Before time had a name, there was only Will.

  Not light.Not darkness.Not even silence.

  Only a singular, absolute consciousness drifting within endless nothingness.

  From that void, she manifested.

  The primordial goddess Lunara.

  With a thought, she unfolded reality. Space bent. Matter bloomed. Stars ignited like scattered embers across an infinite canvas. Oceans roared into existence. Mountains pierced newborn skies.

  She created mortals and immortals. Spirits and souls. Life and death.

  Everything.

  And as eternity stretched on, Lunara grew enamored with what she had made. The world was no longer an experiment.

  It was her child.

  Yet omniscience is a cruel gift. She saw the threads of the future before they were woven. She saw war. Extinction. Collapse.

  So she wrote laws into existence.

  From those laws she birthed her first child: Nullara, the Mother World. A divine will bound to the structure of reality itself. Nullara governed balance. Enforced causality. Maintained order under the rules carved by her mother's hand.

  For a time, the system held.

  But perfection is a fragile illusion.

  When the evil God Zarvagoth emerged from the outer abyss, the laws themselves trembled. He did not obey rules.

  He overwrote them.

  Nullara, bound to the framework of existence, could not counter something that ignored existence altogether.

  The sky split. Seas boiled. Continents fractured.

  And so Lunara descended.

  The clash between creator and destroyer shattered epochs. Reality bent under their weight. In the end, Lunara prevailed, sealing Zarvagoth beyond the Gates of the Void, entrusting Nullara as eternal warden of his prison.

  The crisis was ended.

  But a seed of fear remained.

  Lunara had seen how powerless her creations were against a being of true divinity.

  So she gave them teeth.

  She infused the world with harvestable energy. Magic woven into nature itself. Rivers carried it. Storms churned with it. The air shimmered with it.

  She established guardians.

  Thus began the Age of the Supreme Dragon Monarchy.

  And from that age rose heroes.

  Humans learned to manipulate Mana, a refined current of divine energy gifted specifically to them.

  Majin and magical beasts wielded Astrons, the primal force underpinning all magical phenomena.

  The cavern walls swallowed the echo of Haruto's voice.

  "So, what you're saying is that Astrons are basically the natural energy, while Mana is something given exclusive to humans by god?"

  Mist drifted around his boots like pale water. He stared down at it, thoughtful.

  "It's possible," he continued. "But this smells like doctrine. The kind priests recite with incense smoke and donations."

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  Hana snorted softly.

  "And divine favoritism rarely survives contact with reality."

  Haruto's brow furrowed with curiosity.

  "Then where does Charybdis fit into this? You said he was a god too, right?"

  Haruna adjusted the cursed blade at her hip before answering casually.

  "Lord Charybdis is believed to be a direct descendant of lady Lunara. According to the western church, at least."

  A faint edge crept into her tone.

  "I found that account in my teacher's journals. He recorded it after meeting a western merchant. It is what they teach across their nations."

  She paused.

  "Personally… it sounds like embellished theology. According to my teacher, it is a teaching only to thicken their own skulls with pride of thinking they're something special. So they have an excuse to look down on other races and kill them with no remorse."

  "Well... that's what usually happens..." Haruto added. "Religion, is mostly developed as a way to unite people. It's not a bad thing. But if corruption takes over a powerful religion, it's no surprise that they would abuse it to fulfill their own goals. It's just human nature."

  "Yeah," Hana agreed. "Not to mention, God granting exclusive powers feels way too convenient."

  Haruto rubbed his chin.

  "Natural or artificial doesn't matter. Power is power." His eyes sharpened slightly. "We're dealing with one thing here. Knowing the existence of Mana doesn't make any difference."

  He exhaled.

  "I have an idea to test something. But not here."

  He turned toward the upward tunnel.

  "Next floor. We experiment there."

  Haruna hesitated. "Master… are you certain this is wise?"

  "Yes." His voice was steady. "You have Haruki's healing. You won't even feel it. The recoil won't cripple you if the force is redirected outward."

