On the first day back home for break, with a strange restlessness in her heart, Irena buried herself in the warehouse bookshelves.
Although she often haunted the library at Fusion Academy, in terms of depth in occult studies, the witch family's collection was far beyond what the Academy library could offer.
It recorded far too many things about magic and the hidden side—information that could not be made public on this continent.
But much of these "confidential" tomes, once prized by mages, had already been rendered obsolete after Duel Monsters was born.
Whether in power or mystery—from the age of gods to the distant future, spanning the continent within and the cosmos without—Duel Monster cards surpassed simple magic in every respect.
If you have time to keep studying those baffling spells, you might as well master Duel Monsters instead.
Once that mindset became mainstream on the Spirit Continent, the mystique of magic being shoved to the sidelines was only natural.
Yet standing before the warehouse shelves, Irena felt she could change something.
She was both a mage and a Duelist.
With the perspective of those two identities combined, perhaps she could discover a brand‑new world within these volumes that should have been consigned to history.
Of course, the main reason was that the inexplicably restless Irena simply couldn't sit still.
Even though her research into a soul‑splitting potion had failed, she wasn't about to give up.
There ought to be more detailed records about the soul among the witch family's dust‑laden tomes.
After pulling an all‑nighter in the warehouse, Irena finally found it.
"This… doesn't it look exactly like the Millennium Puzzle!"
First, the triangle pyramid illustrated in the ancient text caught her eye at once.
Second, a single line about the Pyramid of Light:
"Let the lost soul be freed; the King of Light who unseals the soul will descend into this world in true form."
"That's it—wait for me, Miles!"
On the second day of the break, Irena set off.
…
Recalling why she'd sought the Pyramid of Light in the first place, Irena scratched at her faintly flushed cheek with a fingertip.
"A tool that frees lost souls and lets sealed souls descend into this world in true form—I thought you might need it, Miles… Ah, but now it's impossible. Force majeure, let's say."
Since the Pyramid of Light had shattered, no amount of lamenting would help.
Even if it was a pity to lose what she'd spent an entire break retrieving, Irena knew travel's meaning far exceeded its destination.
The process of travel—the grasses and trees, the people and events you encounter—each has its meaning.
That is the fundamental reason Irena loves to ride her broom and journey across the continent.
Plus, she'd already beaten Arnold black and blue; staying mad would never end. For Aisha's sake, as a senior, she wasn't going to pursue it further.
However, Miles wasn't listening at all.
While Irena, cheeks pink, talked on and on, he didn't catch a single word. After all, he'd only picked up a shard and asked casually.
Once he actually touched those crystal fragments, his mind had no room for anything else.
Click—!
With a crisp, crystal‑fitting sound, two transparent pieces whose edges showed no obvious features snapped together in Miles's hands—
Perfectly, seamlessly—as if they'd never been apart.
"Amazing!" Drawn by the sight of the first connection, the others couldn't help but gasp.
The first step is the hardest—especially for puzzles. Among hundreds of clear crystal pieces, finding the starting join was by far the toughest task.
Click~
Then the second, the third…
Following the "pattern" he'd discovered, Miles joined the transparent fragments one by one. Each fit was seamless, proof of his accurate judgment.
Even so, restoring hundreds of crystal pieces—even with a pattern—was definitely a massive project.
Click, click, click, click, click.
The soothing, OCD‑calming rhythm of assembly was so engrossing that even Princess Nova, watching from within the Millennium Puzzle, didn't feel bored—she was captivated.
Seeing how intensely focused Miles was, Aisha whispered to Irena.
"Is Mr. Miles planning to restore the Pyramid of Light right here on the spot?"
"I'd say probably."
That he cared so much about the Pyramid she'd brought back, so focused on restoring it—seeing Miles like this warmed Irena's heart a little.
In any case, at this pace—it was lunch break now—even if nothing went wrong and everything kept going smoothly, it would be dusk at least before it was done.
