After effects

In the outside world, Rei's eyes glowed with a haunting mixture of violet and purple light, the brilliance of it consuming both iris and cornea. Sparks of the same otherworldly colors sizzled from his body, crackling in the heavy air around him. Despite the chaos of energy swirling about, Rei remained completely still, holding the Chaos Scepter horizontally before him as though frozen in an eternal ritual.

It had been quite a while now since Tenko and Shane first noticed Rei's transformation. Anxiety gnawed at them, each second feeling heavier than the last. Tenko paced in small circles, casting nervous glances, while Shane frowned, his arms crossed, uncertain whether to intervene.

Suddenly—without warning—Rei moved.

Though his eyes still blazed with that terrifying light and purple sparks continued dancing from his form, he moved with a slow, deliberate grace, as if a god had awakened from a long slumber. His mere shift in posture seemed to warp the very air around him.

Rei's gaze fell upon Tenko.

Tenko's body tensed immediately, feeling an invisible force seize him and pull him toward Rei. Fear bloomed in Tenko's chest—this Rei was different, far removed from the boy he knew.

Then, Rei jumped.

No, not simply jumped—he soared upward like a bolt fired from the heavens. Shane, sensing danger, raised his staff, desperately trying to complete an incantation to stop him, but Rei moved too fast. The spell barely formed on Shane's lips before Rei shot past, disappearing through the crevice above in less than three seconds.

From the shadows, Luc, who had remained invisible all this time, observed with wide eyes. Initially, Luc hadn't interfered, believing Rei needed killing experience. But now, seeing the raw, chaotic force Rei unleashed, he questioned whether that had been a grave mistake.

Meanwhile, Rei flew at an astonishing speed, the Chaos Scepter still clutched in his hands. Somehow, he maintained a grip on both Tenko and his bag, dragging them along through sheer force of will. Within barely a minute, Rei had descended three floors, moving with unstoppable momentum, until at last he found a safe landing.

As Rei touched down, the change was immediate.

The glow in his eyes faded. His irises returned to their usual clear blue, his corneas regained their whiteness, and the sparking energies that had danced across his skin vanished. Rei stumbled slightly, his breathing heavy, and without hesitation, threw the Chaos Scepter violently to the ground as if it were a venomous snake.

Tenko blinked, utterly baffled. Why would Rei discard the very object he had fought so hard to claim?

Without offering an explanation, Rei yanked out a cloth from his bag and hastily wrapped the scepter, as though trying to seal its sinister aura. His mind raced.

What was that? Rei thought grimly. I need to be careful with this Chaos Scepter. I should research the Mind Dimension first before even thinking about using it again.

Exhausted, Rei slumped down on a nearby rock, the wrapped scepter lying beside him like a coiled threat.

It wasn't long before Shane, furious and humiliated, caught up with them. But as Shane descended, he felt a sudden, sharp sting at the side of his neck—cold, precise.

He froze, realizing it was Rei's hidden dagger.

"You don't have the guts to kill me," Shane spat, turning his head slightly.

Rei's voice was icy calm. "However, I can still torture you."

Shane hesitated, sensing the truth in those words. "Fair enough. What do you want?"

"Don't ever talk about my sorcery to someone else," Rei demanded, his tone brooking no argument.

"So that weird power you use is called sorcery, huh?" Shane smirked but relented. "Well, I've shut my mouth for this long. Do you really think I would open it now in mere moments?"

Satisfied, Rei gave a small nod.

With that, he flicked a handful of dust at Shane's eyes. Shane recoiled instinctively, coughing and blinking. But when he cleared his vision—Rei was already gone.

Hours later, Rei emerged from the labyrinth and returned to the Hunter's Tower. He approached the receptionist, who now showed him far more respect ever since he had earned the title of Mayor.

"I need information about cities that specialize in the mind," Rei said, his voice sharp.

The receptionist blinked, confused. "Mind? What do you mean? I-I mean, I will look. I'll look right away!"

She rifled through her parchments hurriedly, her hands trembling. "This town specializes in mind therapy... This one in massages that help the mind... This one reduces stress..."

Rei sighed inwardly. I knew it. This world still doesn't have the concept of Mind spells. I'll need something else.

Without another word, he turned and left.

From a distance, Luc continued to watch. He understood—perhaps better than anyone—that it was now in the Kingdom's interest for Rei to learn to control that devastating new power. Quietly, Luc composed a report and sent it directly to King Heinz.

Eight days passed.

King Heinz, upon reading the details, found himself deeply troubled. Who in the entire kingdom could possibly help Rei with such a mysterious and dangerous ability? None of his scholars, none of his magicians specialized in anything remotely like "Mind magic."

He reached out to the GALU Republic in desperation, but even they replied after consultation that they had no experts on the subject.

Meanwhile, during those days, Rei had been hard at work theorizing.

He drafted six possibilities for what had happened during his mind battle:

The first and least likely possibility—he had somehow entered someone else's mind, though the creature's words "Did you make me?" suggested otherwise.

The second possibility—it had been an illusion. Shane had known illusion magic, but this theory felt far-fetched given the depth of the experience.

The third possibility—it had been a dream. Rei gave this some credence, though even dreams didn't usually inflict such searing pain and fear.

The fourth possibility—he had traveled to an alternate reality. Given the laws of this magical world, Rei considered this very plausible.

The fifth possibility—that he had somehow created a new consciousness within the scepter itself, a living being born of his own mind and magic.

And the sixth—perhaps the most terrifying of all—that the Chaos Scepter's roots had awakened after absorbing Rei's Qi, his very life energy, forging something beyond his control.

In his spare moments, Rei poured over books on nervous systems, theories of consciousness, and even quantum mechanics, trying desperately to find explanations that straddled the line between science and magic.

But one truth stood clear in his mind above all else:

He would need to set contingencies.

The thing he faced was not merely a creature of liquid and form.It was born of doubts, fears, and chaos—and next time... it might not be so easily deceived.