The land where the primordial balance was broken.
The final boundary drawn by the elves.
A zone untouched by light, marking the beginning of primal chaos.
This is Kalmas.
We might say that Blackmore is fundamentally the root cause of this Magic Realm.
Thus, this journey required unusual caution.
Even knowing the original story, a moment of carelessness here could lead to death.
Full preparation was necessary.
First of all…
“Ludine.”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s go.”
“Alright.”
Ludine Carlyle. Her presence, both as a reliable guard and as a mana recharger (?), was essential.
And the cowardly fox.
“Adina, you come too.”
“Me? Why?”
“Shall I call Ludine instead?”
“…”
I would’ve liked to tell her to just stay home, but her racial trait, the Spirit Eyes, was crucial to not losing our way in the chaos-ridden Kalmas.
With everything fully prepared…
Balkhan unfurled a teleportation scroll capable of transporting us to the headquarters.
“Place your hands on the scroll please.”
A flash—
The light radiating from the scroll tore through the space.
“…We’ve arrived.”
We instantly arrived at the headquarters.
And now.
“Did you arrive? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Grand Lord Arkhan, walking through the square, greeted us with her usual innocent smile. She glanced sideways at me and our group, then quickly fixed her gaze on Adina, the White-Haired Tribe member, with an interested smile.
“What brings you here with so many guests in tow?”
“We need a favor.”
“A favor?”
As she stared intently, Adina, frightened, hid behind me.
The unique reaction amused Arkhan, who chuckled and redirected her gaze to me.
“From the White-Haired Tribe… It’s been a while since the Seers visited. Well, alright. You mentioned a favor, right? Let’s hear it. I’m somewhat curious what a human like you might ask for. Haha.”
Straight to the point?
I answered her question straightforwardly without hesitation.
“I need to cross the boundary.”
“You mean the boundary to Kalmas?”
“Yes.”
While I remained calm outwardly in front of Arkhan, internally I was conflicted. The only route to Kalmas passed through the Grand Lord’s Domain, and to cross it, the approval of its owner, Arkhan, was needed.
I was speechless when Balkhan first informed me of this.
Just seeking passage wasn’t an easy matter. Entering that boundary was practically equivalent to declaring that we intended to meet our deaths. This wasn’t a proper ceremonial procession, and moving this way might not leave the best impression.
“Do you intend to cross the boundary? Just the four of you?”
“Yes.”
“Haha, are you really in your right mind?”
The Grand Lord burst into laughter, as if amused by the absurdity of it all.
“Do you know what lies beyond the boundary?”
“I do.”
“Do you have experience traveling beyond it?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“…What?”
Though contradictory, what I said was truthful. From the original story, I knew what lay beyond, but I hadn’t personally been there. With her ability to detect falsehoods, Arkhan would surely understand that I was telling the truth.
“Troubling.”
The Grand Lord sighed deeply. For a moment, an awkward silence filled the air, then her voice dropped to a lower tone.
“Well, opening a passage isn’t extremely difficult… but there are organizational rules after all. I am the leader of this organization.”
“What’s the real issue?”
“That passage has already been closed by unanimous agreement in the talks. If I reopen it just for a single human, wouldn’t there be some backlash?”
“If you say it’s you opening it personally, there won’t be any complaints, right?”
“That’s right. But why should I bother? Why would I have to deal with such a hassle unnecessarily?”
It doesn’t make economic sense, right?
She was right, of course. The woman standing before me is Arkhan, the Grand Lord, one of the Six Heavens of the continent, a rule-breaking power who stands beyond the heavens. To think of her being restricted by the role of Grand Lord—I momentarily forgot that fact.
She’s not the kind of person who will accommodate requests just because they are asked.
And I, I can’t just back down. Elfried is being consumed by chaos even as we waste time.
So I decided.
If there’s no reason for her to bear the trouble, I’ll give her that reason.
“Correct, you have no reason to help me.”
I stared blankly into her eyes with an emotionless face.
“However, I promise.”
The more someone reaches transcendent levels, the more they become desensitized to worldly stimuli. Arkhan was no exception. To her, the present world is exceedingly boring. But deep inside her lies a dormant yearning—an insatiable craving for something to break her monotony.
So…
“If you open the passage, it will be interesting.”
These words were simple, but they were enough to stir Arkhan’s heart.
“…Interesting?”
The Grand Lord narrowed her eyes, her penetrating gaze searching for my intent.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“The threshold for what I find interesting might be a bit higher than you think.”
“I guarantee it. It’ll be worth enduring the hassle and more. Refusing my offer, you’ll surely regret it, don’t you think?”
I’m confident.
Elfried Trivia, the vessel sealed within her—Seeds of Doom—when she sees it, there’s no way she won’t be intrigued.
Thus, my words were honest, not braggadocio.
Pure sincerity born from future knowledge.
And the Grand Lord knows it too. The truth of every word I utter—her Insight cannot confirm otherwise after thorough scrutiny.
“Haha.”
She smiled faintly.
And the answer she gave, with her usual innocent tone, was:
“Alright, I’ll open the passage.”
The First Lord’s Domain.
It is the location of the Headquarters, the heart of the Ruling Council, and the only area in Blackmore that resembles a city. Out of the five Lord’s Domains, only the First Lord’s Domain is located in Blackmore, meaning only a few key members know its exact location.
Even within this First Lord’s Domain, as one moves to the westernmost end, the city’s final boundary appears, where the only passage that can cross the boundary stands.
The passage is sealed by primordial pillars erected by the elves. Nowadays, except for the protagonist of the original story, only Arkhan can open the passage.
And now…
Guided by Arkhan, we continuously moved toward the western end of the First Lord’s Domain. As we got further from the city center, the density of buildings decreased, replaced by empty fields and wastelands.
How long did we walk?
“Here we are.”
Far off in the distance, a massive structure began to come into view. Through the thick mist, we could see colossal pillars that reached toward the heavens. There were two main pillars on either side, with a crossbeam spanning above, creating a gateway-like structure.
As we approached, the details of the gate became clearer. The towering pillars, all pitch black, bore inscriptions of unknown patterns upon their surfaces.
Ludine’s eyes had already turned red as her Scarlet Eyes were activated.
“Luke.”
“What?”
“These pillars…”
The world viewed through Scarlet Eyes is simple. Living beings versus non-living ones.
But what she saw…
“They’re alive.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Arkhan lifted her hand. The moment her outstretched right hand touched the pillar’s surface…
“!!!!”
With Arkhan at the center, waves of mana surged outward in every direction. As if these surges were the command, the patterns engraved into the pillars exuded black light.
The mist of blacklight, flowing like rapids, began to swirl. It filled the space between the pillars and wove together, forming a massive passage.
“M, mercy…”
Adina, folding her triangular ears, began trembling violently. Taking cover behind me, she muttered that the energy was ferocious and that she shouldn’t have followed.
Clang! Crackle!
Suddenly, iron chains burst forth, seemingly with their own will, weaving around each other as they wrapped around the pillars. An acrid, corpse-like stench began emanating everywhere.
“Ugh, ugh…”
Adina’s trembling increased. Ludine continued gazing at the passage with her Scarlet Eyes activated.
“Hmm.”
Arkhan exhaled softly and wiped her forehead. As she retracted her mana surge, the black currents filling the space between the pillars grew hazy. As they faded, a desolate land stretched endlessly under the dim sky came into view.
Its identity?
“…Kalmas.”
We’ve finally arrived.
