Professor Eclipse let out a long sigh as she stared up at the auditorium ceiling.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
The theater remained shrouded in darkness, illuminated only by the pale emergency lights scattered across the walls. Eira still lay unconscious on the stage, her body motionless after being used as a puppet.
The memory of her dance lingered in my mind.
Not because it had been beautiful.
Because it hadn't.
There had been something deeply wrong about it.
Something that made my skin crawl every time I remembered the way her limbs had moved.
Like a doll.
Like a corpse pretending to be alive.
Professor Eclipse took another drag from her cigarette.
The ember glowed crimson.
For several seconds she remained silent, her expression thoughtful.
Then she finally spoke.
"There is a solution."
Her voice carried effortlessly through the auditorium.
Cold.
Elegant.
Indifferent.
"You simply need to become stronger."
Everyone looked at her.
Minho crossed his arms.
Won Ho frowned.
Kim narrowed her eyes.
I just sat there trying not to think about how tired I still felt.
Professor Eclipse continued.
"Aiory has already advanced."
Her gaze swept across the group.
"The rest of you are falling behind."
Her eyes landed on Minho.
"The boy Minho."
Then Won Ho.
"Osawa."
Then Xia.
"Jing."
Finally...
Her eyes stopped on me.
And a strange smile appeared on her lips.
"The child of Methuselah."
A shiver ran down my spine.
I had heard her call me many things before.
Dark.
Dear Dark.
My student.
But never that.
The child of Methuselah.
For some reason, hearing those words felt wrong.
As though they carried a meaning I wasn't supposed to understand yet.
Won Ho clearly didn't appreciate the way she was looking at me.
His expression darkened immediately.
Professor Eclipse noticed.
Of course she noticed.
Nothing ever seemed to escape her attention.
The corner of her mouth curled upward.
A small smile.
A cruel smile.
The kind of smile a cat gives a trapped bird.
"So," she continued casually, "all that's left is informing the authorities and preparing the rituals."
The entire room froze.
A strange silence settled over us.
Then she added:
"Though there is no need to concern yourselves with that."
She flicked ash onto the floor.
"I already purchased the materials."
Nobody moved.
Nobody blinked.
I was pretty sure my brain stopped functioning for several seconds.
Professor Adermat was the first to recover.
"You did what?"
"I bought everything."
She sounded almost bored.
"And I already requested authorization from all three authorities."
The silence somehow became even heavier.
I looked around.
Kim looked shocked.
Minho looked confused.
Xia looked like she was calculating twenty different possibilities simultaneously.
Won Ho looked ready to start a war.
As for me...
I was wondering how someone could casually spend what was probably a small fortune on dangerous ritual materials.
Professor Eclipse leaned back against one of the seats.
Completely relaxed.
As though she hadn't just announced something insane.
Professor Adermat's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
His tone was cold.
Direct.
Careful.
For the first time since she arrived, Professor Eclipse laughed softly.
The sound was elegant.
Refined.
And somehow more unsettling than if she had threatened us.
"Entertainment."
The answer echoed through the theater.
Several seconds passed.
Nobody reacted.
Mostly because none of us knew whether she was joking.
Unfortunately, she wasn't.
"I enjoy watching Ascension Rituals."
She crossed one leg over the other.
"There are few spectacles in this world as fascinating."
The smile on her face widened.
"And if one of them loses control..."
A faint glimmer appeared in her crimson eyes.
"I suppose I could restore them."
Professor Adermat immediately shook his head.
"That is impossible."
A quiet laugh escaped her lips.
"For a witch, Professor."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Very few things are impossible."
Then her voice dropped.
Softer.
Darker.
More dangerous.
"Though personally..."
She looked toward the stage.
Toward Eira.
Toward the place where the puppet dance had happened.
"I would rather kill them than restore them."
The room became silent.
Again.
I glanced toward Professor Adermat.
His expression had become grim.
And for the first time since meeting him...
I thought he might actually be afraid.
Not for himself.
For us.
For everyone in this room.
Because the terrifying thing wasn't that Professor Eclipse was threatening anyone.
It was that she sounded completely sincere.
For several long seconds, nobody spoke.
The tension hanging inside the auditorium felt almost tangible.
Professor Eclipse stood before us as though she hadn't just admitted she would rather kill a student than save them.
The worst part was that none of us doubted she could do it.
Professor Adermat slowly pushed himself away from the wall.
His eyes never left hers.
Despite the obvious danger, he didn't look away.
He didn't retreat.
He simply studied her.
Carefully.
As though trying to understand what kind of creature stood before him.
"I must admit," he finally said, "that despite sharing the same profession..."
His voice remained calm.
Measured.
"My opinion of you grows increasingly disappointing."
The room immediately became quieter.
Professor Eclipse raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Professor Adermat folded his arms.
"Your hands are stained with blood."
The moment the words left his mouth, a chill swept through the auditorium.
Even Kim shifted uncomfortably.
Minho looked ready to intervene if necessary.
Won Ho looked ready to encourage the argument.
As for me...
I was wondering whether insulting an ancient witch was considered a healthy life choice.
Apparently, it wasn't.
Professor Eclipse laughed.
A beautiful laugh.
An elegant laugh.
A horrifying laugh.
The kind that belonged in old ghost stories.
The kind that made people disappear.
"You're only noticing that now?"
Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly.
The amusement on her face deepened.
"I am an Arcane Witch, Professor."
A faint breeze moved through the auditorium.
The lights flickered.
Just once.
Yet somehow every instinct in my body immediately screamed at me to stay very, very quiet.
Professor Eclipse slowly removed the cigarette from her lips.
The glowing ember illuminated her face.
For a brief moment...
She didn't look human.
She looked ancient.
Something old hiding beneath a human mask.
"Thousands have died by these hands."
Her voice became quieter.
Softer.
Which somehow made it worse.
"I witnessed kingdoms rise."
A pause.
"I witnessed kingdoms burn."
Another pause.
