The metal device from the forgotten continent sat in front of me, its polished surface reflecting the dim blue light of the chamber. It was small—about the size of my palm—but the moment my fingers brushed against it, a strange energy pulsed beneath the surface.
This wasn't like mana. It wasn't something I could feel in my core like the magic I had spent my life learning. This was foreign, yet… oddly familiar.
Across from me, Kieran watched carefully, his golden eyes unwavering.
"I can see it already," he murmured. "You feel it, don't you?"
I clenched my jaw, gripping the device tighter. "What is this thing?"
Kieran leaned forward, his fingers tapping against the wooden table. "It's a piece of ancient technology from the forgotten continent. A tool designed to fight against the Forsaken."
I inhaled sharply. "You mean the false gods."
Kieran nodded. "Yes. But unlike the scholars at this Academy, the people from the forgotten continent don't fear them. They've spent centuries studying their weaknesses, developing ways to combat them."
I studied the device again, turning it over in my hands. "Then why isn't everyone using these?"
Kieran exhaled. "Because not everyone can."
I glanced up at him, eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
A slow smirk tugged at his lips. "Let's find out."
Unlocking the Device
Kieran instructed me to channel mana into the device. I focused, letting my energy pulse outward, expecting the metal to react.
But instead…
Nothing happened.
I frowned. "It's not working."
Kieran's smirk didn't fade. "Try again. But this time, don't think of it like mana."
I furrowed my brow. Not like mana?
Taking a breath, I tried something different. Instead of channeling energy through my body, I let the device pull something from me. I relaxed, allowing whatever force inside it to connect with me.
For a split second, I felt a sharp pull—like something deep within me was being drawn out.
And then—
A burst of light erupted from the device.
Blue symbols flickered across its surface, pulsing with an energy that wasn't magic—but wasn't entirely mechanical either.
The air around me shifted. My senses sharpened. My body felt lighter, more aware. It was as if a new part of me had awakened.
Kieran's eyes gleamed. "Well, that's interesting."
I exhaled, staring at the glowing device in my palm. "What… just happened?"
Kieran leaned back, arms crossed. "You just activated something that shouldn't be possible."
The Awakening of an Unknown Power
After a few moments, the device's glow dimmed until it returned to its normal metallic state. But the sensation it had given me still lingered.
"I don't get it," I muttered. "You said this was made to fight the Forsaken. But how does it work?"
Kieran stood and began pacing. "The people of the forgotten continent don't rely on mana like we do. They use something else. Something they call Divin Forces—energy that exists beyond magic.**"
I frowned. "Divin Forces?"
He nodded. "It's… complicated. But the simplest way to explain it is this—they don't shape the world using mana. They shape the world using reality itself."
A chill ran down my spine. "That sounds like…"
Kieran smirked. "Exactly. The same way the Forsaken manipulate belief to become real, the forgotten continent learned to manipulate existence itself."
I clenched my fists. "Then that means—"
"—that the reason you activated this device isn't just because you're strong," Kieran interrupted. "It's because you're connected to this power in some way."
His golden eyes burned into mine.
"This wasn't a coincidence, Sylas. You're not just some talented fighter. You were meant to wield this."
A Dangerous Path Forward
I sat in silence, absorbing the weight of his words.
Meant to wield this?
I had always assumed my reincarnation was random—a second chance at life. But the more I uncovered, the more I realized that nothing about my existence was an accident.
I looked back down at the device.
If this was truly a weapon against the Forsaken, then I needed to understand it. I needed to learn everything about Divin Forces, the forgotten continent, and how to use this against the gods trying to reclaim the world.
I took a deep breath. "Teach me."
Kieran's smirk widened. "I thought you'd never ask."
The First Lesson
Training started the next morning in a hidden section of the Academy, one that Kieran claimed only a few knew about.
It was a dimly lit underground chamber, the walls lined with stone pillars covered in strange, glowing symbols. A thin layer of mist clung to the floor, as if the very air here was different from the rest of the Academy.
"This place was once used for forbidden studies," Kieran explained, stretching his arms. "Now, it's forgotten. Perfect for what we're about to do."
I rolled my shoulders, holding up the device. "Alright. Where do we start?"
Kieran stepped forward. "First, you need to unlearn everything you know about magic."
I frowned. "That's a terrible start."
He chuckled. "You think mana is the foundation of power in this world, right? That if you train hard enough, cultivate enough energy, you can control everything around you?"
I nodded. "That's how it works."
"Wrong."
Before I could react, Kieran vanished.
Not like a mana-enhanced speed technique—this was different.
One second, he was in front of me. The next?
He was standing behind me, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder.
My instincts screamed at me, but before I could react, an invisible force slammed into me, sending me sprawling across the floor.
I gasped, rolling onto my knees. "What the hell was that?"
Kieran grinned. "That was Divin Force."
He held up a single hand, and the air around it rippled, distorting as if reality itself was bending.
"Unlike mana, which is drawn from within, Divin Force is the manipulation of what already exists. I didn't use strength or magic to push you—I simply shifted the space between us."
I clenched my fists. "That's—"
"Impossible?" Kieran finished for me. "Maybe for normal people. But not for us."
He extended a hand toward me. "If you really want to fight the Forsaken, you need to learn how to bend reality the way they do."
I stared at his hand.
Then I grabbed it and pulled myself up.
"Fine," I muttered. "Show me how."
Kieran grinned. "That's more like it."
The First Step Into the Unknown
Over the next several hours, Kieran introduced me to the basics of Divin Forces—how to read the natural flow of energy, how to disrupt movement, and how to alter my surroundings without using mana.
I failed.
A lot.
But for the first time since coming to the Academy, I felt like I was unlocking something deeper within myself—something that had been waiting for me to realize it.
And as the day ended, I knew one thing for certain.
This wasn't just a skill.
It was a weapon.
One that I would need if I wanted to stand a chance against the Forsaken.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
This was the key to understanding why I had been reincarnated in the first place.