Cultivation is Creation
Chapter 263: The Anomaly

The private chamber of this particular Rank 8 Elder was sparse by the standards afforded to someone of his rank: a simple bed covered with blue silk sheets, a meditation platform positioned to catch the blue sun's first rays, and walls lined with scrolls and paintings.

The only true luxury was a large desk crafted from rare silver-veined wood, its surface nearly hidden beneath various manuscripts and sketches.

Kal stood at the window, gazing out at the Blue Sun Academy sprawled below. From this height, he could see the entirety of the complex: training grounds, dormitories, research facilities, gardens, and the majestic Cerulean Spire rising in the distance.

The scene was peaceful, serene, utterly at odds with the bloody images still replaying in his mind.

The Red Sun Academy in flames. The four elders falling one by one. And finally, Headmaster Hiron, standing amidst the destruction, seemingly unmoved by the devastation around him.

Kal could still feel the phantom pressure of Hiron's hand around his throat, the burning corruption of the red sun's energy seeping into his flesh, and the final, brutal moment when everything went dark.

His hand unconsciously rose to his neck, fingertips tracing skin that was whole and unblemished in this timeline. Yet the memory of his head, severed from his body, remained as vivid as if it had happened in this iteration of reality.

"Still not enough," Kal murmured to the empty room. "Even with all this knowledge, all this preparation..."

He had performed better than in previous loops. His improved techniques had dispatched the elders with greater efficiency. His counter-formations had been more precise, his paintings more powerful. And yet, the outcome remained unchanged: defeat at Hiron's hands.

Frustrated, Kal walked over to the small table where his scrolls and brushes waited. He selected a brush and began to paint, not on paper, but directly into the air before him.

The brush left glowing trails of blue energy that coalesced into an image of Headmaster Hiron. Even rendered in pure light, the figure radiated menace, his clear eyes lacking the madness that characterized most high-ranking Skybound practitioners.

"What makes you different?" Kal asked the luminous portrait. "Why does the red sun's corruption not touch you as it does the others?"

The question was one he had pondered across hundreds of loops. In each iteration, he sought new clues, new insights into the mysterious headmaster who seemed immune to the madness that inevitably claimed all who channeled the Red Sun's energy.

Understanding Hiron's secret might be the key to everything: to breaking the cycle, to healing the breach, to saving their world from what was coming.

With a gesture, Kal dismissed the image, the blue light dispersing into motes that faded like dying fireflies. He set down his brush and sank back onto his meditation cushion, his mind turning to other concerns.

The time loop was both blessing and curse. It granted him endless opportunities to refine his approach, to learn from his mistakes, to accumulate knowledge that would otherwise take lifetimes to gather. But it also trapped him in a relentless cycle of failure and repetition, forced to watch the same tragedies unfold time and again, powerless to change the ultimate outcome.

"There must be another way," he said aloud. "Something I haven't considered."

Direct confrontation had failed countless times. Perhaps diplomacy might succeed where force had not? But no, he had tried that approach as well, in dozens of earlier loops.

Those attempts had ended in varying degrees of failure. Some resulted in immediate attack, others in prolonged philosophical debates that ultimately changed nothing.

The Headmaster was immovable in his convictions, though Kal had never quite determined what those convictions actually were. Hiron's motivations remained opaque even after hundreds of encounters.

Kal sighed, idly tracing a pattern in the air with his finger. A small spark of blue light followed the movement, forming the outline of a mountain.

"And then there's Monroe," he muttered, his thoughts turning to the Blue Sun Academy's own Headmaster. Another complication that would need to be addressed soon.

Unlike Hiron, Monroe was relatively easy to manage. The elderly Lightweaver was powerful, certainly, but predictable. Depending on how events unfolded, Kal had several proven strategies for dealing with him: respectful subordination in some loops, carefully orchestrated "accidents" in others. In the more aggressive timelines, direct confrontation worked surprisingly well, provided Kal struck at precisely the right moment.

The mountain outline shimmered and transformed into a flowering tree as Kal's thoughts continued to flow.