"I buried heroes."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
"And monsters."
Nobody interrupted.
Nobody moved.
Even Professor Adermat remained silent.
Because for the first time, I realized something.
Professor Eclipse wasn't boasting.
She wasn't exaggerating.
She was simply stating facts.
Facts she had personally lived through.
The silence stretched.
Then her eyes settled on Professor Adermat once more.
Cold.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
"I would strongly advise against threatening me."
The words were spoken politely.
Which made them infinitely more frightening.
Her smile vanished.
Completely.
"You would not be the first."
A heartbeat passed.
"You would not be the last."
For a moment, I genuinely thought something terrible was about to happen.
Then...
Professor Eclipse smiled again.
As if nothing had occurred.
As if she hadn't just casually implied that countless people had tried and failed to oppose her.
The atmosphere immediately loosened.
Not because the danger had disappeared.
Because she had chosen not to act.
That was somehow worse.
A great deal worse.
A hand suddenly landed on my shoulder.
I looked up.
Minho.
He had quietly moved closer at some point.
Positioning himself between me and Professor Eclipse.
As though he could somehow shield me from her attention.
The gesture caught me off guard.
Professor Eclipse noticed as well.
Her smile widened.
Amused.
Almost affectionate.
"How noble."
Minho immediately looked away.
Professor Adermat pinched the bridge of his nose.
Clearly regretting every decision that had led him to this moment.
Meanwhile, Miriam finally broke the silence.
"I wonder if the Day Moths could actually do something about her."
The question made several people look toward her.
Professor Adermat sighed.
Before he could answer, Miriam continued.
"Once they learn she's an Arcane Witch..."
She hesitated.
"...they'll probably be terrified."
Professor Eclipse laughed again.
This time she didn't even try to deny it.
Miriam folded her arms.
"The Church's greatest enemies were always Arcane Witches."
Her gaze remained fixed on the place where Eclipse stood.
"Most people thought they vanished centuries ago."
"The Seventh Age," Professor Adermat added quietly.
"That was the last confirmed appearance."
A strange silence followed.
Because standing in front of us was living proof that history had been wrong.
Professor Eclipse simply shrugged.
As if surviving for centuries was a completely normal thing to do.
Then she tapped her heel against the floor.
The familiar scent of roses immediately filled the auditorium.
Black feathers drifted through the air.
A flock of crows burst from the surrounding shadows.
The vortex of feathers and petals swallowed her completely.
And then...
She was gone.
The silence she left behind felt even heavier than her presence.
I stared at the empty space where she had stood.
Sometimes I wondered whether she was truly trying to protect me.
Or whether I was simply too blind to notice the danger standing right beside me.
My phone vibrated.
The sudden sound nearly made me jump.
I blinked and looked down.
A message.
Alya.
The tension inside my chest eased immediately.
Without thinking, I pressed the call button.
The line rang once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
I frowned.
Then tried again.
A few seconds later, the call connected.
"Darling!"
Alya's cheerful voice exploded through the speaker.
The sudden contrast nearly gave me emotional whiplash.
"There you are!"
A smile formed on my face despite myself.
"Hello to you too."
"I forgot to tell you something important this morning."
That immediately sounded dangerous.
I already knew where this was going.
Unfortunately.
"Do you know what tomorrow is?"
I thought for a moment.
"Liv's Day?"
"No."
"The seventy-seventh of Thalianth?"
"No!"
Her voice rose dramatically.
I could practically imagine her glaring at the phone.
Then came the inevitable explosion.
"You idiot!"
Several students nearby turned to look at me.
I pretended not to notice.
"It's our three-month anniversary!"
I froze.
"...Oh."
The silence lasted exactly one second.
Then I sighed.
Right.
That.
I had completely forgotten.
"...Oh."
The realization hit me like a truck.
Or perhaps several trucks.
Alya's sigh echoed through the phone.
A very disappointed sigh.
The kind that only girlfriends seemed capable of producing.
"I can't believe you forgot."
"In my defense..."
"There is no defense."
"That's fair."
For several seconds neither of us spoke.
Then she laughed.
A bright, warm laugh that instantly eased the tension lingering in my chest.
Honestly, I didn't deserve her.
"You really forgot, didn't you?"
"Completely."
"Idiot."
"I know."
Another laugh.
I found myself smiling despite everything that had happened today.
The prophecy.
The puppet dancer.
The criminal organization.
Professor Eclipse.
For a few moments, all of it faded into the background.
It was just Alya and me.
Something simple.
Something normal.
Something I desperately needed.
"Well," she said, sounding considerably happier now, "don't forget tomorrow."
"I won't."
"You already forgot once."
"That's different."
"It really isn't."
I sighed dramatically.
"Have mercy."
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Just a little?"
"No."
I rubbed my forehead.
"I'm being bullied."
"You deserve it."
"I probably do."
"Definitely."
I could practically hear her smiling through the phone.
Then her voice softened.
"Anyway..."
A brief pause.
"I'm looking forward to our date."
The words were simple.
Yet they somehow carried more weight than anything else.
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
Relationships still felt unfamiliar to me.
Terrifying, even.
Alya had always known that.
She knew I struggled with expressing myself.
She knew I constantly worried about disappointing her.
She knew I overthought everything.
And despite all of that...
She stayed.
"I'm looking forward to it too."
A short silence followed.
Then she laughed again.
A quieter laugh this time.
"Good."
The warmth in her voice made my chest feel strangely light.
"I love you."
My heart nearly stopped.
Why was that sentence always so powerful?
No matter how many times she said it.
No matter how much time passed.
It always felt overwhelming.
"I love you too."
A few seconds later, the call ended.
I stared at the screen for a moment.
Then slipped the phone back into my pocket.
The auditorium suddenly felt much quieter.
Much emptier.
And considerably less pleasant.
I let out a long sigh.
"So."
Everyone looked toward me.
I immediately regretted speaking.
"So... what now?"
Professor Adermat adjusted his glasses.
