Epherene layed on her bed and stared up at the ceiling.
In a world where time stopped, there was no sound, no smell, no dynamics, so it looked like an empty space.
Epherene was busy counting the time in her mind. If she didn't do this, she wouldn't be able to sense the passage of time.
Silence like this drove people crazy. There was also this feeling, that even though you were breathing, sometimes your chest were tight, as if there was nothing to breathe.
However…
– Professor.
There was still someone who could move with her. His presence made loneliness and silence disappear, and made her breathe again deeply.
– What?
When he answered, Epherene smiled softly.
Deculein was sitting in a chair next to her bed, contemplating a magical formula.
– I'm curious. When you awakened from your hibernation, you went hiding in the cabin left by Rohakan, haven't you?
– Yes.
Epherene laughed softly.
– Well, you needed to hide somewhere from persecution… but don't you wonder how the continent has changed over the years?
"I don't think people have changed," Deculein replied with indifference in his voice.
Such Deculein seemed a little unfamiliar to Epherene. Of course, he was always cold, but this indifference in his voice was very different from before.
-… by the way, professor. Do you know how many days have already passed?
Epherene quickly changed the subject by asking a random question.
– 108 hours 13 minutes 35 seconds.
Deculein responded instantly.
Even Epherene, who kept track of time, was amazed at such accuracy.
Suddenly, an ominous sense of anxiety swept through Epherene's mind.
– Professor...
He calmly turned his head at her call. The depth of his pupils shone with a kind of otherworldly brilliance. That ripple of "energy" that surpassed any human's magical power sent goosebumps all over her body.
– It's as you are thinking. With the enlightenment I achieved at death's door, everything around me became easy to understand.
As Deculein continued to speak, Epherene's face darkened little by little.
– The ability to "understand" the world and causality has become a force that develops on its own.
On the other hand, a smile appeared on Deculein's lips. As if comforting Epherene, he spoke in a gentle tone that he had never shown before:
– In the end, this ability will even absorb my ego, trying to understand everything around me regardless of my will.
Then he extended his hand. His soft fingers ran over her lashes and caressed her cheeks.
– Epherene, giants could not coexist with humans. You know why?
He said it with warmth in his voice, but for Epherene it was sad words.
-Yes.
Epherene nodded her head. A wave of pain filled her chest, but she still endured and continued:
– An individual who knows everything… can never be happy.
– Right.
Deculein smiled brightly as he replied.
– Which means…
Epherene pursed her lips and grunted, pretending that she was just a little offended, and nothing happened:
No matter how hard I try, it's useless. The professor is no longer…
Love between a man and a giant is impossible. Just like humans can't love ants.
– No.
Suddenly he shook his head. Knowing her feelings, he replied:
– I can still look at you with a clear look.
Epherene had a conflicted expression on her face. She reached into the pockets of her robes and pulled out the wood steel. The blade that the professor once gave her.
Holding it in her hand, she asked:
– Then… Are you still the Deculein that I know?
Could someone who understood everything be the same person as he was when he was still a normal human being? Epherene after a long time experienced a mild sense of shame.
She had already grown and grown to the status of an archmage, but in front of Deculein, she again became a young, stupid Epherene, who at that time always made mistakes.
– Haha…
Decline chuckled slightly.
– Everyone changes, but in the end, we're still who we are. Epherene, you, who have been watching me from beginning to end, knows me the best.
From the beginning, when Kim Woojin was still trying to assimilate with Deculein, until now, when Deculein and Kim Woojin became one. Being the host of these two personalities, he had long wondered about his identity, and that's the conclusion he came to. His current state wouldn't change his thought.
Epherene didn't understand what that meant, but she wasn't upset. Because those words seemed nice.
–… Professor, do you remember the past?
Epherene showed the wood steel in one hand and her wand in the other.
– These are the most expensive things for me. With my bracelet.
It was broken, but it was the memory of her father.
– Come closer, look.
– Hm.
Pretending to show him better, she wrapped her arms around the neck of Deculein, who had come closer, and buried her face in his chest.
However, the professor did not panic. He just casually asked:
"…I thought you hated him."
How could she not hate the father who abandoned her, the father who used her?
– How can I hate the person who gave birth to me? He is the father who gave me this world.
Epherene looked at Deculein's face, still hugging him tightly.
There was clear confusion on his face. Was he holding back the power of [Understanding] now? Or maybe it was a feeling that even he couldn't understand?
Thanks to my father…
He had an unusually embarrassed look that was cute, so Epherene smiled happily.
– I can love you now. The way you are.
Epherene innocently confessed her love.
* * *
1 year.
The promised time flew by quickly.
"Although I have become an archmage, I still have a lot to learn."
Unfortunately, in a space where time stands still, there was not much to do.
However, in a world where it was only the two of them, Epherene was still happy.
Her passion never faded.
Now the two of them were sitting side by side in the archives of Locralen's basement, writing down something.
– I can't finish my story. I don't know how Sylvia wrote her book so well.
Epherene started writing three months ago. It was a diary and a novel at the same time. It was sort of an autobiographical story.
– Wanna take a look, professor?
Writing was an activity she could share with her professor. Thanks to this, she could share her thoughts expressed in the text with the professor.
– There is very little left, but I still can't do it…
However, she had problems with the ending.
With an ending that was well known to Deculein, herself, and everyone else.
She had no desire to finish it.
"Are you neglecting the study of magic?" Decline said.
Epherene narrowed her eyes.
–… don't be like Demakan. As they say, there is a limit to achievements and enlightenment.
"The only people who say that are those who can't go beyond their limits, no matter how hard they try."
