Type-Moon: Does even a sneak peek make it official?

Since the end of the Age of Gods, all magecraft has, in essence, been nothing more than deceiving the planet itself.

The principles of Age of Gods magecraft were founded on borrowing the authority of deities. And the essence of those deities? They were the "senses of the planet"—put simply, magecraft of that era was a system for "borrowing the power of the planet" through "pacts with the gods," which themselves were shortcuts for "communicating with (deceiving) the planet."

By the first century AD, the gods had returned to the planet's Inner Sea, and magi lost their shortcuts to commune with the world. As a result, the practice of magecraft became increasingly difficult. The rise of science only accelerated the decline of mystery, making survival for magi ever more arduous.

Mystery was destined to fade—but as knowledge of the past, it was meant to endure. That much was inevitable.

However—everything changed in 20 AD, when the existence of the Fifth Imaginary Factor, Ether, was proven. It allowed mystery and magecraft to persist, albeit in an altered form.

Though the Age of Gods and the first century AD were separated by mere decades, in practice, the lives of all things had already been irreversibly transformed by the shift between these two eras.

As for the divine presence Shiali mentioned, Novia knew full well what it was—the remains of Osiris' divine functions were beginning to activate, ready to eliminate any intruders not part of the plan.

Undoubtedly, this was a trap left behind by Kurdilis of the Atlas Institute—a final safeguard to prevent anyone from disrupting his grand design.

Pharaoh Ptolemy hadn't allied with the Atlas Institute merely to resurrect the deceased Alexander IV. He had also desired to build for him a library so vast, so infinite, that no matter how long one read, its knowledge could never be exhausted.

A simple—and foolish—wish.

The other three magi, however, each harbored ulterior motives. Kurdilis intended for Alexander IV, through devouring the Divine Corpse, to become the ultimate computational engine—capable of simulating how to avert the extinction of the world.

That plan had been in the making for two thousand years—and was ultimately what sparked the "Second Great Adventure" storyline.

The Atlas Institute, after all, was a place where tools meant to save the world endlessly, pathetically, ended up as instruments of its destruction. Such was its tragic, cyclical fate.

"Miss Shiali, I believe you understand now… what this place truly is."

Novia's voice was calm as ever.

"Research records that should have only existed in the archives of Hermes Trismegistus… found here. This must be one of the forgotten facilities crafted by the Atlas Institute in ages past."

A flicker of thought crossed Shiali's face, then she spoke:

"My sincerest thanks to Lord Novia for recovering this site for the Institute. I assure you, we are… profoundly grateful."

"A contract."

Novia wagged a finger, narrowing his eyes with a playful smirk.

"Ah…"

The violet-haired girl lowered her voice, watching him carefully.

She wasn't sure if he still remembered—but only this morning, she had been observing him closely, analyzing his every gesture. By all accounts, he lacked the usual traits of a magus. His behavior toward ordinary people was shockingly humble—practically groveling—a stark contrast to the aloof magi residing in Alexandria or even within the Institute itself.

Perhaps that was why some Alexandria magi had used magecraft earlier to publicly humiliate him.

But truth be told, Shiali had barely interacted with outsiders, so she couldn't even judge whether Novia's behavior was "normal."

Even within the Atlas Institute, she had always been isolated. Though she possessed the Altnam family's hereditary talent, it was her rare ability to wield Ether Lines into such supernatural feats that truly set her apart.

At merely six years old, she'd already been granted the rank of Instructor and Special Envoy within the Institute. It was thanks to her unparalleled information-gathering ability—the power to seize knowledge, infiltrate souls, and read the patterns of thought itself.

But because of those Ether Lines, she remained alone. Even among the Atlas Institute's crowd of equally lonely, world-weary saviors, she was feared, resented, avoided.

And for good reason. No one wanted their soul interfered with, their painstakingly refined knowledge stolen.

Yet, despite all this, Shiali firmly believed in the righteousness of her abilities. She had no reason to doubt herself.

Her future was secured. There was no possibility otherwise. She could find no reason for failure.

Closing her eyes in quiet thought, the young alchemist finally answered:

"The odds approach zero."

Though he failed to obtain her contractual promise, Novia wasn't discouraged. After all, his real goal was to leverage the Atlas Institute's expertise to refine the remains of the Dragon of Albion. From what he'd gleaned through the Ether Lines, Shiali was highly skilled in necromantic alchemy anyway. If this plan fell through, he'd simply solicit her help directly.

In any case, this particular alchemist was as pure and straightforward as they came.

Thus, Novia spoke seriously:

"Help me breach this place. In return, once we succeed, I'll only ask for one favor—within your capabilities. How about it?"

Shiali remained silent for a few seconds, then retrieved a contract parchment, scribbled her name upon it, and held it out to Novia.

"That… is acceptable. Sign it."

The contract stated that after collaborating with Novia to conquer this place, Shiali would grant him one favor to the best of her ability.

Naturally, Novia didn't refuse. It was all as he'd planned.

Beyond the door lay only utter darkness—no, that was moments ago. Now, a storm of crackling violet lightning was rapidly filling the space. The metallic roots connecting to the sarcophagus within seemed to pulse with life.

"Shall we?"

Together, the two stepped through the door.

The moment they entered, Novia's azure eyes watched as the raging purple lightning storm within the chamber gradually began to settle.

As the storm abated, the silhouette of the sarcophagus emerged—perhaps out of ancient Egyptian custom, intricate, symbolic figures were painted across its surface.

"…A Pharaoh's sarcophagus…"

Shiali's whisper drifted to his ears. No doubt she assumed it contained the deified remains of some human Pharaoh.

"Careful. It's here."

Creeeaak…

A faint, skin-crawling grinding sound echoed. Though untouched, the sarcophagus lid slowly shifted open, exposing its interior to the air.

From within, a black miasma spilled out, blanketing the entire chamber.

The Divine Corpse—the remains of a god that lingered in the mortal realm after death.

Novia didn't believe for a second that he and Shiali could triumph here. He was no Ergo—the protagonist of the Second Great Adventure, the resurrected Alexander IV of two thousand years hence.

In that tale, Ergo devoured fragments of gods one by one—Sun Wukong of the Eastern Continent, Set the Egyptian war god, and finally, Osiris.

Unlike the first two, who still possessed consciousness, Osiris' remains were nothing more than a husk of divine functions and fragments of authority. It could not speak, only fight.

To challenge a former chief god with a mortal body—even in the Age of Gods—was the stuff of legend.

Even now, stripped of consciousness, reduced to remnants, the authority of the chief deity still radiated an awe no mortal could bear.

In that instant, Shiali instinctively understood. Her entire body quaked as primal terror seized her. Even the Ether Lines coiled around her fingers were devoured by the black miasma.

"Th-This Pharaoh… Novia, our contract still stands. We can't defeat this now. Let me report to the Director first—"

"Use your calculations to guide me there. I'll handle the rest."

Novia placed a steady hand on Shiali's trembling shoulder.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. She hadn't expected Novia to be so utterly reckless.

"…Understood. I'll support you."

Without hesitation, Shiali made her decision.

In the next moment, within the choking darkness of the miasma, Novia witnessed the birth of a new radiance. Countless motes of light gathered, coalescing into the form of a miniature sun.

Each particle of light contained knowledge—calculations.

Guided by those blessings, standing before the silver-haired youth… was the entity that once ruled over Egypt.

And within Shiali's gaze, Novia smiled with unrestrained delight.

"The age of gods ended long ago, Osiris."