"Now we prepare."
Kim leaned forward.
"For tonight's rituals."
That immediately regained everyone's attention.
Minho frowned.
"Wait."
He pointed at himself.
"What about me?"
Professor Adermat nodded.
"Your ritual must wait."
"Why?"
"Because your Pathway belongs to Mel."
The answer came from Miriam.
The silver-haired girl was already flipping through one of her books.
"The God of War."
Minho groaned.
"Of course it does."
"The ritual must be performed during Mel's Day."
Professor Adermat continued the explanation.
"Your pathway was created by him."
The teacher folded his arms.
"Therefore, the ritual's success rate increases dramatically when performed under his influence."
Minho looked offended.
"As if my life wasn't complicated enough already."
"Your life is surprisingly simple."
"Rude."
Ignoring him, Professor Adermat continued.
"The Fighter Pathway was created by Mel himself."
His expression became more serious.
"At Level Zero, you're a Combatant."
Minho nodded.
"And Level One?"
"Fighter."
A simple answer.
Yet the word carried weight.
Because advancing a level wasn't merely becoming stronger.
It meant surviving a ritual that could destroy your body.
Your mind.
Or your humanity.
Miriam closed her book.
"Besides."
She looked directly at Minho.
"You still possess that secondary blessing from the Earth God."
Minho blinked.
"Oh."
"The earth manipulation."
He nodded again.
The ability had become so natural that he sometimes forgot it wasn't truly part of his Pathway.
Professor Adermat continued.
"When you advance, you'll lose it."
Minho's eyes widened.
"What?"
"It served its purpose."
"That's unfair."
"Divine powers rarely concern themselves with fairness."
Minho slumped into his chair.
Clearly betrayed by the universe.
The rest of us ignored him.
Mostly because we had bigger problems.
Namely surviving our own rituals.
The conversation continued for a while longer.
Plans.
Schedules.
Preparations.
Warnings.
Eventually, classes resumed.
And unfortunately, reality reminded me that I was still sick.
By the time I returned to class, exhaustion was crushing me.
My head felt heavy.
My throat hurt.
My body ached.
Even breathing required effort.
At some point during the lesson, I fell asleep.
Then woke up.
Then fell asleep again.
Then repeated the process several more times.
By the end of the school day, I had absorbed approximately zero educational content.
Which, admittedly, wasn't unusual.
The final bell rang.
Students began leaving.
I stood up slowly.
Immediately regretted it.
The room spun slightly.
Wonderful.
I decided walking home sounded like an awful idea.
So I took a taxi.
The ride passed in a blur.
I barely remembered arriving home.
I barely remembered opening the door.
I barely remembered throwing my backpack onto the floor.
The next thing I knew...
I was asleep.
Face-first on the living room carpet.
Like a fallen soldier.
Or a particularly lazy corpse.
When I finally opened my eyes again, sunlight was pouring through the windows.
The room had turned orange.
Evening.
The ritual.
Right.
That was happening.
Unfortunately.
I groaned.
Every muscle in my body protested.
For a brief moment, I considered staying home.
Then remembered Kim would probably drag me there personally.
Which sounded even worse.
Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet.
Moka immediately appeared beside me.
Her tail brushing against my leg.
I smiled weakly.
"Hey."
She meowed.
A judgmental meow.
The kind that seemed to say:
You abandoned me.
"Sorry."
I filled her food bowl.
Watched her begin eating.
Then headed for the door.
I still wasn't hungry.
I still felt terrible.
But there was no avoiding tonight.
Outside, the evening air felt cool against my skin.
The walk to the park seemed longer than usual.
Eventually, I reached the fence.
Instead of using Shadow Step like before, I simply climbed over it.
Much less dramatic.
Much more exhausting.
When I landed on the other side, I immediately spotted them.
The same clearing.
The same ritual ground.
The same three officials observing from a distance.
And standing at the center of it all...
Airi.
Waiting.
Preparing herself.
Ready to gamble her life for power.
The atmosphere felt completely different from Kim's ritual.
Heavier.
More dangerous.
As though the air itself understood that a mistake tonight could cost someone their life.
Airi stood at the center of the clearing.
Her hands trembled slightly.
Sweat covered her forehead.
Her pupils were dilated.
She looked calm from a distance.
But I could tell she was terrified.
Anyone would be.
Because unlike ordinary training...
Ascension Rituals demanded a price.
Sometimes that price was pain.
Sometimes it was sanity.
And sometimes...
It was everything.
Xia stepped forward and took both of Airi's hands.
Neither of them spoke.
They didn't need to.
After several seconds, Airi smiled.
A small smile.
Fragile.
Then she gently pulled away.
The ritual was about to begin.
One by one, the materials were brought forward.
Even after witnessing Kim's ascension, I still found myself amazed by the absurdity of these ingredients.
The first item was placed upon the ritual ground.
A cluster of crystalline diamonds nearly the size of a human fist.
Abyssal Prism Crystals.
Born within the deepest caverns of Kael'Thas.
Places where sunlight had never existed.
Places where darkness had ruled uninterrupted for thousands of years.
Each crystal possessed dozens of perfectly cut facets.
Under moonlight they reflected countless colors simultaneously.
Beautiful.
And unsettling.
According to the Church documents, their purpose was to purify and refract laser-based LC energy.
To break it apart.
To rebuild it.
To transform it into something greater.
Thirty-five crystals had been prepared.
More than Kim had used.
Far more.
Which wasn't exactly reassuring.
The second item followed.
A small silver container.
Inside rested a fine powder that shimmered like crushed stars.
Neutron Star Dust.
Harvested from meteorites that fell upon Nebulon.
Each grain contained stellar matter compressed beyond normal comprehension.
A substance so dense that a handful could outweigh an entire mountain if its true properties were released.
Its purpose was simple.
To compress Airi's energy.
To force her power into a more perfect state.
The third item looked almost harmless.
Two transparent lenses.
Smooth.
Circular.
