Sakolomeh had asked Hinata to follow him a little away from the others. His voice was calm, but serious enough for the young woman to immediately understand the importance of the conversation.
— Hinata, there is something your friends must not know.
She blinked, then nodded without hesitation.
— I understand, big brother.
Her expression suddenly became determined. She clenched her fists against her chest as if she were receiving a crucial mission.
— I promise you. Kert and Zerath will learn absolutely nothing. You can trust me.
A slight smile appeared on Sakolomeh's face.
— I do not doubt it.
He then turned his gaze toward the immense forest surrounding them.
— You will be leaving soon.
Hinata lowered her head slightly.
— In any case... our fight against Mo-Zus will never take place.
Her voice carried a hint of bitterness.
— We have lost far too much time here. The deadline must have passed long ago.
Sakolomeh raised an eyebrow.
— On the contrary.
— Huh?
The young woman abruptly lifted her head.
Sakolomeh extended his hand toward the gigantic trees stretching as far as the eye could see.
— This forest is not an ordinary place. It is not simply an isolated region of the world. It is a pocket dimension.
Hinata frowned.
— A pocket dimension?
— Yes. A small artificial reality suspended between several layers of space. But that is not what makes it special.
He paused briefly.
— This dimension is located near an extremely rare cosmic anomaly.
— An anomaly?
— A gravitational singularity.
Seeing the confusion on the young woman's face, he continued:
— Imagine a black hole. Not an ordinary black hole, but a singularity located between several layers of space. Its influence does not only distort matter. It also distorts time.
Hinata's eyes widened.
— Time?
— Exactly. The closer one gets to this singularity, the more the flow of time differs from the rest of the universe.
He traced several luminous circles in the air representing different spatial layers.
— The forest is located in a zone where the temporal flow is accelerated compared to that of Earth.
Hinata remained silent.
— You mean that...
— Fourteen days spent here are equivalent to about three days in your world.
Hinata's face froze completely.
— Wh... what?
She looked at the forest around her as if discovering it for the first time.
— Wait... wait a second...
She counted mentally.
— That would mean that while we lived two entire weeks here...
— Only a few days have passed on Earth.
Hinata opened her mouth, unable to respond.
All that time... all those encounters and revelations between nightmares and the Outergods, not to mention Bivisu.
And yet, in the normal world, barely a few days had passed.
— That's impossible...
— And yet it is the truth.
Sakolomeh crossed his arms.
— Dimensions near singularities often function this way. Some accelerate time. Others slow it down. A few even go as far as completely breaking the notion of chronology.
He looked at the morning sky that was beginning to brighten.
— If this forest had not been located here, the situation would have been very different. You would have missed your deadline long ago.
Hinata remained silent for a few moments.
Then a long sigh escaped her lips.
— So... we still have time?
— More than you think.
A reassuring smile appeared on Sakolomeh's face.
Hinata thought for a few moments before frowning.
— Wait... I don't understand something.
Sakolomeh slightly turned his head toward her.
— What is it?
— If this forest is just a dimension where time flows differently, then why didn't Kert and Zerath's magic work here? There must be something else, right?
Sakolomeh nodded.
— Of course.
His gaze slowly swept across the gigantic trees surrounding them.
— This forest is also imbued with extremely ancient magic.
He paused.
— And believe me, this place is far more dangerous than it appears.
Hinata raised a finger as if she had just understood.
— Wait... don't tell me this forest only blocks powers linked to the Nemesis system?
Sakolomeh looked at her, then let out a slight laugh.
— Not at all.
He shifted his attention back to the vast greenery.
— Mo-Zus indeed uses the Nemesis system to reach phenomenal power. Yet if he came here, he could continue to use it without difficulty.
— Huh?
Hinata crossed her arms, increasingly confused.
— Then what exactly is the problem?
— This forest does not neutralize powers based on their origin.
He raised his hand, and tiny luminous particles appeared around his fingers.
— It neutralizes magical sources deemed too weak.
Hinata's eyes widened.
— Sources... too weak?
— Exactly.
Sakolomeh slowly closed his hand.
— System-based magic or natural magic, it does not matter. This forest makes no distinction. As soon as it detects energy capable of producing supernatural phenomena, it evaluates it.
He smiled.
— Then it simply decides whether that energy deserves to exist within its domain.
Hinata lowered her gaze to her hands.
— But... Kert and Zerath are Transcendants. Even with the system's limitations, they are incredibly powerful.
She abruptly lifted her head.
— How can a place like this consider their magic weak?
— Because this forest's criteria are absurd.
Sakolomeh's answer was immediate.
— The natural energy level of this place reaches the upper layers of the Méracloxes.
Hinata's gaze gradually emptied.
— The... upper layers?
— Far beyond the seventh level.
This time, she remained completely silent.
— Kert and Zerath are indeed Transcendants thanks to the system, Sakolomeh continued. But their ascension remains confined within the limits of the third Méracloxes. Faced with a forest whose very atmosphere far exceeds that threshold, their power is considered insignificant.
A mysterious wind blew through the trees.
— To this forest, their abilities are like a mere spark trying to illuminate a star.
Hinata swallowed with difficulty.
Sakolomeh then raised his hand toward the sky.
— You, however, are different.
A golden glow passed through his eyes.
— Your magical essence comes directly from mine. It already surpasses the Delzluhûd and reaches layers that this forest cannot even hope to constrain.
He gave her a reassuring smile.
— That is why it never truly affected you.
Then he simply snapped his fingers.
The spell covering the forest instantly dissipated around their group.
At the same moment, Kert and Zerath jolted.
— Huh?!
Kert immediately placed a hand on his chest.
— What is happening to me?
Beside him, Zerath slowly extended his palm.
A small flame instantly appeared.
His eyes widened.
— Impossible...
The flame grew slightly.
— Our magic...
He looked at Kert.
— Our magic has returned!
— YESSSS!
Kert jumped with joy.
— I knew it! I knew it!
He raised his arms toward the sky like a hero returned from the dead.
— Finally! The world regains its greatest warrior!
Salomeh discreetly looked away.
Bakuzan sighed.
Neru closed his eyes.
Even Ravena seemed to regret hearing that sentence.
Kert then turned toward them with a huge smile.
— Now that my powers are back, I am technically unbeatable again.
He took a particularly clumsy martial stance.
— So? Does anyone want to fight me?
A heavy silence settled.
All the Ineffables looked at him with the exact expression of people observing an idiot particularly talented in his field.
Finally, Neru raised his hand.
— You win.
— Huh?
— We clearly cannot compete with you.
The tone was so flat that it was almost insulting.
Zerath simply shook his head.
— Incorrigible...
Meanwhile, Hinata had joined Sakolomeh with a radiant smile.
— You really removed the spell!
She almost bounced in place.
— That's incredible, big brother!
Sakolomeh gently placed a hand on her head.
His expression became more serious.
— Do not celebrate too quickly.
Hinata blinked.
— Why?
— Because unlike them, your problem has never been about recovering your magic.
His gaze deepened.
— Your true challenge is to learn how to master the immense essence that already lies dormant within you.
Hinata's smile gradually faded.
— Without that...
Sakolomeh looked toward the horizon where the sun had fully risen.
— You, Kert, and Zerath will have absolutely no chance against Mo-Zus when the time comes.
Silence immediately fell.
Even Kert stopped boasting.