Cwal POV
"Nyaho, Cwal."
…
What is Nyaho?
Even in words, this guy is still troublesome.
"If you're reading this, then things have already gone off script. Whatever happens, follow the instructions based on the situation in which I failed."
His handwriting is terrible, but I flipped the page anyway.
"If I am not present and you guys are transported to the island, go to page 17. If Azalea could not be saved and I am not there, go to page 27."
I skipped ahead, scanning the index quickly until something caught my attention.
"If Blightcap Madness has infected some or all of us, especially me, go to page 54."
It perfectly recapped the incident below.
I turned to the page immediately.
"The cure for Blightcap Madness is the sap of a tree with thick, spiked bark. The sap should be bright red. When infused with thrum, it turns orange."
"It is located in a cold, humid environment. Be careful. The humidity creates the perfect conditions for Blightcap growth."
"I left gas masks there, along with multiple filters. Use them."
"If I failed to hand you my storage ring, take it from me. It is essential for everyone's safety, no matter the route."
"Oh! And if Fanna is not infected, let her handle identifying the correct tree. Even I cannot reliably distinguish between them."
"The most important part is that you must not get infected as well, otherwise we are all fucked."
…
I stopped reading.
Slowly, I lowered the papers.
After going through his notes, I reached a conclusion.
This is… strange.
If Matthew truly possessed future sight, then his actions should be precise and direct.
Not this… branching structure of possibilities.
I closed my eyes for a moment, recalling something from history.
In the southern kingdoms, there was once an Oracle. A figure said to have surpassed Sovereign rank and glimpsed the underlying truth of the world itself.
His foresight allowed him to shape many outcomes.
He redirected entire trade routes before droughts ever came, stockpiling grain in regions that had not yet begun to suffer.
He evacuated cities weeks before disasters struck, saving thousands without ever explaining how he knew.
He invested in technologies that had not yet been conceived, accelerating their development by decades.
Under his guidance, the kingdom entered an era of prosperity. It became the foundation of what is now considered the most technologically developed nation in the world.
I looked back down at the pages in my hand.
Matthew's notes were nothing like that.
They were fragmented and even prepared for failure. Is his failure also within his script?
I don't know. But one thing's for sure.
He does see the future, just not perfectly
If he could, he wouldn't need all these pages—or perhaps any at all.
I recalled his words yesterday.
"I'm just a brat who knows a lot about what's going to happen."
"If I'm going to move forward… I'll need someone to walk this world with me."
I stared at the paper for a long moment.
"…What are you, Matthew?"
I continued reading.
"If you find the cure, take note. Anyone cured will remain unconscious for five to nine days. If everything proceeds without complications, go to page 66."
"Flip. Flip. Flip."
I skimmed through the rest of the pages until I reached the said page.
'Island episode Climax'
That was the title of the page.
"Does this guy think the world runs on his theatrics? I guess having vision on the future gives you a different perspective."
I continued reading.
"No one is coming to save us."
"Yeah, I know. Harsh way to start, yet I'd rather you accept it now than waste time waiting for a miracle that won't happen.'
"That portal everyone is counting on? It's not opening. Not now. Not later."
"We weren't brought here through a portal in the first place. Though I'm sure you already noticed that by this point in time."
"This was a spatial concept ability."
"An Aberrant prince is responsible for it."
"Before you start worrying, don't. That prince is not coming for us. If he does, he's dead the moment he tries. Pulling something like that will give Headmaster Eclair enough of a loophole to erase him completely."
"So forget rescue, we leave on our own."
"There are three ways off this island. All of them require fighting an Aberrant."
"Second requirement. You need to set up an existence erasure domain. One to five meters in radius. At least one person needs to fit inside it comfortably."
I flinched and was taken aback.
"He even knows my trump card. Even Lord Roy was unaware of this ability, partly because I wanted to keep it to myself, but also because it's still at a purely theoretical stage and I only did a few practices here and there with little to no success."
"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. You can barely maintain that thing." The note answered my inner monologue."
"That's why I prepared for it. Check the storage."
I did not need to. I already took notes of all the contents there.
"There are more than enough thrum recovery vials in there to keep it running. Don't be stingy with them. If the domain collapses at the wrong time, we're probably all gonna die."
As for where all of this happens, it's the log I placed on the shore when we first got here.
"That spot is going to be the drop point. The Aberrant will come down exactly there. That's where you hide the trump card, too."
"What that card is depends on the situation you end up in. I already listed the possible branches earlier. Pick based on what you're dealing with. Don't mix them unless you want everything to fall apart."
"If you're even a few seconds off or a few steps out of place, the whole plan fails."
"But hey! no pressure, no pressure."
