Half of the city of Valorheim had been destroyed after a colossal Hydra appeared at the center of the capital.
The citizens of Astryx spoke endlessly about the disaster.
Some claimed they had witnessed two calamities clashing in the skies above the city—
a black creature large enough to cover the clouds themselves—
and a three-headed Hydra radiating terrifying purple light.
Others swore there had been a third figure fighting alongside them.
A swordsman moving so fast he appeared only as flashes of black and white across the sky.
The battle had ultimately ended with the arrival of Lucivar Valen.
To the citizens of Astryx—
he was now hailed as the hero who saved Valorheim.
Stories of the Sword Master spread throughout the empire overnight.
Meanwhile—
inside Verilian Empire—
BANG.
Nicole smashed her hand against the table after finishing Jack's report.
The wooden desk cracked slightly beneath the impact.
She had specifically ordered Jack to report everything that happened during Rio's stay in Astryx.
After helping escort the rescued slaves safely back to Verilian—
Jack had immediately sent his findings.
Nicole held her forehead in frustration.
"…Haah…"
"This kid…"
"Instead of quietly laying low…"
"…he first destroys an entire port…"
"…and now you're telling me he somehow played a part in half of Valorheim being destroyed?"
Her eye twitched slightly.
"And then he tried fighting Lucivar Valen?!"
The room fell silent afterward.
Even Ren standing nearby didn't know how to respond anymore.
She sighed deeply afterward before tossing the report toward Ren.
"Send this to Aurelia Lioren."
Ren caught the documents calmly.
Nicole stared toward the window afterward with an irritated expression.
"…That old monster is going to lose her mind after reading this."
…
Inside Mythralis Academy—
the fourth years whispered amongst themselves excitedly.
"It seems like Sir Lucivar is growing stronger by the day."
"I wish I could've witnessed that attack myself."
"I heard there was a Verilian spy there too."
"Tch. Those Verilians really dared to step into Astryx."
"He probably died instantly against Sir Lucivar."
A woman with silver hair quietly walked past the students.
An icy aura naturally surrounded her presence while crimson eyes stared forward coldly.
Lucinda Valen.
The students immediately straightened.
Yet before they could greet her—
one of them suddenly spoke again while staring at footage recorded during the battle.
"Hm… his face still isn't visible though."
"The black and white-haired guy."
Lucinda's footsteps stopped for a brief second.
Her crimson eyes slowly shifted toward the blurry footage playing across the screen.
The image quality was distorted from the overwhelming mana during the battle.
Yet—
for a moment—
something inside her trembled slightly.
Recognition.
The black and white hair made no sense.
The person she was thinking about had silver hair.
Pure silver.
And he was dead.
Still—
that silhouette…
The students finally noticed her gaze.
"A-Ah Miss Lucinda—!"
They immediately bowed their heads nervously.
Lucinda silently looked away afterward.
"…Continue your discussion."
Her voice remained calm.
Cold.
Then she walked past them without another word.
The students only relaxed after she disappeared from sight.
Meanwhile—
Lucinda continued walking through the academy halls silently.
Then slowly—
a bitter smile appeared on her face.
"…There's no way that was him."
Her crimson eyes lowered slightly.
"After all…"
"…he's dead."
...
Rio slowly opened his eyes.
"UGHH—"
The pain flooding through his body was unbearable.
Every mana circuit inside him felt shattered.
Even breathing caused pain to spread through his chest.
"Oh?~ You're awake."
Rio's blurry vision slowly focused afterward.
His eyes widened slightly.
He was inside a massive chamber unlike anything he had seen before.
The room was enormous—
its walls formed entirely from smooth black metal glowing faintly with countless blue patterns flowing across the surface like living circuits.
Transparent screens floated throughout the air displaying symbols and information Rio couldn't even understand.
Large glass cylinders lined the sides of the chamber containing strange liquids glowing with pale blue light.
Inside some of them—
silhouettes of creatures could barely be seen floating motionlessly.
Above him—
countless mechanical rings rotated slowly around the ceiling while streams of mana flowed between them like artificial stars.
The atmosphere itself felt unnatural.
Advanced.
