Denied Space was one of the most lethal and mysterious structures in all of Lios. No one could predict when one would appear, and no one knew its history—what triggered its creation and birth, how that process even occurred. No two Denied Spaces were alike; each held different characteristics, and often demanded entirely different methods to resolve. What was known was that a Denied Space formed alongside the birth of a Tyrant, who would become the sole ruler of that structure.
These mysterious structures were spread massively across the entire world, with some even possessing underground networks so vast they could connect to other Denied Spaces.
Their locations of emergence were equally unpredictable, with one of the most famous having appeared in the mountain skies at the far north, which now formed the border between the Kingdom of Czes'na and the Empire of Yvesh'aq. That was the Denied Space ruled by the Tyrant known as 'Humpty Dumpty', which had since been destroyed in a great war hundreds of years ago.
" … Kuon, I'm interested in this Denied Space."
Sitting beneath the shade of a tree while running her fingers over the pages of her braille book, Kanon turned and called to Kuon, who was still occupied examining a dozen colorful crystals in his hands.
Without looking up at all, Kuon answered. "Dealing with Denied Spaces is also part of an Adept's duties, but we won't be exploring those places. And if I ever have to go to one, I'll go alone without bringing you."
"Why?"
Kuon's hands stopped moving, and he looked at Kanon with a puzzled expression. "Have you already read everything about Denied Spaces? Those places aren't suited for us to visit right now. Fighting itself isn't difficult for us, but resolving a Denied Space is an entirely different problem. Think of it as a labyrinth whose difficulty level exceeds where we currently are—especially for you—I can still protect you physically if it comes to that, but mental exhaustion is another matter."
Beyond that, their current strength was still far too lacking to take on a Denied Space. Kuon wanted to say that, but decided to leave it after catching Kanon's sour look of disappointment.
Kuon quickly redirected his thoughts and returned his focus to all the crystals before him.
All those crystals were 'stones' formed inside monster bodies through the compression of their Aether. Though they had no obvious practical function, Kuon kept collecting them all for further study.
A week had passed since he had laid out the plan with Kanon. But since then, the development of his new magic method had entered a state of stagnation.
At this point, Kuon could only exhale in resignation at the lack of material he could use as reference.
'I can still use magic the conventional way, but … offensive magic will remain nothing but a dream if things keep going like this.'
The magic Kuon had mastered most so far was material manipulation magic—a form of magic he used to manipulate both natural and artificial elements like metal and the like. It was the easiest thing for him given his background as a metallurgist. But material manipulation from chemical-type magic carried a fairly fatal weakness in that it couldn't be directly used as a weapon. It was magic better suited for production.
He had thought through the framework, but unexpected results kept appearing during actual development. For now, Kuon had even shifted the direction of his research away from a more advanced method, toward one that was simply perfect for his own use. That way, he wouldn't have to go out of his way to cover the most obvious weakness in his method.
Kuon stared for a moment at the crystals scattered before him. Each held a different magical power, and each carried a different nature.
'The characteristics and elements contained in the crystals depend on the characteristics of each monster. In that case … could I treat them as nodes?'
The crystals had no direct use, but their unique characteristics genuinely intrigued Kuon and made him want to use them as reference. In his mind, he had already been turning over several ideas that might be developed further later on.
For now, his overarching idea was to create a method capable of transforming magic itself into something far more systematic and programmable.
Kuon sighed and slipped all the crystals back into his pouch—ignoring the various sensations from direct skin contact.
"Kanon, we're done resting. Let's go."
Exactly as planned, they went to take on an Adept mission after one week. And for their first mission, Kuon had made certain to secure the one with the best pay he could find.
"Our destination is a lake, right?"
Kuon nodded at Kanon's question. "That's right. Our mission is to eliminate the remaining monsters that survived the military campaign a few days ago, and to report everything found there—especially any remaining Black Tide sightings that are beginning to spread."
"Black Tide … they're willing to give a task that important to beginners like us?"
Kanon had read a few things about Black Tide, and regardless of what details she had missed, she was certain anything involving Black Tide wasn't something that could simply be handed to beginners. That was why Kanon shifted to narrowing her eyes toward Kuon, trying to mimic a suspicious expression.
Kuon only gave a light scoff and adjusted his monocle. "I had to do a few things to get the best result. Relax, all we need to do is complete this mission quickly and head back. That way, our name and credibility will rise in their eyes."
The 'they' Kuon meant were surely the other Adepts and UAA staff that Kanon had heard talking about her and Kuon more than once already.
" … Kuon, are you thinking about all of them?"
Kanon hadn't heard everything clearly. But she knew that she and Kuon were involved in a minor situation that was somewhat troublesome.
Kuon could only put on a tired look as he recalled what had happened that morning.
***
The UAA branch office was situated in a busy central area of the city, its flow of visitors showing no sign of thinning since they had arrived.
After taking his queue number, Kuon brought Kanon to sit at a table somewhat removed from the crowd and began waiting for his name to be called for mission confirmation.
