'Who is this person?'
Stefan's thoughts trailed as he stared at the person who stood in front of him, surrounded by the vacuum of space.
They were currently a short distance from the planet's stratosphere, and from their positions, the hooded man was closer to the planet than he was.
Whether this was an intentional choice of his or not was left to his guess.
'He was fast enough to keep up… no, even outpace me.'
No one had been able to do that since he arrived here.
'He wasn't able to touch me due to the anomaly that exists around me, but he was still able to push me back with enough external force…'
This was clearly not an ordinary person.
"Legris informed me that the chances of backup arriving was little, but I suppose the chance existed regardless…" Stefan muttered to himself.
He slowly regained full composure, and the lull in his eyes remained unchanged.
"I'm guessing you're one of Jared's allies. Forgive me for not recognizing you, but do you mind introducing yourself?"
For a moment, there was silence. The hooded man—completely shrouded in a long dark cloak—said nothing.
After waiting for a few second and not getting an answer, Stefan spoke once more.
"I suppose you are right. This is no place or time for introductions. Let's get down to it shall w—?"
"Ah… don't mind me." A deep, mature voice suddenly rang out.
It came from the man in the hood.
His two hands slowly reached out for the veil that covered his face, and he pulled it down, revealing his handsome face.
"I was just too captivated by everything that I was rendered speechless for a moment."
Stefan's eyes squinted slightly as he witnessed the countenance of the man.
He had a big smile on his face, as if he were nothing but a child displaying excitement in its purest form.
"This is my first time leaving the planet, after all. I knew things had to exist out here, but I never expected it to be of this scale…"
Stefan found the man's words to be a little confusing.
'Jared and his allies traveled through space and time to catch up to us, yet he claims never to have been in space?'
That struck him as odd.
'He doesn't seem to be lying, but still…'
The man before him seemed to be in his early thirties. He had well-trimmed black hair and blue eyes, with an overall youthful exuberance.
Despite all of this, though, something about his gaze seemed to connote an age that did not reflect in his manly physique.
"It seems I got carried away." The young man answered, interrupting Stefan's rapid thoughts on what his identity could be.
"That's fine. It doesn't matter anyway… since you're going to die."
"Is that so…?"
Something about the man's trailing voice seemed to connote some form of sadness—or self-reflection.
However, that didn't matter to Stefan.
"Yes."
"Then it seems we are at an impasse. I'm afraid I can't die… not after seeing so much more that the world has to offer."
Slowly, he began to gush.
"Just how much is out there to learn? The secrets of the world… the hidden truths of Magic… how much more exists?"
An obsessive glint manifested in his blue eyes as they glowed immensely.
"It's inconsequential. You'll be dying he—"
"I've died once before, young man. And in my final moments, I had one major regret." As the man interrupted him, a bright smile formed on his face.
Sparks of energy began to manifest around him.
"Despite spending my entire lifetime studying and developing concepts on it, I could never once use it… the power I have now."
More power burst from within him as he beamed in excitement.
"But now… now I can finally use it! And it's just as amazing as Inexpected, this amazing energy, this indescribable power… the power of Magic!"
Stefan didn't know how to feel about the sight unfolding before him.
This wasn't what he was told by Legris.
'Did he just become a Mage? He's inexperienced at using Magic?'
Even though that was his initial thought, Stefan could sense such expert use and management of the power swirling around the man that he found it extremely dubious.
'There's no way he just obtained Magic. Not only does he possess Aether, but he's utilizing it like an expert."
No novice could achieve that.
"I should thank Jane for this later. It seems she has acclimated and properly integrated my body with… what's the name again? Aether?"
The more the man blabbed on, the more confused Stefan became. n(.In
'He doesn't even know what Aether is? What is he on about?'
The man before him initially seemed like a threat, but now Stefan could only consider him to be a fool.
'A fool with substantial power and a measure of control that I can't ignore.'
Whether or not the man admitted it, Stefan was certain he was incredibly strong.
'And that means I can't dawdle anymore.'
Since time was up, Stefan found it pointless to hold back any longer.
'I'll just destroy him along with the planet and complete my mission.'
What kind of Magic would he use? Mage Mode? Original Magic? Fusion Form?
None of the above.
"[Primeval Magic: The Hollow]"
In that instant, the entire universe was transformed into a state of black and white.
No color existed, and no beauty was complete.
It all became… hollow.
However, this was merely a symptom of the disease itself.
'The Hollow will eat up everything—first color, then energy, and finally matter.'
In only a few seconds, everything within this universe would cease to exist.
With that, he would be able to complete his mission and eradicate everything that was bound to be a threat to him.
… At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
'Hmm? What's this?' Stefan's eyes twitched as he noticed something peculiar.
'Why isn't the energy being eaten up?'
Normally, even if the range was as wide as a universe, everything would be consumed in a few seconds.
Yet… what was happening?!
"It's a relief that I can still use Spellcraft." The man before Stefan smiled, forcing the latter to stare intensely in his direction.
'He's causing this…?!'
Stefan couldn't believe it! A man who claimed to be inexperienced was preserving all the energy and preventing them from being consumed?!
And on a universal scale?!
"That's absurd. It's impossi—!"
"No, young man. This is Magic we are talking about." The man smiled, and with a single flourish, the colors manifested once more.
The black and white world that Stefan had created was no more, and the "Hollow" that he had Cast was virtually rendered null.
Stefan found his eyes widening as he took all of this in.
His Primeval Magic had never been countered before.
It was impossible to do so.
… Or was it?
"There's nothing impossible when it comes to Magic."
*
*
*
