Eternia's Requiem
Chapter 42 – Thick and Thin, Even If the World Says Otherwise
Noon sunlight poured over the Sinclair estate training grounds like flowing gold, carrying warmth through the winds and illuminating the aftermath of the earlier chaos that Eternia, Leon, and Kael had caused. The traces of their snow battle still remained despite estate servants trying desperately to repair everything. Walls and many training equipment frozen in thick layer of ice. Half frozen trees stood awkwardly beside scorched stone paths. Broken practice dummies were stacked in a corner like casualties after war. Water that came from the melted snow flooding the whole training hall. Small dents covered the training field, and one unfortunate statue of an old Sinclair hero had somehow lost its head.
No one knew who did it.
Kael blamed Leon.
Leon blamed Kael.
Kael then blamed magical weather phenomena.
Eternia blamed all of them equally.
And now, under the bright noon sky, round two of training had begun.
Though unlike before, this time things looked vastly different.
Because on one side of the field—
Kael moved like a ghost.
No.
Like a circus monster.
WHOOSH.
His feet touched the side of a practice pillar for barely a fraction of a second before he twisted his body in midair, spinning through impossible angles and flipping over a rotating obstacle while three daggers instantly flew from his sleeves.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Perfect center.
Without stopping—
Kael activated movement runes under his boots.
Blue symbols lit beneath his feet.
His body accelerated.
He slid beneath swinging obstacles, vaulted over barriers, and somehow spun upside down while landing another four direct hits against moving targets.
THUD. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Silence.
Kael landed perfectly.
Hands on hips.
Hair dramatically moving.
"...Did either of you see that?"
Silence.
Leon blinked.
Eternia blinked.
Kael stared.
"...You didn’t see it."
Eternia crossed her arms.
"...I saw."
Kael brightened.
"...Really?"
"...You looked stupid."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
"..."
"..."
"...I hate this place."
Leon quietly turned away.
His shoulders trembled.
Because he was trying very hard not to laugh.
Again.
Meanwhile—
Far across the field—
Leon stood before his own practice dummy.
Unlike Kael’s side, there were no explosions.
No movement.
No acrobatics.
No glory.
Only silence.
And sweat.
Lots of sweat.
Leon’s hands trembled.
Mana gathered.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Painfully slowly.
"..."
Focus.
He had to focus.
Control.
Compress.
Guide.
Move.
Release.
Simple.
Very simple.
Every instructor ever said it was simple.
"Move mana through pathways."
"Visualize flow."
"Imagine release."
"Relax your body."
"Control your breathing."
Simple.
Simple.
Simple.
Then why—
Why wouldn’t it move?
Inside Leon’s body, mana flowed.
No.
Not flowed.
Collapsed.
Like endless rivers spiraling inward.
Like storms falling into themselves.
Like whirlpools endlessly devouring everything around them.
His mana gathered.
Gathered.
Gathered—
Then compressed.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Not outward.
Never outward.
No matter what he did.
No matter how many teachers came.
No matter how many specialists examined him.
No matter how many expensive tutors his family hired.
Nothing changed.
Nothing.
Seconds passed.
Ten.
Twenty.
Thirty.
Thirty-five.
Forty.
Then finally—
POOF.
A tiny flame appeared.
Very tiny.
Tiny enough to barely light a candle.
Silence.
The flame flickered weakly.
Rose slightly upward.
Then vanished.
Leon stared.
Silence.
Again.
Failure.
Again.
Always again.
No explosions.
No brilliance.
No praise.
No genius.
Only this.
Only failure.
Only disappointment.
Silence stretched.
Then slowly—
Leon lowered his head.
"...Ah."
Kael looked over.
Then immediately looked away.
Not because he wanted to laugh.
Because he didn’t.
Not this time.
Because Kael had seen Leon training before.
Too many times.
Trying.
Trying.
Trying.
And every single time—
The result stayed the same.
Failure.
Leon looked toward his hands.
Then slowly clenched them.
His left eye twitched.
Again.
Still weak.
Still pathetic.
Still can’t do something children younger than me can do naturally.
Seventeen.
He was seventeen.
And Eternia—
Fifteen.
Even children from lesser families performed first-circle magic faster.
Even servants.
Even ordinary academy students.
Yet him?
Forty seconds.
Forty entire seconds.
A child could finish a battle before Leon finished casting a tiny flame.
He laughed softly.
Very softly.
Not because anything was funny.
Because if he didn’t laugh—
The feeling in his chest would hurt more.
Then he noticed footsteps.
Eternia.
Walking toward him.
Leon looked upward.
His heart suddenly skipped.
Then immediately stood up.
Too quickly.
"...E-Eternia."
Silence.
She looked at him quietly.
No ridicule.
No pity.
No disappointment.
And somehow—
That made Leon feel worse.
Because she kept trying.
Even after seeing him fail.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Leon lowered his eyes.
"...I appreciate it."
Silence.
"...Really."
"...I appreciate you trying to help me train."
Long pause.
Wind moved quietly.
"...But..."
He looked downward.
"...I can’t waste your time anymore."
Silence.
"...Everyone says I hold people back."
Pause.
"...And honestly..."
Small laugh.
"...They’re right."
Silence.
No response.
So Leon continued.
Because once words started coming—
They didn’t stop.
"...My family keeps giving me chances."
"...Teachers."
"...Resources."
"...Elixirs."
"...Training."
"...Specialists."
"...Everything."
Long pause.
"...And I still can’t do anything."
His voice grew smaller.
"...Everyone respects me because of family status."
"...Because of my name."
"...Because of my parents."
