✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
「Somewhere far in a distant land, during the night before dawn, lay asleep a fair young lady in a tranquil state of stupor before crying out in a crazed reverie.
And yes, I am that young lady.」
“A mana calamity!?!?”
「I could sense it clearly from a mile away.
Or rather, since I'm at home in Dublin – the capital city of Ireland – I could sense the whole damn thing from multiple airspaces away or should I be using Pythagoras’ Theorem just this one time to calculate its distance? Oh wait, I’d have to approximate the surface’s length due to the curvature of the globe and uh…
Either way, it was a prominent amalgamation of mana no one could miss; the origin of the source came from the exosphere, or rather from outer space.
What an inopportune time to occur – right in the middle of my sleep in fact... I shot up from my bed and instantly manifested my Mantle of Mana as I perched myself on the windowsill, glaring a little ways above the horizon. A satellite that appeared to be the 8th of Orion SIGNIT satellites made by NASA, called the 〈USA-304〉, was on its way to the surface thanks to a collision with the Chinese Space Agency's Tiangong-3 spacecraft.
I subconsciously felt the whole order of events happen in my sleep like knowing something was in the periphery of my own vision but not knowing what it was, and I don’t doubt for a minute that I wasn’t the only one.」
【 The ones being targeted are the 『Children of Kurogane』. 】
「Weaving itself into the air were a row of white latin characters masked in a glow of dark purple like lightning.」
“HUH!?!?”
「HOLY SHIT!?!? ALMOST FELL OFF!!
What the hell???? Why?
Why... is it always those two? They just never seem to catch a break, huh? They're like a magnet attracting all sorts of trouble around them...What in the world is happening this time?」
【 I guess I have no choice. I'll stop the calamity myself. 】
「Leaving this message behind, I leaped off from the window and begun flying, accelerating to a velocity of 720,000km/h while counteracting the phenomena of a sonic boom with the invocation of 『Stasis』 magic.
Within 2.3 seconds, I had already traversed the Irish Sea and right now, I was trespassing into the British Mainland, homing in on Central London which was laden with flaxen points of light like a river of glitter where I could detect a certain pair of siblings.
The USA-304 was falling above the airspace of England, and if left alone, it would end up killing Sora and Yuki. Reducing my altitude, I landed in front of them. But strangely enough, there was no immediate mana acting on the satellite’s collision course for Earth. There wasn’t anything suspicious about this whole development, really.
All except there being one extra individual.
Eh?!!? Is she another one of them as well??? Peering into the anima of her soul, my doubts were cleared away. It was a mystery how I have never met this woman before. Oh well, I'll have to protect all three of them in that case. It doesn’t change what I have to do.
It can’t be helped; I can always erase their memories afterwards as well, despite my reluctance to do so and rely on underhanded methods.」
“『Reien』.”
「I teleported them away to a safe enough distance where the explosion wouldn’t reach us. As regrettable as it is, I cannot interfere with the worldly affairs of humans living on Earth as a magic user, unless in certain circumstances like now where we have no choice.」
“–Don’t worry. You'll be fine.”
「Tilting my head back, I was greeted with aghast expressions of incredulity, which I thought was only natural. To be thrown into the descension of death, yet witnessing a broken reality, there’s no way you would be able to walk away without doubting what you see. But now wasn't the time to fall into such a quandary as much as I would have to reluctantly let the flames of desecration bloom.」
“『Rerya』.”
「Slowly down it’s descent, I killed the forces of gravity acting on it and wiping away the burning fires ornating it. It touched down on the tarmac road before it sat still, stationary–
Huh?
It can’t be...」
“!?”
「250 kilograms of antihydrogen...
So much energy was being built up inside the shuttle at such unprecedented speeds, all my magically-enhanced eyes could discern was a ludicrously concentrated point of heat imploding from the interior in slow motion. It wouldn't even surprise me at all if this much energy were to annihilate the entirety of the UK by being released in an unhindered detonation.」
“『Hect』! 『Reien』!”
