The small hut nestled deep in the Wraithwood Forest looked deceptively ordinary from the outside—weathered wooden walls, a moss-covered roof, and a crooked chimney puffing lazy smoke into the evening air. Inside, however, was a different world entirely.

  Books towered in precarious stacks from floor to ceiling. Glass vials filled with oddly colored liquids lined shelves that threatened to collapse under their weight. Magical implements, star charts, and crumbling scrolls covered every available surface.

  The air smelled of ink, herbs, and a faint metallic tang that couldn't quite be identified.

  The Forsaken Alchemist, better known to most as Maldric Othrandar the Scholar with Three Brains, hunched over his cluttered desk. His wild, graying blonde hair stuck out in all directions, giving him the appearance of someone who had just been struck by lightning. He absentmindedly spooned a murky stew into his mouth while reading a letter delivered to his doorstep by expensive magic.

  Such a delivery method was unusual enough to catch even his jaded attention, and somehow it had happened twice in less than six months. From the same sender, too.

  "Fascinating," he muttered, dropping a splash of stew onto the parchment. He quickly wiped it away with his sleeve before continuing to read.

  The letter began with a formal address:

  To the esteemed Maldric Othrandar, Scholar with Three Brains,

  I hope this finds you well and that my sudden letter didn't startle you too badly. I write to you regarding a matter of considerable importance—a technique I'm attempting to master called the Photon Ring. I know we’re not close enough to be sending letters randomly to each other, but I hope you’d at least read through this.

  Firstly, I've managed to form the ring of stellar energy, but it remains merely decorative rather than functional. I know you're not a fighter but a scholar, but I think you should be able to help with the underlying principles of what I’m trying to achieve.

  For context that may assist your analysis, I possess dual cores...

  Maldric paused, setting his spoon down with a clatter. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, eyes gleaming with sudden interest.

  "So he has two cores... how odd." He leaned back in his creaking chair. A minute of reading later, he realized those dual cores could probably help him achieve this. Probably the only reason he could, in fact.

  When he was done reading the letter, realizing what he was trying to recreate, he tilted his head, staring at the ceiling as if the answer might be written there. "...Where did he even see such a technique be performed that he got the idea?"

  Maldric returned to the letter, scanning the detailed description of Iskandaar's attempts, the energy pathways he'd tried, and the frustrating results once again. His lips moved silently as he processed the information, occasionally nodding or shaking his head.

  "Hmm, looks like he doesn't realize about the spin principle here," Maldric muttered, grabbing a blank piece of parchment and hastily sketching a diagram. "There's more, but that's the basic start... Hmmm..."

  He stood abruptly, knocking over the half-eaten bowl of stew. Ignoring the spreading puddle, he paced the small confines of his hut, stepping over books and around bubbling cauldrons without looking.

  "The stellar energy needs to rotate," he continued talking to himself, gestures growing more animated. "Not just form a static ring. At the same time, the rotation must create a centrifugal force that will interact with the surrounding mana in the air, creating lift. But with two cores..."

  He trailed off, eyes widening as the implications became clear.

  "...Hmm, it should be impossible. Even if he has two cores, he'll require the upper core to have an opposing energy to Stellar. Such as Darkness, perhaps. He’d need an opposing Qi to anchor the spin, push and pull, like magnets. Then, he could use the upper core to stabilize while the lower core provides the propulsion. It has to be a perfect balance of opposing forces."

  However, did he have Darkness affinity besides Stellar affinity? People with multiple affinities weren't rare, and since he had two cores, he definitely had to have different affinities. But was he lucky enough that it was darkness? He didn't mention it.

  Whatever the case, he'd do a bit more thinking and then write a reply.

  Maldric rushed back to his desk, nearly tripping over a stack of ancient tomes. He grabbed a quill and began furiously scratching notes and diagrams onto the parchment. Equations, arcane symbols, and crude illustrations of energy flows filled the page.

  "This is quite fun," he whispered, a grin spreading across his face. "Finally, a problem worth looking into, besides the eternal potion."

  He glanced at the bubbling cauldron in the corner, which had been his obsession for decades. For the first time in years, something else had captured his full attention.