"Since we've got nothing this afternoon, let him work here," Ren suggested.
For Fusion Academy first‑years, Fridays had only the Practical Duel Test.
Once the morning duels were done, the afternoon didn't really matter. For students with good grades, the homeroom teacher turned a blind eye.
Second‑years had their Practical on Saturday; third‑years on Sunday. In other words, everyone present had the afternoon free.
Lishia stepped up first. "I'll stay here and guard Nova‑chan until it's finished!"
In her eyes, it wasn't Miles but Nova trying to set things right after her childhood friend's blunder. She had no reason to leave.
Arnold, still shaky from the elemental beating, forced himself upright.
"I'll stay and watch it finished too. Please, Nova—one day I'll repay you!"
He always sounded a bit like a small‑time punk—though in a good way when it came to being 'street‑smart' and 'loyal' at crucial moments.
"Seems we're all thinking the same thing."
The remaining three exchanged glances. If their juniors weren't leaving, Aisha and the others certainly wouldn't.
Yet, even with so many people staying, there was only one thing to do…
Don't let passing onlookers disturb Miles's intense concentration on restoring the pyramid.
So the five of them wordlessly formed a circle, surrounding Miles as he crouched on the ground piecing together the Pyramid of Light, protecting him from all angles.
With that fierce 'we're all villains here' aura, no one dared even glance their way despite the crowd at the school gate.
As the steady cadence of crystal clicks continued, time ticked by, the sky dimmed, and the transparent crystal pyramid in Miles's hands began to take shape.
"This is it… the last one!"
When the final, crucial piece—engraved with the same 'eye' motif as the Millennium Items—slid into place in Miles's hands, the sun set, night fell, and the restoration of the Pyramid of Light was officially complete.
"Done!"
Nova yelled, "That was incredible, Miles—I couldn't look away!"
Having witnessed the whole feat from a first‑person view, Nova was the most excited by far.
"It's finished? Thank goodness!" Arnold exhaled with relief; unlike Nova's excitement, he could finally unclench.
"So this is the Pyramid of Light?" Aisha studied the pyramid in Miles's hands, faintly luminous in the night.
"It's practically a replica of the Millennium Puzzle."
Aside from material and color, it was almost a crystal version of the Puzzle.
"I wonder if a spirit dwells inside."
Aisha hadn't forgotten what Camille had said earlier.
For Miles's soul to manifest physically in this world, he needed a separate vessel for a soul.
If this Pyramid of Light, so similar in appearance, also functioned like the Millennium Puzzle—and had no resident spirit—then it would be the perfect vessel for Miles's manifestation.
Miles nodded. "If we take it to ask Camille when we have time, it might really work!"
That was a big part of why he'd worked so hard to restore it.
If it truly was an unused vessel with no spirit inside, it would be his trump card in this world.
Bong~!
From afar, the church bell rang—seven chimes in a row: 7 p.m.
"I'm starving!" Relaxed at last, Lishia slumped to the ground. Having only had eight pancakes for lunch, nothing was worse than having no dinner at seven.
"Yeah, we should go eat—"
Bong~!
The church bell tolled again—seven more chimes: again 7 p.m.
This time, the sound sent a chill down their spines—a nameless eeriness.
Aisha asked tensely, "Do church bells ever ring twice in a row?"
Irena answered, "That's impossible. It's never happened. And it wouldn't be a mistake, either."
Church bells were struck manually by church staff. In human hands, how could you 'mistakenly' ring the same hour twice after already ringing it once?
Booooong—!
The bell rang yet again—seven chimes: once more 7 p.m.
Three rounds of tolling. Seven each. Twenty‑one in all.
In the dark night, the eerie, lingering peals seemed to ripple with boundless, formless fear.
Arnold and Lishia's faces changed at once.
After counting twenty‑one chimes in the dark, a bead of cold sweat slid down Arnold's temple.
"It's the Old Dominators. They really… followed us to this city."
...
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