It should have been a brief session. He had already marked which task he wanted to take, and had filled out some simple forms. All he needed now was to wait for the UAA staff to confirm his mission submission.
The UAA's job-taking system was handled entirely by the Adepts themselves. The UAA was simply a bridge between Adepts and larger parties like the military, who delegated certain tasks to them. All the UAA staff needed to do, therefore, was confirm Kuon's submission so he could get to work as quickly as possible.
But that same system also meant certain problems arose fairly often, especially when a mission was claimed by more than one party of Adepts. And that was precisely what was happening to Kuon right now.
Without lifting his gaze from the surface of the tea in his cup, Kuon gave a slight shake of his head at the large figure who had just planted himself in front of him.
Right beside him, Kanon sat with her eyes closed, hoping this would turn out to be a minor issue that wouldn't be too troublesome. But even that hope seemed to be something that would be difficult to grant.
"Are you Kuon de Ataraxia?"
The moment that name came out, Kanon reflexively opened her eyes and looked toward Kuon.
A name she had never heard before. Kanon knew Kuon had discarded his surname, so this must be one he had newly created.
'Ugh….'
She had only opened them for a moment before a piercing pain struck her head again. She really still wasn't used to the Aether intensity in this place. Kanon finally closed her eyes again, her face tight with pain.
"That's me. Do you have something you want to discuss?"
Behind the man, several others stood looking uncomfortable, their eyes fixed on Kuon and Kanon who were still sitting calmly in place.
Kuon glanced over them and immediately formed his assessment.
Five people, three men and two women. All of them appeared to be in their mid-twenties—not too far from Kuon's own age. Each of them also carried different distinguishing features.
The large man who had spoken to him looked like an ordinary human—or more precisely, a Czanktian. Among the others, some were also Czanktian, while some had pointed rabbit ears, or wolf ears atop their heads.
'Czanktian, Lipori, and Lupus … at least now I know that racial differences don't seem to matter much here.'
Whether from luck or not, Kuon was fairly relieved that despite Czanktians dominating as the founding race, Czes'na was one of the better multi-racial nations around. Unlike the Empire of Yvesh'aq, which operated on a racial supremacy system, Kuon had yet to come across a single piece of news about severe racial discrimination here.
"We were just informed that your party took this mission. What I want to ask is, can you withdraw and give this job to us?"
The man held out a sheet of paper toward Kuon—the same sheet he had seen when he took the mission earlier. Understanding the implication, Kuon set his teacup back down on the table and looked at the man while crossing his legs.
"The system is first come, first served, and the staff have already officially acknowledged my mission submission. Which means this mission is mine now, so I'm sorry, but I can't hand it over to you."
Hearing Kuon's logical explanation only made the man's expression turn sour. Kuon, already knowing what was coming next, promptly took back his teacup, along with Kanon's cup that had been empty for a while.
A pair of large hands finally slammed down on the surface of the table, producing a sound that echoed through the corner of the room they were in. Fortunately, Kuon had already secured anything fragile, and the sound wasn't loud enough to draw attention.
"Could you calm down? I don't want to—"
"We've had that mission marked for an entire week! It should be ours by now!"
'Marked? Ahh … I think I understand.'
Kuon gave a weak scoff and casually leaned back against the sofa. While ensuring Kanon was safe beside him, he said, "Is this some kind of unwritten rule of yours? In that case, I apologize. But still, legally, the rights to this mission are already in my hands, in accordance with the contract in effect with the UAA. Does your unwritten rule carry any weight in that agreement?"
He had encountered similar situations a few times in the past, mostly caused by people who had grown comfortable exploiting loopholes in systems en masse. But his method of resolving them was always the same: invoke 'law' and 'legality', which carried real weight in matters like this.
'In the end, regardless of the world or the race, we all share the same basic instinct to secure rights through illegitimate means.'
A mocking smile crossed Kuon's face without him realizing it, but it seemed to be misread by the man before him. The man looked displeased with Kuon's expression and stepped closer with full confidence.
From his exchange with Kuon, he had already formed several judgments. Though he had briefly been curious and somewhat wary of the claw sword-like weapon propped against the table, he dismissed his concern the moment he heard Kuon talking nothing but pointless nonsense like that.
"You spoiled noble brat, what do you know about Adept rules?"
From his face, his manner of dress, his way of speaking, his movements, and a build that leaned slender for a man, he had immediately sized Kuon up as a young noble.
But that was all. He was certain Kuon had no real strength to survive in this place—the world of Adepts.
"B-boss! Maybe we shouldn't make a scene here?"
A young man of the Lipori race frantically tried to stop the man. The rabbit ears standing upright on his head began to droop as his gaze went back and forth between Kuon and his team leader.
"Relax, I'm just going to teach him a few things about our rules as Adepts. You checked him too, didn't you? This kid is new. We should give him a brief lesson."
"That's no reason to make a scene! Please calm down, we can find another better mission! Just think of it as mercy for a beginner!"
