The Throne Room
Diana's POV
The painting swallowed them.
For a moment, Diana felt nothing—no ground beneath her feet, no air in her lungs, no sensation of movement or stillness.
Just void.
Then—
Reality reasserted itself.
They stood in a throne room.
But not like any throne room Diana had ever seen.
The palace of Kolar was grand—gilded and decorated, designed to inspire awe through opulence.
This place inspired awe through age.
The walls were black stone—not painted, not decorated, just smooth obsidian that seemed to swallow light. The ceiling soared overhead, lost in shadows that no torch could penetrate.
And the floor—
Diana's breath caught.
The floor was glass.
Perfectly clear, perfectly smooth glass.
And beneath it, visible in perfect detail—
Bones.
Thousands of them.
Skulls stared up with empty sockets. Rib cages formed archways beneath her feet. Entire skeletons lay preserved in the glass like insects in amber.
"The first disciples of the Master," Takeshi said quietly, noticing her gaze. "Those who failed their training. He preserves them as... reminders."
The Prince's face had gone pale.
"What kind of—"
"Quiet," Takeshi interrupted, his tone sharp. "We're in His presence now. Show respect."
At the far end of the throne room, elevated on a dais of more black stone—
A throne.
Simple. Austere. Just dark metal shaped into a seat, with no decoration, no cushions, no symbols of power.
And sitting upon it—
A man.
He appeared to be in his fifties, though something about him suggested age meant nothing to this being.
His hair was dark gray, cut short and practical. His face was lined but strong—sharp cheekbones, a jaw that spoke of iron will, eyes that burned with cold intelligence.
He wore robes of midnight blue, unadorned except for a single symbol over his heart—a circle bisected by a vertical line.
The symbol of Sector 51.
And the power radiating from him—
It made Dean Victor feel like a candle compared to the sun.
Takeshi Koga walked forward with measured steps, then dropped to one knee before the throne.
His head bowed low.
"Master Wilson. I have brought the children of light, as you commanded."
The man on the throne—Wilson—studied Diana and her brother with eyes that seemed to see through flesh and bone to something deeper.
"Rise, Takeshi. You have done well."
His voice was not loud. Not booming or dramatic.
Just... absolute.
The kind of voice that expected obedience as naturally as gravity expected things to fall.
Diana felt her brother tense beside her.
The Prince—brave, trained, a warrior in his own right—looked like he wanted to run.
Wilson's gaze settled on them fully.
"Children of House Koga. Children of Light. Welcome to my domain."
He gestured at the vast throne room.
"You stand in the heart of Sector 51. My territory. My responsibility. My kingdom."
The Prince found his voice.
"Forgive me, Great Wizard, but... how many sectors are there in Tera?"
Takeshi stiffened at the question—speaking without permission—but Wilson merely smiled.
"A fair question. There are one thousand, two hundred and forty-seven sectors currently recognized by the Wizard Council. Each ruled by a wizard of sufficient power and authority."
He leaned forward slightly.
"I control one of the fifty-one most powerful sectors. Hence the designation."
One thousand sectors.
Diana's mind reeled.
And he's in the top fifty-one.
This man controls a territory larger than most kingdoms.
And he's still not the strongest wizard alive.
Wilson rose from his throne.
He moved with the grace of a much younger man, descending the dais steps with slow, deliberate precision.
"But you're not here for a geography lesson," he said, walking toward them. "You're here because of what you are."
He stopped three meters away.
"Tell me, Diana of House Koga. What do you know of your family's true history?"
Diana swallowed. "We... we are descended from wizards. Our ancestor Takeshi—" she gestured at the man beside her, "—was a powerful wizard who founded our house three hundred years ago."
"True. But incomplete." Wilson's eyes gleamed. "What else?"
"Our bloodline carries magical potential. The ability to manifest Murakami, the blade of light."
"Also true. Also incomplete."
He began to circle them slowly, like a teacher examining students.
"Do you know why your family can manifest light? Why that particular element, that particular form?"
Diana hesitated. "I... no, Great Wizard. I don't."
Wilson looked at Takeshi.
"Tell them."
Takeshi stepped forward, his expression grave.
"Before the wizard system was created," he began, "before the Councils and the Sectors and the Schools—Tera was a different world."
He gestured at the glass floor, at the bones beneath.
"This planet was under siege. Attacked by forces from beyond—entities that fed on magic itself, that sought to drain our world dry and move to the next."
