Neid took out a pen and scribbled something on his palm.
His friends, watching, copied the same message onto their hands.
"I’ve lost my memory. Anyone who knows the keyword is trustworthy. The keyword is North Star."
The group nodded in satisfaction. Even if they lost their memories, they were confident they could stay calm and make rational decisions.
"Alright, ready? Let’s head out."
They stepped out of Istas and into the schoolyard, where students who had just finished their classes were walking around.
At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary scene—but Shirone and his group noticed something felt... off.
Usually, students walked in pairs or groups. But now, they were all moving alone.
More unsettling was how they moved—quickly, but with no sense of direction. Their paths were chaotic, almost like puppets without strings.
"Guys, do you see that?"
"Yeah," Iruki said. "They’re not going anywhere. Just wandering."
Neid scanned the crowd, spotting someone familiar—Gabe from Class Five.
"Hey, Gabe! Where are you going?"
Gabe walked over, but his expression was vacant, his tone cold and unfamiliar.
Neid frowned. He’d expected as much after hearing what had happened to Shirone earlier, so he just continued asking.
"Fine. But where are you going?"
Neid stamped the ground, frustrated.
"You were just walking! So, where to?"
Gabe looked down at his feet like he’d never seen them before. Then his gaze darted around in confusion.
"Hey, come on! Snap out of it! What’s been happening the last few days? Have you seen anyone strange?"
"Of course I do! How could I not?"
Suddenly, Gabe’s face drained of color. He grabbed Neid’s shoulders, panic rising in his voice.
"Tell me! Who am I?! Where am I?! What’s my... name?!"
As Gabe clutched his head, trembling in fear, Neid instinctively backed away.
Thankfully, Gabe wasn’t violent. Just... unraveling.
"There’s that sound again! That weird sound! Why do I keep hearing it?!"
His voice slurred more with each word, until eventually, he wasn’t speaking at all—just making incoherent, guttural noises.
Shirone’s eyes widened as he realized what was happening.
"He’s forgotten language," Shirone said softly.
Neid was still trying to listen.
"What do you mean? Hallucinations?"
"No. He’s hearing his own voice—but he doesn’t recognize the words. He’s forgotten what language means. He’s speaking out of habit, but doesn’t understand any of it. That’s why he’s so afraid."
Gabe, having completely lost the concept of language, now howled like a wild animal.
The speed at which his mind unraveled—memories vanishing second by second—was terrifying.
Eventually, his voice faded. The light in his eyes dimmed. He couldn’t even move anymore.
And just then... the entire street went still.
Not a single person moved. It was as if time itself had frozen.
"What... happened?" Iruki whispered.
"At least we’re still okay," he added, though his voice trembled. "I wouldn’t say we’re safe, but... we can keep looking."
Shirone observed the students around them one by one.
It felt like time had stopped. But the world was still ticking—just not for these people. Some blinked occasionally. That meant it wasn’t a physical issue.
"They’ve stopped thinking."
If this was magic, it might be even worse than time-stop.
Even a child could harm these defenseless people.
The group ran a few experiments. They tickled a junior, and he laughed—but once the stimulus ended, his expression returned to blankness.
When they threatened to poke someone’s eye, he blinked.
"Their reflexes are intact. Brain function’s fine. But with no memories, there’s no thought. They’re completely hollow."
"Which means," Iruki said grimly, "their bodies will give out eventually. They can’t stand forever. So... what now?"
"First, we figure out who did this. Let’s keep moving."
They headed toward the graduation building. Their goal: check on the students with the highest magic levels.
When they reached the top of the hill, they saw graduating students filing out through a large steel gate.
The group quickly ducked into the bushes.
Even if they didn’t know everyone by name, it was easy to tell who was different.
Some students moved like the others—mindless and directionless.
But some moved freely, with full awareness.
Shirone and the others instantly felt it.
Among them was Lucas, a swordsman with twin blades and a member of the notorious Parrot Bandits. He whistled as he watched the others march like zombies.
"I’ve seen a lot of things in my life, but this? This is a first."
If exposed to Abyss Nova, all memories vanish within 24 hours.
The spell erases recent and most vivid memories first.
Without memory, there is no thought.
That’s why Arcane’s magic is known as Inanimate Magic.
Arin, one of Arcane’s followers and a mental magic specialist, was responsible for guiding the hollow students.
Using mind control, she herded them into the advanced class yard.
Then, she cast her spell again over the crowd.
Her shadow slithered across the ground like black tentacles, merging with the shadows of the students.
Shirone’s group stared, expressions hardening.
That’s not just any mage. That’s a monster.
She manipulated the Spirit Zone like a fluid, adapting it to her needs—something only masters of mental magic could do.
