'Who is this person?'
Stefan's thoughts trailed as he stared at the person who stood in front of him, surrounded by the vacuum of space.
They were currently a short distance from the planet's stratosphere, and from their positions, the hooded man was closer to the planet than he was.
Whether this was an intentional choice of his or not was left to his guess.
'He was fast enough to keep up… no, even outpace .'
No one had been able to do that since he arrived here.
'He wasn't able to touch due to the anomaly that exists around , but he was still able to push back with enough external force…'
This was clearly not an ordinary person.
"Legris inford that the chances of backup arriving was little, but I suppose the chance existed regardless…" Stefan muttered to himself.
He slowly regained full composure, and the lull in his eyes remained unchanged.
"I'm guessing you're one of Jared's allies. Forgive for not recognizing you, but do you mind introducing yourself?"
For a mont, there was silence. The hooded man—completely shrouded in a long dark cloak—said nothing.
After waiting for a few second and not getting an answer, Stefan spoke once more.
"I suppose you are right. This is no place or ti for introductions. Let's get down to it shall w—?"
"Ah… don't mind ." A deep, mature voice suddenly rang out.
It ca from the man in the hood.
His two hands slowly reached out for the veil that covered his face, and he pulled it down, revealing his handso face.
"I was just too captivated by everything that I was rendered speechless for a mont."
Stefan's eyes squinted slightly as he witnessed the countenance of the man.
He had a big smile on his face, as if he were nothing but a child displaying excitent in its purest form.
"This is my first ti leaving the planet, after all. I knew things had to exist out here, but I never expected it to be of this scale…"
Stefan found the man's words to be a little confusing.
'Jared and his allies traveled through space and ti to catch up to us, yet he claims never to have been in space?'
That struck him as odd.
'He doesn't seem to be lying, but still…'
The man before him seed to be in his early thirties. He had well-trimd black hair and blue eyes, with an overall youthful exuberance.
Despite all of this, though, sothing about his gaze seed to connote an age that did not reflect in his manly physique.
"It seems I got carried away." The young man answered, interrupting Stefan's rapid thoughts on what his identity could be.
"That's fine. It doesn't matter anyway… since you're going to die."
"Is that so…?"
Sothing about the man's trailing voice seed to connote so form of sadness—or self-reflection.
However, that didn't matter to Stefan.
"Yes."
"Then it seems we are at an impasse. I'm afraid I can't die… not after seeing so much more that the world has to offer."
Slowly, he began to gush.
"Just how much is out there to learn? The secrets of the world… the hidden truths of Magic… how much more exists?"
An obsessive glint manifested in his blue eyes as they glowed imnsely.
"It's inconsequential. You'll be dying he—"
"I've died once before, young man. And in my final monts, I had one major regret." As the man interrupted him, a bright smile ford on his face.
Sparks of energy began to manifest around him.
"Despite spending my entire lifeti studying and developing concepts on it, I could never once use it… the power I have now."
More power burst from within him as he bead in excitent.
"But now… now I can finally use it! And it's just as amazing as Inexpected, this amazing energy, this indescribable power… the power of Magic!"
Stefan didn't know how to feel about the sight unfolding before him.
This wasn't what he was told by Legris.
'Did he just beco a Mage? He's inexperienced at using Magic?'
Even though that was his initial thought, Stefan could sense such expert use and managent of the power swirling around the man that he found it extrely dubious.
'There's no way he just obtained Magic. Not only does he possess Aether, but he's utilizing it like an expert."
No novice could achieve that.
"I should thank Jane for this later. It seems she has acclimated and properly integrated my body with… what's the na again? Aether?"
The more the man blabbed on, the more confused Stefan beca.
'He doesn't even know what Aether is? What is he on about?'
The man before him initially seed like a threat, but now Stefan could only consider him to be a fool.
'A fool with substantial power and a asure of control that I can't ignore.'
Whether or not the man admitted it, Stefan was certain he was incredibly strong.
'And that ans I can't dawdle anymore.'
Since ti was up, Stefan found it pointless to hold back any longer.
'I'll just destroy him along with the planet and complete my mission.'
What kind of Magic would he use? Mage Mode? Original Magic? Fusion Form?
None of the above.
"[Prival Magic: The Hollow]"
In that instant, the entire universe was transford into a state of black and white.
No color existed, and no beauty was complete.
It all beca… hollow.
However, this was rely a symptom of the disease itself.
'The Hollow will eat up everything—first color, then energy, and finally matter.'
In only a few seconds, everything within this universe would cease to exist.
With that, he would be able to complete his mission and eradicate everything that was bound to be a threat to him.
… At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
'Hmm? What's this?' Stefan's eyes twitched as he noticed sothing peculiar.
'Why isn't the energy being eaten up?'
Normally, even if the range was as wide as a universe, everything would be consud in a few seconds.
Yet… what was happening?!
"It's a relief that I can still use Spellcraft." The man before Stefan smiled, forcing the latter to stare intensely in his direction.
'He's causing this…?!'
Stefan couldn't believe it! A man who claid to be inexperienced was preserving all the energy and preventing them from being consud?!
And on a universal scale?!
"That's absurd. It's impossi—!"
"No, young man. This is Magic we are talking about." The man smiled, and with a single flourish, the colors manifested once more.
The black and white world that Stefan had created was no more, and the "Hollow" that he had Cast was virtually rendered null.
Stefan found his eyes widening as he took all of this in.
His Prival Magic had never been countered before.
It was impossible to do so.
… Or was it?
"There's nothing impossible when it cos to Magic."
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