A cold night in the city of Sirus. Beneath the moonlight that illuminated the entire city.
In the noble district, grand and magnificent mansions stood tall. Jane was sitting in front of a mirror, gazing at her own body through its reflection. She wore a light white nightgown adorned with floral patterns.
"…That power."
As a student of the academy, Jane had never seen power like that before. The image of Arkan's power erupting from Merlin's body still lingered vividly in her mind.
It was an overwhelmingly deep power, as if her entire body had been forced to kneel before it.
After that moment, Jane searched for information about an entity named Arkan. Yet in no book was there any mention of such a terrifying being.
"What kind of creature was that, really…?" Jane muttered to herself as she recalled Arkan.
"…Just its presence alone made my body tremble."
Jane stared at her palms. As she remembered how her body had shaken before that being, she felt her hands slowly grow damp.
…
Merlin was alone inside his house, eating bread spread with peanut butter. Cheap food—he didn't care about the taste, as long as it could satisfy his hunger.
As Merlin devoured the bread in his hand, an eyeball appeared in his palm.
"Merlin, have you thought about what you're going to do with that woman?" Arkan asked, his voice echoing inside Merlin's head.
"…There's no need to think about it. She already promised not to reveal any information about the two of us."
"Humans really are weak. Just by my presence alone, her body was trembling like that," Arkan said arrogantly, recalling Jane's fear when she merely sensed his existence.
"…"
Merlin fell silent upon hearing Arkan's boastful remark.
After finishing his meal, Merlin cleaned the dining table. He rinsed his mouth with water from the bathroom sink.
He then walked toward his bedroom after lightly cleaning his body.
The bedroom wasn't very large, containing only a single bed in poor condition.
Since there were no other beds available, Merlin had no choice but to sleep on it until he earned enough money to buy a new one.
Near the bed, a window was slightly open, allowing the cold night wind to slip through the gap.
Merlin sat on the floor in the center of the room. He placed both palms on his knees, positioning himself into a calm state.
His eyes slowly closed.
Merlin's consciousness gradually sank into his subconscious.
Now, Merlin stood in a dark place—standing above calm water, his feet hovering over its surface.
When his eyes opened, the darkness was instantly pushed away. Before him lay an endless ocean. He showed no surprise at the sight of himself floating above it.
"Arkan…" Merlin casually called out.
In response to Merlin's call, the water beneath his feet rapidly turned black, spreading across the entire ocean of his subconscious.
The once-transparent sea became pitch black. From within it emerged a figure that resembled Merlin, except its eyes were completely black.
"…Hah." Arkan smiled, baring his sharp fangs at Merlin.
Suddenly, Arkan dashed toward Merlin, sharpening his right hand and thrusting it forward like a spear.
His hand moved with terrifying speed. Just before the attack could pierce Merlin's body, a magic circle appeared, shielding him.
"…" Arkan stopped, staring at his attack being blocked by a single magic circle.
"Can you stop attacking me every time I come in here?!" Merlin glared sharply at Arkan, who always assaulted him whenever he entered his subconscious.
"…Are you still unable to accept your first defeat?" Merlin taunted, referring to the time Arkan lost to him during their first battle in this very place.
That battle had been the moment when Merlin's fury first erupted—when the monster that had killed his comrades appeared within his subconscious.
"…" Arkan remained silent, clearly displeased. He twisted his body midair and launched a powerful kick.
"!"
Merlin caught the kick with his bare hand. The raw power Arkan released surged straight into Merlin's body.
Merlin felt his internal organs shatter from the direct impact. Yet instead of panicking, he remained calm and glanced at Arkan.
"Law of Reversal…"
"…Pain."
Arkan uttered those words.
In an instant, all the pain Merlin had received was reversed and transferred to Arkan. Arkan's body exploded immediately. Black blood sprayed everywhere, splattering across Merlin's body.
Merlin stared at Arkan's body, shattered into countless pieces.
"…Don't pretend to be dead."
Despite Arkan's body being destroyed, Merlin spoke as if he knew the truth.
Suddenly, Arkan reappeared before Merlin, his body completely restored.
Within the subconscious realm, neither Merlin nor Arkan could truly die, no matter how badly their bodies were destroyed. And only in this place could Merlin use any power without limitation.
Although Merlin had not yet accessed all laws, within his subconscious he could freely wield them without restriction.
Unlike Merlin, who could use any power he desired, Arkan's strength was not meant for combat. His true ability was to absorb the power of others.
As long as Arkan did not absorb his opponent's power, his strength remained inferior to Merlin's. That was why, in their previous battles, Arkan relied solely on physical strength while Merlin used countless forms of magic.
"What do you want to do here?" Arkan asked, seeing that Merlin—who rarely entered this place—had suddenly returned.
"There's something I want to try," Merlin replied.
Arkan crossed his arms. "What is it?" he asked, curious.
He knew that any experiment requiring Merlin to enter his subconscious was something impossible to perform in the real world.
Merlin raised his right hand and began using healing magic, carefully imitating the flow of mana he had observed from Jane's body. He tried to replicate the spell and inscribe it into a new magic circle.
It was an experiment Merlin had once attempted and failed—a result of a mage's selfish desire to master everything.
In the past, Merlin had tried to imitate the healing ability used by Sylvia. However, when he attempted it, there had been no effect at all. That was when Merlin realized that every person was bound by a limitation—the Trait that tied itself to one's soul.
After recognizing that limitation, Merlin abandoned all attempts to imitate abilities from different Traits.
Yet the belief he once thought absolute shattered instantly—especially after witnessing how Jane could wield healing magic while simultaneously releasing the pressure of a mage within the same body.
Merlin carefully replicated the spell.
It didn't take long. When Merlin's finger completed the magic circle, he whispered, "Activate…"
The magic circle responded instantly. The previously plain circle began to glow green.
The spell activated, directing healing energy toward Arkan's body.
"!!!"
Merlin's face froze in shock as what he had imagined truly happened.
"…No wonder the world felt strange ever since I was born," Merlin murmured, staring at the successfully activated healing magic circle.
"???" Arkan tilted his head, confused by Merlin's realization.
"The moment I could sense mana wasn't because my body still retained my Trait as a mage from my previous life."
"Seeing how Arkan lost his power, the same must apply to me."
"The reason I can sense mana even without possessing a mage's Trait is because the boundaries between Traits in this world have been erased."
Merlin's eyes widened.
"…Or more precisely, Traits no longer exist in this world."
"If that's the case, even a child could become an Aura user—or even a mage capable of casting high-tier spells!"
Traits were blessings of power bestowed by the Tower of God. Not everyone possessed one, which was why those with Traits were considered destined to climb the tower. But the disappearance of Traits meant something far greater—
Everyone could now ascend the Tower of God.