People really have nothing better to do, huh?

That was the only thought circling Alden's mind as he took in the scale of the island.

It had been a few hours since he had arrived.

After quietly slipping away from his friends, he wandered off, looking for a quiet space.

A moment to breathe without eyes on him.

Now he understood why this place was considered neutral territory.

The island wasn't on the ground.

It floated. Suspended in the sky, untethered and impossible, it drifted above the world like something ancient pretending not to be a god.

Alden stood near the edge of the island, where a vast circular wall curved around its perimeter. From here, he could see nothing beneath but open sky and soft, slow-moving clouds.

And within the clouds a white bird flew peacefully.

This was a secluded spot within the island… only allowed for guards.

But after Alden had flashed his Voidforge Emblem—the one he'd earned when he became Jeremy's disciple—they let him through without a word.

Hell, they even cleared the area for him.

Apparently, the entire island was under Jeremy's jurisdiction now. Full authority, handed over by all major species. He was the chosen representative.

And being his disciple had its perks.

He could finally take Kyun to flying.

He watched her now—wings spread, streaking through the sky like she was trying to outrun gravity itself, chasing clouds that couldn't be caught. The sight made something loosen in his chest.

He smiled.

And for a while—for just a little while—he allowed himself to simply watch her. No inter-academy tension. No looming destruction of the world. No cosmic nonsense he had accidentally volunteered for.

Just him, the sky, and a white bird that looked far too free to be real.

"'Mortal… why aren't you coming?" A soft childlike voice echoed in his mind. "Come and fly with me."

It was Kyun's voice.

Alden still wasn't used to hearing her speak—not like this. Her voice in his head was clear now, shaped into words which were strangely delicate in tone.

Apparently, she had inherited fragments of knowledge from her predecessor—Ellara.

But it wasn't memory, not really. There were no thoughts or feelings passed down. A kind of ancient muscle memory, without the soul behind it.

That knowledge was locked behind something neither of them understood and it came in pieces.

The one about language was unlocked just a few days ago.

"I can't fly, Kyun." I sighed, replying to her.

"What are you talking about, mortal?" Her voice was calm. Matter-of-fact. "You can fly."

Huh?

Alden blinked.

What is she talking about?

Alden narrowed his eyes in confusion.

Just then, Kyun looped through the air and glided back toward him and landed gently on his shoulder.

"How do you think I fly?" Her question was simple.

Alden almost choked.

What do you mean, how? You're a bird, for god's sake. Of course you could fly. You were built for it. It would've been weirder if you couldn't.

Still, he didn't say any of that.

Instead, he just replied, dryly. "With your wings."

"No." Her reply was clear. "My wings only help me change direction but I fly using mana… or more precisely using ambient mana."

Alden stared at her.

His brain shifted between skepticism and curiosity.

"…So you're saying you're not flying because of your body?" he asked, trying to make sense of it.

Kyun blinked, almost innocently. "No creature truly flies just because of their body. You humans… you just forgot how."

Alden's brow furrowed.

Forgot?

"The air is saturated with ambient mana," she continued, calmly. "It's heavy. Too heavy. Flying with just a physical body is impossible for any creature. No matter what kind it is."

She tilted her head slightly, as if the explanation was obvious. "You just have to resonate your will with the atmospheric mana and it'll carry you."

Alden blinked.

Is this something she unlocked from Ellara's knowledge?

It had to be. He doubted she came up with a phrase like "resonate your will" on her own. That sounded old like something taught and remembered from a time before things were explained away by power levels.

He wasn't completely oblivious to how flight worked. He had read about it in the novel and even many books in this world.

In the novel, it was mentioned that once someone reached Ascendant Rank, they could naturally begin flying.

No wings, no tools, just will and movement.

So he'd always assumed it was just a perk. A power-up. Some invisible bonus for leveling up.

But now…

Now a strange thought lodged itself in his mind.

What if reaching Ascendant Rank didn't grant flight… What if it simply tuned you in?

What if that rank just increased your compatibility with ambient mana… and flight was never a benefit, but a consequence?

The more he thought about it the more it made sense.

So, if I can make my will resonate with ambient mana, I should be, in theory, able to fly.

Alden exhaled, turning his eyes toward the clouds drifting below him.

And then, reality returned with a sharp little nudge.

Yeah…

Yeah… I'll try it when I'm not hovering a thousand feet over a death drop.

He stared over the ledge again, heart suddenly aware of how high he was.

I don't even know if I can control it yet.

His thoughts circled back to what Kyun had said… to what he felt starting to make sense.

But if it's really that simple…

Why hasn't anyone else figured it out?

Why didn't the strong talk about it? Why wasn't it in any of the books or instructor lectures?

Or maybe they did know.

And just chose to keep it quiet—keep it hidden from the commoners and from the low-ranked.

The thought settled coldly in his chest.

Or… maybe the compatibility required was simply too high. Maybe most low rank people couldn't do it even if they tried.

But Alden never had to worry about compatibility because he had something most people didn't.

[Monarch of Mana].

A skill that elevated his compatibility with ambient mana far beyond what should've been possible at his level.

He glanced down at his open palm, then back at the sky. The wind rustled faintly but something beneath it felt… alive.

The ambient mana—was it aware of him?

Or was he simply beginning to notice it for the first time?

"Mortal?"

Kyun's voice echoed into his thoughts again, softer now.

"Did you hear me?"

Alden blinked. He had no idea how long he had been staring out at the clouds.

"You don't have to fly today," she said. "But you should know, mana always listens. Even if it doesn't answer."

He didn't reply right away.

Just slowly turned his gaze back toward the endless sky—

and wondered how many other truths the world had forgotten.

—

Meanwhile, somewhere else on the artificial island, a shimmering blue portal rippled open with a quiet hum.

A blonde boy stepped through first, alone.

Behind him, more students followed in steady lines, each wearing the same pristine white uniform, marked with the emblem of a tall tree whose branches stretched impossibly wide.

Unlike the boy, however, the others bore pointed ears and delicate, near-ethereal features.

Elves.

He was the only human among them.

The boy stepped forward, letting the breeze touch his face as he looked up at the sky, his eyes searching for something.

Then a quiet whisper escaped his lips:

"So you're here too… huh, Alden?"

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