The first hour of Titania's promotion quest was peaceful.
That made her suspicious.
The carriage rolled steadily along the northern road, its wheels striking the pale stone in a slow, rhythmic pattern. Rize's radiant towers had disappeared behind the distant hills, replaced by silver-green forests, winding streams, and open fields washed in afternoon light.
Professor Tolan Meris sat near the front with several members of his archaeological team, lecturing them about excavation procedure.
Venus occupied the opposite bench, legs crossed as she read through the mission documents for the third time.
Sin was asleep.
His head rested against Titania's shoulder, white hair brushing her cheek every time the carriage hit a bump. His arms were folded loosely beneath his cloak, and his fox ears twitched whenever someone spoke too loudly.
Titania stared at him.
Then at Venus.
Venus turned a page.
Titania lowered her voice.
[He's drooling.]
Sin's eyes remained closed.
[No, I'm not.]
Titania looked down.
A small damp spot marked the shoulder of her new mantle.
Her expression became empty.
[You are.]
[Condensation.]
[From what?]
[Weather.]
[Your mouth has weather?]
[Unique ecosystem.]
Titania shoved his head away.
Sin tilted sideways, nearly fell from the bench, corrected himself without opening his eyes, and settled against the carriage wall.
Venus continued reading.
[Save your energy.]
Titania rubbed her shoulder with a cloth.
[For the ruins?]
[For tolerating him.]
Sin raised one finger.
[Hostile workplace.]
[You own the workplace,] Titania said.
[That makes it worse.]
Professor Tolan looked back from the front of the carriage.
[Will your support adventurer remain asleep for the entire journey?]
Sin answered without moving.
[Probably.]
The elderly scholar frowned.
[We are entering territory with confirmed monster activity.]
[Wake me if something dangerous happens.]
Titania stared at him.
[How will you know it's dangerous if you're asleep?]
One fox ear turned toward the forest.
[It'll be loud.]
As if Xadia itself had taken that statement as a challenge, something crashed through the trees beside the road.
The carriage horses screamed.
Professor Tolan grabbed the reins.
The scholars shouted as the carriage swerved violently.
Titania's hand snapped around the Gemini Staff.
Sin remained asleep.
A large creature emerged from the foliage.
It was shaped like a wolf, but its body stood nearly as tall as the carriage. Pale bone plates covered its head and shoulders, while thorn-like branches twisted from its spine. Green light glowed inside its empty eye sockets.
Two more shapes moved between the trees behind it.
Titania's assessment crystal flashed.
Monster Identified: Briarbone Wolf
Estimated Threat: E-Rank
Pack Detected
Professor Tolan's face paled.
[Adventurers!]
Titania rose.
Sin opened one eye.
Then he looked toward Venus.
Venus looked back at him.
Neither moved.
Titania turned slowly.
[You're going to help, correct?]
Venus returned to her report.
[This is your assessment.]
Titania looked at Sin.
He closed his eye again.
[Good luck.]
The lead Briarbone Wolf charged.
Titania jumped from the carriage.
She landed in the road, boots sliding against the pale stone as she brought the Gemini Staff forward.
[Water Barrier!]
A circular wall of water formed in front of her.
The creature slammed into it.
The barrier bent inward.
Titania gritted her teeth and twisted her staff.
The water spun violently, redirecting the wolf's momentum and throwing it into the roadside ditch.
The other two monsters emerged from the forest.
Titania glanced back.
The scholars had begun pulling equipment from the carriage in a panic. One man tried to hide behind a crate far too small to conceal him.
Professor Tolan held the horses steady.
Venus remained seated.
Sin adjusted his sleeping position.
Titania's eyebrow twitched.
[You could at least pretend to care!]
Sin lifted one hand.
[You're doing great.]
[You aren't looking!]
[I can hear greatness.]
A Briarbone Wolf leaped.
Titania raised her staff.
[Stonehide!]
Brown mana spread across her forearms, forming thin plates of earth just before the monster's claws struck.
The impact forced her back.
Pain traveled through her arms, but the protective spell held.
Titania released one hand from her staff and drove her palm forward.
[Crest Water Shot!]
