Silence plagued every step Soren took down the dim corridor as his thoughts swirled with endless theories.

It became obvious after the second time that the whispers truly were meant for him. Rania, the previous owner of the Vessel of the Stars, had directly communicated with him.

"When the time comes, do not hesitate with your aim…" He mumbled the phrase once more, yet nothing conclusive came to mind. For whatever damn reason, this world loved to present him with puzzles.

Endless puzzles with no solution in sight.

Soren shook his head. Either way, it likely has to do with fate… Perhaps a decision needs to be made once I reach the Estuary of the Stars.

Though his face remained sternly unreadable, a steady flame filled with frustration and annoyance was brewing inside. From Cassia's sudden change in behavior, to now this mysterious warning from an ancestor… It felt as if everyone but him knew of what was going to occur…

The anticipation and fear was killing him from the inside.

He sighed.

Focus… I need to focus.

There were still many things he needed to do. His preparations for the inevitable were not over.

Taking his last step, Soren paused and once again said the command. After a few seconds, the ground began to shake as the bricks slithered beneath his feet, forming a massive wall where a corridor once stood.

Soren sighed as he stepped through the usual entrance. But what greeted him inside was anything but familiar.

Rather than an office or a laboratory illuminated by a replica of the solar system, he instead found himself inside an empty dark room, populated by a rather large cylinder piercing through the ceiling. Solyara floated in silence at the center, gazing through a narrow hole at the end of the tube.

A telescope? He thought quietly to himself, watching the enchantingly beautiful woman radiate a rather soft yet warm light, as if she were a star gazing at its own kind.

"Ah, you've finally arrived. I had taken you for a hibernating Spirit Beast with how many times you've dozed off by now."

Soren sighed. "Can you really blame me?"

"Yes, I can." She replied swiftly, pouring cold water over his body.

Coughing, he straightened his non-existent collar to dodge the awkwardness. Though they may be correct, Soren had gotten sick of hearing everyone nag him for his recklessness.

He decided to change the subject:

"What exactly happened in those last moments? Did my experiment succeed?"

The room turned quiet—only the rivets and gears creaked loudly while Solyara probed the heavens with Her telescope. For a moment, Soren even assumed the worst, but She suddenly lifted a finger, as if to signal for something.

Before he could question Her movement, a tiny scroll jumped from a distant heap and rushed toward him like a bullet. He swiftly caught it in his hands and opened it.

Solyara continued to gaze through the telescope, uninterested in his reaction.

"Regeis… That's the name of the material rune I created?" His eyes widened.

"The experiment was a success?!"

A brief feeling of astonishment coursed through him. Even he couldn't believe it, despite putting so much effort in trying to make it happen. After all, in the minds of many scholars, Pendragon's theories were no different from lunacy. And despite being a lunatic himself, there was still an inkling of doubt within Soren that made him suppress his expectations.

But all of that had been thrown out the window. The logic and understanding those pampered scholars believed in? It was all wrong! Pendragon, the rambling madman whose work no one took seriously, was right all along!

"A discovery of the century… No! Of the millennium!"

He glanced up at Solyara with hope twinkling in his eyes. "Pendragon's name should be revived! This needs to be published in Luvinica!"

Despite his excitement, Solyara still seemed uninterested. She gazed out the telescope without an ounce of care, confusing Soren even more. How could an Archmage like Herself not be excited at such a discovery that could forever change magi society forever?

Seeing the young man eagerly awaiting an answer, Solyara sighed. "I don't believe that to be a good idea."

"What?" His brows furrowed. "Why?"

"Because the concepts spoken of by Pendragon are far too advanced for this world's current stage."

Soren stood there in silence, trying to interpret her words.

"Are you saying it would pose a danger to society?"

She didn't answer, but Soren felt that he was correct in his assumption.

After all, he knew Pendragon's theories better than most. The ability to manipulate the Beyond into creating your desired Material Runes through willpower alone… It was extremely difficult to do for Soren, since he was alone and his anima wasn't nearly as powerful.

But it would be an entirely different story for a more experienced magi…

An Arcanist or Magister would have a far easier time trying to gather their anima. And although they would likely still require the help of Mysteries, similar to his own usage of the Heartdrinker Sigil, their results would likely be far more profound.

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After sacrificing a month's worth of blood and a bit more, Soren was only able to briefly capture the existence of a new material rune—one that was extremely simple in nature. And even then, it required High Mistress Solyara's guidance to divine its presence quickly.

If none of these factors had existed, the experiment would have likely failed.

Glancing at the nightly ceiling, Soren posited a question. "Is that why organizations…"

"Correct," Solyara cut him mid sentence. "The Temple of Stars does the same as well. As you are likely aware."

His frown deepened slightly. Solyara's confirmation finally explained Her apprehension toward revealing this information…

As he understood it, magecraft affinities represent aspects of a person's personality. But the anima procured from its existence comes from the blurring of one's sanity. Therefore, the magi must propose a new definition—one they must abide by.

In a way, one could describe this as no different from a philosophy or way of life. Whether the affinity was Mesmerism or Dragonflame, an internal belief system was associated with it—one that only those who wielded that affinity could understand.

And that was the problem. Adults with already established beliefs could never fully grasp your "philosophy." The only way to pass on your affinity was by thoroughly indoctrinating a person from birth to accept your beliefs as the truth.

That… was how magecraft organizations operated. The Temple of the Stars was no different. Sienna, Venissa, and the others were all orphans brought from young and trained in specific ways so that their affinities could bloom in a specific direction. That was why they all possessed similar colors of anima.

