SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

"... Neron..."

Neron soared through the sky, the cold wind whipping past him as his mind churned with the aftermath of his confrontation with Serah. Her words lingered, heavy and unsettling, though he tried to shake them off.

"You're better than this!"

Her voice echoed in his thoughts, a nagging reminder of what he had once been—or what she thought he could be. He frowned, clenching his fists as he flew. He didn't have time to dwell on her misguided idealism.

The mission came first.

'She'll understand once this is all over.'

He pushed the thoughts aside and vanished in a burst of shadow, teleporting back to the Cult's base.

~VWUUSH!~

When Neron reappeared at the heart of the Nether Cult's island stronghold, a chilling sight greeted him.

The grand chamber, once brimming with life and power, was a scene of utter carnage.

The twelve members of the Cult, his so-called allies, lay lifeless on the ground.

Their bodies were contorted in unnatural ways, as though their very essence had been ripped from them. Blood stained the intricate runes on the floor, and the air reeked of death and betrayal.

At the center of the chamber stood two figures.

The first was a striking woman draped in flowing white robes that seemed to shimmer with an unnatural light. Her pale hair cascaded down her back, and her golden gaze exuded a mix of authority and madness.

This was the Lady in White, the Cult Leader's mysterious attendant.

Beside her stood a man who radiated overwhelming power. His presence was suffocating, his form towering and imposing. He wielded a blade so sharp it seemed to cut through the very air, and his stance spoke of unmatched mastery.

This was the Martial Blade God, Number 2 in the Nether Cult.

Opposite them, near the edge of the chamber, stood Karlia, her crimson eyes blazing with fury and sorrow.

Her usually confident and seductive demeanor was gone, replaced by raw anger and despair.

Neron appeared beside her, his bright azure eyes narrowing as he took in the scene.

"Karlia... what's going on?"

She turned to him, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "It's a scam, Neron. All of it. The rituals, the promises, the 'grand vision'—a damn lie."

Neron's expression tightened. "What are you talking about? Where's the Cult Leader?"

Karlia gestured toward the Lady in White and the Martial Blade God.

"She sacrificed him, Neron. Her own son. He wasn't leading this Cult; he was her puppet. This was all her plan from the start!"

The words hit Neron like a hammer. His mind raced, trying to piece it together. "Why? What's her goal?"

"I don't care!" Karlia snapped, her voice breaking. "I'm done listening to their lies!"

~WHOOOSH!~

Without waiting for an answer, Karlia launched herself forward, her wings spreading wide as she charged at the Lady in White.

The Martial Blade God moved in an instant, intercepting her with a speed that defied logic.

~BOOOOOOOOM!!!~

Their clash sent shockwaves rippling through the chamber as Karlia's demonic claws met the Martial Blade God's unyielding blade. The two fighters rose into the air, their battle spilling out of the chamber and into the skies above.

Neron remained rooted in place, his confusion mounting.

He watched Karlia, his partner for countless missions, vanish from sight as she fought desperately against an opponent far beyond her strength.

"You must feel betrayed," a melodic yet chilling voice said, pulling his attention back.

The Lady in White stepped forward, her movements graceful and deliberate. Her smile was serene, but her eyes burned with a deranged intensity.

"Who are you?" Neron demanded, his voice cold.

She placed a hand on her chest and inclined her head slightly.

"You may call me Ciel. I'm the true leader of this Cult and... the mother of the one you knew as your leader."

Neron's eyes narrowed. "You sacrificed your own son? Why? What could possibly be worth that?"

Her smile widened, her voice dripping with madness. "

To usher in the age of the Nether, of course. All of this—the gathering of the Arcanas, the deaths, the lies—was for this moment."

She raised a hand and pointed upward.

Neron followed her gesture, his gaze snapping to the sky.

A massive card hung suspended above the chamber, its edges glowing with an unnatural light. The card seemed to tear at the very fabric of reality, creating a gaping rift that pulsed with ominous energy.

From within the rift, something began to emerge—a colossal figure shrouded in darkness, its form barely visible but radiating an overwhelming sense of dread.

The air grew heavier, the ground trembling beneath Neron's feet.

Ciel threw her head back and laughed, the sound high-pitched and frenzied.

"THE NETHER IS COMING!"

As she shrieked, her voice echoing through the chamber.

"This world will fall, and from its ashes, the Nether will rise! A perfect world, free from the constraints of this flawed reality!"

Neron's fists clenched, his mind reeling.

The Cult, the rituals, the promises—they had all been a means to this end. He stared at Ciel, her crazed laughter grating against his ears, and then at the rift above, where the massive figure continued to emerge.

This wasn't what he had signed up for.

It wasn't what he wanted.

And yet, as the chaos unfolded around him, a single thought lingered in his mind.

"What now?"

********

There was absolutely nothing Neron could do.

The Nether arrived.

He destroyed the entire world, turning into a landscape of nothingness.

Karlia was captured.

The Martial Blade God fought the Nether and died.

Ciel was corrupted and consumed entirely by the Nether… so she died as well.

And now… someone else had died.

"N-no…" Neron's voice leaked out of this abyss.

His dark hair swayed ever so slightly as he watched a woman, who was as good as dead, lay stiffly on his lap.

'Serah…' His thoughts went out to her, but she gave no response.

"No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No.No. No. No. No. No. No. NO. NO! NO!! NOOO!!!"

He ignored the destruction that was occurring in the background. The devastation wrought upon the world by the Nether—the death of everyone and everything.

Nothing mattered anymore.

It was too late.

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