Given the circumstances of the incident, the Council had no choice but to intervene.
A former Great Power had escaped custody.
The initial reports were vague. Some believed Mikhail had used magic, others thought he exploited a gap in security. No one could say for certain.
But one thing was clear. This wasn’t something Index could handle on its own.
Faced with such a threat, the Index issued an immediate request for aid.
At that time, there was only one Great Power available.
Soliette Dominique.
Her arrival was quick. Along with her came a team of doctors, medics, and security reinforcements.
The Council’s decision was clear.
If a former Great Power had broken free, then only another Great Power could stop him.
It was simple logic.
A Great Power to stop a former Great Power.
The battle ended within the day. The aftermath, however, lingered far longer.
That being said, a week had passed since the incident.
His body was wrapped in bandages from his chest to his legs, and his right arm was propped up by a sling.
Wires and tubes ran from his arms and chest, connecting him to several machines monitoring his vitals.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The steady rhythm of the heart monitor reverberated softly in the room.
Her royal-blue eyes studied him quietly.
His disheveled black hair clung to his forehead, and for some reason, was damp with sweat.
His face, though calm, looked strained—like someone caught in the middle of a bad dream.
“….”
Her gaze drifted to his right arm.
Thankfully, the guards had recovered it quickly after retrieving his body.
It was still fresh when they brought it in. If too much time had passed, not even she would have been able to reattach it.
While reattachment was no simple task, Soliette had used a Sovereign-tier Aether spell to restore it.
It had been a grueling process, but she succeeded.
“….”
Her eyes narrowed as she continued to watch him.
Vanitas Astrea.
It was a name she knew well.
How could she not?
Among the noble children she once tutored, he was one of the few who stood out. Not for his background, but for his talent.
Still, something about him now felt…. different.
Her gaze softened. She looked at his face again, watching the subtle twitch of his brows, the slight movement of his fingers. She wondered if he really was dreaming.
“….”
Mikhail’s words echoed in her mind.
‘If I were you, I’d keep an eye on that Professor.’
Her brows furrowed.
“What did he mean by that?” she muttered under her breath.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the bed’s metal frame as she fell into thought.
The incident replayed in her mind. She had seen it herself from a distance away.
The moment Vanitas had unleashed that lightning spell, the sheer power was nothing short of extraordinary.
“….”
Her eyes moved to his hand. His fingers twitched slightly, as if grasping for something.
Her thoughts broke when she heard something.
“Nmh….”
Her eyes darted to his face.
His lips parted, letting out a faint, hoarse sound. His brows twitched, scrunching together as his eyes squeezed shut tighter.
“….Ah?”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“Eun….”
Another sound escaped his lips, and his head shifted ever so slightly. His breathing grew heavier. His lips moved, forming inaudible words. His entire body began to tense.
“….”
Sweat beaded on his forehead, trickling down his temples and soaking into the pillow beneath him. His chest rose and fell slowly.
Her eyes caught something she hadn’t noticed before.
A single drop.
It ran down his cheek.
Another followed.
Tears.
“….”
He was crying.
Her eyes narrowed as she observed him closely.
Was it a nightmare? No, it felt deeper than that.
These weren’t the tears of someone merely having a bad dream. These were the tears of someone who had seen something beyond repair.
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Her fingers hovered just above his face, as if she were about to wipe away the tears, but she stopped herself.
“….”
She pulled her hand back.
Her gaze lingered on him, and for a moment, she considered waking him up.
But she didn’t.
“….Eun-ah.”
“….”
His lips were moving slowly. His brows remained scrunched, and his face twisted with a pain she couldn’t comprehend.
Though there was something that had been bothering Soliette whenever she visited.
Something always reeked around him.
Soliette leaned close, her nose perking up.
Sniff. Sniff.
It was then.
“Haakh!”
Vanitas was jolted awake.
“Hieeeek——!”
And Soliette flinched.
***
It took about five minutes for Vanitas to gather his thoughts together.
His breathing was slow and steady, but his chest felt heavy, like something had wrapped around his lungs.
‘That dream again….’
It wasn’t the first time.
At least once a week, ever since his transmigration, he’d experience the same kind of dream.
Not just any dream.
That dream.
The kind that clung to him long after he woke up. The kind that left an ache in his chest and a certain emptiness in his mind.
He tried to remember the details, but like all dreams, they slipped away after certain minutes passed like fragments.
Pieces of something whole that he could never seem to grasp.
He could still recall parts of it.
The screech of tires. The flash of headlights. The metallic crunch of steel.
