"I am Rania Eon Augthorth,"
"And I will be your history professor for the entirety of your school year."
You're kidding…
Reina's jaw fell slightly, her body going still.
"You may know me as the Third Outer God of Equilibrium… or the Divine Merciful Equilibrium," Rania continued, picking up a textbook while holding a piece of chalk in her other hand. She turned to the board and wrote her full name.
"But within this academy, I am simply Professor Rania… or Professor Augthorth."
She faced the class once more.
"Am I understood?"
A brief silence.
Then—
"Understood, Professor."
The class responded in unison.
Except for Reina.
Rania noticed, but said nothing, placing the book back on her desk.
"Since today is our first day… introductions are necessary."
"So that I may remember your names and faces."
She paused, her gaze drifting toward the back row.
"We'll start from the back."
As introductions began, Lucian leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"Isn't this amazing?"
His words snapped Reina out of her thoughts, making her flinch slightly.
"Ah… yeah…"
"The Third Outer God of Equilibrium as our history teacher… the same one who restored our lost history and abolished slavery alongside the Fourth Outer God…"
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"They're living legends… no—Gods."
Reina froze again.
Slowly, she glanced at him before burying her face in her hands.
I just bumped into a God… the same God my family prayed to for years…!
Gods didn't exist back on Earth… I thought that applied everywhere!?
BAM!
The doors slammed open.
A woman with white hair stood at the threshold, wearing a light blue cardigan over a white shirt and a long, flowing skirt. Her crimson eyes swept across the entire class.
"Miss Anathasia…?"
Reina lifted her head, trying to catch a proper look at the one who entered.
"What are you doing here?" Rania continued.
Another figure followed behind her, tall, with long black hair.
The introductions stopped instantly.
All eyes turned toward them.
"Professor Rania," one student asked, "is that—"
"Yes," Rania cut in smoothly. "Miss Anathasia is the Supreme Being mentioned in the scriptures."
The room stilled.
Eyes shifted toward the one standing beside her.
"And her…?" another student asked, gesturing toward the long-haired figure.
"That," Rania continued, her voice steady, "is Sir Kyle Veridielle Augthoria."
A brief pause.
"And she is a he."
Silence.
"And he is the Absolute Stillness… or the Foundation mentioned in the scriptures."
The silence grew heavier.
Anathasia continued scanning the room, as if searching for someone.
Meanwhile—
Eh…? Do gods just… appear like this?
How does that even make sense…?
She shook her head, rubbing her cheeks.
No… I was reincarnated.
This is a different world.
Different rules… different logic…
Slowly, she lifted her gaze toward Anathasia—
—and froze.
Something pressed against her senses.
Something vast.
Something her mind couldn't even begin to process.
The color drained from her face.
No… that…
That's… a God…?
Then—
Anathasia's gaze settled on her.
And in that instant, Reina's body instinctively recoiled.
What…? Why is she looking at me…?
A chill crept up her spine as Anathasia slowly raised her hand, pointing straight at her.
…Did I do something wrong…?
"That girl,"
Reina swallowed.
"Is a reincarnator."
All eyes in the room turned toward her.
But Reina—
She couldn't look at them.
Her gaze was locked on the thing looming behind Anathasia.
An eye opened.
?! It's… alive…
Cold sweat broke across her back.
Then—
Another.
Two.
Seven.
A dozen.
A hundred.
The number kept climbing—
Until it stopped making sense.
Until counting itself felt meaningless.
And then—
All of them turned.
And looked at her.
The color drained completely from her face.
That… isn't a God…
That… shouldn't even exist in the first place…
Before Reina could fully process what she was seeing—
Her vision blurred.
…?
!? The training grounds…?
"So," Anathasia suddenly leaned in, "how much of Earth do you remember?"
Reina's body froze all over again.
Slowly, barely. She shifted her gaze past her.
To the tall, long-haired man standing behind Anathasia.
He noticed immediately.
And just as quickly, he pulled the woman back.
When Reina's eyes met his—
Her breathing steadied.
Just a little.
Still—
…I almost died.
Her gaze flickered, just for a second.
A glimpse.
Of the thing behind Anathasia.
