59. 3-1 Those Who Move Beneath the Surface
A World After War
The war had ended.But victory did not mean peace.Where the flames of battle had receded, only ruins remained.To rebuild the shattered villages and ravaged lands, people began piecing their lives back together.Now, sorcerers no longer stood on the battlefield, but in the heart of reconstruction.Where warriors once clashed, a new balance seemed to take hold.
And yet—in unseen places,another war had already begun.
Shadows in Hiding – Those Who See Beyond
"Track Damien."A command echoed in the dark.Figures cloaked in black robes moved without a sound.They were known as Those Who See Beyond—a sect within the occult, buried deep and hidden, the most secretive and dangerous of them all.
Their interest wasn't in mere dimensional rifts.They sought the truth.Is this world truly real?Is the ground beneath our feet… actual reality?Or were we created by something from a higher plane?
And the key to that answer was Damien.
The world turns like a finely tuned clockwork.Everything is meant to follow a predictable flow.But should one cog move unpredictably—it must be removed.
No one had yet noticed their presence.But beneath the surface,they were already tracking Damien, step by unseen step.
The Occult – Watchers of the Rift
But Those Who See Beyond did not speak for the occult as a whole.The broader occult society had long existed as observers of the rift—watchers of the world's balance.
They had observed fractures across dimensions for generations.Their single purpose:to maintain equilibrium.
To some, they were guardians.To others, invisible sentinels.They watched the dimensional seams, eliminated threats,and devoted themselves to keeping the world unchanged.
Change meant unpredictability.And unpredictability was their greatest fear.
But after the war, anomalies began to surge.The number of rifts increased.Contrary to their predictions, the dimensional instability had worsened.Something… was moving.The laws of the world were starting to shift.
They assembled a new investigative team immediately.They had to locate the one at the center of this change.And their conclusion was clear.They had to find Damien.
A Night the Sky Split
The northern night sky tore open.A crimson fissure sliced through the heavens,as if something beyond was peering in.
Someone muttered:"God is judging us."
The sorcerers tried to analyze the phenomenon—but no matter how they studied it, they couldn't understand its meaning.Only one fact was certain:this was no natural anomaly.
The Vanished Magic Circles
The magic circles vanished.Those that had functioned for centuries in temples and research hallssuddenly ceased to work.
What remainedwere strange symbols, entirely different from anything known before.
The Wizard Guild launched a full investigation.But they couldn't even determine what had changed the circles' structure.
"This isn't just an error.""Something is altering the order itself."But what that something was—no one knew.
The Town Entangled in Time
A small village on the western frontier—its people were trapped in an endless loop.Each morning, the day reset.The dead revived.Broken homes stood whole once more.
They were free to live each day anew,but when night fell, the world returned to morning.Time in that town was sealed.
As if haunted by echoes of the past,the villagers lived the same today as they had yesterday.
"Why… can't we escape this?"
This infinite loop was no natural event.The occult society had to uncover the source behind it.
Why Damien Must Be Found
At the center of all these changes stood one man.He was the hero who ended the war—and the anomaly that shook the world's order.
Both the occult society and Those Who See Beyondhad set their sights on the same target.Damien.
The Watchers – Guardians Against the Rift
The occult society saw themselves as protectors of balance.For generations, they monitored and sealed dimensional tears,ensuring the world's laws remained intact.
But after the war,the world was no longer the same.
"Since Damien defeated the Titan, the rifts have worsened.""Did he… affect the fabric of dimensions?""We must find him and confirm it."
To them, the rift was a disaster to be contained.If Damien was the cause,then neutralizing him was the path to salvation.
That was their mission.And this time—that mission was tied directly to one man.
The Seekers of Truth – Those Who See Beyond
They weren't interested in sealing the rift.They wanted to look beyond it.
When the seams of the world widened,they felt no fear.They yearned for the higher truth glimpsed through those cracks.
"Damien is no mere warrior.""The outcomes he created weren't just born of strength.""He may have broken the very laws of reality."
To them, the rift was not a threat,but an opportunity.
When the boundaries of dimension blur,when the laws of the world falter—perhaps the true reality will finally be revealed.
They didn't want balance.They wanted change.
And Damien… was the variable that had triggered that change.To study that variable was their objective.
The Shadow Draws Closer
The occult society sought Damien to stop the rift.Those Who See Beyond pursued him to embrace the transformation.
Their goals were different,but their paths were the same.
