The Forgotten Age refers to the time when Sephirot, the source of light within the World Tree at the dawn of time, and Kliphot, the source of chaos, were in balance.
In those days, elves ruled the earth under Sephirot’s blessing.
Kalmas was the boundary touched by Kliphot’s chaos and the domain of the Outer Gods who descended from the Outer Sea.
The beings from the Outer Sea, driven by bloodlust and madness, incited massacres among mortals and left traces of chaos throughout Kalmas. To stop this, the elves created the Chains of Order, which were the passageways we had traveled through.
‘…That was the setting.’
Having read the original work, there was no way I could be unaware of this setting. Kalmas was a major stage in the original story and, most importantly, the homeland of the Outer Gods who could be considered the final bosses.
‘Truly deserving to be called a Magic Realm.’
Kalmas has one distinct feature. As a place where primal chaos has condensed, the very space itself is unstable. The pervasive death aura makes it impossible to discern directions and prevents any machinery from functioning.
Thus, Adina was necessary. Kalmas was vast, and she had to create a path by finding traces of Sephirot within this vastness. Only her Spirit Eyes could read those traces. Of course, Adina stubbornly refused to go to such a horrible place, but I easily overruled her with my authority as the landlord.
“…End of the cliff. It’s to the right.”
Dark clouds filled the sky. Amidst the enveloping darkness, Adina pointed out the direction with her fingertips. Whenever she closed and reopened her eyes, a violet light briefly pierced the darkness before disappearing.
Faint, yet illuminating flashes of her Spirit Eyes temporarily pierced the darkness as I was lost in thought.
From behind came an unwavering feminine voice.
“Spirit Eyes… so this is the unique trait of the White-Haired Tribe that I have only heard about.”
Arkhan gazed intently at Adina with an expression of interest.
“I did tell you it would be interesting.”
“Hmm? Well, it is intriguing, but there is still much to learn. While the Spirit Eyes are a rare trait, they aren’t exactly extraordinary.”
‘…That’s true.’
Spirit Eyes are the unique trait of the White-Haired Tribe. To the ordinary people who might witness it once in a lifetime, it would be extraordinary. However, given Arkhan’s extensive experience, she must have encountered traits like this numerous times before.
As time passed following Adina’s guidance, the environment and terrain gradually changed.
The sky covered by black clouds permitted no light, and the vegetation below was darkened and barely discernible in the enveloping darkness.
The earth was desolate, with only strange-shaped, dark red rocks scattered here and there.
The air was thick and filled with the smell of rust and decay, each inhale piercing the nostrils. This place reeked of a doomsday ambiance.
At least, fortunately, we were still at the entrance of Kalmas, where the environment and terrain were relatively ordinary.
That was the reason I, as a human, could still walk around despite having crossed the boundary.
“How fascinating. In moments like this, you seem quite ordinary.”
“Same thing. Except it’s true.”
“Yes, yes. That might be.”
I grew tired of responding and fell silent. After breaking off the conversation, I lightly scanned the surroundings, mulling over the contents of the original work.
‘A spiraling colossal black-iron spire located at the entrance of Kalmas.’
Just a single sentence. It was a place described in ‘her’ memory in the original work. Nonetheless, we had successfully entered the entrance of Kalmas, so all that remained was to follow Adina’s guidance and venture further in.
Unaware of this fact, Adina naturally harbored doubts.
“What on earth are you looking for in a place like this?”
I looked her straight in the face.
It wasn’t mere fear—it was an honest look of genuine curiosity.
I replied in a bland tone.
“The Seeds of Doom.”
“The Seeds of Doom? What is that?”
“Something that exists. You wouldn’t have knowledge of the residual chaos left over from the Forgotten Age.”
Adina gritted her teeth at my disinterested answer. I didn’t mind. There was no one here who could understand the true meaning of my words, with a single exception.
“…Did you say residual chaos just now?”
Grand Lord Arkhan.
Her eyes sparkled with interest.
“How does a human like you know of such a thing?”
Shit.
This was bothersome. I couldn’t lie because of her Insightful Gaze.
“…I’ve seen it.”
“Seen it? The Primal Age?”
“Yes.”
…I’ve seen it briefly, in a novel.
“…How?”
“Am I obligated to answer that?”
My curt response made her chuckle dryly.
“Let’s get moving.”
I got up before the conversation could drag on. Just as I was about to take the lead, Adina’s voice came from behind.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“That, don’t you see it?”
I gazed ahead intently but could discern nothing in the thick darkness.
“Where?”
“There.”
There was still nothing visible where Adina pointed.
At that moment,
Swoosh—
The enveloping darkness swirled, coiling together, and soon a figure emerged at its center.
Without a doubt, it was a human. Moreover, quite a beautiful woman.
“The one we’ve been looking for.”
