Chapter 2018: Something Superior than Time. "And what are these pure fetishes?" Edda questioned playfully. "I love t—mmhppgghhhh!!" Before Shadow could continue any longer, Lane appeared by her side and grabbed her mouth, not allowing her to speak any longer. She glared at Edda, Aisha, and Eisheth and, "I know what you are trying to do." She spoke up. "Come on, it’s all fun and games." Edda answered. "Share your own fetishes for that." "Sure. Which one would you like to hear first? Or better, how about you participate in one? I assure you, it will be unlike anything you have ever experienced." "S-Shut up!" Lane silenced the woman before she released Shadow and, "Don’t let them distract you, continue what you were telling. This is an important moment, we need to focus." "Yes, I wish to know more about the River." Felberta nodded as well. As a being who specialized in creation, witnessing the creation of Time itself felt like her very existence was being given a new meaning. The rest of the women were curious too, even Eisheth, Aisha, and Edda, so they turned silent, allowing Shadow to continue. During their little interaction, more information filled her mind, information that gave her a slight glimpse into Nux’s mind. "As I was saying, Time is a blank canvas. We—the living—are the ones that paint it, that give it a meaning. However, Nux had turned this blank canvas into something different, into something... special. Something Superior." "Something... Superior?" Melia muttered, awed. "Superior to Time?" Felberta frowned. How could something be... superior to a Primordial Energy? That too, a Primordial Energy that gave a Universe an identity. That made no sense. Shadow, however, nodded at her question and continued. "The Time in our Universe is much more special than the Time you are familiar with. It does not move like the ticking of a cold, unfeeling clock. It breathes. It listens to the heartbeat of the Universe. It stretches and contracts with sorrow and joy, It quickens with rage and slows with despair. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦 Our Time is not bound to seconds or minutes—it is bound to emotions. Our Time will not be measured by how long something lasts— It will be measured by how deeply it is felt. A single kiss shared between two lovers can stretch for eternity. A moment of heartbreak can feel heavier than a thousand years. Time will depend on one’s will. Time they consider to be precious will slow down. Time they consider to be a drag will move fast. In our Universe, Time will wait for its people. The Time of our Universe, just like Nux said, will be sentient—an entity that will sense all there is. Our Time will be ours alone. It will be personal, subjective, and... True. No two beings of ours will experience Time the same way, not because our Universe is broken, but because our Universe is better." Shadow explained, and just the thought of living in times where the moment you want to last for eternity will last for an eternity felt like a dream come true. Just imagining how kissing Nux and spending time with him would continue on for thousands of years, and waiting for him for thousands of years would only feel like a few seconds, made them shiver in joy. It was a dream world. A world where things happened exactly how they wanted them to happen. The women stared at the River of Time with a newfound shine in their eyes. Felberta, however, was confused. "If every being perceives Time differently, won’t everything fall into... chaos?" Aeliana nodded at those words. "Indeed, even in freedom, there needs to be a structure, or else society cannot function." The rest of the women frowned. They had just started dwelling in their fantasies—to think they would be crushed before they could even lose themselves for a few seconds. "It won’t." Suddenly, the women heard a voice. A voice that instantly attracted their attention. They turned around and saw Nux standing behind them with a smile on his face. "Nux!" Very quickly, they surrounded him. Even after centuries of spending time with him, the women still couldn’t get enough of him—a feeling Nux wholeheartedly shared. He then glanced at Felberta and Aeliana and answered their question. "Yes, our Time will be bound to one’s emotions and everyone will perceive it differently, but it doesn’t mean they will be able to abuse it. When it is said every being perceives time differently, it doesn’t mean that Time will have no structure. Understand it in this way: Assume that the Universe has two coexisting layers of Time: a Universal Time, a time shared by all the worlds and the beings living in them, And a Personal Time, time perceived by individuals. Personal Time can be altered; however, no change in personal time will affect the Universal Time. Say, if a couple expands their personal time and changes 12 hours of their Personal Time into 12 days, the rest of the Universe and the Universal Time will only perceive it as 12 hours. Also, events that happen when the Personal Time is expanded cannot defy the limitations of Universal Time. If a Cultivator needs to gather 100 years of energy to break through, he needs to spend 100 years of Universal Time. Expanding a day of his Personal Time into 100 years will not work. Of course, there are a few other restrictions as well, but in conclusion, even when Time in our Universe will be subjective, structure and order will still exist in a most unstructured way." "That sounds... overly complicated." Felberta muttered with a lost look on her face, to which Nux just laughed out loud. "Well, I did spend countless years comprehending and coming up with it." The women laughed as well. "Anyways, should we continue? I still need to create Anchors and Compasses around Umbrasol to stabilize Time." "Is it still not done yet?" Felberta questioned with a frown as she stared at the River flowing in the Universe. From her perspective, it seemed to be completed already. "It is still unstable, very unstable." Shadow shook her head and Nux, who heard those words, chuckled and then nodded. "Indeed. It still needs work."