Strongest Existence Becomes Teacher

Caelum's breath caught as he watched the scene unfold—Zayne's hand plunging deep into Kin's chest, pulling out the pulsating blue organ with chilling ease. The Abyssal's guttural scream still echoed faintly when silence fell.

Holding the heart up, its corrupted blood dripping steadily, Zayne tilted his head, lips curving into that mocking smirk.

"…Wow. You really do have a big heart, huh?"

And then, without hesitation, his fingers clenched. Crack. The heart burst like rotten fruit, fragments of flesh and blue ichor splattering over him.

Soaked head to toe in Abyssal blood, Zayne smiled—unbothered, almost amused.

Slowly, he began to float upward, his long coat swaying in the faint wind. Caelum's eyes widened as he noticed—drop by drop—the blood vanished from Zayne's skin and clothes, slipping away as though an invisible, skin-tight barrier rejected every impurity. By the time he reached Caelum's height, he was pristine again, like he'd never been drenched in gore.

Hovering before the battered one-armed swordsman, Zayne's gaze softened slightly, the arrogance still lingering at the corner of his lips.

"Okay then," he said, folding his arms once more. "Now… shall we talk?"

Caelum steadied his breathing, straightening his back though fatigue weighed heavy on his body. His voice was calm, controlled.

"Yes… we can talk now. But…" his eyes drifted below them.

The forest was no longer a forest. Eighty percent of it had been reduced to ruin—vast craters ripping through the earth, scorched and melted patches glowing faintly with residual heat. The once-living land was now lifeless, littered with mangled corpses of the lesser Abyssals, and at its center, the broken husk of Kin lay motionless.

Caelum exhaled sharply through his nose. "...Just leave it. I'll have to speak with the others and send people to clean this mess."

Zayne looked down once, then shrugged, his smirk never fading. "That's your headache, not mine." He turned casually in midair, long coat trailing behind him. "Let's head to my campsite. It's not far—right near Valdoria's border."

As he said this, the horizon flared with color. Two suns of Orimund crept over the jagged skyline, painting the world in hues of red and orange, the dawn fire reflecting off the ruins of battle.

Without another word, the two rose into the sky, cutting through the chilled morning air in silence. Together, they flew toward Valdoria—toward the camp that awaited.

The campfire had long gone cold, just faint wisps of smoke rising into the air. As they landed, Zayne snapped his fingers lazily, and the dead embers roared back to life, flames crackling as if they'd never gone out. He settled down cross-legged beside it, pulling out skewered meat from his dimensional bag—the same cuts he'd been grilling before the chaos. With the other hand, he casually retrieved a box and flipped it open.

Steam rolled upward. A fresh, piping-hot pizza sat inside.

Caelum blinked once. "A dimensional bag… and not an ordinary one." His eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at his own plain space pouch. The difference in quality was obvious.

Zayne plucked out a slice, cheese stretching as he bit into it. He noticed Caelum staring. "You want some?" He extended the box.

There was a pause, then Caelum accepted a slice. He examined it cautiously before taking a bite. The crunch of the crust echoed faintly between them.

Zayne leaned back, smirk tugging at his lips. "So, what were we talking about again?"

Caelum swallowed, expression steady. "Ah… yes. I was speaking of my age." His gaze drifted into the flames. "You're already strong enough that telling you won't matter. I've been… climbing toward becoming something more than mortal."

Zayne chewed lazily, letting him continue.

"As you know, Orimund runs on different systems of power. Warriors rise by stars—from one to nine. Mages ascend through circles—one to nine. And then there's the universal ranking, spanning from rank G to rank SS."

Zayne nodded. "Yeah, the basics."

"The highest known standing is SS rank. Beyond that, nothing exists… at least, not recorded. But on one expedition in a ruin , I discovered the truth. When a mortal surpasses the peak of SS rank, he sheds mortality itself and becomes something else—a Higher Being. The world itself forces that ascension. That's why no mortal has ever been recorded beyond SS."

Zayne lifted a brow mid-bite. "So… you're saying you're already there?"

"Almost." Caelum's tone was calm, but there was weight in his words. "I stand at the peak of SS rank as a swordsman. Any further, and I'll cross that threshold."

Zayne popped the crust into his mouth, chewing slowly. "Mm. Impressive. But that doesn't explain why those Abyssals wanted you dead."

Caelum's face hardened. "That is what I was about to tell you." He leaned forward, shadows from the fire stretching across his features. "In my search for strength, I uncovered truths hidden from most of the world. That aside from the Higher Realm… there exist other realms."

Zayne's chewing slowed, though his expression remained relaxed.

