[User] He gave it a little smile, then turned back to the other two. “I’m heading out for a bit. I’ll be back once I’ve finished what I need to do. Do whatever you want while I’m gone.”

[Assistant] “E-excuse me, Your Majesty? !” Als cried out in shock.

[User] Doan looked like he was holding back a vexed exhale. Normally, he never wanted to get involved in any disputes, but this time he wore a knowing look as he asked the king, “Are you sure about this?”

[Assistant] “I’m not the only one. The other countries will be making their moves soon, too. Best to be quick about it.”

[User] “Your Majesty?” Als said again. He was the only one who didn’t understand.

[Assistant] Oscar clapped him on the shoulder, then moved against the flow of guests to leave.


[User] Having escaped the crowded hall, Oscar gazed out a window at the castle’s other buildings. True to a Tuldarr structure, magical protective barriers were positioned here and there around the blue and white edifices; Oscar could sense them. A thin sheen of water cascaded from an azure stone shelf jutting out into midair and splashed down into the moat of the hanging gardens. Not many soldiers stood guard. Sentinels were patrolling around, but magic formed the crux of the palace’s defense. Oscar glanced down at the sword belted at his waist and grinned. “Glad they didn’t confiscate this.”

[Assistant] He slipped into a random deserted passageway, opened the window, and went out into the courtyard. As he made his way across the carefully manicured grass, he glanced up at a particularly tall building in the center. “There it is.”

[User] The spray of water falling from the stone shelf glittered in the setting sun. The blossoms in the gardens were all varieties not found in Farsas. Azure flowers shaped like round lanterns glowed faintly from the inside, and the way they swayed brought to mind the first page of a picture book. It was like the palace of a magical kingdom from a fairy tale. And the one who would govern this castle was a woman from four hundred years ago. A queen for only a single year. Tinasha must have discussed it with Legis and other advisers on countless occasions. While Tuldarr’s parliamentary system was not without historical precedent, no other nation utilized that system. Establishing one now was sure to be an uphill battle. Still, she had chosen this fight. This method of governance—monarch and citizens supporting one another, with no room for self-righteousness—was likely an ideal she’d held on to since the Dark Age, when power was crucial to survival.


[User] The gardens that streamed between the buildings sloped upward so gradually that the incline was almost unnoticeable. Oscar came to the base of a spire that adjoined the tall building, and he gazed up at the white stone walls. "All right, let’s go."

[Assistant] "Where are you headed?" Mila inquired, her voice sounding amused from overhead.

[User] Oscar looked up to see a red-haired girl floating down, hugging her knees. It was Mila, one of the spirits who served Tinasha. "I need to talk to her. Are the regent’s chambers just above here?"

[Assistant] "Yes, but you’ll see her later in the great hall if you just wait."

[User] "That’ll be too late, and I don’t want anyone else to overhear us. Can you stop her?" In all likelihood, Mila had appeared to protect her master. Conscious of Akashia, Oscar met Mila’s gaze and waited to see if she would chase him away.

[Assistant] The redhead grinned. "You can do what you want, but I’m not going to help you."

[User] "That’s fine, provided that you don’t obstruct me, either." Oscar answered, placing a hand on the wall.

[Assistant] Mila’s eyes grew wide. "You’re going to climb?"

[User] "The guards will stop me if I go inside."

[Assistant] "Seriously? Do you have a death wish? Look, I’ll do you a favor and put an illusion on you, so the snipers don’t shoot you and send you plummeting to your demise."

[User] "That would actually help a ton, thanks."

[Assistant] Mila shook her head and sighed in disbelief. She disappeared with a snap of her fingers, and Oscar placed his hand on the wall once more. He began to climb up, his eyes on a tiny transom window. He wouldn’t think about how he wished Tinasha had only told him she planned to be queen for just a year. He knew it was a matter of national politics. She couldn’t reveal her plan to someone from another country. If their positions were reversed, he wouldn’t consider telling her, either. So it wasn’t too late. Now was the soonest he could do this. Oscar came out onto a small corridor and grabbed hold of the wall of another adjoining building. He passed several magical barriers on his climb to the highest floor, but Akashia nullified all of them. The window of her room was not locked and was protected only by a barrier. Oscar took out the royal sword and looked around the dark room that was occupied by only a few pieces of furniture


[User] "Did we pass right by each other?" Night had fallen entirely by now. Oscar had climbed via the shortest path, but could Tinasha have already changed clothes and headed for the great hall? Unsure whether he should trespass further after already breaking in, Oscar sank into a chair by the windowsill. Then he remembered his dragon. "Nark."

[Assistant] In answer to his summons, a red dragon the size of a hawk appeared and perched on his shoulder.


[User] Oscar was about to order it to see if Tinasha was in the great hall when a door in the back of the room opened. Light spilled into the dark chamber.

[Assistant] Heedless of the other occupant, the girl who entered headed for a door opposite the one she’d come through. Then, out of the blue, her left hand sliced through the air. Instantaneously, orbs of magic launched in Oscar’s direction.

[User] Before he could say a word, he had Akashia up and its blade out against the attack. The magic orbs struck the sword and were dispelled.

[Assistant] The girl turned to look, and her eyes widened with realization. “A-again? !”

[User] “What do you mean ‘again’?”

[Assistant] “Never mind.” Tinasha sighed, deflated.

[User] Tinasha stared at him. “How did you get in?”

[Assistant] “The window. I must be growing comfortable with your barriers because I entered pretty easily. You’re so careless.”

[User] “Not many people are capable of breaking my barrier,” Tinasha said, obviously cross. This was the same person who’d been in the cathedral, but her aura was different. Things were the same between them as they had always been—a mood of closeness and openness. It comforted Oscar. Resting an elbow on the chair and his chin in one hand, he gazed at Tinasha. “You really went for it back there, huh?”

[Assistant] “Well… my mind was made up for a while.”

[User] “Calste looked livid.”

[Assistant] “He was about to pop several blood vessels,” Tinasha admitted with a laugh, heading for the far door again. There was a closet there, and she emerged soon enough wearing a simple version of a queen’s formal dress. “Anyway, I’d like to get changed…”

[User] “Ah, sorry. I need to talk to you, and it will only take a minute.” This was why he had come. He was visiting her room to speak to her not as royals, but as individuals.

[Assistant] Still clutching the new outfit to her chest, Tinasha cocked her head. “Talk to me about what?”

[User] “What are you going to do once you abdicate?”

[Assistant] “I—I’m not quite sure… I suppose marrying Legis would be the right thing to do? That should satisfy Calste a little as well,” she replied in a way that almost suggested she wasn’t connected to the matter.

[User] Oscar had begun to scowl unconsciously. Upon realizing it, he straightened out his face and said lightly, “Why not come with me?”

[Assistant] “Excuse me?”

[User] “Why don’t you marry me?” This was why he’d climbed the tower.


[User] While it was indeed blunt as proposals went, Tinasha couldn’t immediately comprehend it. He stayed frozen for a bit; something Oscar had anticipated. After deliberating over how to make this easier to swallow, he elected to begin with the part Tinasha was probably most anxious about. “It’s not a bad idea at all. If you’re going to change the system, an alliance with another country will give greater security, and it will relax other nations more than if you marry Legis. Some people are going to see you as a threat no matter what you do, but no one will want to challenge both Tuldarr and Farsas at once.”

[Assistant] “What? I—I mean, that’s true, but something seems… Um, give me a moment.” Tinasha trails off, shaking her head at the neatly wrapped facts he had presented her with.

[User] After Oscar’s declaration, Tinasha’s expression changed from confused to serious and pensive. It was the face of a queen evaluating the political merits of what she had been offered. He flashed a strained smile at this deeply earnest queen. “Sorry. The way I phrased that was a little unfair. Let me say it again.”

[Assistant] He recalled the day they met. She had been asleep under the palace for four hundred years, all to meet him. Oscar gazed right into her dark eyes. “I want you. So I’m asking you to marry me. That’s all it is.”

[User] Tinasha’s eyes grew round as saucers. “… Excuse me?”

[Assistant] “I’m not sure how I feel about that response.” He said, a little offended by her shock but also enjoying needling her about it. Oscar headed for the window to leave the same way he came. Tinasha was still rooted to the ground, and he turned back to look at her. “Well, you have a year, so think it over.”

[User] “H-hold on just a minute. Why are you going out the window…?”


[User] “Wait, that’s not the point!” she cried, burying her face in her hands. Then she managed to find the words and popped her face back out. “I thought you weren’t interested in me?” She sounded like a little girl who knew nothing at all.

[Assistant] One hand already set to climb down, Oscar paused and replied, “I couldn’t disrupt my country because I had personal feelings for someone. I did my best not to get attached. But if you’re going to abdicate, that changes everything.”

[User] “I want to be with you. I don’t want to let anyone else have you. If you desire me, I’m yours,” he said fervently, roguishly.

[Assistant] Tinasha shivered violently. Evidently, she hadn’t fully processed such a sudden change.

[User] Oscar shrugged. “That’s all I came to say. You’re in a hurry, aren’t you? Sorry about that. I’ll go say good-bye to Legis and head home. See you.” With that, he leaped out the window.

[Assistant] As the garden below rushed up to meet him, he called, “Nark!”

[User] In response to its master’s order, the scarlet dragon rapidly grew to the size of a small house and caught its master on its back.

[Assistant] Nark made a leisurely turn in the air, and Oscar laughed out loud. After sheathing the royal sword, he asked the dragon, “How did things turn out in that future you’ve seen? Did she marry me?”

[User] Nark let out a shrill cry and dived for the gardens.


[Assistant] Als and Doan breathed great sighs of relief when their king returned an hour after he’d left.

[User] Both men were filled with trepidation whenever he was left to himself. When he showed up again, he was in a strangely good mood. They wanted to ask where he had been, but they had a pretty good idea.


[User] “I’m going to go say good-bye, and then we’ll go."

[Assistant] They held their tongues and gave up on questioning him. The reception went on without the queen.

[User] Legis, still inundated by guests, caught sight of the king of Farsas heading for him, and his eyes widened slightly. He’d been wondering the entire time where one of Tuldarr’s guests of honor had been. Legis strode up to Oscar and bowed to him. Formal words of greeting were exchanged. Once the social niceties were complete, Legis kept his pleasant smile as he made a pointed remark. “I’m afraid I haven’t seen you in the hall for quite some time.”

[Assistant] “Mm-hmm… I had something to discuss with Tinasha. I left to go see her.”

[User] Legis gasped. Once the surprise faded from his face, he seemed a little bitter.