「Screaming at the top of my lungs, I enclosed them in a large sphere of white arabesque patterns in a blend of topaz. Following after, they blinked out of sight to the sanctuary of oxygen in the ozone layer; far above the mesosphere they'll float within the barrier constructed by the rites of 『Hect』. I'm sure they'll be fine within it.」
“...”
「Pupils diluted in nihilence, I nailed myself ramrod straight into the ground before the atomic clock about to blow off with onlooking vigilance for what happens next.
Why the hell did I even involve myself with this world?
I honestly couldn’t be bothered with anything anymore.
I never understood why it always turns out so damn horribly like this.
Why are humans like this?
Milliseconds later, an intense outburst of ionising radiation was expelled in all directions with the satellite as its hypocenter in a blinding light, engulfing my vision of visible light.
Decomposing everything into nothing but atoms.
Incinerating everything to ash within thousands of kilometers beyond the heatwave.
And all the while, I drowned in lukewarm disappointment.
Volatile clouds of burgundy-coloured fumes sprouted up into the skies as mushroom clouds - the remnants of what was left behind of this nuclear-antimatter destruction of the British Isles.」
“『Aqzel』.”
「Calibrating the clock a few hours ahead in the vicinity of my spacetime, the spell caused the virulent fumes to diffuse out, clearing away everything in sight as I surveyed my surroundings. There really wasn’t any need for it though. Unscathed from that weak explosion, I could tell with my eyes closed.
What remained was a crater with a diameter spanning such an absurd distance, it stretched further beyond the channels of seas, caressing the land of other countries beyond the coasts, as I hovered above the leftover debris of nothingness.
How long would I stay motionless for, I wonder?
Flying up into the sky and staring back, down to the surface, I clicked my tongue at this vacuous sight.」
“Tch... 『Rerya』.”
「Reverting the fumes of the environs back to the state it was in before I accelerated its time, the mushroom cloud of gas returned back to its original form.
There was nothing more left to see.
I hope this is all that destiny will play out for itself this time.
I just hope that it doesn’t escalate beyond this.」
But little did she know that this was only the start of the catastrophe.
「I should teleport back to them again.」
-════════════════-
“What just...”
“A thermonuclear... bomb...?”
「None of us knew how to process what’s happening at all. A satellite fell on top of us, we were teleported into the sky; a flash of brilliant light like the birth of a star flared from the heart of London before the capital was totally decimated in a matter of mere moments. The shockwaves must have extended far beyond the horizon based on what I saw in that brief moment when the dust cloud had dispersed, before somehow returning back.
It didn’t make any sense at all.
Gawking at... is that even the right word?
Gaping at the sight below, Yuki and Sora were also most likely just as clueless as me while realising the severity of what's going on.
Such a grand-scale explosion... It can't be anything short of an atomic blast, but I know of no bomb that explodes like that... just what type–」
“But wait HOLD ON!?!? JUST HOW HIGH UP ARE WE AND HOW!?!”
「Did I ask the same question twice?? No wait, the nuances should be different. Yeah…」
“A barrier of some sort... and aviation???? What is this?!?!?”
“Ahaha... what the hell??”
「I also have the same questions and oddly enough, the three of us levitating so high up in the sky was the most incomprehensible thing happening right now.
I don’t know what to be concerned about anymore.」
“We're up in the thermosphere, well above the surface.”
“EHHH?!?? THEN HOW ARE WE EVEN ALIVE AND TALKING RIGHT NOW!?! Wait a min–...”
“It's a magic spell that creates a protected, hospitable atmosphere. But let’s get to the Moon first, then we can talk.”
“””Eh?”””
“『Reien』.”
「The Moon? Whoever she is, she definitely just said the Moon righ–
Ho.
Ly.
Shit.
The Earth’s navy skies were lost to the cosmos black of outer space and the sandy texture of lunar soil beneath our heels felt too real to be true. A sense of buoyancy floated up our nervous system as our bodies were being exerted with G forces equivalent to Earth’s somehow – an ultramarine marble ball smudged with paint brush strokes of frost as it was in full sight right above the horizon. Whereas on the polar opposite side, a silvery dot blared, signalling the beginning of a lunar dawn. A syzygy between the Earth and the Sun.