The condensed blast struck the wolf beneath its jaw.
Its head snapped back.
Titania spun and brought the metal end of the Gemini Staff across its face.
The creature rolled into the dirt.
A second wolf attacked from her blind side.
Venus's voice came from the carriage.
[Behind you.]
Titania ducked.
Claws passed over her head.
She thrust her staff upward.
[Earth Spike!]
The road cracked.
A pillar of stone erupted beneath the creature and launched it into the air.
Titania followed with another water blast, sending the monster crashing into a tree.
Sin opened one eye.
[Good combination.]
Titania looked toward him.
[You could have warned me sooner!]
[Venus did.]
[You're both evaluating me!]
Venus wrote something on the assessment report.
[Candidate becomes distracted during battle.]
Titania's face fell.
[That was unfair.]
[Enemies are unfair.]
Titania turned as the first Briarbone Wolf climbed from the ditch.
The branches along its spine began glowing.
Roots burst from the ground beneath her boots.
Titania jumped aside, but one vine wrapped around her ankle and pulled.
She hit the road.
The wolf charged.
Titania struck the ground with her palm.
[Illusion Veil!]
Her body split into five identical images.
The wolf attacked the nearest one.
Its claws passed through empty light.
The real Titania appeared behind it, staff raised.
[Hydro Pulse!]
Water exploded from beneath the creature.
It was thrown upward.
Titania twisted her staff and formed three magic circles around it.
[Crest Water Shot!]
All three attacks struck at once.
The Briarbone Wolf crashed into the road and did not rise.
The remaining two hesitated.
Titania stood, breathing heavily.
She lifted the Gemini Staff.
[Leave.]
The wolves growled.
Titania narrowed her eyes.
Water gathered around her in floating spheres.
The monsters turned and disappeared into the forest.
Silence returned to the road.
Titania lowered her staff.
Her assessment crystal warmed.
Combat Encounter Completed
Threats Defeated: 1
Threats Repelled: 2
Damage Sustained: Minor
Evaluation Continuing
Titania returned to the carriage.
Professor Tolan looked impressed.
[Excellent work.]
She tried to appear composed while climbing aboard.
[Thank you.]
The moment she sat down, Sin placed his head back on her shoulder.
Titania shoved him away again.
[No.]
[The wall is uncomfortable.]
[Good.]
Venus made another note.
Titania leaned forward.
[What did you write?]
Venus covered the page.
[Evaluation material.]
[Was it good?]
[That would affect your behavior.]
Titania frowned.
[You could simply say I did well.]
Venus looked at her.
[You did well.]
Titania brightened slightly.
[But your defensive reactions remain predictable, you lose awareness when irritated, and you issued a warning to monsters that had already attempted to kill you.]
Titania's expression flattened.
[There it is.]
Sin opened one eye.
[She learned criticism from professionals.]
Venus tapped her pen against his forehead.
[And you are supposed to remain alert.]
[I am.]
[Your eyes are closed.]
[That prevents distractions.]
Titania looked out through the carriage opening.
The Briarbone Wolves were gone, but something about the forest felt wrong.
Too still.
She remembered the dark shape that had followed them beyond Rize's gate.
[Do those monsters normally hunt near the road?]
Professor Tolan adjusted his spectacles.
[Not in daylight. They prefer the deeper woods.]
Venus's eyes shifted toward the trees.
Sin's ears moved slightly.
Titania noticed.
Neither of them spoke.
That silence worried her more than any answer.
The expedition reached the Moonveil Ruins shortly before sunset.
The forest opened into a vast valley surrounded by curved stone ridges. Silver grass covered the slopes, moving beneath the wind like water under moonlight.
At the center of the valley stood the ruins.
Titania leaned from the carriage.
Her breath caught.
Ancient towers rose from the earth, many broken or tilted at impossible angles. Pale stone bridges stretched between them, suspended over deep chasms despite having lost entire sections.
Enormous rings of white rock floated above the valley.
They turned slowly in the air, covered in glowing symbols that pulsed like sleeping stars.
At the heart of the ruins stood a half-collapsed temple built around a black crystal spire. Moonlight seemed trapped inside the crystal despite the sun still hanging above the horizon.
