Treatise Of A Failed Knight

"I should start by asking you a question..."

The man, Alistair Wormwood, stares at me with a serene, official gaze. It unnerves me slightly, and I feel a certain weight of expectation placed upon me with those eyes.

Perhaps it isn’t an intentional thing on his end, but I detect some measure of curiosity flashing in his countenance—a dissecting kind. It’s almost as though he wishes to test the depth of my knowledge to judge what I am qualified to understand.

Rather than argue or make this observation of mine known to him, I nod silently.

"What do you know about Leviathans and our abilities?" He asks me while intertwining fingers and leaning forward.

With a smile on my face, I casually shrug and offer a response:

"As Leviathans, we possess the supernatural ability to peer into the true state of the temporal world and manipulate its essence using ’Aego’. The world exists in Temporal Layers, which serve the frames that pervade its entire history. These layers are present throughout, from the start of the world to its end. Everything that exists in the world also has these temporal layers..."

I am essentially repeating everything Lady Anastasia told me.

The Ouroboros Sect members stare at me, impressed by my depth of knowledge as well as the sophistication with which I say these things.

It’s good that I can impress them with my sophistry, but I cannot hold any praise in this.

It is all thanks to Lady Anastasia.

"You are right. There are Ten Layers of Existence. In the ancient tongue, they are referred to as more archaic terms which hold deeper meaning, but for simple use and in the case of functionality, we call them the Second, Minute, Hour, Day, Week, Month, Year, Decade, Century, and Millennium." Alistair adds to my words. "Interacting with these Layers depends on the Rank of the Leviathan."

I nod.

This much is common sense.

As a Rank 1 Leviathan, I can only interact with the first four Layers of Existence.

Only my Leaper Pathway attainment has received a qualitative change, allowing me access to the Week Layer, but that was only after Apotheosis.

Thus, it only follows that Rank 2 Leviathans have access to the Week Layer.

Rank 3 Leviathans have access to the Month Layer.

Rank 4 Leviathans have access to the Year Layer.

Rank 5 Leviathans have access to the Decade Layer... and so on!

Of course, I have no real guarantee about most of these Layers and Ranks, especially since I can clearly see how disproportionate the Ranks are to the Layers.

There are Nine Ranks and Ten Layers of Existence.

However, at Rank 1, Leviathans already have access to four Layers of Existence. If I am to keep adding Layers per Rank, then wouldn’t Rank 7 Leviathans have access to all of the Temporal Layers of Existence?

Then what of Rank 8 and Rank 9?

Perhaps there are more Temporal Layers of Existence that I am unaware of?

Or maybe the method of distribution is not so clear-cut.

I have no clue right now.

To hide this massive flaw in my knowledge, I continue speaking in accordance with the words that Lady Anastasia imparted upon me in her domain.

"Leviathans are those who can interact with these layers of existence through Aego, connecting with them and also linking the layers to each other to create miraculous effects. Aego is the line that intersects with these temporal layers and links with all frames of existence. Leviathans can connect to Aego. Therefore, Leviathans have access to the temporal layers. The act is called ’Conception’..."

Satisfied grunts and nods are expressed by my audience.

It appears I have fulfilled their expectations.

Alistair smiles at me, his gaze containing newfound respect and a hint of surprise.

Perhaps they did not expect a lone Leviathan like me to know so much.

I can understand that sentiment.

After all, if not for Lady Anastasia’s guidance, I would have stumbled in the dark for a lot longer and not known several terminologies that I now do. There’s also Ciel and the Vey’lithar Civilization, which exposed me to the true name for what I referred to as ’Aego Sight’ and ’Domination’.

For the former, it is Existential Resonance, and the latter is called Existential Compulsion.

It all relies on witnessing the world through the lens of a Leviathan.

Seeing through its hidden nature by witnessing the definition of all existence around you, as well as the Layers of existence that pervade all things.

There are also the threads that connect every and all things in the world.

Of course, Trace Elements and Mystical Characteristics are also easily detectable as well.

Interfering with the world and commanding Magivores through a higher degree of existence is certainly something else of note.

All of these are things that I inform the six about, which they agree with.

So far, I have been correct.

