Chương 12: Repetition of Madness

"I see…" Nolotl carefully chose his next words, not wanting to court death as soon as he had been threatened with oblivion. He had expected as much, but being put into words made it tangible. The man in front of him could really kill him whenever he wished.

"So in exchange for being your eyes and ears outside your sphere of influence, I will be granted usage of your miraculous time rewinding capabilities."

"Yes, simple as that," Enantyum nodded and offered him a hand whilst still remaining sat. The difference in power was explicit by that gesture.

"What do you say? Will you take my offer?" Is there another choice? The terian kept those thoughts to himself. If I refuse your offer, I will be dead by next month, unless you decide to kill me right now. But if I take the offer… Not conserving the status advancements with each loop isn't the end of the world, knowledge is power, and he is offering me unlimited knowledge beyond the confines of time. Besides, Information allows me to level up with knowledge, so it might not even be a setback in the first place…

The Empyrean grabbed and shook his fellow's hand.

"Good choice," the chronomancer smiled at him. The only one. He pondered inwardly but outwardly projected a smile and a nod. The regressor—or rather, the Regressor, considering it was apparently a Title—broke the handshake and vanished. Nolotl blinked for a moment before searching for the man as he still felt his Cognition around. Has he stopped time? That was his first thought, then he noticed Enantyum was hanging from one of the stacked bookcases, high up in the wall. A blink later, he was back in front of him.

"No, that was not Time Stop," Enantyum responded as if he had read Nolotl's mind.

"Too many people have already asked me that already." Judging from the context and previous wording, Nolotl assumed the chronomancer was talking about previous interloopers. Emphasis on previous. He didn't get the impression his fellow Empyrean had any other active aside from him at the moment. And it was obvious that he had had some active at some point from the explanation alone, though it scared the gnosiamancer how such people were no longer around.

Their non-interlooper selves are still around, but all the memories they have gathered on the loop are gone, essentially killing them. This… doesn't sit well with me. As a gnosiamancer he put more weight on the mind than most other people by default, but that was without even considering the moral and ethical standpoint.

"What spell was that then?" Nolotl asked as silence would probably be perceived as hostile. He needed to tread the ground carefully as the chronomancer was very vocal on being able to erase him from existence at any point. And it didn't help at all that his Cognition was as messy as it currently was." Beacon, or Temporal Beacon I guess," Enantyum explained.

"I hate that part about spells. The epithets are obnoxiously redundant when you know you are talking about a specific school of magic," he sighed.

"Anyhow, the spell works by anchoring my current position on a given time, but what this means in practice is that I can teleport myself like some sort of budget topomancy. The good part about the spell is that it has limitless range, bad part though is that I first need to have been there and mark that position with a beacon, hence the spell's name."

"Sounds useful, nonetheless." The gnosiamancer affirmed, trying to sound as positive as possible. The idea of getting erased on a whim… didn't sit well with him. Being a bootlicker was infinitely preferable in that sense.

"Would be more so if I wasn't limited to a radius of a few kilometers," the chronomancer added with a sour expression.

"But that does not matter now. Here," he threw Nolotl a book he had picked up when he was hanging of the bookshelf.

"Starting on page 81, this book contains the framework of an enhanced self-updating and self-reporting status." The Tezlan prince caught the book midair and started reading from the page Enantyum mentioned. With his enhanced mind it wasn't difficult to read and assimilate the book at speeds that would stagger most.

"Wait, self-reporting?" He asked already half-way through the spell's framework.

"Why would you even need me to check your status at the beginning of the month? Or well, today, I guess?"

"Finish reading it, but basically, gnosiamancy." The Empyrean of Time shrugged.

"The higher one's Alignment with Information is, the more effective the report is, I think that's due to the Insight proficiency that I don't possess. It has a mode for using Information levels instead of the Alignment percentage, but that is also useless to me. At most I can get updates on my periodic increase in Alignments and mana, but I cannot actually get the total values." The first page detailing the spell described that already, an abstract of what to expect from the following spellware.