Diana's hand moved unconsciously to where Murakami would manifest.
"And there were defenders," Takeshi continued. "People born with a gift—the ability to channel pure light. Not fire light. Not elemental light. Pure light. The light of creation itself. The light that pushes back darkness."
His eyes met Diana's.
"They called themselves the Guardians of Dawn. And they fought for ten thousand years to protect this world."
"We are their descendants," Wilson said, taking over the narrative. "Those of us born with the light affinity. The bloodlines that can still channel what they channeled."
He gestured at Diana.
"Your sword—Murakami—is not just a magical weapon. It is a legacy. The crystallized will of those ancient defenders, passed down through generations."
Diana felt her pulse quicken.
"The Guardians of Dawn made a blood oath," Wilson continued. "To protect Tera. To stand against the darkness. To sacrifice everything—everything—if necessary."
His voice hardened.
"That oath binds their descendants. It binds you. Whether you accept it or not."
The Prince stepped forward, his jaw set.
"And what if we refuse? What if we don't want this... legacy?"
Takeshi's expression darkened.
"Then you betray every ancestor who died to keep you alive. You spit on the sacrifice of the Guardians who held back the darkness while the rest of Tera cowered in fear."
He walked to his descendant, stopping inches away.
"Many wizards don't like us, Prince. Do you know why?"
The Prince said nothing.
"Because we remind them of their shame. The wizard system—with all its power and glory—was built on the foundation of the Guardians' sacrifice. But when the Guardians were weakened, when they needed help, the early wizards turned their backs."
Takeshi's voice turned bitter.
"They let the Guardians die. Let the bloodlines scatter. Let the legacy fade. And when descendants like us appear—still carrying that ancient power—it reminds them of what they allowed to be destroyed."
Wilson placed a hand on Takeshi's shoulder.
"That's why I protect the children of light. Every descendant I can find, I bring under my protection. Keep them safe from those who would see these bloodlines erased completely."
He looked at Diana and the Prince.
"You are children of light. Whether you claim that title or not, it is what you are. And that makes you valuable. Dangerous. And hunted."
Diana's mind raced.
"The Wizard Council—"
"—would prefer you didn't exist," Wilson finished. "But they won't move against you openly. Not while you're under my protection."
He smiled, and it was not reassuring.
"Show respect to your ancestor Takeshi, who gave up his life to ensure your bloodline survived. Show respect to the Guardians who died protecting this world. And show respect to me—the only reason you're not already dead."
Silence fell across the throne room.
Diana looked at her brother.
The Prince looked back.
We have no choice.
We never did.
Together, they dropped to one knee before Wilson.
"Great Wizard Wilson," Diana said, her voice steady despite the fear. "Master of Sector 51. We are honored by your protection and guidance."
Wilson's smile widened.
"Good. Your training begins tomorrow."
He turned and walked back to his throne.
"Takeshi. Show them to their quarters. They'll need rest."
"Yes, Master."
As they were led from the throne room, Diana glanced back once.
Wilson sat on his throne of dark metal, surrounded by bones and shadows.
And in his eyes—those cold, intelligent eyes—Diana saw something that terrified her.
Hunger.
Not for food. Not for power.
Hunger for war.
The School of Runes
Ethan's POV –
Ten Days Later
Ethan sat in his dormitory room, watching the purple-tinted sunset through his window.
Ten days.
He'd been at the School of Runes for ten days.
And in that time, he'd learned more about this world than he had in all the weeks before.
The room was small but functional.
A bed. A desk. A wardrobe. A window that overlooked the Primordial Preserve.
And on his desk—
A single crystal.
Small. Smooth. Glowing with faint inner light.
A magic stone.
[ANALYZING OBJECT... DETECTING CONCENTRATED MAGICAL ENERGY. ESTIMATED POWER EQUIVALENT: SUFFICIENT TO RESTORE APPROXIMATELY 30% OF AVERAGE WIZARD'S TOTAL MAGICAL RESERVES.]
Currency.
Power source.
The foundation of wizard society.
He had learned about magic stones in his first week.
The School of Runes provided the basics for free:
A dormitory roomThree meals a day in the communal hallAccess to the basic libraryStandard equipment for creature studyEverything else cost magic stones.
Want access to the advanced library? Magic stones.
Want private tutoring from senior students? Magic stones.
Want better equipment, protective talismans, ingredients for experiments? Magic stones.
