Kaden felt unusually happy. Things were going the way he wanted things to go. He had not believed he would have a chance to do something significant until he was much stronger.

"I can't wait to see what happens", Kaden thought to himself as he started to finish up his own battle armor formations.

If the changes happening at the rift were indeed speeding up, he wanted his own armor to be ready first. After having found the way to use formations to take over the battle armor systems, the work took significantly less time.

What took most of the time was to set up the crystal with the chaotic mana type as the energy source. Kaden had to make it project a regulating shield around the armor to reduce the effects of mana inside the rift, but to also keep the armor functioning. The former was more important. Kaden expected to be able to use his own mana to keep the armor functioning. He also hoped the same shield would work as an actual shield against spells once he got outside. That depended on what kind of mana and how much of it the crystal was holding in itself at the time. He was certain that there would be a fight and stuffing in his own mana to run it would likely be too wasteful and even more so if he had to run the armor too.

Time mana was problem. He could not directly affect it, but it was part of everything. With chaotic mana crystal as the core, chaotic mana containing as many mana types as possible, would be able to allow time mana to flow through too. Only reason this would work was because it seemed time related mana was so abundantly present inside the rift that even someone at Kaden's level could detect it.

"I'll have all the mana around the battle armor to flow through the crystal", Kaden thought to himself. "It should normally use mana inside the crystal already and refil constantly from the surrounding environments. Inside the rift that surrounding mana in the environment is time mana. Even if it cannot be used as source of power, the crystal should last long enough to provide a shield. I just cannot be certain how strong this shield will be."

There was also a theory in Kaden's mind. Now that he had the chance, why not try to take some of that time mana? He wouldn't be able to use it for a long time, but he might not run into more of it again in his life time. There was a possibility that the chaotic mana crystal could be able to retain some traces of it and not have it all leak out.

It would contain it for a while at least, but Kaden had no means to keep it in. Yet, the crystal was pure and taken from the time of cataclysm. Its purity was high. Unusually so. Similar crystal from the future, would have less of such properties or lack entirely. In the future even higher grade crystal would be required.

If any time mana was to remain in the crystal after all was done ... it would be priceless.

Kaden was able to put the crystal inside the battle armor and use it as power source. He stepped inside the armor through opening on its front and started it up.

Everything lit up, but some features were obviously not functioning such as the computers and sensory systems. Those Kaden had replaced with formations. He closed the armor spent a moment to check everything was functioning.

One of the ancients had come. Ron? That was it?

"These formations are indeed curious discipline", Ron said as he observed Kaden move around the armor. "With some lines of ... energy, one may construct advanced enough systems to run one of these armors."

Kaden snorted.

"While I consider myself to have good talent, I have seen things that can be made with formations that I cannot even comprehend. Not to even begin to since I don't have senses to even see all what is done. These are more like nice little application." Kaden decided to tell the man.

"The future has such potential", Ron continued. "This 'mana'. It allows one to do unimaginable things. Yet, even after thousands of years, it seems your society is still basically medieval and you spend most of your lives killing each other and intelligent beasts. Such a waste! Why not travel space, for example? When this 'cataclysm' started, we were just starting to spread across our solar system. For you it would be much easier."

"Why would we bother?" Kaden questioned the idea. "There is nothing there. The planets are barren. Some amount of concepts do exist, but not in the richness of a living world. What resources could be found are limited and not worth the effort. Besides, it would take an Archmagus, the limit of human existence, to travel through the void of space with almost no mana, to reach nearby planets. This planet is what is valuable. I'd conquer and use it up before I would consider going anywhere else."

"There is more to look for than simply power", Ron continued. "There is knowledge to be found. More so with the current events. No one of us could even imagine all this to be even possible."

Kaden stopped his tests. All seemed to work.

"Knowlegde I need is or care for at the moment is already within my reach", Kaden replied. "I will consider research once I reach the limits of what is possible."

At this time Emina came. She had apparently heard the discussion.

