A/N: This is a more technical chapter. Let me know if you like stuff like this or I should keep it a little more simpler.
***
It took us a few hours to travel back to the Skyward Continent.
Clementine went home right away, and as for me, I decided to go to the library in Lenice.
Though she seemed a bit hesitant to let me go.
She must still be worried about me because of what happened.
Which is why I must get stronger.
Regardless of that, I stepped inside the library and walked up to Rio, who was silently reading a history book.
After tapping the desk a few times, I said:
"Must've been really boring without us here, hm?"
Rio shrugged.
"Raphael's naivety is keeping me entertained. Though, may I ask why you chose to make your report here, and not over there?"
"This place is just a bit more familiar."
"If you say so."
Rio put down his book and met my gaze.
"I've already heard rumors about what happened. Still, you may begin your report..."
"..."
After I finished my report, he was left stunned.
I decided to include the majority of what happened.
Even my encounter with Asura.
It didn't feel like something I needed to hide.
And piggybacking off of Asura's fame, I could get more boons.
"I-I see..."
Rio stood up.
"Could you excuse me?"
I frowned.
He was about to call Johan again, wasn't he?
"Stop. Hold back for a few days."
Rio turned around, puzzled.
So I let him in on something.
"Evangeline's birthday is coming up soon. I don't want the higher ups on our asses just yet."
Of course, the only higher up was Johan.
And I most definitely didn't want him on my ass.
"Ugh..."
"Mikael, you know you're putting me in a bit of a bind here, right?"
I didn't reply to him.
And so, he quietly made up his mind.
"One week. I'll submit the emergency report in one week."
I gave him a thumbs up.
Then, I took out a jar of ale from my dimensional ring and passed it to him.
"...I don't drink."
"Share it with your brother then."
"He doesn't drink either."
Huh.
Well...
"That jar of ale's a little expensive, so you can sell it if you want."
After all, the nobles sure did have a bunch of alcohol and money that I kindly borrowed in their absence.
"Anyhow, don't expect to hear from us for at least a week. Good night, Rio."
"..."
With that, I left the library, and with calm steps, made my way into the usual entrance of the sewers.
I took my time walking through it, but I eventually reached the underground prison where the Eldritch monster was located.
To my surprise, there was a strong stench of blood down below.
I could even see a few chains dangling wildly.
They were slightly broken and twisted.
...Someone was here.
I felt uneasy, so I quickly jumped down and turned into lightning.
The moment I reappeared, I was already down at the bottom.
The stench of rotten flesh and blood was terrible.
As I glanced around, I saw tens of corpses scattered around, their eyes gouged out and body parts twisted at odd angles.
And the one responsible was just staring at me with thousands of its eyes.
A few chains had really been broken.
But not enough to let this Eldritch monster free.
In case it could somehow use these corpses, I disintegrated them all with lightning.
Although I wasn't religious and there weren't any gods in this world, I still prayed that these people would get another chance.
Because this is no way to go out.
"Did you miss me?"
I waited a few seconds.
"Right... You're not much of a talker still. At least some things never change."
Truly.
I did a few stretches, and after making sure the Eldritch monster really was still chained, I peered into my memories.
Atomic Telekinesis.
The Mastery of Telekinesis detailed the control of an atom.
It was very precise, which is why I delayed it for this long.
But since it was one of my natural stepping stones, I took it on.
There were four parts to Atomic Telekinesis.
I wanted to practice Atomic Stabilization.
"Reinforce an atom so it resists change..."
Ugh...
Why didn't I major in physics or chemistry?
Thankfully, the step-by-step process was made for dummies.
I am a dummy.
For starters, I needed to locate an atom.
I closed my eyes and enveloped a small part of the Eldritch monster in Telekinesis.
Then, I focused on my Telekinesis, and through it, I felt the Eldritch monster's energy.
It was millions of times larger than mine.
Despite that, I maintained my focus and subtly moved my Telekinesis.
Just then, I picked up on something.
Among the Eldritch monster's extreme energy, there were a few extremely small points that were vibrating and resisting my Telekinesis.
The resistance was very small.
In fact, if I wasn't directly looking for it, I wouldn't have noticed it.
I focused on those small points, and in an instant, it felt as though a couple million more points appeared.
No... there were definitely more than a couple of million.
The small points outlined the entire Eldritch monster.
They were fluctuating and vibrating.
These were all atoms.
It came so naturally to me.
I was expecting it to take a few days for me to pick something up.
But since I got the basics down, I now needed to control these atoms.
And since I memorized everything, I decided to try out Atomic Stabilization right away.
Instead of focusing on this immeasurable amount of atoms, I zoned in on just a single one.
Then, I carefully controlled my Telekinesis, vibrating it at the same frequency until eventually, a rough small spot appeared right beside the atom.
It perfectly matched its rhythm.
But before I could do a thing, it quickly dissipated.
I lost focus for a moment...
So I tried again.
This time, the small spot was a bit more defined, and it resembled the atom better.
Now came the tricky part.
I moved my mirrored atom directly onto the already existing atom, maintaining full focus.
The two overlapped and vibrated in sync.
Just then, I created a miniature telekinetic barrier around the two atoms.
I maintained it for a few seconds, and with great confidence, I began slowing the vibration of my mirrored atom.
To my genuine surprise, the actual atom's vibration changed as well.
I was able to control it.
My heart beat in excitement.
This was just a small test.
One mirrored atom on one atom.
But the goal of Atomic Stabilization was to mirror the exact amount of atoms there were in the object... or person.
Then,
This was the most difficult part.
Since there were so many atoms, I needed to learn how to mirror atoms in large chunks, so I could eventually even cover my whole body in Atomic Stabilization.
The potential for this was insane.
I could make my atoms heat resistant, damage resistant... and pretty much everything else I could ever imagine.
I wouldn't burn, and I couldn't get hurt.
This would literally make me indestructible in the future.
And I could even apply this to objects, so I could mass produce indestructible weapons...
The possibilities were endless.
Just knowing that these aren't even the final pages of the Mastery of Telekinesis is just insane.
Regardless of that, I settled down my excitement and restored the Eldritch monster's atom to normal.
And then, a warm smile appeared on my face as I began practicing.