Chương 271: Mandelbrot Recursion

Kal looked exactly as I remembered from my glimpse of the battle in the previous loop. Tall and slender, with hair as white as fresh snow. His eyes glowed with a soft blue light that seemed to emanate from within rather than reflecting from outside. The difference was that now, instead of the battle-hardened warrior I'd witnessed fighting Hiron to the death, he appeared relaxed and contemplative. A gentle smile played at the corners of his mouth as he observed me.

"Saint Tomas," he greeted me, setting aside the brush he'd been using.

"My name is Kal. Please, come in and have a seat." He gestured to a cushion across the table from him. I approached cautiously, bowing slightly before sitting down. The cushion was surprisingly comfortable, clearly designed for long periods of seated work.

"It's an honor to meet you, Master Kal," I said, keeping my tone respectful. His smile widened slightly.

"The honor is mine, Tomas. Though I must insist you simply call me Kal. We'll be spending a great deal of time together, and excessive formality will only become tedious." I nodded.

"As you wish... Kal." He poured tea from a simple ceramic pot into two cups, sliding one across the table to me. The liquid was a pale blue color and smelled faintly of mountain herbs.

"I imagine you have questions," he said, taking a sip from his own cup.

"About why I was chosen as your master, about what this arrangement will entail, perhaps even about me."

"I am curious," I admitted, mirroring his action and taking a small sip of the tea but only after Azure reported there was nothing unusual in it. While I doubted Azure's senses could protect me from a Rank 8 Lightweaver, we do what we can with what we have.

"Well, the official reason is quite straightforward," Kal explained.

"You selected painting as your cultivation method, and I am considered the academy's foremost expert in that particular discipline. It was a…natural match." The way he emphasized "official" suggested there was more to it than that.

"And the unofficial reason?" I asked. Kal smiled, appearing pleased by my directness.

"Perceptive. I like that." He set his cup down.

"The unofficial reason is that I specifically requested you as my disciple."

"I heard there was more to it than that," I said carefully.

"Someone mentioned there were disagreements among the elders. Fighting, even." A flicker of amusement passed across Kal's face.

"Ah, servants and their gossip. Yes, there was some... discussion about your tutelage. Your selection as Saint was unprecedented in many ways, especially with the prophecy recited by the late Saint Icarus. Some felt you needed a more traditional guide, others that your unique talents required a unique approach."

"And you fought for the position?" I asked, watching his reaction carefully.

"I expressed my interest," Kal replied diplomatically.

"The Council ultimately agreed that my methods would best serve your development." Translation: he had intimidated, outmaneuvered, or simply overpowered anyone who stood in his way. I didn't doubt for a moment that Kal had secured this position through sheer determination, while his true motives remained unclear to the elders, they were pretty clear to me. Kal paused, studying my reaction.

"Perhaps we should get to know each other better before delving into our first lesson. After all, the master-disciple relationship is sacred in our Order. It requires trust and understanding." I nodded, sipping my tea again to hide my wariness. This was clearly a tactic: share personal information to encourage reciprocation, to make me lower my guard and open up about myself. Though, I had to admit I was relieved that Kal hadn't taken a more aggressive approach.

Given what I knew about time loopers and how they could become desensitized to consequences, knowing everything would reset eventually, he could have simply attempted to forcefully extract information from me, perhaps with some soul-searching technique or torture. The fact that he'd chosen a subtler path was, at least, preferable.

"I was born in the coastal region," Kal began, his voice taking on a storytelling quality.

"My family were simple fishermen. We lived in a small village called Azure Shore, named for the way the blue sun's light reflected off the waters at dawn." I listened attentively as he described his childhood: playing along the beaches, helping his father mend nets, his mother's cooking, his discovery of his affinity for the blue sun's energy. His storytelling was vivid and engaging, painting pictures with words as skillfully as he likely did with a brush. You might be reading a stolen copy.

Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"My father didn't understand my desire to join the academy," Kal continued, a touch of melancholy entering his voice.

"He expected me to take over the family boat someday. But my mother, she saw something in me. She sold her wedding jewelry to fund my journey here."

"Do you miss it, the village?" I asked, genuinely curious now. Something flickered in Kal's eyes, a brief shadow of an emotion I couldn't quite identify.

"Sometimes. Though after so long, the memories have faded. I remember the smell of the sea and my mother's smile more than anything else." It was a touching story, possibly even true. Yet given what I knew about Kal, his ruthless battle with Hiron and the other elders, his apparent willingness to sacrifice innocents if necessary, I couldn't help but wonder how much of this sympathetic narrative was calculated to win my trust. It was convincing performance, masterfully so. But I noticed something interesting.

While Kal seemed outwardly open about his past, he carefully avoided discussing his meteoric advancement, skipping from childhood memories to his current position without addressing the intervening years. Hidden in those, I suspected, were where the time loop had begun, the period he either couldn't or wouldn't discuss. The question on my mind was when did this loop start? Did it begin the same time that I entered this world, or was this loop much older?

