The Prologue 3

I collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. My lungs burned, and every muscle in my body ached from the relentless chase and the burns left by the wolf's flames.

"What… what was that?" I panted, staring at the faint distortion in the air where the wolf had stopped.

The memory of the moment hit me space itself bending as the wolf lunged, its molten fangs inches from my throat, and then I was behind it, as though the world had twisted in my favor.

"In the blink of an eye," I muttered.

That was it. The only way to describe what had happened. I'd moved not with speed, but through space itself.

"Blink," I murmured aloud, testing the name. "I did it in the blink of an eye."

I ran a hand through my hair, the other still clutching my sword. The raw, chaotic surge of mana I had felt was unlike anything I'd ever experienced terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

"Space-Time…" I whispered, my voice trembling slightly. "It really is mysterious."

My attention shifted to the shimmering barrier in front of me, rippling faintly like water disturbed by an invisible breeze. It had stopped the wolf in its tracks, leaving it unable to follow me. But I had passed through it unharmed.

"This barrier," I muttered, stepping closer. "Magnus Arcanis must've created it."

It made sense. A legendary Archmage of Space-Time magic would've had the power to build something like this. But why had I, a mere novice, been able to enter?

"Could it be… only humans can pass?" I wondered aloud. But no, that didn't feel right. If the barrier only allowed humans, someone would have found this place centuries ago.

"Maybe it's tied to Space-Time users," I said, the pieces clicking into place. "That would explain it. That's why the wolf couldn't follow… and why this place has stayed hidden."

Satisfied with the theory, I turned my attention to the structure looming ahead.

The building was enormous, more a fortress than a cathedral. Its towering spires clawed at the sky, their surfaces carved with intricate designs that shimmered faintly, their patterns twisting and defying logic.

"This is it," I whispered, awe and unease battling inside me. "The legacy of Magnus Arcanis."

I stepped forward cautiously, my hand resting on the hilt of my sword. The air grew heavier with each step, charged with mana that seemed to press against my skin.

The Council of Astrea's laws came to mind, their decrees etched into history. They had banned worship centuries ago, deeming it irrational, a relic of a primitive age. All superstition, belief, and reverence had been outlawed, replaced with reason, magic, and progress.

Magnus had risen as the ultimate symbol of that age a man of unparalleled logic and mastery over Space-Time magic. Yet, as I stared at this place, it didn't align with the legacy I knew.

The architecture felt… wrong. Alien. It wasn't just that it defied the Council's ideals it outright rejected them.

The massive double doors loomed ahead, their surfaces covered in glowing blue runes that pulsed faintly, like the beat of a living heart. The carvings depicted scenes of battle and figures kneeling in reverence before an unrecognizable force.

"This doesn't feel like Magnus' work," I muttered.

Every instinct screamed at me to turn back, but something stronger an invisible pull urged me forward.

Taking a deep breath, I placed my hands on the cold surface of the doors and pushed.

The doors groaned, their sound echoing into the vast chamber beyond.

As I stepped inside, a chill ran down my spine. The air was freezing, sharp with the tang of ancient mana. Torches lined the walls, their flames burning an unnatural blue.

But the light didn't behave as it should. The shadows cast by the flames writhed and twisted, contorting in ways that seemed alive.

I tightened my grip on my sword. "Blue fire and living shadows," I muttered, forcing a nervous chuckle. "That's not ominous at all."

The floor beneath my boots was smooth stone, etched with glowing runes that pulsed faintly. Towering pillars lined the hall, their surfaces carved with grotesque faces frozen in expressions of anguish and despair.

Each step echoed hollowly as I ventured deeper, swallowed quickly by the oppressive silence.

Then I saw it the mural.

It stretched across the far wall, illuminated by the faint blue flames. My breath caught as I stepped closer.

Nine monstrous figures loomed across the stone, each one grotesque and incomprehensible.

The first was a swirling storm of jagged mouths, frozen mid-snarl.

The second was a void of endless eyes, their soulless stares fixed on me.

Another was a spider-like being, its limbs fracturing and folding endlessly into itself.

Each figure radiated power and madness, their forms etched with such vivid detail it felt as though they could step out of the wall at any moment.

And yet, they weren't the focus.

All nine horrors knelt in worship, their twisted forms bowing toward the mural's center. But when I followed their lines of reverence, there was nothing there.

Not darkness. Not obscurity. Just… nothing.

The emptiness wasn't passive it felt alive, as though it were watching me. My chest tightened, and I stumbled back, clutching my head as whispers began to claw at my mind.

The floor trembled, a deep, resonant hum filling the air.

I staggered, struggling to stay upright as the ground in the center of the chamber began to ripple like liquid. The glowing runes twisted and melted into flowing streams of light, pooling together as the floor parted.

From the darkness below, a massive stone coffin rose, its surface jagged and uneven.

The runes etched into the coffin glowed faintly, pulsing in rhythm with the vibrations shaking the room. The blue firelight dimmed, and the living shadows seemed to recoil, gathering around the edges of the chamber.

My heart raced. Every instinct screamed at me to turn and run, but my body refused to obey.

The voice in my mind grew louder, more insistent.

"Claim it. Take what is yours."

The coffin's lid began to slide open, the sound of grinding stone echoing like a roar.

"No," I whispered, stepping back. "No, no, no. This is a bad idea."

The lid crashed to the floor, revealing the figure within.

A skeleton.

Its bones were impossibly black, absorbing all light, leaving the air around it cold and lifeless. It wore a tattered cloak that shimmered faintly, as though fragments of the night sky had been woven into the fabric.

And in its grasp was a book.

The tome's surface shifted and pulsed like liquid shadow, radiating an aura so powerful it made my knees weak.

The pull grew stronger, dragging me forward. My hand stretched out, trembling as it moved toward the book.

"No," I muttered, panic rising in my chest. "No, no, no!"

The moment my fingers brushed its surface, the world shattered.

A flood of visions consumed me ancient history, the rise and fall of civilizations, and whispers in a language I couldn't comprehend.

Pain exploded in my head, my body convulsing as I screamed into the void.

And then… darkness.

And then I awoke into this world in his stead.

[Status Screen]

Name: Kai Night

Age: 16

Element: Space-Time

Mana Core Rank: Novice (8% Progress)

[Artifact]

Name: Book of the End

Rank: Divine

Description: A grimoire that transcends mortal comprehension. Its pages contain the truths of creation past, present, all possible and impossible futures.