3 bar menu

The Boundary Between Worlds – Part 04

“It failed?!”

Sophie’s room in the Four Eastern Stars’ apartment was dreary, understandable given its disuse.

Hikaru and Paula stood there, dumbfounded, struggling to process what had just occurred. The magic diagram for executing the spell for crossing worlds had been charred, and the base used to channel immense magical energy from elemental magic stones lay before them.

“D-D-Did we do something wrong?”

“I… I don’t think so.”

There shouldn’t have been an issue. A surge of mana coursed through the runes, creating a rift in space. Everything up to that point was normal. The problem arose afterward.

A pitch-black darkness. Instead of Japan appearing beyond the rift, there was only a void.

Why would this happen? Is Lavia not a valid target for the spell?

In the past, only individuals originally from Japan, like Serika and Hazuki, had triggered a response from the spell for crossing worlds.

No. In that case, a rift should have appeared next to Hazuki.

The appearance of nothing but darkness was clearly odd.

“Let’s try it again. We still have diagrams left, right?”

“Y-Yes. There are three more.”

“That should be enough.”

Hikaru readied the spell for crossing worlds once more. He placed a precise amount of elemental magic stones to achieve a perfect balance, allowing the Four Elementals Fusion Theory to take effect. So far, he had followed the exact procedure.

“Here we go.”

As Hikaru activated the spell, four colored lights rose from the base where the stones were placed, merging into one. Mana flowed into the runes, and a rift appeared in space. Everything was the same up to this point.

The rift opened. Hikaru activated his Mana Detection to the fullest.

He could clearly see beautiful golden mana gathering and messing with space-time. Every single grain of mana. Trying to see this much caused a sharp pain in his head due to the overwhelming amount of information.

“What is this?!”

It seemed like mere darkness, but Hikaru noticed something—a network of mana woven like a net.

Magical energy naturally existed in this world. It had no rules and wandered around as it pleased. Hence, it was impossible for mana to form a net like this. There was only one way this could happen.

“Sorcery.”

As the rift closed, silence filled the room.

“L-Lord Hikaru?! Are you okay?!”

Exhausted from utilizing his skill, Hikaru fell to his knees, breathing heavily.

“I-I’m… fine. I just figured it out.”

“Figured out what?”

“The spell didn’t fail. It was sabotaged.”

That was the only explanation. Deliberate sorcery like that was man-made.

“Sabotaged? Who would do such a thing?”

Being unable to use magic that was previously accessible was impossible. Unless the laws of this world were rewritten, which something only a god could do. So, what exactly happened?

“I see.”

Hikaru recalled a certain conversation.

“You obtained mana at Mt. Midori because I helped Mr. Doyama. Am I wrong? You could at least show some gratitude.”

“I can’t.”

A conversation he had with Soaarunay on the 37th floor of the great labyrinth.

Soaarunay stumbled upon magical energy needed to return to this world at Mt. Midori, courtesy of me. But when I asked her to use the spell for crossing worlds in return, she said she couldn’t do it. What exactly did she mean by that? Did she not have enough mana? I don’t know. There’s far too little information to go on.

And now—now that the spell for crossing worlds had failed, a different interpretation emerged.

This magic was devised based on an idea thought up by Roland N. Zaracia, the previous owner of Hikaru’s body, but even his idea was based on a different source. Soaarunay Saak’s thesis.

Soaarunay was well-versed in this magic and undoubtedly had a deep understanding of how to manipulate spacetime and traverse the barrier between worlds. In essence, it wouldn’t be surprising if she knew that something happened to the spell.

She cast the spell for crossing worlds without using any magic formula, potentially resulting in an unintended consequence that led Soaarunay to assert that she couldn’t cast it again. Viewed from this perspective, everything started to fall into place.

But then, Hikaru suddenly froze in place. His silent gaze shifted towards the door of the room.

“L-Lord Hikaru?”

“…”

Hikaru pointed at the mask he was wearing, telling Paula to wear hers. Paula hastily donned the mask with a floral design.

“Who’s there? I know you’re just outside the door.”

