NOVPUBAmbrose'snsciousness flowed back to his physical form, thennection to Claire reestablishing. Just as he had been unable to sense her presence when she fell into the dark expanse, the same limitation applied in reverse—theirnnection severedmpletely during his dive into that murky void. Now, back in the hidden library chamber, heuld once again feel the delicate thread binding them together.
"Claire," he called mentally, his thoughts reaching across their spiritualnnection. "Can you try accessing the white light you mentioned earlier? I'm curious to see if it leads somewhere different from the dark one."
Several minutes passed as Ambrose waited patiently, his physical body perfectly still in its meditative posture while his awareness remained focused on their bond.
"Master, there's a problem," Claire's voice finally whispered through theirnnection, tinged withnfusion. "Unlike the dark light that practically pulled me in, the white light seems to be... rejecting me. It's as though there's an invisible barrier preventing me from getting any closer."
Ambrose sighed, his breath stirring the dust motes dancing in the library's stale air. The oume, while disappointing, wasn't entirely unexpected. The white expanse had always presented itself as a more orderly, structuredunterpart to the chaotic dark void—it made sense that it might possess more selective entry requirements. 𝓷ℴ𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝒸𝓸𝓶
"It's alright," he reassured her. "Let's abandon that approach for now. At the very least, I've divered I can access the dark expanse through meditation rather than requiring unsciousness. That alone is valuable knowledge."
Shifting his focus, Ambrosencentrated on summoning Claire into the physical world. Unlike his previous failed attempt, this time he felt the smooth transfer of energy as her essence flowed outward from within him,alescing into her spectral form before his eyes.
Claire materialized gradually, her luminous outline gaining definition until she stood before him in the hidden chamber. Ambrose observed her with analytical curiosity, noting significant differences from her previous manifestation. Though still translucent, she appeared more substantial, her edges more clearly defined against the library's shadowy background. She no longer gave the impression of something about to dissipate like morning mist—instead, her presence carried a newfound solidity.
When Ambrose reached out to touch her, he was surprised by the sensation. The peculiar half-tangible quality that had characterized their previousntact had all but vanished. Her form now felt remarkably similar to touching a living person—warm and solid beneath his fingertips. Only his enhanced perception detected the subtle differences; for anyone with ordinary senses, the distinction would have been imperceptible.
As Claire adjusted to her new manifestation, something extraordinary happened. A small book on a nearby shelf trembled slightly before rising shakily into the air, hovering unsteadily before drifting toward her outstretched hand. Though it didn't make physicalntact with her spectral fingers, it remained suspended before her, responding to her will rather than her touch.
"I can... I can move things!" she exclaimed, her luminous features brightening with pure delight. "Thentract must have granted me some form of telekinesis!"
Her joy was infectious as she experimentally lifted several more volumes, creating a small orbit of books around her ghostly form. With delicatencentration, she opened one of the floating books, telekinetically turning its pages with the reverent care of a true bibliophile.
"I can read them," she whispered, her voice carrying the awe of someone receiving an unexpected miracle. "I can finally read them again."
Ambrose watched her float cross-legged in the air, a book suspended before her glowing face, pages turning at regular intervals as she immersed herself in itsntents. Her expression of absolute bliss—of a librarian finally reunited with her true purpose—brought an unbidden smile to his face.
Turning his attention to the surrounding shelves, Ambrosentemplated the practical matter of relocating this hidden library. When he had promised Claire to rescue these books from their forgotten prison, his motivation hadn't been purely altruistic. These ancient tomes represented a treasure trove of forgotten knowledge, potentiallyntaining secrets thatuld accelerate his development far beyondnventional study paths.
He thought that since they were just rotting here, why not let him have them? "I'm not stealing," he reasoned to himself, running his fingers along the dustvered spines. "If the rightful owner ever appears seeking these books, I'll return them without hesitation." The justification felt hollow even to himself, but he pushed aside the momentary dimfort.
He looked around as he wondered how to carry them, heuld ask the principal to give them to him, he was sure she wouldn't mind. But he didn't feel like going through the hassle, he decided that he'd carry them using spatial rings. He possessed nine spatial rings back at his estate, gifts from his mother, but they alreadyntained various treasures anduldn't ammodate an entire library. Besides, retrieving them would require returning to his quarters.