It read as follows: Name: Real-Time Status Schools: Gnosiamancy, Divination Requirements: None Effect: Cast a self-updating spell that target's the user's Alignment status. The user will be then provided with the information about their current status and any subsequent changes to it in both instinctive, visual, and auditive feedback. Any information, both in quality and quantity, obtained from this spell increases with Alignment towards Information or the level in said Alignment.

The magnitude of status updates likewise shares this scaling. The spellbook contained a rather difficult spellware, but at the same time, he recognized most of the patterns, no matter how complex they might be. Not only this was a gnosiamancy and a divination, but this was literally his field of expertise.

"I see." For once, Nolotl really meant that.

"It is not a complex spell, just a modification of the existing standardized status reports with some spellcircles I recognize from biomancy meant to scry the body for wounds. I could cast this within the hour, but why do you want me to use it?"

"More of a help for the thing up here," he knocked the side of his head repeatedly with his index finger.

"As you will soon understand, experiencing the same month over and over again can get repetitive. People are rather deterministic. If you ask them the same questions, they will give you the same answers. Unless your name is Paizon "Twirling Dial". That man is the epitome of non-deterministic behavior. I have not seen such randomness even in other ataxiamancers."

"Yes, Paizon the "Begetting Signal" can be quite unpredictable," Nolotl confirmed as he went over the spell again just in case, also calling the Empyrean of Chaos by his nickname/callsign.

"I have heard of some fellow gnosiamancers doing a study on him as his luck is completely off the charts. He seems to break probability and causality wherever he goes. But what where you saying about repetitiveness?"

"Right," Enantyum snapped his fingers.

"As people and most situations can be mostly deterministic, repetition quickly settles in. This is truer to me than you as you are not limited to just the academy grounds, but still, the self-reporting status spell will get you hits of dopamine."

"Ah yes, the activation of neurons through seeing numbers getting bigger," Nolotl commented after closing the book with a satisfying thud.

"I am quite aware of that psychological response people get when they get an update on their status."

"Are you saying you do not enjoy your numbers getting bigger?" The chronomancer said humorously, which led the gnosiamancer to believe that there was a joke hidden somewhere in those words.

"Controlling one's responses to stimuli is required for a good gnosiamancer."

"Good response," and he left it at that.

"Anyhow," Nolotl coughed, "I will cast the spell now." Enantyum made a welcoming gesture with his hands as if to say: "Be my guest." The spell as such was complex, but not difficult as it shared a lot of foundations with spells he was used to casting on a daily basis. Supporting himself on Perfect Recollection to go over the spell framework again on compilation time, Nolotl performed the divination.

For once in his life, being a diviner allowed him to be competent at something as he had the spell by the quarter of an hour instead of the whole hour, his expertise in divination and proficiency in gnosiamancy allowing him to make quick work of it. The local Cognition rippled for the faintest of movement and the shortest of times, but change was made from one instant to the other. The self-updating status spell had tethered him to the Cognition.

This tether was feeble and not quite eternal as the ones Titles provided, but its function was different and it didn't need much more. Link established. An ethereal voice with a familiar female ring spoke. The spell itself announcing its success. Gnosiamancy was normally characterized by useful but rather unspectacular spells, there was no fanfare, but one couldn't negate the usefulness of a real-time status display. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Name: Nolotl Xocoyotzin Age: 19 Race: Celestial-Terian Main Resource: Mana Resource Deposit Size: 25. 36 Progression Level: 4 (Information) Accumulated Experience: 80. 75% Top Alignments: - Information ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱ 75. 02106% - Light ▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 13. 30427% - Void ▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 2.

78234% List of Titles: - Interlooper - Empyrean - Gnosiamancer - High Priest of Nochochenca List of Boons: - Lesser Read Thoughts - Perfect Recollection - Resistance to Cognitive Harm - Cognition Connection List of Blessings: - Touched By Information - Starguided List of Proficiencies: - Animal Spirit (Quetzal) - Animal Spirit (Crow) - Gnosiamancy - Divination - Insights List of Enchantments: - Life Slot: Argent Bindings of the Twiceborn His very status materialized before him—his full status instead of the standardized abridged one, barring the summarized top alignments instead of all of them—though instead of a written piece of parchment, it showed itself as a blue-light screen, not quite the cyan of Information but close.