Delicate.
Kraken Eye Lenses.
Extracted from abyssal leviathans lurking beneath the oceans of Abyssalon.
Ancient predators capable of seeing through darkness, storms, and even magical concealment.
The lenses would temporarily grant Airi a similar perception.
Assuming they didn't burn out her optic nerves first.
The fourth item was carried inside an ornate silver censer.
Golden mist swirled within it.
Solar Storm Essence.
Captured during magnetic superstorms on Stormhold.
Raw stellar energy.
Liquid sunlight.
The smell alone felt strange.
Warm.
Almost comforting.
Like standing beneath sunlight after a lifetime spent underground.
Then came the explanation of the risks.
The government official recited them calmly.
As though discussing weather forecasts.
"Permanent blindness."
Nobody reacted.
He continued.
"Molecular disintegration."
Airi swallowed.
"Dimensional fracture."
Kim's expression tightened.
"And loss of humanity."
Silence.
Complete silence.
No one found that last risk surprising.
Because every ascension ritual carried it.
Every single one.
The possibility of becoming something else.
Something no longer human.
I looked toward the Church representative.
His expression remained neutral.
Professional.
Unmoved.
Unlike us, he had witnessed hundreds of rituals.
Perhaps thousands.
To him, this was merely another day.
Another ascension.
Another gamble against fate.
Airi took a deep breath.
The ritual sheet was handed to her.
Her fingers tightened around it.
Then she walked forward.
Step by step.
Until she stood within the circle of Abyssal Prism Crystals.
The moonlight illuminated her face.
The crystals began glowing.
Her aura erupted.
Red energy poured from her body.
Not as beams.
Not as attacks.
But as a luminous mantle surrounding her entire figure.
The ritual had begun.
Airi closed her eyes.
Then she started chanting.
Her voice echoed throughout the clearing.
Ancient.
Foreign.
Powerful.
"Brika rauþōs raudans fairweise meineizē,
Stikla garaiþō, lauhaþ aland wiljin,
Hwazuh blēw haftads jah brukans,
Dauþiþ himma du aftra gabaur in sunja."
The reaction was immediate.
The thirty-five prism crystals erupted with light.
Scarlet beams shot outward from Airi's aura.
The crystals captured them.
Split them.
Refracted them.
Suddenly thousands of colored rays exploded across the ritual circle.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Gold.
Violet.
Every color struck her body from every direction.
Airi screamed.
The sound echoed through the park.
The light pierced her flesh like countless needles.
No.
Like surgical instruments.
Precise.
Merciless.
Beautiful.
Her pupils expanded.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
Even from several meters away, I could hear it.
Thump.
Thump.
THUMP.
Her blood raced through her veins like a river breaking through a dam.
Yet she continued.
"Augōna seina saiħand þata ni hwas fraþjiþ,
Struktura sik laista gaskafteins,
Hwazuh wanks waihs saei sik mis gibaþ,
Hwazuh krakja in þamma liuga framaþei."
The Neutron Star Dust was mixed into ritual ink.
Without hesitation, Airi dipped her fingers into it.
Then began drawing runes across her skin.
Along her arms.
Across her shoulders.
Around her eyes.
Each symbol glowed brilliantly.
Burning itself into her flesh.
Not merely written.
Engraved.
Accepted.
Claimed.
The final sequence appeared around her forearms.
The name of the level she sought.
𖤖
𖤗
𖤥
𖤕
𖤓
𖤤
𖤙
𖤓
𖤖
𖤡
𖤤
𖤓
(Discharger)
The Luminal Runes blazed with white light.
Then sank beneath her skin.
Permanent.
Irreversible.
Part of her existence now.
Airi's breathing became ragged.
Violent.
Her entire body shook.
Yet she continued chanting.
Because stopping halfway through an Ascension Ritual was far worse than continuing.
And everyone present knew it.
Airi's entire body trembled.
The Luminal Runes burned beneath her skin like living brands.
White light pulsed through her veins.
Each heartbeat released another wave of energy into the ritual circle.
The Prism Crystals responded immediately.
Thousands of reflections danced across the clearing.
The ground.
The trees.
Our faces.
Everything became illuminated by an endless storm of fractured colors.
For a brief moment, the ritual site resembled a shattered rainbow.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Unstable.
I could feel the energy pressure growing.
Even standing dozens of meters away.
Even without an LC.
My instincts screamed at me.
Run.
Leave.
Get away from here.
Yet none of us moved.
Because this was the point where every ascension became irreversible.
Airi opened her eyes.
The pupils were no longer completely human.
Thin streams of white light leaked from their corners.
The Church representative stepped forward.
Holding the next ritual component.
The Kraken Eye Lenses.
The transparent discs reflected the moonlight with an unnatural sheen.
Ancient.
Alien.
Predatory.
The official carefully handed them to Airi.
For a second, she hesitated.
Then she pressed them against her eyes.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Airi screamed.
Not from fear.
From agony.
Her body doubled over.
Blood streamed from her tear ducts.
The veins around her eyes darkened.
Her hands clawed at the air.
As if she were trying to rip something invisible away from herself.
Then—
She froze.
Completely.
Every movement stopped.
Every sound vanished.
Even her breathing seemed to cease.
A silence settled over the clearing.
An unnatural silence.
The kind that appears before disasters.
Airi slowly raised her head.
And looked upward.
Toward the stars.
Toward the moon.
Toward realities hidden behind reality itself.
A shudder ran down my spine.
Something had changed.
Something fundamental.
Her gaze no longer resembled a human's.
It felt ancient.
Vast.
Like looking through the eyes of a creature born beneath primordial oceans.
Airi spoke.
Her voice sounded distant.
Almost dreamlike.
"I can see it..."
Nobody answered.
Nobody dared interrupt.
Tears continued running down her face.
Yet she never blinked.
"I can see everything."
The wind stopped.
Even the leaves seemed unwilling to move.
Her eyes drifted slowly across the clearing.
