Kaden took a few steps from the chamber where he had formed his mana body. He then stopped. Reality looked so different now. Even if you could reach the level with ordinary body, it likely would have caused mind being overloaded. With a mana body, it just... it just handled it. Concepts everywhere and their mana. Even the few steps made Kaden sense more things, concepts of motion, how he pushed aside air, how mana moved in his own body, how he moved through space. Specifically that thing, space, made Kaden stop. It was as if there was more than he could see despite how much he was sensing as it was already.

"The first moments of having a mana body can be overwhelming", Zeruek said as he watched Kaden. "You have left behind your physical body and are now being of mana."

"I feel like there is more to see than I see now", Kaden replied.

"There is", Zeruek said with a slight smile. "You aren't bound to the same dimensions as your previous body was. Time is a bit hard. You might catch a glimpse of it, but its use is likely better left to future, if you can become an Archmagus. But try to look beyond these parts that make up the physical world and its rules."

Kaden frowned. There was his sphere of influence, the area that he could directly affect. He sensed what was in the ordinary dimensions. Kaden quickly sensed that those parst where not all. Sections of his senses were ... elsewhere.

It came naturally. Kaden just looked to that 'elsewhere'. Like turning your head or tilting it to get another view. He could see what was 'behind' the usual space.

It was dark, if that was a word that matched the sensation. He could see into the void between dimensions. There was mana too, but it was alien. He turned around to look 'back' at the ordinary space. It looked distorted, like a thin surface floating in darkness containing everything that was.

Zeruek appeared next to him. "Physical world is merely a piece of what is. This is not the place where mana comes from, but it does come from outside of the world."

"This 'space'. Does it go somewhere? Is it ... infite? I can't sense any limits", Kaden asked.

"Its not anymore infinite than the real world, which is a question to itself", Zeruek said. "Even less here in my hideout. This dimension around here is contained within the hideout that itself is extremely stabilized in space. In the void between dimensions, spatial rules may be different. Its not infinite, but what seems a straight line may not be a straing line. You might find yourself in strange spaces with very unusual shapes. Here it is stable, but outside may be different, almost certainly in the No Man's Land. You may even find remanants that have separated from reality. Perhaps you will find high quality mana that you can use. Mana still crystallizes even here. Anyway, I'm just helping you understand your new reality. Leave behind any preconceptions of physical limits. Consider this kind of thing 'normal'."

Kaden understood it. It was neccessary to note all changes and have no restrains. He had broken those chains that bound his existence until now. Kaden looked back and no longer he was seeing seemingly infinite darkness and was back in normal space.

"I have to understand this", Kaden told to himself. "This understanding increases my power. Considering the amount of Archmagi, it will be extremely difficult."

To test his powers, instead of walking out, he simply took the part that was gravity and reduced its effect on himself and then took mana that was 'force' to move himself forward. It was trivially easy to start floating and move where he wanted without walking. To anyone weaker than True Magus, it would be an effort to reduce falling speed significantly and it would happen entirely different manner. Kaden just willed certain forces to affect him less or more.

"How long did it take for me to form my mana body?" Kaden asked Zeruek.

"About two years", Zeruek replied.

Kaden stopped to think for a moment. It did not feel that long, but when he considered the time, he wasn't actually able to really pinpoint passing of time. He remembered all the events that really didn't take time, but there was nothing really in between. Time was subjective in that strange state.

"I would recommend taking time and consolidate your gains", Zeruek continued.

"That is likely to happen, but I do not intend to remain here for too long", Kaden replied. "I must see how things have progressed outside. Also, there are targets now that I am able to finally kill."

"I still recommend growing a bit more in strength, but I will not stop you", Zeruek said. He knew perfectly how someone like Kaden acted. "You did realize how True Magi grow in power, yes?"

Kaden gave a curious look at Zeruek. "I did ... I just somehow knew it."

"Its natural, the moment you made your first understanding of mana at this stage, you grew slightly", Zeruek said. "Such things won't pass your notice. Some fresh True Magi just happen to ignore it, but even they will instantly understand it once they give a good look at mana once they aren't distracted by everything new they are seeing."

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It made sense.

"As a True Magus, your understanding should focus on ... well, surface mana", Zeruek continued. "Things that directly affect you, whether they are material or immaterial things. Such as your vengeance is immaterial thing, but it comes mainly from yourself. Material things being, such as physical things and forces that affect them. Do this far enough that your mana reaches higher state and you can become an Archmagus. You will need enough power, to not literally collapse as you reach further."

"I understand", Kaden said.

"Some True Magi try to understand things they aren't actually yet able to comprehend and can get stuck at it. Some meddle with things they can perhaps affect slightly, but aren't capable of handling. You may feel yourself indestructible and powerful beyond limits, but you are not. These are just warnings I want to give to you. True Magi can die." Zeruek told to Kaden calmly. "As for Archmagi, for future reference, they will comprehend everything that remains. Once that is done, Ascenders will sense there is more beyond the limits of this world."