But it wasn't a Light-based illusion, so only he could see it as it was kept inside his mind. Hmm. My accumulated experience has increased significantly since the last time I checked it. Didn't Enantyum say that my status wouldn't change between loops? Then it hit him. Not a realization, but the voices. Information Alignment increased by 0. 000000001%. Information Alignment increased by 0. 000000001%. You have resisted Madness. Information Alignment increased by 0. 000000001%. You have resisted Madness.

Information Alignment increased by 0. 000000001%. You have resisted Madness. You have resisted Madness. You have resisted Madness.

"Ugh…" Nolotl clutched his head upon hearing the ceaseless cacophony. Hearing was the wrong word, though, as this all happened inside his head. I don't need you to tell me I am edging insanity, I am very aware of that already, thank you very much.

"Ah, I forgot to tell you to set the precision of Alignment increases higher up." Enantyum realized what was occurring. Or at least, partially.

"I recommend setting it up at milithaums, otherwise you will be hearing that notification all the time. I guess you know how to change it already, right?"

"Yeah…" The gnosiamancer groaned as he modified the framework of the spell in execution time. It required a bit of finesse to do so, but even freshmen students could do so with a bit of gilt.

"Ah, much better." The Empyrean of Information took a deep breath as the notifications ceased. Partially. You have resisted Madness. You have resisted Madness. You have resisted Madness. He tried searching for a workaround for that alert, but the spell was programmed to alert the caster whenever they resisted prejudicial status effects. I now know why I haven't seen any gnosiamancers using this spell.

Being so deeply connected to the Cognition meant beholding things mortals weren't intended to see, let alone understand, so it was a constant battle to preserve one's psyche. That was the affliction of walking the path of gnosiamancy. Not all Alignments were with demerits, but schools of magic like Information, Death, and Void weren't for the fickle of wills. Resistance to Cognitive Harm did protect against such effects, but… Current effective boost of Resistance to Cognitive Degradation: 11. 31.

As his self-reporting status spell informed him, the Boon only provided him with a factor increase of 11. 31 times his normal capabilities, or a bit more than 1200%. It was a considerable boost, but being 10 times more lucid against the Truth of Existence was pitiful. Faltering even once would send him to a path of self-destruction, just like that woman Xanax sent to give him the book who… Well, I guess she is no longer dead.

Maybe I should do something about that now that I have the foresight—or rather the hindsight—of the future. Nolotl ended up finding a workaround by leaving a notification visually open on his mind at all times. Whilst constantly having a flashing blue screen on his vision was annoying, it was less so than hearing it. I will have to modify the structure of the spell at some point; this will get annoying fast.

"Just to check that everything is working properly," Enantyum cut through his thoughts.

"Is your status showing you the Interlooper Title?"

"Yes," Nolotl nodded.

"So you can see your whole status?"

"Yes?" He replied again, if with a bit less confidence.

"You cannot?"

"I already explained you that this spell is dependent on one's Information Alignment. I can only get occasional reports like the ones you have experienced already. It must be pleasant being able to check your progress at any time," the chronomancer practically whispered the last part.

"It has its uses, but if gnosiamancy did not do that, it would not do much at all."

"Indeed," Enantyum grinned a bit.

"Anyhow, try checking the Title's description. You should be able to with your prowess in Information." Checking the details of any Title, Boon, or Blessing was a complex matter even with the appropriate spells. Most gnosiamancers could only check their own and only when sleeping as that was when they were most connected to the Cognition. But it would seem his capabilities were more than enough. Interlooper: Your prowess has been recognized by a being whose actions have permeated reality.

Whilst you remain linked to Enantyum Dei, you will be able to participate in his time loop, coiling through the timestream.

"It is the first time I have heard of someone giving a Title so unilaterally, but from the description... I guess it makes sense you have the ability to do so when you can mold time at will." Enantyum shrugged at the comment but sounded pleased to hear it.

"Now that you got it all set up, I will leave you be for now. How does two loops sound for now?"

"Wait," Nolotl almost recoiled by the whiplash in change of tone.