’I wanted answers, yet why does it seem like I am the one being questioned?’ Although this slightly irritates me, I put up with it for the time being.

The main reason for this is that I know I am certainly not losing anything in this conversation, and I stand to gain a lot more through my cooperation. After all, these people belong to a Leviathan Organization. It would be strange if they did not know what I am telling them.

However, there is much that I do not know.

As such, by exposing my depth of knowledge, I stand to gain a lot from this exchange.

At least, I would like to think so.

"As expected, you are sufficiently enlightened. Then this won’t be too difficult to explain..." Alistair finally speaks up before I say any more.

It’s a bit regrettable.

I was just about to talk about my superficial knowledge of the 6 Leviathan Pathways.

But perhaps this is for the best.

After all, Lady Anastasia did not inform me of much regarding this, and the little I know comes from the texts of the Vey’lithars. Needless to say, if I am grilled on certain details, I just might fold immediately.

Hence, having the atmosphere that I know what I am talking about is actually preferable.

’This should suffice...’ With a relieved smile, I focus my attention on the man before me. ’Now, it’s your turn to tell me what I want to know!’

"The Leaper Pathway..." Alistair Wormwood begins. "I know a lot more about it than others since I am a Leaper myself. However, it is standard for every member of our organization and those with whom we work to understand the nature of this Pathway and its operations."

"Okay..."

So tell me what it is all about already.

The truth is, I already know the fundamentals about the Leaper Pathway.

It involves traveling through the space-time fabric of reality.

"Leviathans use Aego to connect themselves to the ’frames’ of events that are tied to the Temporal Layers. Their Conception features moving through these ’frames.’ Naturally, this travel is limited to the Temporal Layers they have control over and the level of Interference Power the Leaper possesses." Alistair, as though having read my thoughts, begins his explanation.

"The basic ability is divided into two-fold: traveling through time, referred to as Jumping, and traveling through space, known as Tracing."

I nod in agreement.

So far, he hasn’t said anything I am not more or less aware of.

As someone with the Tracing Fragmented Conception, especially, I know how the basic mechanics of the ability operate. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to undergo Apotheosis in the first place.

"Jumping features traveling forward or backward through time using Aego as the link that leads and anchors them through the Temporal Layers. For example, a Rank 1 Leaper can jump through time by connecting the Third Layer (Hour) and Fourth Layer (Day). To jump forward in time, he simply replaces the ’Hour’ he exists in with the ’Day’, which allows him to jump forward within the same day. To jump backward, he simply replaces the ’Hour’ he exists in with a moment in the ’Day.’ The travel works by shifting frames—translocating the specific frame of existence of the Leaper to another part in time. This overwrites the previous frame, which means the Leaper that existed in the frame before the jump is replaced by the past or future Leaper."

Alright... this is all new information.

What does he mean by overwriting frames through travel?

"Does he mean that if I travel to the past with an injury, the me in the past that I travel to gets overwritten by the present me, and I will have the injury in the past? Likewise, in the future? Or if I am a certain age in the future and I return to the past, my age will be the future age and not what it was in the past?"

"That is precisely the case." Alistair nods in affirmation.

Oh?

But that makes no sense!

At least, in the case of my regression, it is completely bonkers!

I returned to the past through some act of ’Jumping’ by a foreign Leaper, but I did not become an old man in the past. Instead, I only brought back my future memories.

So what does this mean?

Does that mean my regression was not caused by a Leaper in the end?

Is it due to something else?!

"As you would expect, the further the jump, the more Interference Power is needed." Alistair continues with his explanation, not even pausing for a moment, so I can fully grasp the meaning behind his words and their implications. "Also, the higher the Temporal Layer a Leaper can access, the further the jump that they can make. Hence, a Rank 1 Leaper can only jump at most a day into the past or future, while a Rank 3, like our target, can make a jump of weeks with a single Conception."

Once again, I feel a subtle shiver down my spine.

I am reminded of the experience I had with Jumping; how the efforts of multiple weeks were overwritten so easily by a single interference.

It feels like an invincible power... one that is almost too unfair to possess!

Yet there are multiple Leapers in the world. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

How exactly can I stay sane in such a reality, where anything can easily be changed without my awareness? Is it not a maddening thing for me to remember life as one thing and for others to see it as something else?

