Morning light spilled over Kazura's palace.
Shirone waited in the inspection chamber for his paternity test.
No visitors came—this was a matter for Kazura's nobles.
Once confirmed, his old life would vanish forever. What future awaited him?
Shirone (muttering): "Why am I so tense?"
Arius (smirking, appearing from nowhere): "No need to worry. It's a simple test."
Shirone jerked upright.
Before him stood a tall, slender man—not outwardly threatening, but his presence prickled like needles.
A familiar sensation. Like meeting Armin for the first time.
Shirone (guarded): "An Unlocker?"
The man bowed politely.
Arius: "My apologies. I am Arius, advisor to His Highness Orcamp."
Shirone's eyes narrowed.
Shirone: "Why are you here?"
This room was sealed. Being alone with a high-level mage was dangerous.
Arius: "I simply wanted to meet you. Unlockers understand each other."
He released his aura, making Shirone shudder.
Arius: "I've heard of your exploits. Your Photon Cannon—was it mass manipulation?"
Shirone tensed further. If this man was an enemy, he was at a severe disadvantage.
Arius (raising hands): "No need for hostility. Call me a… fan. My ability, incidentally, is—"
Shirone (cutting in): "Scale Magic."
Arius (amused): "Oh? How'd you guess?"
Shirone: "This room is sealed. Spatial magic alone wouldn't get you in. To warp both time and space, only Scale Magic fits."
Arius chuckled.
Arius: "Correct. Over half of Unlockers use Scale Magic. Did you know that?"
Shirone: "No. I didn't."
This was the first time Shirone had heard such a story. Over half of the Unlockers were Scale Mages?
Well, come to think of it, Alpheas' magic could also be considered a type of Scale Magic. Time and space couldn't be separated in thought.
Arius: "The exact reason why so many Unlockers are Scale Mages hasn't been clarified. We can only speculate that it's related to the nature of the Immortal Function. In that sense, Shirone, your abilities are quite unique. The power to manipulate mass is extremely rare. I must say, I'm envious."
Shirone: "Ah, it's not that impressive…"
Arius suddenly cut in, leaning forward.
Arius: "Still, I'm stronger."
For a remark coming from a top-tier mage, it sounded childish. But Arius didn't mind and added:
Arius: "I just wanted to make that clear."
Shirone: "Oh, of course."
Shirone didn't bother denying it. Arius was a powerhouse employed by a king—far beyond a mere magic academy student.
Arius tilted his head, as if surprised.
Arius: "Huh? You're admitting that too easily. Excessive humility can be toxic, you know."
Shirone: "What? No, I'm just a student."
Arius: "Of course, your magical power is still lacking. But who knows what might happen if you cast Ataraxia?"
Shirone jolted in surprise. Ataraxia was the language of Heaven. Aside from his close acquaintances, no one knew about it—even in academic circles, Kiliane had used the term "magic amplification circle."
'So this person has also been to Heaven.'
Arius stared intently into Shirone's eyes, as if searching for a tiny fairy dwelling within his pupils. Satisfied, the corner of his lips curled up slightly.
Shirone: "How do you know about Ataraxia?"
Arius: "Haha! Most mages who've been around the block know about it. It's the signature ability of the Archangel Ikael. Though, I admit, it was shocking to learn a human could master it."
Shirone: "Then… have you been to Heaven?"
Arius nodded nonchalantly.
Arius: "Once, long ago. But I didn't find it particularly interesting. Still, I've been gathering information about it. After all, humanity's survival is at stake. In a way, we're all indebted to Miro. Though, thanks to that, she became the greatest mage—so I doubt she resents it."
Shirone had only ever thought of Miro's choice as a sacrifice, so Arius' perspective felt refreshing.
Shirone: "Is Miro the greatest Unlocker?"
Arius smirked self-deprecatingly.
Arius: "Well, wouldn't she be? Honestly, how would we even measure that? But she saved humanity. And now, she resides in a dimension beyond our reach. No mage born in this era will surpass Miro's legacy. It's tragic, really."
Though it sounded cold, his words weren't unfounded.
Everyone deserved a chance to achieve their dreams. Otherwise, the world Miro sacrificed herself to protect would already be dead.
Shirone: "I see… But do you think Miro—"
Arius: "Haha! Of course, I know! Don't take it too seriously. If not for Oberk, the creator of Turn Undead magic, humanity would've been conquered by necromancers. The 'greatest' changes depending on the era—that's the nature of magic. Besides, there's already a mage in this world whom no one can surpass."
