The sun had only just begun to rise upon the city when Ethan emerged from the forest, only for his footsteps to echo upon the hard wooden floor of the Academy. The halls were mostly deserted; only a few people—primarily researchers—were awake at this hour, yet Ethan's stomping still caused a slight commotion.

  His frustration was evident, prompting most to avoid him. Still, they would have done so regardless, as rumours of his situation floated around. They knew of the divide between him and his family, yet weren't stupid enough to try and antagonize a Magister's son, no matter how estranged they might be.

  Still, Ethan paid no attention to the looks coming his way as he barrelled down the halls. Although frustration was his main drive, what spurred him on was also regret—regret to not have asked what Beth was doing in the forest in the middle of the night, with her new fiancee no less.

  I should just let it go... This is none of my business anymore...

  Despite repeating those words countless times, Ethan couldn't convince himself. The image of that man being straightforward with his wants wouldn't leave his mind. He desperately wished he could do the same, yet he knew this would be doomed to fail; there were simply too many obstacles barring his path.

  Maybe something would change if he acquired magic, but he didn't hold much hope after what happened last night. He couldn't help but think back to the weakest spirit of light in the contract stone and his inability to even form a simple contract with it. He felt dejected, on the verge of giving up, but he wouldn't. He had sacrificed too much to let it end like this.

  His stride didn't falter as he passed the library's threshold. It was dead quiet; not a single soul was in sight, except for the green outline forever observing the world as if this library was its own kingdom, which it held dominion over—ever-present and ever-watching.

  Yet, Ethan paid it no mind, avoiding its attempts to catch his attention as he walked away purposefully. He didn't even try to hide his route, taking the most direct path to his objective. In mere moments, he arrived at a familiar bookcase, tugging on the spine of an ancient book as black as night, only to disappear on the spot, leaving only the green outline hovering far above.

  There is no way it doesn’t know, Ethan thought, appearing in the small room contained within. How could it not? How could I possibly evade something whose existence I cannot perceive and do so for a whole year? Thinking otherwise would be delusional. Still, I wonder why it has remained silent up until now. As it's a contractor, the Head Librarian should know, right?

  Yet, Ethan pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. He had reflected multiple times on these very questions in the last year, but nothing ever came of it. He saw no point in worrying about it. He was prepared to take some drastic measures if things came to a head. He couldn't let it be known what he was up to within this sealed place.

  In a single motion, Ethan brushed aside the countless documents that cluttered the only desk in this room, scattering them on the floor, only to repopulate the desk with even more books he took from the innumerable bookcases lining each wall.

  For the next few hours, Ethan spent every moment peering through all sorts of documents, from the most common to the most absurd, if only to find a single mention of a similar case to his own. He was seeking answers to this failed contract, yet he found nothing.

  The collection of books within this sealed space was one Ethan had gathered over a long time: from those that haven't been inventoried yet to those whose existence no one would miss. Still, the knowledge contained within was priceless and greatly aided Ethan in his quest. But even then, even he had yet to fully master each tome. There was enough here for a lifetime of study, but Ethan wouldn't be satisfied with mere knowledge.

  Is there truly nothing?

  Ethan's head rose from the books, gazing at the darkened sky above. He felt fatigue assault him, yet this had been just another sleepless night, something he was accustomed to. No... his fatigue came from frustration—knowing that an entire year of efforts had been for naught, that his fate was already set in stone, and nothing could change it.

  But what about the black tome? I know it offers a method to overturn fate. Did I somehow make a mistake? Did I not follow it step by step? Did something go wrong?

  No matter how hard he racked his brains, Ethan could find no fault in the method he used. He had replayed the scene countless times, trying to seek the slightest of incongruence, yet he knew there were none. Even though he knew not the words written on the page, he was sure—this certainty was without fault.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  Who is this tome's author? Was someone else willing to go to such lengths before me to research such a taboo subject? Hard to believe their name wouldn't be recorded somehow, almost as if they have been expunged from history...

  Ethan closed his eyes and sighed, feeling sleep wash over him. Yet, he didn't allow himself this sweet release, not until he found some answers. He wouldn't allow it to end this way after all this.

  He glanced at the contract stone resting peacefully on the wooden desktop. Not a trace of life could be seen within, almost as if the spirit had perished, leaving only its mana behind. However, Ethan knew this to be impossible. Contract stones contained a piece of the Spirit World—the world beyond the Veil.

  As such, they were ideally suited to house weakened spirits after they breached the boundary. It acted as a place of healing and acclimation, allowing them to exist on this side without burdening their contractor. How could a spirit possibly die within its confines? It was like a fish drowning in water; it seemed preposterous.