Everything had a price.
And for wizards, magic stones served a dual purpose.
They were currency, yes. But they were also power.
A wizard who exhausted their magical reserves could crush a magic stone and absorb its energy—instantly replenishing their strength.
In combat, magic stones could mean the difference between life and death.
[OBSERVATION: ECONOMIC SYSTEM DESIGNED TO CREATE COMPETITIVE HIERARCHY. THOSE WITH MORE MAGIC STONES GAIN ACCESS TO BETTER KNOWLEDGE, CREATING POSITIVE FEEDBACK LOOP. RICH GET RICHER.]
Just like Earth.
Some things are universal.
Students earned magic stones through:
Completing assignmentsAssisting instructors with researchCreature maintenance in the PreserveSelling discoveries or successful experimentsThe school even had a marketplace where students traded goods and services.
Ethan had earned his single stone by helping Instructor Gareth clean the Carrier Beast pens.
It had taken six hours of shoveling things he didn't want to think about.
One stone.
The advanced library charges ten stones for a week of access.
At this rate, it'll take me sixty hours of manual labor to afford knowledge.
There has to be a better way.
A knock at his door.
Ethan slipped the magic stone into his pocket and opened it.
Glan stood in the hallway, his hair disheveled, his clothes wrinkled, a stack of books under one arm.
"Library?" Glan asked, yawning.
Ethan smiled. "Library."
The Library
They had become unlikely friends.
Glan—the lazy genius from House Glan, forced into the trials by his warrior Duke father.
Ethan—the otherworldly infiltrator trying to steal a beacon from the most powerful wizard in the sector.
But somehow, it worked.
They had both survived the Wall of Giants. Both ended up in the School of Runes. And both spent nearly every free moment in the library.
For different reasons.
Glan loved knowledge for its own sake. He would read anything—creature biology, runic theory, ancient history, architectural principles. His mind absorbed information like a sponge, filing it away in perfect detail.
The problem was he also fell asleep constantly.
Every day, Ethan would find him in the library, surrounded by open books, snoring softly with his head on the table.
And Ethan?
Ethan had NEXUS.
The basic library was massive.
Three floors of shelves holding thousands of books, scrolls, and tablets covering fundamental rune magic theory.
For most students, it would take years to read even a fraction of the collection.
For Ethan, it took ten days.
He had developed a system.
Enter the library. Find a section NEXUS hadn't scanned yet. Sit down with a stack of books.
Pretend to read while NEXUS photographed every page through his enhanced vision.
[SCANNING TEXT... PROCESSING RUNIC SYMBOLS... ADDING TO DATABASE... PROGRESS: 87%...]
The AI could scan an entire book in minutes.
Understanding it took longer—runic language was complex, with symbols that changed meaning based on context, arrangement, and intent.
But NEXUS was learning.
Faster than any human student.
That's my only advantage here.
Intelligence gathering through technology they don't know exists.
"You're doing it again," Glan mumbled, not lifting his head from the book he was using as a pillow.
"Doing what?"
"That thing where you stare at pages without turning them for five minutes. You look like you're having a seizure."
Ethan turned the page quickly. "I'm just... thinking."
"Sure. Thinking." Glan yawned. "Or you have some weird memory technique. Either way, it's creepy."
"Noted."
Glan's snoring resumed within seconds.
[SCAN COMPLETE. BOOK #847: "FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF CREATURE MODIFICATION RUNES" ADDED TO DATABASE. TOTAL LIBRARY COVERAGE: 91.3%.]
Almost done.
Two more days and I'll have scanned every book in the basic library.
Then I need to figure out how to get into the advanced library.
That's where the real knowledge is.
And where information about Victor's research might be.
A familiar presence appeared beside their table.
Ethan looked up.
Roma stood there, her usual cheerful expression in place, but something in her eyes was... tense.
"Ethan. A word. In private."
Glan didn't even stir.
Ethan stood, following Roma to a quiet corner of the library behind the historical texts section.
She cast a quick glance around, then raised her hand.
Runes appeared in the air around them—a privacy barrier, blocking sound from escaping.
Whatever she wants to say, it's serious.
"Ethan," Roma said quietly. "I need you to be very careful in the coming weeks."
"Careful about what?"
Her expression grew grim.
"War is coming. Don't tell anyone I told you this."
Ethan's pulse quickened. "War? Between who?"
