Whoooosh...!!!
A sharp sea breeze swept past Fla’s cheek, the icy touch of the wind tangling her hair, though she made no effort to fix it. Her gaze remained fixed on the horizon.
The frozen sea.
At its center lood an enormous whirlpool, its vast diater spanning nearly a kiloter.
But it was no longer spinning.
The whirlpool was frozen solid, encasing a massive pirate ship in its icy grasp.
This was the Levian Coast, Lisbonde Port.
And...
And there, rising from the frozen waters, was a titanic figure, suspended by a column of ice that reached from sea to sky.
Could such a thing even be called alive?
It had the form of a skull. It was none other than the legendary pirate king, Black Belize, who had been sealed in this place for centuries.
Now, at this very mont, he had manifested upon the sea.
With every ponderous step he took, the frozen ocean cracked and shattered, sending up thick clouds of mist.
If that monstrous being reached the shores, the Adolevit Kingdom itself would be dood.
Lisbonde Port was already deserted.
The mages had abandoned their posts, fleeing in panic, while the pirates wailed and scattered like leaves in the wind.
There was no one who could stop it.
... Or so it seed.
Just then—
A piercing roar split the skies, as a flying vessel tore through the clouds above.
At its helm burned an enormous crimson fla, wild and untad.
Fla instantly recognized it.
’Hong Bi-Yeon...’
Once destined to rot in a prison reserved for the vilest of criminals, Hong Bi-Yeon now appeared in this desolate place by order of the queen.
’The calamity of fire will befall us.’
In another world, Hong Bi-Yeon had mastered the flas that consud her, earning the title of Adolevit’s reincarnation. For days, newspapers celebrated her power, her image immortalized as a hero.
How could Fla possibly forget?
The flas now devoured her body and soul, their shape twisting into a phoenix wreathed in fire. Her agonized screams echoed like those of a vengeful spirit, far removed from the proud figure she had once been.
The confrontation between Black Belize, the pirate king whose blue skull glead with icy malice, and Hong Bi-Yeon, the Incarnation of Flas, was a clash so titanic it lted the very sea itself.
... Yet, in the end, Hong Bi-Yeon was defeated.
Her fiery form was extinguished, leaving behind nothing but a handful of ashes scattered in the winds.
With the disappearance of his only rival, the pirate king’s vengeful spirit was now unstoppable.
He advanced.
Day after day, he pressed forward, leaving a trail of frozen desolation in his wake.
Within a single week, the once-thriving Adolevit Kingdom was no more, locked beneath an unyielding curse of eternal frost.
The icy calamity reached toward the Skalven Empire, threatening to engulf it in the sa fate.
And that was when the heroes erged.
Elthman Elwin.
Sael Ri.
Aryumon Brushun.
And... Rudrick, the Tower Master of New Moon.
It was a long and arduous battle.
Their battle against the pirate king was grueling... a clash between the world’s greatest mages and a vengeful spirit so powerful it had consud even the Incarnation of Flas.
It took all four Class 9 mages, working in perfect harmony, just to stand against him.
For an entire month, the war raged on.
And at long last...
Victory belonged to the mages.
— But it was a victory drenched in loss.
Shocked!
Hearing a voice beside her, Fla turned her head.
She turned her head, her dry, cracked lips parting in surprise. For an entire month, she had observed the battle unfold without a word, bearing witness to every agonizing mont.
"Who... Are you...?"
Standing beside her was a child.
A child with silver hair.
He looked sowhat like Baek Yu-Seol, yet also like a stranger she had never seen before.
— ? I’m Silver Autumn Moon.
"Huh...? You are? Wait, no. Are you...?"
— Yeah. Does my appearance seem unfamiliar to you?
"... A little."
The boy, who called himself Silver Autumn Moon, cast his gaze over the battlefield. His silver eyes reflected the devastation that stretched endlessly before them.
— Horrible, isn’t it? Adolevit is gone. Completely destroyed.
"... Yes."