And for a single horrifying second—
She looked directly at me.
My heart nearly stopped.
I felt exposed.
Completely exposed.
As though every secret.
Every memory.
Every fear.
Every lie.
Every fragment of my soul.
Had suddenly become visible.
Then her gaze moved away.
I found myself breathing again.
Barely.
The lenses had worked.
Or perhaps they had worked too well.
The next stage began.
The silver censer was opened.
Golden mist escaped into the air.
Solar Storm Essence.
The smell alone felt comforting.
Warm.
Safe.
Like sunlight after a long winter.
The golden vapor swirled around Airi.
Then she inhaled.
Deeply.
Greedily.
Every trace of the essence entered her lungs.
The reaction was immediate.
Her body arched backward.
The runes ignited.
The Prism Crystals exploded with light.
The very air began vibrating.
Airi continued the chant.
Her voice now carried a strange resonance.
As if countless voices echoed behind her own.
"Ni fōn blinds nih mahts aland mēl,
Ita gaumein hrainaizōs lauhōs,
Hwazuh winkils snauts jah birhtands,
Hwazuh rauþ staua saei wandjaiþ kruka."
The golden vapor entered her bloodstream.
Merged with her LC Core.
Merged with her soul.
Merged with something deeper.
Her eyes erupted with blinding radiance.
Not red.
Not gold.
Pure white.
White so bright it hurt to look at.
White so intense it seemed capable of burning reality itself.
The atmosphere shook.
Pressure waves spread through the clearing.
Dust rose from the ground.
Trees bent outward.
The Prism Crystals began floating.
One by one.
As though gravity itself had forgotten how to function.
Airi raised the Kraken Lenses before her eyes once more.
And everything changed.
Her body froze.
Her expression became one of complete awe.
I followed her gaze.
But saw nothing unusual.
Only empty air.
Yet she continued staring.
Transfixed.
Mesmerized.
Overwhelmed.
"What is she seeing?"
Kim whispered.
Nobody answered.
The answer came from Airi herself.
Her voice trembled.
Not from fear.
From wonder.
"The world..."
A pause.
Then another.
"The world is broken."
Every person present stiffened.
Airi slowly extended her hand toward empty space.
Her fingers traced invisible patterns.
As though she were touching something hidden.
Something beyond normal perception.
"I can see the energy."
Another pause.
"I can see the flaws."
The Church representative narrowed his eyes.
Professor Adermat became visibly tense.
Even Xia looked worried.
Meanwhile Airi continued speaking.
"I can see where matter ends."
Her voice became quieter.
"And where light begins."
A chill crawled down my spine.
Because for a brief moment...
I thought she might not come back.
I thought she had gone too far.
That she had seen something no human mind was meant to see.
Then the final stage arrived.
The climax.
The point where the ritual would either succeed...
Or destroy her completely.
The Solar Storm Essence exploded outward from her body.
Golden flames erupted around her.
The Prism Crystals spun through the air.
The Luminal Runes blazed brighter than ever before.
Airi's body shook violently.
Energy burst from every pore.
The ground cracked beneath her feet.
The surrounding air distorted.
Reality itself seemed unable to contain the pressure building inside her.
Then—
She began the final verse.
And every soul present understood that there was no turning back.
The pressure became unbearable.
The air trembled.
The trees surrounding the clearing groaned as invisible forces pushed against them.
Leaves spiraled upward.
Pebbles rose from the ground.
Even the moonlight itself seemed distorted around Airi's body.
The ritual had reached its final stage.
There was no retreat.
No interruption.
No salvation.
Only ascension.
Or destruction.
Golden flames of Solar Storm Essence swirled around her figure.
The thirty-five Abyssal Prism Crystals orbited her like a constellation of fractured stars.
Every Luminal Rune engraved upon her skin burned with blinding intensity.
The symbols pulsed alongside her heartbeat.
Faster.
Faster.
FASTER.
Airi's body shook violently.
Her breathing became ragged.
Yet despite the pain...
Despite the blood streaming from her eyes...
Despite the enormous pressure threatening to tear her apart...
She continued.
Her voice rose above the storm.
Ancient words echoed across the clearing.
Words spoken long before nations existed.
Words older than kingdoms.
Older than history.
Words that carried power.
"Lēta blōþ du lauhaþ kristallein,
Lēta leik du saihwala aiwein,
Wēsi seina distahjana un wairþa atta,
Ik im sa rauþs saei snaiumjaþ mait!"
The moment the verse ended—
Every Prism Crystal exploded with light.
Airi screamed.
Not in fear.
Not in agony.
But because something inside her was changing.
The red energy surrounding her shattered apart.
Thousands of beams erupted from her body.
Each one splitting into countless colors.
The sky above us became a kaleidoscope of living light.
The beams reflected endlessly between the floating crystals.
Red.
Blue.
Green.
Gold.
Violet.
Silver.
Colors I couldn't even name.
For several seconds the entire clearing vanished beneath the storm of refracted energy.
Then—
Airi raised her head.
Her eyes opened fully.
And I immediately understood something had gone horribly right.
Her irises were gone.
There was only light.
Two miniature stars burning within human sockets.
The sight was beautiful.
And deeply unsettling.
I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't looking at a person anymore.
At least not entirely.
The pressure increased again.
Cracks spread across the ground beneath her feet.
The Prism Crystals vibrated violently.
The golden flames surrounding her body began merging with the multicolored beams.
The ritual circle became unstable.
Even the officials shifted their footing.
The government representative narrowed his eyes.
The Church observer silently prepared a protective seal.
The Day Moths agent placed a hand on her weapon.
Everyone understood the same thing.
If Airi lost control now...
The entire clearing might disappear.
Airi inhaled deeply.
Then she screamed the final invocation.
"RAUÞS, AFSWALT!
HWEITS, GABAIR!
WALHAS, HAUSJA!
IK IM SŌ SUNJA!"
The world exploded.
Light engulfed everything.
