In the vast plain between Soulnaught and Inkia, where even the hardiest trees dared not plant their roots, a stubborn kind of grass stood its ground.

Morning arrived with a grudging yawn, casting a pallid light over the desolate landscape. The wind, as if lamenting its own fate, whispered through the wiry blades of grass, carrying with it the scent of dust and despair.

The sky above seemed to mock the barren earth below, its expanse a canvas of dull grey hues with the occasional lazy swirl of clouds. The sun, halfheartedly attempting to rise, cast weak, watery rays across the plain, as if begrudgingly acknowledging its duty.

Birds, wise enough to avoid such desolation, flew high above, their mocking chirps adding a touch of cruel irony to the desolate scene. But not long, they, too, would leave.

Because—

“What… is happening here…?!”

Finn was surprised when he received a letter from Emperor Burn himself, summoning him to the middle of the barren plain. It was shocking enough that the Emperor instructed him to bring his family and all significant individuals with him after revealing Inkia's plans, but now…

On the expansive plain lay a massive magic circle intricately crafted by none other than Morgan Le Fay—and in its center, Emperor Burn was suspended mid-air. Hundreds of ancient letters crawled up his body, burrowing themselves into his flesh and bone.

"Lord Wilderwood?" a young voice greeted him.

He turned and saw the young king of Edensor, smiling at him.

"Your Majesty..." Finn bowed, as did his wife and two small children.

"His Majesty will greet you shortly," Yvain said. The boy noticed the discreet carriage they had brought along and their closest servant, realizing that no one else was nearby. Finn had indeed arrived with his most important companions.

He believed in Burn's letter.

“I’m sorry to say, but what is going on here…?” Finn was quite a strong Force user. He knew magic well enough, but this… was absurd.

“His Majesty is conducting an experiment. Would you like to watch along?” Yvain offered.

“Uh, s-sure?” Finn blinked, nodding at the boy.

So Morgan had finally cracked the code on body enchantment magic. Sure, there were some pesky side effects like instant death upon failure or a ticking time bomb leading to death, but hey, progress is progress, right?

The basic idea behind enchanting items was pretty straightforward: make something magical, and it becomes disposable.

Enchant a sword with protection, it'll shield you from harm until it inevitably shatters like, well, a shield. Want an indestructible item? Easy peasy—just keep that magical energy flowing, whether from the wearer or the enchanter.

These rules applied across the enchantment board. Attack buffs had an expiration date, healing spells crumbled after a set amount of patches, and even stat boosts like energy, stamina, and speed had a shelf life shorter than a potion at a thirsty wizard's convention.

Except, of course, if you used some fancy materials capable of flexing under the magical strain.

Take the human body, for instance. Yes, there were better materials out there, but for convenience's sake, let's stick with the fleshy vessel we all lug around every day.

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Sure, it's weak and fragile, but the body of a Force user could theoretically be sturdy enough to handle being turned into a walking, talking enchanted artifact. Who knew?

Slowly, the giant magic circle shrank and shrank. It almost looked like the energy within it was absorbed into Burn. And just as everything disappeared, completely united within his being, his eyes slowly opened.

“Less pain. And sturdier,” Burn commented.

Morgan smiled, “It's worth my sleepless nights. Except when you bother me.”

“Come on, you enjoyed it too,” he teased.

“Alright, next phase,” Morgan diverted the conversation and refocused. "O Divine, bestow your healing touch upon my beloved son of man—wipe away his hurts and woes as my chosen one…"

Burn kneeled in front of her

"By the power vested in me, I dub thee my Paladin, my first holy knight."

Morgan didn’t disintegrate herself into pure light this time, unlike in the previous loop. It might have been necessary, but Burn told her that she shouldn’t risk anything on her part.

However, a massive crown of light still materialized in the sky.

“I still don’t understand how I can become a paladin without making a vow to God…” Burn muttered.

“It’s because I vouched for you. And... well,” Morgan shrugged, “Because you took my virginity.”

The resurrection spell didn’t require her to be a virgin, after all. More than a resurrection spell... It was a Saint’s wedding ceremony, which gave him the rights to become a Paladin.

Burn knew there were things Morgan didn’t tell him, but this gave him another sense of whiplash. When did she start to love him? Was it her who loved him first? Was he that dense?

“We’re ready,” Morgan said.

"We're ready over here too!" Dirk Marshall said, carrying the White Dwarf with him.

Yvain stood with Finn and his family. Beside him was Galahad, ready with a big enchanted shield. Yvain turned to Finn and his people, saying, "Please stand behind us."

"We're ready!"

"Excuse me, what are we doing again?" Finn nervously asked. "What kind of experiment is this?"

"8% output!"

BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST!!!

It was a surprise for most of the people there those couple of days back. Galahad short-circuited for two days after Burn told him the plan. Yvain was extremely excited, and Dirk...

He was shocked when Burn told him to blast him with the White Dwarf with maximum output on land again.

"Well, you don't move, and we're not fighting, so theoretically, I can manage 5, maybe 6%."

After recovering from the shock, Dirk said that.

"If I can absorb most of it, can you push it to 8% without destroying the world?"

And that was what Burn asked him after.

It was a gamble. In the previous loop, Burn was able to absorb most of the 6% energy output of the White Dwarf. He almost succeeded in transforming his body to create a sturdy, malleable shell for his soul, but a chain reaction occurred, destroying the world as it collapsed into itself.

In Nethermere itself, there were two contained White Dwarfs: the one in his possession and the one he was fighting.

Between the goddess who tried to hug him to their deaths together and a black hole that was created in the process, Burn gained more enlightenment.

Well, a fragment.

As 8% of the heat of a dying sun enveloped him, he opened himself to absorb that energy. It might sound impossible to absorb everything, but there were around 36 trillion cells in his body. If each one absorbed approximately 0.00000000000022222222%, then it should be possible, right?

It felt like being forged by incomprehensible heat. Each letter of enchantment glowed and worked to its limits, trying to balance and stabilize the pressure of unbelievable power.

First was his nervous system. From his brain to the tip of his toes and fingers—then bones, to his blood vessels, to his inner organs, flesh, and skin.

Like he commanded, each and every cell of his body absorbed the exact amount of power needed to transform his mortality into something more useful.

To create a body that could withstand more than mana. More than force. More than his own soul.

[Hymbrim, sothar lumerys rynniru'shaaleth, verin'dorah araynthir aeslyn vennethor shyrinales, verli las'anaaes nia'serith verin'dorah aelysyn…]

[Aldryrn viilastar nora mylath nindyr rynnae, hestarii lun'dor syrallyn'senth velessa'lyn nia, luminexa'ryn]

Right on cue, Morgan’s song accompanied his transformation.