One summer day, something inside my chest moved.
Not a heartbeat.
Something else.
Alive.
***
Sebastien Ebenholtz, head of the Ebenholtz family, signed a document as he spoke:
—Where is Max?
The knight standing before him, Edmon, replied:
—He should be with the academy cadets.
—Is that so?
—Yes.
—So he's wasting his time.
Sebastien stood and pulled the curtain aside. Sunlight flooded the room, illuminating his sharp features. His jaw tightened in displeasure.
It was obvious.
He had never approved of his son.
Edmon spoke carefully:
—Even so, he managed to enter the Sentinel Order. There was no external influence.
—Good. It'll be useful for propaganda.
Maximilian Ebenholtz.
Golden hair. Golden eyes. Pale skin. Refined features. Perfect proportions.
The embodiment of a "pure imperial."
To Sebastien…
that was all he was.
—Inside, he's worthless. Far too weak.
—…
Edmon lowered his head in silence.
If Maximilian had been born into a normal noble house, he would have been above average.
But the Ebenholtz family…
was not normal.
"Bulwark of the Empire" was not a title given lightly.
—That's enough. Dismissed.
Sebastien signed the document sharply.
—Yes, Commander.
Edmon took the approved papers and left.
***
—Move.
—Yes, sir.
The vehicle departed from the estate.
The aide adjusted the mirror.
—The young master entered the Sentinels, I heard.
Edmon raised the document slightly.
—Approved.
—I see… but will he survive? The Sentinels don't care about status.
The aide hesitated.
Edmon was someone who should have been a Sentinel.
But he never could.
Mixed blood.
Rejected.
—His father is the king of the mountain. He'll manage.
The Ebenholtz estate stood surrounded by mountains.
Like a throne.
—We'll stop on the way.
—Where to?
—…The library.
Edmon picked up a book.
Blocked by bloodline…
he had begun to dream of something else.
Revolution.
***
The sun burned overhead.
I finished my run.
Sweat soaked my body, my breath steady.
The cadets rushed over with towels.
—…Thanks.
—It's nothing!
Their expressions brightened instantly.
Three men. One woman.
Top students from Empire Point.
The best of the academy.
—When does your training period end?
—This Friday!
—I see.
I handed the towel back.
The buzz-cut cadet accepted it like it was an honor.
Then—
CRACK.
Pain stabbed into my collarbone.
Sharp. Sudden.
—Sir! Are you alright?
—…Yeah. Just a bit off. I'll go to the restroom.
I left immediately.
Too fast.
***
The estate was absurdly large.
Even the nearest restroom took minutes.
I locked the door and removed my shirt.
Then I looked.
Something was moving.
Under my skin.
Near my heart—
A black mass pulsed.
Not a stain.
Not an injury.
Something alive.
It twisted.
Like it was trying to crawl out.
—…
I knew exactly what it was.
A fragment of the dimensional devourer.
The thing that had consumed the world.
A piece of it…
was inside me.
—Stay still.
I forced my breathing to slow.
This wasn't just a threat.
It was proof.
I had returned.
Twenty years old.
The Empire would fall when I was thirty-three.
Twenty years after that…
the world ended.
I had gone back thirty-three years.
Thirty-three years.
Enough to change everything.
If I used this correctly…
I could kill them.
***
I stepped outside.
The butler, Engi, was waiting.
—Young master. Your lesson is ready. The magic professor is waiting.
—I'll go. Have the cadets follow.
—Are you sure?
—Of course.
***
The class began.
—What is a mana circuit?
A diagram appeared.
Lines ran through the human body.
—It's a system that enables humans to perceive and control mana.
Circuits. Flow. Precision.
I already knew all of this.
And I was still bad at it.
It didn't matter.
Not anymore.
***
The lesson ended.
—Thank you, sir!
—…
CRACK.
Stronger this time.
The thing inside me reacted.
***
I turned.
One of the cadets.
Jacob.
I walked over, grabbed his bag, and emptied it.
—S-Sir?!
Stationery.
Sketchbook.
A book.
I picked it up.
Mana traces.
Faint.
But beneath them—
Something else.
Something wrong.
I placed my hand on the page.
And heard it.
—I'm hungry…
A voice.
—…I need fresh hearts…
Not human.
Not language.
And yet—
I understood it.
—…Ghk!
The fragment inside me reacted violently.
Pain exploded in my chest.
I dropped the book.
My breathing turned erratic.
Cold sweat.
And then—
I understood.
The Ezenheim.
They weren't coming.
They were already here.