  A boy with two cores trying to master a technique that theoretically shouldn't be possible without 7th Ascension Mana.

  The Scholar with Three Brains smiled broadly as he dipped his quill in ink once more. This would be fun.

  ****

  Over the last couple of days, we scoured Merasca for any sign or whisper of Nevaramis. But the floating island remained stubbornly hidden, refusing to appear before its appointed time.

  We weren't the only ones on a quest. Adventurers, mercenaries, and other early arrivals also scoured the city and its outskirts for clues, yet they found nothing empty-handed.

  In short, the search was a waste.

  It was frustrating. I wanted to go there before anyone and raid things by myself, leaving others with scraps. However, that dream was useless now.

  But when a letter from the Three Brained Scholar returned with positive feedback, my face lit up with much-needed happiness

  “Nice,” I said as I lowered the letter in my hands, a grin spreading across my face as I processed the Scholar's detailed instructions.

  The parchment was covered in elaborate diagrams, equations, and hastily scrawled notes that spilled into the margins—clearly the work of a mind operating on multiple tracks at once.

  "This is crazy," Lilian said, peering over my shoulder at the letter. Her ruby eyes widened as she took in the complex explanations.

  "I told you it was better to just consult him rather than waste time attempting it when we have other stuff to do. See?" I laughed, nudging her playfully.

  Lilian spent the past week teasing me about my failed attempts at mastering the Photon Ring technique and wasting money sending letters, but now her expression was stunned.

  Then again, the week had been wasted anyway since we didn't find a lead… No, let's focus on the good things.

  "The island will show up when it's ready," I muttered, scanning the Scholar's notes again. "At least now we have a solution to the flight problem."

  "Wait, wait. Let's not get too excited, yes?” Solara cautioned, her wings fluttering with nervous energy. “First, try to do as instructed."

  "Sure." I carefully set the letter down on a nearby table, pulled my shirt over my head, and tossed it aside.

  The abandoned mansion was chilly, but I barely noticed as excitement coursed through me.

  According to Maldric's letter, I was missing several crucial elements. The ring wasn't just about forming a static loop of energy—it needed movement, circulation, speed, and energy supplementation.

  I closed my eyes and focused on my dual cores. The Stellar Qi core in my lower dantian and the Demonic Core in my chest.

  I switched the Demonic Core by breaking it down via breathing in a particular rhythm. But rather than switching to Stellar Qi… I switched to the other affinity that I received when breaking down the Demonic Core. It was Destruction Qi.

  The scholar said something had to oppose the Stellar affinity. He suggested Darkness; however, what I had was Destruction.

  Drawing stellar energy from my dantian, I channeled it through what Maldric called the "Photon Channel." This channel was just the main pathway extending from my core through my upper back, right above my spine.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "The key isn't just creating the ring," I explained as I concentrated, feeling the warm energy begin to pool between my shoulder blades. "It's making it into a self-sustaining loop that circulates energy continuously."

  The stellar energy began to take form, but rather than taking a ring shape behind me, it took the shape of a small orb of energy on the left side of my back.

  According to the Scholar's explanation, I needed to focus on two particles moving in perfect opposition, creating balance.

  While it sat there, I used Destruction Qi to form a similar orb on the right side of my back. Since Destruction and Stellar were sourced from my Demonic Qi—Chaos, to be accurate—they were different sides of the same coin. So, they were attracted to each other but also pushed each other away.

  I smiled and pushed one toward the other in a circular motion. They began to move. It was slow at first, then faster. A black and white color spun on my back, and at a heightened speed, as they spun faster, colors merged into yellow.

  The space lit up brightly.

  “It’s a glowing donut!” Lilian shouted, making me hold back a laugh. I had to remain focused.

  Usually, it'd mix back into Demonic Qi, but thanks to my breathing technique, that didn't happen.

  Once it started, I didn't need to push them actively. As the spin formed a circle, the Destruction Qi rushed ahead and pushed the Stellar Qi, which returned at the speed of light and slammed behind it. Which then made the Destruction Qi slam harder into the Stellar Qi, perfecting the spin further. It was a loop.

  All those clashes and slams made the room hum now, as if the sound of an engine was filling the space.