That confirms it.
What the genuine fuck...」
“The Moon should be a relatively safe place. We won’t be affected by what’s happening on Earth, and for that matter, we might not even return for quite the long time to come.”
“No way... Wait what's that supposed to mean!?!? What’s happening there and what even was that explosion!!? WHY ARE WE ON THE MOON?!?!”
“Yuki... Oh, I think it was an antimatter nuclear bomb. Maybe about 250 kilograms worth of it. And we had nowhere else to go to.”
“Wha–!?”
「Ki....KILOGRAMS????? BUT THAT'S JUST FUCKING RIDICULOUS!?!? THAT’S ENOUGH TO DESTROY THE PLANET?!?!?!? HOW IS MAKING THAT MUCH EVEN POSSIBLE?!? AND WHY DOES SHE KNOW THAT?!」
“H-how do you know what caused that explosion?”
“Haaaa... It’s because that’s what the bomb was labelled when I looked inside the satellite. Don’t bother asking why this happened… even I don’t know. Buuuuut, it’s surprising how I’ve never met you, even though you are who you are. What's your name?”
“THAT’S NOT IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW!!! WAIT DID YOU JUST READ MY MIND!?!”
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“Y-yes I did, and it is important… Answer my question and I promise I’ll explain everything!”
“Eh? Umm… A-alright then, my name’s Sonia. Sonia Estella. But besides that, why–“
“Oh, I'm well acquainted with those two idiots over there by the way, just never met you.”
「My god, can she predict the future too???? Who on Earth is she??? Or… on the Moon? I have no idea anymore…」
“Oh… So that’s why… Wait, you know them??? You two know her?”
“H-uh? Can’t really say... Have we met before?”
“I... don’t entirely recognise her either... She does look familiar though.”
“Huh?!!? Yuki, what do you mean you don’t recognise me?!?! And Sora, I thought you could tell just by being within 5 meters of me!!??!”
「Swinging her robe and taking off her hood unveiled the innocuous girl beneath it with curly platinum blonde, shoulder length hair wrapped around the back of her head and flowing down in a waterfall plait, extremely peeved.
She got angry? That’s her angry face? That’s kinda cute… Ehehe!
WAIT WHY AM I LAUGHING!!?!? THIS ISN’T EVEN THE TIME OR PLACE FOR THAT!!!」
“DON’T TELL ME YOU'VE FORGOT EVEN THOUGH IT'S ONLY BEEN A COUPLE YEARS!?”
“Wait, wait, I seriously don’t know...”
「Grabbing Sora by his collar and catching his attention, he seemed like he really didn’t know, but it was clear the girl must have had some history with them. Hmmmm... now this is getting me curious. What’s between them, I wonder?
WAIT, WE’RE GOING OFF ON A TANGENT AGAIN!!!」
“Ahahaha… dickhead… Well try and remember, smartass. Oh, and by the way, don’t even think of stepping outside the barrier. Unless you have a death wish.”
“Oh right, earlier you said that this is some spell which creates some protective barrier right? How does that even work??”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like, dumbass. A definite area where there are stable oxygen levels and an environment where anything harmful is negated.”
“So that’s why we can stand on the Moon without being almost killed… So magic really can do stuff like this, huh…? Hect, was it?”
“You really caught onto that??? Your memory is way too good, even though you forgot who I am. Magic can do stuff like this, and normally you all would go on with life not knowing anything about it, but this one time just happened to be an untimely contingency. Welcome to the under-realm of reality.”
“But we're really on the Moon aren’t we...”
“You think we might find Armstrong and Aldrin's footprints around?”
「They were both glancing around the surface of the Moon in fascination while dismissively replying to this mystic mage. Don’t they give a damn about their situation!?!? Ah no, they have this blank look in their eyes.」
“And what’s with your calm reactions? Aren’t you going to freak out like Sonia is?”
「Thank God I’m not the only one who thought they were out of their minds... Might this girl also be a normal perso– no wait, she’s not. Why is the atmosphere getting colder all of a sudden??」
“Hunnnn... Then how do you suppose we react?”
