I need to check my magic" he muttered.
̄ ̄ ̄
/ You blink.
Then double-check.
Then pinch yourself—just to be sure.
**Magic Level: 100 / 500** ⚡
The number glows in the system screen like a heartbeat. Your old cap—*195 out of a supposed max of 100*—was already impossible. A glitch born from your delusions overriding reality itself.
But this?
This is something new.
A *true expansion.*
The system chimes softly:
> 🔔 **System Update Unlocked: "Beyond the Veil"**
> - Magic Level Cap Raised: Now scaleable via "World Memory Integration"
> - New Thresholds: Tier II Spells (Unlocked at Magic Lv. 250)
> - Elemental Mastery Sync Active — All elements now respond to emotional intent
You flex your fingers—and instantly, the air around you *warps.*
Shadow fire licks one palm. Lightning crackles in another. Water spirals without source, earth rises beneath it, wind hums like a chorus... all responding not to incantations—but simply because you *willed* them into existence.
Beta's voice echoes in your mind: *"You really are real… aren't you?"*
And now even the System admits it—
You're not just playing god…
You're leveling past human limits again...
But then—
A tiny warning flickers at the corner of your vision:
> ⚠️ "Caution: Rapid stat growth detected."
> 🌑 Possible side effects include Reality Drift & Identity Fragmentation
Deciding not to risk it. He didn't wanna use that magic if it came out that cost suddenly he remembered the avatar State. He had given the Avatar system for that pacific reason because he couldn't use the avatar state unless he mastered his magic.
̄ ̄ ̄
/ You pull back—just in time.
The elements settle. The air stills.
Because you remember now…
Buried beneath layers of delusion and system noise: the **Avatar System** was never a side quest.
It was a *fail-safe.*
> 🌍 **AVATAR STATE (Locked Mode)**
> - ✅ Unlocked via: "Harmony of All Elements" + "Soul Beyond Death"
> - ⏳ Duration: 5 minutes per activation (Cooldown: 24h)
> - 💥 Power Level: Reality-bending (All magic elements unified, spirit energy access)
> - ⚠ Drawback: Complete system shutdown during recharge. Vulnerable state post-exit.
He grits his teeth beneath the mask.
Five minutes.
That's all you get to be *truly* unstoppable.
Five minutes to rewrite fate… before collapsing like a dead star.
And if Claire falls before he's ready?
No second chances.
No retries…
Just silence where Shadow once stood.
But still—you smile slightly under your hood as wind brushes past your face, carrying the scent of coming rain and distant fire mines...
This is enough for now…
Because even eminences know one truth:
The strongest power isn't in the moment you unleash everything—
It's in knowing *when not to.* 🌑⏳
And when that five-minute window opens?
The world will learn why shadows don't just hide…
They consume.
after that, I flew home he landed silently behind the Kagenou estate—just in time.
Claire's in the backyard, sweat on her brow, fists clenched as she drills spell-sword combos into the training dummies. Each strike is sharp, precise… *too* precise. Like she's fighting something unseen.
Then—
A flicker.
Her magic flares—*purple-black*, not silver-blue—and for half a second, a dark sigil pulses beneath her left eye before vanishing.
Your breath catches.
There it is again…
The **Diablos corruption**. It's spreading faster than last time. Not full possession yet—but close enough to matter.
She senses movement and whirls around mid-swing—"Who's there?!"
You step out slowly from the shadows beneath the willow tree—the perfect "worried brother" face already set like stone and steel:
"Just me," you say with a lazy shrug. "Though if you keep throwing fire like that when angry, Mom's gonna ground us both."
Claire lowers her blade slightly—shoulders tense—but then scoffs: "Don't sneak up on people then! Jeez!"
But even as she glares at you...
Her hand trembles ever so slightly behind her back.
> 🔔 **Quest Update:** *"Sister of Shadows"*
> - Diablos Seal Progress: ███████▊▊ 78% — Near Critical Threshold
> - Warning: Synchronized Collapse Possible within 48 Hours
Getting the system warning, I approached her correcting her form using healing touch to see how much I can help.
̄ ̄ ̄
/ You step forward with that annoyingly calm smile—like you're just being a bratty little brother again.
"Your stance is off," you say, grabbing her wrist gently. "See? When you twist like that on the follow-through, your mana channel wobbles. Explains why it flared."
Claire huffs, rolling her eyes. "Oh please—I know my own form!"
But she doesn't pull away.
Not when you adjust her shoulder.
Not when your fingers brush the back of her neck.
And *definitely* not when your **Healing Touch** flares beneath the skin—subtle, invisible… but deep.
