October 39th, 3125, at exactly 3:25 AM, two vessels appeared in the Blackport Ridge harbor, each glistening with flaming sails.
Citizens on scene reported a hazy mist clouding their view as the vessels docked in the city, like a dream broadcast into the heads of anyone within a kilometer.
The scene itself prevented a frenzy of tourists from flocking towards the pier in an attempt to see the new arrivals.
Lepaie Quinn and Vaelmyr Droskyn disembarked their Ghostships swiftly, their crews following closely behind them.
Extinguishing the sails of their ships and sealing the vessels behind an illusory veil, they walked through the port plaza calmly.
Not one person noticed them as they moved through the dream-stricken city, a courtesy of the King of Dreams himself.
Both Kings and their crews walked side by side, conversing freely as they made their way through the Harbor District of Blackport Ridge.
Their goal, of course, was Chrone Castle, their residence for the duration of the exam and the home of another man close to their cause.
Like always, Cauron Thorn did not greet his equals; instead, he watched them from the highest tower of his abode.
After half an hour of walking, they reached the bridge leading to the Holy District of the city, and any members of their crew who held beliefs in other gods than the ones associated with their captains split off there.
Of course, all of the higher-ranking crewmembers stayed with their Kings, Irvin Webley and Solister Lune included.
Making their way past the Cathedral of Depths, the Sea King clad in magenta attire spoke quietly to his white-haired counterpart.
"Have you come to your decision about the boy yet?"
There was a pause as Vaelmyr pondered the words, answering in a hushed whisper.
"There is nothing to say. I can only attempt to trace his Soul Pact to the other party and shatter it manually. If that solution is against his will, then we have no other option but to trust his word without the contract."
Lepaie nodded as he mulled over the response in his head, the Guild Office appearing ahead of them.
Pursing his lips, the purple-haired King spoke again.
"What of the letter Thorn sent us earlier today? He doesn't seriously expect us to participate in that spectacle, does he?"
The King of Souls could only groan as he thought back to the words of the mysterious elder whose castle they were approaching.
Mimicking his profound and rather patronizing tone of speech, the white-haired man read the letter out from memory.
"Dear Lords Quinn and Droskyn. I'm afraid I will not be able to meet you at the port for your arrival tomorrow night. On the dawn of the 39th, I have a lecture with the Global Institute of Environmental Magic Sciences. Furthermore, my research into a barrier system that can restrain even Kings has come to fruition."
The man paused as he took a deep breath, reading the part of the message that neither of the two understood fully.
"Pardon my ramblings, however, according to Brymyn's Law, we know that the amount of mana we can use is limited due to the effects of our contracts. This is, of course, because of the Unilateral Mass Dilation effect produced through the Divine Interference we draw upon to replenish our mana. Without this in place, we have no way to supply our cores with enough energy, and our bodies shut down after receiving backlash beyond our capabilities."
Shaking his head while closing his eyes to think of the remaining information written in the letter, he was cut off by the King of Dreams, who held the paper in his hand.
"In my research into how to reduce the backlash produced, I came to the conclusion that this is nigh impossible. Offsetting the result only increases its effect at a later date, creating short bursts of energy that rip the core to pieces. To combat this in any way possible, I have achieved a state of perfect mana control when active in my heavenly state. Using the additional mass created during the short incarnation of a deity, I can produce a separate entity by what I call 'Forever Magic'."
Stopping himself as he reached the end of the paper, he read out the final words from Cauron Thorn's research.
"This 'Forever Magic' can be used to cast long-lasting spells as opposed to most normal forms of magic. This includes barriers like the ones I have produced through this process, allowing a high-level spell to be powered for an unspecified duration. The backlash itself is directly placed on my contracted god, and therefore, I face no negative outcome. Anyway, this likely means nothing to either of you, so I will leave you with this message."
Both Kings read the farewell at once, their whispers turning into full words that made their subordinates glance at them oddly.
"The food in the castle is gluten-free…"
…
"Why the hell can't I get a good snack around here!"
Throwing up his hands in annoyance, Aaron stared at the strange-tasting bread in front of him, his mouth wrought with the terrible flavor.
Reaching over across his desk and reading the menu he had ordered from carefully, his lip twitched upward as he read the small undertext.
"Gluten-free? Bread? How do you even…"
Taking a deep breath to calm himself from the inevitable rampage that he was about to go through, he stood up, preparing himself to leave.
I don't have time for this… I need to get ready.
Glancing at the toast with the side of his eye, he couldn't resist the opportunity, devouring the rest in just one bite.
Hurrying towards the door, he fastened on his chestplate and newly acquired greave that he placed around his non-metal leg.
That pale creature in the desert nearly got me because I lacked one of these…
Smiling and attaching his empty sheath to his back, he summoned Penelope from the ring, sliding her into the holster.
"This is the true test here… I have an extra core strapped to my waist if the mana drain is too excessive, but the barrier mustn't fail. You hear me?"
Waiting for the girl's reply, he paused, feeling the Naelith quiet as a result.
『I would normally be against going anywhere within eyesight of a Sea King; however, it will be impossible with the upcoming tournament… I'll make sure your mental barrier is strong enough to prevent what happened last night from happening again.』
The night prior, at the exact time that what can be assumed to be Lepaie Quinn and Vaelmyr Droskyn entered the castle, a sort of backup measure kicked in to protect whatever was inside Aaron's head that needed protection.
Penelope had detected their presence, startling the blond-haired boy.
Outside his doorway, heavy knocking rang out, and a force so strong that it brought him to his knees reverberated through the room despite its defensive mechanisms.
Of course, the men on the other side meant no harm, simply checking to see if Aaron happened to be awake, with no idea of what transpired behind the mana-enhanced door.
Before Aaron even had the chance to prepare, he felt the stirring of the deity within his mind, coming alive in a flash.
The boy's vision faded, his brain shutting down, and his body enveloped by an explosion of turquoise sparks.
From the outside of the room, all the Sea Kings could tell was that he was sound asleep, too tired to even stir with their presence.
After a minute of waiting, they continued onward to their own accommodations in the far fancier section of the castle.
Ten minutes after their departure, Aaron awoke in his room, covered in a cold sweat, mana depleted.
His arm was caked in red lumps, the first symptom of backlash he had received from overexertion.
Penelope had told him what had happened as he fainted, his entire being becoming illusory to even her, his skull under total lockdown like a maximum security vault.
Trusting her experience in such matters, he could only sigh, going back to sleep, too tired to even think until the morning came.
Now, as he opened his door slowly, careful to check around the corner for any stray Sea Kings, he activated every barrier he could around his mind and body.
Whether it be the charms that had been absorbed into his ring or the liquid mana nearly a meter thick around his head, his defenses were impenetrable.
Confirming that the coast was clear, he stepped out, locking his chamber behind him and walking through the hallway in a hurry.
Making his way to the main lobby in a record time of twenty minutes, he dodged past the various nobles and church officials that decorated the hall.
Some reached out to pat him on the shoulder, only to become surprised, stopped by some invisible force coating his body.
Not acknowledging their existences, Aaron made it to the door, which the guards opened without much protest.
Passing the gatehouse went just as smoothly, an easy exit allowing him to relax his guard after achieving a safe distance from the Sea King-swarmed castle.
Three in one place is going to be a challenge… Cam better have that damn miracle artifact, or I'm not making it back in one—
He stopped himself, furrowing his brow, his eyes attracted by a sign in front of him.
As he read the contents, his mouth fell open.
"Lecture by Lord Cauron Thorn at 10 AM…?"