.....
I put the paper down.
"BAM!"
The paper crumpled down as I drove my fist into it.
"You lunatic!"
The words came out sharper than intended.
"You expect me to deploy a theoretical magic construct I have yet to stabilize and master? Even Lord Roy's high-risk operations are more coherent than this insanity!"
I exhaled through my teeth, grip tightening.
"If you truly know what's going to happen, then at least leave me something usable. A framework. A sequence. Not this—"
.....
I stopped myself and took a deep breath.
"…'No pressure,' he says."
Whew....
I smoothed out the crumpled paper as best I could, my hands finally stilling.
"What am I even saying? Leave me something usable? Every page here is worth a fortune."
It's rare for me to lose my cool. In fact, he's only the third person to ever pull that off, right behind Bell and Mom.
I glanced at the crumpled paper in my hand.
"He is growing on me… and getting under my skin."
Whether that is a good omen or a bad one, only the gods know.
One thing is certain. I need to turn this theoretical magic into reality, especially since we are all on borrowed time.
I reached into his storage and pulled out a glass bowl. Walking to the shallow water, I knelt and, with a quick motion, scooped up a fish and placed it inside, filling the bowl with seawater.
I set it on the ground and stepped closer.
The fish immediately tried to swim away.
Good.
I activated my signature ability.
Presence erasure.
At this point, it felt like second nature.
Dark indigo thrum, infused with my innate core ability, Corruption, spread across my body like a thin layer of cloth.
I tested it again.
The fish did not react.
Only when my fingers touched the surface of the water, creating a ripple, only did it respond.
Even then, it only sensed that something was off.
As expected, it is effective.
This was the ability that earned me the title Snow White. A death so cold and sudden, the victim never realizes they are already dead.
But this was not what I needed.
I dispersed the thrum coating my body.
The moment it faded, the fish reacted again, darting away in panic.
My presence erasure works because of the abnormal purity and affinity of my core. It produces a darker thrum, indigo bordering on black, deeper and more invasive in nature.
I apply it both internally and externally, shaping it like a shadow that I must constantly align with my movements.
If I move my right leg forward, the thrum inside me and the cloak outside must mirror that exact motion. If they fall out of sync, the illusion breaks. A limb appears out of nowhere.
Now then…
The theory.
What if I applied the same principle, not just to myself, but to an area?
If I could extend that alignment outward, shaping the space itself instead of just my body…
Then that area would not be perceived at all.
Like a page stuck to another. You turn once and skip it entirely, landing on the next without ever realizing something was missing.
I looked at the bowl.
"…Easier said than done," I muttered.
I looked around and mapped everything in detail.
Sand. Rocks. The branch behind me. The lizard clinging to it.
Distances. Angles. Movement patterns.
I fixed it all in my mind.
It took at least five minutes.
...
I spread a wave of thrum outward.
It coated the sand first, then the rocks, then myself. The branch followed, along with the lizard resting against it.
My eyes and hair highlights flared into a pitch-black indigo.
.....
Ground shape...Correct.
Tree, branches, leaves, lizard....Correct
Then—
Movement, lots and lots of movement
I extended the thrum further, trying to include them.
That was when it broke.
Their movements were not uniform. Not even close.
Each ant moved independently. Legs shifting at different intervals. Antennae twitching constantly, erratic and insanely unpredictable.
Too many variables.
Too many points to track.
I tried anyway.
I forced the thrum to split, to follow each one, to align with every movement at once—
My vision blurred.
Warmth trickled down my face.
Blood.
From my eyes and my nose.
"…Not enough thrum."
I reached for the ring, pulling out several recovery vials and downing one in a single motion.
"Bitter."
The taste lingered, but I ignored it.
The moment my reserves recovered even slightly, I pushed again.
Back to the ants.
Track the legs.
No, too fast.
Then the antennae....
No, they never stop moving.
Adjust the flow...
No, it desyncs the moment one changes direction.
I clenched my teeth.
"This is absurd."
Another attempt.
"Hundreds of targets, each with multiple limbs, each limb moving independently, and I'm supposed to mirror all of it in real time?"
My head throbbed.
The thrum flickered.
...
"GASP!...COUGH! COUGH!"
"This won't do," I muttered as I stopped.
Everything dissipated at once.
"Hah....This is close to impossible. Not to mention the tight schedule."
I wiped the blood from my eyes and nose and flicked it off.
I stared down at the vials in my hand.
"…So that bastard stocked these for my sake."
I uncorked another and chugged it.
I exhaled slowly.
"You'd better pray Roy doesn't take an interest in you."
I tossed the empty vial back into storage and pulled out another.
"Otherwise, I might just rip you apart out of spite."