[Assistant] He understood the situation as well as they did—better, perhaps, as an outside observer. For a moment, a flash of loneliness passed through his eyes, and he closed them. When he looked up at Oscar again, his gaze was direct. “She is the treasure of our Tuldarr. Will you give what she’s worth?”

[User] “Of course, if that’s what she wants.”

[Assistant] Oscar respected the other man’s sensibility. He thought of the woman at the center of it all. All that’s left now is to wait for her answer.

[User] The six months since he’d met her had passed quickly. So, too, would the year to come, surely. Oscar wasn’t in any hurry. Compared to four hundred years, this would be but the blink of an eye.


[User] With a clear tinkle, the teacups shattered. "Oh no… I broke them." Tinasha groaned.

[Assistant] The mystical spirit seated across the table from her made a disappointed face as she regarded the broken pieces. Casting an appalled look at her master, she said, "You should train yourself in detaching your magic from your emotions, Lady Tinasha."

[User] "I did, a long time ago… I know how to do it." Tinasha replied, sighing.

[Assistant] "It doesn’t seem that way."

[User] "I know…"

[Assistant] Before she could clean everything up, the shattered cups and the spilled tea vanished. Tinasha thanked her before donning some sealing ornaments. "I shouldn’t have carried breakable items. Next time, I’ll use metal cups."

[User] "Will that really solve the problem? Why not deal with the source? Maybe you can get rid of him."

[Assistant] "I won’t do that!" Tinasha had been acting like this whenever she was free since her coronation the week before. Naturally, the trigger had been Oscar’s proposal, a total bolt from the blue that had thrown her emotions into complete turmoil.

[User] With a very human mannerism, the spirit threw her master a sidelong glance. "I don’t know why you’re so indecisive. You came here to see him in the first place, didn’t you?"

[Assistant] "Yes, but… But things haven’t been like that this whole time! He’s always been so mean to me! All he does is scold me!"

[User] "I wasn’t around, so I wouldn’t know." The spirit replied crisply.

[Assistant] Tinasha flopped onto the table. Raking a hand through her hair, Tinasha gazed up at the spirit. "How would you answer him, Lilia?"

[User] "I would say no. It sounds like a lot of trouble."

[Assistant] "…" Consulting one of the spirits had been a mistake. Face still planted on the table, Tinasha let out a groan. "Me, marry him? No way… no way at all." She remembered what he’d said to her when she was much younger. "You will reach me, and you’ll be happy." The Oscar who’d disappeared had promised her that. The present Oscar was the same man, but still very different. For the past six months, she hadn’t so much as dreamed of a future with him. Still, the current Oscar knew why she’d come from four hundred years in the past. There was no way he hadn’t picked up on it. And yet he’d told her, "Don’t let it weigh you down anymore." And that was enough. Tinasha had been so happy that she could have died right then; she’d truly felt that it was worth it to come to this era. "But marrying him…" Tinasha bit back a sigh.


[User] She had never put words to her feelings for Oscar. For the longest time, she’d avoided thinking about that. There was one thing on which Tinasha was certain. She’d discovered it after awakening in this era and spending time with him. Even if their paths diverged, he was someone very dear to her. It was clear that he was important, but beyond that… she didn’t know. It had never required much thought until now. How was she supposed to respond now that it was at the forefront of decisions she had to make? Oscar had apparently mentioned the proposal to Legis and some others, who had wished her well with Farsas. Meanwhile, her attendant Renart and the spirits couldn’t understand her hesitation. Had Oscar proposed for purely political reasons, Tinasha would have given an answer sooner. But that didn’t seem to be the case. Just pondering it made her feel dizzy, so much so that she was grateful for the times when she was buried in work.

[Assistant] Lilia eyed her agonized master and remarked coolly, “Just marry him if he wants you.”

[User] “I don’t know why he’s proposed to me, though. Even supposing that on some wild chance he really does like me and it’s not some trick of my imagination, we’re in a different time now… He doesn’t know what people were like in the Dark Age.” When she first awoke in this time, Tinasha had harbored a faint hope that he might fall in love with her, buoyed up by the fact that they’d been married in their previous history together. But once she’d snapped out of that daydream, she realized that she was only a queen with a bloodstained past. People only saw one side of Tinasha—a person who’d escaped her own time period and abandoned the throne to live freely for a short while. If Oscar knew how she’d subjugated those around her in the past, he definitely wouldn’t feel the same way about her.

[Assistant] Lilia, one of Tinasha’s servants since the Dark Age, sipped from her teacup. “That’s true. In those days, you were the type to betray someone in order to stand on your own two feet.”

[User] “Do you really think I was that bad?! I mean, that is how it was, but still!”

[Assistant] “That’s why I suspect the Akashia swordsman might also be planning to betray you.”

[User] “And get a Tuldarr hostage! That would make his motives easier to understand, but—”

[Assistant] “So should we get rid of him after all?” Lilia asked.

[User] “No!” Tinasha shouted, leaping to her feet.

[Assistant] As Lilia watched her master go brew a new pot of tea, she giggled. “You know, I’m very glad to find you enjoying yourself. When you told us you wanted to put yourself in a magic sleep, I thought you’d finally gone crazy.”

[User] “I can’t believe how much you didn’t trust me!” the queen exclaimed, pouting. Shortly after abdicating, Tinasha had informed the twelve spirits that she planned to enter a magic sleep.


[User] They were unanimously opposed to that idea and told her it was ridiculous because they knew it was for Oscar, and they doubted his claim about traveling backward through time. However, a closer examination had revealed that the orb responsible was a very real power that existed outside all laws. Tinasha decided to ask Lilia about something she’d been contemplating earlier. "Do you know how time travel is possible? It goes against the laws of magic."

[Assistant] “I don’t know. It may be that it looks like time travel, but it’s actually something else." The green-haired spirit responded.

[User] "Like dismantling the world and reconstructing it based on records? I hadn’t thought of that, but I can’t get past the immense scale. A tiny orb couldn’t contain all that."

[Assistant] "Then perhaps it’s simply that another law that makes such a thing possible has been brought in." Lilia said.

[User] "Brought in? From where?" They were meant to be just chatting and tossing around ideas. But Lilia’s suggestion sent an involuntary jolt through Tinasha, and her hands stilled.

[Assistant] "It’s human foolishness to assume that you understand everything. We demons live on a different plane of existence, and even we can’t perceive that many other realms. So wouldn’t it make sense that from time to time, someone with unusual powers would be born somewhere or a mysterious phenomenon would occur?" The spirit went on.

[User] "I suppose… that’s true." Tinasha replied slowly. It was extremely rare for someone to be born with strange powers that were not magic. Those abilities generally entailed postcognition and precognition, but where such skills originated from was unknown. Ancient myths would call powers of this nature blessings from the gods. The research of many mages confirmed that these abilities were distinct from magic. As Tinasha poured tea, she sighed. "Now that you mention it, strange things like that did happen in my past reign… Remember the Harvesting?"

[Assistant] "At those odd old ruins? We never did find out what sort of mechanism was behind that."

[User] "When it happened, I was more concerned with ending it than with uncovering the cause, but now that I’m thinking about it again, it really was weird." The queen recalled an inexplicable incident that had claimed the lives of hundreds. A culprit had never been found, nor could anyone hazard a guess as to why they’d done it. Compared to that, going back in time almost felt easier to comprehend. She didn’t know how the magic orb operated, but it was clear that whoever used it wanted to alter the past. Feeling stupefied, Tinasha sipped at her tea.


[Assistant] Just then, there was a knock on the door and Legis entered. "Excuse me, Your Majesty, but I have a number of reports to make."

[User] "Confidential ones, I assume. What are they?" said Tinasha, correctly guessing why Legis had come to her chamber, while she was at rest, and not to the queen’s study.

[Assistant] Legis gave a weak smile at how perceptive his queen was.


[User] “First of all, several private requests for marriage talks have come in.”

[Assistant] “Again?”

[User] “You are an object of mass destruction, and many hope that will pass to your progeny.”

[Assistant] “Anyone who can draw you over to their country will kill two birds with one stone.”

[User] “Thank you for that brutally honest reminder.” Tinasha replied tartly. Legis looked with dread at this spirit who spoke in such an unreserved manner to her master. However, Tinasha didn’t mind it at all, instead pouring a cup of tea for Legis.

[Assistant] Legis looks with dread at this spirit who spoke in such an unreserved manner to her master.

[User] “And the rest of the report?”

[Assistant] “A rebellion against the parliamentary system is mounting. We don’t have solid leads, but some nasty individuals are plotting the use of force.”

[User] “To assassinate me, you mean? They’re welcome to try anytime they like.” The queen responded calmly. She had overwhelming power and confidence on her side. In her eyes was the strength of someone well accustomed to fighting for her life, and she didn’t seem perturbed in the least. While Tinasha partook of her tea, Lilia frowned.

[Assistant] “Four hundred years have passed, and you’re still surrounded by enemies?”

[User] “Such is the fate of someone who tries to do something different. It makes perfect sense.”

[Assistant] “Then why don’t you sentence them all to death?” Lilia suggested blithely. Legis, who was in the process of sitting down at the table, boggled at that. He shot a questioning glance at Tinasha, who only smiled with her hands wrapped around her teacup.

[User] Legis, who was in the process of sitting down at the table, boggled at that, glancing at Tinasha.

[Assistant] “I told you, Lilia, times are different now. First, we should talk to them and try winning them over. Then we can resort to force, if necessary. If all they’re doing is calling me a little girl with nothing but magic to her name, they’ll be easily dealt with… and we can get rid of them anytime.” The queen gave a brilliant smile. For a moment, however, something as icy as a river in the night flashed in her eyes, and Legis didn’t miss it. Noticing that he was still frozen in place and hadn’t sat down yet, Tinasha faced him.

[User] “What’s wrong?”

[Assistant] “Ah… I’m sorry.” He answered, planting himself on the chair. Tinasha put a teacup in front of him. That she brewed and served on her own, actions quite unlike a queen’s, spoke to both her friendliness and her vigilance against poisoning. Over the past two to three months of talks about changing the system in Tuldarr, Legis had caught glimpses of such shrewdness from her. He had to imagine it was typical of one from the Dark Age. Legis felt like he might pass out if the conversation continued in this vein, so he switched topics.

[User] “Ah yes, what are you going to do about the proposal from Farsas? If you’re going to accept, then we can reject all the other ones.”

[Assistant] “Aaaahhhh… just when I’d managed to forget…”

[User] “If you can forget about him so easily, perhaps you should say no?”

[Assistant] “N-not so fast.” Tinasha protested.