Shirone: "The greatest mage? Who?"
Several names flashed through Shirone's mind.
Kerghos, who established photon theory? Ibris, creator of the Ignite flame spell? Or maybe Gloria, who systematized the Spirit Zone's tetrahedral framework?
Arius: "The greatest mage in history… is Mackline Gephin."
Shirone smacked his knee in realization.
Shirone: "Ah! I knew that!"
Gephin was the mage who installed the gate to Heaven in the Kergh Autonomous Region. Even Ikael had spoken of his greatness.
Shirone: "What kind of person was Gephin?"
Arius scratched his head, as if unsure how to answer.
Arius: "Hmm… truthfully, I don't know. No records of Gephin remain. Some even debate whether he truly existed."
Shirone: "Huh? But Gephin's…"
Arius: "Yes. His achievements are scattered worldwide—but only ruins remain. There's no historical record of Gephin himself. Archaeologists still scour the world for traces of him, but not even a single fragment of documentation has been found. Not even in folklore."
Shirone: "How is that possible?"
Every human left traces of their existence. Even nameless individuals were remembered by acquaintances—someone as renowned as Gephin should've been known by all.
Arius: "Whether Gephin was real is still debated in academia. Some scholars argue he never interacted with sentient beings in his lifetime. But the leading hypothesis is different."
The greatest mage in history had vanished without a trace. Shirone wondered if that, in itself, was the most incredible magic of all.
Arius raised a finger.
Arius: "Gephin existed—but the world forgot him. That's the theory."
Hearing that, Shirone recalled something. A story told by Feope, Heaven's fairy.
The Archangel Ikael had committed an unforgivable sin—yet no one in Heaven knew what it was.
Because Anke Ra had erased their memories.
Arius: "Gephin existed, but now, he exists in a state of non-existence. Academics call this the 'Gephin Erasure' or the 'Reset.'"
Shirone: "A reset…?"
Arius: "Gephin might've simply erased his name from the Akashic Records. But if so, the entire world would've been rewritten. Yet his ruins remain. The Reset Theory explains this: our world was once initialized at some point."
To Shirone, whose intellect hadn't yet reached such depths, Arius' words sounded like the ramblings of a madman. But as an Unlocker, he couldn't help but be drawn into the mystery.
Arius: "The 'Crack Field Verification Experiment' is key evidence. It suggests the total energy and time of our world are slightly misaligned."
Arius spread his fingers, mimicking holding a sphere.
Arius: "The Akashic Records are perfect as a whole. Thus, this world can't lose its completeness. But cracks can form—they're quirks, not flaws. Scholars believe these cracks bear traces of the Reset."
Shirone couldn't believe it—but if so many scholars took it seriously, it couldn't be nonsense.
Shirone: "If the Reset is real… does that mean everyone is living their lives a second time?"
Arius: "Essentially, yes. Don't overthink it. Time isn't something that flows—it's something we perceive. For example, say humanity began 10,000 years ago. Did people wait 10,000 years to live today? No. They didn't wait a second. From the moment they were born, they perceived time. That's why scholars consider déjà vu evidence of the Reset—the brain mistaking time before and after initialization."
Arius raised an index finger.
Arius: "Now, the question: how could Mackline Gephin reset the world?"
The answer surfaced in Shirone's mind instantly.
Shirone: "The Immortal Function."
Arius nodded, satisfied.
Arius: "Exactly. Expanding one's mind endlessly dissolves the ego. But every phenomenon has a critical point. If one perfectly controls the Immortal Function, they become infinite yet finite—a paradoxical state. An ego that becomes the whole."
Arius' explanation reminded Shirone of something. An ego that becomes the whole—conversely, a whole imbued with ego.
What people called a god.
Shirone: "So Gephin was…"
Finally, Shirone understood. Why Mackline Gephin was the unsurpassable mage.
Arius: "Yes. Mackline Gephin was…"
He smiled.
Arius: "The one and only Infinite Mage in human history."
It was the second time Shirone had heard the term "Infinite Mage"—but the impact was far stronger now.
Back then, he'd been ignorant of the Immortal Function and Akashic Records. Now, he vaguely grasped how a human could ascend to divinity.
Arius: "We don't know when Gephin lived. 100 years ago? 1,000? Maybe even before humanity began. But the leading theory places the Reset 18 years ago—since no Gephin achievements appear after that. Coincidentally, 18 years ago was when Miro's spacetime was born."
