Fire Mage

Zephyr looked at the three paths and hesitated.

The last six missions had helped him grow at an incredible pace. But everything came at a price—and risk.

The sixth mission I got was to hunt a Rank-2 Magical Beast alone.

He had nearly died but ended up creating Advanced Sword Aura at death's door.

So far, everything has gone smoothly. But he knew there were definitely dangers ahead.

Ha, there's nothing to hesitate about.

He then looked at the walls of each path and saw a symbol drawn on each.

The path to the left showed a rising sun, the middle path showed a towering tree, and the right path showed three crescent moons.

Hmm, the towering tree seems suspicious… It strangely aligns with the tree I saw in the elven murals… The crescent moons are eerily similar to the blood moons in the night sky… Those strange fish beings seem related to these moons. I don't want to choose that path.

Zephyr pondered for a moment and chose the left path.

Goddess of Life… No, she belonged to the Radiant Empire before. That means this has something to do with Light Magic. It's the best option.

While muttering, he walked into the dark, gloomy, cave-like hallway.

But as soon as he took a step onto the path, a bright white light enveloped him completely.

Then, he found himself standing in the middle of a hall with a high ceiling and stone walls. Strange white crystals were embedded in the walls, illuminating the hall with bright light.

Zephyr glanced around cautiously and noticed there were no murals, inscriptions, or statues.

Instead, he saw hundreds of skeletons scattered across the hall. Some of the skeletons had even been cut in two. Most of them had died while holding weapons like swords, spears, staffs, and even bows.

What the hell happened here?

His expression stiffened.

Soon, a strange orb floated in the middle of the hall, catching his attention.

At that moment, the Keeper's Watch on his right wrist vibrated.

He hurriedly touched the watch and activated it.

…

[Sub-quest: 1---]

[Foreign force is interfering!]

[Error!!!]

[Error!!!]

…

Before he could look at the status, he suddenly noticed that the surroundings had started to change.

He slowly opened his eyes and soon realized he was in a familiar bedroom. It wasn't a luxurious bed, but it was comfortable enough. The room was 16x16 feet, and had furniture like tables, bookshelves, and a wardrobe.

It was the room he had used when staying at the Silvercrest House after his mother's death.

Why am I here? No, it's been more than a month since I moved. My memory feels hazy.

As he was thinking, a knocking sound came from outside.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"Young Master Zephyr, it's Butler Nigel!" an old man's voice came from outside.

"What is it, Mr. Nigel?" he asked cautiously. Even though the butler had been kind to him all this time, he kept his tone polite.

"Lord Baron has summoned you to join breakfast with everyone else."

Zephyr froze.

He stared at the door as if he hadn't heard correctly.

"Breakfast…?"

His voice was a whisper—not of confusion, but of disbelief.

Baron Silvercrest had never summoned him. Not once in the past month he'd lived in that cold stone mansion had he ever been invited to share a table, let alone be acknowledged. After the Baron learned of his mother's death, he was given a room at the far edge of the estate, like some tolerated servant.

The dining hall was forbidden territory—not by rule, but by rejection.

Lady Athena Silvercrest—his so-called stepmother—had made sure he understood where he stood.

He always ate in silence. Even the servants never respected him. Only Butler Nigel had shown him some care and allowed him into the kitchen whenever he needed food.

Zephyr looked at the wall clock and noticed it was 7 A.M.

There's still around an hour until breakfast.

"I'll arrive on time, Mr. Nigel."

Zephyr stood up from the bed after informing the butler and began getting ready.

Half an hour later, he stood before the tall mirror, adjusting the cuffs of his formal navy-blue attire. The fabric felt foreign, almost ceremonial. A silver crest of a falcon—a symbol of House Silvercrest—was embroidered on the right shoulder.

He had worn this outfit only once since coming to the mansion and had never even taken it out of the wardrobe again.

That was when Duke Eldrakar came to the mansion to see Lady Athena Silvercrest.

Even that was to show the Duke that Zephyr had some talent in swordsmanship.

As he looked into the mirror, he couldn't help but frown.

