Echoes near and distant, reverberated in Soren's head as he sat in silence amidst an array of mushrooms and flowers. He was covered in sweat from head to toe, as if he just ran a marathon.

It's finally… over… The air felt repugnant—void of the floral scents that once decorated it. This was the final trap Figment set for him. In the unlikely case that he would lose, his death would inevitably mean the undoing of all the alterations within this subspace. Meaning, the moment Soren defeated him, the surrounding forest and even the ritual itself that were born out of his usage of [Fictionalization] would collapse.

Luckily, Soren had already anticipated this. The moment Figment ceased to exist, he immediately took over control over the subspace and made sure to reissue most of the commands. Of course, since he was also still conducting the ritual too, his attention and focus was split in half, resulting in major flaws…

The Feylith Forest Soren had recreated in the aftermath was full of inconsistencies. The trees were far too different from the ones you'd see there, and even the floral scents had warped into something utterly nauseating…

Luckily, these changes didn't really impact the ritual, since by then, Soren had already manifested the Pseudo Concept fully. Moreover, Cantor's Crown didn't resist at all when drawn to his Soul Chain. It used the Pseudo Concept as a guide, leading itself directly to the node and willfully submitting to his control.

He had finally done it… He had finally achieved the goal that had been burning bright within his heart for many months.

He had ascended to Tier 2 as a Phantasm.

As he sat there, amidst his strangely recreated forest, Soren couldn't help but laugh. A guttural laugh that bellowed deep from within. Utterly savage and ungraceful in its form.

I can't believe it… I genuinely can't…

Despite every obstacle. Despite every struggle… None of it managed to stop him from upgrading his Soul Weapon.

At that moment, all his thoughts were drowned out. The disgusting scents didn't matter. His next steps didn't matter. Even his fate didn't matter. All he wanted was to relax. To simply laze around and do nothing for a while.

He deserved it. No, he earned it!

But of course, there was no rest for the wicked. Just as he was about to close his eyes, the strange reverberations he was hearing previously grew louder, cutting his celebration short.

Wh-huh?! A strange sensation coursed through his body, jolting him awake. His veins bulged as the searing pain grew bigger and bigger in his brain and his skull began to vibrate like a gong announcing the end of the world.

Soren writhed in agony across the floor, rolling side to side as he clutched tightly to his temples. What is happening to me?! He couldn't understand it at all. Just moments prior, he was exhausted from the ritual, but didn't feel any pain in the slightest.

Could it be corruption from the new rune?! Horror flushed through his reddish eyes. But that's impossible! The ritual succeeded!

Most of the corruption he had accumulated was also expunged the moment Figment perished. He was currently in a freshly new state! His Soul Chain should have regained at least a few year's worth of time before the next possible collapse…

Despite his speculations, the pain did not cease—it only grew stronger. The strange noises were now so audible, he struggled to even comprehend them. Covering his ears didn't help either.

These sounds… They're coming from within me?... The pain slowed down his thinking, but Soren continued to try and understand his current circumstances. Could it be due to Cantor's Crown? Is it perhaps a newly gained ability?...

Soren wasn't unfamiliar with pain induced through his skills. [Eyes of the Fairy] was a prime example.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to issue the usual 'status page' mental command.

However, nothing showed up.

What?! His confusion only caused his mind to break faster. Soren tried to calm himself down again.

Think… Think about this critically… Why wouldn't my mental command work?...

Moments later, he came to a frightening conclusion: Figment wasn't here to listen to his commands!

Ever since his arrival in [The Faerie Court], every order issued to this subspace passed through Figment, who achieved the results he desired… Whether it was recalling certain information which was then presented to him through [Fictionalization], or his grand renovations that transformed the space in countless ways… All of it relied on Figment's administrative control!

Damn it!...

He had completely overlooked something this important.