The boy continued speaking slowly.
He described the fall of Adolevit, how Elthman Elwin had suffered fatal injuries and was now completely bound to Stella, unable to move. He spoke of Aryumon Brushun, who had been battling a terminal illness and ultimately died on the battlefield.
It was horrifying.
These were the world’s greatest protectors, grand mages who had stood as beacons of hope. And yet, in this rciless war, they had been reduced to broken remnants... wounded, defeated, or killed with cruel finality.
— And that’s not all.
"What else?"
— The New Moon Tower... its existence has been exposed to society.
"Is that... a problem?"
— Humans are strange creatures.
The boy’s voice carried a hint of bitterness.
— The New Moon Tower worked tirelessly from the shadows to protect humanity, but now that its identity has been revealed, no one seems to care about its sacrifices.
"Why is that?"
— Because their technology and resources are far too overwhelming. Humans quickly realized the truth.
Greedy.
Humans were greedy.
When the guardians protecting them had seed too powerful to challenge, they revered them. But now that those guardians had been weakened and wounded, humans began to tear them apart... seeking to claim their power as their own.
"It’s so cruel..."
— Yes. Even Rudrick, the Tower Master of New Moon, seems to have been gravely injured and is unable to handle the aftermath.
"What... What happens now?"
— Who knows? Our world is dood. That much is certain.
Fla flinched at the boy’s words, sensing sothing strange in his tone.
She turned toward him, a chill running down her spine.
— What about your world?
His voice...
It was as if he already knew.
As if he was aware that Fla ca from a different world—a different ti.
"H-how did you—"
— Hmm? Haha! Surprised?
He smirked.
— I know everything. After all, I didn’t see you in the future I witnessed.
"I... I see..."
Fla nodded hesitantly, still unsettled by his words.
But then—
A sudden realization struck her, and she turned to face him once more.
— Huh? Why?
"Um... Is there... Any way for to return to my original tiline?"
— ... What?
The boy looked genuinely dumbfounded.
— Don’t you have a return spell or sothing?
"Well... I kind of forgot it..."
— What? Seriously? I’ve never seen such a clueless ti traveler before. You forgot your return spell?
Fla nodded silently, looking embarrassed.
Seeing her distress, Silver Autumn Moon scratched the back of his head, a slight frown creasing his youthful features.
— I an, your return spell should be tied to a keyword, right? If that’s the case, there’s not much I can do to help.
"I figured as much..."
— But how did you even forget the spell in the first place?
"I don’t know. It feels like the mory of reciting the spell just completely vanished from my mind."
— Hmm? Hmm... Hmm... Hmmmm—
The strange, drawn-out hums filled the silence as he pretended to be deep in thought, though it was painfully obvious he wasn’t coming up with any solutions.
"Ah! That’s right!"
Suddenly, Fla rembered Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon and hurriedly ntioned them.
"There were other ti travelers besides ."
— Other ti travelers?"
"Yes. But unlike , they seem to have lost all of their mories—not just a part."
— And one of them was that girl, Hong Bi-Yeon, who died in the fire recently?
"Yes..."
"Well, that’s perfect."
"... What?"
— Hong Bi-Yeon probably returned to her original world already.
"Huh? How?"
— One of the triggers for ti travel is death.
Fla froze.
— But here’s the catch.
Silver Autumn Moon’s expression darkened.
— If you use death as the trigger to return to your original world, the version of you in this world actually dies for real.
"So, if I die..."
Her heart raced uncontrollably.
Could it really be such a simple thod?
At the sa ti, she hesitated.
The Fla of this world was still another version of herself, a parallel version. Returning to her own world by killing her counterpart here... It was such a cruel act.
— You’re hesitating, aren’t you? You’re a kind person.
Silver Autumn Moon’s voice broke her thoughts.
— That’s right. To be honest, I wouldn’t recomnd that thod either. Not because I pity the version of you in this world, but because... You seem to be entangled in a ’fate’ I don’t fully understand.