For a brief moment, I couldn't see.
Couldn't hear.
Couldn't even feel the ground beneath my feet.
Only light.
Endless light.
Then reality returned.
Slowly.
Piece by piece.
The first thing I noticed was silence.
Absolute silence.
The second thing I noticed...
Was Airi.
She was floating several meters above the ground.
Her body surrounded by countless crystalline rays.
Each beam moved independently.
Like living creatures.
Like extensions of her will.
The beams touched a nearby boulder.
There was no explosion.
No impact.
No sound.
The stone simply ceased to exist.
Erased.
Reduced to nothing.
Several horrified expressions appeared around the clearing.
I understood why.
That wasn't destruction.
It was disintegration.
Complete molecular annihilation.
The first manifestation of her evolved power.
The rays shifted again.
This time striking several trees.
The beams bounced from trunk to trunk.
Reflecting at impossible angles.
Crossing the entire clearing.
They moved like intelligent projectiles.
Ignoring obstacles.
Hunting pathways invisible to normal eyes.
Refractive fire.
Another new ability.
Airi slowly lowered her gaze.
And suddenly I understood what she had seen earlier.
The world reflected inside her eyes.
Not as matter.
Not as objects.
But as energy.
I could see faint streams of light moving through the air around her.
Flowing through the ground.
Through the trees.
Through us.
For a brief instant her gaze landed on a crack in a distant stone.
A tiny flaw.
Almost invisible.
A narrow crimson beam flashed.
The entire boulder split perfectly in half.
Not because of power.
Because she had identified its weakest point.
Spectral Vision.
The ability to perceive structural flaws and energy pathways.
The final proof of her ascension.
The pressure surrounding her began to weaken.
The floating crystals slowly descended.
The golden flames faded.
The ritual was ending.
Airi looked down at her own hands.
Wonder filled her face.
Then confusion.
Then exhaustion.
The tremendous power surrounding her flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Her body swayed.
The stars inside her eyes dimmed.
The beams vanished.
The Prism Crystals fell to the ground.
And finally—
Airi collapsed.
Her body dropped from the air.
Before she could hit the ground, Xia sprinted forward.
Catching her.
Holding her tightly.
"Airi!"
No response.
Only breathing.
Weak.
Exhausted.
Alive.
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then the Church representative stepped forward.
He inspected the ritual site.
The crystals.
The runes.
The residual energy.
Finally, he nodded.
A single nod.
"The ritual has succeeded."
The tension instantly disappeared from the clearing.
Several people released breaths they had been holding for minutes.
Even I found myself relaxing.
The government official made several notes.
The Day Moths agent quietly observed Airi's unconscious form.
Meanwhile, Xia continued holding her friend.
Relief visible in her eyes.
Airi had survived.
She had become a Level One Discharger.
And judging by what we had just witnessed...
She had become something far more terrifying than any of us had expected.
Unfortunately.
The night wasn't over yet.
Because another ritual still remained.
And unlike Airi's ascension...
Won Ho's ritual wasn't about light.
It was about becoming immovable.
About becoming a force capable of standing against the world itself.
The atmosphere changed completely after Airi's ascension.
The brilliance of her ritual still lingered in the air.
Fragments of refracted light floated between the trees.
The smell of Solar Storm Essence remained.
Yet all of it gradually faded.
Something heavier was approaching.
Something older.
Something that felt less like evolution...
And more like endurance.
Xia carefully carried the unconscious Airi toward a nearby bench.
The Church observer gave several instructions regarding her recovery.
The government representative documented the ritual's results.
Meanwhile, everyone else's attention shifted toward the next participant.
Won Ho.
Unlike Airi, he wasn't nervous.
He wasn't trembling.
He wasn't trying to hide his fear.
He simply stood there.
Arms crossed.
Looking at the ritual site with a crooked grin.
As though he were about to enter a boxing match rather than a potentially lethal ascension ceremony.
"Try not to die."
Minho spoke with complete seriousness.
Won Ho snorted.
"That's rich coming from you."
"Seriously."
"I'm serious too."
Won Ho pointed toward the ritual materials.
"If I survive this, I'm officially cooler than everyone else."
Kim immediately rolled her eyes.
"Your standards are concerning."
"They're perfectly reasonable."
"They aren't."
"They are."
Professor Adermat sighed.
"The fact that you're joking before a ritual with a thirty-percent mortality rate is deeply worrying."
"Only thirty percent?"
Won Ho blinked.
"Those are fantastic odds."
The professor looked genuinely offended.
Miriam buried her face in one hand.
Even Xia managed a tired laugh.
I found myself smiling despite everything.
That was simply who Won Ho was.
The kind of person who looked at danger and somehow treated it like an inconvenience.
The officials began arranging the materials.
Unlike Airi's components, which had possessed a strange beauty, Won Ho's ritual items looked brutal.
Primitive.
Violent.
The first was the Titan Heart Stone.
A dark oval-shaped rock rested atop a reinforced pedestal.
Crimson veins glowed beneath its surface.
It looked less like stone and more like a fossilized organ.
Every few seconds it pulsed.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
Like a sleeping heart.
The second item rested inside a transparent container.
Mountain Blood.
A silver-red liquid.
Dense enough to resemble molten metal.
Every movement created heavy ripples across its surface.
The third component drew everyone's attention immediately.
Liquid Gravity.
A massive cylindrical chamber filled with metallic fluid.
The substance shimmered beneath the moonlight.
The sight alone made me uncomfortable.
The liquid moved too slowly.
Too deliberately.
As if gravity itself had somehow been liquefied.
The fourth item was considerably smaller.
A translucent crystal.
Frozen within its core was a faint golden fracture.
The Echo of the First Impact.
The vibration said to contain the memory of creation itself.
Or one of countless creations.
Finally came the last two components.
Primordial Burst Dust.
And the Condensed Mana Bomb Heart.
The latter resembled a crystalized thunderstorm.
Cracks of blue-white lightning flickered beneath its surface.