"This doesn't make sense. Not the clothes. Not the sudden summons. Not… any of it."

Despite the lingering fog in his mind, a sense of wrongness gnawed at the edges of his thoughts.

Something feels off.

What startled him more was his calmness.

Truthfully, he had been a timid boy and hadn't even dared to look the Baron in the eye.

He had yearned for the Baron's recognition and wanted him to accept him as a son, like his other half-siblings.

But now, I feel distant.

Still, he walked out of the room.

The corridors felt different—too clean, too quiet. The maids he passed bowed with strange smiles, like polished masks over hollow faces. Even the sunlight filtering through the stained-glass windows felt unnaturally bright, as though someone had painted it onto reality.

He reached the entrance of the grand dining hall.

The heavy oak doors opened on their own.

What greeted him was something out of a dream—or a carefully rehearsed play.

Baron Silvercrest sat at the head of the long obsidian table. He was a man in his sixties, with grey hair, brown eyes, and a fair complexion.

"Ah, Zephyr! You're early," the Baron said, gesturing toward a seat beside him.

Lady Silvercrest turned with a delicate, porcelain smile. "You've grown so tall. Your mother would be proud."

Zephyr stiffened.

She loathed my mother… Isn't she the one who made my mother leave this mansion when I was a baby?

Sitting on the left were his two half-brothers, Harold and Lionel. The firstborn, Theodore, was nowhere to be seen.

I heard he rarely comes.

Each of them had mocked or ignored him in the past. Yet now, Harold leaned forward with a warm gaze.

"Brother," he said, "we were just talking about your progress in swordsmanship. I heard you've managed to manifest Sword Aura? That's incredible."

"…Yes," Zephyr replied cautiously, taking the offered seat. "It happened while sparring with a knight."

Lionel chuckled. "Father told us about it. I must say, I'm a little jealous. You're progressing faster than any of us did at your age."

Brother? Jealous? Compliments?

Lady Silvercrest leaned slightly forward. "Your father told me his gift of a Class Gem allowed your talent to awaken." She smiled, as if proud. "It seems his decision bore fruit after all."

Zephyr furrowed his brows.

She was the same woman who had once called his presence in the estate a 'blemish on the family name.'

So why now?

Why was she smiling?

Why did she act like none of that ever happened?

Baron Silvercrest raised his cup and said, "Zephyr, I've been thinking. It's time you received proper guidance and exposure."

Zephyr blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I'm recommending you for enrollment at Radiant School. We have connections there, and with your talent, I'm confident you'll rise fast."

Harold nodded. "That's a great idea, Father. Radiant School is the best in the Empire. Zephyr would thrive there."

Radiant Academy…?

Zephyr felt a wave of uneasiness.

"Is it better than Rebirth Tower?" he asked without even thinking.

Then, his expression froze.

Meanwhile, the Baron spoke with a thoughtful look.

"I did hear about that place. They say an ancient Mage of a past era built it recently and has been teaching much forbidden knowledge. Our Sacred Empire even sent a warning letter to the Iron Kingdom for building a magic tower in their territory. How did you know of that place?"

At that moment, Zephyr felt something blocking him from recalling his memories.

Then, the face of a deep-blue-haired man with jade eyes appeared in his mind.

"Charles Nightwind…" he muttered subconsciously.

As soon as he spoke those words, a strange purple fire appeared in Zephyr's Inner World and instantly erased the strange power blocking his memories.

Within seconds, the memories of his time at Rebirth Tower flooded his mind like a storm.

"What is this dream?" he muttered, as the Baron and others started looking at him with confused expressions.

Then, the entire surrounding area shattered like broken mirrors.

…

A second later, Zephyr found himself standing in the large chamber and showed a confused look.

In truth, this mental illusion trap was supposed to keep him in an illusion for a long time. One had to overcome the temptation and realize they were being manipulated to wake from this dream.

But Charles's interference broke the illusion spell like nothing.

"Congratulations on passing the first Forbidden Trial of Light Pathway: Endurance of Purity." A monotonous voice came from the white orb.

"Proceeding to the second trial!"

Before he could even open his mouth, white light blinded his vision.