"Fate?"
— Yes.
Silver Autumn Moon’s silver eyes stared deeply into hers.
— The erased mories of you and your friends. Haven’t you ever thought that was strange?
Of course, she had. How could she not?
But without knowing the cause or having any answers, she had done nothing, believing there was no way to solve it.
— It’s likely that even if you die here, you won’t be able to return. Or, if death does send you back, it will trigger an ending you don’t want.
"What...? What do you an?"
— Soone in your original world probably tampered with your ti travel. I’m not sure exactly, but it’s clear they want to bring back so event from this world to yours.
"So event... like what?"
— For example, soone alive in your world might be dead in this one.
At that mont, two people imdiately ca to mind.
Hong Bi-Yeon and Baek Yu-Seol.
Her thoughts began to tilt more and more toward Baek Yu-Seol.
If what Silver Autumn Moon said was true—if it really was true...
"Fawn Prevernal Moon...!"
Her fingers trembled.
At last, the fragnted pieces clicked into place.
Why she had beco stranded in this tiline, how she had co to this world in the first place, and why it had all seed so unnaturally easy.
She finally understood everything.
— You figured sothing out?
"Fawn Prevernal Moon... That person is trying to bring a world without Baek Yu-Seol into our world."
— Hmm. I don’t know who Baek Yu-Seol is, but if this ’Fawn Prevernal Moon’ can manipulate ti, they must be no ordinary figure.
Fla nodded.
— Was Baek Yu-Seol important to the friends you brought here too?
"Yes... just as important to them as he is to ."
— I’ve thought of a way.
"...! What is it?"
Fla knelt down in front of him, her posture formal and desperate. Seeing this, Silver Autumn Moon waved his hands nervously.
— It’s not a big deal. You just need to give that girl, Eisel, a mory shock.
"A mory shock...?"
— Right now, most of her mories are hidden behind a veil created by Fawn Prevernal Moon’s abilities. But it’s only a thin veil... it’s not perfect. Because Fawn Prevernal Moon doesn’t actually have the ability to manipulate mories. At best, they probably borrowed part of that ability from another Divine Moon.
"Oh..."
That was sothing Fla hadn’t known at all.
— With such an incomplete ability, erasing mories entirely? That’s impossible. In your case, they only had to hide a single mory - your ’return spell’ - so it’s covered under a thicker veil, making it harder for you to recall.
"I see."
— But Eisel and Hong Bi-Yeon are different. Their mories of the original world are hidden under a much thinner veil. Just a slight shock is enough to tear through it.
"What do you an?"
— You’re going to imitate Baek Yu-Seol’s actions. Copy his behavior and mannerisms to trigger Eisel’s mories of the original world.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
Silver Autumn Moon shrugged.
— I wouldn’t know. I’ve never t Baek Yu-Seol. But you can do it. If Eisel regains her mories...
He paused, his gaze sharp.
— Then Baek Yu-Seol will never disappear from your world. Because Eisel will rember him.
Fla pressed her lips tightly together and closed her eyes.
Eisel had withdrawn completely, locking her heart away from everyone. And in response, the world had shut her out. She was utterly alone, isolated.
To save Baek Yu-Seol, Fla would have to break through Eisel’s walls and make her rember.
’Can I really do this?’
No. Doubts were pointless.
’I have to make it possible.’
With determination burning in her eyes, Fla lifted her head.
As if sensing her resolve, Silver Autumn Moon began to dissolve into glowing fireflies, his shimring form fading into the air.
— Rember. You have until this world’s Eisel dies. Once she’s gone, there will no longer be any way for you to recall your return spell.
"... I’ll rember."
Fla clenched her trembling legs and forced herself to stand. She turned back for one last look.
Before she realized it, she had already returned to Stella Academy.
This ti, it wasn’t the gray will that had brought her back... it was entirely her own will that had allowed her to ti slip here.
’Wait for , Baek Yu-Seol.’
’I’ll never let you disappear.’
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