Like technology and magic had been forcibly fused together.
Rio slowly tried sitting up—
only for pain to immediately surge through his body again.
"Tch—!"
He glanced downward.
Bandages covered most of his chest while countless strange wires connected to his arms.
The mana inside his body felt almost empty.
"W-Where…"
"…am I?"
A familiar chuckle echoed throughout the chamber.
Azrith stood near the massive window overlooking the dark city beyond.
A cup of coffee rested in his hand while he slowly stirred it with a spoon.
Blue lights from the distant towers of Noctara reflected across the glass behind him.
The city itself looked unreal.
Gigantic black buildings stretched endlessly into the sky while glowing pathways connected the structures overhead.
Flying transports moved throughout the air silently like streams of light.
It felt less like a city—
and more like another world entirely.
Azrith smirked slightly after noticing me awake.
"You're currently inside my home."
"Your… home?"
"Yeah."
He took a sip from his coffee casually.
"Feel honored."
"I don't usually let anyone in here."
Then he chuckled softly.
"Anyhow…"
"…we're currently at the outskirts of Noctara."
My eyes widened slightly.
"We're in Noctara?"
"Hahaha indeed."
Rio slowly pushed himself upward afterward.
Pain surged throughout his body immediately.
Still—
he tried forcing himself to stand.
The moment his feet touched the ground—
his body collapsed instantly.
THUD.
My pupils shrank.
"N-no…"
My arms trembled violently against the floor.
Something felt wrong.
Terribly wrong.
I immediately tried gathering mana instinctively—
but nothing responded.
My eyes widened further.
Most of my mana circuits…
were gone.
Shattered.
Cut apart completely.
Azrith quietly watched me from near the window.
"Oh?"
"It seems you finally realized your condition."
I slowly stared at my trembling hands in disbelief.
No mana flowed through them anymore.
Nothing.
Empty.
Azrith calmly placed his coffee down afterward.
"Yeah."
"You can no longer use mana."
Silence filled the room instantly.
My breathing became uneven.
"No…"
I immediately tried forcing mana through my body again.
Again.
And again.
But every attempt only sent unbearable pain through my chest.
Like broken glass tearing through my insides.
Impossible.
After everything—
after reaching this far—
Azrith's voice echoed calmly through the chamber.
"Your mana circuits were practically destroyed."
"Honestly…"
"…you surviving at all is already abnormal."
My fingers slowly clenched against the floor.
Meanwhile—
Azrith's smirk grew wider.
"And before you ask…"
"No."
"They can't naturally recover."
Inside his mind—
Rio immediately spoke toward his spirit bond.
"Astarax…"
"…is it true?"
Silence lingered briefly.
Then the familiar arrogant voice echoed inside his consciousness.
[…He isn't wrong.]
[…But he also isn't completely right either.]
Rio's eyes slightly widened.
Astarax continued calmly afterward.
[While you were unconscious…]
[…I managed to preserve some of your mana circuits.]
[But the ones already destroyed by Lucivar…]
[…are completely gone.]
Rio's fists slowly tightened.
"Then…"
"…is there no way to recover them?"
This time—
Astarax paused longer.
[…There is.]
Rio's breathing stopped slightly.
[…But currently it's impossible.]
[…I'm far too weak at the moment.]
Silence filled his mind afterward.
Meanwhile—
outside—
Azrith quietly chuckled seeing Rio frozen in thought.
"Relax."
"There is a way to recover your mana circuits."
Rio's eyes widened instantly.
"How?"
Azrith casually reached into his coat.
"Duchess Evelisse."
"She currently goes by the title…"
"…The Black Swan."
"She's presently inside Mythralis Academy."
"Mythralis?"
"Yeah."
Azrith leaned back lazily afterward.
"Just like Nexus Academy in Verilian…"
"…Astryx Empire has its own academy where they raise their future elites."
"Though unlike Verilian…"
A smirk appeared on his face.
"…Astryx is superior in nearly every aspect."
Rio ignored the jab completely.
"So how exactly am I supposed to approach her?"
Azrith blinked.
"Oh."
"You don't need to worry about that."
"Huh?"
