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Time flows fast whenever he's here.
No, it isn't because someone was deliberately messing with his perception or interfering with the flow of time; he's just really occupied that he forgets how much time passes by.
In a blink of an eye, he had already spent 10 years here. It wasn't that long, but it's a considerable amount of time, too.
Cedric has been making decent progress in his trials; at the Trial of Mind, he has found a way to breakthrough the cage; at the Trial of Body, he could already last for a whole day.
As for the Trial of Spirit, this one's a little more complicated.
The trial was rather simple, as most of the trials were, but that doesn't mean that it's easy. He just needed to make an impactful change in his past. The caveat is that he could only plant a single subconscious/subliminal thought or idea in his incarnation. Once he decides what it's going to be, the trial will begin, and his youngest memories will play out before him.
Chapter Discover:
He will be in complete immersion right away; at first, he would remain conscious enough to know that he's in a trial, but that wouldn't last long. Eventually, he will lose himself in it and could only hope that the arrangements he made before the immersion make a substantial difference since that's the only way he'd clear this trial.
What makes this hard were the unique stipulations of the trial. He could only plant a single subconscious influence on his psyche and hope that things go well.
At first, he used ideas like be more observant, be more hardworking, be smarter, be braver, etc. But all of them failed to make any difference.
Initially, he thought that if he could do something before the complete immersion happens (the part at the start of the trial where he's still aware that he's in a trial), he could also leave more influence behind and steer the attempt in the direction he had in mind.
But the mechanics of the trial were thorough, making all attempts at this fail.
The only real way to pass this trial was to leave behind a conclusive and extremely detailed subconscious thought as the memory plays out and hope that it does the job. So far though, no such luck of that happening. Fortunately, he isn't pressed with time yet and could still afford to experiment some more.
Cedric disliked this trial because it forced him to live out the worst moments of his life. He was forced to witness the death of his loved ones again and again, even though he tried his best to change its outcome.
The pain doesn't go away; it won't numb with constant exposure either. To Cedric, it feels just as painful as if he first experienced it, and he's convinced that nothing will change that at this point.
"Howler? Eunuch Wei? And...is that you, Backpack Fatty!? Geez guys, you look like shit. What happened?"
A couple more years passed in Cedric solitude. One day, as he was about to start his routine activities, he sensed the presence of three people appearing in the lobby.
It was Howler the Werewolf, Eunuch Wei of the Angel Clan, and Backpack Fatty the Mountain Giant who looked thinner and sick for some reason.
Actually, all three of them look sick. Howler was missing patches of his fur; there's also a large diagonal scar on his chest, which looked relatively fresh. Eunuch Wei looked as if he hadn't slept in years. The vibrancy of his aura and his wings had dimmed a lot; there were dark circles under his eyes, and his overall expression was downcast.
Backpack Fatty showed the most distressing change. His pudgy belly shrank a lot, and his craggly skin (due to being a mountain giant) looked dry and stained with some dark patches here and there. His whole being exuded overwhelming exhaustion, and his mood was definitely somber.
"Oh, Dawnbringer! Hey, man. Long time no see." Howler greeted with a hoarse voice. Eunuch Wei and Backpack Fatty waved at him too, but they seemed too tired to say anything.
Their fatigued state alarmed Cedric a lot. It wouldn't have been surprising if only one of them was like that, but for all three of them to appear like this and at the same time too? Yeah, something's definitely up. And Cedric could feel it in his bones that he knew what it was, or else he'd come to regret it.
"Sit down, you three; I'll make some food. It sure looks like you three need it."
The mention of feed caused their eyes to light up, followed by the thunderous rumbling of their stomach. The loudest ones were Howler's and Backpack Fatty.
Embarassed by their state, Backpack Fatty smiled shyly at him and said, "Sorry to trouble you; I certainly won't refuse."
"Same here. Thanks, man. You're a lifesaver."
"I, as well, if you don't mind. I haven't eaten anything decent in a long while."
"No problem. Just sit down and relax. Try not to think too much for now; we're in the tower so you're safe. I'll be back in a jiffy." Cedric responded before making his way to the kitchen.
Actually, the kitchen utensils were already moving before he even came close to the area. He's actually controlling them through telekinetic force. Fortunately, the tower has never been stingy with food supplies, so Cedric decided to make a goddamn feast because it sure as hell looks like they need it.
Their state was truly alarming, and if he wants to know what happened, he better makes them comfortable to talk first.
And what better way to do that than ensuring that they're well fed first? So, a feast it is.