The bright light of the arena courtyard felt strangely harsh after the dim corridors of the labyrinth.
Eternia Sinclair stepped out slowly, her silver hair catching the sunlight as it reflected faintly against the marble ground beneath her feet. To the spectators watching from the stands above, she appeared calm and composed—perhaps even relaxed.
But inside her body, a quiet war was already beginning.
Mana circulated rapidly through her magic circuits.
Not naturally.
Not smoothly.
But forcefully.
Eternia was deliberately pushing the flow faster than normal, guiding the energy through her circuits with absolute precision.
She was buying time.
The lingering strength of the ancient magic she had used earlier had not vanished yet, but its price was rapidly approaching.
Backlash.
Every ancient spell demanded it.
The stronger the spell, the heavier the cost.
In her previous life, Shatter had learned this truth through painful experience.
Body enhancement spells like the one she had cast were considered relatively mild among ancient magic techniques, but even they had their consequences.
Fatigue.
Sensory overload.
Internal damage.
And worst of all—mana instability.
Normally, once the spell ended, the user's body would experience a sudden crash as their system struggled to return to its natural balance.
Eternia knew that moment was coming soon.
So she kept circulating her mana aggressively, stabilizing her body just enough to delay the inevitable.
Not forever.
But long enough.
Across the arena courtyard, the announcer stood near the labyrinth gate, arms crossed as he scanned the entrance.
Captain Varos.
Mage Captain of the Sinclair Third Unit.
His sharp gaze remained fixed on the two children standing before him.
Eternia Sinclair.
And Etherius Sinclair.
The legitimate heir.
The twins who had entered the labyrinth together with dozens of other candidates.
Yet now…
They were the only ones standing here.
Minutes passed.
Then more minutes.
The heavy stone gates of the labyrinth remained silent.
No one else emerged.
Captain Varos frowned slightly.
"…Strange."
He had expected at least a few more survivors by now.
The maze trial was difficult, but not designed to eliminate everyone.
Several of the branch family candidates possessed decent talent.
At least some of them should have been able to escape.
But the gates remained quiet.
Varos glanced again at the two children waiting calmly in the courtyard.
Neither showed any signs of fatigue.
Neither appeared nervous.
And neither spoke.
Something about the scene felt… odd.
Finally, Captain Varos exhaled slowly.
"…Very well."
He stepped forward.
"Present your rune stones."
His voice carried across the courtyard clearly.
Eternia calmly reached into her storage ring.
Five golden rune stones appeared in her hand.
At the same moment—
Etherius did the same.
Five glowing stones rested in his palm.
The courtyard fell silent.
Captain Varos stared.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
Ten rune stones.
All of them.
Every single one.
His eyebrow twitched slightly.
"…You're telling me…"
He slowly looked up at the two twins.
"…that the two of you collected every rune in the labyrinth?"
Neither child answered.
Their silence was answer enough.
Varos inhaled slowly through his nose.
Outwardly, his expression darkened.
He crossed his arms, staring down at them sternly.
"Do you realize what you've done?"
His voice carried a hint of irritation.
"You took every rune stone."
"That means the rest of the candidates cannot pass the trial."
But inside his mind…
Varos felt something very different.
Pride.
Not the loud, boastful pride of a noble flaunting their bloodline.
But the quiet pride of a warrior witnessing extraordinary talent.
Two five-year-old children had just completed a trial designed for dozens of candidates… and claimed every victory for themselves.
That was not normal talent.
That was something far beyond ordinary potential.
Still…
He couldn't show it.
Not in front of soldiers.
Not in front of the watching nobles in the stands.
So instead—
Varos released his mana.
A wave of magical pressure erupted outward from his body.
The air vibrated.
Dust lifted from the ground.
The aura of a high-ranking mage pressed down across the courtyard like a mountain.
The soldiers nearby immediately stiffened.
Several instinctively took a step back.
Even experienced mages would struggle under such pressure.
But the twins…
Did not move.
Eternia remained standing calmly.
Her mana circulation continued steadily inside her body.
The pressure brushed against her senses—but did not shake her balance.
Etherius stood just as still.
His blue eyes remained focused on the captain.
Unblinking.
Unfazed.
Varos watched them carefully.
Neither flinched.
Neither trembled.
"…Monsters."
He withdrew the pressure with a quiet sigh.
Then turned toward the soldiers nearby.
"Send retrieval teams into the labyrinth."
His voice returned to its commanding tone.
"Recover the remaining candidates."
A soldier saluted immediately.
"Yes, Captain!"
Varos continued.
"They will undergo supplementary testing tomorrow."
He glanced briefly at the twins again.
"…Since these two have taken all the runes."
Several soldiers chuckled quietly.