“Eh?”
“Right now, the Earth is heading on its way to a global extinction, thanks to an antimatter bomb that became a reality before our eyes. And now, we’re all of a sudden being made to realise that magic truly exists. There’s not really much normal humans like us can do, no matter how much we know of our situation right now. What is the right way to react, I wonder? How do we keep up with all these rapid developments?”
“...Such an awfully cold assessment. Are you really the same Sora I know? You really have changed, huh?”
“Haha, I still don’t recognise you.”
“Changed? Oh wait... no way, is that you, J–”
“Aaaaaaaaaaaand stop!!!!”
「Covering Yuki’s mouth with her hands from behind, the arcane beauty prevented Yuki from speaking her name out loud, I’m guessing?」
“Yukiiiii, let your brother figure it out...”
“EHH??!! But even I couldn’t recognise you! You’re one that completely changed! You've basically turned into some anime idol!”
“H-hey... come on, you can’t be serious...”
“Ahaha! I am though! What are the odds!?! But you of all people… whatever is going on, you sure it’s fine for you to tell us? In fact, what do we do now?”
“For the time being, it's just as Sora said. Right now, we can do nothing but wait for my family to sort out our next move. Until then, I'll explain why I–”
「Explain why? Ah no, we didn’t get to hear the next part. After all, the word was morphing too fast for our eyes to keep up with.」
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
「Tch.
Without a moment’s delay, my dominant right hand shot out and riveted a fledgling ball of cyan fluorescence. Rather, it’d be more accurate to say that what appeared was an eyeball-sized humanoid entity made of ectoplasm – like the bell and oral arms of a jellyfish.
A Phantasmal Wisp.
This was no good. I’ll have to ‘wisp’ away its life.」
KrrcchcChH!
“Huu…”
「This was just the beginning. A sigh blew forth into a future where my fears became reality.
A phalanx of these Phantasmal Wisps popped into existence all around us, here on the surface of the Moon.」
“『Hect•Aleph』.”
「Deploying a second barrier, the Phantasmal Wisps immediately swarmed right onto the outer membrane of my Hect.
Specific modes of my Hect incantations are all specialised barrier, except a general incantation, which I can adjust however I wish. Just like the barrier I’ve kept the three others inside of. One where variables such as atmospheric pressure, oxygen levels, gravitational force, radiation levels, air content supply and temperature were kept in balance.
Aleph was one such variation, which consisted of a barrier that literally erases the existence of anything it touches. Yes, ‘erases’.
Deleting information and objects from the universe.
Thus, we were able to enjoy the sight of white and azure fireworks bursting out in our sight and disappearing in evanescence as the Phantasmal Wisps kept on killing themselves, mindlessly ramming themselves into my spell without heed. And their colours flickered onto us; bathing in their deaths; cerulean lights illuminating our bodies.」
“Why don’t you look at that? Destiny is literally trying to take you all six feet below!”
“““…!!”””
“That’s right. You guys were the ones who brought out this cataclysm. And I can’t blame you. So, don’t go blaming yourselves either. It’s destiny. And like I said, you’d normally go about life without knowing a thing about what any of you truly are. In fact, you all are no different than myself or any other magi.”
“That’s ridiculous?!? Then are we…?”
“Save it for later!”
「First things first, I needed to get us out and away from the barrage of these genocidal Phantom Wisps – for crying out loud!」
“『Reien』!”
「Teleporting away from the single spot the Phantasmal Wisps were converging at, we moved far away from the mana storm they were brewing up.」
“?!?!”
「Aaaaahhh!!! WHAT A PAAAAAIN!!! It’s one thing after another.
This time around, inside my Hect Aleph were these tiny points where mana had coalesced; collecting magic. What were shaped into existence were these crystal white goliaths, hurdling multiple arm slams the next moment – each with a force thousands of times more potent than a hydraulic press – which would rain upon the generic Hect barrier I had set up, threatening to shatter it into shards.」
“Hah!!”