So many pieces to position. So many contingencies to plan for. The breach was widening with each passing day, and the barriers between worlds growing thinner. If he couldn't find a solution soon, then tha—

A knock at his door interrupted his dark thoughts.

"Enter," Kal called, his voice steady despite his inner turmoil.

The door opened to reveal Cletus, one of the academy's senior servants. The old man bowed deeply, his blue robes rustling softly.

"Forgive the intrusion, Elder Kal," Cletus said, keeping his eyes low. "I bring news from the Cerulean Spire."

"The Selection has ended, then?" Kal asked, only half attending to the conversation.

His mind was already composing a list of tasks to complete in this loop: meetings to arrange, research to conduct, preparations to make for the inevitable confrontation.

Elder Neria would need to disappear before she discovered the Sky Fragment. In previous loops, she had proven remarkably adept at piecing together his activities, and while her intentions were noble, they usually had disastrous results. A subtle compulsion technique would be required to ensure she volunteered for the diplomatic mission to the Northern Reaches. Few returned from those treacherous mountains, and those who did often came back... changed.

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The Stone Haven monks, particularly their enigmatic leader, would provide crucial support if the loop progressed far enough. Their price was always the same, access to certain restricted scrolls in the Forbidden Archives. A small concession for their loyalty.

And then there was that girl Thara. Brilliant, anxious, and harboring a secret obsession with a certain Skybound elder that made her particularly vulnerable to manipulation. Her expertise in Blue Sun resonance patterns would be invaluable. A few carefully chosen words about her former "mentor" should be enough to secure her loyalty. She was always so eager for any news of him, and Kal had observed enough loops to fabricate convincing details.

The list continued in his mind—people to eliminate, allies to cultivate, resources to secure. Each loop was a complex game of positioning, and while the major events often remained fixed, the small details could be arranged to maximize his advantage.

"Yes, Elder. Just moments ago," Cletus confirmed. "The Ceremony of Transference will take place at dawn."

Kal nodded absently. The Selection was a minor event in the grand scheme of things, a predictable formality that nonetheless consumed the academy's attention for weeks. In nearly every loop, Laelyn Vareyn emerged as the chosen Saintess, her natural affinity for the Blue Sun's energy setting her apart from the other candidates.

"The other elders have begun to... express interest in the discipleship opportunity," Cletus continued delicately. "Elder Sorrin asked specifically if you might consider putting your name forward. The competition for this particular disciple is already quite intense."

This drew Kal's attention fully back to the present. "Competition?" he repeated. The selection of a mentor for the new Saint or Saintess was typically a straightforward affair, with the assignment based on complementary abilities and temperaments rather than any sort of contest.

"Indeed, Elder. Several have already submitted formal requests to the Council." Cletus smiled slightly. "Even Elder Norden has emerged from his seclusion to stake a claim, and he hasn't taken a disciple in over a century."

Kal raised an eyebrow at that. Norden was notoriously reclusive, dedicated entirely to his research on ancient formations. The only loops he had made a public appearance was when Kal had convinced him to help break down the Red Sun Academy’s grand formations. If even he was showing interest, perhaps this particular iteration of Laelyn possessed even greater potential than usual.

"I appreciate the information, Cletus, but I'm not interested," Kal said, turning back to the window. "Let the elders fight over the girl. My focus is elsewhere."

There was a moment of silence, and Kal sensed confusion radiating from the servant.

"The... girl, Elder?" Cletus asked hesitantly.

"The Saintess," Kal clarified, a note of impatience entering his voice. "Laelyn Vareyn."

Cletus cleared his throat softly. "Forgive me, Elder, but it seems there has been a misunderstanding. Lady Vareyn was not selected as the Saintess."

That caught Kal's attention completely. He turned slowly to face the servant, suddenly alert. "Not selected? Then... Aric Leminov was chosen?"

In some of the more divergent loops, the nobleman occasionally surpassed Laelyn, though such occurrences were few and far between.

But Cletus was already shaking his head. "No, Elder. It was neither Lady Vareyn nor Lord Leminov who achieved the highest resonance."

A prickle of unease ran down Kal's spine. "Who, then?"

