A few minutes passed and Noctis slowly began to come to. His whole body ached, but something beautiful stirred in his spirit. He focused on his shadow sense. He felt nothing around him. After resting a little longer, he pushed himself up.
He dispelled the armor and wrapped the foul shroud around his body. Breathing deeply, he walked slowly toward the gate. He called up the runic inscriptions, checked the penalty, and sighed. Looking a bit lower, he squinted.
[Your soul wishes to ascend]
[Shall the soul ascend?]
"What does it mean by 'ascend'? I've never heard that before."
Noctis waited for the magic to explain, but no such explanation came. He stared at the path and exhaled. He wanted the black skeleton to appear beside him.
Slowly, a shadow rose from his own. The shadow was drawn into his, as if consumed, and the black skeleton appeared. It wore an old-fashioned black robe decorated with red patterns—both elegant and threatening. Its black bones and a slightly floating skull with no neck: its empty eyes fixed on Noctis.
"Here, sir."
Noctis drew breath for a few seconds.
"…My soul wants to ascend… What does that mean?"
The black skeleton stood still and gazed at the sunset. The crimson light did not reach its empty eyes.
"Soul ascension is not given to everyone… The magic must be quite satisfied…"
Noctis raised one brow. His steps were still heavy. The black skeleton looked at him with empty eyes.
"Soul ascension depends on its nature, sir… I would lie if I told you for sure… But because I dwell in souls, I have a guess."
Noctis wore a strange expression. The black skeleton slowly stepped onto Noctis's shadow.
"Your soul will consume itself… Unless the magic intends something greater."
The black skeleton was gradually drawn into Noctis's shadow.
"Consume itself? Then what will happen to me?"
The black skeleton sank into the shadow. Its empty eyes revealed nothing. It vanished slowly. Noctis felt irritated. He tried to summon it again, but nothing happened.
'This is getting weirder.'
He glanced at the runic inscriptions and sighed.
[Shall the soul ascend?]
He didn't know what to do, and the skeleton's odd words had frightened him. He couldn't decide.
'I could become stronger… But my soul would eat itself. Does that mean I would no longer be me?'
Noctis couldn't make up his mind. He decided to think about it later and walked slowly toward the gate. The pains began to ease gradually, though his head throbbed.
Hours passed and Noctis passed a few statues. He avoided killing them unless necessary. With his body and head aching, he wasn't even sure he could fight.
A few minutes passed, and Noctis finally spotted the gate. But as his headache began to fade, his mind started to wander again.
'It might already be morning… but I didn't stay that long here. If I go through the gate now and someone notices…'
He paused for a few seconds, lost in thought, then sighed and walked toward the gate. He kept an eye on the school's structures within the realm as he approached.
'I'll put on the armor and run. My essence has recovered enough to activate the Broken Chain… Let's just hope they don't sense my magic.'
He took a few deep breaths and summoned the armor. The black alabaster plates wrapped tightly around his body. His already lean frame looked even thinner, and with no face beneath the helmet, his appearance was eerie—almost haunting.
Noctis summoned the rusty chain and activated its enchantment. The pain in his body eased slightly, replaced by a faint sense of power. He placed his hand on the white monolith and channeled essence into it. The flow passed beside his heart, down his arm, and into his hand.
Slowly, the gate began to open. The shadows of the twin stones seemed to tremble faintly.
The moment the gate was large enough to pass through, Noctis cut off the flow of essence and stepped into it.
As soon as he crossed over, he dashed away. He didn't sense any moving shadows nearby, which brought him a small measure of relief. The sky was still dark, but the first signs of sunlight had begun to show.
The instant he entered the school grounds, he dismissed the armor.
Moving carefully, Noctis made his way toward his dorm. He focused on his shadow sense, making sure not to leak any aura. Within minutes, he reached Room 549 and pressed his hand against the panel by the door.
The lock clicked open. He slipped inside and quietly shut the door behind him.
He drank several glasses of water and collapsed onto the bed. He wanted to rest, but when he glanced at the clock, he realized class was about to start. He cursed under his breath and changed clothes.
Descending the stairs, he filled his plate just enough to eat comfortably and sat at a quiet table in the cafeteria, as always.
While eating, Nara joined him with her own plate. Every time Noctis looked at her food, he felt oddly unsettled.
Nara's meal was tiny—far less than what a normal person would eat. He was curious, but stayed silent. Nara gave him a small nod of greeting and began eating.
Within a few minutes, Noctis finished his meal. His head still throbbed, but he chose to ignore it. He looked around.
"Have you seen Gylani?"
Nara shook her head.
'He usually comes by now.'
Noctis waited for Nara to finish eating, then they headed together toward the training grounds. Noctis attended sword practice, where Instructor Asvar was giving a short speech. While organizing everyone into formation, Noctis felt several glances aimed at him.
When he turned to see who it was, he found Asvar staring at him—expressionless.
'Could it be…?'
