The brilliant fireworks slowly faded in the night sky, the last sparks vanishing into the darkness.
The joy of the New Year's arrival and the grounded satisfaction of completing the trial blended in Shane's heart. He let out a long breath, feeling that a chapter had finally come to a close.
"Now, I can finally just—"
Just as his emotions surged, thinking tonight would end on this perfect note, a sudden anomaly occurred.
The Book of Heroic Spirits in his mind didn't fall silent. Instead, it let out a low hum, its pages flipping uncontrollably once again!
In an instant, the scene before Shane's eyes changed.
What emerged wasn't simple text, but two black silhouettes filled with an epic sense of oppression, projected deeply into his consciousness like a brand.
On the left: A solitary yet upright human silhouette, looking up at the sky.
Above the heavens, a dragon-shaped shadow with massive, spreading wings covered almost half the field of vision. The heavy oppression was suffocating, even through the illusion.
On the right: Five dragon silhouettes of varying shapes but equal ferocity. They were entangled, roaring at each other. A massive turbulence of Magic Power seemed to sweep through the illusion, filled with a primitive and wild aura of destruction.
Accompanying these shocking silhouettes, lines of small, pale gold text surfaced slowly like a stream:
[Traveler longing to step onto the Throne of Heroes, you have grasped the glimmer and mastered the power to stand in this world. However, true legends require history as ink and fate as the scroll!]
[Please select the Big Event you wish to participate in. This will initiate the Chain Trial.]
"Why... is it all dragons?" Shane muttered inwardly, feeling baffled.
Although dragons weren't exactly rare in a magical world, having both Big Event options dominated by dragon figures felt like an unusually high presence.
Moreover, if dragons were so powerful, what was the background of that human figure on the left confronting the dragon?
A god? A dragon slayer?
Despite his internal complaints, Shane understood.
This was the first time the Book of Heroic Spirits had actively issued a trial after the [Initiation], and it was clearly a higher-tier "Chain Trial."
Its importance went without saying.
He forced himself to calm down and carefully analyzed the options before him.
However, the silhouettes on both sides were just outlines with scant information.
"The right side has five dragons. The situation is unclear, likely more complex. I might even... be on the dragons' side?"
Shane's thoughts spun rapidly. "But on the left, there is at least one clear image of a 'human'."
After weighing it for a moment, he hesitated no longer and firmly cast his intent toward the solitary figure looking up at the giant dragon.
"I choose the left."
As his decision fell, the silhouette of the five dragons on the right dissipated like smoke.
The image of the human-dragon standoff on the left suddenly expanded, instantly occupying his entire vision. In a trance, he seemed to see a pitch-black giant dragon, its scales engraved with mysterious patterns, sweeping across the sky. Beneath its wings were countless blurred human figures—and, were those dragon corpses?
Why are there corpses of other dragons under that dragon's shadow? Shane felt even more baffled by the fleeting image.
Could that black dragon be on the side of humanity? was my choice just now actually a faction selection?
"Shane? What's wrong?"
Just as he was immersed in the illusion and deep in thought, Erza's voice, laced with a trace of worry, pulled him back to reality.
He snapped back to his senses, only to realize he was still standing in the hot spring, his body stiff. He had obviously been spacing out for a good while.
"N-Nothing," Shane shook his head, trying to temporarily suppress the massive flow of information he had just received in his mind.
"Maybe I soaked too long and got a little dizzy. I'll go back to my room to rest first."
He didn't have time to explain much. Under Erza's concerned gaze, he quickly left the hot spring. Using his Heart Fire to quietly evaporate the moisture on his body, he went straight back to his room and lay down.
The moment he closed his eyes, he couldn't wait to connect with the Book of Heroic Spirits again.
Sure enough, new text had appeared below the shocking silhouette from earlier:
[Chain Trial: Heartfilia]
[Objective: Witness the Gate of Cycles spanning four hundred years of time.]
"Heartfilia..." Shane whispered the unfamiliar word, testing it on his tongue. "Sounds like a surname, or maybe a place name?"
He didn't know the name. As for the "Gate of four hundred years," Shane was even more clueless.
However, Shane wasn't discouraged. On the contrary, this ignited the passion in his heart even more.
Because the settlement of the [Initiation] just now had granted him another [Deep Summoning] increase and the authority to [Filter Heroic Spirit Traits].
Originally, he thought he would have to wait until the S-Class Mage Trial at the end of the year to gather three portions. Now, if he could complete this Chain Trial, he could gather the required amount ahead of schedule and further develop the functions of the Book of Heroic Spirits.
This caused his current mood to be... a little too expectant of the future.
Thinking of this, he made up his mind: "Whatever, I'll check it tomorrow! I'll start with this name, 'Heartfilia'!"
Shane forced himself to calm down, closed his eyes, and rested up for the next day.
---
Early the next morning, just as the sky was turning a pale grey, Shane woke up on his own.
He didn't disturb Erza next door. He washed up quietly, planning to go directly to the guild to use the archives there, or simply ask the knowledgeable Master Makarov.
However, just as he pushed open the cottage door, his footsteps paused.
By the courtyard fence, a figure was leaning quietly. The faint morning light outlined her exquisite profile and long hair that was as dark as the night.
Shane stood still and spoke, "It's been over a month. I thought you were going to unilaterally break the contract, Ultear."
Hearing this, Ultear slowly turned around. Her face was expressionless as she responded in a cool voice, "I have my own matters to attend to as well."
As she spoke, she flipped her wrist lightly. A communication crystal traced an arc through the air and landed precisely in Shane's hand.
"If I can't come in person in the future, I will use this to contact you." She paused, her tone carrying a warning. "But be warned, this crystal carries the risk of being detected. Unless it's an emergency, do not contact me proactively."
Shane nodded, pocketed the crystal, and cut straight to the chase. "Understood. So, what news do you have for me this time?"
According to their agreement, every time they met, Ultear needed to provide valuable intelligence in exchange for Shane's potential "assistance" in the future.
"The 'guild' I am in," Ultear nodded slightly, "has recently started training new Mages."
Shane raised an eyebrow. "What's so rare about that? Which guild doesn't train its own rookies?"
He didn't feel this was particularly important news.
"It's different." Ultear's eyes turned serious. "The ones they want to train are all like me—Mages capable of mastering 'Lost Magic'."
"Oh, really? What kind of magic?"
Hearing this, Shane actually felt a bit of interest. Although deep down he felt Ultear's "Arc of Time" wasn't as good as Ice-Make Magic, that didn't stop him from being interested in other Lost Magics.