  "It's basically a miniature reactor. Uh, you guys probably don’t know what that means," I continued, gritting my teeth with effort. "The Qi is drawn from my cores, cycled through the ring, and the generated heat is either absorbed in me, granting me extra strength, or expelled outward like a heat energy attack. The circulation has to be perfect—too slow and it dissipates, too fast and it destabilizes."

  Just as I said it, if dissipated.

  The circle crackled and vanished.

  I tried again. I wasn't in any hurry; this was just training, so I could go again and again without worrying about anything. I have to remain calm.

  I felt the energy begin to pick up speed, the orb of Stellar Qi moving as the Destruction Qi followed.

  The ‘engine’ started again.

  "The most important part is the volume," I muttered, sweat beading on my forehead as I pushed more energy into the system. "The stronger it spins, the more lift it generates. But since it's already spinning the fastest it can, being light, the only way to increase the intensity was by using my energy. I think the Crippled Heaven did it differently, right Solara?”

  “I think so,” she said. “He didn't seem to be using that much energy. He looked quite… relaxed?”

  “Yes. I guess there are other ways to do this too. I'll probably figure them out. But for now, this is working,” I said.

  Lilian circled me, her expression curious. "So it's like... a weird magical gyroscope?"

  "Exactly! The spinning motion creates what Maldric calls 'mana buoyancy' or 'gravitational defiance.' As it spins, it pushes against the ambient mana in the air, creating lift."

  As if waiting for me to say that, the energy circulation stabilized, and the loud engine sound lessened. The sensation was strange—a pulling at my back, a lightness in my limbs.

  "It can work in bursts for combat or be maintained for longer periods of flight," I explained, remembering the Scholar's words. "But it constantly drains Qi, so there's a limit to how long I can keep it active."

  The ring was a blur of golden light that cast strange, moving shadows throughout the room. I felt the first hints of lift—my heels leaving the floor, my body becoming weightless.

  "It's working!" Solara exclaimed, her eyes wide.

  The sensation was simultaneously exhilarating and terrifying. My body gradually lifted higher, hovering several inches above the dusty floorboards.

  No fucking way, it's really working!

  Maintaining perfect circulation was mentally taxing and required absolute concentration. One slip could cause the whole system to collapse.

  "The other benefit is absorption," I said, voice strained with effort. "The ring can take in external energies—spells, attacks, even ambient mana—and incorporate them into its circulation. That's how I was able to absorb Amelia's dragon breath during the Winter Festival. I don't think I can do that yet, though… Need training.”

  I focused on rising higher, now floating a full foot above the floor. My control was shaky, and I wobbled slightly in the air. This was only the first stage, what Maldric called "Flickering Formation."

  With practice, I could achieve stable hovering and eventually full-fledged flight.

  Suddenly, the ring flared brighter, and I shot upward, slamming face-first into the cracked ceiling. "Whoa!"

  My cheekbones hurt.

  “Um, young master?”

  “I'm fine…” I replied awkwardly, pushing myself back from the ceiling. This was turning out to be harder to control than I initially thought…

  I stabilized my breathing and slowly returned to a standing position midair. The feeling was incredible. It was like… like swimming through air, my body responding to the slightest directional push from the ring's energy.

  "It's all about the interaction between the ring's energy and the ambient mana in the air," I explained excitedly. "The spinning of opposing energies creates a localized field that repels against the natural mana currents, allowing me to magnetize myself against gravity basically.”

  Well, I was sure it was more complicated than that, but the Scholar simplified it for me, and it got the meaning across.

  Lilian and Solara cheered below me, their faces lit with wonder and excitement. I gradually lowered myself back down, still wobbly but growing more confident with each second.

  The moment my feet touched the floor, I put out the ring. “Whew. It is very energy-consuming for now.”

  I had to figure out how the Crippled Heaven did it so easily, but that'd take time. That was for later.

  For now, I was just happy I did it.

  "You did it!" Lilian exclaimed, her silver hair rushing towards me. Both girls lunged forward, throwing their arms around me in a tight embrace. Lilian's hair brushed against my chest as she hugged me fiercely.

