It took time for Ash to overcome this sudden revelation that 50 years had passed. It was a little hard to swallow, as the number itself carried a strange weight when he thought about how casually those years had slipped through his fingers, but he still overcame it with surprising ease, as his mind had already grown accustomed to the abnormal flow of time inside his Soul Space.
He designated the state he had fallen into as the ’flow’ state. Maybe? He was not completely sure about it himself, but it was the closest word he could find to describe the trance like cycle where his awareness faded, yet his will and purpose continued to function with frightening precision.
He then spent the next 10 days comprehending the glyph knowledge directly from those Golden Books, carefully absorbing the stabilized and refined understanding contained within them.
It would have taken far less time under normal circumstances, but looking after that big baby Eric took more time than he had initially expected.
Eric required attention, emotional stability, and occasional supervision, all of which slowed Ash’s progress in ways he had not anticipated.
Strangely, even though Eric could speak, he was not speaking. He did not mention the reason, nor did he react when Ash tried to casually engage him in conversation.
He simply refused to speak with him, as if words themselves had become meaningless or painful for him to use.
It took Ash six days of constant coaxing and patience to calm the rage burning inside that oversized baby. Ash spoke about his own resolve to take revenge, explaining in clear and firm words that revenge required strength, and strength required time and preparation.
He made Eric understand that rushing forward in anger would only lead to meaningless death, something neither of them could afford.
He even mentioned that they might have to wait thousands of years before they could leave this place, which became another headache for Ash, as Eric did not take that statement at face value.
Instead, Eric attacked Ash instantly, reacting with raw frustration and helpless fury, which took the situation in a slightly worse direction for both of them.
Though in the end, Ash still convinced Eric by fist... err, by the love of his words. He was not overly harsh on Eric, but he firmly disciplined the little boy who was clearly going through a rebellious phase.
Strangely, the act of forcing Eric to calm down and accept reality felt oddly satisfying for Ash, as if it reminded him that he could still guide someone despite his own flaws.
Even so, he felt guilty about it afterwards. That guilt pushed him to spend some quiet time with Eric, allowing him to vent, calm down, and simply exist without pressure.
It felt unexpectedly comforting after the endless mechanical cycle Ash had been trapped in for decades.
But after that, from the 11th day onward, Ash once again jumped back into the task of comprehending the Runes, returning to his relentless routine without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Eric was sent to the library with the purpose of learning as much as possible from the countless books stored within it, which also served as a perfect time consuming task that could distract him from his anger and grief.
Although Ash felt slightly guilty that there was no food in his Soul Space, as whatever physical food he had stored earlier had long been spoiled due to the extreme time dilation present there, but there were still alternatives.
There were plenty of pills and herbs stored within the Soul Space, carefully sealed and preserved specifically to withstand the passage of time. Eric could consume them whenever necessary to maintain his strength and growth.
But even Ash could not predict how much would be enough to satisfy the appetite of the big baby Unicorn, especially when Eric was still in his rapid growth phase and required enormous amounts of energy.
Thus, Ash asked him to hibernate from time to time. He was not being cruel with him. He was simply trying to remain as realistic as possible, as he did not want Eric to starve if all the pills were exhausted, but he also did not want to put a stop to his growth.
At one point, Ash also considered allowing Eric to read the Golden Book that contained the complete comprehension of one glyph of the Rune, wondering whether it could accelerate Eric’s growth and understanding.
But in the end, Ash decided against it. The knowledge contained within those Golden Books was too profound and dangerous to be shared casually.
Until he became the strongest existence capable of controlling such knowledge without consequences, he believed it was better to keep them restricted. Thus, he transferred the whole section that consisted the Runic knowledge into a private place, where other than him no one can enter.
His Soul library and Soul Vault skills gave him this much leeway to control and even change things according to what he wanted.
Moreover, as his own Rune comprehension increased, he could eventually help Eric grow stronger through external guidance, which felt like a far better approach.
Thus, like that, a rebellious big baby going through his emotional storm and a masochist, selfish, and heartless guy began their long seclusion together, both walking forward on their respective paths, bound by necessity, responsibility, and an unspoken understanding that neither of them could afford to stop.
**
River of time is relentless, it does not stop for anybody, so time passed in the Soul Space with a quiet inevitability that neither Ash nor Eric could truly perceive while they were trapped inside their own routines.
1 year....
2 years...
5 years...
10 years...
50 years...
Eventually, 100 years passed by....
During this entire period, Eric remained awake, steadily going through all the books inside Ash’s library with surprising dedication, while also consuming a hugechunk of herbs and pills stored inside Ash’s Soul Vault.
The vast collection of knowledge slowly shaped his understanding of the world, while the preserved resources supported his physical and spiritual growth.
After all this time, his size had grown more, and all traces of malnourishment had completely vanished.
In its place, well defined muscles filled his entire body, giving him the appearance of an energetic young Unicorn whose presence carried both vitality and restrained power.
His once fragile and emotionally unstable state had gradually matured, though sparks of his impulsive nature still remained hidden beneath the surface.
During this time, Ash came out of his seclusion only three times. Each time he emerged, he spent a small but meaningful period with Eric, observing his growth and ensuring that the rebellious arrogance growing inside the young Unicorn did not spiral out of control.
And every time he came out of his seclusion, it was Eric who woke him up two times, while the third time, he woke up himself.
After making sure that Eric remained stable, Ash would once again return to his seclusion, continuing his relentless pursuit of Rune comprehension.
But after 100 years, even Eric decided to hibernate. It was not entirely because there were not enough resources to sustain him, although that concern was not false.
The greater reason was that it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to control the turbulence of his emotions, as his growth amplified both his strength and his instincts.
Understanding this, he accepted Ash’s advice and decided to enter hibernation, choosing to remain in that state until Ash personally woke him up.
Before entering hibernation, Eric consumed a massive portion of the available resources, devouring nearly one fourth of all the total loot Ash had stolen from the black market.
His body required enormous energy to sustain long term dormancy, and his instincts naturally pushed him to prepare for it by storing as much nourishment as possible.
After ensuring Eric had settled into a stable hibernation state, Ash once again immersed himself in the continuous cycle of Rune comprehension, isolating himself from everything else as his mind and soul moved deeper into the mysterious language of existence.
What Ash and Eric did not realize was that Eric’s hibernation and Ash’s seclusion would not remain temporary phases.
The moment both of them surrendered to their respective paths, time itself seemed to stretch beyond their expectations, and the duration of their isolation silently expanded into something far longer than either of them had prepared for.
**
A/N: Do you guys want me to include some slice of life moments during these years, showing their growth and interactions, or would you prefer if I skip those parts and move directly to the long passage of time that has already passed?