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Start of Arc 1: The Abyssal Ruined City Arc
The vast ocean stretched endlessly beyond the protective barrier of Lord Alba's estate.
For years, Izumi had lived and trained within those walls, surrounded by the calm glow of magical coral and the quiet currents of the underwater kingdom. But now, for the first time, he stood at the edge of the estate, staring into the endless blue darkness of the open sea.
Behind him, Lord Alba stood silently.
The legendary mage's long cloak drifted slowly in the water currents, his eyes calm but thoughtful.
Before him were the three young travelers.
Izumi.
Dianara.
And Mira.
The journey that would shape their future was about to begin.
Alba raised his hand slowly, and a small glowing crystal floated toward Izumi.
"This is the Fragment Resonance Crystal," Alba explained.
The crystal shimmered with soft golden light.
"It will react whenever a fragment of the Forbidden Scroll awakens nearby."
Izumi carefully took the crystal.
The moment his fingers touched it, the faint glow pulsed slightly.
Dianara noticed immediately.
"Did you see that?" she asked.
Alba nodded.
"The fragments are beginning to stir again."
Mira leaned against a coral pillar nearby, spinning one of her short daggers between her fingers.
Her silver hair drifted lazily in the water as she smirked.
"Sounds like fun."
Dianara sighed.
"You treat everything like a game."
Mira shrugged.
"If I didn't enjoy this job, I wouldn't be a Paladin."
Alba stepped closer to them.
His voice became more serious.
"The world outside this estate is far more dangerous than you realize."
His gaze fell on Izumi.
"You have taken your first step into Forbidden Advanced Magic, but your training has only just begun."
Izumi nodded firmly.
"I understand."
"Good," Alba said.
He turned slightly toward Dianara.
"You must guide him wisely."
Dianara bowed her head respectfully.
"I will."
Then Alba looked toward Mira.
"And you… Paladin Sister."
Mira straightened slightly, though the playful look in her eyes remained.
"You are responsible for protecting the fragment if it appears."
She tapped the handle of her dagger.
"That's literally my job."
Alba studied the three of them for a moment.
Then he finally said the words that would send them into the world.
"Go."
The barrier surrounding the estate slowly opened, revealing the vast dark ocean beyond.
For a brief moment, none of them moved.
Then Izumi turned toward the open sea.
And began swimming forward.
Dianara followed.
Mira stretched lazily before pushing off the coral floor.
"Well," she said with a grin, "let's see what kind of trouble we can find."
And just like that—
Their journey began.
The ocean outside Alba's territory felt completely different.
The currents were stronger.
The waters darker.
Strange glowing fish darted through coral forests, and distant shapes of massive sea creatures passed through the deep blue shadows.
Izumi looked around in amazement.
"I didn't realize the ocean was this huge."
Mira laughed.
"Of course it is."
She swam upside down lazily while talking.
"You spent too much time hiding in Alba's fancy mansion."
Dianara ignored Mira's comment and pointed ahead.
"We're heading toward the Abyssal Ridge."
"What's that?" Izumi asked.
"A region where the ocean floor suddenly drops thousands of meters."
Mira added casually,
"And somewhere past that…"
She pointed forward with one of her daggers.
"…is our destination."
Izumi tilted his head.
"Destination?"
Dianara answered.
"The ruins of Nerathis."
Izumi frowned slightly.
"I've never heard of it."
Mira grinned.
"That's because it's been dead for centuries."
Dianara continued explaining.
"Long ago, Nerathis was one of the greatest underwater cities in the world."
"It was a kingdom known for powerful mages and advanced magic."
"But something destroyed it."
"What happened?" Izumi asked.
Dianara shook her head.
"No one knows for sure."
"Some say a war."
"Others say an ancient sea monster."
Mira stretched again.
"Whatever it was… the city sank into ruin."
She smirked.
"And now a fragment decided to wake up there."
As if responding to her words—
The Fragment Resonance Crystal in Izumi's hand suddenly glowed.
Bright.
Strong.
Everyone froze.
Izumi stared at the crystal.
"It's reacting…"
Dianara's eyes narrowed.
"That means we're close."
Mira's playful expression vanished instantly.
Her ears twitched.
"Something else is nearby."
Izumi looked around.
"What do you mean?"
Mira slowly pulled out both of her daggers.
Dark shadow mana began spreading from her body.
"I can feel it."
Her golden eyes sharpened.
"Someone else is here."
Before anyone could react—
A violent current suddenly surged through the ocean.
The water shook.
Something massive moved in the darkness below.
Then the ocean floor appeared beneath them.
And Izumi saw it.
The ruins of Nerathis.
A massive ancient city stretched across the seabed.
Broken towers.
Collapsed temples.
Giant statues half-buried in coral and stone.
Ancient roads covered in centuries of ocean life.
It looked like a fallen kingdom frozen in time.
Izumi stared in awe.
"This… was a city?"
Dianara nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Her voice lowered.
"And now it's a graveyard."
But something was wrong.
The Fragment Crystal was glowing brighter and brighter.
Almost violently.
Mira's tail flicked nervously.
"Yeah… that's not normal."
Then—
A powerful wave of ancient mana exploded from the center of the ruined city.
The entire ocean trembled.
From deep within the ruins, a pillar of glowing light rose toward the surface.
Izumi's eyes widened.
"The fragment!"
Dianara looked shocked.
"It's fully awakened!"
Mira grinned slowly.
"Well…"
She spun her daggers once.
"Looks like we're late to the party."
Izumi frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Mira pointed toward the center of the ruins.
A silhouette stood among the broken structures.
A single figure.
Holding something glowing in their hand.
The fragment.
Izumi stared at the mysterious person.
"…Someone already has it."
And far away—
Hidden in the shadows of a broken tower—
Another pair of eyes watched the scene unfold.