"One of them is the Abyss. A realm of horrors. And the beings that dwell there… the Abyssals."

The fire popped, embers flaring.

"I found records. Seventeen thousand years ago, there was a war. Details are scarce, but it ended with someone—someone powerful—sealing the Abyssal gate completely, cutting them off from Orimund. But myths predicted that the seal would weaken, and the gate would open again… exactly seventeen thousand years later."

Zayne tapped his slice against the box. "And let me guess—you went to see if it was true."

Caelum's jaw tightened. "Yes. I followed an ancient map to the site. And…" His voice lowered. "…It's true. One of the seals has already broken. Through that breach, I set foot into the Abyss itself."

Zayne tilted his head, light purple eyes glinting faintly in the firelight. "…And what did you find there?"

Caelum's hand curled into a fist on his knee. His eyes burned with memory. "Horror. Pure, endless horror."

Caelum's eyes darkened, his voice heavy with something that almost sounded like dread.

"Abyss…" He exhaled sharply, as though even naming it left a stain on his tongue. "That place is… horrifying."

Zayne watched silently, chewing the edge of his pizza slice.

"These lower-class Abyssals you saw with Kin?" Caelum's lips pressed thin. "They writhe in the Abyss like insects. Crawling, endless, mindless. And there are stronger beasts—things so monstrous that even my strength would be nothing before them. Compared to them… even I pale."

The flames hissed, as if recoiling from his words.

"And the Abyssals…" Caelum's gaze hardened. "The ones truly after me. I overheard a conversation between Abyssal Barons."

Zayne tilted his head slightly, expression calm but his light-purple eyes glinting with sharp interest.

"They spoke of a plan. Three years from now… the Abyss will descend upon this world. In two years, the seal will break halfway, allowing countless creatures to leak into Orimund. And by the third year, when the gate fully collapses—" His jaw tightened. "—the full horrors of the Abyss will flood into this realm."

Zayne flicked crumbs from his fingers. "…And I'm guessing that's where you got caught."

Caelum's eyes flickered with restrained anger. "The Baron found me listening. He recognized instantly that I was not one of them… and I ran. But even fleeing, his power was overwhelming. He injured me so badly… he took my arm. I barely escaped with my life." He flexed his shoulder where the missing limb should've been. "But before I could get far, he sent his servant—Gin—to finish me off before I could warn anyone. Somehow, by sheer desperation, I killed him. And then…" His pale eyes dimmed. "…his brother, Kin, came. You saw the rest."

The fire crackled between them, the two suns getting brighter as time passing.

Zayne leaned back, resting his chin in his hand.

Quite an info dump. A lot of lore packed in one campfire session.

He smirked faintly. "…But tell me this. If one part of the seal is already open, why aren't there more of them swarming here? Surely they'd take advantage of it."

Caelum nodded slowly. "I asked myself the same. My guess is this: only one fragment of the gate is broken, so it acts as a bottleneck. It allows a certain number through, but with restrictions. The lower Abyssals can pass in greater numbers, but…" He glanced at the direction of scorched battlefield. "…without a leader, they're just feral beasts. Mindless. A waste to send here. That's why only a few leaders—or their chosen servants—cross for now."

Zayne hummed thoughtfully, tossing the pizza box back into his bag. "Makes sense."

The flames swayed, shadows dancing across Caelum's pale blue hair as the wind shifted. He turned his eyes on Zayne, gaze sharpened with intent.

"And that's my story." He leaned forward, his tone low, carrying the weight of everything he had just revealed. "…Which brings me to why I have to ask you a favor."

Zayne raised an eyebrow, pizza half-forgotten in his hand. "Favor? What kind of favor are we talking about?"

Caelum stood, the rising sun casting light over the scorched remnants of the forest behind them. He bowed sharply, a precise 45°, the motion formal and weighty.

"Please… help us in the upcoming war," he said quietly, each word deliberate. "Three years from now, the Abyssals will strike. We need all the help we can get."

Zayne tilted his head, still trying to digest the gravity of the statement.

Caelum continued, his voice firm but respectful. "You are… extraordinarily strong. I ask that you join my academy as a teacher. Train the next generation. Help them grow strong enough to defend themselves… and this world… from the Abyssals."

"Academy…?" Zayne repeated, his tone a mixture of curiosity and mild suspicion. In his mind, he frowned slightly. Don't tell me…

Caelum's lips curved into a faint smile. "Let me introduce myself properly once again. I am Caelum Lysander, and I serve as the Chairman of the Astralis Arcanum." His eyes met Zayne's steadily. "I formally request that you join my academy as a teacher."