> 🔍 **System Scan: Diablos Infection Level – Claire Kagenou**
> - Corruption: ████████▊▊ 82% (Critical)
> - Host Sync Rising — Estimated Full Assimilation: ~36 Hours Remaining
> - Immune Response Failing — Soul Resistance Dropped 47% Since Last Timeline
Worse than before.
But then…
Something new pulses under your magic sense—a faint *echo*, buried in her core:
🟣 A sliver of resistance? No… recognition?
Like part of *her* is fighting back—and *knows* you're here this time.
She shivers suddenly under your touch and pulls back hard, glaring—but there's no heat behind it now. Just fear masked as anger.
"...Why do you always show up right when things go wrong?"
You smirk like an idiot younger brother would: "Because someone's gotta keep you from blowing up the house again."
But inside?
Shadow isn't smiling anymore—
Because now he knows:
She's not just infected...
She's becoming something else…
" you and I both know there's something wrong with you and I'm known why you can currently help you so are you willing to let me do it?"
Your sister's glare falters, her arms dropping to her sides as she *seems* to shrink away—not from you, but the truth. "I…" she whispers, eyes going misty, "You don't understand! I-I… there is *something wrong.* Something inside me that—I…"
She falters, blinking back tears.
"Help me fix it. Please."
" of course I'll help you. You're my sister. Now we need to find a place to do this privately so no one knows what happens."
Claire nods, wiping her eyes and taking a deep, shaky breath. "I… yeah. There's a ritual place out in the forest. Mom would never go there," she whispers, "I-it's hidden. Nobody will disturb us."
She takes another breath, looking you in the eye. "I-I'm scared."
He clasp her shoulder gently. "You won't be. Trust me."
̄ ̄ ̄
/ The air grows still.
Claire hesitates—just for a breath—before lowering herself onto the moss-covered stone altar, arms at her sides, eyes fixed on the sky. The lake ripples behind her like a mirror of restless thoughts.
You stand over her, hands glowing faintly with soft violet light—*not healing magic*, not exactly… but something deeper. Something *older.*
Your voice is calm. Controlled.
"Stay still," you say gently. "This might feel… strange."
> 🔔 **System Prompt:**
> ▫️ Initiate Full Purge Protocol on Diablos Infection? (High Risk)
> ⚠️ Warning: If Claire's soul resists removal of entity—even partially—it could shatter both mind and body
> ✅ Confirm: [Y/N]
But you don't wait.
Because Shadow doesn't hesitate when family is on the line.
You press your palms to her chest—one over her heart, one just above—and speak three words in an ancient tongue no one should know:
**"Delusion Override: Sever."**
The world goes silent…
Then—
A scream tears through the forest as black
" Claire this is really gonna hurt. I need you to let me do this with your soul not just your mind. Your entire body and soul must agree for me to do it."
̄ ̄ ̄
Her breathing hitches—shallow, uneven.
You can see it in her eyes now: the war. Not just against Diablos… but *within* herself. Part of her wants to fight you off. Another part—frightened, buried deep—is screaming for help.
"Cid…" she whispers, voice trembling. "If I don't make it… don't bring me back like last time."
Your heart stops.
*She remembers?*
No time to process.
You lean down slightly, one hand still glowing over her chest, the other gripping hers tight.
"This isn't about bringing you back," you say—low, fierce. *"This is about keeping you here."*
The system flickers at the edge of vision:
> ✅ **Consent Confirmed: Full Soul Access Granted**
> ▫️ Subject: Claire Kagenou – Willing Sacrifice Detected
> ▫️ Initiating Shadow Purge: Phase One — Soul Unbinding
A pulse ripples outward from your touch—and suddenly the forest *warps.*
The lake freezes mid-ripple.
Wind halts in its breath.
Time slows…
And beneath Claire's skin, something ancient and foul begins to writhe—a serpentine shadow coiled around her soul like a parasite made of screams and shattered oaths.
It knows what's coming…
And it fights back before you even begin:
A psychic shriek tears through your mind—
But you stand firm,
eyes blazing with dark flame,
as Shadow—the true mastermind behind fate itself—
finally says:
**"Let go... or be erased."** 🌑💥
̄ ̄ ̄
/ A shockwave of purple magic arcs skywards as the infection's shadow-soul is ripped from Claire like a thorn pulled from flesh. She stiffens, arching, hands clenched.
But you don't.
You *hold*—one hand still clasped with hers, the other still searing over her heart.
And then—
She gasps.
Gasps, and *smiles.*
Claire's breath slows. The color seems to flood back into her face as the tension leaves her limbs.
"I don't know what you just did," she says faintly, "But I… I feel like I can breathe again." She squeezes your hand. "Thank you."
She sits up—and then her eyes go wide, staring at the frozen world around you.