Chapter Text
“Okay!” Suzume clapped her hands together. “Welcome to “Time-Stopping 101!”
“Can’ be that hard, can it?” Roc asked.
“Well…there are a few sets of rules you have to follow when using this ability. It isn’t one you can use freely without consequence.”
They waited for her to continue.
“First off, you’re not able to use this ability against those who are stronger than you.”
Kyou grinned. “So, you’re stronger than that smoky bastard?”
“...It’s not an infallible rule. It can also include those who are generally close to your level of strength.” A pause. “But, I haven’t tried since this all began.”
He nodded.
“Would you all join hands for this demonstration?”
They passed quizzical looks, but found ways to link contact with one-another despite a few height differences.
“Beni-san, are you adjusted enough to cast the ability?”
“I believe so,” he responded. Closing his eyes, he focused on that new wave of power bubbling deep within him. When he could bring it to swell, he dispelled it in every direction, watching as a fine line consumed their surroundings. The crows above them hung in the air, wings mid-flap.
The group admired the muted colours of their new magic.
Suzume smiled. “If you make some kind of contact with another person, you can also prevent them from being caught in stopped time. But, this also means your enemies will follow you if they’re latched onto you.”
Nods across the group.
“For quick use, this power can be attached to sound cues. If you remember, I sometimes freeze and unfreeze time by snapping my fingers.”
Benihotaru thought over his preferred method, but in the end, gave a simple snap.
Wings passed overhead as the world returned to its previous order.
“And of course, this ability only has a limited range, but it should be well within what is required for this fight.” She raised two fingers. “Secondly, you can’t keep casting it over and over again for long periods of time. The more you force yourself to cast it, the more time will start lagging for you, and you’ll be plagued with migraines.”
“How long can we cast it then?” Edabane questioned.
“If the transfer of power worked properly, then it’s the same amount of time that I once had and that Cain currently has. About 7 seconds.”
There were mixed reactions amongst the group of men.
“It may not sound like a lot, but once you get the flow of using it, you’ll learn how to do what you need to within that span of time easily.”
Hidou spoke up. “But we can cast in repeatedly in short bursts?”
“Yes, for a limited period of time. Like I tell Cain: Use this power at a crux, not as a crutch,” she explained, then added quietly, “Don’t get those words confused. Crux not crutch.”
After thinking on it, they nodded. “Cain seems to use the ability quite often with no ill effects,” Envi pointed out.
“He does test the limits of it, yes, but he’s learned very quickly how to do so without burning out. I’d air on the safe side of things until you’ve also adjusted enough to understand your boundaries. And that’s why we’re going to practice before we go into any action!” The goddess clapped her hands again. “Envi-san, Roc-san, would you like to be my demonstration for this?”
The two men slowly wandered out into a clearing some distance away from everyone.
“Okay, if you’d like, go ahead and trade a few sparring blows. Then, Roc-san, I want you to stop time whenever you feel is best.”
“A’right.”
Envi summoned his blade without question, and one of Roc’s spears spun out of his hand. There was a spell of hesitancy as their mutually crimson eyes beckoned the other to make the first move, but the blue-haired archdemon eventually took his cue. “Well if you ain’t gon’ move, I reckon I will!”
Back and forth, steel clashed until they both leapt into the air.
Then, a snap.
“Good work,” Suzume commented from below. Beside her, his comrades stood motionless, staring up at the now-frozen match. “Now, you can set up your next move.”
Looking over his opposition, he grinned. “Can I attack directly?”
She smiled. “You can.”
He flashed more teeth, flourishing the spear around him. “No hard feelin’s, First.” But, he went for a side-swipe at his comrade rather than a piercing strike.
Centimeters from his target, his body halted.
Time resumed as normal. Envi’s eye flew wide seeing Roc’s sudden proximity to him, then he placed his foot on the officer’s chest and leapt away from the blow that had yet to happen. As the crowd watched in confusion, he landed on a high branch.
Seconds after, the spear swung through empty hair. “...Huh??”
Suzume laughed and held up three fingers. “Third, you cannot alter stopped time.”
“Why not??”
“Because, that is Law. Welcome to the Rules of the Universe,” she joked. “This power is so great that there are many restrictions to it, and that is arguably the most important one.”
“How so?” Envi asked.
“Because it would disrupt Balance. Stopping time on a large scale does quite a number on Balance, but little spurts like how we utilize the power shouldn’t mess with anything too much. But when you use an ability that is already against the universe to take the life of someone who is not yet deemed to die, it takes a lot to stabilize the waves you would have created in that moment.”
“Interesting….”
“And since the universe doesn’t trust anyone with this ability, there are…say, built-in fail-safes so no one goes too far, even by accident.”
Roc de-summoned his spear and whined, “Then how we s’pposed t’ use that to attack?”
They heard a snap, then another from above them.
Hovering overhead, the goddess smiled amongst the many sigils that were charged and ready to fire. “Like this. Nothing’s stopping you from prepping an attack, so long as you give your enemy theoretically enough time to be able to dodge.”
“How are we supposed to know that?!” Kyou complained.
“You get a feel for it after a while. But not everyone has that quick of reflexes, especially if attacks are appearing out of thin air around them, which is how you gain the upper hand.”
“Then, if you kill that person,” Envi began, “would that not upset the laws of Balance?”
“No. Because by that point, it would be considered ‘fair’.” She waved her hand and returned to the ground. The sigils faded away one by one.
“How does it know if it’s ‘fair’?”
“It simply…knows. If you’re not purposely trying to violate the rules that have been set in place and you succeed with your task, then it’s ‘fair’.”
He thought on that for a moment.
“And, if you don’t get caught by the lagging effect, that means you’re using it correctly.”
The crowd blinked, and an elaborate magic trap was erected around them. “I see~” Hidou sang, admiring his work. “So I could lay out my labyrinths before they could even be detected~”
“...I should have figured you’d have the best control over it.” She smiled.
Another blink, and the blinding show of light disappeared. “And it works the other way around too.”
“Of course.”
Dokugai raised a hand. “What if you’re not trying to kill someone in stopped time?”
Suzume’s brow furrowed. “I assume you mean with the intent to poison someone and not anything else. ”
He chuckled darkly.
“The same rules apply. Don’t touch people in stopped time. No touchy the people. ”
The archdemon held an air of disappointment, but accepted the answer.
“Are there any other relevant-but-hopefully-less-obscene-questions?”
“Yeah, I’ve got one,” Yagi spoke. “Can we start and stop it mid-attack?”
“That depends on your control of the ability. If you find it difficult to handle, you can pause before activating or deactivating it. If you’re a natural at it like Hidou-san,” she gestured to the man, who grinned in response, “then you can go in and out as you please so long as you stay within the proper limits.”
The group turned to one another, silently confirming if they’ve received all the answers they need. At least, for right now.
“If that’s it, then, it’s time to practice while we have the chance.”
“Yes, my Lady,” they said in unison.
“Let me know if you have any questions. Right now, I think your strongest teammates are Hidou-san and Envi-san, who has sparred Cain on several occasions and is pretty familiar with the idea of the ability.”
At the sound of his name, the seraph emerged from the shadows and stood by his goddess’s side.
“He’ll be here to give you advice too, if you need it. Just be gentle with him—he’s still a little bitter about everything.”
He threw her a harsh side-eye and a low growl, but she paid it no mind.
“Alright, well…pair yourselves up, take turns, and have at it! Good luck!”
Thus commenced their next few weeks of training.