「I jumped up in the low gravity field of the Moon while initiating a half-turn. From my left shoulder, I released a mana-infused strike with my right hand like a knife tracing out an ellipse in full rotation. A strike lacerated each of the golems across their intangible chest and elbows. Their limbs had scattered into mana once more and returned back to Elyiere, just as they should have been.
The Phantasmal Wisps began spawning around us again.」
“『Reien』, 『Hect•Dalet』.”
「Hah. Good luck trying to pinpoint us now.
Taking it to the skies, airborne and quantising everything within my Hect inside the space to the outside, we were now simultaneously in multiple locations at once, and yet we weren’t. What it had looked like, I couldn’t describe in mere words. Just ask the particles around us how they feel and one would come to understand. Or maybe not?
Latently vanishing from any physical observation, though we could look outside our frame of reference, outsiders couldn’t look at us inside our quantised spacetime from beyond what I allow.
Bringing about this sphere of multilocation, it threw off the rhythm of the Phantasmal Wisp as they couldn’t sense where in reality we were within. Clearly dispersing in chaos without a clue on what to do, they aimlessly roamed around within the empty space of which they perceive.
What simple creatures.
However, it was a bit too early to celebrate. No matter what it is that’s summoning these ethereal beings within this world which was meant to be shut out from the outside, I’ll have to keep protecting them even if I have to sacrifice myself. On cue, those pestilent golems started respawning once more as if mocking my intentions.」
“Tsk. Damn it all!!! They don’t know when to give up huh?”
“Can’t you just do something to stop them from appearing?”
“Huh? Oh right.”
「Realising what I should have been doing instead, I wickedly smiled in face of Sonia’s suggestion.
Wait, they could tell what was happening? What’s with that?
Anyways, there were a couple ways to sort out this fiasco. No, multiple ways infact. It’s just that I was too occupied with the idea of preventing any harm coming their way and trying to create some distance which, in retrospect, seemed to not work. There was one way to clean this all up without wasting any time.」
“Ahh… I should’ve calmed down and thought properly huh? 『Reien』.”
「Teleporting back onto the surface of the Moon, I breathed in with utmost confidence mixed with my inhalation. Undoing my earlier Hect•Dalet, we all returned back under the laws of this universe. These beings were most likely being created from nothingness itself – which defied such universal protocols. Magic beasts that were sculpted from the inherent nature of reality.
Then all that means is that I have to take that reality into my own hands, right?
Hopping above my Hect barriers and facing Earth, I closed my eyes and expanded my perception to take in everything before me as my own mana entirely swallowed the whole of Earth’s celestial satellite. A flaxen halation instantly encased the Moon without delay as it became my eponymous region, belonging to me. And only me.」
“『Mana Territorium』.”
「26.5 billion cubic kilometers worth of lunar mass all came under my control. A domain belonging only to me, where nothing has the right to impede the pressure of mana I exerted upon the silvery floating rock.
But little did I know that that confidence of mine would be crushed…
A blunder on my part.
Letting my guard down to it, becoming lax over it and turning my back to it like I just did to it–
–was such a baneful, tragic and naïve mistake.」
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
˹ It was then, I had remembered.
Even in the midst of our otherworldly experience, we couldn’t shake off these feelings of extreme dread and ensorcellment.
But somehow, something had just clicked inside me in the moment.
Haha.
I can’t believe it took this long to remember her. How the hell did I forget that frenetic vixen from so long ago? A lapse in my memory? Regardless of how she grew up into such a well-endowed lady, there’s simply no way I could have ever forgotten her. I should’ve remembered the moment I heard her voice.
But now, I couldn’t even look back in reminiscence to our archaic antics. I couldn’t indulge myself in a past that’s long become history when I risked becoming history myself. Not before when in mattered most, but it was always in the midst of danger when one would recall the little things which would ultimately mean nil upon remembrance and soon after.
And most certainly not in our current predicament.
Glaring in my face was something that probably entailed a lot more problems than I could count. A Sun that was glittery, bright and larger than I’d known.
The signal of súton.」
“ABOVE!!! JU–”
「My warning was cut in half ever so suddenly, neither of us could even register what immediately followed after. As something consumed the whole of our beings in our nescience, siphoning our conscience.