Elfried Trivia.
It was none other than the long-sought Seeds of Doom.
“Wait here.”
Thud, thud.
I moved forward, each step becoming heavier under an immense pressure, but I gritted my teeth and pressed on.
After an unspecified amount of time, the shadowy silhouette of the woman became clearer.
“…”
I silently stopped and looked down at her slumped figure. She wore a white holy robe, but her pure white clothes were stained with dark red patches. Her skin, wherever it was exposed, was decaying as if cursed. Her flesh rotted away only to be regenerated as golden holy light would intermittently bloom, repeating endlessly as if she were trapped in an eternal cycle of agony.
‘This is severe.’
The price she paid for imprisoning a Demon King in her mortal body. The shard of chaos sealed within her would erode her sanity through the ages.
‘…The Saint.’
Although she held back with divine power, it seemed even that had its limits. The forcibly sealed fragment of doom would soon sprout and bear fruit. She would be reborn into something new, losing all her beliefs and self, a marionette of chaos.
‘That won’t do.’
Though she was now consumed by chaos, she was not inherently evil. The true saint who had been substituted, that was Elfried’s true nature.
She suffered here due to the Star Sect’s devious scheme, but her fate was not supposed to be this. If the shard of chaos within her could be removed, the urgent crisis could be averted.
‘Terribly ominous aura.’
I stared at her as she exuded sinister energy, just as described in the original work.
I slowly extended my hand toward her. The moment my hand touched her forehead, an overwhelming presence invaded my soul.
WAAAH!
A torrent of black energy erupted from her. In her place, a regular person would have lost consciousness, consumed by this horrifying death aura. However, I was different.
‘…I’m weakening.’
All the energy she was releasing was being absorbed by the ring on my finger. The Iphrashia Ring, which absorbed fragments of chaos. The overflowing fragments of chaos were purified into infinite images and filled my soul.
A tattoo under my right eye glowed blue. Simultaneously, the exalted light encompassed the darkness.
The fundamental image deep within my heart surged. The engraved Runes in my soul blossomed for the first time.
This was a proof and mark of having surpassed one of the countless turning points.
And then.
Something approached.
Guroooong!
It was a serpent.
Its enormous size was on par with an Imugi.
At the sight, I immediately identified it.
“…Jormungandr.”
The serpent that swallows the world. The monstrous beast born between destruction and creation.
Jormungandr.
An Apex-grade Demon Beast.
Grand Lord Arkhan.
She stared ahead in awe.
“… A Demon Beast”
A Demon Beast. At minimum, an Apex-grade Demon Beast, a primordial monster from myth. Encountering such a beast directly was a first for her, despite centuries of life. Indeed, it was unimaginable. Who could have thought they’d face such a monster beyond the boundary?
“Tch, this is chaos.”
That creature wasn’t meant to be fought. While it could be confronted, it would come at a significant cost even for her. There was no need to directly oppose such an Apex-grade Demon Beast.
She turned her head. The two girls who came with Luke were immobilized under the beast’s oppressive aura. Ah, troublesome. Though the containment of a Demon King inside a human body was certainly fascinating, the regret was immense when thinking of the passage not being opened had they known they’d face such a beast.
Thud.
The unsettling silence was broken by the sound of footsteps.
Her eyes widened. Luke Richter, the man who had promised to show her something interesting, was slowly approaching the monster.
Maintaining consciousness under such pressure was commendable, yet she couldn’t simply let him proceed. That was literally walking to his death.
However, his expression remained unusually calm.
A faint smile played on the corner of his lips. It was as if every nerve in his body was thrilling with excitement. His intense azure gaze pierced into the eyes of his opponent.
“Acceleration”
A highly compressed cobalt mist erupted from his entire body. The dozens of streaks that shot out collided and condensed at a focal point, generating a massive ripple.
An infinite amount of friction created a surge of waves. This was not just any wave—it was a field of consciousness.
“Temporal Door.”
At the heart of the disturbance, a single streak of compressed light shot into the sky. The luminous beam carved lines in the sky, forming a grand structure—a Door.
“Opening.”
Kiieeeek!
With a deafening screech, the door opened.
A massive flow of energy surged through the doorway. A viscous, ominous wave enveloped space.
And then,
“Reversal.”
Time froze. As if the passage of time had stopped, even a single speck of dust floating in the air came to a complete halt.
The pressure of time stuck the space together.
Immediately after,
KoOOOOoo!
The Temporal Door began to absorb everything stuck by the space’s adhesive force.
The entire space tore apart. Grass, pebbles, rocks—everything was being devoured. The monstrous serpent in front of their eyes was no exception.
Having finished its feast, the Temporal Door serenely disappeared.
And then,
everything that had been devoured in the world,
“Void.”
exploded. The void consumed the world.
