A Glimpse Beyond the Veil
In a place that was dark yet not dark, empty yet not empty, children played tag as they always did, laughing and running with their friends. Suddenly, one boy who had been fleeing from the one who was “it” stopped in his tracks.
“Huh…?”
Something shimmering had caught his eye. He tilted his head, curious, and started to walk closer. Just then, the girl who had run ahead shouted at him.
“Hey! Going that way is against the rules!”
“Oh… right.”
The rules they had agreed on together came to mind, and he hesitated for a moment. By the time he did, the shimmering thing had already vanished. Had he imagined it? While he stood lost in thought, the girl called out to him again, louder this time.
“What are you doing? Hurry up!”
“Okay.”
He was still a child, after all—one who cared more about playing with his friends than dwelling on his own worries. So he pushed the uneasy feeling aside and followed her. As he sprinted after her at full speed, he glanced back one last time.
“Eh…?”
There stood a woman with golden hair more beautiful than anyone he had ever seen… but the moment he blinked, she was gone without a trace.
This was the story of a young boy who possessed the talent to one day reach Transcendence. It was an unforgettable experience—the moment he had faintly sensed a realm that mortals should never be able to perceive.
After the two Transcendents who had visited left, Hestia stopped at an inn and examined the object they had given her.
“History…”
Barkan and Crebin, the Great Pioneers, had casually described it as nothing more than extracted historical data. But Hestia knew better. This was no simple task. For a Transcendent to read history, extract it, materialize it, and process it so that even a mortal could use it…
Handing information between Transcendents was something that could be done with sufficient rank. But transferring it to a mortal was an entirely different matter. It required not only high rank but exceptional skill. Just from the single item Crebin had handed her, Hestia could roughly gauge his level.
Even so, she was still debating whether to actually use it.
I don’t like it, but… there’s no reason not to.
They had given her the item in advance, with no strings attached. They claimed it was to make up for ruining their first impression, but Hestia was not naïve enough to take them at their word. There was always something hidden behind goodwill. They clearly had another purpose.
Hestia had a good idea what that purpose was. They genuinely seemed to want her to participate in the process of capturing “that being.”
That must be why they deliberately showed emotion in front of me…
She didn’t think their anger was fake, but she doubted everything they had shown her was the full truth. It was strange for Transcendents to be so easily swayed by emotion. They had probably wanted to show her how desperate they were and that they had no intention of deceiving her.
If she were like most heroes, who possessed inherently good natures, she might not have been able to turn them down. In that sense, it was fair to say they were trying to use her. But Hestia was different from other heroes. While she did have a good heart, she knew how to separate personal feelings from duty. And although she wasn’t quite on Arie’s level, she was also extremely sharp. She only became a fool when dealing with one specific person; she wasn’t actually stupid.
The old Hestia, the loner, would have simply taken the information and refused to help. She hadn’t promised to participate, and there was no need to risk her life just to keep up appearances.
But things were different now.
Hestia needed more information and experience. Unlike herself, who could reach Transcendence with her absurd talent alone, her friend was truly ordinary. The path to Transcendence that he had promised to walk was long and treacherous. Transcendence was not a realm one could challenge half-heartedly. Having watched other Transcendents, she understood this to her very bones. That was why she intended to help him with all her heart until he reached that level—even if it meant risking her own life.
This might be information I can never obtain again.
Information about the most alien being in existence. No one knew what path he had walked, but if she could meet him face to face and catch even a glimpse of that path, it would undoubtedly help her in some way. And that experience would surely be of great help to her friend as well.
Even Transcendents who were not satisfied with their current level and wished to climb higher would likely accept a deal with the Great Pioneers for the same reason. That was precisely why Hestia found it even more puzzling.
Why were the Great Pioneers so desperate for the participation of a hero who had not even reached Transcendence yet?
No matter how much she thought about it, she could not understand the world of Transcendents. She simply didn’t have enough information.
So… for now, obtaining the information comes first.
Having made up her mind, Hestia crushed the fragment of history in her hand.
"Fragment of History, unfold before me."
⟨ Echoes of the Past ⟩
— Crack!
And then… she gazed into history from the boundary between reality and illusion.
After a long journey, we obtained great treasures. With smiles brighter than ever, we savored this achievement and set off on our return path. With our elevated realms and the near-mystical authorities we had newly acquired, our journey had not been in vain! Let us all raise a toast and look forward to an even brighter future!
This is only the beginning. With the power of our authorities and treasures, we shall venture deeper into the Tomb.
Torn space and scorched earth… Countless magic circles placed everywhere and traces of unknown authorities… It was a chaotic sight one would never witness unless a group of Transcendents had waged all-out war.
The traces of battle left in every direction told just how desperate the fight had been.
Yes. A desperate fight indeed.
Seven Transcendents, horribly broken and barely clinging to life. All the battle scars had been left by them.
Yet their opponent stood completely unharmed. Not even the clothes wrapped entirely in darkness around him had been damaged. He simply stood there, watching the groaning Transcendents with hollow eyes.
— Why…! Why!!!
One Transcendent cried out in despair.
— I can never… hand it over…!
Another burned with fighting spirit.
— Was the treasure that tempting…?
One let out a sigh.
The hatred and resentment poured out by the seven Transcendents… but in the end, none of their emotions reached him. He showed no interest in any of the fallen figures and simply left.
Taking every single treasure from the Tomb that the seven had brought with him.
And so the mythical war came to a hollow end.
Hestia etched everything she had seen into her mind. He was surrounded entirely by darkness, yet she felt no darkness from him. He had hollow eyes, yet they were not empty. The image of the most contradictory being burned itself deep into her memory.
“Haaah…!”
Hestia woke with a gasp, breathing hard. Her entire body was drenched in cold sweat, and her thin clothes clung tightly to her figure. It was a dizzyingly indecent sight that would have been embarrassing for anyone to see, but there was no one else in the inn room with her.
“Haa…”
Letting out a deep sigh, Hestia recalled the horrifying scene she had witnessed. The seven Transcendents collapsed in miserable states. And “that being,” who had silently gathered the treasures from across from them before vanishing without a word.
She had essentially seen the shame of the Great Pioneers.
Now I understand why they were so desperate.
Having seen the past, Hestia could somewhat understand the feelings of those who had lost everything. She thought of the being who had subdued all the Great Pioneers and taken their treasures. The torn space and traces of authorities… It was clear that wasn’t his doing. Those were merely the desperate, frantic struggles of the Great Pioneers trying to protect their treasures from him.
All he had done was overwhelm them with absolute power and take the treasures. He had done nothing more and simply left. As if such troublesome matters were beneath him.
Hestia clutched her head as she recalled the being with hollow eyes wrapped in complete darkness. A headache tried to disrupt her focus. But she was a hero. She endured the pain and tried to recall the things she had seen but somehow “forgotten.”
The information given to her by Crebin, one of the Great Pioneers, contained everything related to that being. That meant his battles should have been included as well…
She was certain she had seen his fight through the history, yet for some reason only the result remained in her mind. Instinctively, she felt she understood why.
Hestia, the hero. As someone who was not yet a Transcendent, she had not been granted the right to view that information.