The young man struggled to hold his leader back from his intent to strike and break the table. His last sentence managed to give the leader some pause.
Kuon, for his part, was not at all pleased with that statement. He crossed his arms and looked at the man who was beginning to calm down. "Ohh? You're canceling your intent to strike? Does a simple suggestion like that really work on you? Disappointing."
Beside him, Kuon could hear Kanon murmur, "Please don't provoke him."
Kuon took Kanon's small rebuke as a signal to stop. He simply put on a faint smile with narrowed eyes and went back to sipping his tea.
Despite the sour faces, the matter should have been resolved when the man's group began to move away. But what annoyed him was the looks that were beginning to be directed at both him and Kanon.
Kuon glanced at Kanon for a moment, then let out a resigned sigh.
He was confident he could win a fight on his own, but Kanon was another matter. Better to be prepared than to take an unnecessary risk.
***
"They shouldn't become a problem, but … I hope they're not a pack of mindless fools," Kuon remarked as he recalled the faces he had seen that morning.
It would be better if those Adepts could stay calm and not interfere. But unfortunately Kuon couldn't guarantee that.
Kanon, on the other hand, seemed to have something else on her mind as she turned and looked toward Kuon with a curious face.
Their feet kept moving as Kanon finally spoke. "Kuon de Ataraxia… that's the alias you chose, isn't it? What did you pick for me?"
'That's what you wanted to ask?'
Kuon wanted to shake his head briefly at the unexpected question, but then realized their destination was already close.
"I just picked the first name that came to mind, so don't be disappointed. Your name from now on is Kanon d'Nearnt."
" … French?"
It sounded like a name someone from France would have, so Kanon couldn't help but bring it up. She made a face as if thinking for a moment, then finally smiled. "Mhmm, that's a nice name. I like it."
***
Black Tide, broadly known as a dense black sludge, was a lethal and mysterious substance whose origins were not well understood, making it one of Lios's anomalies alongside Denied Space.
In fact, Black Tide was most commonly known to originate from and remain within Denied Spaces, so it was not wrong to say the two were interconnected.
However, that was only one source of Black Tide's emergence. In the case of the mission Kuon had taken, the situation was different—though not entirely unrelated either.
"Kuon, all of this … is this Black Tide?"
Kanon couldn't see it directly, but the sudden cold that enveloped her body was enough to give her a sense of the situation. On top of that, with her ability to see Aether flows, she couldn't help but feel nauseous.
Everywhere her eyes reached, Aether that looked different from what she normally saw seemed to be gathering and clumping into a strange, viscous liquid form. If she had to compare it to the Aether she was used to seeing, 'dirty' was the most fitting word to describe the form of Aether present in this Black Tide.
Kuon, on the other hand, saw everything with perfect clarity.
The lake no longer held its original color. Nearly its entire surface had been tainted by the Black Tide, which was still slowly moving to contaminate the lake further.
"Are you alright? I've heard that Black Tide inside a Denied Space and Black Tide outside have fairly different properties, so I'm not certain whether you can handle this or not."
Not far from where he stood was ground that looked to bear the marks of a powerful explosion. But it too was already covered in the black sludge, so Kuon wasn't certain whether what he was seeing was accurate.
If it was as he was seeing it, then that was where the disaster had begun.
"We've found the remnants of where the Dead Piles fell, but unfortunately we can't get to it."
The Black Tide here was the remnant of a 'Deas Rift' disaster that had occurred a few weeks prior. The scale was fairly small and it had happened far from any settlement, so casualties had been kept to a minimum—but seeing all of this, Kuon shook his head and thought this was not something to be grateful for.
'Black Tide, Denied Space, Dead Piles, Deas Rift … this world has far too many disasters. No wonder their civilization failed to advance.'
Kuon glanced to his side. Reflected in his monocle was Kanon's figure, her face trying to hold calm, but her body trembling badly as her eyes began to waver with instability.
Seeing that, Kuon moved his hand and covered Kanon's line of sight.
"Calm down. Close your eyes if it's too painful. Just follow my directions."
With her eyes no longer taking in all those repulsive Aether flows, Kanon slowly began drawing long breaths to steady herself. She closed her eyes as Kuon had instructed.
Once he had confirmed Kanon was calm, Kuon immediately began analyzing his surroundings.
Their mission, beyond investigating the movement of the Black Tide, was to inspect and exterminate the remaining monsters that had managed to escape the assault a few days prior.
He had already spotted one monster at the edge of his vision, but hadn't yet sensed the presence of any others. Was it safe to leave Kanon here while he went after the one out there?
Seeing no other option, Kuon immediately readied his weapon—Glans, a gauntlet with sharp 30cm sword blades at each fingertip.
"I'm going to start attacking. The monster is fairly large, so your attack should be able to land. Strike in my direction after I give the signal. And whatever happens, don't let yourself touch the Black Tide—I'll be keeping an eye on your position just in case."
Kanon quickly recovered her composure and nodded at Kuon's instructions.