The Superior Rebirth: A Hero's Awakening

A Breakthrough Theory

February 27th, 1810

A day had passed since Xavier returned home to the Tsarigrad Citadel, yet his mind remained restless. Adam's proposal lingered in his thoughts, an unshakable weight pressing down on him. No matter how much he tried to dismiss it, the uncertainty gnawed at him.

Seeking clarity through action, Xavier made his way to the training grounds, hoping to silence his thoughts with rigorous exercise. If nothing else, he could use this time to test the true potential of his vector teleportation—an ability Adam had dismissed as useless, even dangerous.

Focusing intently, Xavier manipulated the vector forces acting upon his body, redirecting them with precision. In an instant, he vanished from his spot and reappeared several meters away. The process was seamless to an outside observer, but Xavier felt it—an ever-so-slight delay.

Staring at his hands, he exhaled sharply. Adam was right.

"There's a lag," he muttered to himself, frowning. "How did I not notice this before?"

He clenched his fists, frustration simmering beneath the surface. His mind was faster than most—his Cosmic Eyes processed information at an astonishing rate. And yet, he had overlooked a flaw that could have cost him his life.

Was I too confident? He swallowed hard. Too arrogant to see the limits of my own power? His battle against Adam replayed in his mind—the ease with which Adam had pierced through his vector shield, the so-called impenetrable defense he had believed to be flawless. Only two people had ever known its weakness: his brother, Aleksander, and his master, Alcmena. And now, Adam had exposed it too.

He let out a deep sigh. "Even if my teleportation has drawbacks, it's saved me more times than I can count. So I don't care if it's useless." His voice faltered slightly before he added, "But if it really is... then I need to rely on the skills that will keep me alive."

Bracing himself, he shifted his stance and channeled his vector abilities once more. This time, he focused on acceleration. Power surged through him as his velocity skyrocketed, launching him across the training grounds in a blur. He stopped abruptly, testing his control.

"It's still slower than teleportation," he noted, "but at least it doesn't drain my ethereal energy as fast."

Teleportation required precise calculations and extreme focus, even with his Cosmic Eyes doing most of the work. And the combined strain of teleportation and acceleration only worsened the fatigue his eyes placed on his brain.

Stretching his arms, Xavier murmured, "Vector acceleration is more versatile anyway. I can boost my strikes, amplify force, and even apply it to weapons like Excalibur. Plus... I can steal velocity."

He recalled his fight against Prince Magnus—the moment he had stolen a small amount of Magnus's velocity, to somewhat keep up with his ridiculous speed. The ability to siphon kinetic energy and transfer it elsewhere was an invaluable asset, but it, too, had limits.

"I can't just take infinite velocity, that's impossible!" he admitted, "And absorbing too much at once puts a strain on my body. Unless I offload it immediately, I risk tearing myself apart."

With a sharp exhale, he steadied himself. Adam was right. If teleportation was unreliable, then he would lean on what worked. His acceleration, his shield—his raw speed. He would push them beyond their limits, refining them until they were second nature.

Closing his eyes, he gathered the vectors around his body once more. Then, with a single step, he vanished, reappearing at impossible speeds across the training grounds. Over and over, he repeated the motion, each burst of movement faster than the last.