The brilliant fireworks slowly faded from the night sky, the last sparks swallowed by darkness.
The joy of the New Year and the grounded satisfaction of completing the trial blended together in Shane's chest. He let out a long breath, feeling as if a chapter had finally come to a close.
"Now I can finally… just a little—"
Just as his heart was still surging, thinking the night would end perfectly like this, something changed.
The Book of Heroes in his mind didn't fall quiet. Instead, it let out a low hum, and its pages began flipping again—out of his control.
In an instant, Shane's vision shifted.
It was no longer simple text.
Two black silhouettes—epic and oppressive—burned themselves into his consciousness like brands.
On the left: a lone but upright human figure, head lifted toward the sky.
Above that figure: the shadow of a dragon with outstretched wings, so huge it nearly covered half his view. Even through illusion, the weight of its presence was suffocating.
On the right: five dragon silhouettes, each different in shape yet equally savage and powerful. They coiled and roared together, and the chaotic surge of mana seemed ready to spill out of the image—raw, wild destruction.
Alongside these silhouettes, lines of pale-gold text flowed in like a stream:
[Traveler who longs to step onto the Throne of Heroes, you now hold a faint light and have gained the strength to stand in this world. Yet true legend must be written with epic as ink and fate as the scroll.]
[Choose the great event you wish to join. A long-chain trial will begin accordingly.]
"Why… are they both dragons?" Shane couldn't help grumbling inside.
Dragons existing in a magic world wasn't strange, but both "major event" options being dominated by dragon imagery felt… unusually loud.
And if dragons were that overwhelming, then what was the human silhouette on the left that could stand opposite one?
A god? A dragon slayer?
Still, even while complaining internally, Shane understood what this meant.
This was the first time the Book had proactively issued a trial after Initiation, and it was clearly a higher-level long-chain trial. Its importance spoke for itself.
He forced himself to stay calm and examined the choices.
But both sides were only outlines, with almost no information.
"The right side has five dragons—unknown situation, possibly more complex… maybe it even means siding with dragons?"
His thoughts raced. "But the left at least has a clear 'human' figure."
After weighing it, he didn't hesitate. He pushed his intent decisively toward the lone figure facing the great dragon.
"I choose the left."
As his decision settled, the five-dragon silhouette on the right dissolved like smoke.
The left-side image—the human confronting the dragon—swelled suddenly, filling his entire field of vision.
In a daze, he seemed to glimpse a jet-black dragon soaring across the sky, its scales etched with mysterious patterns. Beneath its wings were countless blurred figures… and the bones of dragons?
Why would there be dragon corpses under a dragon's shadow? That fleeting image only confused him more.
Was that black dragon on humanity's side? Had his choice just been a faction choice?
"Shane? What's wrong?"
Erza's worried voice pulled him back to reality.
He jolted, realizing he was still standing in the hot spring, body stiff—he'd clearly spaced out for a long time.
"N-no, nothing," Shane said, shaking his head, trying to shove the flood of information down for the moment.
"Maybe I soaked too long and got dizzy. I'm going back to my room to rest."
He didn't explain further. Under Erza's concerned gaze, he hurried out. He quietly used his Flame to dry the water from his body, then went straight to his room and collapsed onto the bed.
The moment he closed his eyes, he eagerly reconnected to the Book of Heroes.
Sure enough, new text had appeared beneath the shocking silhouettes:
[Long-Chain Trial I: Heartfilia]
[Witness the cyclical gate that has spanned four hundred years of time.]
"Heartfilia…" Shane murmured, rolling the unfamiliar word on his tongue. It sounded like a surname—or a place.
He had no idea what it referred to.
And "a gate spanning four hundred years" gave him even less to work with.
But instead of discouraging him, it lit a fire under him.
Because the settlement from Initiation had just granted him another [Summon] depth upgrade and another [Filter Summon Traits] permission.
He'd thought he'd have to wait until the end-of-year S-Class exam to gather three permissions. But if he could complete this long-chain trial, he could reach the needed number sooner—and unlock more of the Book's functions.
At this point, he was almost too excited for the future.
He made up his mind. "Forget it. Tomorrow I'm investigating. Starting with the name 'Heartfilia'!"
He forced himself to calm down, closed his eyes, and rested to prepare for tomorrow.
…
The next morning, just after dawn, Shane woke naturally.
He didn't wake Erza next door. He washed up quietly, planning to go straight to the guild—either use their archives or just ask the well-informed Master Makarov.
But the moment he pushed open the cottage door, he stopped.
By the fence gate, a figure leaned there in silence. The faint dawn light traced the refined profile of her face and her night-dark hair.
Shane paused and spoke. "It's been over a month. I thought you'd break the deal on your own, Ultear."
Ultear slowly turned. Her expression was flat, her voice cool. "I have my own business to handle."
As she spoke, she flipped her wrist lightly. A communication lacrima arced through the air and landed neatly in Shane's hand.
"If I can't come in person, I'll contact you through this," she said, then added a warning, her tone edged. "But there's a risk this can be detected. Unless it's urgent, don't contact me first."
Shane nodded and put it away, cutting straight to the point. "Understood. So—what's the news this time?"
According to their agreement, every meeting meant Ultear had to provide valuable information, in exchange for Shane's future "help."
"The 'guild' I'm with," Ultear said, inclining her head slightly, "has started training new mages."
Shane raised an eyebrow. "So what? Every guild trains rookies."
He didn't see why that was important.
"It's different." Ultear's eyes turned serious. "The ones they're training… are mages who can wield Lost Magic, like me."
"Oh?" Shane's interest rose despite himself. Even if, deep down, he still thought her "Arc of Time" was worse than Ice-Make, he couldn't deny his curiosity about other Lost Magics.
"Yeah? Which ones?"
~~~
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