It was rather easy to summarize goals on how to grow. First self, then the world, then what was outside of it.

"I will remember this guidance, but it is likely you would have had the chance for it in the future in greater detail", Kaden pointed out. "This place is rather safe and intend to use it. I want to watch from the safe distance as everything my enemies hold dear crumble and burn before them."

Zeruek nodded and disapeared somewhere. He seemed more reserved now than before. Kaden assumed it was because he had now taken the step that had the chance of a random failure. Now he was on the path that both he and Zeruek wished.

If Kaden was able to prevail against dangers in the future and if he was able to grow stronger than anyone else, all the things Zeruek hoped to see would likely occur. It was a perilous path, but Kaden was now on it.

There was little reason to stay any longer. He had spent enough time learning when he came. Now Kaden only took a few useful things. For example, he took a few extremely high grade mana crystals, not the biggest ones, but ones he could handle. While the actual mana contained in them wasn't generally useful for a True Magus directly, they could not only be used to power things that were useful, but the mana in the crystals was what one might call 'ordered'. If Kaden was to study mana, then looking at his surroundings was like looking faded and blurry image, then looking at a crystal was like looking at sharp image. Just a small section of whole.

In other words, mana crystals were still useful. Then ones that were useful were just rare. Luckily Zeruek had many, but as far as Kaden could tell, they were rather similar. Possibly same source or their composition had changed over time. He did not need to carry many as fuel for things. If he really needed them, he could always come back for them.

Other things he took were some materials that were useful for True Magi. Such as fabrics woven from mana, Manaweave. True Magi prefered such materials since they were easy to shape and were sufficiently strong for their uses. Since Kaden was now able to take a form that allowed him to move among humans again, he intended to take advantage of it. He needed to look the part.

"The church might be pulling the strings behind everything, but I want to see, if I can force the hand of fate", Kaden thought to himself. "The empires must be weakened further. Churches cannot be allowed to have time to get used to the situation. Cari must attack sooner. If not, it might take a very long time... even hundreds of years until they feel like its time. This is not optimal."

What was a few years to him? Perhaps it was indeed meaningless amount time, but Kaden saw no reason to waste time. Whether it was short time or not.

"I have been most active in Saint Empire, but its also there that I have most influence", Kaden continued his thoughts. "Sacronan's time will come and its not like they don't suffer when they have to fight both Saint Empire and Cari at the same time."

The more chaos there was, the better.

As long as Kaden managed to get to that True Magus from Sacronan, Ragur, it would be fine. There were several True Magi he needed to kill. Some of them, like Ragur, had killed his mother, some of them needed to die for what they did to Anuu. Kaden had promised he would kill them.

"Hmmm, I did learn a lesson during that mental trial", Kaden though to himself. "There is no point to rush. I will carefully and patiently act with highest possible efficiency. As much as I want to go kill them right away, my opponents are likely older and very experienced. I just reached this level and I barely understand my new existence. I am essentially a child that just learned how to run in terms of True Magi. I must wait."

But waiting did not mean he had to be idle. No, that was not the way. Kaden pulled out Vengeance. To Kaden it now felt... mundane. Yet, he could see the blade consume mana from its surroundings, slowly, but surely. It also eagerly integrated mana that Kaden sent to it into its existence. It was growing.

"I want to see, if I can make it grow faster", Kaden thought to himself.

Vengeance mana was floating about the blade and he could sense more of it in himself. It was just one type of many that he needed to understand, but he was very interested in it specifically. Vengeance was his purpose. To understand its mana would be beneficial.

Even more so, Kaden was interested in adjusting all his spells. Just as expected, he was now free of his mana limitations. It was still far more efficient to use the ones he had affinity for, but the limits did not exist.

Additionally, considering he had already seen how space and dimensions worked for a being of mana, manipulation of them became possible. Kaden already had some understanding of space. Not only did he still have his old spatial bag that to his eyes was now merely an entrance to small subspace with some supporting structures around it, he had had the privilege of reading theoretical understanding of ancients during his trip into the far past. As far as he could tell the ancients had been right about things.

"I wonder how much the churches know", Kaden muttered to himself. "Anything regarding space manipulation is usually hard to come by and involves dealing with the church. Yet, have they ever found fully intact theoretical knowledge, detailing mathematics and how everything else ties together? How much of their understanding is based on direct empirical observations from True Magi and Archmagi? Do they understand it entirely?"

Space was one of the things True Magi could observe, but it would take an Archmagus to reach an understanding as they studied the mana. Possibly even something beyond Archmagi would be required.

It was possible Kaden knew things, at least in theoretical sense, that was unique. Kaden was still reaping rewards of his trip into the past.

"Its time to leave and see what I can do", Kaden thought to himself and floated out of the doorway that he last time passed when he came to Zeruek's hideout.