  He crouched slightly.

  "Wind detonation isn't meant to implode your limbs. Direct the vector away from your body. Opposite angle from your legs. Minimize impact transfer."

  He glanced upward.

  "Hold tight, Hana."

  The slime immediately wrapped around his neck like a living scarf.

  "You drop me and I swear I'll kill you!"

  He grinned.

  Haruna mirrored his stance beside him.

  Both closed their eyes.

  "Three seconds," Haruto said quietly. "No more."

  Astrons gathered.

  The air thickened.

  Within two seconds, dense clusters formed beneath their feet. Invisible pressure compacted into volatile cores.

  Third second.

  Release.

  The explosion was not fire.

  It was a concussive burst of compressed wind, detonating downward in a violent jet.

  Stone fractured.

  Dust erupted.

  Haruna felt her soles tear open—

  —and heal instantly under Haruki's influence.

  But just as Haruto said, there was no pain at all.

  Haruto's damage never had time to even exist. His regeneration devoured it before nerves could scream.

  They launched.

  The tunnel blurred into streaks of stone and blue crystal. Wind roared in their ears. Their bodies tilted forward, weight reduced through conveyer levitation, riding the air currents they created.

  Turn.

  Charge.

  Detonate.

  Dash again.

  Each burst shook the cavern like thunder trapped underground.

  Haruto's pulse hammered with exhilaration.

  He was using theory.

  His theory.

  A magic system he once wrote for fiction now roared beneath his feet as reality.

  Confidence surged like a second heartbeat.

  Then he noticed something.

  Haruna was falling behind.

  At first, only half a stride.

  Then an entire dash interval.

  His eyes narrowed mid-sprint.

  He slowed slightly, as if realizing something important.

  The final tunnel opened vertically ahead.

  Haruto burst out first, landing in a controlled slide across stone.

  He turned just as—

  A second explosion of wind shot upward.

  Haruna lost her footing at the exit's lip and was flung forward.

  Haruto moved instantly.

  He caught her midair.

  Her body was lighter than expected. Momentum pressed her briefly against his chest before he stabilized them both.

  For a fraction of a second, neither spoke.

  Behind the mask, her face burned red.

  "Th-thank you… master…"

  Her voice barely formed the words.

  He set her down gently.

  Then his eyes flicked upward.

  "You alive up there?"

  Hana was practically melted over his head.

  "…shut up."

  Before he could respond—

  "THAT WAS AMAZING!" Haruki's voice rang out brightly.

  Haruto blinked.

  "What? Wasn't it fun?" she continued, delighted.

  "It must be," Hana muttered dryly. "When you're not clinging for survival."

  "Skill issue," Haruki shot back instantly.

  Haruto chuckled, scooping Hana into his arms.

  "You'll get used to it."

  Hana eyed him thoughtfully. "I wonder if I could do it too…"

  "You probably could," he admitted. "But we don't know the limits of your healing. If you miscalculate, you might explode yourself. So for now? Stay with me."

  She scoffed.

  "You think I'd give up premium seating? I have permanent dibs on your head."

  She relaxed against his chest.

  "Convenient vehicle."

  "Yeah? Wait till we get out of here—"

  "Could you two focus?" Haruki cut in, tone shifting.

  The air changed.

  Haruto felt it first.

  Pressure.

  Killing intent.

  He looked forward.

  The cavern ahead dwarfed the previous chamber. Vast. Hollow. The ceiling vanished into darkness. The ground stretched wide like a stone plain.

  His pupils flickered blue.

  There.

  Multiple signatures.

  Predatory.

  Watching.

  "Haruna."

  The single word was enough.

  Her cursed blade slid free with a metallic whisper.

  The darkness shifted.

  Pairs of blood-red eyes ignited one by one.

  Not blinking.

  Not retreating.

  Waiting.

  Haruto's lips curved into something sharper than a smile, clearly satisfied by the turn of events.

  ...