Arius spoke hypothetically, but Shirone had heard directly from Ikael that Miro was Gephin's successor.
And 18 years ago… was also the year Shirone was born.
But he didn't dwell on it. He couldn't be the only one born that year.
Arius checked his watch. The examination time was nearing, so it was time to focus on his original task.
Approaching Shirone, Arius extended a hand.
Arius: "I should get going now. Can't stay away too long. As an Unlocker, knowing these things will help you navigate the magical society."
Shirone quickly shook his hand.
Shirone: "Yes. This was really helpful. Thank you."
Arius: "Haha! No need for thanks. From now on, I'll be trying to excavate your Ataraxia."
Arius' smile was cold—but Shirone couldn't see it. His head had already slumped forward, deep in slumber.
High-level sleep magic cleanly severs consciousness, leaving no trace of the mental disconnect. Even if Shirone's awareness revived and clung to the severed memory, he'd feel nothing amiss.
Arius: "Shall we begin?"
As a Scale Mage specializing in mental magic, Arius wielded Dive—a spell that infiltrates the human mind.
Of the 12 layers of the human psyche, he could penetrate any except the 12th shell, the domain of intellect.
But the human mind was perilous. Reckless diving would cost a man his life ten times over.
Most divers cast "nets" from the surface, extracting only desired information—guided by keywords.
Arius had ambushed Shirone with a keyword to invoke Ataraxia's impression. Before casting Dive, he stretched, loosening up.
Even now, dozens of divers died yearly inside human minds. But as one of the Seven Magic Swords, he cast the spell without hesitation.
Arius: "Dive. Ataraxia."
His spirit zone shrank to an extreme scale, infiltrating Shirone's mind. Simultaneously, Arius vanished from the waiting room.
He reappeared about five minutes later—kneeling, drenched in sweat as if he'd emerged from water.
Catching his breath, Arius slowly stood. After staring at Shirone with a troubled expression, he moved to leave—but a voice called from outside.
Attendant: "Shirone, the trial will begin shortly. Please attend."
Arius clicked his tongue and vanished with Flicker, a Scale Mage's signature move.
Shirone: "Huh?"
Blinking, Shirone looked around.
Though he'd been asleep for five minutes, the clean severance made it feel like no time had passed.
His consciousness, severed and stitched back together, could only assume Arius had disappeared mid-handshake.
'He's as elusive as Alpheas.'
When Shirone didn't respond, the attendant opened the door.
Attendant: "Shirone, you must come now."
Shirone: "Ah, sorry. I'm coming."
Following the attendant, Shirone entered the courtroom.
Kazura's elite nobles filled the jury box. Below the judge's seat, two chairs stood side by side.
Instead of evidence, the exhibit table was lined with tools inspected by alchemists and mages.
Shirone sat in the right chair and waited. A booming voice echoed outside before the doors opened.
Herald: "His Highness Orcamp enters!"
As the nobles rose, Orcamp strode in with dignified steps.
Ignoring the others, he scrutinized Shirone. Though Arius had made contact, it was unclear if Ataraxia had been replicated.
Orcamp: "Let us begin."
At Orcamp' signal, the judge proceeded.
A mage drew blood from both men with a syringe. The courtroom chilled as the needle pierced the king's skin.
Once Shirone's blood was taken, an alchemist mixed both samples with Oxstamin. Shaking the beaker turned the liquid from deep purple to clear.
Alchemist: "The blood will be stored in a vacuum for three days. A positive reaction confirms relation; negative denies it."
Handing the blood over, the judge placed it in a Caspy—an alchemical box.
Sealing it created a vacuum.
Perfect for secure examinations, as it would shatter if air leaked in.
Judge: "This Caspy will be placed in the vault under royal guard surveillance. Nobles with inner-court access may observe, but crossing the boundary is prohibited. Additional watchers must register within an hour."
Shirone nodded at the oversight.
Exposing the vault to many made them mutual watchmen, preventing foul play.
Judge: "This concludes the verification of Kazura's First Prince."
With the gavel's strike, the proceedings ended.
Orcamp left immediately, as if busy, without even thanking Shirone.
Shirone, familiar with Orcamp's temperament, paid no mind. What troubled him more was Reina's silence since last night.
As his legal proxy, she was swamped with administrative work—which was why he could afford to idle.
But wasn't that why she'd brought Amy? No matter how far the lodging was, her complete absence was strange.