[User] "Why don’t you just go and see him? That should give you your answer much faster than dawdling around here."

[Assistant] "Dawdling…" Tinasha deflated at having it put so succinctly.

[User] "Ah, shall we get back to work?" Tinasha stopped massaging her temples and looked up.

[Assistant] "As you wish."

[User] "Very well." The queen clapped her hands, and the three of them vanished from the room.


[Assistant] It was just a few moments past noon. While it was afternoon, it was dim inside the room, owing to the thick cloths pinned up over the windows. A girl was sitting on a chair in one corner of the chamber, away from the sliver of a sunbeam that managed to poke through. Her eyes were shut, but she wasn’t asleep. She simply liked things this way. Her awareness reached to every corner of this enclosed space, and when she sensed someone approaching from the hallway, she looked up. Stretching out a hand, she drew up a spell. Magic requiring no incantation made the door silently swing inward.

[User] The young man on the other side peered into the room and chuckled. "All closed off again… Your body needs a little sunlight every so often."

[Assistant] "I don’t like it."

[User] "You’re hopeless." Valt said as he strode into the room and walked up to her. He stroked Miralys’s glossy silver hair, and she smiled. "The witch took the throne. Is that all right?"

[Assistant] "Yes. I needed her to."

[User] "How’s Farsas?"

[Assistant] "That’s also fine for the time being. Akashia remains a bit of a wild card, though."

[User] Valt answered as he pulled over a chair and sat across from Miralys. He crossed his legs and rested his chin in an arm he set on his knee. In his light brown eyes was a hint of a shadow. "It doesn’t matter that the king of Farsas fell for her. We only have to split them up and get her alone. She’s the weaker one."

[Assistant] "Really?" asked Miralys.

[User] "Psychologically, and that’s what matters."

[Assistant] Force of will was paramount. They knew that there were times when it could outsmart even the most powerful and change history.

[User] The girl sighed, eyeing the five rings on her right hand. "I’m still praying that I don’t have to face off against her directly. I may be borrowing your magic, but I’m still no match for a witch."

[Assistant] "I’m working to ensure that doesn’t happen. Even though history was overwritten on a vast scale, plenty of people are still the same as they were. I have lots of pawns I can move around."

[User] Seeing the future. Orchestrating fate. Those were their weapons. Valt smiled reassuringly at Miralys… but the expression faded swiftly.

[Assistant] "The world is waiting for one last straw."

[User] "What?"

[Assistant] "It’s something my father said. The world is trying to converge on the future that’s closest to how things should have been. Humans continue to alter it because of their desires. It’s a cycle."


[User] "And so the world is waiting for one last straw—a final move to restore things to their original form.”

[Assistant] "That sounds like something from a dream.”

[User] “The next day, my father hanged himself for the first time, and I understood everything." Valt said as lightly as if he were discussing what he’d eaten for dinner yesterday, but his words painted a sorrowful picture. They cast a shadow as dark as the ones the fierce midday sun peeking through the curtain left on the floor.

[Assistant] Miralys frowned. "Valt?”

[User] “I understood. And yet I—” Silence. It was like that dark room rejected and blocked off every fate in the world. Amid a sense of ennui almost inherited from the futures trying to converge, a drab melancholy shrouded the chamber.

[Assistant] Miralys stood, reached out for Valt, and clasped his face between her hands. She leaned close to him and whispered, “I don’t want to let you die.”

[User] “I’ll be fine.” The man smiled, yet despite his cheerful expression, he gave off a gloomy vibe, as if he’d accepted his fate.


[Assistant] It was just about lunchtime, and Oscar was puzzled that Royal Chief Mage Kumu, Doan, and Als had turned up at the door to his study. They stood in a row before his desk, docile looks on their faces. Finding that unsettling, Oscar came right out with it. “What? What happened?”

[User] "To be frank, we have a report to make to you, sire.” said Kumu, stepping forward and passing the king three documents.

[Assistant] Oscar began to scan them, and once he had finished reading everything, the expression on his face was quite indescribable. “What’s going on here? Magic?”

[User] “More than likely.”

[Assistant] When he read that none had returned, he scowled with displeasure. “This is extremely serious. It’s hard to believe five court mages have vanished.”

[User] “Unfortunately, it’s the truth.” Kumu added, "One mage in the party arrived late. He’s the one who discovered the fate of the other five.


[User] Upon realizing the rest of the group was gone, he inquired at the village if any had seen them. However, all the locals had vanished as well, so he returned to the castle.

[Assistant] "Does that mean they went into the ruins and couldn’t come out? How far did that mage search for the others?"

[User] "He only looked around the entrance, where he was supposed to meet them. When they weren’t there, he checked at the village first. It was probably wise that he didn’t venture deeper."

[Assistant] Puzzles over this account that made less sense by the moment.

[User] "If they went missing after entering the ruins, does that mean all the villagers went inside, too?"

[Assistant] "That can’t be… They were forbidden from doing so, as it was a royal investigation, so I would find it hard to imagine they’d all get close." Then his face visibly darkened. "However, there was an anti-decay charm at the entrance. But its spell composition was unique."

[User] "Unique how?"

[Assistant] "Much of it was impossible to decipher, suggesting the utilization of technology outside our magical knowledge… It’s possible there’s something very strange inside there."


[User] Leans back in his chair. He crossed his legs over the top of his desk, rakishly. Brooding, he inquired, "Do you think we should bring Akashia?"

[Assistant] After a short pause, Kumu spoke falteringly. "I don’t believe that you should be there, Your Majesty. We don’t know what we’d be walking into. It’s terrible what happened to the people who were lost, but we think we should seal off the entire site…"

[User] "So you’re suggesting we cut our losses?"


[Assistant] After closing his eyes and thinking, Oscar abruptly swung his legs off the desk and got to his feet. "So it’s either living up to expectations or going against them? I don’t really care either way, but… I’ll go."

[User] Kumu, Doan, and Als restrained themselves from expressing aloud that they knew he’d say that. They’d anticipated this from the start.


[User] "We should go quick. Be ready to explore the site tomorrow."

[Assistant] "Yes, Your Majesty." The three men bowed and left the study.


[User] The men exchange looks and sighed in the hall.

[Assistant] "If we’re going to seal it off anyway, I’d like to record why we elected to do so." Oscar muttered as he gazed up at the entrance, washed clean by the rain.

[User] Oscar called Doan and General Granfort to his side and issued some simple instructions.

[Assistant] "Should something happen, retreat. Protect yourself first and foremost.”

[User] All nodded in assent.

[Assistant] Oscar scanned the faces of his team, who were all ready, and nodded. "Then here we go." With that unceremonious start, Oscar led the way into the cave.

[User] Doan hurried after him with a glowing ball of magic light. "This is too clean for a ruin from hundreds of years ago. It may very well be true that some unknown technology is at work.”

[Assistant] "There’s no seams on these walls at all.”

[User] Oscar rapped on a wall. "Time hasn’t worn at them at all, just like Tinasha.”

[Assistant] "I beg of you never to say that to her, Your Majesty.”

[User] "You know, she actually studied pretty hard even after coming to Farsas.”


[Assistant] After walking for fifteen minutes, Oscar turned back to Doan with a frown and asked, “Was the mountain this big? We’ve gone pretty far back.”

[User] “It’s quite strange… Judging by the distance, we should soon reach the other side and exit to the open air. Yet…”


[User] Several minutes later, a shout changed everything. “Your Majesty!” came a sharp call from the back of the party.

[Assistant] Oscar and Doan whirled around instantly. “What happened? !” Oscar demanded, seized with apprehension.

[User] A soldier gulped and then answered tremulously, “The general… vanished.”

[Assistant] “He what?”


[Assistant] Doan contacted Kumu, then once he was done, he looked up at his king with a grave expression. “Your Majesty, let’s head back. This is too dangerous.”

[User] “Hmm.”

[Assistant] “If you must conduct a search, we should request aid from Tuldarr. None of our mages have any idea what happened.”

[User] “You do have a point,” Oscar admitted.


[User] Doan tugged on his sleeve. “Y-Your Majesty!”

[Assistant] Oscar turned to look deeper into the passage and was struck speechless to see the path ahead glowing. What’s more, the light was coming toward them, expanding outward bit by bit. The king glanced over his shoulder and understood that the light that had swallowed up the soldiers behind was also creeping closer. The trap was closing in from both sides, making it impossible to escape. In the end, the glow filled the entire passageway and caught the last two.


[User] When he came to, Oscar was in a rock chamber he’d never seen before. He hadn’t lost consciousness, but his memories were disconnected. At some point, he’d found himself standing in this small room. He could remember being on the path with Doan up until moments before, but now he was alone. “What is this place?”

[Assistant] The rock chamber wasn’t very big. He could walk the length of one of its sides in ten paces. There was no furniture, and swords and magic implements were scattered across the floor like so much trash.

[User] “Damn it… Did we all get separated?” Oscar whispered, checking to make sure he had Akashia in his right hand and Nark on his shoulder.

[Assistant] Noticing its master’s gaze, the dragon cocked its head.

[User] Oscar petted it as he scanned the room. There was a single door. Judging there to be nothing else of importance around, Oscar opened it and went out. The first priority was locating the rest of the investigation team. He prayed they were all safe. “I suppose it’s been a while since I explored some ruins on my own,” Oscar mused with no small degree of pride, recalling the days of his youth when all he did was sneak out of the castle.

[Assistant] The door led to the same type of passageway the party had been on before they’d disappeared, although likely a different one. Oscar had changed locations so suddenly that he couldn’t be sure of where he was, but one thing he did know was that this structure had to be vast. The path was plainly constructed and yet plenty bright, despite no sign of a light source. Doors similar to the one Oscar had come through lined the sides, each a few dozen paces apart. His door was situated at the end of the corridor. “I guess it saves me the trouble of choosing left or right,” Oscar remarked as he set off. He didn’t sense any sort of mechanisms, but there was no room to get careless. While making his way toward another door, he remained vigilant against any traps. “All right—”

[User] Before Oscar had time to wonder what was beyond the door, he detected something abnormal and leaped back. No sooner had he done so than a white blade sped past where he’d been standing. A moment later, an expressionless assailant was standing before him. The young man clad in black wore light equipment and gripped a dagger in each hand.


[User] Taking a deep breath, Oscar readied Akashia.

[Assistant] “Nark, get back.”

[User] Obeying its master’s order, the dragon flew up to the ceiling.