"A newcomer, Elder. A young man named Tomas, originally from Porvale Village." Cletus's expression grew slightly awed. "According to Elder Sorrin, Saint Tomas's resonance with the Blue Sun is unprecedented in our recorded history. The measuring formations nearly failed to quantify it."

Tomas. Porvale Village.

Kal's mind raced through his mental catalog of names and places accumulated across over a thousand loops. Porvale was familiar, a small settlement in the eastern territories, unremarkable except for being the frequent target of Red Sun raiders due to its proximity to a ley line junction. But Tomas? The name registered nowhere in his memory.

This was not a minor deviation.

In every previous loop, without exception, the Saint's position had gone to either Laelyn or Aric. The selection of an unknown candidate. especially one from a common background, was unprecedented.

"Tell me more about this Tomas," Kal said carefully, moving to his desk and selecting a fresh scroll. "How did he come to be a candidate?"

Cletus seemed pleased by the elder's sudden interest. "The story is quite remarkable, Elder. He was discovered by Lady Laelyn's party while they were en route to the academy. Apparently, his village had been destroyed by raiders, and he was the sole survivor."

Kal's brush hovered over the blank scroll as he processed this information. Raiders attacking Porvale was consistent with past loops, but a survivor? That was new. Typically, the village was wiped out completely, with no witnesses left to tell the tale. Or at least that’s what he remembered from the early loops.

Back when he was a low-ranking Lightweaver, he'd paid closer attention to such incidents, documenting each Skybound attack meticulously. But as he ascended through the ranks and his focus shifted to larger concerns: the breach, the conflict with Hiron, the celestial imbalance, he'd stopped tracking these smaller events.

So, it was possible the pattern had changed in recent loops without his notice. After experiencing so many iterations, certain details inevitably blurred together, particularly those that seemed inconsequential to his primary objectives.

"Lady Laelyn took him into her service as a simple attendant," Cletus continued. "But during the entrance examination, the Cerulean Orb responded to him with unprecedented intensity. Elder Sorrin had no choice but to admit him as a candidate."

Kal carefully controlled his expression, but internally, his thoughts were churning like a maelstrom. The Cerulean Orb was an ancient artifact, its workings understood by few. It measured not just affinity for the Blue Sun's energy but the purity of one's connection to it. For it to react so strongly to an untrained villager...

"During the final test in the Cerulean Spire," Cletus added, "three candidates endured for precisely the same duration: Lady Vareyn, Lord Leminov, and this Tomas. But while the lady and lord absorbed standard levels of energy, Tomas's chamber adjusted to maximum intensity, three hundred percent above normal, and still his resonance never faltered."

Kal's brush moved almost of its own accord, jotting notes on the scroll in swift, precise characters. Three hundred percent intensity was theoretically possible but had never been observed in practical testing. The strain should have been unbearable for anyone below Rank 7, let alone an untrained commoner.

"Thank you, Cletus," Kal murmured. "You've been most informative."

The servant bowed again. "Shall I inform the Council that you have no interest in the discipleship, then, Elder?"

Kal set down his brush and considered the question carefully. The appearance of this anomalous candidate could be mere coincidence, a particularly talented individual whose potential had gone unnoticed in previous loops simply because he died with the rest of his village. Or it could be something far more significant.

In all his iterations through the time loop, Kal had learned one crucial truth: there were no coincidences. What appeared random was often the subtle influence of forces beyond normal perception. And a disruption this significant in the established pattern demanded investigation.

Moreover, if this Tomas truly possessed unprecedented resonance with the Blue Sun, he could potentially become a powerful ally in the conflict to come. Or, if his motives proved questionable, a dangerous liability.

"Actually," Kal said, a slight smile forming on his lips, "please inform the Council that I would very much like to take the new Saint as my disciple."

Cletus's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Are you certain, Elder? It would be quite a departure from your usual... solitary pursuits."

"I'm certain." Kal turned back to the window, gazing at the distant spire where the Selection had taken place. "I find myself suddenly very interested in meeting this remarkable young man from Porvale."

"Very well, Elder. I shall convey your interest immediately." Cletus bowed once more and withdrew, closing the door softly behind him.