Aelith watched in stunned silence, unable to move, unable to resist. The magic-suppressing chains binding her body no longer felt like the reason for her inaction. It was something else entirely—something far greater.

  Her sharp mind, honed through years of experience, could not comprehend what she was witnessing.

  Eo had condensed a grimoire unlike anything in existence. It floated before him, its form constantly shifting, as though it were a living entity. Unlike human grimoires, which had rigid structures and predictable magical flows, this one pulsed and breathed, releasing waves of energy that made the very air tremble.

  It was not just a book.

  It was something alive.

  Aelith’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

  Grimoires were a cornerstone of magic in the surface world. They were categorized by levels—newbie mages started with simple grimoires, mere tools to assist in spellcasting. As a mage’s power grew, so too did their grimoire, developing alongside them, becoming a powerful extension of their will.

  The highest-level grimoires, wielded by Archmages and beyond, were treasures that could bend reality itself. Some were passed down through generations, while others were created through years of mastery.

  Low-quality grimoires could even be found in larger towns, sold to those who lacked talent but had the wealth to afford an artificial shortcut to power.

  But this…

  This was something beyond categorization.

  Aelith could not begin to imagine its full capacity. She could only observe, feeling the weight of its presence pressing down on her. The aura it emitted was neither holy nor demonic, neither purely elemental nor entirely foreign. It was something entirely new.

  Antru, who had been silent up until now, took a slow step forward.

  His eyes were wide with fascination, with hunger. He, too, was a mage of the highest caliber, a High Grandmaster who had spent his life pursuing knowledge and power. But now, standing before this spectacle, he felt small.

  He swallowed, then took another step closer.

  “…That is an incredible creation,” he finally said, his voice trembling slightly.

  Unlike Aelith, he was not paralyzed by fear. He was enraptured, enthralled. He had been a devout follower of an unknown god, seeking enlightenment and strength through prayer. But at this moment, all his faith, all his devotion—it crumbled into dust.

  Gods had never answered him.

  Gods had never granted him power.

  But here was Eo, a being who had surpassed the limits of magic itself.

  Antru clenched his fists, his mind racing. If he could not reach godhood through faith, then perhaps there was another way.

  Perhaps he could align himself with something greater.

  He took a deep breath, suppressing the hesitation in his heart, and did something unthinkable for a High Grandmaster Mage.

  He bent his knee.

  Before Eo.

  Before the being who had rewritten the rules of magic before his very eyes.

  “I wish to serve you,” Antru said, lowering his head. “I can be of use to you, Eo. I have knowledge of the surface world, its factions, its hidden truths. Free me from these restraints, and I will gather information for you. In exchange…”

  His voice wavered slightly, but he forced himself to continue.

  “In exchange, grant me power.”

  Aelith gasped, her mind snapping back into focus.

  She turned her gaze to Antru, disbelief flashing across her face. A High Grandmaster, one of the most powerful mages alive, was kneeling before Eo, offering his loyalty.

  It was absurd.

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  It was terrifying.

  But… was it wrong?

  Aelith’s hands trembled as she gritted her teeth. The realization hit her like a tidal wave.

  Antru wasn’t wrong to bow.

  Because Eo was something beyond human comprehension.

  If even a High Grandmaster Mage could recognize the significance of what stood before them, then who was she to resist?

  She hesitated for only a moment longer before she, too, bent her knee, lowering her head in submission.

  “…I will follow as well,” Aelith said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I do not understand you, but I recognize power when I see it. If you will have me, then I will serve.”

  Silence filled the air.

  Eo, who had been watching the entire exchange with silent amusement, finally reacted.

  He tilted his head slightly, his countless thoughts weaving together.

  Humans were strange creatures.

  They fought, they resisted, and yet when confronted with something beyond their understanding, they submitted.

  He found it… amusing.

  Was it useful to have followers? To have individuals who would act on his behalf, gathering knowledge, carrying out tasks that he had yet to explore himself?

  It was a concept worth considering.

  Eo turned his gaze back to his grimoire, observing its constant state of fluctuation. The core of his creation was not merely words on a page—it was an extension of himself, forged from his own body. His tentacles, his blood, his essence—all condensed into a singular entity.

  If he could rewrite the concept of a grimoire…

  Perhaps he could rewrite the concept of servitude as well.

