Tenebrous—a world once governed by religions and history—is now ruled by sorcery, artifacts, wealth, power, and technology. Technology has become her new god. Through Technologically Integrated Sorcery (T.I.S), humanity has revolutionized every realm of existence: architecture, incantations, seals, powers, and more.
And yet… something still troubled mankind.
Even with his powers, artifacts, intelligence, and capacity, humanity had still not grasped his past:
Sorcerous paradoxes. Impossible constructs. Living wonders.
These formed the Six Wonders of Tenebrous—and among them stood The Singularity.
Reality (4D): the true realm, woven by the fabrics of Tenzen and warped by the chaos of Anti-Tenzen—demonic energy. A realm where particles, energy, space, and time intertwined to form reason, function, and image.
The Imagined (0D): a realm that does not exist, yet is born from imbalance. A non-existent plane conjured by the disturbance in the harmony of Tenzen and Anti-Tenzen.
Every movement—action or inaction—distorts the fabric of reality. To preserve equilibrium, reality counteracts with an equal and opposite effect—constructive or destructive.
Thus, the Imagined is formed: a backlash leading back to reality.
And when these two realms fuse...
A singularity is born.
Never witnessed before, never seen before, yet the singularity is the perfect fusion of reality and imagination.
Few had glimpsed it. Those who did… never returned the same.
They became gods among men.
...
Code's mind reeled with terror as he realized the meaning of what Hina had just said.
Everything fitted Code's description. A realm of infinite doors, with a never-ending corridor.
And there was one other thing Code saw, but didn't reveal - the boy, who slept in one of the rooms.
"Haha," Nara chuckled in awe. "Dude, you know what that means?"
Code's eyes flicked toward him.
"You've undergone a rebirth!" Van dropped the bombshell.
"Uhh?" Code exhaled, sitting upright as a bead of sweat slid down his cheek.
"I-Is that even possible?"
"No," Van replied, his eyes glistening. "It shouldn't be. But this… this is different."
He straightened. "Sorcery is divided into four phases—Flow, Emission, Manipulation, and Rebirth. To reach Rebirth, you must master the others. It takes over thirty years to perfect… some never even make it."
His tone tightened. "But you? You achieved rebirth in such a short time—and not just that, as a Zero?" Van's eyes widened.
"That means the demon inside you isn't ordinary. It's…" His gaze shifted to Hina.
She swallowed hard, nodding grimly.
Van looked back at Code, whose heart thumped violently in his chest.
"Good grief." Van sighed, easing the tension.
"This is massive, man," Nara forced a light chuckle.
Code's eyes grew wide, his pulse hammering.
"But don't worry," Van's voice cut in.
Nara nodded with a faint smile.
"You're not alone, Code. Hina's also a Zero."
"Uh?" Code froze, staring at her.
Her black hair fell over her face as she lowered her gaze.
"Yeah. Now you know—so what?" Her tone was laced with indifference.
"Ah… sorry," Code murmured, turning back to Van.
"Zeros typically possess immense Tenzen and Anti-Tenzen reserves, far greater than ordinary sorcerers. But your growth rate…" Van's voice grew tense. "It's on another level."
"This could be dangerous," Nara muttered, glancing between them.
"Exactly," Van nodded. "If word spreads, you'll be arrested immediately. Either executed… or made into an experiment."
"Arrgh." Code shook his head with a grimace. 'Is this really the end? No escape, no way out?'
"There's only one option." Van rose to his feet.
The others looked up at him.
"Right now, your Tenzen signature must've disappeared from the Tenzometer."
"So…" Nara leaned forward.
"That means your location can't be tracked."
"Oh, you mean…" Hina's eyes lit up.
"Yeah. Just like her case, Code—you'll have to suppress your Anti-Tenzen aura. To do that, you'll need to strengthen your Tenzen."
Code gulped. He barely understood what they were saying.
"At this point, Code," Van said, facing him directly, "your Tenzen and the demon's Anti-Tenzen are locked in stalemate. That's probably why you were never good at sorcery—something was always obstructing your flow. That something was—"
"Anti-Tenzen," Code muttered.
"Exactly." Van nodded. "It's both a strength and a weakness. The strength? You can't be tracked. The weakness? Only a Zero can remain untraceable."
"That's why the Void Church has stayed hidden all this time," Nara said quietly.
"But here's how we'll outsmart them." Van's eyes sharpened.
"We'll train your Tenzen while suppressing your Anti-Tenzen. That will create a false imbalance inside you. Then the Tenzometer will detect your Tenzen signature again."
"Ohhh." Nara rubbed his chin. "So he'd be registered as human again."
Code only nodded faintly.
'I don't understand half of this… but if it means they won't cut out my remaining kidney, I'll take it.'
"But—" Hina's voice cut through.
"Uh?" Van and Nara turned.
"That method is dangerous. The slightest slip, and we're all dead."
Van hummed in thought. "That's why I said false imbalance. It isn't real—just a 0D inversion."
Even though Code barely understood their talk, what Hina mentioned wasn't new.
He'd heard the rumors, even in the slums.
Nucleo-Tenzen Bombs.
Powerful enough to wipe out a city—formed from unstable fusions of Tenzen and Anti-Tenzen.
Was that what he was about to become?
The thought was hard to take in.
"Code!"
Van's voice jolted him back.
He looked up.
"This is your fate. You can't change it, but you can bend it to your favor. You hold power enough to rival a First-Grade sorcerer." Van's tone deepened. "But that power carries risk. You'll either die, explode… or rise stronger."
Code's brows furrowed in determination.
"Are you ready to risk it? To risk everything?"
"Yeah." His voice was steady despite the tremor in his body. Fear clawed at his conscience, but he was done—done with weakness, mockery, and scorn.
Van's eyes narrowed. "Whatever you once were… ends now. From this moment, you've stepped into the world of sorcery."
He paused, then lowered his tone.
"But remember this, Code: death is a part of life."
****
To Be Continued...