Chapter 15 - Hold the Cosmos (1)

The sun dipped lower into the horizon, casting warm golden hues across the courtyard of the Hall of Arms. The Weapon Acknowledgement Ceremony was drawing to a close. Only five students remained.

Yet the tension hadn’t eased. If anything, the weight in the air had thickened—four divine-level phenomena in a single day had stretched belief to its limits. Now, people weren’t just curious.

They were afraid.

Up above, in one of the upper towers overlooking the ceremony grounds, a figure stood alone—silent and statuesque, framed by the long arch of an open stone window.

Silver hair shimmered under the dying light.

Eyes sharp as blades, cold as winter.

Vincent Valentina.

Third-year.

Known across the academy not only as one of the strongest combatants but also one of the most distant. His very presence felt like gravity—unshakable, immovable. He didn’t wear a crest, nor did he need one. His existence was declaration enough.

He watched the ceremony with stillness, arms folded behind his back. From this height, every swirl of magic and every gasp from the crowd below was clear. His gaze wasn’t focused on the lights or weapons, though.

It was focused on something else.

—or rather, someone.

A soft footstep behind him didn’t escape his notice.

"...Vincent."

The voice was melodic and laced with a teasing lilt.

He didn’t turn.

A girl came into view, stepping beside him.

Emerald hair fell in a long single braid, tied neatly and brought forward over her shoulder. Threads of silver and moss shimmered through the weave. Her crimson eyes sparkled with sharpness and mischief, and her pointed ears marked her unmistakably as high elven nobility.

She leaned casually against the arched window, arms crossed, and smirked.

Elowen Aeryllis.

Third-year. The "Sylvan Star."

One of the only two students in their year to ever trigger a phenomenon during weapon selection—an event so rare, it hadn’t occurred in over 150 years.

"Stalking first-years now?" she teased. "Didn’t think you had the free time, Ice Prince."

He remained silent.

She tilted her head, peering out the window toward the glowing array in the center of the courtyard.

"Ohhh... I see," she hummed. "The ceremony. Right. I heard the rumors—four students triggered it already? One of them even pulled out

Excalibur

, apparently."

Her eyes sparkled with genuine interest now, voice lowering.

"Was it true?"

Vincent’s tone was cold and clipped. "Aiden Everhart."

Elowen gave a low whistle. "Huh. So even

that

sword answered. Fascinating. I thought only dead heroes could wield it."

She paused, then added with a sly grin, "Back in our year, it was just you and me, and that was already considered miraculous. It hadn’t happened in over a hundred and fifty years. Our poor second-year juniors didn’t get a single blip."

Vincent didn’t respond.

Her smile faded into thoughtfulness as she looked over at him again. "And now four... Just in the first batch."

She stretched and yawned. "Times are changing, huh? Maybe the stars are finally aligning for something. Big."

He replied flatly, "Times always change. The future rarely asks permission."

She was about to retort, another jest on her lips, when she caught sight of his expression.

Vincent’s gaze had sharpened. Focused.

Unmoving.

Not when Excalibur had appeared.

Not when Cryolux surged through the sky.

But now—now something had shifted.

Elowen followed his line of sight.

And then—

A voice, magnified by enchantment, rang out from the platform below.

"Luca Valentina."

Elowen blinked.

...Valentina?

She stared.

Then slowly turned her eyes back toward Vincent.

His jaw was still set, but a shadow had passed across his features.

Elowen’s voice dropped, stunned.

"...Don’t tell me."

Vincent said nothing.

He just watched.

Unblinking.

Unmoving.

But inwardly—bracing.

Luca walked slowly toward the glowing circle of the weapon array, the last rays of the sun casting his shadow long and quiet behind him.

Only a few students remained.

Most of the crowd had lost interest in the remaining names.

Not out of rudeness—but exhaustion.

After Excalibur, Cryolux, Astravolt, and Nature’s Grace, it felt like the realm of miracles had already been exhausted.

No one expected anything more.

No one... except a few.

From the instructors’ side, Seraphina watched Luca with her fingers lightly touching her lips, her gaze thoughtful.

"...This will be interesting, maybe?" she murmured, just barely audible.

