So here I am.
Sitting cross-legged on a cracked stone floor like some half-baked monk in a bootleg fantasy, pretending I know what I'm doing.
Spoiler: I don't.
Half of me believes the magic circuit will work. The other half? It's sitting in the back of my skull with popcorn, waiting for the inevitable failure so it can say, "Called it."
It's like being told to cook a gourmet meal when all you've ever done is microwave instant noodles. And even then, you burned the water.
In the novel I used to obsess over—No Happy Ending in the 999th Regression, or NHE999R—characters just shouted spell names and voilà, circuits bloomed into life behind them like CGI fireworks to power the spell and make it reality.
So naturally, I thought, "Hey, maybe I can do that too."
Except I can't. Because life isn't a novel.
Actually, my life is really a novel. What the heck am I thinking? I must have gone insane.
Can't even joke about it.
My brilliant plan? Imagine the entire circuit in my head. No drawing, no chanting. It's like sketching with invisible ink and praying the universe knows how to read it.
And if it doesn't?
Well, then I get to die artistically confused.
Maybe they'll write that on my grave: Failed at basic magic. Pathetic.
I glance at Princess Elena. She probably knows a circuit or two. Hell, she could draw a full rune array in her sleep while balancing a flaming sword.
Should I ask her?
Would she laugh?
Would Aren stab me for breaking the sacred code of Not Being a Moron in High-Stakes Combat?
Probably yes to all three.
"Princess Elena," I whisper, already regretting it, "can you show me a basic circuit? Just... explain how it works?"
Yeah, I asked. Ten minutes before the Constellation's blessing runs out. Monster still breathing. Doom still pending. But sure, now's the time for a crash course in Magic 101.
Come to think of it, I've been unusually calm about dying lately. Like the fear got bored and left.
---
[Constellation Fallen: Price of Lunar Throne wants to remind you—you've got 10 minutes left in recovery time.]
Oh, good. A helpful reminder from a stalker.
The silence that follows is sharp. Like the world's holding its breath, waiting to see if I choke on mine.
Aren's eyes snap to me, ice in his glare. "Lucifer... have you lost it? What the hell are you saying right now?"
Good question. I ask myself the same one about three times a day.
"Shut up," Elin snaps before I can answer. "Lucifer must have his reasons."
She says it like she's trying to convince herself. Her hands are shaking, just a little. It's the little things you notice when the world might end. I kind of like her. If we survive, I'll buy her a drink.
I nod, like that makes anything better. "Thanks, Elin. Yeah. I have my reasons."
I don't explain them. Not because they're good, but because it's not the time for trying to be understood. Let them think what they want.
Elena finally speaks. Her voice is soft, almost apologetic. Like someone trying to teach math to a child who's already fallen behind.
"Lucifer... I don't know how you got into the academy without knowing the basics, but fine. We'll talk later. For now—just listen."
I listen.
"Three conditions to cast magic," she begins, fingers raised like she's counting the steps to survival.
"One—mana. You need it. Everyone has some, but you need at least 15 points—E+ rank—to even trigger a spell. More mana, stronger magic. Simple."
She lifts her first finger. I nod. Not that it helps.
I've got 8 mana?
Fuck, this is definitely an issue.
If I tell Elena about my mana points, she's definitely not going to explain the other two conditions.
"Two," she continues, "you need to understand the nature of the magic. And the circuit that makes it real. The circuit is a kind of diagram. A bridge. It speaks to nature so your spell doesn't just fizzle and embarrass you."
She raises her second finger and shows me a basic wind circuit.
Except "basic" is a lie.
The thing looks like a geometry professor had a mental breakdown and started drawing nightmares.
Lines, symbols, overlapping sigils—it's beautiful in the way old cathedrals are. Complicated and cold.
"And three " She taps her temple. Her voice softens again, almost breaking, "you have to recreate the circuit in your mind. Not on paper. Not in the air. Inside. The clearer it is, the more perfectly you'll be able to cast your spell."
A completed wind circuit unfurls behind her, glowing like a whisper of the storm.
Wind lashes out, enough to rip a boulder in half.
The dome protecting us doesn't budge.
She doesn't even react. Just turns and starts preparing for the fight.
Elin and Aren fall in line beside her. No words. No questions. Just movement. Like this is what they were born to do.
Me? I'm still here, trying to remember if I even belong here.
Her explanation wasn't new. It was textbook. Basic. But for me? It was something else. A reminder.
I'm not wrong to try.
It can work.
Maybe.
If neutral magic responds to eight mana and blind faith.
If not... well, I guess I'll see what the underworld looks like.
---
The countdown begins like a cruel joke with a drumroll.
[[ The lunar blessing ends in 10 seconds ]]
Ten seconds. Just enough time for my life to flash before my eyes, except, I don't think I've lived one worth flashing.
My fingers twitch around the hilts of my daggers.
They're not shaking—yet. Just humming. Like they know something I don't.
Princess Elena is already ahead of me. Spirits dancing around her like ghosts that haven't figured out they're dead.
Elin and Aren—both of them, beautifully synchronized nightmares—are ready to leap into violence.
We've already gone through the plan.
They'll make it.
In theory, it works.
But theory is a luxury.
Out here, in the silence before the kill, nothing feels real.
Nothing except the pressure.
[[ The Constellation "The Fallen Prince of the Lunar Throne" is thrilled by your impending doom ]]
Yeah. I can tell.
[[ The Constellation "The Fallen Prince of the Lunar Throne" shares your scenario with his nebula ]]
What the hell f....
[[ The Constellation "The Radiant Empress of the Eternal Sun" smiles upon your journey ]]
[[ The Constellation "The Storm-Bringer Who Walks the Edge of Chaos" is laughing wildly ]]
[[ The Constellation "The Primordial Blade That Cleaves Heaven and Earth" is humming with ancient power ]]
[[ The Constellation "The Weaver of Heavenly Threads" is tugging at fate's loom ]]
[[ The Constellation "The Mother Who Birthed Land and Sea" is watching with distant sorrow ]]
[[ The Constellation "The Father Who Shaped the First Flame" burns quietly in the void ]]
[[ The Constellation "The Eight-Headed Tyrant of the Scarlet Rivers" awakens from slumber ]]
[[ The Constellation "The Masked Trickster of a Thousand Faces" is grinning behind the veil ]]
[[ The Constellation "The Celestial Blacksmith Who Forges Fate" is hammering in rhythm ]]
[[ A large number of Constellations from Japanese Mythology are watching you ]]
"..."
Great. So basically, the gods are livestreaming my death.
Awesome.
At least someone's enjoying the show.
I'll kill this fucking stalker bastard.
---
[[ Author's Note:
If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a comment and a Power Stone! Your support means a lot to me. ]]