The sight felt ancient.
Not old.
Ancient.
As though the valley had existed before Xadia learned how to count years.
Professor Tolan descended from the carriage with renewed energy.
[Magnificent.]
One of the younger scholars looked nervous.
[Professor, the floating structures weren't mentioned in the previous survey.]
[They were inactive during the last expedition.]
Titania looked at Sin.
[Is that bad?]
Sin stepped from the carriage and stretched.
[Usually.]
Venus checked the Helios Fusion Blade at her side but did not draw it.
Professor Tolan began directing his team.
[Establish the camp near the western pillar. Do not touch any inscription before it is recorded. Keep all mana crystals sealed until we understand the ruin's reaction.]
Titania approached him.
[Where were the missing surveyors last seen?]
The professor pointed toward the central temple.
[A team of four entered the lower archive three days ago. Their communication crystal stopped responding shortly afterward.]
[Did anyone search for them?]
[A rescue party reached the temple entrance but encountered aggressive constructs. They withdrew and requested guild assistance.]
Titania looked toward the temple.
A long stone stairway led into its shadowed entrance.
[How strong were the constructs?]
[Estimated D-Rank individually.]
Titania tightened her grip on the staff.
This was the true assessment.
The wolves had only been a warm-up.
Venus approached and handed Titania a small map.
[You will lead.]
Titania looked up.
[Lead everyone?]
[The investigation team.]
Professor Tolan blinked.
[She is an E-Rank adventurer.]
[Candidate for D-Rank,] Venus corrected.
The professor looked toward Sin.
Sin had found a flat stone and was testing whether it could serve as a pillow.
Professor Tolan's confidence visibly declined.
Titania inhaled slowly.
[I'll lead.]
Venus's eyes remained on her.
[Your priorities?]
Titania looked at the ruin.
[Locate the missing scholars. Identify the cause of the construct aggression. Avoid unnecessary combat and prevent the expedition team from being separated.]
Venus nodded once.
Sin lay down on the stone.
[And snacks.]
Titania ignored him.
[Professor, choose two members who understand the temple's layout. The others should establish camp and remain outside.]
Tolan studied her for a moment.
Then nodded.
[Arlen and Mira will accompany us.]
Two scholars stepped forward.
Arlen was a thin young man carrying a leather-bound journal and several small magical tools. Mira was an elf woman with short gold hair and a satchel filled with appraisal crystals.
Both looked uneasy.
Titania turned toward Sin and Venus.
[You're coming.]
Sin closed his eyes.
[Physically.]
Venus folded the evaluation report and placed it inside her cloak.
[We will intervene only if the threat exceeds the assessment parameters.]
Titania stared at them.
[Meaning?]
[Anything up to D-Rank is yours,] Venus said.
Titania looked at Sin.
[And you agree with this?]
[Yes.]
[You threw a C-Rank monster through a warehouse wall.]
[That was different.]
[How?]
[The warehouse had insurance.]
Titania closed her eyes.
Mira whispered to Arlen.
[Is he truly an A-Rank?]
Arlen looked at Sin, who was currently trying to fit a smooth stone inside his pocket.
[I think the plate might be stolen.]
Sin looked over.
[I heard that.]
Arlen paled.
Sin held up the stone.
[Do either of you know what this is?]
Professor Tolan glanced at it.
[A piece of masonry.]
Sin put it inside his pocket.
[Mine now.]
Titania marched toward the temple.
[We're leaving before he steals the ruins.]
The interior of the Moonveil Temple was cold.
Not winter cold.
The kind of cold that lived inside abandoned places where sunlight had not entered for centuries.
Blue-white crystals glowed within the walls, illuminating a corridor lined with statues. Each depicted a robed figure holding a sphere above its head.
Most of the statues had no faces.
Their stone had been carved smooth where features should have been.
Titania walked at the front with the Gemini Staff glowing in her hands.
Mira and Arlen remained behind her.
Venus followed several steps farther back.
Sin walked last, yawning quietly.
Titania examined the floor.
Dust covered most of it, but several trails cut through the gray layer.
Boot prints.
Dragged marks.
And narrow scratches.