A more elegant solution presented itself as hensidered his inherent abilities. He turned his thoughts to his space-time talent that had manifested after his transmigration, heuld now teleport anduld even exert omniscience over a radius, so then howme he didn't have an inventory space? Wasn't creating a personal inventory space the most natural application of such power?
"It's about time I developed that particular aspect of my ability," he mused, his mind already formulating the necessary approach. With an inventory space of his own, heuld transport the entirellection without reliance on external tools.
…
Ambrose settled onto the dusty floor, cross-legged and perfectly poised despite the unforgiving surface beneath him. The ancient chairs scattered throughout the hidden chamber, with their worn leather and creaking joints, promised nothing butllapse after centuries of neglect. He watched Claire with mild amusement as she floated around the room, her form radiating pure joy as she telekinetically manipulated a particularly ancient book, its pages turning beneath her ghostly influence.
With practiced movements, Ambrose reached for his spatial ring, accessing itsntents. Several yellowed scrolls materialized in his hand—his mother's personal notes on spatial manipulation, gifted to him before her departure. He arranged them carefully on the floor before him, their edges curling slightly as he unrolled the first one.
"I've read her published works," he thought, fingers tracing the elegant script that flowed across the parchment. "But thesentain her raw theories, the foundation beneath her mastery."
Victoria Rothschild's reputation as a spatial manipulation prodigy was well-earned—her published research had revolutionized the field decades ago. Yet these private scrollsntained something more valuable than academic knowledge: they offered insight into how shenceptualized space itself.
Ambrose had absorbed the technical knowledge, but now he needed to internalize the underlying principles. His semi-awakened Spatial Dominion talent hovered at the threshold of transformation. With his mother's guidance through these scrolls and his own extraordinary intelligence, heuld push it toward full awakening without traditional magical practice.
He acknowledged that without mana, heuldn't perform the exercises as written. But heuld still simulate thencepts mentally, as long as he had solid understanding of thencept, the system would help him materialize it.
Closing his eyes, Ambrose entered a deep meditative state, hisnsciousness turning inward. Within his mindscape, he meticulously rnstructed each theoretical framework his mother had outlined. He envisioned spatial fabric as a malleable medium, the mathematical formulas governing its behavior manifesting as glowing equations that he manipulated with practiced precision.
Hours passed as henducted hundreds of mental experiments, each building upon the insights gained from the last. Where other practitioners needed physical demonstrations to progress, Ambrose's extraordinary mental capacity allowed him tompress years of practical experience into ancentrated burst of pure theoretical mastery.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of mental gymnastics, something shifted within him. A familiar notification materialized in his perception:
[Ding! Your persistent study of spatial theory and practical application has reached a critical threshold]
[Spatial Dominion - Semi-Awakened: is evolving]
Ambrose instinctively braced himself, muscles tensing in anticipation of the system-induced unsciousness that typically ampanied significant evolutions.
Yet snds passed, and the expectedllapse never came. Instead, a simple notification appeared:
[Evolution Complete]
[Spatial Dominion](Intrinsic) - This rare inborn talent has fully awakened, granting the user profound understanding and significantntrol over space itself. What was once a limitednnection has evolved into a deepmmunion with spatial principles. (Subskills: [Spatial Omniscience](SS), [Spatial Displacement](S), [Spatial Harmony](A), [Pocket Dimension](A))
His eyes widened as he noticed an additional notification:
[[Pocket Dimension] (A) Resonates deeply with your time talent]
[Pocket Dimension](A => S)
[Pocket Dimension](S) - A powerful ability that allows the creation of a personal dimensional space existing outside normal reality. This pocket dimension initially spans about 20 cubic meters but expands with mental power andntinued use. The user can access this space through a spatial rift they create within 5 meters, and can selectively allow others entry. The most remarkable aspect of this evolved ability is the selective temporalntrol within the dimension. The user can designate specific items or areas within the pocket dimension to experience different time flows - accelerating time to rapidly age wine or preserve perishable items by slowing their temporal progression to near zero. This temporal manipulation requires significant mental energy that scales with the size of the affected area and the degree of time distortion. Typically, the user can manipulate time for a few cubic meters of space, with greater distortions requiring exponentially more mental strength.
