Master of Realms

The entity before us exuded an overwhelming presence—a Lost Skill. Now, I understood why these skills had been sealed away.

Yet, something about it felt incomplete, as if a crucial piece was missing. Not that I had the time—or the desire—to figure it out. Its focus had shifted entirely to me and Razel.

With a piercing screech, it vanished, only to reappear before me in an instant. A crushing force struck my body, slamming me into the ground, the sheer impact carving a crater beneath my feet.

It didn’t relent. Moving with terrifying speed, it lunged again, its clawed hands slashing toward me. I raised my threaded sword to block, but with a sharp crack, the blade split in two. The jagged claws surged toward my face—until a black laser beam tore through the air, blasting the creature away.

Razel.

I expected the attack to at least injure it, but there wasn’t so much as a scratch.

As it recovered, I took my chance, puffing my cheeks before releasing a searing [Fire Breath]. An inferno spiraled toward the being of light, consuming the air between us. But with a single, distorted word—

“Aqua.”

Water erupted from the ground, forming a wall that extinguished my flames, shrouding the battlefield in thick steam.

And then—

“Ignis.”

The attack wasn’t aimed at me. It targeted Razel. A blazing sphere surged toward him, but he sidestepped at the last moment, the explosion behind him carving a massive crater.

The creature vanished again. This time, I anticipated its move. A new sword materialized in my grip just in time to meet its claws.

Cling.

Sparks flew as my reinforced blade held firm. It drained my mana rapidly, but it was worth it—I had an opening. My free hand conjured another sword, and I aimed for its neck. Just as my strike was about to land, it uttered—

“Ventus.”

A gust of wind burst forth, as solid as iron. My attack halted on impact, and in the next instant, its free hand slashed through my shoulder. My arm fell to the ground.

I leapt back, but it pursued me—until Razel appeared beside it, a powerful kick sending it flying. He gave chase.

Surprisingly, losing my arm didn’t hurt as much as I expected. It only stung—likely due to [Pain Resistance]—and [Regeneration] was already restoring it, albeit slowly. As the new limb formed, I noticed something peculiar. The sealing ornaments that had been on my severed arm reappeared on my regenerated one.

Meaning it would keep sealing my power even if my arm were gone.

(Truly a inconvenient item.)

Once I was fully healed, I rejoined the fight.

Razel was holding his own, deflecting the entity’s relentless attacks, shockwaves rippling through the air. While it remained occupied, I prepared another [Fire Breath].

“Razel! Move!”

With a glance, he disappeared, reappearing several meters behind me. I released the swirling flames.

“Aqua.”

Again, a water wall rose to counter it. But this time, I was ready.

“Razel!”

On cue, Razel fired his black beam, piercing through the weakened barrier. The attack struck true, carving a gaping hole through the entity’s body. Flames flickered around the wound.

It let out an ear-splitting screech.

I blinked. It could feel pain?

Then—

“Lux.”

A dome of light engulfed us.

“Umbra.”

I tensed. Razel and I remained on guard, but neither of us knew what to expect. Suddenly, dark orbs emerged from our shadows. Without warning, they fired thin beams of light at us. We dodged, but the orbs pursued relentlessly, continuing their barrage.

We could do nothing but evade—until the entity’s movements grew sluggish. The orbs flickered in and out of existence.

Now was the time to strike, now that the entity seemed to have used up all its power.

Razel and I lunged. But then—its neck snapped to the side, and two pale hands burst from within, clawing their way out.

Both of us halted, retreating instinctively.

“What’s happening?!”

“I don’t know, bu—”

Razel’s words were drowned out by a deafening screech. The very earth trembled, and a wave of mana crushed the air from my lungs, forcing both of us to our knees.

Every fiber of my being screamed—Run!

Yet, a smile crept onto my lips.

Fear.

For the first time in my life, I felt true fear. My body trembled, my heart pounded. I wondered—what expression was I making? Was it beautiful?

Yet, amidst that terror, I understood something. Death was beautifully ugly—a complexity akin to my emotions. And so, I activated my newly awakened Lost Skill.

(I can’t die. Not yet.)

The entity continued to claw at itself, desperate to escape its own vessel. But I reached out, pointing my finger at its body.

A small hole formed at the tip of my index finger.

And in an instant, the entity was sucked inside.

The dome of light shattered, and silence descended upon the battlefield. Night turned to day.

Razel staggered to his feet, frustration evident in his voice.

“Alice! Why didn’t you use that skill earlier?”

“Shut up. I don’t have time to explain. We need to—”

Crack.

Crack.

A sharp pain shot through my hand. My index finger twisted, bones snapping, blood seeping down.

“Alice!” Razel called out, his voice laced with concern.

“I’m fine.”

But my thoughts churned. That ‘monster’ still had power left.

Razel sighed. “What was that thing?”

I shrugged. Even I didn’t know. But at least, for now, it was trapped.

[>Master of Realm<] allowed me to create and manipulate realms as I saw fit, storing or sealing entities within them. I had crafted a realm of pure darkness to imprison the being of light, but it had shattered through. I’d been forced to layer multiple realms just to contain it which used up most of my mana.

With [>Master of Observation<], I monitored it within its prison. It had calmed, returning to its original form.

I exhaled before speaking. “Now, I need to check on Lia.”

Razel’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected me to care about the Dragonkin.

And he was right—if that’s what he thought.

There was something I needed to know.

Weiz seemed far too knowledgeable, maby he knew.

(What exactly is a Lost Skill? And why did I suddenly gain another one?)

Earlier, as I watched the battle between the Dragonkin and the skeletal soldiers, something had happened.

***

I sat with my eyes closed, using [>Master of Observation<] to follow the fight.

“I expected a massacre, but the Dragonkin are holding up better than I thought.”

Lia, in particular, intrigued me. She kept making expressions I’d never seen on her—fear, determination, and something else.

I smiled because Lia was interesting.

But would she stay interesting?

As that thought crossed my mind, a jolt of mana surged through my skull—sudden and cold, like an arrow of steel.

And then, it appeared—

Something I found both interesting and a bit strange.