The wooden door had remained silent since the two of them entered. Bewildered, Paula’s gaze darted between Hikaru and the door.

“Hmm, you sensed us, huh?”

The door opened. But there was no one there. At least, that’s what it seemed like until Paula noticed them too, upon closer inspection. Three figures, small in stature, cloaked in hoods.

“I was careless,” Hikaru said. “I didn’t expect intruders in here.”

“Color us surprised too. Are you Silver Face?”

Hikaru had let his guard down. He never imagined anyone breaking into this apartment. However, it appeared they had just arrived and hadn’t overheard their conversation. Nevertheless, Hikaru wasn’t inclined to welcome stealthy infiltrators.

“And if I am?” Hikaru already had his hand on the hilt of the dagger at his waist.

In response, the three simultaneously removed their hoods.

Dull blonde hair slicked back and trimmed neatly at the collar. Bleary eyes and hooked noses. Although their hair and eye colors varied, they gave a somewhat similar impression, likely because they were of the same race. They seemed to be in their sixties or seventies.

“Man Gnomes?”

“Indeed.”

Considering the Man Gnome race’s lifespan was approximately three times longer than that of humans, they were likely well over 150 years old in human terms.

The one at the forefront spoke. “Earlier, you used magic to tamper with the barrier between worlds, didn’t you?”

“…”

“Ah, silence. That magic was developed by the Saak family, wasn’t it?”

“…”

“You can stay silent, but you will never know why the spell failed.”

“What did you say?”

How did they know about the spell for crossing worlds magic and their failure to cast it? They weren’t here.

“Hmph… I’ve heard about you from that stripling Kagurai, but it seems he didn’t mention anything about the Man Gnomes.”

“Stripling? Kagurai? You mean the Emperor of the Quinbrand Empire?”

The old men nodded.

“The story of you saving Quinbrand from crisis has reached our home too. But we had a very important mission to fulfill.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Is it not obvious? Long ago, a barrier created by Funai was destroyed, causing chaos in this world. We must restore it.”

“A barrier created by Funai. The one underneath Bios?”

“Indeed. Information reached us through Unken. We thought you would work for us Man Gnomes.”

“Wait a minute. What does that have to do with the spell failing to activate?”

“Oh? So you admit to tampering with the barrier between worlds?”

“Yeah.”

“And that you’re connected to the Saak family?”

“Connected? More like they’re causing me trouble.”

“I see, that’s how it is.”

What does he mean, “I see”?

“The information you possess is distorted because neither the Saak family nor the Man Gnomes have given you a proper explanation.”

“A proper explanation? About what? I’m tired of all this beating around the bush. My plans have been completely messed up, and I’m a little pissed.”

Hikaru had gone through so much to finally use the spell for crossing worlds, only for it to fail, and now three intruders had barged in, speaking cryptically.

“Haste makes waste, young man.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t live two or three hundred years.”

“Then, I will explain. But don’t regret learning about it.”

“It’s too late for regrets. Just get to the point.”

“No.” The Man Gnome shook his head. “Once you know, you’ll have to choose a side. Either the Man Gnomes, who pursue the truth of the soul, or those like the Saak family, who seek to control the world through magic and sorcery.”

“What?”

What was that about? Two sides? Was there such a thing in this world? Hikaru had never heard of it.

But he did have an idea. In the Soul Board, Elemental Magic was in the Magical Power category, while Healing Magic was in the Willpower category. It seemed to suggest that while both were magic, they were distinctly different.

“Does the failure to cast the spell relate to what you’re gonna talk about?” Hikaru asked.

The Man Gnome nodded. “Yes.”

“Then I have no choice but to listen. Tell me. Whatever sides there are is none of my concern. I just want to use the spell for crossing worlds.”

And then, words came from the Man Gnome’s mouth.

They related to the origin of this world, a story Hikaru had never heard before. A myth, he was sure.

In essence, this was the beginning. The struggle between forces that had spanned countless ages and played a role in shaping the world was about to start anew. There was no doubt that the trigger was the unsealing of the great pit.

For the first time, Hikaru realized that he was caught up in the immense history that the world had woven over time, whether he wanted to or not.