The Awakening
Reyon's eyelids flickered open. A dull, aching sensation spread across his body as he slowly pushed himself up. His entire being felt drained, but beneath the exhaustion was an undeniable sense of satisfaction.
He channeled mana into his vectors, feeling the smooth flow of energy through his circuits. It was surreal.
In just three months…
He had become strong enough to face Cerberus.
The sheer thought sent chills down his spine. A three-headed beast that even a strong 8th Circle magician would struggle against—one of the few monsters in existence that could rival someone like Edwin.
And now… he could fight it.
A gentle pat on his head startled him.
"You're awake."
Min Hee stood beside his bed, her expression soft yet distant.
She let out a small sigh and ruffled his hair.
"I don't know what kind of burden you're carrying, but it's rotting your youth."
Reyon flinched at her words.
"You're just like Leywin."
Her voice was calm, yet it carried a weight Reyon couldn't ignore.
"Your passion for power burns just as fiercely as his… but your fate shouldn't be the same."
Reyon clenched his fists.
Min Hee continued.
"Leywin spent most of his life fighting. Battle after battle. Struggle after struggle. That's all he ever knew."
Her hand trembled slightly before she pulled it away.
"I don't want you to live like that."
Her words hit deeper than Reyon expected.
He wanted to say something—but what? This was his path.
Min Hee scoffed at his silence.
"But seeing you progress as fast as Leywin, I already know you won't listen to me."
She turned away, walking toward the window.
"Even if you're raring to fight Cerberus right now, you don't have to. His seal will last for another seven months."
Reyon's eyes narrowed.
"You were planning to strengthen the barrier, weren't you?"
Min Hee nodded.
"I was… but Marcus sacrificed himself before I could."
Reyon's breath hitched.
"Marcus…?"
Min Hee glanced at him.
"You knew him?"
Reyon's mind flashed back to Marcus's final moments—the look of relief on his face as he embraced death.
"Yeah… I knew him."
He swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Do you?"
Min Hee hesitated for a moment before answering.
"He was like a disciple to Leywin."
Reyon's eyes widened.
"The only one Leywin ever taught magic to, aside from Evelyn and Edward."
The revelation hit him like a brick.
Marcus… had been a student of Leywin?
"That child had an unfortunate past," Min Hee murmured. "Always faced contempt for being a descendant of a dark magician."
Reyon nodded slowly.
"His final moments weren't sad, though. He looked… free."
Min Hee's expression darkened.
"Yeah… maybe death was the only freedom for him."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Then—
Reyon took a deep breath.
"Before I passed out… you were about to tell me something."
Min Hee's gaze sharpened.
"Ah, right."
She sat down beside him.
"I want to tell you about another symbol."
Reyon's heart skipped a beat.
Another symbol?
"A symbol that made Leywin stronger than me."
The Symbol That Defied Limits
Min Hee's expression turned solemn.
"You must have realized by now…"
"With Vectors and Symbols, you can become as strong as a 9th Circle magician."
Reyon nodded. It was something he had suspected for a while now.
"But surpassing the 9th Circle? That isn't possible with just those."
Reyon frowned.
"Why?"
Min Hee leaned back, her gaze distant.
"At the 9th Circle, a magician gains authority over mana itself. We don't just use mana—we control it freely."
She exhaled.
"Only a 9th Circle magician can do that."
But then—
Her lips curled into a small, almost bittersweet smile.
"Or so I thought."
Reyon's eyes narrowed.
Min Hee continued.
"Leywin created Vector Magic."
Her gaze snapped to him.
"And with Vectors, you can do the same."
Reyon's chest tightened.
"Wait… what do you mean?"
"**You can freely control mana with Vectors and Symbols—without reaching the 9th Circle."
Reyon's mind reeled.
"That's how outrageous the Vector system is."
Min Hee's voice dropped to a whisper.
"And with one final Symbol… Leywin surpassed even me."
Reyon held his breath.
"Once, there was a devastating battle between me and Leywin."
Her fingers curled into a fist.
"I used the entire earth's mana to launch an attack at him."
"And?"
Min Hee's eyes darkened.
"He dispersed it."
Reyon's blood ran cold.
"Without even a scratch."
The Symbol of Infinity
Reyon's voice barely came out.
"How?"
Min Hee's next words shook him to the core.
"With the Symbol of Infinity."
"Infinity…?"
Min Hee nodded.
"Using that Symbol, he created a void. A space where anything even light can't pass through."
She paused.
"If he wanted, he could have repelled my own attack right back at me."
Reyon's body tensed.
That kind of power…
Min Hee exhaled.
"It was too dangerous."
She looked at him seriously.
"Fearing that a Phoenix might misuse it, Leywin never recorded it in his textbook."
Reyon swallowed.
"Then… where is it?"
Min Hee's lips curved into a small smile.
"Somewhere else."
"Where?"
She hesitated.
Then—
"In a separate book."
Her next words shook Reyon to his core.
"At the headquarters of the Classers."
Reyon's entire body stiffened.
Classers.
That rebel organization.
The one he had been part of in his past life.
His mind raced.
The book was… there?
"But… Grandma."
why there does that place have something to do with him
"yeah, he was the one who created classers to punish corrupt nobels"
To think classers were created by grandpa but the current head is even worse than corrupt nobels itself but
"How am I supposed to get there? I can't leave the Phoenix Squad as I please."
Min Hee smirked.
"Don't worry."
Her gaze gleamed.
"I've already made arrangements."