Cedar Lake, Nova York state
United Continent of America, Terra,
Tellus Solar System
Milky Way Galaxy
Neutral Free Zone
March 8th 2019
Status:
Name: Samantha Sinclair
Rank: Peak stage Adept [Tier 5] ( Adept rank Mage)
Star core: Fifth Star Rings
Physique: Awakened
Strength: 300
Agility: 299
Endurance: 300
Stamina: 300
Luck: 400
Intelligence: 605
Magic power: 600
Spiritual power: 600
Physical power: 800
Combat power: 2000
Arcane arts: Elemental magic ( Contract with Thunder Elemental Spirit King)
Spells: Thunderbolt- Tier 3, ( Novice stage Minor Mastery) Sonata Requiem- Tier 6 (Novice stage Minor Mastery)
Combat arts: Adamantium fist martial art- Five-star rank ( Novice stage Major Mastery)
Ability factor: Symphony: The ability to access the Música universalis.
Unique technique: Resonance, Consonance, Dissonance, Música Conductor
Música conductor: A unique technique that allows one to be able to peer into the soul's frequency and wavelength.
Resonance: A unique technique that matches the user's resonant frequency with their target to unleash a highly destructive concussive blast
Consonance: ???
Dissonance: ???
The runic data that once defined Sam's limits—her measurable strength, her restrained potential—shifted violently the moment the foreign energy settled into her core.
She didn't need to see it.
She felt it.
The change echoed through the depths of her mind, within the vast inner landscape where her consciousness resided.
Her Soul Realm.
There—
At its center—
Her soul core pulsed like a steady heartbeat.
And above it…
Something new had taken form.
A luminous structure unfolded into existence—a massive ringed system, orbiting a radiant white nucleus of condensed energy. Sam's awareness rose toward it instinctively, drawn by its presence.
Then she saw it clearly.
Five rings.
Each one composed of countless rotating points of light—like distant stars locked into perfect motion.
Mana.
Not wild.
Not unstable.
But refined.
Ordered.
Understood.
Sam's breath caught as realization dawned.
She had done this.
Somewhere within the chaos of her awakening, her body had compressed the scattered mana she once struggled to control—forcing it into a singularity, a core.
Her Star Core.
An organ beyond flesh.
A construct of will and energy.
The foundation of true Magecraft.
And even now, excess mana continued to flow, condensing into orbiting rings around that core, forming what resembled a miniature star system—a self-sustaining structure of power and balance.
The light radiating from it spread outward, pushing back the suffocating darkness that once filled her Soul Realm.
Where there had been confusion—
There was clarity.
Where there had been doubt—
There was understanding.
It wasn't just power.
It was enlightenment.
Sam felt it take root within her mind, her thoughts sharpening, her awareness expanding as comprehension came to her not through learning…
But instinct.
She understood where she stood.
Though her Star Core had only just formed, her foundation had stabilized far beyond the lowest ranks.
Not Novice.
Not Acolyte.
But Adept.
The beginning phase.
Balanced.
Aligned with her Mana Art cultivation.
How do I know this…?
The thought barely formed before the answer came—not in words, but in certainty.
The structure of Magecraft unfolded within her awareness:
Novice.
Acolyte.
Adept.
Superior.
Master.
Each divided into tiers—just like the paths of Mystic artists.
If she had to measure herself—
Second Tier.
Adept Stage.
And beyond that—
Knowledge.
Not learned.
Given.
Two spells.
Etched into her consciousness as if they had always been there.
One of them—
Perfect.
For this moment.
—
Sam opened her eyes.
The world rushed back in.
The Infernal engine loomed before her, its grotesque form pulsing as waves of psychic interference lashed out—fragments of memory, pain, and madness trying to break her will.
Around her, Infernal energy spiraled into a violent storm, the machine reacting instinctively to her change.
Protecting itself.
But Sam stood firm.
Her body trembled, fatigue still clinging to her muscles, her soul strained from the battle she had already endured.
She could feel the limits.
The damage.