"You are letting me go? What about all that of using the loop to its fullest?"

"I am using it to its fullest," the Empyrean of Time corrected with a stern expression.

"Unless you acclimate to your current standing, you will be useless to me, and with time—something I have a lot of—I have noticed its counterproductive to send people straight into action. It is better to let them resolve their petty squalls first. And you cannot deny me you have your own."

"Right." The ambush came right to his mind. I should have paid more attention to Chichihualxo-chitl's words. Perhaps I would have been able to survive the ambush if I had. And I don't mean only in this… timeline? I mean in every iteration, not just the one where Enantyum pushed my buttons and my paranoia from the very beginning of the loop. It's… weird knowing that I seemingly die in all other timelines, but there's a soothing calmness to it.

Prophets of other lands have seen my success if I were to live and did their best to kill me and succeeded. But now… there's a chance to change destiny and seize it.

"One more thing," Nolotl added.

"You said that interloopers only get their memories back, right?"

"That is an… oversimplification of the statements. It is more about tying their information to the loop's core." Those words meant nothing to Nolotl, except 'information'.

"Information, huh?" Perhaps it was better to keep his silence on what he had discovered on the progress of his experience but… he could already foresee the future. Mages could estimate each others' levels from many ways and if Enantyum noticed he was suddenly level 5… it was basically instant death for him. It was better to be clear and straightforward.

"Maybe you are already aware of this, but my Alignment and accumulated experience have increased. Significantly." The Empyrean of Time's visage lost all emotion. In a blink, all the theatrics and giggles on his expression had vanished. The sight chilled Nolotl to the core as he could only guess he was seeing now Enantyum, the real one, the man who had been looping through time for Celestials knows how many years.

"How significantly are we talking about?" His voice portrayed that of a paragon of stoicism.

"A third of a level for experience and a 3% increase for Alignment," Nolotl answered truthfully. For better or worse, he had to play under Enantyum's thumb for the time being, unless he found a way to overpower the man with an unknown level in Time or break the time loop. Any mage worth their salt knew that one person couldn't gain a third of a level in a day, let alone one hour.

Even level 1, which required the least amount of experience, was a sluggish task because one had to acclimate with the Alignment and learn its magic. It was a process that could take between 1 and 5 years depending on how sizeable the Alignment was to the chosen school of magic, especially because it was children who had to shoulder that task. And those creatures weren't known for focusing on their studies.

"I see," Enantyum responded with a hand on his mouth, but Nolotl was horrified to see cracks forming on the man's Cognition. When one was dealing with a mage powerful enough to indefinitely turn back time, seeing their mental condition deteriorate in real time was one of the last things one wished to experience.

"Just a question," the chronomancer's brass eyes locked with the gnosiamancer's cyan eyes.

"What is your current Alignment? Information one."

"75%" Nolotl answered taciturnly.

"I see, I see!" The Empyrean of Time's Cognition continued to light up like a photomancer's forge as he grabbed his face harder and harder. No, not just a lighthouse had his Cognition become, but a whole star shining in the sidereal space.

"Because I'm sending information through the tether, and you are to the point where you are three fourths of Information… hahahhahahhahaha!" That crackle wasn't that of a person, let alone a healthy mind.

"Ah, Nolotl, sweet Nolotl," the man mused once he calmed down.

"You have surprised me already by being the cheapest interlooper up to date. I already realized that was because of your lack of Destiny. You always died. You were destined to die at the very apex of the total celestial alignment. At the exact moment when time coiled on itself. You have no future yet also all of it at the same time. A state of superposed life and death. But… that makes you less tethered to time. More malleable. Once again, cheaper. And now…

now you show to me an exploit of the time loop I had not foreseen. Because I send information backwards, those who are Information itself can have their status sent back with them. Do you have the slightest idea of what this entails?" By the end of his rambling, the time looper was panting, his jaw slightly hanging down.

"That I can also level up in the loop?"

"Exactly!" Enantyum's roar echoed through the three planes of Existence.

"You are no longer are simply eyes and ears, you are what I have been needing all this time. Nolotl Xocoyotzin, you are a second time looper!"