The Void Realm, Sea of Knowledge
"An entire day, and you couldn't find a single person willing to join your escape plan?" Sonia asked, her voice sharp as she unleashed a Split Wave Slash. The bladed energy burst apart, forming spinning, saw-like arcs that tore into a nearby earthwork.
"Not one," Ash replied with a sigh. His finger mimicked a blade as he guided his Heart Sword into the barricade. Yet every layer pierced seemed to regenerate, growing back endlessly.
"Not even one?"
"Well, there's Igula—though he's forced to cooperate because of our contract. But apart from him? Nobody else. It's not that they don't believe me; it's that they refuse to believe."
"If the Fractured Lake Prison has never had an escape before, it's natural for them to doubt you," Sonia remarked.
"It's more than that." Ash exhaled heavily. "They don't just doubt—they reject the idea altogether."
Ash had spent the entire day canvassing potential allies with Igula, targeting notorious inmates like Diamond Tiger, Black Beast Tuck, and Songbird Jewel—criminals whose names alone were enough to inspire terror. Each of them had committed atrocities that could fill volumes of crime stories.
Yet none of them wanted to join the escape.
Ash wasn't particularly surprised. Fractured Lake Prison's high-pressure system and isolated island environment made it unlikely anyone would immediately embrace the possibility of escape. Skepticism was reasonable.
But what Ash encountered wasn't skepticism. It was resistance.
Even Igula, a skilled deceiver with a solid reputation in the prison, couldn't sway them. As one of the few reliable information brokers in the prison, Igula rarely lied, valuing his credibility. His word carried weight; people trusted him enough to at least hear him out.
Yet the inmates didn't even ask follow-up questions when Igula hinted at a way to disable their control chips. No one inquired how it might work. No one asked for proof.
They simply waved him off or changed the subject entirely.
That night, during dinner, Igula offered a chilling explanation:
"They're not who they used to be anymore. Even the vilest filth turns into fertilizer over time."
Fractured Lake Prison wasn't just a prison—it was a composter. No matter how vile or toxic a person might be, the prison's high-pressure environment broke them down into something harmless, something docile.
Time, Igula explained, was the greatest poison. And Fractured Lake Prison was the perfect vessel for delivering it. The isolation, the routine, and the chip implants stripped inmates of their aggression.
Even the most hardened criminals softened. Many came to regret their pasts, genuinely repenting. Others simply lost their desire to return to the chaotic world outside.
"Comfort is addictive," Igula concluded. "When you strip away competition, danger, and the complexities of life, even criminals learn to enjoy stability."
Ash had to admit it was a brilliant system. Without physical punishment or forced labor, the prison turned inmates into compliant workers, eager to contribute. Those who didn't found themselves sent to public deathmatches or other "opportunities" to earn their keep.
For most prisoners, escaping meant returning to a world of uncertainty and struggle. Fractured Lake, for all its restrictions, provided a sense of peace—something many were unwilling to give up.
Even Igula admitted he wouldn't have considered escaping if Ash hadn't bound him with the contract.
Ash couldn't help but feel like the villain in this scenario—dragging these rehabilitated souls back into chaos. Igula, once a cunning con artist, now seemed like a reluctant accomplice forced into a life of crime.
Smack!
The dirt mound they'd been attacking for nearly fifteen minutes finally collapsed, revealing an elderly mage projection hidden inside. Before he could say a word, Ash's Heart Sword and Sonia's Evil Light Slash tore through him, scattering the projection.
From the remains, three familiars and a mage's manual emerged.
"This is the best haul we've had in the Void so far," Ash observed, surprised.
The projection had clearly been a non-combat mage.
Rather than fighting, it had spent the entire encounter building up its earth defenses. Ash had been wary of potential traps—like a sudden spike bursting from the ground—but the projection had done nothing but cower behind its fortress.
"Non-combat mages are actually more common than you think," Sonia explained. "Pure combat specialists like us are rare. Most mages focus on productive disciplines like medicine, meteorology, architecture, or agriculture. They only dabble in combat if necessary."
She paused thoughtfully. "If it weren't for you pushing me into swordsmanship, I'd probably be a water mage specializing in healing by now."
"But how do they deal with Void Creatures?" Ash asked, puzzled. "Don't they have to fight them to survive in the Void Realm?"
Sonia chuckled. Picking up one of the slumbering familiars, she replied, "There's more than one way to deal with Void Creatures: evasion, defense, negotiation. Not every encounter ends in a fight."
"But if they never fight, how do they acquire new familiars?"
"Simple: they study. They refine their knowledge and let their expertise resonate with the Void. Most mages acquire familiars through research and practice, not combat."
She shot Ash a teasing smile. "Adventurers like us are the exception. Academy-trained mages build coherent, well-rounded familiar systems over time. Our haphazard collections will never be as efficient as theirs."
"And eventually, we'll have to go back to studying too. Once our Silver Wings fully manifest, we'll need to raise our magical proficiency to summon Second-Wing Familiars. Without Gold-level knowledge, we'll stagnate—permanently stuck in the Sea of Knowledge, unable to ascend to the Continent of Time."
Knowledge is king, and combat is a dead end?
Ash sighed. Systems requiring well-rounded development always intimidated him. He lacked the natural talent, discipline, and intelligence to excel in such a world.
If not for Sonia and her guidance, he doubted he'd even have made it this far as a mage.
"Isn't there some shortcut?" he muttered. "Like drinking a potion to instantly level up?"
Sonia laughed.
"Speaking of shortcuts, didn't you once mention something about a Golden Fish? Supposedly, finding it lets you reach the Continent of Time directly."
"That's just a rumor," Sonia said, dismissing the idea. "Even you don't know where it is, so how could I?"
She opened the mage's manual, skimming its contents. "Honestly, you'd have better luck hoping for a sudden riot in your prison to cover your escape—"
Her voice faltered, replaced by a strange, stifled sound.
"What?" Ash asked. "Another manual that offends your worldview?"
"Not quite…" Sonia said slowly. "But I think you should prepare yourself."
"For what?"
She turned the manual toward him, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
In bold letters, one passage read:
"I've found the Golden Fish."