[The missing surveyors came this way.]
Mira crouched.
[Four sets of footprints.]
Arlen pointed toward the grooves.
[What made those?]
Titania studied them.
[Constructs, perhaps.]
Venus said nothing.
Titania looked back.
[You know something.]
Venus's expression remained neutral.
[I'm evaluating.]
[That answer is becoming annoying.]
[Good. Pressure reveals habits.]
Sin leaned toward Venus.
[That sounded wise.]
[I learned by avoiding your example.]
They continued.
The corridor opened into a circular chamber.
Seven doors surrounded the room.
Each bore a different magical symbol.
Water.
Flame.
Stone.
Wind.
Light.
Shadow.
And one Titania did not recognize.
A black circle split by a silver line.
At the center of the room stood a stone pedestal with seven empty grooves.
Arlen opened his journal.
[This is the Astral Junction. The original excavation notes said the central mechanism controls access to the archive.]
Mira approached the pedestal.
[The grooves correspond to elemental mana.]
Titania examined the symbols.
[Six common affinities and one unknown.]
Sin looked toward the black symbol.
His expression sharpened for only a second.
Titania caught it.
[You recognize that one.]
[Maybe.]
[What is it?]
[Complicated.]
[That isn't an answer.]
[It's the correct answer.]
Venus looked at Sin.
A silent exchange passed between them.
Titania disliked it immediately.
[You both know.]
Venus spoke calmly.
[Complete the puzzle.]
Titania glared.
Then turned toward the pedestal.
She placed one hand over the first groove.
[It probably requires mana from each element.]
Mira frowned.
[Our previous team tried using elemental crystals. The mechanism rejected them.]
[Maybe it requires living mana.]
Titania channeled water magic into the first groove.
Blue light filled it.
The water symbol on the matching door glowed.
Arlen's eyes widened.
[You're correct.]
Titania moved to the stone groove.
She used Stonehide's earth mana.
Brown light filled the second channel.
For light, she cast a simple illumination spell.
For shadow, she called darkness around her fingertips.
Mira watched with growing disbelief.
[How many affinities do you possess?]
Titania did not look away from the pedestal.
[Enough.]
She filled the wind groove with a spell copied from one of her former tutors.
Then came fire.
Titania hesitated.
[I haven't learned fire magic.]
Sin leaned against the wall.
[Problem-solving.]
Titania looked toward the expedition supplies.
Mira carried flame crystals, but the pedestal rejected stored mana.
Arlen held a lantern.
Titania studied the small enchanted flame inside it.
God's Wisdom stirred.
She could see the spell pattern.
It was simple.
A basic ignition formula.
The same kind of magic young nobles learned for lighting candles.
Titania reached toward it.
Understanding flowed into her mind.
A small orange spark appeared above her finger.
She smiled.
[Ember.]
She placed it against the sixth groove.
Firelight entered the pedestal.
Only the unknown element remained.
The black circle glowed faintly.
Titania looked at Sin.
[Complicated magic.]
Sin shook his head.
[Not mine to teach.]
[Can Venus use it?]
[No,] Venus answered.
Mira searched her satchel.
[Perhaps the missing surveyors activated it somehow.]
Titania examined the final groove.
Unlike the others, it did not appear designed to receive mana.
Its surface was smooth.
Reflective.
She saw her own eye inside it.
[Maybe it doesn't need an element.]
Arlen looked at the symbol.
[Then what does it represent?]
Titania remembered the faceless statues.
The spheres held above their heads.
Seven doors.
Six forms of magic.
And one split circle.
[Choice.]
Everyone looked at her.
Titania placed her palm against the final groove without channeling mana.
Nothing happened.
She closed her eyes.
Instead of casting, she withdrew her mana completely.
The pedestal trembled.
The final groove turned silver.
All seven doors opened at once.
A deep mechanical sound rolled through the ruins.
Arlen stared.
[How did you know?]
Titania looked at the split circle.
[Every other symbol represented what the user could give.]
She touched the silver line.
[This one represented what they were willing to leave behind.]
Sin's faint smile appeared.
Venus removed the assessment report and wrote something.
Titania immediately looked at her.