Invisible footsteps followed Damien.Tracking his trail.Monitoring his every move.Trying to understand his existence.
And soon—they would confront him.
Whether that meeting would be one of peaceor conflict,no one could yet say.
***
Chapter : The Distant Kingdom
Damian Left.After the war ended, he no longer stayed in one place.His name had become a symbol—of victory, of defeat.And his presence, wherever he went, could spark tension and conflict.So he journeyed toward a distant kingdom.
A New Kingdom, A New BeginningHe settled at the far edge of the continent,a land far removed from Edwin's kingdom.The two realms existed in separate spheres—no shared trade, no political ties, no history of war.They had little to do with one another.
But Damian understood this much:As long as he remained near Edwin,there could be no lasting peace.
Why He Had to LeaveThe kingdom Edwin now ruled—Damian could've remained there.His strength alone could've served as a shield for the realm.
But he made the choice to go.It was the only path for both of them.
As long as he remained, unrest would fester.Even if Edwin himself wished for him to stay,Damian's presence alone risked becoming the seed of a new conflict.
The embers of war had not yet cooled,and he—he was always at the center of the fire.And he knew it.
Preparing for a New Life Far AwayThe kingdom he arrived in bore few scars of the war.It was ruled by a strong king,where law and order prevailed,and stability had taken root over chaos.
Here, perhaps—he could disappear for a time.
But even before he set foot there,his presence had already been sensed in distant circles.Wherever he went,his name followed like a shadow.
And in places unseen,someone was already tracking his steps in silence.
**
Chapter : A Foreign Land
1. Out for Lunch
Not long after arriving in the city,Damian and his companions had only grabbed a few light snacks at the market.By lunchtime, they sought out a proper meal—but the streets were oddly quiet.
"Strange. Where did everyone go?"
The usually lively streets were deserted,and most shops were shut.Even the smaller eateries had their doors firmly closed.
"It's siesta time,"an old woman selling fruit nearby explained."This heat's no joke. People rest when the sun is at its highest."
Damian glanced up.The blazing sun, now past its peak, beat down with relentless intensity.It made sense—this heat wasn't something you casually strolled through.
"So that's why everything's closed?""Exactly. People take a nap after lunch.They'll open up again once the sun begins to set."
Damian looked around.Here and there, makeshift tents offered shade,and beneath them, people were either relaxing or dozing.Children napped under trees,while adults reclined comfortably on long benches.
"So this is just… how things are here.""Yeah. Very different from us."
2. Toward the Water
As they followed the road,they found the heat-weary townsfolk naturally drifting toward the riverbank.The area bustled with life,young and old alike diving into the cool water.
Shoes were discarded,some stripped to their underclothes and plunged in.Some leapt from rocks; others simply floated in peace.
"Pretty carefree, huh."One of Damian's companions murmured.
It was a mingling of all ages and genders—and at times, clothing slipped, revealing skin.Yet no one seemed to mind.Children played freely,and the adults treated such slips with indifference.
Casual exposure wasn't a big deal here.As long as it wasn't excessive,people didn't fuss.
"The people here seem used to the heat,and their lifestyle just flows with it,"Damian observed quietly.He was beginning to feel it—this wasn't just about climate.It was a culture far removed from the one they had known.
3. Why So Many Children?
Near the shallow part of the river,children built mounds of sand and laughed.
"There sure are a lot of kids in this country,"one of Damian's group noted.
It was true—everywhere they looked,from streets to riverbanks,children were a constant presence.
"We marry young here,"a merchant offered with a shrug."Family is everything.We don't live our lives planning decades ahead.We build families and grow from there."
"So early marriage, and naturally, more kids."A companion nodded.
"Exactly. You try living alone in this heat for years.It's not easy.So you live together—with family. That's how we survive."
It wasn't just about marriage customs.This land thrived on tight-knit bonds,on community, on shared life.
Helping one another,living together,building families—that was their idea of happiness.
4. Adjusting to a New World
Damian and his companions gradually grew to understand this place.By midday, the streets fell silent—and only after siesta did the city come alive again.
People beat the heat by playing in the water,and society tolerated small moments of exposure without issue.Marriage came young,family was everything,and life was shaped around these rhythms.
This was not the world they had known.It was freer.More natural.More… human.
But even here,darkness likely lingered beneath the surface.Parts of this land still hidden from view.
Damian looked up at the sky—the now-familiar sun still glaring fiercely above.