Then suddenly—
he tossed something toward Rio.
Rio barely caught it.
His eyes widened afterward.
A black identification card rested in his hand.
[Assistant Professor]
[Name: Zio Norken.]
Rio slowly looked upward.
"…What?"
Azrith grinned.
"Yup."
"As of today…"
"…you'll be entering Mythralis Academy under the identity of Zio Norken."
Rio stared at the card silently.
Then finally—
"You're telling me this Evelisse can help me use mana again?"
Azrith nodded calmly.
"I suppose you don't know much about her."
"She used to be one of the greatest mages within Astryx Empire."
"Unfortunately…"
"…since swordsmanship dominates this nation…"
"…mages aren't respected nearly as much."
He slowly walked toward the window afterward.
"Years ago…"
"…her mana circuits were completely shattered."
Rio's eyes widened slightly.
"But after nearly a decade of research inside Mythralis Academy…"
Azrith's smirk slowly deepened.
"…she discovered a method to restore them."
"I see…"
Rio quietly stared at the black identification card resting in his hand.
Then slowly—
he raised his eyes toward Azrith.
"Why are you helping me, Azrith?"
Azrith chuckled softly afterward.
"Let's just say…"
"…you caught my interest."
He took another sip of his coffee casually.
"And remember."
"None of the help I'm giving you is free."
His blue eyes slowly glanced toward Rio afterward.
"In the near future…"
"…you'll help me the same way I'm helping you now."
Silence filled the futuristic chamber briefly.
Rio didn't respond.
Azrith casually changed the topic.
"Now then…"
"…onto the main point."
"You'll be entering Mythralis Academy next week."
"So rest properly until then."
He slowly walked toward the center of the room afterward.
"Oh."
"And one more thing."
Azrith's expression lost its usual playfulness slightly.
"While inside Mythralis…"
"…never remove your disguise."
"And under no circumstances…"
"…speak to Evelisse about the Verilian Empire."
Rio's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I see."
Azrith didn't elaborate further.
But inside Rio's mind—
a thought quietly formed.
It seems…
…the Verilian Empire had a hand in destroying her mana circuits.
...
A few hours later—
Rio could finally walk again.
Though every step still sent pain through his shattered body.
The futuristic chamber doors slowly slid open as he stepped outside.
Cold blue lights illuminated the massive hallways stretching throughout Azrith's home.
The entire place felt unnaturally quiet.
Smooth black walls reflected streams of glowing mana flowing beneath transparent panels across the floor.
Rio slowly walked forward.
I suppose this is the main area…
Then—
CLANG.
A sharp metallic sound echoed from nearby.
A sword.
Someone was training.
Rio quietly followed the sound afterward.
Soon—
he arrived at a massive open room.
His eyes widened slightly.
The chamber was enormous.
One side completely opened toward the outside revealing the distant neon lights of Noctara shining beneath the night sky.
Inside the room—
a silver-haired little girl ran around laughing happily.
Lumine.
The terrifying existence that had nearly destroyed Valorheim now looked completely harmless.
She spun around the room barefoot while giggling softly.
And nearby—
Jasmine trained with her sword.
Yet despite practicing—
she was simultaneously keeping Lumine entertained.
Whenever Lumine ran too close—
Jasmine would lightly tap her forehead with the wooden blade causing the little girl to pout before laughing again.
For a brief moment—
Rio simply stood there silently.
The contrast felt surreal.
Just days ago—
that same little girl had transformed into a nightmare capable of destroying an entire city.
Yet now—
she looked like a normal child.
Lumine suddenly noticed him standing there.
Her silver eyes widened slightly.
Then immediately—
a bright smile appeared on her face.
"Hehe!"
She happily ran toward him instantly.
Rio's eyes widened slightly seeing her sprint full speed.
"Wai—"
THUD.
Lumine crashed directly into him hugging him tightly.
Pain shot through Rio's entire body instantly.
"Ghk—!"
Jasmine immediately stopped training afterward.
"…Rio."
The little girl blinked innocently while still hugging Rio.
Meanwhile—
Rio stood there barely alive wondering how the being that almost killed him had somehow become attached to him instead.