[Was that good?]
Venus covered the page again.
[Continue.]
Titania sighed.
A scream echoed from beyond the shadow door.
Mira's face paled.
[That came from the archive.]
Titania ran.
The shadow corridor descended beneath the temple.
The walls narrowed as they moved, forcing the group into a single line. Dark mist curled along the floor.
Titania followed the sound until they reached an enormous underground archive.
Stone shelves rose in concentric circles around a central platform. Thousands of black tablets filled them, each covered in silver writing.
Several shelves had collapsed.
Broken constructs lay across the floor.
At the far end of the chamber, three missing scholars were trapped behind a magical barrier.
Titania counted.
Three.
The original team had four members.
[Professor Meris!] one of the trapped scholars shouted.
Tolan had remained outside, but Arlen rushed forward.
[Where is Darius?]
The oldest survivor pointed toward the central platform.
A fourth man lay unconscious there.
Something stood above him.
It was a humanoid construct made from pale stone and black metal. Six arms extended from its torso, each holding a different broken weapon.
A silver mask covered its face.
Behind it floated a rotating ring of magical symbols.
Titania's assessment crystal flashed.
Guardian Construct Identified
Designation: Moonveil Archivist
Estimated Threat: D-Rank
Warning: Adaptive magical defense detected
The Archivist turned.
Its silver mask split open.
A blue light ignited inside.
Titania raised her staff.
[Venus.]
The Vice Captain stood near the entrance.
[Yes?]
[You're not helping.]
[Correct.]
Titania looked at Sin.
He sat on a fallen shelf.
[You either.]
[Correct.]
[You both answered far too happily.]
The Archivist moved.
Two of its arms struck the ground.
A circle of earth magic appeared beneath Titania.
She jumped aside before stone spikes erupted upward.
The other arms formed fire and wind spells simultaneously.
Titania raised a water barrier.
Fire exploded against it.
Wind cut through the weakened shield.
A thin blade of air sliced Titania's cheek.
She staggered.
The construct rushed forward.
Titania blocked a sword with the Gemini Staff.
Another arm swung a stone hammer.
She ducked.
A third hand released a shadow bolt.
Titania cast Stonehide over her shoulder.
The attack struck and threw her into a bookshelf.
Black tablets rained around her.
[Titania!] Mira shouted.
[Stay back!]
Titania pushed herself upright.
The Archivist's rotating ring changed symbols.
Water mana surrounded it.
Titania fired a Crest Water Shot.
The construct raised one hand.
Her attack curved away and crashed into the wall.
[Adaptive defense,] she muttered.
It had already adjusted to water.
Titania switched elements.
[Earth Spike!]
Stone erupted beneath the guardian.
The Archivist jumped, spun in the air, and released a flame wave.
Titania summoned water again, but the spell divided around her barrier and struck from both sides.
She cried out as heat scorched her arms.
Venus watched without moving.
Her fingers rested near her sword.
Sin remained seated, but his eyes were open now.
Fully open.
Titania noticed neither.
She focused on the construct.
Its magic changed every few seconds.
It copied.
Adjusted.
Countered.
Just like her.
Titania's eyes narrowed.
[You learn from magic.]
The silver mask turned toward her.
Titania smiled faintly.
[So do I.]
The Archivist raised all six arms.
Six magic circles appeared.
Titania activated God's Wisdom.
The world slowed.
She watched mana travel through the guardian's body.
Fire.
Water.
Earth.
Wind.
Light.
Shadow.
Each spell flowed from the rotating ring behind it, but not at the same time.
The ring changed alignment before every cast.
It was not truly using six elements simultaneously.
It was switching between them at incredible speed.
Titania saw the weakness.
The instant between changes.
A fraction of a second where the guardian possessed no elemental protection.
The six spells fired.
Titania created three illusions.
Two were destroyed immediately.
The real Titania sprinted beneath the converging attacks.
Wind cut her mantle.
Fire scorched the floor behind her.
Stone spikes erupted beneath her feet.
She jumped onto one, used it as a platform, and launched herself toward the construct.
The Archivist switched to light magic.
Titania swung the Gemini Staff.
The guardian blocked.