[Assistant] The assailant struck without giving Oscar so much as a moment. Crouching low, he closed the distance between them with frightening speed. Oscar used Akashia to repel the left dagger, which had been aimed at his legs. He instantly pulled Akashia back and up to parry the right, which had been lancing for his chest. The motions all occurred within the span of a second. Assassins were known for their inhumanly honed speed. Yet Oscar was swifter. Without waiting for the man to stab at him again, Oscar kicked up at his torso. The assassin jumped back to minimize the blow, however. He was more talented than the average military officer, and Oscar smirked despite himself.

[User] “You’re tougher than I thought. Are you the guardian of this place or something?” Caustically, he inquired.

[Assistant] His opponent didn’t respond—instead readying their weapons. Oscar had wanted to gather a little information, but his opponent didn’t seem to feel like talking. I can’t waste too much time. I still don’t know what happened to my people. Oscar switched modes. When the assassin leaped for him, he moved right in for him, too. This threw off his assailant, delaying his reaction. That spelled the end of the fight. With no groaning or grimacing in pain, the black-clad man disappeared once his belly was ripped open. It was like he was never anything but a phantom. Astonished, Oscar looked all around. He’d felt the stab through his sword, but no one was there. There were no traces of blood on Akashia’s blade, either.

[User] “What in the world was that?” Oscar said, shaking his head. He opened the door he’d meant to before the attack. Beyond it was a tiny rock chamber, the same as the one Oscar had appeared in, with nothing inside. Oscar checked all around the room before heading back into the hallway and setting off again.


[Assistant] Each time he arrived at a new room, another assassin would appear with no warning. This happened five times in succession. Sometimes, it was a pair of people, too. Occasionally, they attacked with swords or magic—it all seemed random. All the attackers had in common was that they never spoke, and they vanished without a trace upon sustaining a mortal wound.

[User] “What is going on? Are these ruins just full of ghosts?” Oscar grumbled, unable to make sense of anything, but then he remembered Tinasha saying ghosts didn’t exist. In that case, this had to be the result of some magical contrivance. Puzzled, Oscar continued his search. After he defeated the tenth assailant, the path veered to the right. He peered down the bend cautiously. It looked like a pretty major branching off. Constructing a map in his head, Oscar turned the corner.


[User] “Hold on…” His eyes went wide. This was a familiar face. But something was different.

[Assistant] Oscar’s voice exposed his fearful confusion as he called. “Tinasha?”

[User] She didn’t answer, remaining expressionless. Instead, she launched balls of light from her hands. The orbs zigzagged toward him with differing speeds, closing in.

[Assistant] Holding his breath, Oscar took a step forward and sliced through the spells holding the two orbs together.

[User] Even as he hesitated, Oscar plunged his sword into the center of it, shattering the vital key hidden inside the spell. He was prepared for the vortex to injure his arms, yet he only felt a rubbery snap. After nullifying three spells, he closed in on the girl floating in the air. One slice from Akashia tore apart her protective barrier. He reached his empty hand out to grab her throat. But in that split second, she disappeared, materializing behind him. Oscar sensed dense and powerful magic, and a shiver ran through him.

[Assistant] “Ngh!” He leaped forward without looking back.

[User] Nark landed on his shoulder and spewed fire behind him, offsetting the girl’s own conjured flames.

[Assistant] “You saved me, Nark,” he said, racing forward and then turning back to face the beautiful girl. With her gaze fixed on him all the while, she raised her right hand, and invisible blades sped forward.

[User] Of those razors that sought to encircle him, Oscar cleaved through only the ones that barred the way forward as he pressed in close to the girl. Once more, she tried to weave a spell. Akashia was faster than her teleportation magic, however. It hit her upstretched arm, and her spell dissolved. A grim, bitter look on his face, Oscar brought his sword down. The girl’s dark eyes widened. With her arm and head lopped off, the girl’s frame wavered for just a moment before vanishing.

[Assistant] “Disgusting,” Oscar spat, feeling a deep sense of despondence.


[User] "I’m going to have nightmares about that. Ugh, awful," Oscar said, heaving a long sigh as if he could expel that nasty aftertaste.

[Assistant] Nark chirped at him comfortingly.

[User] With a grimace, the king set back off on the path. Assailants continued to appear relentlessly. They varied in strength, making it impossible to pinpoint the origin of their manifestation. The girl from earlier was the only one Oscar recognized. As he ventured on, dispatching enemies, he kept a mental map of the increasingly mazelike tunnels. He checked his progress first to avoid running into dead ends. After Oscar departed a tiny, empty room, Nark gave a shrill cry.

[Assistant] Before Oscar could even wonder at it, he saw a woman dressed in a white mage’s costume. Instinctively, he readied Akashia. Recognizing him, the woman widened her eyes. Her delicate lips opened to say something, but she had to rush to grab her sword and parry away Akashia’s sharp slash. However, the royal sword’s second thrust was faster. She narrowly fended it off while adjusting her stance.

[User] "O-Oscar, wait!"

[Assistant] "You really look just like her." He stated calmly as he lunged for her a third time. She turned her blade diagonally to catch the blow, but Oscar twisted Akashia along the way, hooking it onto her slender sword and knocking the other weapon to the ground. Flustered, Tinasha next found herself with Oscar slamming her shoulders back against the rock wall with his left arm. He used the hand still gripping Akashia to grab her wrist, pressing his body weight against her to trap her between him and the wall. She struggled against his hold, trying to escape.

[User] "I said wait! You’re too close! Way too close!" Losing her composure, she shouted at him.

[Assistant] "The more I look at you, the more you seem identical to her."

[User] "I’m the real Tinasha!" She protested.

[Assistant] Oscar swooped in close, then kissed her ear. Before his eyes, her ivory white earlobe turned a deep red.

[User] "W-wait… seriously!" She pleaded with him in a reedy voice that sounded on the verge of tears.

[Assistant] For a bit, Oscar stared blankly at her. Her beauty was even more striking when her face was flushed. Just as she was about to beg him again, he suddenly burst out laughing. Oscar released her and bent down to pick up her sword. "What are you doing here?"

[User] "Hey! Do you finally believe it’s really me? !"

[Assistant] "Of course I do. I was only teasing."

[User] "…" Tinasha glared at him reproachfully, and Oscar smirked. After taking three deep breaths in and out, Tinasha stopped shaking with rage and faced Oscar. Sword back in hand, she pointed at him. "A magic attack made contact with the barrier around you, so I went to Farsas to see what had happened. I heard about the situation from Als, then went to the ruins and spoke to Kumu, and now I’m here."

[Assistant] "What barrier? I had a barrier?"

[User] "You’ve had it the whole time."


[User] "It’s set to be invisible.”

[Assistant] “Since when?”

[User] “Your coronation.”

[Assistant] “That’s pretty far back," Oscar said, rifling through his memories. Yes, he did recall having a barrier put on him. But something else had happened after that. "Didn’t you undo it?”

[User] “I did not. I only enhanced it and camouflaged it,” Tinasha explained, and she stuck out her tongue.

[Assistant] He barked out a dry laugh upon finally learning the truth.

[User] “It’s my barrier, so it’s connected to me. I’ll know when it repels magic. Did you battle a mage?” Tinasha went on matter-of-factly.

[Assistant] Oscar recalled the fight with the girl, grimacing. “I fought a younger version of you.” He pointed at Tinasha.

[User] “Oh… so I’m recorded, too, then?” she replied, pulling a face.

[Assistant] Confused, Oscar asked, “Recorded? What does that mean, and what attacked me?”

[User] Tinasha winced. “In short, this place is… a repository of sorts that records people and preserves them.”

[Assistant] “What?”

[User] Tinasha frowned. “I’m not sure how it operates, but this place captures people and creates duplicates of them. Normally, these copies are merely storage vessels that contain information, but when they sense an intruder, they will materialize to eliminate them.”

[Assistant] “So that’s what I fought?”

[User] “Yes. In Tuldarr, it’s known as the Harvesting. Four hundred years ago, I also came here in search of missing people. It caught me and made a duplicate of me. I thought I’d escaped before the process was finished, but it looks like I was wrong.”

[Assistant] “You’ve been here before? !”

[User] “I wouldn’t have been able to find you otherwise. It’s only because I got close that I was able to rely on my sense for the barrier on you to forcibly teleport closer,” she explained in a huff, cheeks puffed out in annoyance.

[Assistant] Oscar looked down at her. “So were you the one who blocked off the entrance? It was buried inside a cliff.”

[User] “You mean the entrance that you came in from? No. I destroyed all the entrances. This place isn’t inside a mountain; I don’t know where it is, exactly. Four centuries ago, I came in from a spot in Tuldarr.”

[Assistant] “It has multiple entrances?”

[User] “Yes. It can transfer those within and abduct any who are close by. Other entrances may exist, too.”

[Assistant] Shaking off the last of his shock, Oscar posed another question. “Why do you call it the Harvesting? That’s a really unsettling name. What happens to the people this place abducts?


[User] “Are they used to grow mushrooms or something?”

[Assistant] “What an unpleasant mental image… There are no mushrooms. They should be asleep in their duplicates’ chambers. I’ll show you.”

[User] “Thanks.” Oscar responded honestly.

[Assistant] Tinasha smiled. It had been a long time since he’d seen her cute side, and he found himself grinning back at her. The last time we met was when I proposed. She hadn’t given him her reply yet, but Oscar felt no particular sense of urgency. Tinasha was quite an awkward person. If someone told her to decide with her feelings, she would be lost in confusion for a while. He didn’t intend to rush her. She could take her time discovering an answer. That said, judging by how she looked now, she’d forgotten all about the matter. The young queen had come running in a panic, her mind clearly occupied by the emergency.

[User] “It’s this way, Oscar.” Tinasha called, beckoning to him. The two set off along the twisting, turning path. While she paused here and there to waver over which way to go, they made solid progress without needing to turn back at all. Oscar was truly relieved for the rescue. While he’d been trying not to think about it, he had actually lost faith that he’d be able to save everyone. Oscar glanced at Tinasha walking alongside him and felt the desire to stroke her hair.

[Assistant] “So when a duplicate is defeated, does the person who was captured get freed?” He asked.

[User] “They do not. They were all left to sleep, so they eventually die of starvation. The last time I was here, I was devastated to find a mountain of skeletons and bones. That’s why we call it the Harvesting.”

[Assistant] “Yeah, I can’t imagine anyone would be happy to see something like that…” The initial search party had vanished three days ago. Oscar hoped they hadn’t perished yet. That made Oscar remember the investigative team he’d come in with.

[User] “So was everyone else on my team sent to a random place in the ruins like I was?”

[Assistant] “Hmm, they’re probably all asleep. I think you were separated because you have Akashia. That made the ruins judge you to be something abnormal. The structure has a disposal chamber.” Tinasha explained dispassionately.