Even from a distance, I could feel the energy contained inside.
The Church observer stepped forward.
His expression remained calm.
Professional.
Unlike us, he had witnessed countless rituals.
Perhaps hundreds.
Perhaps thousands.
His voice carried clearly through the clearing.
"Level One Ascension."
He glanced toward Won Ho.
"Path of the Fighter."
Then toward the materials.
"Proposed Advancement: Foundation Breaker."
The title alone sounded absurdly fitting.
Won Ho grinned.
"I like it already."
The official ignored him.
"As always, the risks remain present."
His voice never changed.
Never trembled.
Never dramatized anything.
Because to him, these dangers were ordinary.
Routine.
"The candidate may suffer complete petrification."
Silence.
"Gravitational collapse."
Silence.
"Psychological fragmentation."
Silence.
"Loss of humanity."
More silence.
Won Ho scratched his cheek.
"Still sounds better than math class."
Minho immediately smacked him.
Hard.
The sound echoed through the clearing.
Kim nearly choked trying not to laugh.
Professor Adermat looked moments away from developing a headache.
Won Ho rubbed the back of his head.
"Okay, okay. Serious face."
He attempted a serious expression.
Failed.
Then failed again.
Finally, he settled for looking mildly less stupid.
The ritual preparations continued.
Several assistants activated the Liquid Gravity chamber.
The metallic fluid began rotating.
Slowly.
Then faster.
And faster.
The pressure released from the chamber immediately became noticeable.
My knees weakened slightly.
Several nearby stones cracked.
The surrounding grass flattened.
Even the air itself felt heavier.
The Church observer nodded.
"The chamber is stable."
Won Ho removed his jacket.
Then his shirt.
His expression remained confident.
Yet I noticed something important.
The moment nobody else seemed to catch.
His hands.
For the first time that evening.
They trembled.
Only slightly.
But they trembled.
Because despite the jokes.
Despite the bravado.
Despite the confidence.
He understood exactly what was about to happen.
A single mistake.
A single failure.
And he could die.
Or worse.
Become something that wasn't human anymore.
Won Ho took a slow breath.
Then another.
His gaze drifted briefly toward us.
Toward Kim.
Toward Minho.
Toward Xia.
Toward Airi.
Toward all of us.
Then he smiled.
A genuine smile.
Not a cocky one.
Not a joking one.
A real one.
And for the first time that evening, he spoke quietly.
"I'm coming back."
Nobody answered.
Because nobody could promise that.
The Church observer raised his hand.
The ritual was beginning.
The metallic chamber opened.
Heavy silver liquid churned inside.
Waiting.
Won Ho exhaled once.
Then stepped forward.
And entered the Liquid Gravity.
The moment his body touched the substance—
Every muscle in his body locked.
His grin vanished.
His eyes widened.
And I immediately understood.
This ritual was going to be far worse than Airi's.
Far worse.
Then, submerged within the crushing sea of gravity, Won Ho opened his mouth and began chanting the first verses of High Luminari.
"Ni im rauþs, ni winds, ni fōn,
Im stains sa þahans ufhalda,
Laista starka, runa unbrukans,
Saei in staþa seinamma allata athalda."
The true ascension had begun.
The moment Won Ho entered the Liquid Gravity, everything changed.
The silver substance swallowed him up to his neck.
His expression immediately twisted.
Every muscle in his body tensed.
The joking.
The confidence.
The smug grin.
All of it disappeared.
For the first time that night, Won Ho looked genuinely terrified.
The pressure was unimaginable.
I could see it in his eyes.
Every breath had become a battle.
Every heartbeat a struggle.
The metallic fluid rotated around him.
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Like a miniature ocean trying to crush him from every direction.
Yet he continued the chant.
His voice trembled.
But it did not stop.
"Stains in wēda meineizē un rinna,
Jah slaht airþōs wairþa stiurn sein,
Hwazuh andanēm wairþa fairguni,
Jah in staþa seinamma, maht gaskafteins."
The Titan Heart Stone was brought forward.
Its crimson veins glowed brighter.
The pulse inside it accelerated.
Thump.
Thump.
THUMP.
The Church official pressed the burning stone against Won Ho's bare chest.
The smell of scorched flesh immediately filled the clearing.
Won Ho screamed.
A raw.
Animalistic scream.
The sound echoed across the park.
The stone sank into his skin.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
The boundaries between his body and the relic blurred.
His heartbeat slowed.
Then synchronized.
One pulse.
One rhythm.
One existence.
For an instant, I thought I could hear mountains breathing.
Ancient peaks.
Endless cliffs.
Stone that had endured millions of years.
All of it now echoed within Won Ho's chest.
The ritual continued.
The container of Mountain Blood was opened.
The metallic liquid flowed through enchanted syringes.
Directly into his veins.
The effect was immediate.
His skin darkened.
Not in color.
In texture.
His flesh began resembling polished stone.
Cracks appeared along his arms.
Not injuries.
Patterns.
As if geology itself had begun rewriting his body.
The blood inside him fought back.
I could see crimson droplets escaping from his pores.
Sweat mixed with blood.
Humanity struggling against transformation.
Yet the Mountain Blood advanced relentlessly.
Won Ho continued chanting.
"Filu slaht sa sa wairþa waihta fōrm,
Stiurn frumist, þaursus jah swalt,
Faists seina ist skula sa inmaideiþ,
Fōtus seins, axis wairldair airþein."
The ground beneath the chamber cracked.
Several trees leaned away from him.
The pressure was increasing.
Gravity itself seemed to distort around his body.
Then came the Primordial Burst Dust.
The crimson powder was scattered across his fists.
He inhaled deeply.
Immediately his lungs ignited.
At least that was what it looked like.
Golden-red light appeared beneath his skin.
Traveling through his throat.
His chest.
His ribs.
His entire respiratory system became visible for a brief moment.
His next exhale released a crimson mist.
The air trembled.
A nearby stone shattered into dust.