The exhaustion.
Her body and soul were spent.
But her mind—
Her mind was reborn.
Clear.
Focused.
Unyielding.
One chance.
That was all she had.
One spell.
One moment.
To end it.
—
Do not worry, Master.
The voice echoed gently within her mind.
Sam didn't turn.
She didn't need to.
The presence behind her had already made itself known.
Where the golden deer had once stood—
Now there was something else.
A great bird manifested behind her, vast and radiant.
White and black feathers layered across its form, six wings unfurling in quiet majesty. Two of them curved protectively around Sam, shielding her from the storm.
White lightning coursed through its body, crackling like restrained divinity. The space around it warped subtly—expanding and contracting, as if reality itself struggled to contain its presence.
The temperature rose.
The air trembled.
I, Avis Tontrualis… shall aid you.
A Spirit.
Bound to her.
Contracted.
How… when… why—
None of it mattered.
Sam didn't question it.
Not now.
Not when everything had led to this moment.
She closed her eyes once more.
Centered herself.
And drew upon her Odic force.
Threads of power began to weave together, intricate and precise, guided by the knowledge now etched into her being.
A spell—
Not of destruction.
But of purification.
One that would cleanse the land itself.
One that would end this nightmare—
Completely.
"[Sonata Requiem.]"
Sam inhaled—
And screamed.
Not in fear.
Not in pain.
But in release.
The sound tore from her throat as a blinding wave of resonance surged outward, carrying her magic with it. Her voice became the catalyst—the conduit through which her power took form. The vibration shaped itself into precise runic sequences, weaving through the air in perfect alignment before igniting into life.
A spell was born.
A Sixth-Tier invocation.
A convergence of fire, wind, earth, and light—
Not as separate forces…
But as a composition.
A requiem.
Sonata Requiem.
The world answered.
White light erupted from her body, radiant and overwhelming, yet impossibly gentle at its core. It wasn't mere illumination—it was music given form. Melody, rhythm, and harmony intertwined within the brilliance, each pulse carrying a note that resonated with the very foundation of existence.
Where it touched—
Corruption trembled.
Then broke.
The Infernal energy recoiled violently, unraveling as the spell restored it to its original state, stripping away the chaos and returning it to pure World energy.
Sam stood at the center of it all, her voice continuing, her will anchoring the composition as the light expanded outward in waves of cleansing resonance.
Behind her—
The Thunderbird moved.
Its six wings spread wide as power gathered within its core, white lightning condensing into a singular point of absolute destruction.
"[Thunderbolt.]"
The sky split.
A bolt of pure white lightning descended like divine judgment, tearing through the darkened clouds before crashing directly into the Infernal engine.
The impact was instantaneous.
Purification met annihilation.
Creation met destruction.
The engine—already destabilized by the relentless melody of Sonata Requiem—could not endure both forces at once.
It shattered.
A blinding explosion of white light erupted skyward, piercing through the heavens as the sound of the requiem surged outward, carried on waves of wind and energy across the entirety of Cedar Lake.
The town was engulfed.
Bathed.
Cleansed.
The dark miasma that clung to every corner of the land dissolved under the spreading harmony. The corrupted air was purified, replaced by the natural flow of World energy—clean, vibrant, alive.
Even the dead were not spared.
The rotting corpses scattered throughout the town turned to dust, their forms dissolving gently as the souls bound to them were released. One by one, they were restored—freed from torment—guided back into the natural cycle of existence.
Rebirth.
Or the path beyond.
Sam felt it all.
Every soul.
Every release.
The wind roared against her as the force of the explosion pushed outward, threatening to throw her off her feet—but the Thunderbird's wings curved around her, forming a protective barrier that shielded her, Emily, and Henry from the backlash.
And then—
Silence.
The light faded.
The storm ceased.
The sky cleared.
Where darkness once reigned, only open air remained—vast and blue, untouched by corruption. The suffocating stench of Infernal energy was gone, replaced by something pure.
Something right.
Sam swayed.