"I find discussing with these ancients very enlightening", Emina told Kaden. "I have made many gains from it. Also, did you not perform some research yourself. That thing you brought me?"

"It was power to be gained", Kaden replied. "Direct power. Not some ephemeral thought and gambling years of study and experiment on mere slight possiblity that one finds something useful. I am no stranger to research that I find useful. Going out into the void of space to slowly float to an another planet just to see what is there is hardly useful."

Emina didn't continue the discussion and instead pulled out another a crystal, one like Kaden had inside the battle armor. Kaden wondered for a moment, if Emina had ran into the mana creature he had detected earlier or if she found another location. He pushed the thought aside, it didn't matter.

"I see yours is already functional", Emina said. "I have decided not to concern myself with your motives, so if you still plan to modify another for me, here is the crystal you require. I will ponder on the consequences of what you have done and what I will do once I we get out of here."

"A sensible choice", Kaden said with a nod.

It was a good thing that Emina was slightly more flexible with new ideas than most people. At least in this case she understood what mattered and not get stuck on some ideas of what was right or wrong.

At this point Kaden even hoped that Emina would survive what was to come. There weren't too many large enough groups of people, like elves, that could possibly accept the new godless mana system. If he only gave it to some freak cultists and beasts, it would only give chance to the church to say that the said mana system was indeed evil. It would seriously hinder his plans.

Then again, not that they wouldn't say it was evil regardless.

Still, now that his armor was functioning, he started to work on Emina's. Good thing that both Ron and Emina left him alone. Work progressed quickly. This time he already knew all the problems and how to deal with it.

Kaden did intend to do the work properly. He wanted Emina to survive. Though, should she die, Kaden wondered if he should take a trip back to Brit and find the elves directly. It would be more difficult to convince them, though. Emina bringing in the instructions was far better choice than he just appearing at their door and offer them terrible blasphemy to spit at gods, including their own, in exchange for power.

That would be indeed difficult.

"Hmmm, I wonder would Nosran be interested?" Kaden wondered for a moment. "I think he might just take it, if not for anything else than for research."

In fact, Kaden expected, out of all the people who weren't degenerates or cultist freaks, he could tempt a lot of researcher types with the godless mana system. This was good. His main objective was to have it researched and improved and spread. Make it good enough that people will want to keep it. Make as many people as possible to think like that. This all despite the risks involved.

Aside from the matters related to the mana system, Kaden wasn't actually certain what exactly he would do once he got outside and escaped. He did plan to kill some people, but how and where he would find them, in which order and so on. He decided he would decide such matters once more immediate concerns were solved.

Eventually he was finished with Emina's battle armor too. With it done, he started to look back on his own. Perhaps while there was still time, some extra upgrades and checks could be made.

Emina appeared to check on things.

"Test your armor", Kaden told her without even really paying attention. "Your life may depend on it."

After looking at her armor for a moment, she went inside and it seemed to function properly. Including the shield she and Kaden were planning to use.

"We are using these to wade through time", Emina said while still testing. "I feel like its something momentous. Time mana, more than anyone has ever seen before. Should we call this something?"

Kaden snorted.

"The formations are nothing out of ordinary, at best low grade battle armor systems based on some plans I happened to discover a while back", Kaden replied. "The shield is more advanced, but it is still at the limits of my level. There is nothing out of ordinary."

"What of the crystals?" Emina continued. She seemed like she wanted something to be special.

"The mana crystals are indeed pure, but thats all that is special regarding them", Kaden said.

"Time mana will be flowing through them", Emina said after she ignored Kaden's explanation. "They have to be something. Time Crystal? Time Core? That sounds good."

"Call it whatever you want", Kaden told her.

Indeed, if any time mana was to remain behind, perhaps it could be considered something special. Kaden wasn't intending to worry about that much. He probably wouldn't bother with it. Still, if Emina wanted to think of it that way, he wouldn't fault her. Not in this case.