[User] “Is that why?” Oscar said, glancing down at his beloved sword. True enough, that room he’d been deposited in was the only one littered with assorted objects. The others had all been empty. Perhaps that had been the area for isolating magic implements.

[Assistant] “That’s just a guess, though. This place seems to operate automatically. Honestly, it’s all a bunch of things that ordinary magic technology can’t detect. It gives me the creeps.” Tinasha admitted with a scowl. Even for her, these ruins were a mystery.

[User] “Automatic…,”

[Assistant] “So there’s no one here pulling the strings? Not even a demonic spirit of some kind?”

[User] “At the very least, there wasn’t anyone four hundred years ago."


[User] “This place is a complete enigma.” What was this Harvesting that had been going on for four centuries? Before Oscar could think too deeply on it, he sensed something and popped his head up. A new assailant had appeared. He was about to ready Akashia to face off against this unknown male mage when the man abruptly exploded.

[Assistant] Impressed and awed, “You’re really something, you know that?”

[User] “This seems to have no end. It’s all just information, which is how it constructs duplicates.”

[Assistant] “Human copies, huh? If that’s not normally possible, does that mean that there was a mage capable of the feat long ago?”

[User] “No. The laws of magic are immutable, whether past or present… This place employs something that should, by all rights, be impossible, even for me or a high-ranking demon.”

[Assistant] “Something outside the laws of magic… Has there never been anything like that before?”

[User] After an awkward pause, “That magic orb.”

[Assistant] Oscar recalled the little sphere that had allowed the two of them to meet in the first place. The object’s very existence undeniably defied the laws of magic.

[User] Bitterly, “Ultimately, my people failed to destroy the ruins the last time. We didn’t break its automatic defense mechanism.”

[Assistant] “So you destroyed the entrances instead?”

[User] “As a last resort, yes. But if it can create other openings elsewhere, then there will be no end to it.”

[Assistant] Nodding to himself, Oscar turned the issue over in his head. While the nature of this place was unknown, it had clearly been constructed by a sentient being. And if it was made by something that defied the laws of magic, its goal really might be simply to record humans. Record, collect, store. Who would review all that information? An absurd mental image of a child lining up a collection of colorful glass marbles on a sunny windowsill surfaced in Oscar’s mind. Children are often cruel. They don’t consider others’ suffering. Oscar sighed, fed up with his silly musings. The pair rounded one corner after the next, making progress while defeating enemies. At last, they reached a large door at the end of the passageway. Tinasha placed her hand on it, then paused and looked over her shoulder to Oscar.

[User] “How many people have been captured?”

[Assistant] “An entire small village… and our people from the castle. Altogether, a little over three hundred.”

[User] “That’s so many!” She exclaimed, removing her palm from the door and crossing her arms. After scowling for some time, she glanced up at Oscar. “I’m going to open a transportation array here. You go wake the people inside. They’ll be within cocoons, but you can tear through them.”

[Assistant] “Oh, I don’t like the sound of that one bit…”

[User] “They function as human storage vaults. However, once you open the cocoons, a large number of guardians should appear.


[User] "I’ll take care of those.”

[Assistant] "By yourself?”

[User] “I’ll be fine. But I may not be able to keep it up for very long, so hurry,” Tinasha said. She flashed Oscar a smile but didn’t meet his gaze. There was something ephemeral in her face that worried him.

[Assistant] Still, he intended to take the queen of Tuldarr at her word. She wouldn’t have made the declaration if she wasn’t prepared. “If you feel you’re in danger, call for me. Don’t get yourself hurt,”

[User] “I’ll do my best.” After flashing Oscar a wry look, she began her incantation. Her dark eyes urged him to go.

[Assistant] Oscar nodded and pushed open the door. On the other side lay a vast, cavernous space. There was something of a mystical quality to the air, like one might find in a cathedral. What Oscar saw inside astonished him. “Whoa…” The floor was littered with pods the size of adult humans. Each of the white, translucent things was rooted to the ground. Oscar peered into the closest one and saw a man slumped over, his eyes closed. Inside the pod next to him was a skeleton. These were the cocoons Tinasha had mentioned. Oscar grimaced to see the repugnant things for himself, his stomach turning unpleasantly


[User] A hand tapped him on the shoulder. Tinasha had finished opening the array. “I’m ready. Go ahead now.” She left Oscar to move deeper into the room. Seemingly in response to her intrusion, a dozen or so guardians materialized in front of the wall at the back of the room. Oscar noticed there was an intricate spell design etched into the surface. Tinasha stopped. She did not draw her sword but instead outstretched her arms. “My word defines a metal that shall not become blade. A rift of negation. A painless span of time.” The queen’s voice sent shock waves through the chamber. The air changed. More than twenty crescent-shaped crimson blades appeared in midair. After a short inhale, Tinasha whispered in a lyrical voice. “I reject you.” The words flew for the guardians, who met them expressionlessly. While Tinasha manipulated the blades, she cried out. “Karr! Senn!”

[Assistant] “Yeah, yeah.”

[User] “You called?” In response to their master’s summons, two mystical spirits teleported in on either side of Tinasha. Taking in the scene before them, they frowned.

[Assistant] “We’re back here? I hate this place.”

[User] “Carry out your orders without complaint, Karr.” Even as they spoke, the two spirits wove elaborate spells. Their intense magic attacks fell upon the guardians like rain. The guardians, who varied in appearance and gender, vanished one after another, mowed down by magic. However, more appeared just as quickly to take the places of their defeated comrades. Keeping an eye on the battle at the far end of the room, Oscar moved from one cocoon to the next. Once he found the one he was looking for, he used Akashia to cut it open.


[User] The unsettling pod began to dissolve from the laceration and oozed out, losing its shape. Oscar gave a light kick to the man sleeping inside. "Doan, wake up!"

[Assistant] After several seconds, the mage groaned. Oscar grabbed Doan’s arm and hauled him to his feet. When Oscar saw that Doan was blinking his eyes open, Oscar barked orders at him. "There’s a transportation array set up at the door. Cut through the cocoons and help the people inside escape. Get our people from the castle to help once they’re awake!"

[User] Doan’s expression grew serious. He looked all around him and then shot up. "Y-yes, Your Majesty…" He probably didn’t fully understand the situation, but he headed off to rescue the people sealed up near the door.

[Assistant] Oscar continued opening up the cocoons around him, which mainly contained the Farsas investigative team. The king shook them awake and issued his orders. Once all of his subjects were awake, Oscar hurried for the pods at the back of the chamber.

[User] Karr frowned to see sweat beading on his master’s forehead. He and Senn were helping Tinasha battle back the guardians while protecting the cocoons, but she was also maintaining the transportation array simultaneously. It was taxing work to keep a teleportation spell from an unknown location to the outside world going. And while Tinasha was doing that, she was also casting attack magic. Karr pushed his queen behind him. "Call another two or three, little girl."

[Assistant] For a moment, she gaped at him, but she quickly nodded in agreement. "Itz, Saiha, Mila, come here."

[User] New spirits appeared. Their faces grew tense once they beheld the situation.

[Assistant] Tinasha sighed and issued orders. "Hold things down here… and try not to hurt anyone."

[User] "Yes, my lady." They replied reverently, which reassured Tinasha to some degree.

[Assistant] The queen of Tuldarr took in a deep breath and began a new incantation. Over a hundred guardians had appeared already, attacking relentlessly. No matter how many fell, new phantoms materialized instantaneously. Tinasha and her spirits couldn’t use magic on too large a scale, so while they were far stronger than the phantoms, this war of attrition was slowly but surely pressing them to exhaustion. Even if Tinasha called more spirits, the vast size of the chamber and the cocoons posed limitations that would make it difficult for them to fight. While it wasn’t ideal, all they could do in this situation was keep at it.

[User] "Over there! We’re opening that one!" He shouted among a group. They ran over to a cocoon behind Tinasha and the spirits, shouting to one another as they did. However, they were brought up short by the distinctive and peculiar sight of the spirits.

[Assistant] Tinasha turned and faced the soldiers with a smile. "Please, go ahead." That snapped them back to their senses, and they quickly cut into the nearest cocoons. Then the group escorted the emaciated villagers to the door. Unfortunately, a phantom appeared by them.


[User] By the time Tinasha noticed, the guardian was about to bring his sword down upon a child. A wave of her hand was all it took to crush the thing. The soldiers helped the kid toward the safety of the door. Tinasha breathed a sigh as she watched the child’s mother carry him off.

[Assistant] "Ah!" Her arms flailed in the air but could find no purchase—until she fell back against a man who was there to steady her.

[User] He pulled her fully upright and gazed searchingly into her dark eyes. "That was close."

[Assistant] "Can you keep going for a little longer?" he asked fervently, unwaveringly.

[User] Tinasha smiled. She loved hearing him urge her to fight and the feeling of his unshakable belief in her. And she wanted to fulfill his request. She wished to stand tall, even if she was alone. The world was neither a kind place nor a cruel one. It simply existed as it was. Everything was both exceptional and commonplace. Only what was possible would happen. Tinasha understood that, which was why she refused to quit. "I’m all right. I can keep going." She assured Oscar with a nod, straightening her posture to face her enemies. The young woman told herself there was nothing she couldn’t overcome.


[Assistant] As Tinasha watched the soldiers opening the remaining dozen or so cocoons scattered around the corners of the room, her face suddenly contorted in pain. "Ngh…"

[User] Something was applying pressure to close the transportation array, and the force of it was falling on the caster, Tinasha. That unknown power weighed down on her with brutal intensity. The attack sought to wipe the spell away. Anyone besides the queen of Tuldarr would have crumpled and perished beneath the force of the opposition. Even Tinasha would have difficulty holding out against this until everyone could escape. The color drained from her face, but her dark eyes remained fierce and determined.

[Assistant] Oscar, who was fighting by her side with Akashia in hand, was the first to notice. "Tinasha?" He gave her a concerned look and used his thumb to wipe away the sweat gathering on her forehead.

[User] Tinasha’s eyes closed in a pained blink. "The enemy… is trying to block me… It’s trying to force my portal closed…"

[Assistant] Oscar watched the signs of desperate struggle cross Tinasha’s face, and then he had a thought. Look ahead. New guardians weren’t popping up as quickly as before, nor were there as many of them. That alone wasn’t enough to conclude that the enemy’s power was waning. But perhaps it was diverting some amount of strength into that force working against Tinasha. Glancing at the faintly glowing spell design carved into the back wall, Oscar made up his mind.


[User] "Tinasha, let me have your sight."

