As Lottie spoke, the drone cameras began broadcasting panoramic views of the island. Pegasus was an enormous place, blending stunning landscapes with cutting-edge technology and luxurious amenities.

  The districts shown on the screen were filled with towering skyscrapers, shopping centers, schools, hospitals, and endless forests. But instead of marveling at it, the sheer scale of everything only made the situation feel more surreal.

  “Currently, there are 5,600 new students on Pegasus Island, and each of you was selected for these trials because of your superior intellect,” Lottie announced, raising her hands with enthusiasm. “Well… It might also be because the selection system went a little haywire in recent days. Honestly, we never really paid much attention to it.”

  “Superior intellect?” I muttered.

  The word felt completely out of place in this context. What did intelligence have to do with being stranded on a secret island? Glancing around, I noticed the same bewilderment reflected in everyone’s faces.

  This… doesn’t make any sense.

  But Lottie didn’t seem to notice our confusion—or perhaps she didn’t care how we felt about it.

  “I should mention that you’ve already received your new identification card,” she added in a nonchalant tone, holding up a sleek card that looked like a futuristic gadget. “We apologize for replacing them at the last minute, but it was necessary to verify how many participants made it to Pegasus.”

  As she said this, her own ID card appeared enlarged on the screen, displaying her name, photo, and a host of incomprehensible data.

  “Make sure to keep it with you at all times. Your ID is vital for identification in emergencies. It also shows the district you belong to and your Gift’s unique identifier.”

  Lottie placed a hand on her head, as if struggling to remember something important.

  “Oh, right… I also need to explain that,” she said with a slightly forced smile. “All of you now have a Gift. You can find it listed at the bottom of your ID.”

  At her words, I saw the other students immediately reach for their ID cards. On the screen, Lottie displayed the section for her own Gift, accompanied by brief descriptions that were too small to read.

  “A Gift, yes… What was that again?” she muttered to herself. “Ah, now I remember! Gifts are… well, they’re kind of like magic, superpowers, or psychic arts. Call them whatever you prefer. Gifts have various Skills, but you’ll have to figure them out yourselves. If you’re looking for a technical explanation, well… I can’t give you one.” She let out a carefree laugh. “They don’t pay me enough to explain it, do they, Ribbon?”

  As she spoke, a small pink penguin waddled onto the screen, its clumsy steps oddly endearing.

  Endearing?

  I couldn’t believe that word crossed my mind amidst this chaos, but the absurdity of the tiny penguin in our dire situation was too much for me to process.

  This had to be Ribbon, her assistant.

  As I pondered this, the screen shifted to show students using their Gifts.

  Some were floating in the air, others displayed super strength, conjured shields, summoned tornadoes, hurled fireballs, or even summoned golems. Others levitated objects or cast spells.

  Each ability was more fantastical than the last, like something straight out of a video game or a fantasy manga.

  Before I could process what I was seeing, a loud blast erupted nearby.

  “Explosive Burst!”

  I turned toward the explosion and saw Ray.

  He wore an unhinged expression as debris scattered around him.

  “Air Bomb works! I’ve become a freaking wizard!” he shouted, unable to contain his excitement.

  I froze, unable to grasp what had just happened.

  Ray… a wizard?

  His laughter echoed as he flailed his hands like he was casting invisible spells. A part of me hoped he was exaggerating, but the explosions on the ground proved otherwise.

  Everything felt unreal, like we were trapped in some sort of simulation.

  Before I could dwell on it, Sasha decided to steal the spotlight.

  “Come to me… Eternal Flame!”

  I blinked a few times, and there was the ever-serious Sasha, holding an enormous flame in the palm of his hand.

  Yes, a giant flame. In his hand. Was anyone else seeing how ridiculous this was?

  “Soul Burn is amazing!” he added, as if auditioning for a shōnen anime. “Is this for real?”

  His face radiated pure fascination as he watched the flame dance calmly in his hand.

  “Is this a dream…?” he murmured, tilting his head as though trying to solve a universal riddle. “It doesn’t burn me… Is this real? Are we in a video game?”

  Honestly, I felt like a spectator at a talent show.

  All that was missing was a panel of judges awarding perfect scores.

  At that moment, my brother, who had been observing silently until now, decided to give it a try.