He lifted his hand to rub his face, only for a dull pain to shoot through his right arm.
“Ah—!”
His body jolted, and his eyes darted down to his arm.
Thick, layered bandages were wrapped around his forearm up to his shoulder.
For a moment, he was confused. His fingers twitched beneath the fabric, his hand still intact.
‘It’s still there…?’
Then it hit him.
The battle. Mikhail. The shadows. The ice spears. The pain.
‘Right. My arm… it was cut off.’
His hand flexed. He could still move his fingers.
He gripped the blanket, squeezing it tightly to ground himself.
He leaned back against the headboard of the bed, closing his eyes for a moment.
‘The last thing I remember is….’
Soliette.
And then…. darkness.
‘She’s the one who saved me, huh?’
It was expected. Soliette was, after all, the very reason he staked his entire life to even finish the Special Act.
This early on in the narrative, he found it especially important to establish a connection with Soliette as soon as possible.
In most cases in the game, it didn’t really mean much. However, there was one certain factor Vanitas was sure of which would come into play.
Vanitas Astrea’s existing connection with Soliette.
He had read it in the diary. When Vanitas was seven years–old, the eighteen year–old Soliette was his private magic tutor.
In any case, it all worked out in the end. The Special Act completion, and Soliette.
Two birds with one stone.
It wasn’t easy to meet Soliette, after all. She was often sent out on missions. She barely had time for herself.
“You said I’ve been asleep for a week?” he asked, turning to Soliette who was reading a book.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Soliette closed the book shut and approached him.
“Do you remember me?” she asked.
“Of course,” Vanitas said, lifting his head to meet her gaze. “How could I not, Miss Soliette?”
Her lips curled into a faint smile, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
The fact that she was here spoke enough. If he were still a player—a student, there was no way Soliette would even be in this hospital room.
“You know,” she said, crossing her arms as she stood at the foot of his bed. “When I found out who you were, I was surprised. Never thought we’d meet again like this.”
Her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer than necessary, scanning him like she was searching for something.
“I heard you became a Professor,” she added casually. “That’s impressive.”
Vanitas let out a small, dry chuckle. “….Hearing that from the Archmage herself feels a little underwhelming.”
“Does it now?” Soliette raised a brow, her lips curling into a faint smirk.
For a moment, it almost felt normal. Like two acquaintances catching up after years apart.
Not until she asked the next question.
“By the way,” she said, her voice carrying a bit more weight. “How are Lord Vanir and Lady Hestia these days?”
Vanitas and Charlotte’s parents.
“They were kind people,” she continued. “I remember how Lady Hestia would offer me tea and snacks during our lessons.”
“They’ve both passed away,” Vanitas said flatly. His words were devoid of emotion, as if stating an irrelevant fact.
“….”
Soliette’s eyes lowered slightly. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
“….I see,” she muttered, her voice quiet. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s fine.”
An uncomfortable silence lingered between them. It wasn’t heavy. They were practically strangers to him, after all. But it wasn’t light either.
Soliette raised her head. Her demeanor shifted, like a switch had flipped.
“Vanitas,” she said. “There’s something I need to ask you.”
Vanitas’s eyes narrowed slightly. He leaned back, already anticipating what was coming next.
“Go ahead,” he said.
After the incident at Index, this was bound to happen. The guards might have been busy with containment, but not her.
An Archmage wasn’t one to overlook details.
And with the incident involving Mikhail, it was only a matter of time before someone asked about that.
The metal.
He knew he left it behind. It was unfortunate.
“Regarding Mikhail,” Soliette began. “Do you have any idea why he targeted you?”
“Pardon?” Vanitas blinked.
Not about the metal?
“Did he say anything to you while you two were walking alone?”
Vanitas hesitated briefly but shook his head. “No. I didn’t even know who he was until he revealed himself.”
“Is that so….”
Her fingers lightly tapped against her arm, as if she was in deep thought.
Her gaze shifted briefly toward the window. Rain droplets trickled down the glass.
“…I see,” she muttered.
Vanitas watched her carefully. This was his chance.
“About that,” he began. “Was there anything found at the scene?”
Soliette’s eyes flicked back to him. Her brows lifted slightly in interest.
“No,” she answered bluntly. “Shortly after you passed out, a battle ensued. In the end, Mikhail took his own life.”
“Took his own life, huh?” he said, leaning back against the pillow. His gaze shifted toward the ceiling. “I suppose that’s one way to go.”
Nothing found at the scene. No metal.