Noctis acted as if nothing had happened and continued with the lesson.
A few minutes passed, and he realized how much his balance had improved. Sword techniques had begun as well. His stance now felt steadier, his movements more versatile.
His swordsmanship had clearly grown sharper. When he looked around, though, Gylani was nowhere to be seen. Curiosity itched at him. When class ended, Noctis decided to look for him.
He searched the area but didn't find him. He went to Gylani's room and knocked, but there was no response. He didn't sense any shadow behind the door either—yet he did sense a powerful shadow approaching.
Noctis recognized it instantly.
The shadow drew closer, and its owner appeared. Olive-toned skin, tall and broad-shouldered with clearly defined muscles. Short black hair, a trimmed beard—his presence alone carried weight.
"Sinner Noctis… Gylani got permission from me. He said he had some matters to attend to and left early this morning."
Noctis tensed but didn't show it.
"Ah… Thank you, Instructor Asvar."
He began walking slowly past him, but as he did, the large man placed a hand on his shoulder. A heavy pressure surged through him—so strong his very soul reacted. Asvar's shadow looked distorted, wrong somehow.
"I saw you this morning… That black statue—it was you. The aura it released is the same as yours."
Noctis's mind blurred under the crushing pressure. He couldn't think clearly and simply stayed silent. Asvar's grip on his shoulder tightened. A strange weight pressed down on him.
"Why did you enter the realm?"
Noctis wanted to lie—but he couldn't. It was as if something was stopping him from doing so. He struggled to speak through the suffocating pressure.
"…Punishment… The magic gave me a punishment…"
Asvar's hand tightened again. Noctis's breath was cut short. He felt his soul being forced down, restrained beneath an unseen force.
Within seconds, Asvar released him.
Noctis took a deep breath, his chest burning.
"You're telling the truth… Then why did you go?"
Noctis inhaled again, steadying his voice.
"It wanted me to kill three statues."
Asvar studied him for a few seconds, suspicion flickering in his eyes. Then, slowly, he turned away and started walking.
"If something like this happens again, come to me."
Noctis rubbed his shoulder, watching Asvar leave with a puzzled expression. Then he headed back to his room. He sat on the bed for a few minutes, holding his communication device, thinking of contacting Gylani—but decided against it.
He drank a glass of water and stared out the window, watching people go about their day. After a moment, he sighed and called up the runic inscriptions.
[Shall the soul ascend?]
Noctis rubbed his shoulder again, wondering if it was dangerous. Even if it was, curiosity gnawed at him. He drew a deep breath.
'Yes.'
A few seconds passed—then everything was swallowed by darkness. Noctis suddenly found himself suspended in emptiness. His feet touched something, yet he felt nothing beneath them. There was nothing to see, nothing to hear—only the void.
Slowly, something began to stir within him.
It grew… and grew. With each pulse, pain followed. The sensation wrapped around his soul, his mind, and finally his body.
His pupils dilated to their limits.
Noctis collapsed instantly.
Agony spread through every inch of him.
It felt as though his very soul was being pulled apart. His core trembled violently—so violently that each vibration slammed into his heart and lungs. Even when he couldn't breathe, his breath was still being taken away.
His mouth opened and closed in silent convulsion. His heart trembled harder than his core. His soul writhed in agony, his mind rippled like disturbed water. He could feel his soul devouring itself.
Each time it consumed another piece, the pain surged—beautiful and horrifying all at once. Bit by bit, his soul began to be swallowed.
And then… nothing. The pain was gone.
He couldn't even remember what it had felt like. His eyes widened, his face eerily blank.
Gradually, he began to feel something new.
It was as if his soul had left his body—then suddenly returned. But it didn't feel the same.
It felt tethered. Bound. Something was holding his soul in place.
He didn't know what it was, but the realization filled him with an irrational, burning anger.
Slowly, his awareness returned. His eyes returned to normal. The darkness around him faded, revealing an oddly familiar stillness.
He stood motionless for several seconds.
What had just happened felt unreal—like it hadn't happened at all. Then the memory of the pain returned, and his body shuddered.
He looked up slowly, and the runic inscriptions appeared before him.
[ Your soul has ascended... You are ready for the Second Trial. ]
[ Your soul has been chained. ]
Noctis slowly turned his gaze inward, toward where his soul resided.
[ Soul: Awakened in the Void, Chained Soul ]
[ Chained Soul – Description: Like all souls that possess consciousness, yours has been bound by chains. However, your soul... desires to break them. ]
[ Chains Broken: 1/9 ]
'Great. That's all I needed.'
Noctis stared at the runes with a dazed, weary look. His thoughts blurred. The battle with the broken statue and Asvar's confrontation had already drained him, and now this…
His mind was close to shutting down.
He dismissed the runes with an irritated gesture and cursed softly under his breath before collapsing onto his bed. The comfort of it barely reached him—his body ached, his mind flickered, and his soul still trembled in silence.