  Could it be?

  Ethan frowned, looking at the dull stone but then at his hand. He noticed a detail—a crucial one. Although weak, when the spirit first crossed the world, it remained spirited and full of vitality. Only when Ethan began the contract did its vitality begin to wane. At first, he had discarded this preposterous thought, but he couldn't anymore.

  My blood... Did the piece of the Graveyard of the End I extracted change my blood somehow? Am I not human anymore?

  Ethan remained silent, hands holding his head over the desk as he looked down on the contract stone lying inert on its surface. Rage slowly mounted in his heart. A year of pointless effort and sacrifices had gone like the wind with nothing to show for it. He could hardly keep still, feeling violent urges threatening to spill out onto the world, seeking to destroy all he touched.

  In frustration, Ethan picked up the stone and squeezed, venting his rage upon this piece of mineral. He squeezes with all his strength, letting years of repressed anger flood his mind, wishing for nothing but the world to burn.

  That was until he heard a cracking sound shatter the heavy silence. He stopped abruptly, releasing the pressure, only to see the contract stone had cracked slightly. Unbeknownst to him, the stone began to shatter slowly, breaking apart into countless pieces. All that remained was a slight dust that slipped through his fingers; not a single trace of the spirit held within remained.

  That’s impossible! No humans should be strong enough to destroy them, even more so when a spirit dwells within! They are infused with mana, and only a special tool allows them to be carved. How is this happening?

  Ethan was bewildered but felt a sudden change. Ever since he had stepped into this room for the first time, he had yet to see even a single speck of mana within. Even before, when he absorbed a piece of the Graveyard, no mana had ever stepped beyond the threshold. But now he could see mana slowly fill the space, only to disappear soon after, absorbed by a thick blackness slowly spilling out of Ethan's clenched hand.

  The darkness was deep, feeling like an abyss able to swallow reality itself, and yet, Ethan felt no fear of this darkness. Instead, he felt something akin to a bond, like they were bound together—two parts of the same whole.

  Ethan needed but a glimpse to recognize what the darkness was. This was the piece of the Graveyard of the End he had absorbed some days prior, spilling out of him like a starved predator searching for prey.

  Once all the mana was absorbed, the darkness receded back to Ethan’s body, leaving no traces of its existence behind, except for a void where mana once was. The darkness crawled back to Ethan’s heart, forming a dark ring around it made of countless blackened characters Ethan would recognize as the one he first found within the black tome.

  While Ethan remained unaware of the details of what had transpired, he knew something had changed. His vision had expanded, becoming more crisp and detailed. As did his hearing, now able to pick up even the tiniest of sounds. In fact, he could clearly hear his heartbeat in his chest, drowning the world with its thump. It took him a few minutes of acclimation for the noise to recede and return to normal.

  What’s happening?

  Ethan felt dread overcome him but also elation. Not all changes were bad, not even the unknown ones. While he had many questions and worries, just the mere fact that something had occurred in his hour of direst need left him jubilant. He couldn't wait to explore the change.

  He glanced down, only to see a small mound of dust resting peacefully on the desk's surface. There were no signs of the small spirit within, almost as if it had dissipated into the atmosphere.

  But that's impossible... Everybody knows spirits never perish; they only return to the spirit world. Their concepts are eternal, never to be erased. Unless...

  “Unless the very concept that makes up their existence is erased, unleashing the mana they accumulated during their entire lives..." he muttered.

  Is that what the Graveyard of the End's function is? Recycling dying spirits into pure mana, only to be used as sustenance for the spirit world? Research showed that new spirits were constantly born, yet we never saw evidence of their deaths or corpses...

  Ethan remained stunned, unsure of what this entailed for him, yet he knew of the significance of this discovery. If it could be proven and replicated, this would be enough to immortalize him as a peerless researcher, the envy of all those pretentious bastards who looked down on him as a mere librarian.

  Yet, Ethan knew better. He had no intentions of ever telling anyone. This discovery was for himself and himself alone. He had the ability to destroy spirits and harness their accumulated mana. While merely slight—as his pitiful light spirit didn't possess much mana to begin with—Ethan could feel the increase in his mana reserve.

  Usually, one’s mana reserve is innate. One can only learn to raise its efficiency, never raise its amount... This is unbelievable!

  Still, it was too soon to rejoice. Ethan’s problem hadn’t been fixed in the slightest. His inability to form a contract with spirits still remained, disabling him from performing magic. If he wanted to be able to use mana to affect reality, he would have to devise his own methods, treading his own path through untold darkness, taking one step at a time over a bottomless pit where merely one single mistake could spell his doom.

  Still, Ethan was more than willing as a brand new world awaited him.