Remus Breaker was on the same platform of multi-color lights of the Astral Realm. His arm clasped his hand behind his back as he looked into the cosmos in contemplation. A familiar face walked toward him. Rem was relieved to see her. She always kept him on an even keel when he doubts himself.

“Hello, Cy,” Rem greeted his friend. “How is Ehto?”

“He is calculating the Leyline composition for the worst-case scenario,” Cytortia informed Rem. “We are setting the array around Centuria at the moment.”

“Can we make it to the rest of Tengen?” Rem asked.

“Maybe Frisnia,” Cytortia confessed. “But I’m not banking on Tai and Nadia letting us stroll into their territory to set up a scientific experiment.”

“I see,” Rem said, calculating the path to victory with his [Clairvoyance]. “We might have to make a stand in Centuria in the worst-case scenario.”

The gloomy atmosphere hung for some time. Unable to bear the suspense, Cytortia confronted Rem about why he was here. Remus Breaker might be the bravest man Cytortia ever met, but he was full of insecurities. His success pushed him up to the height, which made potential fall more painful in his mind.

“You want to ask me how to teach the new guy,” Cytortia said.

“Yes,” Rem said stoically, refusing to betray the storm of fear in him.

“Rem, you are my mentor,” Cytortia said. “You taught Hikma the basics, dug Luxinna out of her depression, and corrected Melody’s attitude. You are like our big brother.”

“Precisely,” Rem said. “But Yuri didn’t need a big brother, he needed a father figure.”

“Oh my god,” Cytortia couldn’t believe Rem’s paranoia. “I’ve heard this before. You are afraid of turning into Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

“Glad to see you are enjoying Star Wars,” Rem said. “Just watch nothing aside from the original trilogy and the Clone Wars.”

“Too late,” Cytortia said, wishing she could unlearn The Last Jedi. “Don’t tell me you are afraid Yuri might transform into Darth Vader if you screw up.”

Rem’s silence was an adequate answer.

“Rem,” Cytortia said. “Yuri isn’t Anakin Skywalker, and we aren’t the Jedi Council. The fact you are afraid of failing so badly before training the kid proved you are way wiser than that guy with the purple lightsaber.”

“Don’t compare me to the fucking Mace Windu,” Ciel said.

“Rem, you are like our Yoda,” Cytortia said. “Trust me, Yuri couldn’t ask for a better teacher.”

Rem wasn’t so sure about that, “I hope you are right, Cy.”

Cytortia sighed. Leave it to Rem to be self-conscious in the place he had no business being so.

…

In the ocean somewhere in Phantasia, a ship was slowly edging toward the port of Danghai.

On that ship, a half-blood Elf named Mamacia Cocogar was watching over the ocean.

Mamacia was born for greatness. She was a product of her mother — an Isle of Knowledge’s Manager — genetic experiment. The Elf researcher had combined her genetic with the modded human chromosome to give birth to a halfling with the versatility of human, natural advantage of an Elf and power of Divine Race. Her potential landed her among the storied list of the 33 Stars. From a young age, Mamacia Cougar commanded fear and respect.

Yet, it wasn’t enough. Her family lineage couldn’t match-up to the ancient family such as Enma Clan or the Scion of Holy Grace Church. She got equal potential, but less support. As Mamacia secretly bit her lips in frustration at how unfairly she ranked, her wish for an opportunity to prove herself superiority only grew.

The opportunity came, and it was a joke to every party; her and her competitor included.

A month after the Venistalis Incident, Mamacia and the number of 33 Stars responded to a discovery of a certain inheritance left behind by Alcra Shaxter — the Father of the Isle of Knowledge. With her founder’s treasure as bait, Mamacia and her rivals plunged into a treasure hunt.

There, she discovered Alcra’s greatest shame — the monster he created — and learned how powerless she was.

She should have died. The monster caught them in a perfectly calculated trap. However, in that darkest hour, a certain group emerged to send that monster back to the purgatory it clawed from.

The Black Knights, who wore the symbol of rising dawn.

Mamacia’s fist clenched into her skin at that memory of the battle above the ocean.

The members of a knight rallied to defeat the mechanical monstrosity. All of them were a rebellion against the very concept of limit. A blond mistress whose power rewound time to dispel injuries. The mage who cast every element known to man and some more. A female Demon with the power of a Dragon. A masked man whose arrival heralded their victory.

Mamacia gritted her teeth. Then it was that woman. She might hide her ears, but with the benefit of hindsight, Mamacia believed she was an elf. That woman might disguise herself from fellow Elf like Magnolia Drakokia who was present then, but Mamacia knew better. She did research on Elf’s racial skill before her tenth birthday. That signature couldn’t be fake.

It was an Elf wielding the power of lightning who made the finishing blow on that monster.

Those heroes saved the day, and after a brief shouting match with that weird vampire, left for god-know-where.

She and her fellow aspirants got robbed of their glory that day. Their pride was annihilated. They were supposed to be Phantasia’ elite, and these no names upstaged and overpowered them. Mamacia felt it the worst. She was supposed to be a genetic superior to a classic Elf, and that was the result.

It would be more acceptable if she was beaten by Magnolia Drakokia — the Elves’ once-in-a-millennium prodigy. They had a rivalry going for years — the herald of the classic Elven royalty against the prized creation of the Isle of Knowledge.

Then a random lightning-wielding hillbilly came in with a glowing sword and defeated them both by a mile.

Worst, Magnolia was so distracted by that Black Knight that she barely acknowledges the existence of her rival — of Mamacia Cougar.

