The Return of the Archmage (1)

The friends stood speechless.

Tangled thoughts raced through their sleep-addled minds.

"Uh… wh-what?"

As the dust settled and the aftermath of the blinding flash became visible, Iruki and Neid sprinted toward the scarred cliffside without hesitation. The rock bore a deep, jagged crater as if a massive object had been embedded and detonated.

"What… what is this? Some kind of trick? Or actual magic?" Even Iruki struggled to believe his eyes.

"Fascinating. To channel such destructive force through light… Photon-based fusion is notoriously unstable," Neid muttered, inspecting the damage.

Shirone approached, her voice calm. "It's a new spell I developed. Not photon output—a photon cannon."

"Photon cannon? Sounds impressive. How does it work?"

"Well… it's a long story."

When Shirone hesitated, Neid grabbed her shoulders, his sleepiness replaced by frantic curiosity. "Out with it! How'd you do this? Light shattering stone? That's supposed to be impossible!"

As cousins in the elemental family, light and electricity shared a bond. Neid understood the magnitude of what Shirone had achieved.

"I'll explain. But first… come with me somewhere."

The group left the academy and settled into a cozy restaurant in the noble district, ordering hearty plates of homemade pasta. Between bites, Shirone recounted her journey to create the photon cannon. Iruki and Neid listened so intently, they barely noticed their food.

After an hour-long explanation, Iruki set down his fork, deep in thought. "So it's a particle that generates mass. Or rather, 'induces' it. If mass is merely a state of matter…"

Shirone nodded. "Exactly. Mass is a property that allows matter to exist. That matter creates gravity, and gravity gives us weight."

Neid leaned forward. "Transcending sensory limits… So the 'Transcendent Sense' you mentioned touches the origin of matter—the root of existence itself. That's why it caused you such mental strain."

"Yes. But it's why I don't have nightmares anymore."

"I see…" Neid trailed off, absorbing the implications.

Bestowing mass upon light was revolutionary. More importantly, the photon cannon was a spell only Shirone could wield. Even if others studied the principles, reconstructing its framework without experiencing the Transcendent Sense was impossible.

"This is extraordinary, Shirone. If you patented this, you'd drown in gold!"

"Which is why I need your help. Come to the library with me."

"The library? But you're banned from the academy's during your suspension."

"The noble library. I can't enter alone. Will you take me?"

"Of course. But why the sudden interest?"

Commoners were barred from noble libraries. Shirone could've waited for her suspension to lift, but her perspective had shifted.

It's okay if I never rise higher. I can live doing what I love.

Yet anxiety lingered. Revealing her commoner status risked scorn, unfair treatment, and worse—losing her friends.

"I'm… not a noble."

Neid's jaw dropped. Iruki stayed silent, but his stillness spoke volumes.

"I'm a commoner. Abandoned in a stable as a child, raised by a woodcutter."

No one had guessed. Shirone's talent for magic, learned late, had seemed odd—but this? Her poise clashed with the scars of abandonment.

"I'm sorry for hiding it. You can hate me if you want. But I'm done lying."

"What's shocking," Iruki said finally, "is that you thought it mattered. I didn't know, and I don't care. You're Shirone. You could've told us anytime."

Neid smiled. "He's right. Sure, the academy might throw a fit, but we've got your back. Focus on moving forward."

Shirone's eyes welled. "Thank you."

Iruki stood, suddenly energized. "Let's hit the library. We'll dissect that photon cannon until your suspension ends!"

As they left, Shirone's heart felt lighter.

Deep beneath the Thorhmian capital, Bashuka, lay a dungeon carved 70 meters underground—the Labyrinth of Shadows. Once the lair of the dark sorcerer Viltor Akein, it had been silent for 40 years… until now.

Akein, now 149, stirred inside a glass pod filled with green fluid. His withered body, kept alive by spells stalling cellular decay, was a hair's breadth from death.

At last… the Dark Essence is complete.

He glared at the obsidian-black crystal on his desk. Once diamond-bright, it now pulsed with condensed malice.

"KANIS! ARIN! ATTEND ME!"

A pair of disciples slipped inside—Kanis, sharp-eyed and grim; Arin, trembling as she averted her gaze from Akein's naked form.

"My robes," he croaked.

Kanis handed him an emerald-green robe. Akein dressed clumsily, collapsing into a chair.

"Begin the ritual."

Kanis helped him stand, but Akein shoved him away. "I need no aid!"

Clutching the crystal, Akein screamed as inky tendrils surged up his arm, veins bulging black. Shadows exploded outward, shredding the air like spectral claws. Arin whimpered, while Kanis watched, transfixed.

When the darkness receded, Akein stood transformed—not younger, but radiant with menace.

"Today, the world remembers fear."

Akein's first target: Inferno Prison, fortress of Bashuka's worst criminals. Guards raised spears as he approached.

"Halt! Identify yourse—"

Shadows lashed from Akein's feet, piercing the guards' silhouettes. They collapsed, eyes rolling back.

"INTRUDERS! OPEN FIRE!"

Akein smirked. His shadow split into tendrils, seizing 20 guards at once. Against their will, they turned on each other in a frenzy.

"Stop! I can't control my—"

Arin trembled, overwhelmed by their terror. Kanis watched, torn between awe and dread, as Akein strolled through the chaos.

"Pathetic," Akein spat. With a flick of his wrist, the guards dropped like puppets with cut strings.

"Master," Kanis ventured, "why attack here? The kingdom will hunt us."

Akein's eyes glinted. "To reclaim what's mine."

The dungeon's deepest vault held his final prize—the Eclipse Scepter, sealed away decades ago. As the cell door melted under his touch, Akein laughed.

Power had returned. And soon, so would his reign.