No one moved.
Even the wind that had been crossing the courtyard… died down, as if it had retreated from interfering in a moment that did not belong to it.
Nir stood before that entity.
Looking at it…
Not as an enemy.
Nor as an ally.
But as a question.
"I am what remains."
The phrase echoed in his mind, not as an external voice… but as an echo of something he already knew.
There was a resemblance.
Not in features.
Nor in presence.
But in feeling.
The absence of an aura.
That void that cannot be seen… but can be felt.
"You…"
Nir finally said, in a steady voice,
"…possess no magic."
The entity gave a faint smile.
"And you, too… do not possess it."
Silence.
"But the difference…"
It raised its gaze to him,
"…is that you were born outside of it."
It paused.
"…And I… was born after it."
The air trembled for a moment.
Words that weren't entirely clear… yet carried a weight that could not be ignored.
"What do you mean?"
The entity took a step forward.
There was no threat in its movement.
Only certainty.
"This world…"
It gestured slowly toward the Academy, toward the walls, toward everything built around them,
"…was not created as you believe."
The silence deepened.
"Magic… was not the beginning."
It paused.
Then looked directly into Nir's eyes.
"…Rather, it was the solution."
Lyra's eyes widened in the background.
"A solution… for what?"
Her voice came out without her realizing it.
It did not look at her.
Instead, it kept staring at Nir.
"For something they could not stop."
Silence.
"For something… that resembles you."
Nir's grip tightened.
> "Careful…"
>
The voice inside him returned, this time more cautious.
> "He is not telling the whole truth."
>
But…
He did not deny it.
"So…"
Nir said quietly,
"…I am the problem?"
The entity shook its head slowly.
"No."
It paused.
"…You are the result."
Silence.
Then it added:
"…And I… am the remains."
Above, the tension began to turn into outright fear.
"This cannot be permitted!"
One of the teachers shouted.
"Activate the Grand Seal!"
This time…
Not a single circle appeared.
But a network.
Complex.
Immense.
Stretching across the sky itself.
Ancient inscriptions, unused for ages.
A power…
Not created to stop a human.
But to contain a catastrophe.
The light descended.
Not as a strike.
But as a judgment.
But—
Before it arrived—
The entity raised its hand.
The light stopped.
In mid-air.
As if it had forgotten how to fall.
Everyone's eyes widened.
"This…"
Someone whispered,
"…is a seal that cannot be stopped."
"Correct,"
The entity said calmly.
"…It cannot be stopped."
Then…
It lowered its hand slightly.
And the light cracked.
"But it can be…"
It looked at Nir.
"…transcended."
And the seal broke.
It wasn't erased.
It collapsed.
As if its very structure was no longer capable of persisting.
The silence that followed…
Was different.
Not a silence of fear.
But the silence of an idea's collapse.
Nir looked at what had happened.
For the first time…
He wasn't the one who had done it.
And yet…
He understood.
"You…"
He said slowly,
"…do not erase."
The entity smiled.
"And you have begun to notice."
It took another step forward.
"…I do not end existence."
It stopped before him.
"…I transcend it."
Silence.
"Magic… to you, is something that can be erased."
It raised its hand, as if touching the air.
"…As for me…"
It lowered it slowly.
"…it is something that is no longer necessary."
Something inside Nir trembled.
A new realization.
A dangerous one.
"So…"
He whispered,
"…you are closer to the end than I am."
The entity smiled.
But this time…
Its smile was deeper.
"…No."
Silence.
"…I am what comes after it."
In that moment…
Nir did not feel fear.
But something worse.
A limit.
For the first time…
He saw a path…
That did not end with him.
And deep within…
The void…
Began to wonder.