It felt… like I…
w…as…
dis…ap…
ear……
ng…… ˼
✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦
「Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT. IDIOT.
I’M A FUCKING IDIOT!!!!
This whole time I had been wary of what and where the source of that magic had been, yet not once could I trace back the mana, like it just vanished from existence.
Not even the Phantasmal Wisps had any origin, contrary to what I had thought. They simply popped into the fabric of our universe in ways physics wouldn’t allow.
Once Sora’s warning had sonorously ringed inside my head, it was only then and there…
It was only now the vestiges of the mana revealed itself once more. And–
–as if it had consciousness, its existence had let itself be known.
All colour disappeared from the causality.
If you saw what my human eyes saw, it'd be nothing but darkness. Darkness, and the realm of reality woven from magic etched into existence.
Time lost its flavour once you reached the boundary of what nature permits, so anything beyond you will need magic to see further into the cesspool of derision that is reality itself.
A lot of things had been falling from above us recently, and neither was this white beam of mana from the Sun any different.
It wasn’t a solar flare. It wasn’t a burst of solar wind. Not any kind of solar prominence.
But a death ray disguised within the nature of reality. Something begotten from mana, forcing the fabrication of such hateful phenomena.
Of course, time had decelerated for me as I accelerated through spacetime itself. It was enough to stop time entirely, but that just wasn’t possible because causality just forbids it no matter what is done.
These thoughts of mine were a soliloquy in an instance of time closer to zero.
Unperturbed, the beam travelling at the speed of causality was fast approaching toward us, finally revealing its intentions. It seems it really was aiming for them – to kill off their lives. A coup-de-grace. And for what reason, I had no way of knowing nor understanding why.
Frame by frame, the death ray inched closer. It collided with my Territorium.
My eyes diluted in a drop of ever so slight terror. My aura of mana bloated up and cast aside – as if it feared to clash with the spatial discharge. Indignation boiled up within my chest at such humiliation. Even then, regardless…
What a shame it truly is; this is where this farce of an act will end.
『Nocht』.
Summoning my Archyion-tier Lyxion, the 『Lux Lyer』, it materialised by blinking into being as I channelled my mana through the manalyte. I was about to absorb the fallen light with its ancient abilities and return its mana back to 『Elyiere』 and it'd be the end of that.
Checkmate–
–or that's what it should have been.
But once more to my absolute horror, my eyes dilated in sheer disbelief at the sight of the death ray fully ignoring the Lyxion held within my hands, as if it was nothing but empty, volumeless space. Doused in the light, I was bathing in perplexity; my heart fracturing; my world crumbling to ashes.
A Lyxion. Archyion Grade. The quintessence of all Lyxions.
Ineffective against magic?
The animus light did nothing to me in particular but...
That's ridiculous.
Impossible.
Implausible
Inconceivable.
That's just not...
『...how the world works...』
...possible.
Eh? A voice… what was that…???
I glanced back in search of the out-of-place whisper that knocked at the back of my mind, only to witness the ones I should have protected from the deleterious light–
–Disintegrate.
To nothingness.」
“H...uh...”
「I watched them slowly disappear.
It touched both my barriers of Hect but bypassed them like a bullet passing through paper-thin glass.
I failed.
I failed to protect them.
Ah...???」
“No. No. No. Nonononononononononononononononono... stop stop STOOOPPPPP!!!”
「It didn’t matter if they simply died. But whatever happens to their souls, was a different matter.
Reaching out my arms in what amounted to a futile struggle, I was a witness to a scene which shredded my mind.
Their souls evanescing from the Laniakea Supercluster.
No.
Extending my perception out beyond the galaxies to the boundary of this tiny birdcage called the Universe, their souls were nowhere to be found.
Aha.
Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha…
…
…
『Ahhhh... So the time has finally come.
This must be the destiny that was in store.
Our time is gone.
The end is near.』
What... destiny???
Who is thi...