Its ring rotated toward shadow.
Between alignments, the protective mana vanished.
Titania slammed her palm against its chest.
[Hydro Pulse!]
The water shockwave erupted directly inside the gaps between its armor.
The construct flew backward.
Its rotating ring cracked.
Titania landed badly, rolled, and came to one knee.
The Archivist rose.
Its movements became unstable.
Three arms hung uselessly.
But it was not defeated.
The guardian opened its mask wider.
Energy gathered within its head.
The entire archive trembled.
Mira examined her appraisal crystal.
[Its threat level is rising!]
Titania's assessment crystal flashed violently.
Warning
Guardian core overload detected
Threat estimation increased: C-Rank
Evacuate immediately
The trapped scholars screamed.
The magical barrier around them flickered.
Titania looked toward Darius, still unconscious on the central platform.
If the guardian detonated, he would die.
The other scholars might die too.
She turned toward Venus.
The Vice Captain's hand moved toward her sword.
Titania lifted one hand.
[Wait.]
Venus stopped.
Sin's eyes narrowed.
Titania ran toward Darius.
The Archivist fired.
A beam of white-black energy tore across the archive.
Titania formed Stonehide and threw herself over the unconscious scholar.
The attack struck.
Her stone armor shattered.
Pain ripped through her back.
She screamed but did not move.
The assessment crystal cracked against her chest.
The construct began charging again.
Titania tried to stand.
Her legs shook.
She could not cast fast enough.
Venus stepped forward.
Sin raised one hand.
[Stay.]
Venus looked at him.
[She has reached the limit.]
[No.]
Sin's voice was no longer lazy.
He looked toward Titania.
[She made the right choice.]
The Archivist's core reached critical brightness.
Sin stood.
He did not touch Nova Insanity.
The sword remained wrapped across his back.
He walked toward the guardian.
No hurry.
No fear.
The Archivist fired.
Sin lifted one finger.
The beam stopped.
Not blocked.
Stopped.
A torrent of destructive magic hung in the air inches from his hand, frozen into a twisting column of white and black light.
Titania stared from the floor.
Sin had not spoken.
No spell name.
No incantation.
No magic circle.
Nothing.
He tilted his finger.
The beam bent upward and tore through the ceiling, disappearing into the darkness above.
The Archivist rotated its ring.
Fire magic erupted.
Sin waved his hand.
The flames vanished.
Water spears formed around the construct.
Sin blinked.
They froze in place, reversed direction, and embedded themselves into the floor around their caster.
Stone pillars rose.
Sin tapped his foot.
Every pillar collapsed into dust.
Wind blades filled the chamber.
He exhaled.
The wind died.
Titania forgot the pain in her back.
She could see the magic.
Or she should have been able to.
God's Wisdom showed her every spell she witnessed.
Structures.
Mana pathways.
Formulas.
But Sin's magic contained none.
There was no transition between intention and effect.
The world simply obeyed him.
The Archivist opened all six palms.
Six elemental circles appeared again.
Sin scratched the back of his head.
[You're loud.]
He closed his hand.
Every magic circle shattered.
The guardian froze.
Its rotating ring stopped.
Then cracked into seven pieces.
Sin extended two fingers toward its chest.
A small blue-white light appeared between them.
Titania's eyes widened.
Ice Magic.
But not the Ice Magic she knew.
This cold did not spread through air or moisture.
It appeared directly inside the guardian.
Frost burst from the seams of its armor.
The construct's internal core froze solid.
Its body became motionless.
Sin lowered his hand.
The Archivist collapsed into pieces.
Silence filled the archive.
Titania stared at him.
Mira's appraisal crystal had gone dark.
Arlen's mouth hung open.
The rescued scholars stopped screaming.
Venus stood near the entrance with her arms folded, unsurprised.
Sin looked toward Titania.
[You alive?]
Titania remained over Darius.
[What…]
Her voice failed.
Sin approached.
[That sounded like a yes.]
[What did you do?]
[Stopped it.]
[I saw that.]
Sin crouched beside her and checked the unconscious scholar.
[He's breathing.]
Titania grabbed his sleeve.
[You didn't chant.]