"What about you, Tomas?" Kal finally asked, refilling our tea cups.

"I've heard about your village, of course. A terrible tragedy. But I'd like to hear more about your life before that, if you're comfortable sharing." I took a moment, pretending to gather my thoughts while actually crafting my response carefully. I needed to provide enough details to seem cooperative without revealing anything that might contradict what others knew about Tomas.

"There isn't much to tell, really," I began.

"Porvale was a small farming village. My father was the miller. We led simple lives: working the fields, maintaining the mill, trading with neighboring villages." I described daily life in a typical agricultural community, drawing on what I'd learned from the little time I had spent in Porvale and adding generic details that would be common to most villages in this world.

"I always felt different, though," I added, deciding to offer something that might explain my unusual abilities.

"While the other children were content with our village life, I would often wander into the forests alone. I felt drawn to the plants, the trees. They seemed to... respond to me, somehow." Kal nodded encouragingly.

"Many with strong Blue Sun resonance report similar experiences. The natural world is particularly receptive to the First Light's energy." The conversation flowed naturally for a while, with me offering just enough personal information to seem cooperative without revealing anything truly significant. Kal was an excellent conversationalist, making insightful comments and asking follow-up questions that seemed genuinely interested rather than probing.

After about an hour of this back-and-forth, Kal finally asked a more direct question.

"Given what happened to your village," he said, "I'm curious about your feelings toward the Skybound. Do you hate them for what they did?" This was the first real test. I knew from the dinner at Lord Kaeven's that Kal's original stance had been conciliatory, that both Orders should find peace and harmony. Only recently had he become more aggressive, leading to the attack on the Red Sun Academy at the end of each loop. I chose my words with extreme care.

"I hate what they did," I said slowly.

"The destruction, the suffering they caused, it's unforgivable. But... I don't know if I hate all of them. Hatred is a heavy burden, and... well, aren't they victims too, in a way? Corrupted by the red sun's influence?"

"An unusually nuanced perspective," Kal said slowly, "especially from someone who has suffered so directly at their hands." I shrugged, trying to appear humble.

"I'm not saying I'm right. It's just... my thoughts."

"No, it's commendable," Kal shook his head.

"Many in our Order view the Skybound as irredeemably evil, but the truth is more complex. The red sun's corruption is powerful, but not absolute. There are those among them who maintain their humanity despite its influence…" His gaze drifted toward the window, in the direction where the Red Sun Academy lay beyond the horizon. Something flickered across his features, a complex emotion I couldn't quite decipher, before his expression became unreadable again.

For a moment, he seemed to forget I was even there, lost in memories or calculations I could only guess at. I watched him carefully, aware of the delicate balance I was maintaining. I had chosen this response carefully, appearing open-minded but not fully convinced, someone whose views could still be moulded by Kal's own philosophy. Taking a position that perfectly mirrored his would have drawn more suspicion than showing potential to be guided toward his perspective.

"I'd like to see your Cerulean Vein," Kal said suddenly, his attention snapping back to me as he changed the subject.

"It will help me understand how to structure your training." I nodded and closed my eyes, channeling the blue sun's energy as I'd been taught. I felt the familiar warmth spread through my body, concentrating in my forehead where my Cerulean Vein materialized. When I opened my eyes, Kal was studying the pattern with intense interest.

"An interesting choice," he said thoughtfully.

"The Arboreal Spiral is uncommon. I assume you chose it because of your affinity for nature?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"It is excellent for nature-based manifestations," Kal continued, circling me slowly.

"Practitioners with this design often excel at creating living constructs that grow and evolve. It's particularly well-suited to landscape paintings and botanical works." He stopped in front of me and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, his forehead glowed with his own Cerulean Vein, a complex fractal pattern that seemed to fold in on itself endlessly, creating the illusion of infinite depth.

"The Mandelbrot Recursion," Kal explained, noting my awed expression.

"My own design. It allows for the creation of patterns within patterns, details that replicate across different scales. Useful for creating works with multiple layers of meaning and function." The pattern was mesmerizing: beautiful in its mathematical precision yet somehow organic in its flowing curves. It suited him perfectly, I realized, a being caught in recursive time loops, experiencing the same patterns repeatedly at different scales.

"It's remarkable," I said honestly, wondering just how many loops it took for him to perfect it. Kal allowed the pattern to fade.

"Each vein has its strengths and limitations. Part of your training will be discovering the full potential of yours." He moved to a nearby shelf, selecting several scrolls and a wooden box.

"Tell me, have you ever painted before?"

"Only simple things," I admitted.

"Designs on pottery, patterns for festival decorations. Nothing like what Lightweavers do."

"That's fine," Kal assured me with a smile.

"We all begin somewhere." It seemed my first lesson was about to begin.