  “Elemental Spirit!” Minoru shouted, his voice barely concealing his excitement. “Skill… Form Shift!”

  As he uttered the command, Minoru began to glow with a metallic sheen, his body transforming into a suit of silver armor that gleamed under the sunset.

  He struck the ground with his reinforced fists, each impact sending vibrations through the earth.

  “This is incredible!” he exclaimed, a broad grin spreading across his face. “This power is insane! It’s like being invincible!”

  I… honestly didn’t know whether to laugh or worry.

  Between Sasha summoning fire like a sorcerer and Minoru turning into a walking fortress…

  It seemed like madness had already taken over.

  And what about my Gift?

  A lump formed in my throat.

  Watching them experiment with their Gifts stirred a flicker of curiosity in me, but when I tried to reach for my ID to uncover its secrets, my hands trembled for no reason.

  Something inside me screamed not to trust Lottie.

  Yes, the island was astonishing.

  The landscapes, the Gifts, the technological marvels... Everything was incredible, almost magical. But beneath all that wonder hid something far darker. We were trapped here, cut off from the world.

  The thought was suffocating.

  Thousands of students were in the same situation, all of us facing the same uncertainty. But for me, the idea that Pegasus Island had erased our existence from the real world was unbearable.

  My father... Thinking about Wataru clouded my thoughts.

  Could I really keep living, knowing the pain it would cause him?

  The absolute answer was no.

  The image of my father hearing about our supposed death refused to leave my mind. I tried not to think about it, but every time I closed my eyes, the same scene replayed. His look of disbelief, the shock on his face as he learned of our fate.

  I had promised him I would return safely with Minoru. I... I had said it so confidently, so assuredly... "Don’t worry, old man. Nothing will happen to us. I promise we’ll come back safe."

  What cruel irony. That promise now felt like a sick joke, a distant echo that shattered a little more every time Lottie spoke.

  What can I do?

  Lottie's words kept ringing in my mind like a broken record... "You are dead to the world."

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  She had said it so casually, as if we were in a gilded cage with no way out. But it wasn’t gold—it was a cold, terrifying cell, and we were nothing more than ghosts on Pegasus Island.

  We were dangerous to Centaur because we knew about the existence of the Gifts. Once inside the island, there was no turning back—or so Lottie’s words explained.

  Why is this happening to me?

  As I kept reasoning, despair began to consume me.

  It felt like I was sinking into quicksand, like I was falling into a deep abyss.

  It didn’t matter how much I struggled.

  The more I fought, the deeper I sank.

  Is there any hope?

  After Wataru became my father... After creating new memories... I thought maybe I could live with my new family forever. I thought maybe... I could be happy.

  Why?

  Why do I have to lose everything a second time?

  I tried to find an answer, hoping to uncover some sliver of hope within my memories. Maybe if I went far enough back, I could find something—anything—that could give me strength. But it was impossible. All I found was absolute darkness. An indescribable void that only reminded me that, even now, I had nothing.

  Right now, I have nothing but this.

  The members of Pegasus had erased my existence.

  I was certain Wataru would mourn my death and quickly fall into despair. My father would never stop searching for me, but he would never find me.

  He wouldn’t be able to find me.

  I knew my father would die without finding an answer, without ever knowing what truly happened to me, and that thought devastated me.

  How could I live with that? How could I bear that guilt?

  Suddenly, the world before my eyes went completely dark, as if I were floating in an abyss. I didn’t know if I had fainted; not that it mattered much. My situation was already absurd enough to stop worrying about minor details.

  And then I saw it.

  Before me appeared a floating frame, suspended in the void.

  The image it held wasn’t a painting or an abstract design. It was a scene from some distant future, so vivid and painful that it left me completely frozen.

  My father was kneeling in a corner of our living room.

  He was holding our family photo in trembling hands, tears streaming endlessly down his cheeks. His face was pale, and his body looked frail, as if he hadn’t eaten in days.

  “Dad, I’m here!” I screamed, but he couldn’t hear me.

  I struck the frame with all my strength, trying to shatter the invisible barrier between us, but my father didn’t respond. I watched as his strength faded, and his eyes dulled until they lost their light.

  Slowly, my father let go of our family photo.

  The picture fell to the ground, the glass shattering into pieces.

  “Dad... Dad!” I kept screaming desperately, pounding on the frame with all my might.