Sin looked at her hand.
[No.]
[There were no magic circles.]
[Also no.]
[You used six counters without an incantation.]
Sin tilted his head.
[Was I supposed to sing first?]
Titania stared at him in disbelief.
[Magic requires structure.]
[Usually.]
[Spells require formulas.]
[Usually.]
[You cannot simply decide something happens!]
Sin looked toward the frozen guardian pieces.
[Apparently, I can.]
Titania activated God's Wisdom again.
She looked directly at him.
Nothing appeared.
No message.
No compatibility notice.
No magical reconstruction.
Her Unique Skill found nothing it could understand.
For the first time since awakening God's Wisdom, Titania encountered magic that did not resemble knowledge.
It resembled authority.
Her hand slowly released his sleeve.
[What kind of magic was that?]
Sin's expression became unreadable.
[Mine.]
Titania frowned.
[That is not an element.]
[Neither is complicated.]
[Stop using that word!]
Sin reached toward her.
Titania tensed.
He tapped her forehead.
A small glow spread across her body.
Warmth sank into her injuries.
The burns across her arms faded.
The pain in her back disappeared.
Her shattered Stonehide fragments fell away.
Titania stared.
[Healing Magic too?]
Sin stood.
[Basic.]
Venus approached.
[That was not basic.]
Sin glanced at her.
[She doesn't need details.]
Titania rose slowly.
[I am standing right here.]
Venus checked the injuries herself.
[No permanent damage.]
Titania looked at Sin.
[Could you have defeated that construct from the beginning?]
[Yes.]
[Without your sword?]
[Yes.]
[Then why did you let it hit me?]
[It was D-Rank.]
[It became C-Rank.]
[Then I intervened.]
Titania opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
That was exactly what they had promised.
Anything within the assessment parameters belonged to her.
The moment the threat surpassed them, Sin acted.
Not a second too early.
Not a second too late.
Titania looked toward the unconscious scholar she had protected.
[Did I fail?]
Venus removed the assessment report.
Titania's stomach tightened.
Venus looked over the recorded data.
[Why do you think you failed?]
[I couldn't defeat it.]
[You defeated its D-Rank combat state.]
[It overloaded.]
[An unrecorded secondary state.]
Titania lowered her gaze.
[I still needed help.]
Venus stepped closer.
[The purpose of an adventurer is not to prove they can defeat everything alone.]
Titania looked up.
[You identified the guardian's weakness, disabled its adaptive defenses, protected the missing scholar, and prevented us from intervening before it became necessary.]
Venus tapped the cracked assessment crystal.
[You prioritized a life over your pride.]
Sin placed both hands in his pockets.
[That's rare.]
Titania looked toward him.
[Would you have intervened if I hadn't asked Venus to wait?]
Sin considered the question.
[Eventually.]
Venus gave him a cold look.
[Earlier than he claims.]
Sin looked away.
Titania almost smiled.
Almost.
Then she remembered what she had witnessed.
[Teach me incantationless magic.]
Sin immediately answered.
[No.]
Her eyebrow twitched.
[Why not?]
[Because you can't learn mine.]
[God's Wisdom can learn any magic equal to or weaker than me.]
[Exactly.]
Titania went quiet.
The implication settled between them.
Sin's magic was too far beyond her.
Not simply stronger.
Outside the range of her Unique Skill's understanding.
She looked at the frozen core of the Archivist.
[How long did it take you to reach that level?]
Sin's eyes moved toward the darkness above.
[A while.]
The answer was too empty.
Titania remembered Lucien's words.
Seven A-Rank exterminations alone.
The Tyrant of Blackmere Marsh.
The Western Rift.
The Ruins of Moros.
Forty-eight recommendations for SS-Rank.
Perhaps none of those stories truly explained him.
Perhaps the careless boy who stole breakfast and lost arguments with chairs was only the surface.
And beneath it lived someone who could stop destructive magic with one finger.
Arlen approached carefully.
[Adventurer Sin.]
Sin looked at him.
The scholar swallowed.
[Your magic…]
[Complicated.]
Titania pointed at him.
[Do not start.]
The trapped scholars were freed after Titania disabled the barrier mechanism.