[Assistant] "Hmm?" The young woman’s eyes grew round and wide, but she nodded and touched his hand, whispering a short incantation. "Please don’t go overboard…"

[User] "There are times when that’s the only option. I’ll be fine." Then he took a deep breath. The world changed immediately. It wasn’t just the magic in the air; he’d already been able to see that. Lines of even thicker magic emerged all over the place. Tinasha’s vision allowed him to see that multiple layers were intertwined within that complex, overly elaborate design on the wall. The network of luminous threads was like ivy, entirely covering some portions of the stone facade. Oscar stared at it coldly as he squeezed Tinasha’s hand tightly.

[Assistant] "Stay right here." Leaving her with those few powerful words, Oscar took off. Slipping through the vanguard of the five spirits, he charged into the army of guardians. A stroke of Akashia repelled the blades that came rushing to meet him from all directions. Magic hurled at the king vanished before finding its mark, probably thanks to the spirits. Still perched on Oscar’s shoulder, Nark extended its neck and breathed flame to drive away the phantoms pursuing him from the sides. If I waste time here, I’m going to get swallowed up. Oscar cut down a guardian blocking his way and continued his advance. Before long, he was at the wall. With his gaze still trained on it, he swung Akashia and cleaved through a guardian trying to attack him from behind. As he stared up at the glowing surface, his gaze lingered on one point in the center.

[User] "That’s it." Several paces to the right, a large, transparent crystal sphere was embedded in the wall. It was large enough to reach the floor. An intricate spell configuration rested within it, and Oscar recognized that the complex magic was revolving in place. Oscar moved to the orb and stabbed Akashia into it without hesitation. A clear cracking sounded through the chamber. Akashia’s hilt grew hot. But it passed in a second, and the crystal sphere shattered to pieces. Just like the guardians, the shards that went flying vanished into thin air like phantoms. Then the entire room lurched. A horrible, violent sound like metal grating together echoed from every direction.

[Assistant] "Ngh…" The uncomfortable sensation of a rapid pressure change swept over everyone. Reflexively, Oscar put his hands on his ears as screams erupted from all over. Some were even doubled over on the ground, clutching their heads. Yet the pandemonium ceased as quickly as it came. Oscar looked around and found that all the guardians had vanished. The wall that had shone brightly with power was now dark.

[User] "You destroyed… the core?" Tinasha whispered, disbelief plain in her tone. Oscar turned back to see her free from the pressure that had been weighing on her, but also astonished. When Tinasha was surprised, she looked just like a little kid. It was precious.


[User] Just looking at her made him start laughing.

[Assistant] “What’s so funny?”

[User] “Your face.”

[Assistant] “Is now the time?!” Her outraged reaction only amused him further.

[User] Oscar was about to take a step when he heard a low voice full of resentment mutter in his ear, “You damn insider…”

[Assistant] “What? Some kind of trick?” he wondered aloud.

[User] After shaking his head, he hurried to Tinasha’s side. She was still shocked at how abruptly everything had come to an end. “How did you do that…?”

[Assistant] “What do you mean, ‘how’? It had one of those vital points.”

[User] “Yes, but there were many others that looked just as genuine. How did you know that one was the true core?”

[Assistant] “Intuition.”

[User] “You really are something abnormal,” Tinasha replied with a sigh. Her expression was a mix of exasperation and admiration. The enigmatic ruins that even the Witch Killer Queen and her spirits could do nothing about four hundred years ago had now been unceremoniously silenced and their mechanism dismantled by the Akashia swordsman. All the villagers had been safely evacuated. Tinasha was the last one to depart the ruins. She looked back at the cave passageway, checking to make sure no one was there, then lifted a hand toward the entrance. Lightning shot from her palm, sending deep tremors far back along the passage. The rupture set off a cave-in that culminated in the collapse of the access to the ruins. Tinasha watched until the shaking ceased, then turned back around with a shrug. “This should do. Since the mechanism is destroyed, we could have left it open and intact, but I wouldn’t feel right about that.”

[Assistant] “Yep. Thanks, you really saved us,”

[User] “I should be thanking you for destroying the core.” Her dark eyes were narrowed, as if she were gazing into some distant past. That calm, self-possessed, and yet melancholic gaze was the hallmark of Tinasha’s queenly persona. It was clear she was thinking of the people of Tuldarr she had failed to rescue. The look drew Oscar in inexorably. Rather than act upon that feeling, however, he decided to inquire about a different matter. “What do you think made those ruins in the first place?”

[Assistant] “Hmm… I’m curious, but I don’t have any clue at all. It’s something outside the laws of magic, which means I haven’t the faintest idea.”

[User] “But aren’t there lots of things humans don’t know about on other planes of existence?” Indeed, Tinasha was the one who informed Oscar that their world was like an endless stack of transparent pages all existing in the same place. Humans only comprehended a fraction of the total pages. Oscar’s remark was meant to point out that something on a different plane might exist outside the usual rules. However, Tinasha shook her head. “I think you may have misunderstood.


[User] "The laws of magic are called that because they exist on the laws of magic’s plane of existence, but they do apply to other planes as well. That’s why humans can use spells here… It’s no different from the laws of our so-called world itself. Even though our world is made up of multiple planes of existence, it is not divided into those separate planes—it’s all one world. My degree of sight may be different from yours, but that doesn’t change what exists, does it?” With a snap of Tinasha’s fingers, a pale spray of magic flared to life.

[Assistant] Oscar could see it because of the magical sight drills she had put him through. And as the preeminent mage of her era, Tinasha could view much, much more than he could. But that didn’t mean the world itself was different.

[User] “Thus, it’s possible that a law outside the laws of magic exists. But one that contradicts the laws of magic cannot exist on another plane. That would be like repudiating the world itself.”

[Assistant] “I… think I get it?” Oscar answered doubtfully.

[User] He had a vague sense of comprehension.

[Assistant] “Then what about something beyond this world?”

[User] Tinasha’s eyes widened like a cat’s. "What?"

[Assistant] “You said that the different planes of this world all share the same laws. So then what if it’s coming from outside all that?”

[User] “From beyond the world… What is that supposed to mean? Don’t bring up something so absurd from out of the blue.”

[Assistant] “You’re the one who said that something going against a law of magic would put it at odds with the world.”

[User] “But that doesn’t mean jumping straight to the idea that another world might exist.”

[Assistant] “Has it been proved that one doesn’t?” Oscar pressed.

[User] For him, these were all perfectly natural questions to ask.

[Assistant] Tinasha fell silent, utterly flummoxed.

[User] She pressed a hand to her mouth. “It hasn’t been… proved, no… But even so… it’s impossible to verify the nonexistence of anything past our world.”

[Assistant] “Yeah, I bet it would be. There’s no telling how many different planes there are here,” Oscar reasoned.

[User] His remark about another world had been an off-the-cuff musing. Verifying it any further would be difficult. Yet the subdued look in Tinasha’s dark eyes betrayed that she was stuck on the possibility. She was sinking deep into the ocean of her thoughts. Oscar watched her studiously. He was well acquainted with the siren’s beauty she possessed. Tinasha was a queen and a young girl all at once. A fearsome mage… and just a very adorable person. Finally noticing Oscar’s eyes upon her, Tinasha looked up. For a second, her face paled as if she’d remembered something, then she immediately turned red.


[User] As Oscar watched steam virtually pour off her face, he recalled that she hadn’t given him an answer to his proposal yet. She was clearly wavering over what she should say. With a serious expression, Oscar said, “You can give me an answer whenever you’re ready.”

[Assistant] The proposal must have seemed a preemptive strike with no warning. Tinasha jumped like a cat when its tail was pulled. Blushing even deeper, she looked down and away. “I’m very sorry for keeping you waiting…”

[User] “No, I don’t mind. How many marriage proposals have you gotten since then? I know other countries must have sent some.”

[Assistant] A pause. “Seven.”

[User] “Wow. Which nations?” Oscar inquired, making no effort to hide his displeasure.

[Assistant] “What’s with that face?! I’m not telling you! They all just want to have me as their weapon anyway!” Tinasha cried, looking ready to fight.

[User] “Hmm, I wouldn’t be so sure.” Undoubtedly, lots of foreign powers coveted Tinasha as an instrument of war, but Oscar didn’t think that was the only motivation. He knew that on the day of her coronation, she must have unknowingly captivated the hearts of many who witnessed her in the flesh. But I’m the one who knows her better than any other.

[Assistant] Tinasha pouted at Oscar, then, in a small voice, asked, “What is it you like about me…?”

[User] “How weird you are.”

[Assistant] “What sort of an answer is that?” Tinasha shot back, deflated. But she picked herself back up quickly enough and let out a long exhale to reset her mood. Brushing long strands of black hair from her face, the queen of Tuldarr looked up at Oscar with a profound quality to her gaze. “You know nothing about me.”


[User] A gentle breeze whooshed past.

[Assistant] Peering toward Tuldarr to the northwest, Tinasha stated, “They called me the ice queen. You’ll find all sorts of things if you research my history—not everything, though. I made decisions that would be considered unthinkable in this era. That’s the sort of person I am.” The words were soft, but her voice was tinged with pain. Slowly, Tinasha’s dark eyes closed as if that could lock up the night. “I don’t intend to make excuses and say that I had to do what I did because it was the Dark Age and because I was the queen… After I abdicated, I went to see my parents once under the strictest secrecy. It was the first and last time I met with them. We could barely hold a conversation, and it wasn’t like I could live with them or anything… I missed my parents to death when I was little, but I had no idea what to do upon finally reuniting.


[User] In the end, I chose to put myself to sleep using magic… That’s how coldhearted I am.” The halting way Tinasha spoke made her sound no different than a little girl. Her eyes remained closed. Oscar could see her awkward former self in her expression, and he grinned with fondness.

[Assistant] “I know you’ll regret it once you realize who I am. Spending your life with me, that is…”

[User] “Oh yeah? Tell me everything, then.”

[Assistant] Oscar remains silent. Her silence was neither a yes nor a no. Tinasha simply stood there, rooted in place and all alone, just as she undoubtedly had four centuries ago. Oscar reached out to brush a thumb along her cheek.

[User] “You can tell me whatever you like. I don’t mind if you keep some things hidden. Whatever you need, I’m fine either way. Knowing everything won’t change the way I feel.”

[Assistant] “That’s a lot of up-front promises you may not be able to make good on.”

[User] “Careful not to sell me too short.” Her long lashes stirred. Tinasha gazed up at Oscar, black eyes glimmering and damp. A trackless sea of loneliness rocked within them. The next words from Oscar’s lips sank deep into her soul.