Mikhail and Edmund were dead.
‘How convenient.’
But given the nature of the Blade of Resonance, Vanitas could paint the picture of what happened.
The Blade of Resonance had several drawbacks.
The most notable was the time lag after activation, but there was another, far more critical flaw.
Its limited usage.
From dismantling barriers, to absorbing multiple Master-ranked spells, it had far exceeded its intended usage capacity.
Vanitas leaned back into his pillow, his eyes staring at the ceiling.
‘Exactly how it should be.’
Soliette watched him, but she didn’t press.
Instead, she sighed and turned away from the window.
“I suppose that’s all for now.”
She glanced at him once more, her eyes softening slightly.
“By the way, your sister came by this morning.”
“Charlotte?”
“Mhm,” Soliette nodded, a faint smile curling at the edge of her lips. “She’s grown up to be a stunning young woman. I remember when she used to follow me around during our lessons, always asking if she could wear my hat.”
“Yeah, that sounds like her.”
His eyes flickered to her head, noting the absence of her signature pointed hat. Soliette usually wore it during formal events.
“Miss Soliette.”
“Hm?” She turned toward him, tilting her head.
“Do you believe the Archives of Haven exist?”
“The Archives of Haven?” she repeated. “You mean ‘that’ Archives of Haven? The fairy tale they tell kids to get them to study harder?”
“Yes, that.”
Soliette’s eyes lingered on him. She didn’t laugh, but it was clear she found the question strange.
“No,” she said flatly.
Her fingers gently tapped her arm as she pondered on the thought.
“A library that records everything, even a world beyond ours,” she continued, glancing toward the window. “From its beginning, all the way to its end. Even the future itself.”
Her eyes shifted back to him.
“Don’t you think it sounds ridiculous?” she asked.
“….”
Vanitas remained quiet, listening intently.
“If something that grand existed, don’t you think someone would’ve found it by now?” she continued. “With over 2,000 years of history, countless mages, historians, and scholars….”
She went on and on, and on without even pausing for air.
Her mouth moved like a machine gun as she expressed every reasoning as to why the Archives of Haven didn’t exist.
Vanitas found it cute.
The way she put so much passion into disproving something she didn’t “believe in.”
Because, out of everyone he knew and would come to know, Soliette was the only person who argued against it like this.
Not because she wanted to disprove its existence.
But because she believed in it more than anyone.
“I believe it exists,” he firmly stated.
“Not even a single mention in the ancient codices—Ah?”
Her voice cracked like a glitch in a machine.
“You’re looking for it too, aren’t you?” he said.
“…Too?” Her voice lowered. “You… are you looking for the Archives of Haven?”
“Yes.”
Soliette blinked, visibly stunned.
The Archives of Haven may have been a hot topic centuries ago, but now, it was nothing more than a running gag among scholars.
If a researcher hit a dead end, having wasted years on a project that led nowhere, their colleagues would snicker and say, ‘Stuck? Why not check the Archives of Haven?’
It was basically the scholar’s way of saying, ‘Congratulations, you’ve just wasted your life. Why not double down and chase a fairy tale next?’
“Don’t take my word for it,” Vanitas said. “But I believe I have a lead.”
“What!?” Soliette’s mouth widened in shock. “Are you serious?”
“Do I look like the type to joke around?”
Her gaze lingered on him for a moment. Then, slowly, she turned her head away. Her cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.
“Back then, you did,” she muttered. “You’d always say weird stuff like…. like.… ‘If I marry you, do I get free snacks forever?'”
“….”
Vanitas didn’t say anything. It wasn’t him. He had never done anything like that, not now, not when he was Chae Eun–woo either.
“Give me a few months,” he said.
“Yes?” Soliette turned toward him, blinking her eyes.
“I’ll come find you once I sort things out.”
***
After Soliette disappeared, Vanitas checked the notifications.
——「Special Act: Index」
「Rewards:」
◆ Understanding: +20%
◆ Numen’s Azure Shard
「Bonus Rewards for Maximum Difficulty:」
◆ Understanding: +20%
————————————
The shard materialized in his palm soon after. It was quite small, but the magic power was there.
———「Numen’s Azure Shard」
◆ Description: A lustrous fragment imbued with the essence of ancient sorceries, reminiscent of the Numen’s celestial heritage.
◆ Effects:
◆ Significantly enhances the potency and efficiency of spells.
◆ Harmonizes with the wielder’s mana, granting improved control in spellcasting.
◆ Current Status: Dormant.
——————
“Just what I needed.”