Royal Library, Illya Imperial Magic Academy.
The morning mist had yet to lift. Through the towering stained-glass windows, golden sunlight spilled onto the ancient tomes, gilding every page with a warm, ethereal glow.
Kael Devon sat alone at a desk, fully absorbed in The History of Arcanic Runes of the Old Continent. His quill scratched softly over parchment as he copied down key passages, the faint scent of aged vellum and ink surrounding him.
The study hall was so quiet, the only sounds were the rustle of pages and the whisper of the quill's tip.
But then—a sudden chill crawled up the back of Kael's neck.
He looked up. A young man stood before him, face shadowed and eyes cold.
"Kael Devon?" the stranger asked in a low voice.
Kael frowned. "Who are you?"
The man didn't answer. From the folds of his robe, he drew a short dagger—its blade forged of holy silver, gleaming with a killing light.
"Die, incarnation of the Demon Lord!"
The dagger lunged for Kael's heart.
He's trying to kill me! Kael's instincts roared to life. Almost without thinking, he raised his arm to block the strike.
"This blade is for the countless souls you've slaughtered!" the youth spat, eyes burning with madness.
Pain seared through Kael's chest, spreading like wildfire. But along with it came something else—an old, familiar ferocity.
He had been a sickly child, often bullied by older boys. But one day, he'd snapped—driving the biggest thug to the ground and pummeling him into the mud, refusing to let go even when the others joined in. From that day on, no one dared provoke him again.
That wild defiance now surged up from the depths of his soul.
"This blade is for the cities you'll burn in the future!"
"This blade is for the comrades who will fall beneath your sword!"
"Damn you!" Kael snarled, gritting his teeth against the agony. His hand shot to the heavy oak chair beside him, and with a burst of raw strength, he smashed it into his attacker.
The youth's thin frame crumpled under the blow, crashing to the floor. Kael was on him in an instant, pinning him down with unyielding force.
The assassin never stood a chance.
The arrival of patrol knights and healers came swiftly—followed by the grim-faced inquisitors who took both Kael and his assailant into custody.
Night, Royal Capital Guard Hall – Interrogation Chamber
Under the dim amber glow of a magestone lamp, the young man sat slumped in an iron chair, his expression as cold and lifeless as something clawed from a grave.
Kael hadn't returned the attack like some vengeful villain from a tavern tale. Instead, he simply stared at his would-be killer, searching for the reason behind the assault.
"Speak," the female inquisitor snapped, her palm slamming against the table. "You nearly murdered a citizen of the capital. Do you have any idea what that means?"
A thin smile curved the youth's lips. "My only regret… is that this body was too weak to finish the job."
The two inquisitors exchanged a glance, their eyes turning sharp as steel.
"If you had seen the atrocities he will commit," the youth said coldly, "you wouldn't be asking such foolish questions."
"Absurd. Do you think yourself a prophet?" the woman sneered.
The young man no longer looked at them. Instead, his gaze locked onto the crystal timepiece mounted on the wall. He began counting down in a low, steady voice:
"Ten… nine… eight…"
"What are you playing at?" Unease rippled through both inquisitors' hearts. Strangely, neither dared interrupt him.
"One… zero."
In an instant, the interrogation chamber was drowned in a tide of unseen light. Streams of silver-white radiance poured from the void, ancient and sacred, and sank directly into the bodies of all three within the room.
"The descent of the gods… the Age of Divine Grace begins—right on time." The young man's eyes gleamed with both sorrow and madness. "I have returned to the past… but the Demon Lord will still be born."
Saint Iel Hospital – Royal Capital, Upper Ward
Kael reclined in bed, tending to his wounds, when a startled cry echoed from the next room.
He looked up—
The night sky had split open. A vast maw of darkness yawned toward the void beyond, and within it, an enormous eye woven from constellations gazed down upon the earth. Twelve rivers of holy light spilled from the heavens like inverted galaxies, flooding toward the capital.
Holy light poured through the walls, flooding into everyone within the ward.
Kael felt it instantly—warmth surging through his chest, the pain from his wound melting away as the radiant flow spread through every vein, every bone, every fiber of his being.
At the same time, an ancient whisper brushed against his ears:
—All who bear My mark shall step beyond the mortal threshold.
He knew what this was.
The Divine Grace foretold in prophecy a thousand years ago—when the gods themselves bestow their sigils upon mortals, awakening their latent power and granting them entry into the ranks of the magi.
But the other side of this miracle… was the beginning of the Abyssal Tide. Legions of monsters would be drawn to the scent of divine blessing, descending upon the living in a tide of slaughter.
For now, Kael forced aside his dread of that future calamity. There was something far more urgent—
What kind of Divine Grace had he received?
A pale golden light screen unfolded in the air before him:
[Name: Kael Devon]
[Rank: Tier 0]
[Divine Grace: Eternal Sacred Seal (SSS)]
[Strength: 8 (10)]
[Agility: 7 (10)]
[Constitution: 8 (10)]
[Mind: 7 (10)]
[Skills: None]
He froze. SSS? What rank is that supposed to be?
His gaze fell on the words Eternal Sacred Seal, and in the next moment, information surged into his mind like a tide:
[Eternal Sacred Seal (SSS)]
Effect One – Seal of Immortality: No matter what injury you suffer, you cannot be erased entirely. Upon death, your body will dissolve into motes of light, allowing you to choose resurrection either at your current location or within a sanctified domain.
Effect Two – Elemental Absorption: Whenever you are surrounded by a natural element, the Seal will actively draw in its essence, tempering both body and soul. The higher your rank, the greater the absorption.
Kael's breath caught. He was stunned speechless.
Just immortality alone was enough to defy the heavens. But Elemental Absorption meant that as long as he lived—whether standing in the wind, the rain, or atop a mountain—he would grow stronger.
In just the few breaths since his awakening, his Strength and Constitution had each increased by 0.1.
This was no illusion.
It was the gods' true gift.