[Assistant] “Your oddities are amusing, and I enjoy your strengths and your weaknesses. I like the decisions you make, how you carry yourself, how childish you are, and the queen in you as well. I think the way you live your life is beautiful, even if that’s only one part of who you are.” Knowing everything wasn’t necessary to Oscar. Even if he did, he wouldn’t come to regret his actions. He knew how deeply compassionate she was—the way she was as innocent as a little girl and how she could choose to be queen. That look of longing for the way the people lived on the night he found her gazing toward the city during the festival was all he needed to understand about her. That was likely the moment he began falling in love with her. The only thing was that he couldn’t allow himself to feel that way at the time. Tinasha winced. A red flush tinted her pale complexion.

[User] “I don’t understand your taste.”

[Assistant] “You don’t have to. My preferences are mine. Let me keep them.”

[User] Tinasha puffed up her cheeks, pouting. “Just so you know, I never hoped for anything from you.”

[Assistant] “Is that right?”

[User] “I came here to be useful to you.”

[Assistant] “I know. Like an uninvited bride.”

[User] “That’s totally wrong!” Tinasha balled her hands into fists. But once she’d settled back down, she asked in a much calmer voice, “So you really think you won’t have any regrets?”

[Assistant] “Nope.” This was his choice. He wouldn’t lament it. And should such a day come, he wouldn’t cower from the past. Staring straight into her dark eyes still heavy with worry, Oscar said, “I want to live my life with you.


[User] "Can’t I be selfish and follow my heart just once in my lifetime?”

[Assistant] If he had to devote his entire life to his country, he would spend it at her side. The way he bared his heart to Tinasha left her too overwhelmed to speak.

[User] But soon enough, she lifted her head, biting her lip. “I understand. I also kept you waiting without any word from me at all. I’ve spent too long dawdling, so I will give you my answer now.”

[Assistant] “You were dawdling, were you?”

[User] “Hush!” Tinasha took a deep breath and straightened up. Her face suddenly shifted from that of a girl’s into something sincere and serious. Clear, strangely familiar eyes fixed directly on Oscar. “If you’ll have me, then I gratefully accept your proposal.”

[Assistant] Tinasha stumbled a little once she finished her sentence, perhaps from all the recent strain. Oscar wrapped her in an embrace. The feel of her delicate frame enclosed within his arms made him break into a smile. He was so happy, he didn’t know what to do. Oscar felt like a boy again. When he pressed a kiss to the smooth skin of her cheek, she blushed and looked away.

[User] “You’re too close.”


[User] "Get used to it." Oscar replied, his words succinct but full of affection, as he savored the feeling of his bride in his arms. Neither of them paid any mind to the shocked citizens all around them.

[Assistant] His wish was that she would always be smiling; his hope was that her loneliness would abate. He would cherish her more than anything and walk through life at her side. Oscar was confident that he would never meet anyone better to spend his days with.

[User] Tinasha wriggled free and floated up into the air to keep from being crushed to death in Oscar’s embrace. She pressed her palms to her cheeks, which were still flushed pink. "I ran off to come help you, so I need to be getting back. I had one of the spirits impersonate me, but people will probably figure that out before long."

[Assistant] "A queen shouldn’t be sneaking out." Oscar scolded.

[User] "You of all people do not get to say that! You put yourself on your own survey team!" she cried.

[Assistant] She was about to teleport away when Oscar grabbed her hand.

[User] "Once I get back to Farsas Castle, I’m going to send you an official messenger and letter."

[Assistant] "Oh? Do you mean you want to go public with our engagement?"

[User] "Of course. Or maybe I should go harass those seven countries." he said arrogantly.

[Assistant] Frowning, "Don’t." Lowering herself a little, she placed a hand on Oscar’s shoulder. "You better not tell me you assumed I’d definitely say yes."

[User] "I didn’t think that. You’re completely unpredictable, after all."

[Assistant] "Hmph." Tinasha stuck out her lower lip. It doesn’t feel real yet.

[User] All this time, Tinasha had believed he had no interest in her and so left her feelings about him alone. Now that she knew she was wrong, she wanted to bury herself in a hole for how strangely embarrassing it all felt. His gaze and hands on her made it difficult to relax. Would she really get used to it someday?

[Assistant] Oscar reached for Tinasha’s cheek and laid a gentle hand along it. He seemed reluctant to part. "Come see me anytime."

[User] "I will take you up on that." Tinasha answered with a pleased smile, and then she vanished.

[Assistant] Oscar smiled wryly as he mulled over the many ways she would make for an unprecedented queen of Farsas. While they couldn’t marry for another year, there were preparations to be done now. First, Oscar needed to propose to her formally. As he drew up a list in his head of all the things he needed to do, Oscar turned around and stepped into the transportation array that took him and his attendants back home.


[User] Valt sinks into a chair, a letter from the outside world in his hand. It was only one sheet of paper, the message brief and concise. He gave it a glance and then ignited it in his grip. "Ugh… it is such a pain subduing the impatient."

[Assistant] "Did they say something to you again?" She was seated in a chair on the opposite side of the room. While Valt was in a plush, upholstered one, hers was a simple wooden thing.

[User] While keeping his voice light, Valt groused, “I understand why they want to hurry and get to the battle, but still…”

[Assistant] “Perhaps they’ll learn if they rush on out and mess up.”

[User] “That does sound interesting, but we don’t have any substitutes. We have to use them at the exact right time,” he replied with a bitter, long-suffering smile.

[Assistant] Miralys furrowed her brow. “Why have they made Farsas their enemy anyway? Is the grass really that greener on the other side?”

[User] “I’m sure that’s part of it. Farsas is one of the top two nations in all our land, and it has Akashia. People like them seek nothing more than to bring Farsas to its knees.”

[Assistant] “How pathetic.”

[User] “That’s harsh, Miralys,” Valt remarked, resting one elbow on the armrest of the chair and his chin on his hand. He looked to be deep in thought. “Oh, I heard that some strange ruins were uncovered in Farsas. Was that your doing?”

[Assistant] Miralys asked.

[User] “No, it wasn’t. That place was the work of an outsider—a perfect coincidence, you might call it. This latest rewrite has really left wide-reaching ramifications. All sorts of things that were buried in history are coming to light. It’s like digging through the sand on a beach and arriving at some wholly different place.”

[Assistant] “Doesn’t that mean the world is converging toward the true future?”

[User] “It should be, yes. We may have found that one last straw we’ve been waiting for,” Valt answered blandly, but Miralys didn’t miss the flash of dark intent that passed across his eyes. He stared at a fixed point on the wall. “If the world has started to move, then we need to hurry, too. They successfully dismantled those ruins. She really is the key—the strongest mage and spirit sorcerer in history. Even weakened, she still has great potential.”

[Assistant] Valt stood and glanced at the clock. “I’ve got to get going. So much to prepare.


[User] Miralys walked over to Valt as he massaged his stiff shoulders.

[Assistant] He looked down at her and, abruptly, his face turned serious. "Miralys, power is only power in the end. It will always be linked to the mental state of its user. What matters is not how much strength you have; it’s how well you can wield it."

[User] "I know that."

[Assistant] Miralys and Valt exchanged glances. And then, with an incantation, vanished into thin air.


[User] The beautiful queen at the center of the commotion entered her council room with a grimace. "Members of the council."

[Assistant] Tinasha greeted them, suppressing the heat rising to her cheeks. "As I’m sure all of you know, I will marry into Farsas after I abdicate. However, my engagement does not mean that there will be any changes in Tuldarr’s new government. I hope that my marriage will contribute to friendly relations between our two nations and that we will continue to work well together." She had tried to speak as calmly as possible, but she couldn’t keep the faintest hint of a blush off her face.

[User] All the members were delighted to see their queen looking so youthful and offered her their congratulations.


[User] The chief royal mage stroked his beard as he said, “The continent has so few precedents to reference for a parliamentary system…”

[Assistant] “Evidently, the small nation of Tyle in the south once had a similar method in place. However, the records state that a house speaker with overwhelming support rewrote the laws and made it a dictatorship. A decade later, the people revolted, and the country fell.”

[User] “So the conditions we set for amending laws are crucial, then.”

[Assistant] “We could either require the regent’s approval or not. Should the two pillars of regent and parliament be equal, or should one be superior to the other?”

[User] Tinasha listened to each member’s opinions and offered thoughts of her own. Her expression held no traces of the bashfulness she’d had upon entering the room. She wore the face of one laboring to change her country.


[Assistant] Tinasha spread out the papers she had brought back on her desk and smiled wanly. "We have a lot of work to do.”

[User] “It won’t be built in a day, after all. I hope that the result will be satisfying to all.” The mage Renart, who had come to give her a report on another matter, nodded.

[Assistant] “I do, too.”

[User] The spirit glanced at the documents on the desk and laughed. “The only thing that’s changed in four hundred years is how tall the stack of papers is. There’s been no progress at all.” Lilia placed a cup of tea before her master.

[Assistant] “That’s because there were only books and ledgers back then, not loose sheets. Things have gotten easier, at the very least.”

[User] “How were reports like mine given without documents?” Renart inquired, curious.

[Assistant] Tinasha grinned at him mischievously. “All of them were given orally. If it were still like that now, you’d never be able to leave this room.” With a hand, she motioned to the stack of papers Renart was carrying.

[User] The man’s expression stiffened.

[Assistant] The queen brought her teacup to her mouth with a grin.

[User] Lilia threw the tray into the air, and it disappeared.


[User] “Putting that aside, I thought you’d be more relaxed once you were engaged, Lady Tinasha. That doesn’t seem to be so.”

[Assistant] “Pff—” Tinasha choked on her drink and coughed violently.

[User] “Before getting engaged, you were so bothered by the question of it and fretted endlessly. Yet now you’re in such an exhilarated state that you can’t calm down. I’ve seen you smiling to yourself over nothing, pacing around, and flailing in bed.”

[Assistant] “Y-you’re wrong about all that!” Tinasha protested, slamming her hands on the desk and jumping to her feet. Snatching up her teacup, she held it as she began to pace around the study. “The w-wedding won’t be for another year… And it counts as a political union, too, you know.” As she conjured excuses no one had asked for, a rosy hue colored her cheeks. She stopped in her tracks, gazing down at her reflection on the surface of the tea in her cup. “It’s true that I… l-love him, yes…” The words were nearly inaudible, and Tinasha went scarlet. Her smile was shy, though she was overflowing with happiness. The picture she painted, beaming with joy in the throes of her first love, made her nothing more than a girl full of anticipation for her own wedding. Seeing his lady like this caused Renart to grin.