Silence.
"...Then I leave..."
Long pause.
"...And they talk."
Leon laughed quietly.
"...They always talk."
"Failure."
"Worthless heir."
"Hopeless."
"Kick him out."
"Waste of talent."
"Monster with broken mana."
Leon heard it all.
Servants.
Knights.
Relatives.
Brothers.
Sisters.
Vassals.
Teachers.
No one thought he heard.
But he always did.
Always.
Because whispers hurt most when they were true.
Silence.
Long silence.
Then—
THUMP.
Warmness.
Eternia’s hand landed on his shoulder.
Leon froze.
"...Stop."
Silence.
"...Stop saying that already."
He looked up.
Eternia stared directly at him.
"...Friends stick together during thick and thin."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Something stopped.
Inside Leon.
Something small.
Something hurting.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Because Leon realized something.
No one had ever said that before.
Not once.
Not ever.
Not teachers.
Not family.
Not servants.
Not anyone.
Friend.
Simple word.
Very small word.
Yet—
Why did it hurt so much?
Why did his chest feel warm?
Why did his eyes suddenly sting?
Real friends...
Leon looked at Eternia.
Then remembered earlier.
Snowballs.
Arguments.
Kael screaming.
Eternia running after them.
Laughter.
Chaos.
Shatter probably would never understand why—
But Leon did.
Because this felt like family.
Real family.
Not status.
Not duty.
Not expectations.
Just people.
People who stayed.
Without realizing—
Leon’s face slowly became red.
Then redder.
Then even redder.
Kael stared.
"..."
"..."
Dangerous smile.
Very dangerous smile.
Eternia continued.
"...I already know your problem."
Leon blinked.
"...Hm?"
"...Your body prevents mana from leaving."
Leon froze.
"..."
How?
How did she know?
Teachers struggled for years.
Yet she noticed immediately?
Eternia crossed arms.
"...There are two solutions."
Silence.
"...First."
"...Reach Tenth Circle."
Leon blinked.
"...What."
"...Awaken Soul Script."
Silence.
Then immediately—
Hopelessness.
Again.
Because Leon knew.
Everyone knew.
Soul Scripts.
Impossible.
Rare.
Monstrous.
Even nobles struggled.
Even geniuses struggled.
Even people with resources spent decades.
Leon looked downward.
"...Impossible."
"...Even with resources."
"...Even with everything..."
"...I’m barely First Circle."
Silence.
"...Tenth Circle..."
Small smile.
"...Feels impossible."
Hopeless.
Again.
That voice.
Eternia suddenly grabbed both shoulders.
"...That’s why option two exists."
Leon blinked.
"...Option two?"
Small smile.
Dangerous smile.
"...Ancient Magic."
Silence.
Kael froze.
Immediately.
"...NO."
Leon froze too.
"...Ancient WHAT?!"
Eternia nodded casually.
"...Body enhancement."
"...Modification."
Leon stared.
"...Enhancement?"
"...Modification?"
"...Simple."
She pointed.
"...Superhuman strength."
"...Enhanced senses."
"...Physical improvement."
"...Close combat adaptation."
"...Lightning fist."
"...Body modification."
"...Many things."
Leon blinked.
Lightning fist?
WHAT?
Ancient magic did that?
Wasn’t Ancient Magic insanity magic?
World-ending magic?
Madness magic?
Void magic?
Eternia smiled.
"...You use sword."
Leon nodded weakly.
"...Then enhancement suits you."
Pause.
"...Training begins now."
Silence.
Leon blinked.
"...Wait—"
Too late.
Drag.
Immediate drag.
Kael stared.
Absolute terror.
"...Nope."
"...Absolutely not."
"...Normal magic is good."
"...Normal magic loves me."
"...Normal magic doesn’t destroy minds."
"...Normal magic doesn’t summon disasters."
Eternia slowly looked back.
"...Kael."
"...No."
"...Kael."
"...No."
"...Come."
"...NO."
Meanwhile—
Far away—
On a rooftop overlooking the estate—
Etherius Draven Sinclair sighed.
"...This life really became noisy."
Beside him sat a girl around his age.
Long dark-blue hair.
Golden eyes.
Sharp expression.
Nysera Vale.
Etherius’s closest confidant.
Friend.
Former battlefield companion.
One of the few people who survived beside him in his previous life.
She stared below.
Then sighed.
"...So."
Silence.
"...You’re serious."
Etherius looked sideways.
"...About?"
"...Future."
Silence.
"...Regression."
Long pause.
Nysera stared.
"...You really came back."
Wind moved.
Etherius looked toward sky.
"...Yes."
Silence.
"...I awakened Soul Script at twenty-one."
Pause.
"...This life?"
Small smile.
"...Before academy."
Nysera immediately looked horrified.
"...No."
Etherius blinked.
"...No?"
"...Absolutely not."
"...We’re not raiding ancestor tombs."
Silence.
"...What?"
"...You always do insane things."
"...Last life too."
"...No."
"...No tombs."
Etherius sighed.
"...Not tombs."
Pause.
Smile.
Dangerous smile.
"...Corrupt officials."
Silence.
"...What."
"...Hidden stashes."
Nysera stared.
"..."
"..."
"...You became worse after regression."
Etherius smiled.
"...Probably."
And strangely—
They both laughed.
Like old friends.
Because they were.
Very old friends.
Very tired friends.
Friends who once watched world end together.
And maybe—
Just maybe—
This time things would end differently.
Far below—
Eternia dragged Kael.
Leon followed awkwardly.
Chaos resumed.
And somewhere unseen—
Fate quietly smiled.