Fear coiled in Leo's stomach as he found himself standing before the all-too-familiar magic shop. The memory he had forgotten when leaving the infirmary came rushing back—just as Captain Edmond had forgotten.
His breath hitched as he instinctively tried to move—and to his surprise, he could. His body responded normally, his mana flowed freely, and his spells weren't blocked. Wasting no time, he activated every passive protection spells he had, a sense of control settling over him as the lingering unease dulled slightly.
But the world around him wasn't right. The alley was gone. In its place stretched an endless void of darkness, swallowing everything just a few meters beyond him. He reached out with Telepathy—nothing. Silence.
There was no way back. No way out.
Only forward.
After minutes of hesitation, Leo finally took a step forward. As he crossed the threshold, the world around him shifted. The magic shop dissolved like smoke, vanishing into nothingness, and in its place, an overwhelming whiteness swallowed everything. It wasn't just empty—it was absolute, an expanse of endless light stretching infinitely in all directions.
Turning around, his breath caught in his throat. A structure unlike anything he had ever seen loomed before him—a colossal stone edifice, ancient yet untouched by time. It had no roof, only six towering stone pillars, each weathered and cracked, standing solemnly like guardians of a forgotten place. At the far end of the platform, a single stone chair rested in eerie silence.
But the most haunting sight lay above. Every object in this place—the pillars, the walls, even the throne itself—was fractured, broken at their tops. Yet, instead of crumbling, the shattered pieces floated in midair, suspended as if time had paused the very moment of their destruction. Jagged fragments of stone hovered high above, shifting subtly, weightless, caught in an unseen force. Even the ground beneath Leo's feet was not whole; small pieces of the platform had broken free, levitating just inches higher than the rest, as if gravity had lost its hold.
Leo stepped forward, each footstep echoing in the silence. The vastness of the place became apparent as he approached the chair—it was much farther than it had seemed. The light around him never flickered or dimmed, yet there was no discernible source, no sun, no sky. Only pure white radiance stretching infinitely beyond the ruins.
At last, he stood before the stone chair. From this angle, he could see it had no intricate carvings or embellishments—just a simple, imposing throne, cracked and weathered like everything else. There was no front wall, no back wall. The structure ended abruptly, and from beyond, an intense white light streamed in, pouring over the chair like a divine spotlight.
Leo swallowed hard.
"Welcome, Leo Mantine, to the heart of my eternal realm."
Leo jumped, heart pounding at the sudden voice. It echoed from all directions, deep yet weightless, as if the very air was speaking to him. He spun around, eyes darting through the endless white void, but saw nothing.
"Who are you?" he demanded, forcing his breathing to steady.
"I was the Divine Watcher of history and fate."
"Was?"
"I was betrayed. Once a goddess, now just a fragment of what remains of the fallen one, Selvanna. "
"Selvanna?" Leo frowned. "Never heard of you."
A pause. Then, a voice laced with something between amusement and bitterness responded.
"Of course not. My fall came at the hands of the same god who rules over the very books you read."
Leo stiffened. "The God of Light?" He hesitated before pressing forward. "And what do you want from me?"
"The world is ending. Before I could stop it, I was erased. Now, I ask you to take responsibility in my place and protect it."
'Not again,' Leo scoffed. "Are you joking? If a god failed to stop it, what do you expect me to do? Don't tell me I'm the chosen one."
"You are not the chosen one." Selvanna's voice was steady. "You are simply… the best suited."
Leo narrowed his eyes. "Best suited for what?"
"My power."
Leo's breath caught.
"I will give you my power, and in return, you will save this world. But for now, You can only use a portion—taking all of it at once would destroy you. Each time you grow stronger, you will gain access to more of my power."
Leo's mind raced. "How do I know you're not just using me to bring yourself back? Taking over my body?"
"Why should I possess a body that has already been possessed?"
'She knows about my transmigration?'