  Blood dripped from my hands, but even that didn’t stop me.

  No... You can’t die. Don’t leave me alone.

  That thought became my only anchor, the one thing keeping me from falling completely apart.

  I must save you... There has to be a way...

  And then, the frame vanished, as if it had never been there.

  I was left alone in the vast darkness, with nothing but the echo of my own thoughts.

  Is there a way...?

  I couldn’t let my father die like that. I couldn’t allow him to drown in that pain because of me. My mind frantically searched for answers. There had to be something I could do.

  I couldn’t let my father end up like that. I couldn’t allow fate to destroy him because of my absence. If there was a way to prevent that future, I would take it without a second thought.

  And as I floated in that darkness, something else appeared before me.

  A mirror. It was suspended in midair, defying all logic, glowing faintly in the middle of the void.

  As I moved closer, I saw my own reflection—or at least, sort of.

  The figure in the mirror wasn’t exactly me but a younger version of myself, like a projection of my past. Then again, considering that my past was still a massive question mark in my head, I wasn’t even sure if it was truly me.

  “Hey... What is it that you desire?” my reflection asked.

  Its voice was strange. Not because it sounded different from mine, but because there was a hint of arrogance and superiority in its tone. It was as if it knew every corner of my existence, as if the question already had an answer.

  “I want to save my father...” I finally muttered, my voice cracking under the weight of the words. I could barely lift my head, as if my own confession had increased the gravity around me.

  Without hesitation, my reflection stepped out of the mirror as if the glass didn’t exist. Without breaking eye contact, it began to circle me, its steps slow and deliberate, like a judge scrutinizing a particularly disappointing criminal.

  “From what I see, you haven’t lost anything yet...” it murmured, its eyes glinting with something resembling disdain. “If you want to save him, what’s stopping you?”

  Its question hit me hard.

  “How could I...?” I stammered, utterly hopeless. “It’s impossible to save Wataru if I can’t leave the island.”

  My younger reflection stopped abruptly, sitting down in front of me with a relaxed motion.

  “If that’s the case, why not use that?” it asked, pointing to my pocket where my ID card was tucked away. “Maybe it can help you.”

  “I don’t...” I murmured, my voice cracking. “... I don’t think it’s right.”

  Its reaction was immediate.

  “Why does it matter if it’s right or not?!” it shouted, lowering its head for a moment, its hands trembling slightly as if battling some unpleasant memory. “Don’t be an idiot! If you keep rejecting your opportunities... next time, someone will really die!”

  Its words pierced me like lightning.

  The darkness around me began to crumble, breaking into fragments that disappeared into the air. My eyes blinked against the sudden change, and the world around me reverted to how it was before I had that vision.

  I was back, in the ruined city.

  The sound of drones filled my ears. My hands, though now steady, still felt the lingering tremors from that illusion.

  My reflection’s words echoed in my mind, a warning I couldn’t ignore... “If you keep rejecting your opportunities... next time, someone will really die.”

  I couldn’t afford to fail.

  I couldn’t let those words become reality.

  Finally, I made my decision.

  I took a deep breath as I pulled out my ID card.

  That small card, full of mysteries and possibilities, seemed to shine with a significance I was only beginning to grasp. But the thought of losing everything still thundered in my mind.

  This has to work... Somehow, it has to work.

  Even if I didn’t trust Lottie, perhaps this power could give me a chance to return to my father.

  It might tilt the odds in my favor.

  If the members of Pegasus had no intention of letting us leave, then I’d have to come up with a way to escape. And if this power helped me, even by the slightest margin, then it was worth the risk.

  Resolute, I drew my ID card.

  There it was.

  On the last section, the Gift tab stood out from the rest, like a secret waiting to be unveiled.

  It had a long description written in an unknown language.

  Great... Not only am I trapped on an island with absurd rules, but now I have to decode magical scribbles. Perfect.

  However, even though the letters were foreign to me, something about those scribbles resonated in my mind. I couldn’t explain it, but... it was as if they had always been in my memory, waiting for me to recall them.

  And then, I understood perfectly what they meant.

  Last Observer: A power that grants its wielder the function of the last observer of reality.

  First Skill – World Atlas: Recognition of all that exists. Ability to rewrite what exists. Analysis time limited by the user, established in real time. Rewrite time limited by the user’s endurance and control.