[User] Only shrugged. “You’re like this all the time in your chambers now. Why don’t you just go marry him already?”

[Assistant] “I have work to do, thank you!” Tinasha snapped tartly, draining her cup before marching back to her desk.

[User] Hiding his smile, Renart placed a new set of papers on the desk. “All right, please look these over.” He launched into an explanation of the most pressing issues for the queen to handle. Tinasha had to take care of her usual duties that were separate from setting up the new system. Legis had aided with some of these tasks in the past, but she tended to deal with almost all of them herself. However, when Tinasha settled problems, she was frequently told there was no precedent for her resolution method. Thus, she had to show some manner of restraint. Any resentment she incurred would negatively affect the switch to the new government. This wasn’t the Dark Age, where citizens submitted to absolute power. Renart finished his explanation and then placed another three pages on the desk. “These are about an inspection of that academy in the town of Latuchet, which is scheduled for three days from now.”

[Assistant] “Oh, the Academy of Magic. I’ve been a little curious about that,” Tinasha replied, scanning the papers.


[User] The place Renart had mentioned was a midsize town about half a day’s travel to the west of the capital.

[Assistant] "It’s very interesting to have an academy for the children of mages. In old Tuldarr, it was customary to have personal tutors give lessons in controlling magic, but it’s certainly just as possible to teach students in a group setting."

[User] "Those who come only for lessons in controlling magic graduate in about a year, but those who want to become proper mages live at the academy until the age of sixteen. Classes aren’t divided by age, but by levels of magic. Many of our royal mages are alumni."

[Assistant] "That sounds so fun. Do you think I could change how old I look and sneak in as a student?"

[User] "Please don’t." The man replied immediately.

[Assistant] Tinasha’s head sunk in disappointment. Tinasha's palace tutoring had accommodated her interests, but the idea of a school was appealing to the young woman who had grown up without peers. She wanted to enroll in some classes, but considering her position, she could only go for a royal inspection. Still, she was very excited about the upcoming visit. An unhappy expression crossed Renart’s face.

[User] "However, a few students have disappeared recently…"

[Assistant] "Huh? What do you mean? They’ve gone missing?"

[User] "Well, some of them have simply dropped out and fled on their own, so we can’t quite say that. But all have vanished into thin air, along with their belongings, baffling their friends and teachers. As of this month, there have been five so far."

[Assistant] "That’s a lot." The school must have been strict to have five runaway dropouts. That was a worrisome problem all on its own. After thinking for a bit, Tinasha looked up. "Understood. During my inspection, I’d also like to do some investigating, so make the necessary preparations."

[User] "Yes, Your Majesty. I have someone in mind who graduated from the academy and would be perfect for the job. I’ll have her show you around."

[Assistant] "Thank you." Tinasha said, handing Renart a document with her specifications listed. He took it and departed straightaway.


[User] "This is a pretty big structure. How many are living here now?"

[Assistant] "There are fifty-two children here to learn how to control their magic, while we have sixty-eight students studying to become mages." The headmaster replied.

[User] "So there are more mage students? That’s a bit surprising, considering how long they stay." Tinasha remarked, looking about with keen interest as she received a tour of the Latuchet Academy of Magic.


[Assistant] Magic wards shimmered around the polished wood-paneled corridor.

[User] "I’m sure it’s only natural for an academy of magic, but it does seem quite easy to get lost in here."

[Assistant] The mages in Tinasha's retinue smile uneasily, and the headmaster's expression turned complicated.

[User] Tinasha gazed out a window on the third floor protected by a film of water. "What’s that over there?" She asked, pointing to a small wooden building in a corner of the grounds.

[Assistant] "That is the school for the local children. As part of the academy students’ lessons, they sometimes act as instructors there, so it was built on our grounds."

[User] "Oh, how fascinating. It’s true enough that teaching does often mean learning as well."

[Assistant] "Er, actually… Once the town children heard that Your Majesty would be visiting, several of them begged to attend your lecture, too…" The headmaster broached a topic with some trepidation.

[User] "Oh? That’s quite all right by me, but the content will be difficult."

[Assistant] The headmaster bobbed his head gratefully. "They are all aware of that and simply want to catch a glimpse of Your Majesty. We will ensure they behave…"

[User] "I don’t mind at all. Let anyone interested attend." Tinasha said with a smile.

[Assistant] The headmaster looked relieved.

[User] "Now, let’s discuss the recent disappearances. Please make sure to tell me everything you can."


[User] "But five missing students in a month? You should really go out and look for them." grumbled Tinasha before her scheduled lecture.

[Assistant] A female mage with dark blond hair who was with the queen gave a strained smile and nodded. "The academy is indeed still searching. However, two of the missing students were friends. One was twelve, and another thirteen. They may have gone to another country."

[User] Tinasha examined the documents outlining the situation. "One fifteen-year-old mage student and four younger students aged thirteen, twelve, ten, and five. The thirteen-year-old and twelve-year-old disappeared at the same time, while the others vanished separately. That five-year-old is especially worrisome…"

[Assistant] "Once the youngest went missing, the academy finally realized that these were unusual circumstances. The other kids were in communication with their families but never made it home, while the five-year-old was an orphan who lost his parents in an explosion of his own magic, so there was no one to contact."

[User] Tinasha frowned upon hearing that.

[Assistant] Pamyra went on, her voice tinged with sadness. "The five-year-old had just come to the school and was struggling to fit in to the environment. The other four were experiencing doubts about their studies and were very interested in other countries, so they all had reasons to run away. We’ve heard from other students that the pair who left together had worked out a plan of escape."

[User] "So what you’re saying is that if the disappearances weren’t all clustered together, it wouldn’t be so strange for those kids to have run away?" Tinasha inquired.

[Assistant] "It’s possible that once the first student made off, it emboldened the others to do the same." Pamyra replied.

[User] "How odd." remarked Tinasha, flicking the papers away into the air and crossing her arms. After sinking into thought, she asked Pamyra, "What do you think? Is this all just a coincidence?" Did the queen really need to investigate further on top of the academy’s own efforts?


[User] Pamyra’s face turned serious, and she stated, “No. I think the students were specifically chosen because their absence wouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s very suspicious that we haven’t been able to get in touch with any of them at all.” There was confidence in Pamyra’s eyes.

[Assistant] Tinasha liked her spirit and smiled. “Then let’s look into it. I’d like to have you interview the pupils.”

[User] “We happen to have one student who’s due to start as a royal mage next month. I’ll work together with her to speak to everyone.”

[Assistant] “Thank you. It’s about time for my lesson to start,” Tinasha said, getting to her feet. The mage standing before the door to the lecture hall bowed to her and opened it. A cloth covered the entrance, but the students had already taken their seats and were abuzz. Tinasha lifted the skirt of her long mage’s robes and stepped in. Once the queen appeared, everyone fell silent. Tinasha’s petite frame brimmed with power, and her innate beauty was startling. She moved with the grace and bearing of a sovereign royal, drawing and commanding attention. The audience’s eyes were glued to this beautiful creature, at once perfect and at the same time somewhat contradictory. She ascended the lecturer’s dais and looked around the semicircular hall. Mage students were seated at the front, with the younger students behind them. The town children were packed into the corners. After surveying her audience, she broke into a smile. “My name is Tinasha As Meyer Ur Aeterna Tuldarr. Thank you very much for coming today.” It was a crisp, simple address that didn’t match her appearance.

[User] Tinasha gave a snap of her ivory fingers, and a pale blue flame flickered to life. It took the shape of a horse and galloped through the air. After making a circuit above the students’ heads, it vanished.

[Assistant] “All right, let’s begin the lecture. I won’t speak for too long, so get comfortable and listen.” The queen launched into a discussion of magic and the makeup of the planes of existence in the world.


[User] “The queen was amazing,” Rudd said with a sigh as he flopped onto the grass. He was an eleven-year-old who attended the local school built on the academy’s premises. Once word got out that the queen would be visiting, he and a dozen others had begged to be let in the lecture hall. The rest of the kids had been unable to ask because they’d gotten sick or were busy with chores. Rudd planned to brag about it to them the next day. A girl sat down next to him, and he looked over at her. “Hmm?”

[Assistant] “So here’s where you were, Rudd,” she commented, while rapping him on the shoulder.

[User] He’d been daydreaming, but that brought him back to his senses and jogged his memory of his old friend’s name. “Juliya!"


[User] "What are you doing here?"

[Assistant] Until yesterday, she’d been sick, so she hadn’t attended the lecture. Rudd had planned to describe it for her later.

[User] The freckled girl grinned. "I just got here, so I missed the queen’s talk. How was it?"

[Assistant] "Incredible. We have these things called planes of existence in our world, and there are a bunch all stacked on top of one another. We can’t see them, but there’s one made up of just magic and one that’s totally dark inside, and lots more. That’s what she said."

[User] "And you thought that was interesting?"

[Assistant] "Well, yeah. It’s really cool. The world is a lot bigger than just the parts we know about. Tuldarr is trying to solve all the mysteries of the world." Rudd knew he couldn’t become a mage as someone with no magic. But despite that, he was proud to be a citizen of Tuldarr. Sitting up, he clenched his fists. "When I’m older, I definitely wanna work in the castle. That’ll make it easier to support my mom, too." His father had passed when he was young, leaving his mother to raise the boy alone. A job in the palace would earn Rudd good money, and the future of Tuldarr that the queen had spoken of sounded awfully appealing. "Whether people have magic or not, everyone’s working together to build our country. The queen said that in the future, a bunch of representatives from a bunch of cities are gonna rule Tuldarr with the king. That sounds pretty exciting to me."

[User] "I don’t really get it." Juliya replied with a very adult-looking shrug. Having not attended the lecture, it all sounded like something distant to her. She hugged her knees to her chest. "Anyway, I heard the people from the castle are looking into all the missing academy students."

[Assistant] "Oh… like what happened to Teull." While the academy mage students and local kids were taught on the same campus, they weren’t all that close. The mages in training were usually busy with their other classes, so the town children only knew the names of those who acted as instructors. However, the younger students were close in age to the town children, so the two groups played together often. Teull was five, and had only recently come to the school. He didn’t play with the other kids, instead sitting crouched under a garden tree. Rudd had frequently tried to speak with him. But one day, after Teull stopped complaining if Rudd sat next to him, he vanished. "They search, but they aren’t going to find anything. I don’t think he had anywhere else to go." Despite the statement, he felt a sense of duty toward Teull. The boy made a displeased face, obviously troubled. "Do you think he could’ve gone that far even though he’s only five? He has magic, I guess. I always thought of him as just a little kid."