Feeling the Impermanence of Time

If there was one thing the Espers were not made for, it was to feel the impermanence of time.

Whether it concerned the past or the future, everything that is not the present or close to it quickly becomes abstract, taking shape through stories.

These stories are then shaped by their experience, lived or learned, by the stories of other individuals, and by their beliefs and customs.

It is no longer the feeling of the past or the present, but rather a mental image that, over time, becomes more and more coherent.

The end of the Chaos War had brought something precious to the Espers, despite the destruction it caused.

The presence of the Forme of Time, Shala, had revealed itself to all, and now allowed them to remind themselves daily of the impermanence of time.

Not only did this help them appreciate the present moment more, but it also allowed them to consider the future from a more thoughtful perspective: the damage to Esperia’s ecosystem had been done, and nothing could change that reality.

They now had to think about the future in the long term, where the senses of the Espers were of no use to them. Even if, for many, the logical understanding that action had to be taken over decades, even centuries, seemed coherent, acting in the present for a future that remained abstract to them was difficult.