The form—tentacle-like—wasn’t one of the four classical magic types, but it was standard in her field.
Usually, using the Spirit Zone took time, especially to penetrate dozens of shadows. Yet Arin was doing it with terrifying ease.
While Arin worked, Lucas idled nearby, bored—until his gaze fell on Amy.
A girl with bangs covering one eye, she stood out even among the dazed students.
Even with her memories suppressed, her eyes were clear and focused.
"Oho, she’s interesting."
Canis, another of Arcane’s disciples, stepped in.
"Lucas. Stop it. Don’t be stupid."
Lucas turned his head slowly, eyebrow raised.
"Were you talking to me?"
"If you try anything, I won’t let it slide."
Lucas let out a scoffing laugh.
"What’s with you guys? I thought this was supposed to be a revenge mission. What’s wrong with a little fun?"
"This revenge is to restore our master’s honor. I won’t allow any cruelty."
"Oh? And if I don’t back off?"
"I’ll break the contract."
Lucas raised an eyebrow.
"Kid, I wasn’t hired by you. I work for Arcane."
"It’s all the same. Arin’s casting Shadow of Capture. If you interfere, you can be fired on the spot. If you still won’t listen—"
Canis’s eyes darkened, a swirling black vortex appearing in his pupils.
"—I’ll kill you. Right here and now."
Lucas’s playful demeanor vanished for a moment. He locked eyes with Canis, but then his expression softened. He backed off with a shrug.
He might’ve killed countless mages as the Parrot Bandits’ vice-captain, but he wasn’t stupid enough to pick a fight inside the Spirit Zone.
"Fine, fine. If I don’t get paid, I’m the one losing out anyway."
Canis warned one last time.
"I’m serious. Don’t mess with our operation. I won’t be so forgiving again."
"Man, you guys are no fun. By the way, where’s Arcane, anyway?"
"The Master is preparing something important. He left this to us."
Canis didn’t bother explaining that Arcane was still recovering from using Abyss Nova.
"Sure, sure. Sounds exhausting."
As Lucas turned and walked away, his thoughts remained sharp.
He must be completely drained.
From experience, Lucas knew: any magic strong enough to erase the memories of hundreds of people must come at a massive cost.
Even a legendary mage like Arcane couldn’t perform such a feat without consequences.
"You’re bluffing now, kid. Like I’d miss out on something this fun."
Once Arin had finished her task, the senior and advanced students began moving together in a group. Only after they disappeared from view did Shirone and the others emerge from the bushes.
"From what I saw, it looks like they’re planning to take the entire school somewhere," Shirone said.
"Who are those people?"
"No time to think about that now," Shirone replied quickly. "We’ll be okay for a short while, but who knows what they’ll do once they reach their destination. Even the teachers were captured."
"I thought the spell that girl used looked like dark magic. If that’s true... are they the ones behind all of this?"
"It’s possible, but I doubt it," Shirone said. "To cast magic of this scale, you’d need a massive amount of power. Two of the three are too young, and one isn’t even a mage—he’s clearly carrying a weapon."
"So you think there’s someone else involved?"
"That’s my guess. For now, let’s focus on tracking them. If anyone’s in danger, we can step in later."
"Trying to take over a magic school? He’s insane. And using dark magic on top of that..."
A deep sense of unease settled over the group as they followed the mysterious intruders.
Meanwhile, Ethella remained in the training center, still wearing the same clothes from the day before. She sat cross-legged, motionless. A twitch in her brow was the only sign of life—until her face twisted in strain. Gritting her teeth, her whole body began to tremble violently. Veins bulged in her neck.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
The building shook in time with her body. Dust rained from the walls and ceiling. At last, her eyes snapped open. She gasped for breath, then collapsed forward.
Her body was drenched in cold sweat. She had spent the entire night battling a mental invasion—Simma—that had attacked her at dawn.
She couldn’t quite define it, but it had pierced into her mind, trying to erase her memories. Even though dark magic was technically a part of the traditional schools of magic, the malevolence behind this one had pushed Ethella to her limits. If not for the protective laws of the Order of Charsis, she might have lost her memories entirely.
’Dark magic... But that kind is strictly forbidden on campus.’
Ethella glanced at the time. Despite the bright summer light, it was already long past school hours.
’I’ve been trapped in Simma for over 12 hours?’
Given her pure and disciplined mind, this was an unusually strong attack. But what unsettled her more was the fact that no one had come looking for her—despite missing all her classes.
Realizing the deeper implications, Ethella bolted out of the training center without even stopping to change her clothes.
A flash of light streaked across the sky above the magic school. Then, as if pulled by gravity, it arced downward and slammed into the ground—completely silent on impact.
A single man stood where it had landed.