Chapter 16 - Hold the Cosmos (2)

The cosmos had no end. No beginning. It pulsed, shimmered, and breathed like a living thing.

I floated within it—weightless, weaponless, and hopeless.

Across from me stood the figure. Or rather,

hovered

. Still obscured by swirling veils of stars and stardust, like the universe itself refused to reveal its face. I couldn’t even tell if it had one.

What I could tell—

Was that it was strong.

Very strong.

It moved casually, almost lazily. A flick of its hand sent shockwaves of astral pressure rippling through the air, forcing me to dodge without even thinking. I ducked, rolled, flared every ounce of energy I could muster.

I tried everything—summoning elemental blades, weaving mana shields, channeling techniques I barely remembered from the game.

Nothing worked.

Every time I moved, it countered. Every time I attacked, it blocked. Effortlessly.

And worse—

It was

toying

with me.

"Come now," the figure said, its voice calm. Too calm. "You’re not even trying. Or is that truly the limit of your strength?"

I gritted my teeth, panting. My body ached from impacts I hadn’t even seen coming. I was moving slower. Thinking slower.

And it was still standing there.

Unmoved.

Unbothered.

It wasn’t a trial.

It was a game.

And I was losing.

Although for acknowledgment the trial usually adjusted itself to the level of the student and the weapon’s latent power,

this figure—this impossible force—could not be defeated. Not by anyone.

Not even Aiden would have stood a chance.

There’s no way,

I thought, stumbling back.

No way a weapon that needs this kind of acknowledgment wouldn’t trigger a phenomenon.

Then—

It clicked.

Of course.

Of course there was no phenomenon.

Because Luca wasn’t supposed to succeed.

I wasn’t even supposed to be here.

Luca Valentina—was just an extra.

In the game, he was background. A quiet classmate. No hidden lineage. No great destiny. And if he died in the Third Arc at the hands of the demon general?

That was the script.

He was never meant to make it this far. Never meant to touch something like this.

The trial didn’t acknowledge him.

Because there was nothing to acknowledge.

That’s why the phenomenon didn’t trigger.

Because I was supposed to fail.

The truth settled into me like ice.

I was nothing.

And this wasn’t just a strong enemy. It was the final door. The final barrier.

And if I couldn’t open it...

Then I wouldn’t live past the halfway mark of this story.

The figure stopped moving. Its aura dimmed slightly.

"Disappointing," it said with a sigh. "You’re clearly weaker than the last. If I let you hold the weapon now, you’d die the moment it stirs."

It raised its hand.

The pressure in the cosmos shifted again.

This time—final.

"I’ll end it here."

And in that moment—

Something inside me snapped.

Not from fear.

But from defiance.

"Not again. Not like this. I wasn’t just scared of death—

I was scared of disappearing without ever being

seen

."

My fists clenched. My breath caught. My chest burned.

I don’t want to die.

I thought of the Academy. Of Eric’s stupid smile. Of Aiden’s unshakable strength. Of Lilliane’s pride. Of Selena’s frost. Of Kyle’s unwavering calm.

I thought of Vincent.

I thought of the love I felt from the letter from my parents that I never experienced before.

If I fall here, I’ll never get to reach them.

If I fall here, I’ll never change anything.

I thought of how alone I had always been. In my old life, I was just another face in the crowd. A player in someone else’s world. No one waited for me. No one feared losing me. The game was my escape. My only light. The characters... they were my heroes. My rivals. My friends—if only from afar.

And now—I was here.

With them.

Close enough to touch. Close enough to

matter.

And I didn’t want to lose that.

I didn’t want to fade away before I even began.

And in that moment—

I didn’t have power.

I didn’t have lineage.

I didn’t even have a plan.

But I had one thing.

Will.

Pure.

Unshakable.

Blazing.

Will to live.

And that...

Was the only thing I could offer.

The moment that thought solidified—

something

shifted.

Not just in me.

But in the cosmos.

Bindings—unseen until now—

shattered

.

Power surged through me.

Not a trickle.

An eruption.

Magic. Attributes. Force. Everything I didn’t even know I possessed ignited, spiraling upward in a storm of brilliant, blinding energy.

I gasped.

The figure paused.

And for the first time—looked

surprised.

Then... it smiled.

"Ahh... finally," it whispered. "Relief."

My hands moved instinctively.

Toward the cosmos.

And from the swirling sea of stars,

I pulled.

Two blades came forth.

Not swords.

Blades.

Sabers—curved and elegant.

One was pitch black, wrapped in void-light that shimmered like a black hole’s event horizon.