Darius regained consciousness several minutes later, confused but alive. The missing team explained that the Archivist had awakened when they removed a black tablet from the central platform.
Mira recovered the artifact.
The silver symbols across its surface resembled the unknown mark from the Astral Junction.
The split black circle.
Sin refused to touch it.
Venus noticed.
Titania noticed Venus noticing.
Neither explained.
That irritated Titania immensely.
The expedition returned to the surface after nightfall.
Moonlight filled the valley.
The enormous floating rings above the ruins glowed brighter now, turning slowly beneath the stars. Their light washed over the broken towers and silver grass, making the entire valley resemble a fragment of another world.
Professor Tolan embraced the recovered scholars one by one.
Then he approached Titania.
[You saved them.]
Titania looked toward Darius, who rested beside the campfire under a healer's care.
[We all did.]
Professor Tolan glanced toward Sin.
Sin was attempting to roast three pieces of meat on one stick.
One fell into the fire.
He stared at it.
Venus watched with quiet disappointment.
The professor looked back at Titania.
[Perhaps.]
Titania smiled faintly.
Her assessment crystal flickered.
A pale screen appeared.
Mission Objectives Completed
Survey Team Escorted
Missing Personnel Recovered: 4/4
Unexpected Threat Neutralized
Civilian Casualties: 0
Promotion Evaluation Complete
Titania's breath caught.
Venus stood beside her.
The Vice Captain held the silver evaluator badge over the damaged crystal.
A column of blue light surrounded Titania's guild plate.
Its engraved letter shifted.
E
The metal shimmered.
Then the symbol became:
D
Titania stared.
Promotion Confirmed
Titania Astro
Adventure Rank: D
For several seconds, she could not speak.
Her fingers closed around the plate.
It was real.
She had not been given the promotion because of her family.
She had not purchased it.
No noble had arranged it.
She had earned it.
Titania looked at Venus.
[Did I truly pass?]
Venus smiled.
[You did.]
Titania turned toward Sin.
He had recovered the fallen meat from the fire.
Ash covered it.
He took a bite.
Titania's expression soured.
[That was on the ground.]
[Extra seasoning.]
[Sin.]
He looked at her.
Titania lifted the D-Rank plate.
Sin smiled.
This time, it was not lazy or mocking.
[Good job, kid.]
Warmth spread through her chest.
Titania looked away before either of them could see her expression.
[I would have passed sooner if my teachers were useful.]
Venus nodded.
[Probably.]
Sin took another bite of burned meat.
[Ungrateful.]
Titania sat beside the fire.
[You still owe me incantationless magic lessons.]
[No.]
[I'll keep asking.]
[I'll keep sleeping.]
[Then I'll send the training dummy into your room.]
Sin froze.
Venus looked at Titania with approval.
[She's learning.]
Sin stared between them.
[I created my own enemies.]
Titania smiled at the new rank plate in her hand.
The quest had shown her more than she expected.
She had learned how far her abilities could take her.
She had learned when pride needed to step aside for life.
And she had finally seen Sin fight.
Not with Nova Insanity.
Not with the legendary weapon resting across his back.
He had used nothing but magic.
No chant.
No circle.
No preparation.
The world had moved when he told it to.
Titania looked across the campfire.
Sin was now asleep while still holding the burnt meat.
He appeared harmless again.
Lazy.
Careless.
Ridiculous.
But Titania knew better.
That foolish mask concealed something terrifying.
A mage whose spells needed no words.
An A-Rank adventurer offered SS forty-eight times.
A man who could silence six elements with a gesture.
And the worst teacher in all of Xadia.
Sin's fox ear twitched.
[Stop staring.]
Titania blinked.
[Your eyes are closed.]
[I can feel judgment.]
[Good.]
Above them, the rings of Moonveil turned beneath the stars.
Deep below the ruins, inside the chamber where the Archivist had fallen, one shard of the black tablet began to glow.
A silver line spread through its center.
Then came a voice too faint for anyone at the surface to hear.
[The Returned One has entered the archive.]
The floating rings stopped.
For one breath, the entire valley went still.
Then they began turning in the opposite direction.