Not from contact.
From the force contained within a single breath.
Several officials exchanged glances.
Even they looked impressed.
The next component arrived.
The Echo of the First Impact.
The crystal looked harmless.
Fragile.
Small.
Insignificant.
Then it shattered against Won Ho's forehead.
Nothing happened.
At first.
Then reality shook.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
A vibration spread through the clearing.
Through the trees.
Through the ground.
Through my bones.
I couldn't hear it.
I felt it.
A sound older than stars.
Older than worlds.
The first collision.
The first movement.
The first act of existence.
Won Ho roared.
The Liquid Gravity exploded outward.
The chamber walls cracked.
The officials immediately reinforced the containment seals.
The pressure became overwhelming.
Several people were forced to step back.
Including me.
Won Ho's eyes glowed.
Not with light.
With certainty.
Absolute certainty.
Then the final component appeared.
The Condensed Mana Bomb Heart.
Lightning crawled across its surface.
The crystal pulsed violently.
As though it desperately wanted to explode.
The Church official handed it to him.
Won Ho grabbed it.
Without hesitation.
Without fear.
He squeezed.
Crack.
The crystal fractured.
Crack.
More fractures spread.
CRACK.
The entire thing shattered.
Instead of exploding outward, the energy rushed into his arm.
Blue-white lightning spread across his skin.
Complex patterns appeared.
Living symbols.
Pulsing alongside the heartbeat of the Titan Heart.
Power flooded into him.
Enough power to level buildings.
Enough power to destroy armies.
Enough power to kill himself.
Yet somehow—
He endured.
The final verse began.
His voice no longer sounded human.
It sounded like mountains speaking.
"STRAKA, AT-HWART!
BRAST, GABAIR!
WITŌÞ, HAUSJA!
IK IM SA TAUJANS!"
The world froze.
Then—
Won Ho stepped forward.
The Liquid Gravity burst apart.
The chamber shattered.
Silver fluid exploded in every direction.
Won Ho emerged.
Walking.
Slowly.
Calmly.
As though the crushing pressure had never existed.
The patterns across his arm blazed.
His eyes opened.
And for a brief moment—
I couldn't recognize him.
He looked enormous.
Not physically.
Conceptually.
Like a mountain wearing human skin.
Won Ho lowered his gaze.
Looked at his fist.
Closed it.
Then punched the ground.
There was no explosion.
Not immediately.
The fist touched the earth.
Silence followed.
Then reality answered.
BOOM.
A perfect ring of force erupted outward.
The ground lifted.
Trees bent violently.
Dust exploded into the air.
An expanding circle of shattered earth raced across the clearing.
Several meters away.
Ten meters.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Before finally stopping.
Everyone stared.
Speechless.
The strike hadn't used fire.
Lightning.
Wind.
Or energy beams.
It had been pure force.
Pure impact.
Pure will.
The first manifestation of his ascension.
Foundation Breaker.
The patterns on his arm dimmed.
The pressure faded.
The mountain-like presence disappeared.
Won Ho blinked.
Staggered.
Then collapsed face-first into the dirt.
The silence lasted only a moment.
The Church observer stepped forward.
Examined the ritual site.
Examined Won Ho.
Then nodded.
"The ritual has succeeded."
Relief spread throughout the clearing.
Professor Adermat immediately moved to help him.
Only to discover a new problem.
Won Ho weighed significantly more than before.
"Why is he so heavy?"
Professor Adermat groaned.
Miriam tried helping.
The result was equally unsuccessful.
Kim immediately started laughing.
Even Xia couldn't suppress a smile.
The mood finally relaxed.
The danger had passed.
Or so we thought.
Then I felt it.
The smell.
Roses.
Black roses.
The laughter came next.
Soft.
Elegant.
Cruel.
Every person present froze.
A familiar voice emerged from the darkness.
"My, my."
The shadows shifted.
A storm of black petals appeared.
Dozens of ravens burst from the trees.
And from the center of the whirlwind—
Professor Eclipse stepped forward.
As if she had been there all along.
The Church observer immediately became alert.
The government representative straightened.
The Day Moths agent narrowed her eyes.
Yet Eclipse simply smiled.
Polite.
Refined.
Dangerous.
"I come on behalf of the higher authorities."
Her voice carried effortlessly through the clearing.
"I have information regarding the criminal organization."
The tension eased slightly.
The officials listened carefully.
Eclipse explained everything.
Meeting locations.
Movements.
Leaders.
Possible operations.
Every detail delivered with absolute confidence.
The officials became increasingly convinced.
Increasingly trusting.
And increasingly blind.
Because standing behind them—
I saw her smile.
A smile none of them noticed.
A smile that made my blood run cold.
The moment they finally departed, the smile widened.
Then Eclipse laughed.
A beautiful laugh.
And one of the most horrifying sounds I had ever heard.
The officials were gone.
Only we remained.
And now...
The mask had fallen.
"What fools."
Her laughter echoed through the clearing.
Even Miriam stepped back.
Professor Adermat's face darkened.
The ravens multiplied.
The roses spun around her.
For a moment she looked less like a teacher.
Less like a witch.
And more like something ancient pretending to be human.
Something that found the entire world amusing.
Her crimson eyes briefly met mine.
The laughter stopped.
The smile softened.
Only for an instant.
Then she turned away.
"See you soon, dear children."
The whirlwind consumed her.
Ravens scattered into the night sky.
Black petals drifted across the clearing.
And then she was gone.
As though she had never existed.
The park slowly emptied afterward.
Everyone returned home.
Professor Adermat carried the unconscious Won Ho.
With considerable difficulty.
The others followed behind.
Meanwhile, I walked alone beneath the evening sky.
Thinking.
About the rituals.
About the Puppeteers.
About Eclipse.
And about the unsettling realization that she clearly knew far more than she had ever told us.
The night was ending.
Tomorrow was my anniversary with Alya.
And somehow...
I had the feeling things were only becoming more complicated.