As the pain grew harder and harder to resist, Soren knew time was running out. But there was nothing he could do at that moment—without knowing where his status page was stored in the grand library of documents floating above, recalling it was impossible.

His struggle continued to play out in the dirt as blood poured from his eyes and nose. Foam began to bubble from his mouth as the world around him blurred.

What kind of idiocy is this… I succeeded in the ritual but was forced to die anyway?...

Does fate intend to mess with me even now?...

His thoughts slowed to a crawl, drowned by the endless sounds echoing in his mind. Even [The Faerie Court] was beginning to quiver as his ability to command the subspace wavered.

Soren was on the verge of losing control.

But just as that last thought entered his mind, the cacophony of sounds ceased on its own. Silence had returned to the surrounding space… and his mind.

Coughing up blood, he seized the moment and activated [Fictionalization] on himself, repairing his body.

All his injuries disappeared along with the sweat, blood, and dirt coating his magi robes. Although he was back in perfect shape, his mind was still extremely disoriented. Simply recalling the sounds would instantly cause sharp pain to course through it.

"What in the Six Divines happened…"

Everything had returned to normal, as if his experience had never occurred.

Suddenly, he recalled what he had been intending to do.

My status page… He glanced up at the colossal library, eyes lost amidst a sea of stacked documents. All of them were neatly arranged.

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Could it be that the information I've been [Record]ing was organized by Figment all along?

A theory began to brew inside his mind.

It seemed that his Soul Weapon—The Records—never actually had the capability to organize the knowledge it chronicled in the first place. The Fairy Witness rune only governed over obtaining the information—not how it was structured.

In a way, this indeed made sense. After all, his mental commands were supposed to only be reserved to his Soul Weapon's abilities. If he wanted to see the unseen, he would activate [Eyes of the Fairy]. If he wanted to chronicle the information around him, he would activate [Record]. If he wanted to pass that knowledge to someone else, [Cards of Insight] would immediately form.

These were rigid mental commands that were directly associated with a given ability.

But then, what about the other mental commands Soren had grown used to making? Asking for his Soul Weapon to bring up information like his status page or a certain entry. Checking for lies and throwing out incorrect statements. Updating his entries with newly acquired knowledge. Even his newly discovered way of enacting his divinations…

These were never supposed to be possible from the very beginning.

If not for Figment, these responsibilities would have been shouldered by him all along…

No wonder he believed himself to be superior to me… With his ability to control his inner chaos, Figment was able to allocate these endless tasks to each of his personas, allowing him to complete all of them simultaneously.

And yet, when it came to the ritual, Figment couldn't do that. Because the entire ritual had to be conducted with only a single perspective, The Records struggled to understand the worldsong that meant to represent the inner chaos and contradictions of the world… A single persona that was defined by a single personality trait could never contradict itself.

This one downside to his advantage proved to be his downfall.

Soren had understood Figment's flaw for many weeks prior to the ritual. He had always intended to use it against him in some way, but without a way of anticipating how the ritual would proceed, formulating a direct plan was impossible. He had a few ideas, but nothing too concrete or rigid.

Who could have thought that Figment would try to plot against him first?

The trap The Records set for him was almost impossible to overcome. Both options lead directly to his defeat and it used his own rules of their bet against him. Between fighting over the subspace or the ritual itself, Soren went with the latter since he knew it would be the only opportunity where he could exploit Figment's flaw.

Of course, finding a way to exploit that flaw amidst the ritual was both a result of quick thinking and luck.

As for the other option, it was no different from suicide. Since Figment could divide his control amongst his countless perspectives, Soren wouldn't stand a chance at fighting him over the subspace.

Shaking his head, Soren glanced up at the colossal library and sighed. I've been overlooking many things so far…

Despite his victory, Soren knew just how slim his odds were. A part of that came down to how he utilized [The Faerie Court]. As much as he hated to admit it, he had over-relied on Figment's control from the very beginning. Utilizing his Soul Weapon was a hundred times more convenient with his help, so he never even bothered to understand the implications. Moreover, he had underestimated just how important Figment's role was for his ongoing successes.