"The three schools. The headmasters." She glanced around again, as if Dean Victor himself might be listening. "You remember the ship battle? When those wizards attacked?"
"Hard to forget."
"They were fighting over the artifact. The thing from another planet that crashed in the northern wilderness."
The beacon.
She means the beacon.
Ethan forced his expression to remain neutral. "What about it?"
Roma leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"All three headmasters want to become Level 4 wizards. It's the ultimate achievement—power beyond mortal comprehension. But the breakthrough from Level 3 to Level 4 is nearly impossible."
"How do they do it?"
Roma's eyes were deadly serious.
"They have to conquer a planet. Travel to another world, reach its core, and claim it. Absorb its fundamental energy and bind it to themselves."
Ethan felt cold.
Conquer a planet.
That's what the beacon is to them.
Not a research curiosity.
Not a tool.
A gateway to planetary conquest.
And if they activate it—if they figure out how to use it—
They'll open a wormhole directly to Earth.
And Earth is already dying.
Already weakened.
Perfect target for conquest.
"Where is it?" Ethan asked, trying to keep his voice steady. "The artifact?"
Roma met his gaze.
"Headmaster Victor keeps it with him. Always. He doesn't trust anyone else with it—not the other headmasters, not the Wizard Council, not even his most loyal students."
She paused.
"He's studying it. Trying to understand how it works. And when he does..."
She didn't finish.
She didn't need to.
Ethan felt the cold spread from his chest to his limbs.
Victor has the beacon with him.
Not in some vault I could break into.
Not in some laboratory I could sabotage.
With. Him.
A Level 3 wizard who's lived for over four hundred years.
Who can rewrite reality with runes.
Who created an entire dimension full of impossible creatures.
How am I supposed to steal something from him?
"Why are you telling me this?" Ethan asked.
Roma's expression softened slightly.
"Because you're different from the other students. You think strategically. You survived things that should have ended you. And..." She hesitated. "I like you. You remind me of myself when I was younger. Determined. Resourceful. Desperate."
She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"So I'm warning you—when the headmasters move, when the war between schools begins, stay out of it. Keep your head down. Survive."
She released his shoulder and began to walk away.
"Roma," Ethan called. "Thank you."
She looked back, her cheerful mask sliding back into place.
"Just don't die, little kitten. I'd feel terrible .
Roma was gone before he could correct her.
Ethan stood alone in the corner, Roma's privacy barrier dissipating around him.
His hands were shaking.
Victor has the beacon.
He's studying it.
When he figures it out, he'll use it to conquer Earth.
And I have no way to stop him.
[HOST EMOTIONAL STATE: ELEVATED STRESS. HEART RATE: 142 BPM. CORTISOL LEVELS RISING. RECOMMEND BREATHING EXERCISES AND STRATEGIC PLANNING.]
Strategic planning.
Right.
How do I strategically plan to steal from a wizard who can rewrite the laws of reality?
[INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR VIABLE STRATEGY. RECOMMEND: GATHER MORE INTELLIGENCE. INCREASE MAGICAL CAPABILITY. ESTABLISH ALLIES. FIND VICTOR'S WEAKNESSES.]
He's four hundred years old.
He has no weaknesses.
[INCORRECT ASSUMPTION. ALL BEINGS HAVE WEAKNESSES. RECOMMEND CONTINUED OBSERVATION AND DATA COLLECTION.]
Ethan walked back to the table where Glan still slept.
Gently shook his shoulder.
"Library's closing soon. Time to go."
Glan groaned, lifting his head. A book page was stuck to his cheek.
"Already? Feels like I just sat down."
"You've been asleep for three hours."
"Oh. Productive day, then."
Despite everything, Ethan almost smiled.
At least I have one friend here who isn't planning to conquer worlds.
They gathered their books and headed toward the exit.
Outside, the purple suns were setting, casting long shadows across the Academy grounds.
In the distance, the central tower rose into the clouds.
Victor's tower.
Where, somewhere within, a Level 3 wizard studied a beacon that could doom billions.
Ethan's hand went to the necklace under his shirt.
I need to get stronger.
I need to learn rune magic.
And I need to find a way into that tower.
Before it's too late.
The first stars were appearing in the alien sky.
Somewhere, thirteen months and three weeks away, Maya lay in a hospital bed.
Waiting.
Ethan looked up at the tower.
I'm still fighting, Maya.
I haven't given up.
I won't.
No matter what it took.