•❅─────⋅☾✦☽⋅─────❅•
M4F5M96UB97(L(')E;65M8F5R+"!T:&4@ M M=&AE('!R;VQO;F=I;F<@;V8@9F%T92P@=&AE('5N 29&5S=&EN>2!I;B!D:7-M87DN` •❅─────⋅☾✦☽⋅─────❅• Who am I? What an inane question. For it was me, myself of course. Everything was slowly returning. I now remember – far too much for comfort. I looked on with a blank expression, realising what it signified. It was the end of this aeon. The end of all aeons, perhaps. And as if responding to my heart, the mana beam receded before it faded away. And immediately, I felt the tremor of nature fearing for itself, tearing and breaking at its seams. The sound of a dying paracosm.」 “Universal... time dilation???” 「It was exactly as it sounds. The exact approximation of my assumption. The clocks of our reality – my reality – was decelerating into a frozen state. Time essentially slowed down to absolute zero throughout all the cosmos in this tiny microcosm. The Sealed Clusters were being frozen from the inside out, from the outside, unless… It was. The end. Of an ephemeral eternity. Was it not... Sora?」 ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ •❅─────⋅☾✦☽⋅─────❅• Existing in a place that was nowhere yet somewhere, there were entities like stars revolving around one another, chasing after each other, looping on and on and on and on and on and on and... They blinked out from existence. Transmigration. They flew across the wide expanses of Elyiere. Separated by decilions of yottaparsecs. In one of the Four Cosmos... In Alvyion of Vynexia... Two children are born. •❅─────⋅☾✦☽⋅─────❅• ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ On the **th of ******, Year *** of 727,237th millenia of the 120th eon of the Prystian Era, it was a momentous moment for the Amamiya Family. For they were blessed with two children, one from each mother. 「Ahhhhh, so it seems. Fate hath chosen this of all courses. Will this truly be it? Just how much longer… till it is brought to light?」 “Waaah!” “Uwaaah!” Let loose upon life were the cries of two newborn children as they breathed for the first time within the world. Without knowing where they were begotten. Who they were, when they were birthed and why? ““!?!”” Though such puerilty lasted not but for a moment as their minds caught up to their environs – though they are still no more knowledgeable than before. Powerless and without relief, Sora-kun and Yuki-chan keep to themselves their own distress. For they know not of who these neonates were, rebirthed into this world. 「And thus, I shall make my introduction known through this intercession.」 “What should we name these children?” “Their names... our young boy’s name shall be...” But a flash of magenta reeled everyone’s attention – elderly and young – by the celestial altar among the flat plains of the planet. Before them was she, a spectral guardian, with eyes plucked from the abyss and flowing hair the colour of the dark skies splattered in luminescent light behind her, had manifested herself before the newborn. “The boy’s name shall be Sora. The girl’s name shall be Yuki. The children are ones of the House of Amamiya.” “!!?” “It is... Lady Kurogane herself!!??” “A miracle! The children are the ones named by a chosen of our primogenitor. The blessed ones!” 「How mindless. They know not but with their eyes and ears. What they do not perceive nor what they hark. For the darkness burned into the retina of the ones burdened with a suffering was worth an eternity. Alas, my dears, you have been rebirthed. But it will be a time once more before you recall of the memories about what was afflicted upon you. We shall meet again – before you regain what you have lost to the entangled strings of fate. Before you two remember, everything. Through your souls, let it be that you all reminisce none except for a future eight years from now, and so shall your beloved ones be untouched by the wisp of death. 『Soul Constrict』. May the silver lining of destiny convoke us back; to the commission of the beginning; to the cessation of the end.」 It was with these thoughts that she left behind as her ethereal, intangible physique was reduced to nothing. Lest, it eased the mothers of the two. Nay, for it served to increase their worry, laden upon the altars conferring upon them the severance of the cord between them and their offspring. “Hope not that destiny is misfortunate to our young ones, my dear sister, Ayame.” “Nay, Eri, for they have already been destined. Worry not, for they are our children.” In awe of the curio the audience was left with, they would celebrate this moment in time, for what they knew not. That which will precede the present – one that is a future away. ꧁꧂