Second World

Jack closed his eyes. "Hm... I see. I didn't sense it the last time due to the heat of the battle, but this state is burning the mana. The mana is like fuel that gives me immense power, but it is not infinite. Once I burn up the mana from my surroundings, I can only burn my own mana. When that happens, I will drain myself. This means I have to end the mana awakening before that happens. Otherwise, I will experience another blackout."

Jack then took a seat. He closed his eyes again and remained like that for a while. Grace and the others just watched him in silence. Schreber didn't know what to think about the situation. Normally, people came to him to have him help them achieve mental changes. This was the first time he helped someone undergo a physical change.

After a few minutes, Jack opened his eyes and stood up again. He held his two arms apart. The multicolor aura extended from his arms and formed what looked like swords. His two hands then moved with imperceptible speed.

"Huh?" Schreber didn't see anything, but he felt as if a gust had suddenly blown inside his office, except there was no wind. Nothing was flying. The paper on his desk was still nicely stacked.

Schreber might not have seen anything but Grace did. Her mana perception showed her countless slashes flashing all over the room. Each slash was performed accurately. Not a single slash touched an object inside the room. Otherwise, everything in the room would have been cut apart.

Jack's arms stopped moving.

"The final phase of formless flowing sword style?" Grace asked.

"Yes," Jack replied. Schreber had no idea what they were talking about.

After that, the multicolor aura around Jack disappeared.

"You can end the mana awakening at will?" Peniel asked.

"Yes, it's not that difficult. The difficult part is to get into the state," Jack answered. "I've used the time just now to study what was going on inside me. Grace, what did you see when I entered mana awakening?"

Grace explained to Jack what she saw through her mana perception.

"So, that matches my hypothesis. The mana didn't fuse with me out of their own will. I reached out and had my mana blend with them, just like when I infiltrated the Chalice of Blood. From there, they were drawn to me."

Jack closed his eyes again after speaking. He remained that way for a while. When he opened his eyes again, he sighed. "I can't get back into the mana awakening state at will."

"I don't truly understand what is going on, but do you still need my help?" Schreber asked.

"Yes, I have a few questions if you don't mind, doctor," Jack said. "Is there any way to speed up the hypnotherapy session? Does it always have to be that long for me to get into the empty state?"

"Well, every person is different about how susceptible they are to hypnotherapy. Some people might need more than half an hour. Some only need five to ten minutes."

"So, not possible to be any faster than that?" Jack asked.

"I don't know what you are gunning for, Your Majesty. Hypnotherapy is not an exact science. It depends very much on the circumstances. Even with the same subject, the process can be different depending on the subject's state of mind and the surroundings."

"Hm… Is self-hypnosis possible? Can I learn it?"

"Yes, self-hypnosis is possible, and anyone can learn it."

"How long will it take for me to learn?"

"That is another ambiguous question, Your Majesty. I can't truly answer that because it's different for everyone. Learning it requires special talent. Some might take weeks. Some might take years. Some fail to learn even after giving their all."

"I see… That is not the solution I'm looking for," Jack muttered.

"I'm sorry I can't be of more help," Schreber said.

"It's not your fault, doctor. You've already helped me enough and I'm grateful for that. I'm sorry I've taken so much of your time. How many coins do I owe you?" Jack asked.

"That's fine. It's on the house. Now, I can brag about my office being the one Your Majesty visits. It should bring me more customers."

"Are you sure?" Jack asked. "I don't mind paying."

"I insist!" Schreber answered.

"In that case, I thank you."

"If you need any more help, don't hesitate to come again. Though, I prefer if you come to seek my help for a mental problem."

"I hope I never have one. But if I do, you will be the one I come to," Jack said. "Thank you again. I will take my leave now."

"Be well, Your Majesty," Schreber replied.

After Jack and Grace went out the door, Schreber yelled, "Next!"

His receptionist came in and said that there were currently no patients outside.

"Didn't you say there should be three more?" Schreber asked.

"Uh… They left not long after the king entered this office," the receptionist answered.

"Huh…?"

*

"Why did you ask about self-hypnosis?" Grace asked after they were out of the building.

"Because it will be impossible if I have to bring the doctor with me everywhere I go," Jack answered. "If I can learn how to do hypnosis myself, I can get myself into the empty state."

"But you still need a long time to get into that state. It's impossible to do it during battle," Peniel said.

"That's right, but I have the Double Clone spell," Jack answered. "I can have my clones fight while my real self goes into hiding after casting invisibility. I can then slowly get myself into an empty state with self-hypnosis."

"I see. That is one solution," Grace agreed.

"But if what the doctor said is true, it takes too long time to learn. I don't have that kind of time. We need to depart soon to Chris' secret location."

"We can ask the doctor to come to the Space-time Chamber and teach you for three days. It equals thirty days inside," Grace suggested.

Jack shook his head. "The doctor said it might take years and there is also no guarantee if I can ever learn it. Honestly, I don't think I have the talent for this sort of thing. I don't want to waste my time. We need something else for a solution."