The other—pure, ethereal white, wrapped in radiant runes that danced and pulsed like starlight.

The cosmos

held

in steel.

And I held

them.

My breath shook.

Then—I moved.

I swung the ethereal blade.

And the world

stopped.

All froze, caught in the swing.

The figure didn’t move.

Didn’t resist.

Didn’t need to.

Then—the dark blade.

A slash.

The figure distorted.

Warped.

As if it were being sucked into a void without end.

Yet it did not scream.

It laughed.

"Ha Ha Haa HAA HAAAA HAAAA ha"

A deep, echoing sound that trembled through the fabric of reality.

The entire cosmos quaked beneath it.

And then—

The trial over.

The Hall of Arms had settled into a lull.

Four phenomena. Four miracles. It was already a record-breaking day—one that would be etched into Arcadia’s history for centuries. And yet, the students and instructors began to relax, murmuring among themselves as if the storm had passed.

Some looked toward the exit, ready to leave. Others joked softly, still buzzing from the chaos of Excalibur and Cryolux.

That’s when it happened.

Silence.

Sudden. Total.

It wasn’t cast by spell or decree.

It was instinct.

A stilling of the world, as if nature itself had paused to hold its breath.

Every head turned—toward the glowing array.

Then the world cracked open.

A scream of the sky, like glass fracturing above.

And from the center of the formation, twin pillars burst forth—one of pure white light, ethereal and radiant; the other of dense black matter, so thick and cold it seemed to swallow the air around it.

They surged upward like titanic spears aimed at the heavens.

Darkness and light.

Creation and void.

A celestial harmony, beautiful and terrifying.

The wind howled—not like a breeze, but like a thousand beasts awakening at once. The sky above warped, clouds spiraling as if caught in a storm that didn’t exist in this realm.

Then came the sounds.

A dragon’s roar—ancient and deep.

The shriek of phoenixes—high and melodic.

The thunderous cry of gryphons—winged titans of the air.

All at once. All layered. All impossibly real.

The world trembled.

Like it had finally found its path after eons of wandering.

In the sky—

a void opened.

Not empty.

Alive.

Dark matter from the black pillar surged into it, writhing like shadows in a vortex. And from the white pillar, radiant threads flowed to meet it, knitting it closed, not with destruction—but restoration.

Balance.

It was not war.

It was unity.

Not a single voice dared speak.

Not even a whisper.

Eric stood frozen, his pen clutched in a white-knuckled grip.

Tears traced silent paths down his cheeks.

"...He did it," he whispered. "He actually did it."

On the upper tower, Vincent’s eyes burned.

So intense that even Elowen, once teasing and playful, had gone completely still.

She stared at his expression—unlike anything she had seen even during his own phenomenon years ago.

"...Vincent," she breathed. "You’re... excited?"

But he didn’t answer.

He only watched.

Instructors had fallen silent.

Seraphina’s eyes glowed faintly, lips parted.

Vice Dean Caelan mumbled something, but none could hear it. Not even he.

Shock registered across Aiden’s calm.

Lilliane’s prideful mask faltered.

Kyle stood, mouth slightly open, like a man seeing the sky for the first time.

Selena’s pupils narrowed, her lips forming words she didn’t speak.

Because all they could do—

Was watch.

Elsewhere...

Far to the east, in the sacred spires of the Holy Kingdom, inside the grand cathedral of light—a woman gazed out the stained-glass window.

Lavender silver hair shimmered beneath a veil of moonlight, her fingers laced in prayer until they stilled.

Her eyes widened, silver irises reflecting the sky tearing open.

She stood abruptly.

"I suppose I’ll need to prepone my visit to Arcadia."

In the Imperial Capital...

Inside the Grand Palace, atop golden steps and beneath a thousand banners of conquest, a figure leaned forward on it’s throne.

The Prophet beside him trembled.

"Your Majesty," she said, voice hoarse, "The time is shifting."

The Figure’s fingers tightened.

"Call the Grand Council."

Atop the Magic Tower...

A woman stood, high above the mortal lands.

The wind didn’t touch her.

The mana didn’t dare stir around her.

She watched the sky rip open, her long white hair dancing like gossamer threads.

Her violet eyes shimmered—eyes nearly identical to Selena Weiss.

She watched the boy step forth from the fading light.

Two curved blades in his hands—one black as the abyss, the other white as the stars.

And she smiled.

"Ah," she whispered. "So the legends were true."

Her hand lifted, brushing back a lock of silver-white hair.

"The elements... beyond."

Her smile widened.

"The affinity of

Time and Space

."