The world tilted slightly as exhaustion crashed over her, heavy and absolute. Her legs trembled, barely able to hold her weight as she tried to take a step forward—
And stumbled.
Strong arms caught her.
Emily.
The orange-haired woman steadied her, her eyes fixed on Sam with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
For weeks, she had guided Sam—pushing her to understand Magecraft, to grasp even the most basic principles.
And yet—
She had struggled.
Unable to connect.
Unable to comprehend.
But now…
Emily could see it clearly.
The truth.
Sam hadn't been incapable.
She had simply been too far ahead.
Her soul—her foundation—was already so refined, so powerful, that when she awakened, she had bypassed the lower stages entirely. Both her Mystic and Arcane paths had aligned at a level most would spend years, decades even, striving to reach.
A five-ring Star Core.
A stabilized Adept.
And more than that—
The ability to cast a Sixth-Tier spell.
On her first true invocation.
Emily exhaled softly.
"You've grown… so much," she whispered.
Her gaze shifted briefly to Henry, and for the first time since the battle began, a genuine smile touched her lips.
"And you… you stood your ground."
Henry gave a small nod, though a part of him still felt lacking—like he hadn't done enough.
"Thanks… Emily," Sam murmured weakly.
The air shifted.
A flicker of light—
And Leon appeared.
A flash of golden radiance marked his arrival as he stepped onto the rooftop, his presence steady despite the faint cracks Emily could sense beneath the surface of his vitality.
He had pushed himself.
Too far.
But he was still standing.
Leon's gaze moved across the scene, taking in the aftermath… before settling on Sam.
Something softened in his eyes.
"Looks like everything's been taken care of," he said.
A faint smile followed.
"You did well… Sam,"
Sam stood in what remained of her childhood home.
Or what was left of it.
The living room—once warm, familiar, filled with quiet memories—was now broken open, half the structure torn away like something had ripped through it without care. Debris littered the floor, the walls fractured, the ceiling exposed to the sky.
This house had belonged to the McCoy family for generations. It had passed from her grandparents to Aunt Stella… and now—
Now it was just another ruin in a devastated neighborhood.
Sam barely recognized it.
Golden Dawn agents moved through the wreckage, their presence a stark contrast to the destruction. Some scanned the area with arcane instruments, others sifted through debris, searching for survivors—or what remained of them.
After the purification, the airships had come.
Massive vessels descending from the sky, bearing the Golden Dawn's insignia—a silent declaration that help had arrived.
They spread quickly.
Some teams searched for civilians.
Others extracted the Infernal machines left behind, dismantling the remnants of corruption with methodical precision.
Cleanup.
That was what this phase was called.
Sam turned her gaze to Leon.
He stood a few feet away, speaking to a projected hologram—Emani's image flickering softly in the air. She remained on the lunar base, coordinating operations remotely, her presence calm and authoritative.
"It's a good thing you were the ones deployed," Emani said. "I doubt any available Guardians could have handled two Greater-rank Abominations."
Leon exhaled lightly.
"It's too bad one of them got away."
Sam's chest tightened.
The one Emily had fought—the Devil.
It had escaped.
From the tone of Leon's voice alone, Sam could tell just how dangerous that was.
"The bastard used the chaos when the golden deer manifested," Emily added, her voice low. "Slipped out before we could finish it."
She looked exhausted.
More than anyone else.
There were shadows beneath her eyes, her usual composure worn thin by the strain of battle.
That thing… must have been far stronger than I realized, Sam thought, guilt pressing quietly against her chest. She had left Emily to face it alone.
"The Devil isn't our priority right now," Emani said. "We already have a team tracking it. We'll locate it soon enough."
Her tone shifted.
"For now, focus on this—there's still no trace of Rosa or Stella."
Sam straightened instantly.
The search teams had already recovered remains from the original squad assigned to Cedar Lake.
But Rosa and Stella—
They weren't among them.
Which meant…
"They're not here," Leon said, his voice firm. "And if the enemy anticipated our arrival… they wouldn't leave them behind."