Before Leo could respond, a parchment materialized before him, forming out of nothing. It hovered in the air, ancient yet unmarked by time.
"The goddess named Selvanna is no more. I will not betray you, as written in this unbreakable contract."
Leo hesitated. "Unbreakable? You're saying not even a god can break it?"
"There are laws in this world that even gods cannot defy. This contract is one of them."
His fingers twitched. It sounded too good to be true. He reached out and took the parchment, eyes scanning the words. It was simple—too simple. No hidden clauses, no deception in the wording.
Yet, Leo knew that even if a contract couldn't be broken, there were always loopholes.
A new thought surfaced. His fingers tightened around the parchment.
"Did you bring me here? To this world?"
A brief silence. Then—
"Though my hand guided the edges, I did not summon you here. Your past self lies beyond my knowledge, shrouded from even my gaze."
Leo's breath slowed. "Then who did?"
A weight pressed against his mind, and he felt the air around him turn thick, suffocating.
"That knowledge would destroy you, even with my protection." The voice was firm. "If you want answers, grow stronger."
"What's the real cost of accepting your power? Will I lose something important—my memories, my humanity, my soul?"
"You will lose nothing because of me."
"And if I refuse? What happens then? To me… to the world?"
she answered him with a steady and patient tone.
"It will end as I have seen it."
"Why are you so sure I can save it? I'm just one person. There's nothing special about me."
"I don't know what happens after you take my power. I was destroyed before I could see it. Whether you stand alone or find others to follow you—that choice is yours."
The honesty in the voice unsettled him more than any lie would have.
"Why me? Out of all the people in the world, why am I the best suited for your power?"
"Because that's how it is."
Frustration built up inside him, but he pushed on.
"What exactly is your power? How will it change me?"
"For now, it will only strengthen what's already within you."
"And if I take it… does that make me your follower? Am I bound to your will?"
"You can't follow something that no longer exists."
He frowned, trying to make sense of it all.
"Then you want me to just take this power and… wait around?" His voice rose with suspicion.
The reply echoed around him, calm and absolute.
"You misunderstand. I ask nothing of you except this—live, survive. And if the world needs it… act. Beyond that, you're free."
Leo stared at the contract again.
If he signed this, he could be dooming himself. But if he refused, he doubted Selvanna would let him go so easily.
And if she was right—if the God of Light wasn't truly benevolent—then rejecting this power would leave him utterly defenseless. He also knew she wouldn't give him complete answers, only what she wanted him to know or what he could know.
Leo hesitated, uncertainty gnawing at him.
'Why are there so many high-level creatures around me?'
Just as he was about to sign, a sudden realization struck him.
"I wrote my name in the book belonging to the God of Light. If I sign this, I'll burn to death."
"As long as he lives, the God of Light cannot harm you."
"He?" His brows furrowed. "Who is he?"
"I cannot tell you," the voice replied. "That is not my secret to reveal."
With a resigned sigh, he pressed his finger to the parchment.
The moment the contract was signed, a tidal wave of energy surged through him.
Leo staggered, gripping the stone chair as the sheer force of it rattled his bones. His head spun, stomach twisting violently as the power poured into his very being. Every muscle in his body screamed in protest, his vision darkening at the edges. The weight grew unbearable, pressing down on him like the sky itself had collapsed.
Then, all at once, he dropped into the chair, gasping.
The world blurred, spinning uncontrollably, and he did everything in his power not to vomit. Tears stung his eyes from the overwhelming force, his entire body trembling under the aftershock.
Minutes passed, and finally, the storm within him began to settle.
Leo wiped his eyes and took a shaky breath.
The ground beneath him—once shattered—was now whole. But the pillars and walls remained fractured, their broken pieces still floating in the air above.
He turned his focus inward.
His mana had expanded far beyond what it once was. A new energy pulsed around him, foreign yet undeniably his.
For better or worse, he had changed.
And there was no turning back.
"In time, this place will be fully under your control."
