubs, but Nova envisioned something far greater. With a sweep of his will, he pressed the land into a new order.
The hills thickened, merging and climbing until true mountains rose above the sea horizon, their jagged spines cutting into the sky. Between them, he carved out a broad valley, fertile and open, meant to serve as the beating heart of the island. The stone trembled as if recalling its ancient age, then stilled beneath his command, reshaped and refined.
It took an entire month just to finish this first step. After all, he had limits. No matter how overwhelming his reality-altering power seemed, his energy reserves were not infinite. Patiently, slowly, he raised mountains and deepened valleys, each formation brought into being with care rather than haste.
Upon the tallest peak, he drove his will downward, tunneling through solid stone until he reached the ocean far below. The hollow roared as water surged upward, but Nova was already inscribing glowing rune-chains into the rock, weaving a living filter that stripped away salt, grit, and every impurity.
What poured from the mountain's mouth was no longer seawater but crystal-clear, mineral-rich streams that sparkled in the light as though polished by the earth itself. They spilled down the slopes in silver ribbons, branching into tributaries that wound their way across the valley floor.
He didn't stop there. Nova repeated the process across the terrain, hollowing vast bowls in the earth and feeding them with the same rune-warded conduits, until lakes gleamed like scattered mirrors amid the growing forests and lowlands.
Some were shallow and sunlit, perfect for fishing, irrigation, and everyday use. Others were deep and shadowed, reservoirs of power and lifeblood for the land. What had once been a barren speck of rock in the Pacific now pulsed with the quiet rhythm of a self-sustaining world.
With the waterways finished, two months had already slipped away, leaving only ten in his hands. The foundations were set—the mountains, valleys, rivers, and lakes had given the island shape. But an island was more than stone and water. It needed roots, shade, paths, and the quiet order that turned raw wilderness into a place where life could endure.
He began with the forests. The soil, enriched by streams and rivers, was ready to carry growth. Seeds took to it eagerly, and soon saplings pushed upward, spreading across hillsides and valleys. Groves of pine and oak thickened into dark green walls, maples unfurled broad canopies, and clusters of willow bent toward the waterways.
Some areas were left dense and wild, while others opened into glades and meadows, giving the land a natural rhythm. By the time a season had passed, the slopes and valleys no longer looked bare but alive, their air carrying the scent of resin, leaves, and new earth.
Once the forests had taken hold, he turned his attention to roads. They were not carved in straight lines or forced through the land, but guided along the easiest slopes and the most stable ground. Soil was pressed firm, stone laid smooth, and runes etched beneath the surface to bind and harden the paths. Each mark sank into the earth like quiet veins of power, ensuring that the roads would not wash away with the first storm or crumble beneath years of wear.
Where rivers cut across the planned routes, bridges followed. They were formed from timber drawn from the growing forests, shaped and joined with care, then bound together by the same hidden runes that strengthened the roads.
Each bridge settled seamlessly into the landscape, as if it had always belonged there—arched spans of wood that echoed the flow of the water beneath, sturdy yet unintrusive.
By the close of the seventh month, the island had shifted again. Forests stretched across its valleys and hills, shading rivers and lakes with their green crowns. Roads wound steadily through the land, and bridges stood firm over the running waters. The once-raw shape of stone and water now breathed with life and order, carrying the weight of a world ready for what would come next.
Five months remained, and the mountain peak waited for its crown—the headquarters.
For years the thought had lingered in the back of his mind, more fantasy than plan—a castle. Not a manor or a fortress, but a towering stronghold that could stand against time itself. Now, with the island reshaped and months of work behind him, the dream no longer seemed distant. He had space, stone, and power enough to make it real.
He chose the tallest of the mountains he had raised, a peak that overlooked the rivers and forests below, and marked it as the heart of his design. From its steep slopes he drew stone, shaping vast foundations directly into the mountain itself, so that the castle would not merely sit upon the land but grow out of it.
For weeks he poured himself into the work. Stone by stone, wall by wall, he shaped it into being. Towers grew along the edges, their roots sunk deep into the mountain itself. Great halls stretched outward, and wide terraces opened to the winds. From the valleys below, the sight of it was enough to stir awe—the bones of a fortress already visible against the sky.
Two and a half months passed in relentless labor. The castle took shape, vast and imposing, but still unfinished. The walls stood, many towers reached high, yet the interiors were hollow, the finer work left undone. By his own reckoning, two, perhaps three more months would be needed to bring the vision to completion.
But time had run its course. The final weeks were gone, and Elara's call for going to school could no longer be delayed. Nova stood upon the mountain one last time, gazing at the half-complete stronghold—his dream given form, if not yet finished. It would wait. The stone wasn't going anywhere.
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→ 30 REVIEWS= 3 BONUS CHAPTER's
→ 200 POWER STONES= 1 BONUS CHAPTER
→ 400 POWER STONES= 2 BONUS CHAPTER's
CURRENT PROGRESS:↓
– FIRST OBJECTIVE:- 24/30 REVIEWS
– SECOND OBJECTIVE- 27/200 P.S
– THIRD OBJECTIVE- /400 P.S
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CHAPTER:- [92 - ACCIDENTALLY SAW THE SCARLET WITCH SLEEPING BARE] IS AVAILABLE ON MY P@TREON.