With Figment, Soren didn't need to organize the information he obtained, he didn't need to command every aspect of [The Faerie Court] himself, and he didn't even need to conduct his own divinations… His dependence on this so-called paradox had grown beyond even his own calculations.

This must change, he thought to himself. If I can't master my control over this subspace and everything it encompasses, do I truly deserve to possess it?

For a moment, Soren imagined himself in place of Solyara during the Whispering Dream's invasion of the temple. If he had been the one in control of that subspace, would he have been able to last as long as She did?

The answer was objectively a hard no.

After his encounter with that strange eye during his divination of the Orbits of Fate months ago, it became apparent that [The Faerie Court] wasn't as safe as it seemed. There were many threats and enemies that would most likely try and take it away from him.

Moreover, there were still a lot of mysteries related to his Forgotten Rune. The strange symbols that were scattered everywhere across it still hold many secrets.

He needed to figure these things out as soon as possible. Otherwise, his preparations will always be lacking…

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, he resolved to take things one step at a time. First order of business: discover what changed on his status page.

Regardless of whether or not Figment was here, Soren's True Self was still a reflection of his Soul Weapon. The paradox that was born from that truth had disappeared, but the truth itself remained. Therefore, any changes made to himself or his Soul Weapon will always be chronicled subconsciously.

Of course, this time, he didn't have Figment to search the information for him in the library. He needed to search for it himself.

Focusing all his willpower, Soren commanded the subspace to unfold within his mind. Because of his connection to [The Faerie Court], envisioning the entire space was simple. It was ordering changes according to his will that was difficult.

However, that action was not necessary this time. All he needed to do was search through the colossal books looming overhead to find the relevant information.

It didn't take long for him to see what he needed to see. The colossal shelves were all neatly clustered into subgroups, each identified by a certain subject. It was very much a reflection of what his perceived Table of Contents looks like when viewed through the Soul Weapon itself.

Some of these clusters of shelves were still relatively empty, while others held collections of books, scrolls, and other documents. The most clear example of this was the history section. After Soren obtained the entire chronological history of the 4th Age of Fantasia, an entire shelf and a half had been filled up. There was also the information he had obtained from the Mirror Game as well as the scroll Guntharion left behind.

Since the second scroll was assumed to be at the summit of Mount Tolarion, Soren was certain he would have another shelf filled to the brim with knowledge by the end of his climb.

As for the Second and First Age of Fantasia, Soren wasn't certain when or how he would ever obtain information on them.

As he scanned through more and more shelves, he noticed a separate location in the floating library that was isolated from the others. The spine of the first book that floated there displayed the words he was looking for:

"Status Pages"

His lips lifted slightly. Finally…

With [Record] and [Fictionalization], he commanded the relevant information to be displayed before his very eyes.

Status

Name: Soren Andersen

Race: ???

Age: 23

Vocation: The Traveler

Magi Rank: Senior Initiate (2st Circle)

Magi Affinities: Mesmerism

Soul Realm: The Hermit's Eye (Infant Stage)

Soul Weapon: The Records (Unique) (Tier 2 - Grimoire)

Conduit Connection: Stable

Skills: [Record] (Rank 2) - Chronicle the information around you. [Eyes of the Fairy] (Rank 2) - See the unseen. [Cards of Insight] (Rank 2) - Pass on the information around you. [Hymn of the Unseen] (Rank 1) - Sense the hidden rhythm of the world. [Worldsong Murmurs] (Rank 1) - Give form to the world's melody. [The Faerie Court] (Rank 1) - Enter the Realm of Realms.

Blessings: N/A

Anchors: [Julie-Anne Kafka] (Earth), [Tazzith] (Yarian)

Rune Collection: [Fairy Witness] (4 Insight) [Cantor's Crown] (2 Insight)

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