  "That was amazing!" Solara added, her grin wider than me somehow, her wings folding around us all in a crimson cocoon. “That was so cool, Iskandaar. It reminded me of your future variant! Oh my god.”

  I laughed, wrapping my arms around both of them, feeling a surge of joy that had nothing to do with mastering the technique.

  I had never truly had this experience of sharing victories with people who genuinely cared in my previous life.

  As I held them close, something Solara had said about the future me before echoed in my mind. The Crippled Heaven—that broken version of myself from a possible future—had experienced a life where Solara didn't survive.

  A timeline where I'd lost her, where everything had gone wrong.

  ‘If he manages to pull off what I am about to show you, he’ll stop you from death this time around. He surely will. I trust that.’ was what he'd said, apparently.

  My mood darkened slightly at the thought. I tightened my embrace, feeling a fierce protectiveness well up inside me.

  You're right, me from a ruined future. I promise, I muttered in my head, I'll protect you both. I'll protect everyone I care about.

  It wasn't a vow to them but to that broken future version of myself. I wouldn't become the Crippled Heaven. I wouldn't lose the people I loved. No matter what it took, I would forge a different path—one where we all survived… together.

  ****

  Nebula Carlstein stepped off the Academy airship and was immediately assaulted by the cacophony of Merasca's skyport. The landing platform teemed with life—merchants hawking wares, adventurers comparing equipment, and fellow students from Waybound chattering excitedly about the upcoming festival.

  Even with her hood pulled low, the late afternoon sun found gaps in the fabric, irritating her sensitive skin with its golden rays. She winced slightly, tugging the edge down further.

  Her nostrils flared, taking in the tangy scent of mana-laced steam billowing from the airship engines. Beneath that, the unmistakable metallic tinge of blood—someone in this crowd had an open wound. Her throat tightened instinctively.

  Focus, Nebula. Control yourself.

  Her mother’s training had helped immensely, so she didn’t have any trouble controlling that. Professor Katheran stood atop a wooden crate near the airship ramp, his tall figure commanding attention even amidst the chaos. He raised his hand, and the students gradually quieted.

  "Listen up, Waybound's finest," he called out, voice carrying that familiar edge of authority. "The Summer Festival at Nevaramis isn't just some holiday excursion. Hopefully, all of you understand that. You're representatives of the Academy, and I expect you to act accordingly."

  Nebula half-listened, her crimson eyes scanning the crowd. Every tall, broad-shouldered figure drew her attention before disappointment settled in. None of them was Iskandaar.

  "...under no circumstances wander Merasca's underbelly alone," Katheran continued, his voice becoming background noise to her searching gaze. "Report any major discoveries to your instructors immediately..."

  Where is he? Nebula thought, frustration building in her chest. Chancellor Amelia had strongly hinted that Iskandaar would be here in Merasca. Had something happened…? The most likely case is that he’s fooling around with those two girls and forgot about me.

  Heat rose to her cheeks as memories of their very last encounter flooded back—his blood on her lips as she drank him for the last time before leaving, the intensity in his eyes, the way his hands had moved across her skin. That need had only grown stronger in his absence.

  "...and remember, dignity above all else," Katheran concluded with a curt nod, dismissing them.

  Students dispersed into smaller groups, some casting curious glances at her. Iskandaar Romani's quiet fiancée was always the subject of gossip and attention. Usually, she'd shoot them a cold glare, but today, she barely noticed, still searching the thinning crowds.

  Then, her maid approached her side. "My lady, shall we find lodging?"

  Maids were allowed only if the student was willing to pay for the airship and lodging separately. Nebula didn’t want to, but her mother insisted otherwise.

  "In a moment… Mirella," Nebula murmured, eyes flicking toward the rooftops, hoping to catch a glimpse of his long black hair or a familiar silhouette. Nothing.

  The skyport gradually emptied, leaving her feeling strangely adrift. Despite wearing her customary mask of cool indifference, her heart raced with questions. Why hadn't he reached out? Was he even in Merasca yet? Was he… safe?

  In the end, Nebula sighed, adjusting her travel pack.

  Just where was her fiancé, leaving her to be so thirsty for him?