Among the students, one figure turned as he passed.

Lilliane Fairmoore.

She watched him for a moment longer than necessary, her usual demeanor absent. Her expression unreadable.

Beside her, Aiden Everhart leaned slightly toward her.

"Curious?" he asked in a whisper.

Lilliane scoffed faintly. "Why should I be?" she replied, chin tilted upward with practiced nonchalance.

Yet her gaze didn’t leave Luca’s back.

Selena Weiss crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing faintly. "Let’s see what weapon he gets."

Kyle Drayden tilted his head slightly, glancing around at them. "Wait... is there something I don’t know?"

Meanwhile, Eric stood to the side of the courtyard, wand-pen still clutched in both hands like a sacred relic. He leaned forward, eyes fixed on Luca’s figure.

His smile was wide—but nervous.

Like a man waiting for the results of an exam he has prepared years for.

And then—Luca stepped into the circle.

I knew what came next.

After all, I’d done this before—just not like this.

Back when I was the player, not the character.

Aiden’s weapon selection was always a spectacle, a scripted miracle written into the very core of the game’s lore. Mine, though? As the player? Luca never triggered anything remotely special.

There was no secret fifth phenomenon. No hidden cutscene. No godly trials.

So I didn’t expect much now.

Honestly, I was just... curious.

Curious what the system—the array—thought of me.

When I stepped into the glowing formation, the world shifted.

Not with light.

But with darkness.

Everything went pitch black.

No sound. No wind. Just stillness.

Then—

Stars.

The cosmos unfolded around me in infinite spirals. Nebulae swirled in the distance, galaxies shimmered like scattered glass. I stood on nothing—and everything. The vast, eternal mindspace.

In the game, this part was always vague. It was just a flashy cutscene, a few scripted lines about "resonance trials" and "soul bindings." The details were always hand-waved away.

The lore said the founding ancestor of Arcadia—some mythical sage who carved reality into shape—had constructed the Grand Array to reach into the End Realms. A massive system of interwoven magic, constantly scanning the world for unbound weapons seeking masters.

It didn’t choose based on desire.

It chose based on truth.

And now I was inside it.

The real thing.

And the cosmos was moving.

The surroundings shifted again.

I knew this part. Now came the trial.

The fight.

A mental clash between me and the weapon’s previous owner—if it had one. A way for the weapon to test if I was worthy.

But nothing happened.

No terrain.

No enemy.

Just... the cosmos.

Panic prickled down my spine.

What’s going on?

Did the game get updated while I was stuck in this world?

Was something different?

Then—the shift.

A ripple. A pulse. Like a heartbeat from the universe itself.

And then—he appeared.

A figure. Obscured.

Shimmering like a curtain of stars had been drawn over them.

I couldn’t see a face. No body. Just... presence. Cosmic. Infinite.

And then—

"Interesting," the figure said.

A voice like thunder wrapped in silk. Like the heartbeat of a dying star.

"Has someone finally appeared?"

A pause.

"Who are you, lad?"

I hesitated, then straightened.

"...Luca. Luca Valentine. First-year student of Arcadia Academy."

The figure hummed.

"Hmm. What’s that?"

"...Arcadia Academy."

A pause.

"Never heard of it. Where is it?"

My mind reeled.

How could someone—something—not know Arcadia?

Even if it was ancient, surely...?

"...It’s the largest magic academy in the Empire," I offered. "Founded around—"

"Ah," the figure interrupted. "Maybe it appeared in the last... five, six thousand years?"

I blinked.

"WHAT?!"

My jaw almost hit the floor of the cosmos.

That’s your idea of ’recent’!?

Who even

was

this guy?

"Anyway," the voice continued, completely unfazed by my silent mental breakdown, "Let me see if you’re worth it. Worth holding the cosmos in your hands."

Wait.

Wait.

HOLD UP.

Cosmos?

What the hell are we talking about now?

"Hey—wait! I thought this was just a simple weapon trial! I was supposed to get a knight or swordsman or some old warrior with a tragic backstory and a cool catchphrase! Something beatable!"

The cosmos rumbled with laughter.

I took a step back.

"...What the hell did I just get myself into?"