Even now…
A sharp pain lanced through her head, forcing her to look away, back at Kyle.
…Just looking at it… just being near it… feels like I'm about to be crushed…
"Sorry about my wife over here," he said, tilting his head slightly with a polite smile.
"She's terrible at communicating with strangers, you see."
Bad at communicating…?
A bitter laugh echoed in Reina's mind as cold sweat trailed down her back.
She's not even… something that can be understood…
As Kyle continued speaking, Reina barely registered his words.
Her thoughts were elsewhere—
Desperately avoiding whatever was behind Anathasia.
Just trying to endure.
Just trying to stay standing.
This isn't a game…
I never read anything like this…
A breath.
This world… actually exists.
"As I was saying," Kyle's voice cut through her thoughts, pulling her back.
"Would you mind telling us how long you've been here… in this world?"
Reina didn't answer immediately.
She looked at him. Lips parting once.
Then—
She nodded.
"That… I…" she hesitated. "Sixteen years… I still remember the moment I woke up as a baby."
As the words left her mouth, she caught sight of Anathasia peeking over Kyle's shoulder.
The two exchanged a glance, then began speaking.
But Reina—
…? Continuum Swimmers? Reincarnation…?
She shook her head.
What I went through wasn't reincarnation… but rebirth…?
What's the difference…?
"Basically, a big cosmic fish ate a tiny floating sphere."
"That sphere was her consciousness, drifting through the void," Anathasia explained.
Reina's eyes narrowed slightly—
But her vision was already beginning to blur.
"Then that fish dumped it somewhere else through invisible connections with other cosmic fish…"
"And it ended up here. In Aegea."
By then, Reina could barely think.
Her thoughts melted together.
What's… happening…?
Her vision turned white.
Her consciousness slipped—
Fading.
—
…Where am I?
She couldn't feel anything.
But she could see.
An endless expanse of spheres.
Each one containing smaller ones—
Which contained even smaller ones.
An infinite recursion.
Spheres within spheres.
Within spheres.
"Huh…?"
A low, reverberating hum rippled through the space.
She turned—
And froze.
There was no "full" shape.
No beginning.
No end.
Only a vast, shifting surface—
Like the skin of something impossibly large.
Her breath caught.
What… the hell is that…?
She watched.
As the entity drifted toward a cluster of cracked spheres.
And devoured them.
In a single motion.
Then,
From behind it.
New spheres emerged.
Spilling out.
Replacing what had been consumed.
A trail of existence left in its wake.
It swam.
Freely.
As if this entire place—
This endless field of spheres—
Was its ocean.
And Reina—
What… is this place…?
She looked down.
Her hands.
Her legs.
They were there.
But—
They were transparent.
Intangible.
I'm here… but I'm not…
I can't feel anything…
As she lifted her gaze—
In the next instant—
She found herself staring down at the leviathan.
Its gaping maw opened.
And before she could even react—
It swallowed her whole.
?!
—
Reina's eyes snapped open as she shot upright from the bed.
…A dream?
Her breathing was uneven as she slowly looked around.
Beds lined the room.
And beside hers—
A red-haired boy slept quietly.
…The infirmary…
Her gaze settled on him.
Why is Lucian here…?
Slowly, he began to stir.
His eyes fluttered open, meeting hers.
"Ah… you're awake," he murmured softly, a small smile forming.
Warm light filtered through the windows, painting the infirmary in shades of orange as the sun dipped toward the horizon.
A thought hit her.
"Wait… where—"
"Looking for them?" Lucian cut in, lifting his head with a yawn.
"The Supreme Being and the Foundation?"
Reina nodded.
"They left earlier," he continued. "Professor Rania said they went to the Empire… something about a meeting with the Emperor."
At that, Reina's brows furrowed.
Her gaze lowered to the bed.
Still…
She paused.
The Supreme Being…? A God…?
Her body shivered slightly as the memory resurfaced.
That's not even something you can call a 'God'…
…And those things… those spheres…
Her hands tightened around the sheets.
All of that… was real…?
"Reina?" Lucian called gently.
She flinched, snapping out of her thoughts as she met his gaze.
"You look pale… maybe you should rest a bit more?"
Reina didn't respond.
She simply nodded.