Of course, this left Soren thinking—if this method could be adopted for any affinity, what's stopping any magi with some obscure affinity from kidnapping a few children and grooming them to be just like him?

Nothing.

The answer was nothing.

He had read about this phenomena a while ago while researching ways to grow his grimoire of spells. Magi with unknown affinities usually fall into two different categories: those who immediately give up on pursuing the path, and those who obsess at finding ways to advance their magecraft.

The latter usually turn into magecraft scholars who painstakingly conduct runological studies to try and discover the proper material runes… But there are those who take a much more sinister approach.

Knowing full well that the grimoire they are compiling would never be completed in their lifetime, they would instead opt to pass whatever knowledge they gathered to the next generation and task them with the same goal.

Nine times out of ten—their aspirations fail. The children they trained either grow up wrong, or something else occurs that messes with the process.

But whenever there was a success, the results would always be terrifying…

Those children who had now been indoctrinated with that "philosophy" grow as magi, who then do the same thing their predecessor did. One generation after another would be born, all following the same doctrine, until eventually, they form a secret organization.

Of course, now that Soren was aware of Pendragon's theories on how material runes form, another idea came to mind… What if these groups were inadvertently manipulating the Beyond in their favor?

If each generation was raised under the same "philosophy," their shared willpower should collectively shape the material runes present in the Beyond. From what scholars have noted, these 'magecraft societies' as they are called, rarely gain prominence or recognition until the fifth or sixth generation.

Perhaps this was due to the accumulation of willpower. He thought to himself. Once enough believers in this 'philosophy' exist, changes in the material runes become far more obvious and numerous. Even if it is accidental.

Obviously, this would give an advantage to these magecraft societies. They would be able to accrue more and more material runes, giving them the ability to research more and more spells at a fraction of the effort. And that knowledge would then be fed back into the next generation, giving power to their "philosophy" with time.

If given enough time, perhaps this obscure affinity could even one day become more common across society, feeding into the Loringer Effect.

A nervous smile formed across his face. "Even with the fact that most of this is happening accidentally, the results are still rather impressive. If these organizations knew of Pendragon's theories and used far more efficient methods…"

"Chaos would spread," Solyara finished the sentence for him. "More secret organizations would form—some far less benevolent than others. The exploitation of children would likely rise as well. There might even be wars over who gets to decide how the Beyond is influenced."

"....."

Soren was once again reminded of Mr. Unknown's words: Knowledge is a privilege, not a right. Not everything needs to be known…

Shaking his head, he glanced at Solyara once again. This time, his gaze was far more serious:

"I assume the first Witch of Star Fate knew all this, right? She formed the Temple of the Stars with the proper awareness…"

"Correct." The callousness in Her voice was palpable. As if it were the simplest fact in the world.

How cruelly efficient…

It was no accident that the Temple trained more than one disciple. Sienna might have been a good enough candidate to pass the Vessel of the Stars to, but the other sisters also served a purpose. Their magecraft and advancements would serve as nourishment for their "philosophy," growing the influence of their desired affinities.

Cutting through his thoughts, Solyara proposed a question he didn't expect to hear:

"By the way, have you encountered any abnormal experiences lately?"

"Abnormal?.. What do you mean?"

She sighed. "For example, heard voices that make no sense, or perhaps a sudden shift in the corridors from their usual path?"

Soren instantly recalled the warning he had received from Rania.

"Is it strange to experience such things here?"

Solyara shook Her head. "No, not really. Though it does signify changes are being stirred elsewhere."

"Elsewhere… You mean Mistress Sienna, don't you?"

She glanced away from the telescope, frowning.

"You used [Eyes of the Fairy]?.. Have you uncovered this dungeon's secrets?"

Soren's muscles tensed. He wasn't sure if Solyara would take offense to it or not.

"Worry not, I don't really care how you use your abilities. Though, I must warn you. Excessive curiosity might one day kill you."

Soren laughed nervously. "I will keep that in mind."

"But yes, you are right. Since the Temple of the Stars is directly connected to Sienna's Soul Weapon, a sudden change in her fate could also mean changes to this Temple's inner layout. The Star Fates of our ancestors occasionally cause ripples of their own as well."

Soren rubbed his chin. "Doesn't that basically mean that Sienna has total control over the Three Temples? Perhaps she's even aware of our presence here?"

"Why not?" Solyara grinned mischievously. "How else would that brat Sienna send so many letters to the temple?" She shook Her head, "Half the time I step into my office, there's always something new sitting on my desk that I never put there. At this point, she might as well call my room her personal spatial bracelet."

Soren scratched the back of his neck nervously and smiled. "I'm sure she means well… They might be gifts!.. I think…"

Solyara rolled Her eyes. "Spare me from your hopeless defense of that girl." Shaking Her head, She signalled for the nearby wine-glass to fly toward Her hand.

"That's enough chatter for today. You've gotten what you came here for, no? With that new material rune, you should be able to reach the 2nd Circle."

Soren nodded. "Yes, but I came here for another reason as well."

"Oho?" She crossed Her arms.

"I heard from Venissa that you plan to assist Myrin with obtaining his Materials of Influence. Could I acquire your assistance with that too?"

"Ah that… I should have known Sienna's disciples only need me for when it's beneficial. The fruit truly doesn't fall far from the tree.

"Its not impossible to help you. Though, I can only locate them for you—the task of obtaining them will be up to you to fulfil."

"That's fine," Soren nodded.

She glanced at the telescope once again and smiled. "Well then, what are you waiting for? Have a look for yourself."

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