– Sorry?
It had been a year now and she still couldn't get used to being treated like a child.
However, that didn't mean she was upset. As soon as she returned to the continent, she would again become an archmage, standing above others.
So those moments were precious.
– Hmph.
She snorted and grabbed a pencil, then asked with a smirk:
– Is your theory complete?
– Yes.
She asked this to change the subject, but Deculein responded immediately, as if expecting this. He handed her the already bound book.
– I finished last night. You can take a look.
Epherene looked at the cover.
[Particles of time].
"We will simply destroy these particles of time…" he said.
The essence of his theory was simple enough to be summarized in one sentence, but it was so shocking and audacious that it turned the laws of the world upside down.
– It's a pretty simple idea.
It was a little sad, but Epherene smiled with confidence in her eyes.
– Only your talent can do this. Only you can influence time.
She will fragment and destroy the time energy of the Kaidezites in Locralen with "giant scale" time magic.
Another miracle from a human point of view.
– It will take some time to fully understand everything, but your theories are always perfect, so there will be no problems, she said confidently.
At that moment, Deculein's lips twitched. He must have liked her self-confidence.
Epherene rested her head on Deculein's shoulder, who was sitting next to him. Deculein didn't protest.
– So... We do it in three months? she said carefully.
Then she wrapped her arms around his waist.
– Hmm…
But again she felt anxious. It would be too selfish to spend this time waiting for reciprocal love. By then, Deculein's power may have gotten the better of him.
– No, a month…
"Three months is a good time, interrupted Deculein. Epherene looked up in surprise."
–… are you sure? Three months?
He smiled.
– I can handle it. Because you will be there.
At that moment, Epherene rushed to his lips, like a warlike and aggressive rhinoceros…
* * *
For three months, Epherene studied Deculein's theory, eventually fully understanding it.
Since Deculein's theory was designed specifically for Epherene, everything from the logic behind it to how magic was formed was easy to understand.
Now they could leave this place. Epherene, being an archmage in her prime, could realize this miracle. Hundreds of years would be reduced to just one year and three months.
Epherene stood next to Deculein. She had a sad expression on her face, and she looked at him, not hiding her regret. A year and three months were imprinted in her heart.
"Professor… do you really have to die?"
-…
Deculein looked at her silently before saying:
– I want to be a human being when I die.
Understanding his feelings, Epherene wept softly as she took a step towards him.
–… Professor.
Epherene lifted her head and looked at him from a distance where her nose almost touched his chest.
– Time is a man's friend. It helps a person to forget all sorrows.
As an archmage who once dealt with time and still controlled it, Epherene did not hate it.
"So… when many days and years pass and my hair turns gray… will I be able to forget you?"
Deculein was silent for a while, and then he put his hand on the top of her head and said:
– You've grown a lot.
At his words, Epherene involuntarily nodded her head. Because she had really grown since then. She was no longer what she was in those carefree days.
– Time has changed you. You are an adult now.
– Ah…
For Deculein, it might just have been a randomly thrown word, but Epherene took it a little differently. Because Deculein said it. There was a big difference between the fact that she considered herself an adult, and the fact that he considered her an adult.
"You have become a responsible mage."
The hand on the top of her head moved smoothly. Could this love be more than just an illusion? Nonetheless…
– You are my student. This fact will not change. No matter how much time has passed.
Calling her a student, Deculein smiled.
At that moment, something erupted from the depths of Epherene's heart, filling the void that had formed in it, but it would be a lie if she said that she was not disappointed.
Because she was still just a student.
-… yes.
Epherene smiled too. But then she sniffled without realizing it, and tasted something salty.
– It's enough…
She didn't know if she was laughing or crying.
Epherene nodded her head and touched her chest with her hand.
– I will consider this your manifestation of love for me.
It was not a romantic feeling from a person of the opposite sex, but it was still love.
Deculein didn't say anything, as if silently agreeing. At least in Epherene's mind.
They stood near the magic circle. The formula designed by Deculein would be powered by Epherene.
– Let's start? Epherene asked.
In order to realize the miracle of "particles of time", she began to collect magical energy in her body.
– Yes.
Deculein smiled. Then he held out his hand to her, and Epherene happily took it.
"…you've been a lot of trouble," he said with a smirk.
Her heart sank at Deculein's words.
Epherene could not resist. She threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. She looked at him with her tear-stained eyes and said:
– You too, professor.
And then she buried herself in Deculein's chest.
* * *
Imperial Palace, chambers of the Empress.
Sophien was admiring canvas and sculpture. The first was a painting by an unknown master, and the second was a sculpture from Julie. Both works of art so beautiful that they could not be compared. Still, Sophien put her hand on her chin, trying to find flaws…
At that moment, the echo of a magical burst came from somewhere far away. Sophien knew what it was even before the report was presented to her.
– Locralen fell.
The famous "crossroads of time" must have collapsed. And it was good. If Locralen had stayed, it would have been another seed of destruction.
The Empress smiled. She knew what had happened in Locralen.
However, she did not know what kind of feelings flared up between Epherene and Deculein, or what specific things happened there, so she was very jealous…
Nevertheless, now she needed to think about something else.
– Ahan.
Ahan, who was pouring tea next to her, bowed quickly and replied:
– Yes, Your Majesty.
– Contact Lia.
Ahan was surprised to hear this, but still accepted the words of the empress.
– Yes, Your Majesty. What should I convey?
– Tell her…
As she sipped her tea from a cup and nibbled gracefully at the snacks nearby, Sophien smiled bitterly.
– I think I know where Deculein is...