Chapter 665
A steady rain fell.

Young Berrick lay collapsed, gasping for breath, while his two younger sisters looked down at him with pleading eyes.

Time seemed to lose all meaning. Everything was exhausting and overwhelming. Without realizing it, Berrick wiped his eyes and relaxed his tense body. His mind grew hazy, and he wondered if this was a dream—yet part of him hoped it wasn’t.

Softly.

One sister gently grasped Berrick’s arm. Small, warm hands. The youngest sister, watching nearby, hugged the older one and shook her head, as if warning her to stay away. This was the worst part.

“Stay awake.”

“Don’t, sister.”

If only they showed outright malice, if they tried to kill him, Berrick thought he might be able to cut them down.

But these were his sisters—living, breathing, real—trapped in this strange timeline. Definitely alive.

“Ugh.”

At that moment, young Berrick stirred awake. Having been struck hard in the abdomen, he had vomited everything inside. The child staggered, barely managing to support himself on his knees. His sisters rushed over to help him up.

Berrick etched the scene into his memory. Was this how their mother had looked, watching over the three of them when they were young?

“Kill them, sisters, get out of the way…”

“Stop it, it’s so damn hard already. I’m not trying to hurt you. I’d rather stab a hole in my own belly, you damn wizard.”

“Then why are we here—”

“I don’t know, man!”

Young Berrick frowned and studied the older Berrick carefully.

Then—

Knock knock!

“…!”

Someone was pounding on the cabin door. The sisters gasped and covered their mouths, while young Berrick froze, staring at the door.

Knock!

It was the same as that day—the debt collectors knocking for their father. The sisters panicked and pulled on Berrick’s arm.

“Hide! Hurry, hide!”

“Wait, it’s okay. We don’t have to hide.”

“No! If they open that door, we’re all dead! Please!”

“Sis, come this way!”

Young Berrick hid his sisters under the bed. The real ones had come—the ones who truly wanted to kill them. To the terrified children, Berrick muttered that there was nothing left to fear.

“I’ve grown strong for a reason.”

He had always longed to be strong enough to protect those precious to him. Damn that wizard—he was a pain, but in a way, Berrick was grateful.

…What if he, the Berrick of now, had been there that day?

He had imagined it countless times—the laughter of his mother and sisters alive and well, and perhaps a life as ordinary as any other family’s.

Swish!

Berrick drew his magic greatsword. Young Berrick’s eyes widened. The child stumbled backward and slipped into the storage room.

Bang!

“Who’s there?”

“…Open up.”

“Okay, fine. But—!”

Bam!

Swish!

As Berrick flung open the door and swung his sword, the dark world warped, and the falling rain abruptly stopped.

Outside the cabin, the same happened. A fierce wind brushed past Berrick, rushing inside the cabin.

“No.”

They were trying to kill his sisters and his younger self.

Berrick clenched his teeth and braced against the oncoming wind. But it was no use. The cabin shattered, furniture flew about, and the sisters’ piercing screams and cries filled the air.

Tears streamed down Berrick’s face.

“No!”

Darkness crept in. He wanted to run to his sisters, but realized his body was fading away. Then, from a distant place, a beam of light flashed down directly onto him—and surprisingly—

‘Huh?’

It was warm.

---

Whoosh.

Ian soared higher into the sky.

The night wind was cold and fierce, but there was no way to avoid it. If he cast a protective spell, it would light up the night sky—like the flames rising from one side of the forest.

‘Fire? Torches? Looks like Luswena soldiers.’

Was it just a simple fire, or was it connected to Berrick? The latter seemed more likely. More and more troops were gathering in the Mage’s Forest. Whether they intended to put out the fire or had some other purpose was unclear.

Ian lowered his altitude and slipped into the forest. The only sound was the rustling of leaves, but the atmosphere was heavy.

‘Forbidden magic. And Berrick too.’

The entire forest was steeped in a dark energy. His uneasy premonition was confirmed. Ian moved carefully, hiding his presence and following the trail.

“This way! This way!”

“F-fire in the forest! Alert the palace! Hurry!”

“There’s no water source nearby!”

Pat-pat-pat!

Ian hid in the trees, trailing the soldiers. Soon, he spotted Berrick locked in battle with the forbidden mage. The soldiers saw him too.

“Wizard! Over there! That’s the Luswena mage!”

“Please help contain the flames, wizard!”

“Hey, wait!”

Despite their urgent shouts, the mage only rolled his eyes and remained motionless. Ian noticed a black aura flowing from the mage’s body, connecting to Berrick.

‘Invisibility magic.’

A spell that invades the opponent’s memories to inflict mental shock.

It was easy to extract information or exploit weaknesses, and could even cause psychological trauma by lulling the target into a false sense of security.

But the fatal flaw was that the caster was also immobilized while maintaining the invisibility spell.

‘Looks like Berrick’s been found.’

Ian pieced together the situation. Berrick must have stumbled upon the forbidden mage while searching the cabin.

The soldiers circled the mage in confusion, but he stared fixedly upward, frozen.

“Why are you like this? Aren’t you Bariel, the magic swordsman?”

“Yeah. What should we do? Kill him?”

“Wait. Don’t touch him. What if things go wrong?”

“Stop! Wait for reinforcements from the palace. For now, put out the fire—”

Swish!

“Hah, huh—!”

“Gah!”

As the soldiers hesitated and approached Berrick, Ian leapt down from the tree, releasing a surge of killing intent. The soldiers, caught off guard by the sudden attack from the shadows, were cut before they could react.

