A series of flashes appeared in his memory.
Lucien's vision flickered. The figure before him—so eerily similar to himself—walked toward him. With every step, the sound of shattering glass echoed.
Blink!
The scenery shifted. Now, Lucien saw flames raging everywhere, the ruins of buildings scattered across the ground, and heavy rain pouring down with a deafening noise. In front of him, a shadowy figure with spiral eyes walked closer.
Blink!
The scene changed again. Lucien was back on the second floor of the labyrinth, face to face with the figure that resembled him. One thing was certain—this figure moved in the exact same way as the shadow in his memories, the shadow that had destroyed Eldenridge and taken his family.
As they stood facing each other, Lucien remained frozen, unable to move, as if the air around him had turned to ice.
The scenery continued shifting, aligning with his fragmented memories. It all became clear—this doppelgänger before him was the same entity that had annihilated Eldenridge.
The figure extended its hand, touching Lucien's chest.
Thud!
Lucien's heartbeat stopped instantly.
His senses dulled. A void swallowed his consciousness, and even when he tried to think, it was futile.
"Again?" Lucien muttered weakly before losing consciousness entirely.
—
Executive Tower of the Academy
Vulcan tapped his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "Has the issue been identified?" he asked.
One of the instructors responded, "A large mana leak was detected in several areas on the second floor. The sigils monitoring the students in those locations stopped functioning."
"The team leaders assigned to those groups have already begun their investigation."
Vulcan frowned.
"What's going on?" he muttered. Mana leaks didn't just happen on their own—especially not on such a scale that it could interfere with sigil devices.
He turned his gaze to the holographic display before him, scanning the continuously updating reports from the academy's monitoring team. The fluctuating mana levels on the second floor of the labyrinth spiked erratically, indicating a disturbance far beyond the norm.
"Any signs of external interference?" he asked, his tone sharper.
The instructor beside him shook his head. "No signs of an outside attack. However… the pattern of the leak is strange. The density of this mana matches the levels found in the Red Zone."
The Red Zone referred to floors fifty through sixty—far removed from the second floor where the disturbance had occurred.
"The Red Zone…" Vulcan stood up, deep in thought. He then glanced behind him. "What do you think? Should we suspend the exam for now?"
Aldric, standing in the back, understood the gravity of the situation and nodded. "Yes."
Just as Vulcan was about to make a decision, a soft click came from the previously blank screens. The sigil devices that had gone offline suddenly reactivated, displaying live footage of the students who had lost contact. They appeared normal, unaffected, and still continuing their hunt.
"What just happened?" Vulcan asked, confusion deepening.
One of the instructors, equally puzzled, replied, "The mana leak has disappeared. No more fluctuations… Everything is back to normal."
This wasn't normal at all. Vulcan knew something was wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what. His initial concern started to fade, yet a lingering unease remained.
"Should we suspend the exam until we fully understand what happened?" he asked the other executives.
Leon Grey, a Master Blacksmith, crossed his arms. "I don't think that's necessary."
Aldric studied the screen, observing the students who had previously been lost from sight. No signs of danger. No suspicious mana activity. As if the incident from minutes ago had been nothing more than an illusion.
Yet his instincts told him otherwise.
"It vanished that quickly without leaving a trace?" Aldric murmured. He turned to Vulcan, his eyes holding an unusual sense of concern. "I still feel like something's off. Mana from the Red Zone shouldn't just appear on the second floor and then disappear without leaving behind any residue."
Vulcan sighed. He didn't like uncertainty either. But suspending the exam based on nothing but suspicion? The academy couldn't afford to act recklessly.
Leon Grey, who had been silent for a while, spoke again. "If there's no concrete evidence of a real threat, stopping the exam would only cause unnecessary panic." He tapped his fingers on the table. "Unless you want to waste time investigating something we can't even trace."
The other executives nodded in agreement.
Vulcan considered it for a moment before finally giving a nod. "Alright. The exam will continue."
Aldric didn't object, but his eyes lingered on one particular name on the screen—Lucien Ashthorn.
—
Second Floor of the Labyrinth
"This isn't enough…" Alter Lucien murmured as he examined his palm.
For a brief moment, a strange glint flashed in his eyes—spiral patterns appearing and vanishing. The phenomenon lasted for about a minute before his crimson irises returned to normal.
"Even after absorbing the mana of his parents and siblings, my affinity with him is still insufficient…" His voice was quieter now.
"My control over this body is limited."
He scanned the surroundings, assessing the situation. The scent of blood lingered in the air, but he ignored it. Blood didn't bother him.
What did bother him was the dwindling mana in Lucien's body. This would shorten the duration of his control. "At the very least, I've fused with his Mana Core."
"It wasn't a waste after all," he mused, a smirk forming on his lips.
Then, as satisfaction swelled within him, a figure materialized in his subconscious—Lucien.