  His amusement deepened.

  For now, he would observe.

  Eo didn’t reply.

  He simply stood there, motionless, his gaze shifting between the kneeling humans and the formless grimoire floating beside him. His thoughts moved in intricate patterns, weaving through possibilities, observations, and conclusions. The presence of Antru and Aelith did not faze him—nor did their sudden willingness to submit.

  They had seen something beyond their comprehension, and now they sought to align themselves with it.

  How typical of humans.

  But Eo was not concerned with them at this moment. His focus was on something else entirely.

  His grimoire.

  His creation.

  It was not a book of bound pages, not a mere tool to aid spellcasting. No, it was an extension of himself, shaped from his own being. It did not follow the rigid structure of human grimoires, nor did it obey the laws they had constructed over generations.

  It was something entirely new.

  His tentacled body twitched, shifting as if responding to an unseen impulse. Then, before the eyes of his captives, his form began to change.

  The transformation was smoother this time—fluid, precise. His limbs retracted, his body realigned, and his flesh molded itself into the shape of a humanoid form. But unlike his previous crude attempt at mimicry, this one was different.

  It had been refined.

  The eerie, formless nature of his old humanoid shape was gone. Now, standing two meters tall, Eo’s body held a certain human charm to it. His frame was lean but defined, muscular in some places, giving him a presence that was neither monstrous nor grotesque.

  And yet, there was something undeniably unnatural about him.

  His face.

  It had no features—just a sleek, smooth surface, like polished glass. A perfect blank slate.

  The silence in the chamber grew heavier. Aelith and Antru watched in awe, unable to look away. They had already accepted that Eo was beyond them, but now, seeing this new form, they felt as if they were witnessing the birth of something… different.

  Something that could no longer be categorized.

  Eo turned his head slightly, examining his own form with curiosity. He could feel the strength in this shape, the fluidity of movement, the balance of structure and function. But something was still incomplete.

  His gaze returned to his grimoire.

  The formless entity that floated beside him.

  It was malleable. It did not need to remain in the shape of a floating book, just as his body did not need to remain in the shape of a hydra.

  A thought passed through his mind, and in response, the grimoire shifted.

  Its shape collapsed inward, morphing, condensing. The pulsating energy that surrounded it stabilized, solidifying into something new.

  A mask.

  A full-face white mask, smooth and featureless, save for two openings where the eyes would be.

  Eo reached out, grasping the mask in one hand.

  Then, slowly, he placed it over his faceless visage.

  As soon as it settled into place, something changed.

  From the empty holes in the mask, two eyes opened.

  They were not ordinary eyes—not mere manifestations of vision. These eyes carried something else.

  Something more.

  It was not power in the traditional sense. Not a surge of magic or an overwhelming aura of destruction.

  It was the weight of uniqueness.

  An identity that did not belong to this world.

  An eye that saw beyond the dimensions of reality itself.

  Antru instinctively lowered his head further, feeling as if he were being gazed upon by something that should not exist. Aelith clenched her fists, her breathing uneven. The sensation of those eyes on her was like being dissected, her very existence being analyzed and understood at a level beyond comprehension.

  Eo let out a slow breath.

  His transformation was complete.

  He had studied blood and its functions, unlocking the secrets of life at the microscopic level.

  He had studied formations, weaving logic and magic into structured patterns.

  He had now delved into grimoires, rewriting the very concept of magical knowledge.

  And he had touched upon faith—though not fully understanding it, he had taken the first step toward grasping its intricacies.

  But there was no rush.

  There never was.

  For the first time, Eo felt something akin to clarity. Not a destination, not a grand revelation, but an understanding of himself.

  He was no longer just an anomaly.

  No longer an abomination.

  No longer a creature without definition.

  He was Eo.

  An existence like any other.

  A presence that would shape its own path, unaffected by the expectations of those who sought to label him.

  Aelith’s lips trembled as she watched him. The shift in atmosphere was undeniable. It was no longer just fear or awe that filled the air.

  It was recognition.

  Antru, still kneeling, let out a slow breath. He had abandoned his god in pursuit of something tangible. And now, gazing at Eo, he knew he had made the right choice.

  Eo had declared his presence.

  And the world would have no choice but to acknowledge it.