Thwack.

Wiping blood from his sleeve, Ian looked at the forbidden mage. The mage’s eyes met his. He had sensed Ian’s presence long ago but was trapped by the invisibility spell.

Ian scanned the area briefly, then checked Berrick’s pockets.

Swish.

A small triangular box. It was so light Ian wondered what could be inside.

As he pocketed it, Ian felt something fall near Berrick’s chin. Was it blood from a deep wound?

No. It was—

“…Berrick.”

Tears.

Berrick remained frozen, just as he had been before the invisibility spell took hold, tears streaming down his face. Where in his memories was he wandering now? Ian frowned and looked back at the forbidden mage.

‘…This is my chance.’

He could take the mage’s head right here and now. Killing a third forbidden mage would deal a serious blow to Luswena’s forces.

But—

‘Berrick’s in danger.’

If Ian made a wrong move, Berrick could become trapped in his memories or suffer a mental collapse.

Ian glanced at the fire spreading rapidly behind him and cast the Idgalo shield. It would temporarily block the flames and the soldiers’ advance.

“Nabu, are you there?”

“…Yes, I’m here.”

Nabu peeked out from Ian’s shadow. No longer hiding nervously—he had seen just how powerful Ian was earlier that day.

“Block all outside access. If anything goes wrong, you can hide me and Berrick in your shadow for a while. Then explain the invisibility spell to the mages. Understood?”

“Yes. Understood.”

Swish!

Invisibility.

Ian activated the spell on Berrick. Darkness enveloped them, and a strange cabin appeared.

‘There.’

Ian pushed through the rain and knocked on the cabin door. He heard movement inside.

Knock!

“Who’s there?”

Berrick’s voice. Ian breathed a sigh of relief.

“I’m here to get you. Open up.”

“Okay, fine. But—!”

Bam!

Swish!

As soon as the door opened, a red greatsword came flying at Ian.

But Ian knew better. That wild, reckless kid—lost in his past—would never just open the door quietly.

Ian stepped back lightly to dodge and caught sight of the children beyond the door.

‘Oh no.’

Young Berrick and his sisters.

Ian made a decision. These children were the only way for Berrick to break free from the invisibility spell.

Gale.

Swish!

A sharp wind swept past Berrick, aiming for the children’s throats. Berrick, sinking into darkness, spun around to block it—but how could he outrun the wind?

One girl caught in the gale rolled her eyes wildly. It was the forbidden mage hiding in disguise.

“Ahhh—!”

Zzzing! Zzzing!

Flash!

Ian gathered magic power with both hands. Since the child’s body didn’t require an especially strong force, he released the magic all at once.

The magic projectile shot straight, piercing through Beric and striking the forbidden mage. Light exploded in every direction.

Kshhh!

Everything touched by the light burst into white flames. The cabin that had existed in the darkness, the pouring rain, the children—all gradually vanished, replaced by a scattering of blue leaves sprouting everywhere.

This was the Forest of Mages.

They had returned to the real world.

“Uh…”

Beric, unable to fully grasp reality, looked around with tears streaming down his face. He had begged for this to disappear, but now that it was gone, a hollow ache gnawed at his chest.

Ian grabbed his arm and muttered, “Snap out of it. We’re going back.”

“I-Ian… why are you here?”

“I thought you might get lost.”

Ian wrapped his arms around the staggering Beric and took off into the air.

Nearby, Nabu, who had been lingering, startled and dove into Ian’s shadow. Beric stared blankly down at the forbidden mage still standing there and asked, “Why isn’t that bastard moving at all?”

“He’s dead, trapped by the silver spell. If you were dead, you’d be like that too.”

“So… that means he’s dead?”

“More like his mind is shattered.”

“Put me down for a second. I want to kill him with my own hands.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Ian nodded toward the far side of the forest. Dragons were gathering, drawn by the fire raging through the Forest of Mages.

Besides, the forbidden mage’s joints were twisted in unnatural ways. His consciousness had already been consumed by the puppeteer’s magic, so even if his mind was shattered, he’d soon move again.

“You did well, Beric. You completed your mission, and I achieved my goal. Any more fighting here would just waste energy. We’ll return to the mansion as planned.”

“Damn it, Ian. I don’t care about anything else, but I’m going to make sure that bastard dies a painful death.”

“Do as you please.”

…Maybe wipe those tears first.

Ian glanced at Beric but said no more.

Beric fumbled in his pocket, then suddenly shouted in a panic.

“Ahhh! Damn it! The box is gone! Ian, give it back! Shit, I must be an idiot! I think I left it behind!”

“The triangular box, you mean?”

“…Huh? Brown one?”

“I’ve been keeping it safe. Stop moving around. You’re exhausted.”

Ah, of course! Beric relaxed but still looked puzzled, tilting his head.

“Wait, did you take the box before rescuing me?”

“…We’re almost there.”

“Hey, wait a minute!”

In front of the Hielo mansion, a few worried mages who hadn’t slept were pacing. When they spotted Ian and Beric, they waved their hands frantically.

“Ian! Beric!”

“Hey, what were you doing clinging to Ian like that?”

“Huh? Is that guy crying?”

“Don’t know, just shut up. What do you know?”

While the mages greeted Beric, Ian opened the triangular box first.

“Ian, is that it? The thing Beric was looking for?”

“Looks like it…”

The mages frowned in confusion, and Ian hesitated.

Inside the box’s lid were dense lines of writing. Inside the box lay a few beads and a neatly folded sheet of white paper.