Dressed in his academy uniform, Lucien stood in an empty void, staring at Alter Lucien, who bore the same appearance but with silver spiral eyes.
Lucien's voice echoed through the space, calm yet tinged with sorrow. "Now I remember."
Alter Lucien remained indifferent. "Oh? And what exactly do you remember?"
Lucien exhaled slowly. "You're the one who destroyed Eldenridge. You massacred its people. You killed my family."
"That's right," Alter Lucien admitted flatly. "I did."
A brief silence stretched between them before Lucien spoke again.
"I thought… I could escape the shadows of my past." His voice was steady. "But I was wrong."
Alter Lucien frowned. "You're not… furious?"
Lucien's eyes darkened. "I am angry. So angry that I've spent years trying to make sense of everything."
Alter Lucien remained silent.
Lucien continued, his tone unwavering. "You destroyed an entire city, stole my family from me, and took over my body… Yet, I still don't know why."
Alter Lucien chuckled. "Is that what's bothering you? Aren't there more pressing matters to discuss? I slaughtered your family. Shouldn't you be cursing me, weeping for vengeance? Don't you want justice?"
"You misunderstand," Lucien replied.
"Of course I want to destroy you," he said, his voice raw. "After everything I've been through, I've asked myself a million times—Why? Why me? Who did this?"
"I didn't even know where to direct my rage. But now, I finally have my answer. The person responsible for all of it is standing right in front of me." His eyes narrowed. "So tell me—why me?"
Alter Lucien stared at him before breaking into a quiet laugh. "Interesting… You're nothing like I expected."
Lucien raised a brow. "Meaning?"
"When I killed them—your people, your family—I saw countless emotions. Fear. Despair. Hatred. But you? Instead of wanting revenge, you ask why." Alter Lucien smirked. "How… disappointing."
Lucien remained unfazed. "I want to understand your reason."
Alter Lucien held his gaze for a long moment before sighing. "You really want to know?"
Lucien nodded.
"Very well," Alter Lucien said, glancing into the distance. "I used to be just like you. I wanted to live. I wanted to experience the world. I wanted to be free from this labyrinth…"
Lucien listened in silence.
"Alright," Alter Lucien said, gazing into the distance. "I was just like you once. I wanted to live. I wanted to experience the world beyond this labyrinth. I wanted to be free. But do you know what happened?"
He raised his hand, staring at his palm as if recalling something distant.
"I was trapped. Cursed to be a shadow, unable to leave this place. I could see the outside world, but I could never touch it. I wanted to be human, but I wasn't. I was just a spirit with ambitions different from my kind."
Lucien listened in silence.
"Then, I found a way out," Alter Lucien continued. "I needed a vessel. A body that could contain me, one I could fully merge with. But not just any body—it had to be one with an immense affinity for Ethereal, so I could survive in the outside world."
His eyes glowed faintly as he looked at Lucien. "And that body… was yours."
"Using my avatar, I searched every corner, day after day, month after month, year after year—centuries passed. Until, finally, I found it. A child was born, one with a naturally immense affinity for Ethereal. I watched, waiting as that child grew, formed bonds, became part of a community. And once I was certain… I set my plan into motion."
Lucien clenched his fists, the realization settling in. "So… you destroyed Eldenridge just to achieve your goal?"
Alter Lucien smiled faintly. "That wasn't my only reason."
"What do you mean?" Lucien asked sharply.
"You were my final anchor," Alter Lucien explained. "I marked you a long time ago. But even with that connection, it wasn't enough. I needed more affinity, more energy, to fully merge with you."
Lucien felt his chest tighten. "So… you used Eldenridge as a tool to strengthen that connection?"
"Exactly," Alter Lucien nodded. "I absorbed the mana of its people, creating a bridge between us. And now, after years of waiting, I've finally succeeded." A satisfied smile formed on his lips. "I've merged with your Mana Core. I will become a part of you—and eventually, I will become you."
A cold chill ran down Lucien's spine.
"Do you really think I'll let you take over my body?" he asked, his voice oddly calm.
Alter Lucien smirked. "That doesn't matter. Sooner or later, you'll become a part of me. You're just delaying the inevitable."
Lucien smiled back. "Then why am I still here?"
"You said it yourself—our affinity isn't strong enough yet for a complete takeover."
Alter Lucien chuckled. "That's only temporary. I already know exactly what I need to do to increase our affinity."
Lucien's smile widened. "The Academy."
Alter Lucien's expression shifted slightly.
"You plan to turn the Academy into another Eldenridge. A feeding ground. You want me to form bonds with people there, just so you can absorb their mana—just like you did to Eldenridge's citizens."
A flicker of surprise crossed Alter Lucien's face before he let out a pleased chuckle. "Talking to a smart person is always enjoyable."