It appears only Leviathans can tell the difference and observe what exactly has been changed.

But not everyone can become a Leviathan.

Therefore, it is extremely scary as well as lonely to live in this world.

"As for traveling through space, using Tracing, the process is even less complicated. If a Rank 1 Leaper travels through space using the Third Layer (Hour) and Fourth Layer (Day), they can simply relocate themselves to a position they occupied within that same day, but in the present. In essence, it isn’t returning to the past, but returning to the place the person was in the past... while being in the present. As you would imagine, the higher the Rank, the longer the range and options at one’s disposal."

I know all of this, especially as someone who can use Tracing myself.

However, now that I am reminded of the nature of this ability, the terrifying nature of our opponent becomes even more certain.

As a Rank 3 Leaper, this Lucien Zevalis fellow can simply choose through the entire month and instantly jump to wherever he occupied at any of those moments. He could be anywhere within the range of his activities in a month, which makes him rather troublesome to deal with.

Imagine if he keeps returning to a faraway place before the ’Month’ runs out.

Even if it is for only a few moments.

This means he could potentially be anywhere within the Randalorion Kingdom at any point in time. His ability to travel to the past and future, alongside his power to be anywhere in the present, gives him a terrifying potential to be unstoppable.

Yet these people are not despairing.

No, they even appear rather confident in their ability to catch him.

Their determination is evident, and there is not even a trace of despair in their demeanor.

I want to know how!

As well as why!

Why are these people so confident?!

"One thing you should note is that Tracing typically requires less Interference Power compared to Jumping, and so Leapers in the low rank use the former more often than the latter. Also, with Tracing, a Leaper can jump to locations that they will eventually be in at some point in time. This is an advanced Conception, however, and only Rank 2 and above Leapers can use it, albeit its utility is very limited among low Ranks."

I nod at this.

It is rather frustrating that I may never be able to use Tracing in this manner.

But it’s too early to give up.

Since we are on the matter of the Leaper Pathway, perhaps I can learn some secrets that could develop my Fragmented Conception somehow.

Yes... I should have hope.

"Now, to the topic at hand. Lucien Zevalis..." Alistair’s expression turns grim. "Like me, he is a Rank 3 Leaper, thus he can access up to the sixth Temporal Layer of Existence. This means that his range is up to a month. Leapers of our caliber can travel forward or backward through time within the confines of a month at most. We can go a week in time with no problem. The limit for most, however, is a little over a week at a time. This is because it requires great Interference Power to travel an entire month at a time. Perhaps if you are at Peak Rank 3, it is easier, but for most Leapers, they wouldn’t dare to take such a gamble due to the high possibility of Failure."

"I see..."

This already means Lucien Zevalis is no ordinary Rank 3 Leviathan.

He is an elite!

His influence covered over two weeks of effort, and he erased everything like it was nothing.

That means he can travel for an entire two-three weeks at once!

"Although it is very difficult to make such large Jumps at a time, it is far less burdensome to make small bursts of consecutive jumps. Of course, cooldown periods exist after every Jump, and it is proportional to the range. As for Space Travel, jumping to a location one has been in for exactly one month is a lot more bearable, though it will take a lot of time and concentration and is very draining. It takes much less Interference Power to travel to destinations one has been to the previous week or even two weeks."

"I think I understand the scope of his abilities..." I sigh deeply, intertwining my own fingers at this point. However, I retreat into my sofa, almost in a defeated fashion. "The more you explain, the more invincible this man appears, to be honest. I believe you were going to enlighten me on my misconceptions regarding his strength."

"He’s a sharp one..." Elma makes a side note, whistling softly.

I stare at the teenage girl for a moment, but she doesn’t even bother glancing at me.

Instead, an arrogant air of authority wafts around her.

Taking my eyes off her, I return my attention to the Adept before me, who has a more friendly smile and nods at my question.

"You are correct. Leviathans of the Leaper Pathway are rather difficult to deal with, as you can imagine, but they are not at all invincible..."

My doubtful stare immediately greets him, but he simply chuckles as his eyes twinkle.

"I will now tell you why."