Sam frowned.
"Who is this enemy?" she asked. "And why Cedar Lake?"
There was a pause.
A glance passed between Leon, Emily, and Emani.
Sam saw it.
The hesitation.
They weren't telling her everything.
Her thoughts raced back—unbidden.
Her father's death.
The Abomination in the Echo Field.
The assassins.
And now—
Her hometown.
Attacked.
Destroyed.
A pattern was forming.
And she was at the center of it.
"Does this have something to do with the Abominations… or the assassins that came after me?"
Silence lingered.
Leon sighed.
"How much do you know about what's happening on the mundane side?" he asked.
Sam blinked, caught off guard by the question.
"I know about the Celestial Realignment," she said slowly. "I was part of the mission stabilizing the Grey around the Monoliths. But… I still don't fully understand it. Or how it connects to anything happening now."
Or to me.
She didn't say it out loud—but the thought lingered.
She refused to believe everything revolved around her.
"The Celestial Realignment is a cosmic event that occurs every five thousand years," Emani said. "And no—you are not the cause of it."
There was something in her tone.
Something incomplete.
"But that's not what we're dealing with," she continued. "Something else is happening on Terra. An outbreak. An epidemic."
Henry frowned.
"You mean the pandemic in Nova York?"
Sam turned to him, confused.
"Pandemic…?"
She hadn't heard.
Since arriving on the moon base, she had buried herself in training—cut off from the mundane world she once lived in.
But now—
Everything was colliding.
"Is that true?" she asked.
Leon hesitated.
"…Maybe."
"Maybe?" Sam's voice sharpened.
"We don't know," he said flatly.
Henry stepped forward, tension in his posture.
"Then what do you know?"
Emani answered this time.
"You should have received the files."
A soft ping echoed from Sam's wrist.
She pulled out her Zodiak, activating it as data streamed onto the interface.
"Mother didn't want to burden you," Emani added. "She wanted you focused on your training."
Sam said nothing as she read.
Walked slowly through the ruined room, eyes scanning line after line of information.
Then—
Her expression shifted.
The same force behind the Abomination that attacked her…
Was responsible for Cedar Lake.
Her fingers tightened around the device.
"I don't understand…" she murmured. "What do they want from me? Why are Abominations targeting me?"
"We don't know yet," Emani replied. "We're not even certain if Sinutu and Anuntium's attack is connected to this."
Sam let out a breath, bitter and sharp.
"So… my life's in danger."
A humorless thought crossed her mind.
Now that I actually want to live… something's trying to take it away.
She pushed it aside.
"What about Nova York?" she asked. "Is it connected?"
She didn't want the answer to be yes.
But after everything—
She couldn't ignore the possibility.
"Don't worry about the pandemic," Emani said. "Golden Dawn is handling it."
Her gaze hardened slightly.
"You focus on Rosa and Stella. They're alive. That means they're valuable."
Which meant—
They were being used.
Before Sam could respond—
"Guardian Yesh," one of the agents called out. "We found something."
They were led to the fireplace.
Or what remained of it.
A circular array of green light hovered above the ruined structure, runes orbiting in precise, shifting patterns as an agent manipulated the spell with a wand.
"What is it?" Leon asked.
"It appears to be a Xeta beam system," the agent replied.
"An Exodus," Leon corrected, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Agarthan aristocrats used to embed these in their estates. Emergency escape routes."
"It's the same in the Hidden World," Emani added, glancing briefly at Sam. "The McCoy family served as a vassal clan to one of the great families. It makes sense they'd have one installed."
A faint tick of irritation crossed Sam's expression.
Another secret.
Another piece of her family she had never been told.
She let it go.
For now.
"Was it used?" Emily asked.
The agent nodded.
"Yes. Recently. Right before it was destroyed."
Hope flickered.
"Can you trace the destination?" she pressed.
"We already did."
The agent paused.
Then answered.
"The last recorded coordinates… lead to Bel'Yor."
Sam repeated the name softly.
"Bel'Yor…"