  Second Skill – Temporal Clock: Temporal preview of what exists. Enhanced survival acceleration. Priority set on the user. Time reversal limited to forty seconds, temporal jumps limited to forty seconds.

  A chill ran down my spine.

  The moment I understood that strange language, the world around me changed entirely.

  I began to see thin lines of color surrounding everything in my environment, as if every object, every person, and reality itself were connected by invisible threads.

  I stood frozen, awestruck by what I was seeing.

  In addition to the lines, something else caught my attention. It felt like I could preview the movements of Minoru, Ray, and Sasha—even though none of them had moved yet.

  Their future actions unfolded before me as if I were watching a video in slow motion.

  It’s incredible.

  I had gained a power that could undoubtedly help me.

  With World Atlas, I could map everything that existed with absolute precision, offering total recognition of any object or living being.

  In short, the knowledge of the world was in the palm of my hand. However, since it worked in real time, the weakness of World Atlas lay in the time it could take to analyze information, as well as my ability to focus.

  World Atlas could be useful for deciphering or investigating locations, but it had its limitations.

  As for Temporal Clock, it allowed me to foresee people’s next movements and observe their timelines to understand any actions leading up to the present.

  However, its limitation of forty seconds severely restricted my ability to correct major mistakes or influence events beyond that range.

  On top of that, using both World Atlas and Temporal Clock drained my vital energy significantly. Alternating between the two could leave me weakened or even unconscious.

  With World Atlas, I could only rewrite elements that had been fully analyzed. If the analysis were interrupted or if the target’s complexity exceeded my own capacity, the rewrite would fail.

  That being said, World Atlas seemed to exact a price proportional to the magnitude of the change. Minor alterations were manageable, but attempting complex changes could eventually harm my physical or mental health permanently.

  A double-edged sword.

  As I tried to comprehend the details of my newfound power, a sudden shout shattered the silence. The echo was so loud that even Lottie could hear it from the airship.

  “Do you think you can buy my death with magic?!” roared a male voice, laden with rage and despair.

  Before I could process what was happening, the airship’s screen flickered, displaying a student on it.

  The boy wore a reddish bandana covering part of his dark brown hair, and his purple eyes burned with an intensity that could only be described as uncontrollable fury.

  “Damn it!” the boy shouted, his voice booming. “I let you talk because I thought you were here to save us! But this? This is too much! A secret island?! Powers?! A new world government?!”

  With every word, his gaze seemed to pierce through the screen, fixed on Lottie’s distant figure.

  “Who the hell would be stupid enough to accept death so easily?!”

  The boy with the bandana raised his trembling hand, pointing at the airship.

  “Send me back home, you hag!” he yelled, his voice breaking with anger. “I just came here for an interview, and instead, I got kidnapped! Who the hell do you think you are to put me through this?!”

  An uncomfortable silence fell over the area.

  Even the wind seemed to stop for a few seconds, as if the entire city were holding its breath while watching the airship’s screen, waiting for Lottie’s response.

  She didn’t take long to reply.

  “Did you just call me a hag?” Lottie asked, tilting her head with a dangerous smile on her lips.

  Her tone was so calm that it was chilling.

  “Should I take your words as an insult to my person or a direct attack?” she added, seeking confirmation of the boy’s words.

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care!” the boy snapped, seething with rage. “Take it however you want, just send me back home already!”

  Lottie let out a small laugh, though it wasn’t one of amusement.

  “Of course, I could send you home,” she said coldly. “But should I do you that favor? I doubt the Greenders would be so kind.”

  Her words sounded like a warning, but she didn’t need to explain further.

  As she spoke, the screen showed four soldiers in black armor approaching the boy with the red bandana.

  The Greenders.

  Each one wore a grayish helmet that completely covered their heads, leaving only a pair of curved visors visible, protected by a heavy rubber frame. Small exhalation valves on their helmets gave them an inhuman appearance.

  They didn’t move like ordinary people. Their movements were precise, synchronized, as if they were mere puppets being controlled remotely.

  A shiver ran down my spine.

  They don't look like soldiers... These Greenders look like machines designed to eliminate any threat.

  “What... what the hell are those...?” whispered Ray, taking a step back as he watched the screen.

  I have a bad feeling about this....