The air between Ace and Darian felt heavy.
Not with anger anymore—
But with something deeper.
Uncertainty.
Darian looked at Ace, his expression serious.
"…I want to tell you something."
Ace didn't respond, but he didn't walk away either.
Darian continued.
"There's a way to find the truth… about Vargan."
That caught Ace's attention.
"A ritual," Darian said. "An old one. It only works with a Blessed Mage."
Ace frowned slightly. "What kind of ritual?"
"One that follows intent," Darian replied. "It doesn't show you everything… only what your goal is truly focused on."
Ace's fists tightened.
"My goal is simple," he said. "I want to know what happened to Vargan."
Darian nodded.
"Then it might work."
---
They moved a short distance away from the house.
Darian drew a circle on the ground using the tip of his blade. Symbols followed—carefully carved, precise, unfamiliar to Ace.
"This ritual only works," Darian said, "if your mind is clear."
Ace stepped into the circle.
"Clear…" he repeated quietly.
"Focus on one thing," Darian instructed. "Not anger. Not doubt."
Ace closed his eyes.
"Only your goal."
---
Darian placed his hand on the edge of the circle.
The symbols began to glow faintly.
"Find the truth."
---
Ace took a slow breath.
Vargan…
What happened to you…?
---
The light intensified.
The ground beneath him seemed to disappear.
And then—
Everything went silent.
---
Ace's eyes opened—
But they weren't normal anymore.
They had turned completely white.
---
The world around him was gone.
No wind. No sound. No ground.
Just an endless, empty space.
Ace stood alone.
"…Where am I?" he muttered.
His voice echoed strangely, as if the space itself was listening.
Then—
A presence.
Not loud.
Not aggressive.
But undeniable.
In front of him—
A figure appeared.
Its form was unclear. Almost like a shadow shaped into something human, yet not fully real.
It stood still.
Watching.
---
Ace's body tensed instinctively.
"…Who are you?" he asked.
The figure didn't answer immediately.
Instead, it tilted its head slightly—
As if observing him.
Then it spoke.
Its voice wasn't loud…
But it echoed directly in his mind.
"What do you want?"
The question felt heavy.
Not simple.
Not casual.
It felt like something that demanded truth.
---
Ace didn't hesitate.
"I want to know what happened to Vargan."
The figure remained silent for a moment.
Then—
It stepped closer.
The space around them shifted slightly, like reality itself was reacting.
"Then you must be ready to see it."
Ace's expression hardened.
"I am."
---
The figure raised its hand.
And in that instant—
The empty space began to distort.
Fragments of something… began to form.
Memories.
Truth.
Or something far worse.
---
And as the vision started to take shape—
Ace realized something.
This wasn't just a ritual.
This was a test.