Leo sat on the stone chair in silence, his gaze sweeping over the vast, empty expanse. Aside from the massive stone chamber he was in, there was nothing— no horizon, just an endless White nothingness.
"How do I leave?" he asked without looking anywhere in particular.
"This place is yours. You need only will it."
Closing his eyes, Leo focused, picturing himself in his room. The moment he opened them again, he was back.
He sat up, glancing around. Everything was exactly as he had left it. Everything—except him.
An overwhelming surge of power coursed through him, unlike anything he had felt before.
He could also feel a connection—an invisible thread linking his soul to somewhere else. Not an unfamiliar place, but something that felt like home.
To test his mana reserves, he activated Veil of Deception without using his mana crystal. The spell drew from his own energy, yet he barely felt the strain. His mana pool had expanded far beyond its previous limits. His soul—once fragile and unstable—was now fortified, steady.
A smile spread across his face.
"I'm definitely C rank now."
He leaned back.
'So she was not the Goddess of the Moon'
He mulled over everything that had happened. After more than a year, he had finally uncovered a fragment of the truth about his past life. He had been pulled into this world by divine beings. But this was only the beginning. Now, he needed to grow stronger—not just to survive, but to uncover the full truth. The best part? He finally knew how to do that.
"I need to improve myself even faster," he muttered.
His thoughts shifted to his spells.
'Most of my magic is support-based or trickery. The crystals and the Sword of Light are powerful, but I need more offensive spells.'
Luckily, there were plenty of ways to remedy that. He could ask Ryan or Edgarth for guidance or delve into the Codex Arcanum in search of new magic.
Lost in thought, Leo didn't even realize when exhaustion claimed him, and he drifted into sleep.
…
The next morning, when Leo stepped out of the house, he looked toward the slums with his Enhanced Eyes spell and was met with a tense atmosphere. The slums were teeming with policemen, priests, and paladins, all patrolling the area with grim expressions. The weight of that night's events still lingered in the air.
He made his way toward the association, only to find it more crowded than usual too. The lobby was filled with people, unknown paladins running back and forth. In the midst of the commotion, he spotted a couple familiar faces—Carter and Adam, the paladins from Cirnath's HQ—speaking with Liamond and Albert.
Curious, Leo approached them.
"Mr. Carter, Mr. Adam. Why are you here?"
The two paladins turned toward him.
"Well," Carter said, crossing his arms, "because of what happened yesterday, all the HQs are swamped with assignments. Our captain is here discussing logistics with yours."
Leo nodded, then asked, "Where's Ms. Evelyn?"
"She's patrolling the alleys along the main street," Adam replied.
Just then, the door to Edmond's office swung open, and both Edmond and Cirnath stepped out.
Leo immediately placed his fist over his chest in salute. "Captain… Captains."
Cirnath gave him a nod. "Good to see you again, Leo. Sorry, no time for small talk." He gestured to Adam and Carter. "Let's go."
Without hesitation, the two paladins acknowledged the order with a brief salute to Edmond before following their captain out.
Edmond then turned his attention to Liamond and Leo. His expression was weary, the weight of recent events adding years to his face.
"All classes are canceled for the time being," he said. "Liamond, you'll be taking Leo and Frank on daily patrols. Cover every inch of the route from here to the slums—every alley, every corner. I don't want a single stone left unturned."
Leo frowned. The whole city was now on high alert because of what had happened—and it was all because of him.
Liamond gave a firm nod. "I'll let Frank know. Get ready."
Leo nodded back and watched him leave before turning back to Edmond.
"Captain, did you find out anything about what happened?"
Edmond let out a tired sigh. "No. We can't even get inside the house yet, let alone identify the culprit."
Leo could see the exhaustion on his captain's face. It was clear that the recent incidents had taken their toll on him.
Straightening his posture, Leo saluted once more and turned toward the storage room.
This was his mess. And he was going to clean it up.