Even they could not hide their amusement.
Varos reached into his coat and pulled out two small glass vials filled with glowing blue liquid.
With a quick motion, he tossed them toward the twins.
Eternia caught hers easily.
Etherius did the same.
"Mana recovery and healing vials," Varos explained.
"Use them."
"Your second trial begins tomorrow."
He turned away slightly.
"For now… rest."
The courtyard slowly began emptying as soldiers prepared to retrieve the other candidates from the labyrinth.
Eternia remained standing quietly.
She studied Etherius more closely now.
He looked exactly as she remembered.
Calm.
Confident.
Dangerously talented.
But one thing caught her attention.
His staff.
The weapon resting against his shoulder carried faint magical engravings.
High quality.
Probably similar to the one she had found earlier.
Eternia smiled slightly.
"So he found one too."
Her gaze drifted briefly to the five rune stones he had presented earlier.
"What a natural monster."
She folded her arms quietly.
"As expected of my rival."
At that moment—
Etherius turned toward her.
Their eyes met again.
For a brief moment neither spoke.
Then Etherius smirked slightly.
"Looks like a tie."
His voice was calm.
"But next time…"
He lifted his staff slightly.
"I'll win."
Eternia's smile widened faintly.
"Keep dreaming."
They stood there for another moment.
Then both turned away.
The rivalry had already begun.
By the time Eternia returned to the outer estate, evening sunlight stretched long shadows across the stone pathways.
Servants moved busily through the halls, but whispers followed her as she passed.
"She's back."
"That's the illegitimate daughter…"
"I heard what happened in the arena."
"They say she defeated several candidates alone."
"Is she really impure blood?"
Eternia ignored them.
Their gossip meant nothing.
She walked calmly through the corridor until she reached her room.
Once inside, she locked the door behind her.
Click.
The moment the latch slid into place—
She stopped circulating her mana.
Immediately—
The backlash arrived.
Pain exploded through her body.
Her vision blurred.
Blood dripped from her nose.
Then from the corners of her eyes.
Her knees nearly buckled.
"…Damn…"
The delayed cost of ancient magic crashed down on her system all at once.
Her senses spun violently.
Her head pounded like thunder.
Blood trickled from her lips as well.
Eternia forced herself to stay conscious.
With trembling fingers, she uncorked the healing vial Captain Varos had given her.
She drank it quickly.
The liquid tasted bitter—but warm energy spread through her body immediately.
The bleeding slowed.
Her breathing steadied.
After several minutes, the pain finally eased enough for her to move again.
Eternia leaned back against the wall, exhaling slowly.
"…Still not strong enough."
Her eyes hardened slightly.
"I need to get better."
Her thoughts drifted briefly to Etherius.
His calm confidence.
His powerful mana.
His natural talent.
Eternia clenched her fist.
"If I want to beat him…"
Her voice was quiet.
"…I have to become stronger."
Much stronger.
The truth was obvious.
Etherius had advantages she did not.
He had the support of the main family.
Resources.
Tutors.
Training grounds.
Mana-enhancing potions and elixirs.
Meanwhile Eternia had…
Herself.
And the experience of a past life.
She pushed herself upright slowly and walked to her desk.
The storage ring flashed softly as she summoned the book she had found earlier in the labyrinth.
The strange magic book.
Eternia opened it carefully.
The pages were filled with unfamiliar runic diagrams.
Complex spell structures.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…What is this?"
The magical theory written here was unlike anything she had seen before.
Even with her extensive knowledge from her previous life, the spell formations felt alien.
Strange.
Yet incredibly refined.
She flipped another page.
Then another.
Her breathing slowed.
"…No way."
At the top of one page was a clear title.
First Tier Spell – Adapt.
Her hands trembled slightly.
First tier magic.
Real first-tier spells.
Not simplified academy versions.
Not incomplete fragments.
Actual, fully written spell formulas.
And the ones that no one knows about.
Eternia stared at the page.
Her heart pounded.
For someone at her level, obtaining true first-tier magic was nearly impossible.
Such spells were guarded carefully by powerful families, royal academies, and high-ranking mage organizations.
But now…
She had one.
And more.
Her body shook slightly.
Not from weakness.
From excitement.
"…This might be it."
The opportunity she needed.
The path to surpass everyone.
The path to defeat Etherius.
The path to become stronger than anyone in this world.
Eternia's silver eyes gleamed brightly.
A fire ignited within them.
"…Now it's only a matter of time."
She closed the book gently.
Mana began circulating through her body again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Training would begin tonight.
Because Eternia Sinclair had already made her decision.
In this life—
She would not merely survive.
She would rise above everything.
And one day…
She would become the strongest mage the world had ever seen.