Cold.
Patient.
Waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
The pillar of ancient light slowly faded, but the fragment's glow still illuminated the ruins of Nerathis.
Izumi stared at the distant figure standing in the center of the broken city.
The person held the glowing fragment in their hand.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
The ocean around the ruins felt heavy, as if the water itself was reacting to the fragment's awakening.
Mira finally broke the silence.
"Well," she said casually, twirling one of her daggers between her fingers, "looks like someone got lucky."
Dianara narrowed her eyes.
"That person didn't just find it."
"The fragment chose them."
Izumi looked at the glowing crystal in his hand. The Fragment Resonance Crystal was vibrating strongly now.
"So that's the fragment bearer…"
The distant figure slowly turned toward them.
Even from far away, they could feel the power radiating from the fragment.
But something else filled the ruins.
A strange presence.
Ancient.
Sleeping.
Watching.
Mira's ears twitched again.
"…This place is creepy."
Dianara nodded.
"Nerathis has been abandoned for centuries."
She looked around the ruined city.
"Who knows what might still be living here."
Izumi slowly drew his sword.
"Should we go talk to them?"
Mira smirked.
"That's the idea, genius."
The three of them began swimming carefully toward the ruins.
As they descended toward the ancient city, the true scale of Nerathis became clear.
Massive stone buildings covered in coral.
Gigantic statues of unknown kings and warriors.
Collapsed bridges connecting towers that had long since broken apart.
Everywhere they looked were the remains of a once great civilization.
Izumi felt something strange in his chest.
"This place…"
He looked around the ruins.
"It feels… alive somehow."
Dianara nodded quietly.
"Cities don't die easily."
"They leave memories behind."
Mira snorted.
"Yeah, yeah. Ancient tragedy and all that."
She pointed ahead.
"Focus. The fragment bearer is moving."
The mysterious figure had begun walking deeper into the ruins.
"Hey!" Izumi called out.
But the distance was too great.
They moved faster, swimming through broken streets and ancient archways.
Suddenly—
CRACK.
A loud sound echoed through the ruins.
The ground beneath them trembled.
Dianara immediately raised her guard.
"Something's wrong."
Mira's daggers were already in her hands.
"Yeah. I feel it too."
The ancient streets of Nerathis began shaking.
Small stones and coral fragments fell from the ruined buildings.
Then something massive moved beneath the ground.
Izumi's eyes widened.
"What was that?!"
Before anyone could answer—
The ocean floor exploded.
A massive creature burst out from the ruins.
Stone and coral shattered as the beast emerged.
The monster was enormous.
Its body was covered in jagged stone armor, and glowing blue cracks ran across its skin like ancient runes.
Its eyes burned with dim ancient light.
Dianara recognized it instantly.
"…A Ruin Guardian."
Izumi blinked.
"A what?"
"A magical creature created to protect the city," she explained.
Mira groaned.
"Great."
The Ruin Guardian slowly rose to its full height.
It was easily twenty meters tall.
Ancient magic pulsed through its massive body.
Then its glowing eyes locked onto them.
The creature let out a deep roar that shook the ocean.
Izumi tightened his grip on his sword.
"So the city still has defenses…"
Mira grinned.
"Finally. Something interesting."
Shadow mana spread from her body.
Darkness wrapped around her daggers like smoke.
"Let's see how tough this thing is."
She vanished.
Her body melted into the shadows between the ruins.
A second later—
SLASH.
Mira appeared behind the giant creature, striking its leg with both daggers.
But the blades barely scratched the stone armor.
She jumped back immediately.
"…Yeah."
"That thing is tough."
The Ruin Guardian swung its massive arm.
The attack shattered a nearby building.
Izumi barely dodged.
"That's not something we can fight carelessly!"
Dianara raised her staff.
Water mana gathered around her hands.
"Focus on its weak points!"
The glowing cracks on the creature's body pulsed again.
"That's where the ancient magic flows."
Izumi nodded.
"Got it."
He raised his hand.
Cold mana gathered around him.
The forbidden training from Alba began flowing through his body.
Ice formed in the water around his arm.
"Glacial—"
But before he could finish—
A new voice echoed through the ruins.
"Well… well…"
The voice was calm.
Cold.
And full of amusement.
The three of them froze.
A figure slowly stepped out from the shadow of a broken tower.
Wearing dark armor.
His eyes glowing faintly with sinister mana.
Mira's expression changed instantly.
"…Architect."
The man smiled.
"You're quite perceptive, Paladin."
He looked toward the center of the ruins where the fragment bearer had disappeared.
"My master predicted someone would come for the fragment."
Izumi stepped forward.
"Who are you?"
The man placed a hand on his chest and bowed slightly.
"I am Kareth, servant of the Architect."
His smile widened.
"And you have just saved me the trouble of finding the fragment bearer."
Dianara's voice became sharp.
"You're here for the fragment."
"Of course," Kareth replied calmly.
"That power will belong to the Architect."
Behind them, the Ruin Guardian roared again, its attention shifting between both groups.
The ruins of Nerathis had become a battlefield.
Mira spun her daggers slowly.
"Great."
She glanced at Izumi.
"Your first real mission outside Alba's house…"
Her golden eyes gleamed.
"…and we're already fighting monsters and cultists."
Izumi raised his sword.
Cold mana flowed around the blade.
"Then let's stop them."
Kareth chuckled softly.
"You misunderstand."
He raised his hand.
Dark mana gathered in his palm.
"You are not here to stop me."
"You are here…"
The Ruin Guardian charged toward them.
"…to die."
The ancient monster roared as it attacked.
The Architect agent smiled.
And somewhere deep within the ruins of Nerathis—
The fragment bearer continued running, unaware that the fate of the entire arc had just begun moving.