Mamacia slammed her fist on her ship railing, recalling the name of the woman who rapidly climbed her shit-list. It took her a hack into the Seven Continental Alliance’s database to find out what exactly was robbing away her worth.

Mamacia cursed that name, “Ace…”

Ring!

It was then the summon from the boss arrived

…

If any Earthing who enjoyed movies were here, they would recognize the room. It was the room of every evil headmaster or shady prison warden. Somehow, the universe decided that all shady authority had converged on a red carpet and heavy desk in front of the adequately wide window.

Mamacia stood, preparing herself for the conversation with the man at the peak of the Isle of Knowledge—Director El Acerbia. The person who could be called the World's Smartest Man.

Acerbia wasn’t fully human. He was a half-demon who studied under Professor Alcra Shaxter and left the Balperia’s Department of Technology with his mentor to build a new organization from ground-up. This tall half-demon with ears of an imp and deep purple-hair held Phantasia’s technological development by the pulse. For twenty years, Acerbia had expanded the corporatocracy into an organization which wasn’t any lesser than the Enma Clan and the SCA. Even his clothing was a technological marvel. The all white lab-coat was self ventilating and retardant to every form of environmental hazard.

….

Mamacia Cougar wasn’t exactly correct. El Acerbia was indeed amongst the top intellectual of Phantasia, but he wasn’t the No.1. If Dream was presented in the room, he would bitterly correct that answer. It was a bitter acknowledgement. In an event called the Hidden Vault, the true undisputed World’s Smartest Man became the only person in recent memory to outsmart Remus Breaker.

El Acerbia might not own the title of the smartest, but he was still the intellect who couldn’t be underestimated.

…

“Mamacia,” El Acerbia’s voice was more mellowed than honey. “I want to talk to you about this.”

Acerbia flicked the switch beneath his deck, and the holographic image was projected on the table. Beside it, were several lists and a log-report.

Mamacia recognized her research history.

“You are doing a very dangerous thing,” Acerbia said, displaying no sign of anger. “The Black Knight is a very sensitive subject for the Grand Empire. The SCA didn’t want anyone to ask questions.”

Mamacia stood in silence, preparing herself to be reprimanded.

“I’m not angry, Mamacia,” Acerbia said, smiling at the half-blood Elf. “I’m pleased.” He glanced at the image of the golden lightning. “You finally move on to a greater target than the Drakokia. Ace, isn’t it? You truly have a vision.” Acerbia clapped. “Come on, Mamacia. I am a family friend. Your cool uncle. You think I will be angry at the thought of you breaking a stuffy international regulation. Didn’t I teach you that the pursuit of knowledge is the shattering of taboos?”

“I’m sorry,” Mamacia finally said something. “I should have—”

“No, no, no,” Acerbia shook his head exasperatedly. “You’ve nothing to be sorry about. Sure, it would help if you ask me first, but you have done nothing wrong.” Acerbia finally threw the fishing-line. “Tell me. What do you think about this ‘Ace’?”

“She is strong,” Mamacia said.

“Strong?” Acerbia dropped more blood in the water. “How strong? Can you beat her?”

Mamacia struggled to bring out her next word.

Acerbia inched closer to the girl's heart, “Mamacia, it isn’t shameful to admit your weakness. Only when you accept your limit would you have a chance of breaking it.”

Mamacia dropped her wall and confessed, “I can’t.” She trembled. “I don’t think I can ever defeat Ace.”

Acerbia feigned empathy on the level of the Oscar, “That must be tragic.” He further weaved the thread of manipulation. “You are genetically bred to outdo everything in this world, to demolish all the walls of humanity. But life must send an abbreviation of nature to conquer you.” Acerbia unleashed his true aim. “I understand how you are feeling, Mamacia. Frustration. Anger. It must be painful. How much will you give to defeat this ‘Ace’, Mamacia?”

“What?” Mamacia looked up in surprise.

Acerbia knew the fish would bite the bait, but he played hard-to-get, “No, forget it.” He faked a second-thought. “That project is still risky. It might give you the power to overcome Ace, but it might be too harsh on you.”

“What project?” Mamacia shouted. She realized she was raising her voice and quickly dropped back into a formal tone. “Director, what is this project about?”

El Acerbia smiled.

“If you want to know, I can tell you about my recent collaboration,” Acerbia picked up a file. “Are you prepared to become a Genolord?”

“Genolord?” Mamacia was confused. “What is it?”

“Invincibility, Mamacia,” the Director of the Isle of Knowledge whispered. “It is a path to invincibility.”

…

In the clearing with a family van, Rem officially began the first lesson in the tradition of the Horizon Dawn.

“There is no such a thing as invincibility,” Rem orated to the blond boy sitting on the log. “A counter exists for every punch. There are ways to overcome even the most impenetrable defense. Every cheat has a catch. Acknowledging our vulnerability is the first step to self-improvement and satisfaction. You can’t do everything, Yuri. Even I have a limit. That is why the Horizon Dawn is at its strongest when assembled together. Together, we magnify our strength and cover each other's shortfall.”

Yuri nodded. Beside him, the ghostly image of L and T wanted to argue against Rem. The ghostly duo was still bitter about Rem spoiling their last party.

‘Funny,’ L said. ‘In my illustrious career, I triumph alone.’

“Because you never have an equal,” Rem said. “You only have minions and yes-man. That the error of chasing the peak, L.” Rem raised his eyebrows. “It gets lonely at the peak of Everest, and no amount of personal power can fill that void.”

L tried to argue, ‘The apex is—’

“‘The apex is the path of solitude,’” Rem finished L’s quote. “Yeah, she told me all about your master’s sophistry. Let me ask you, who is sane enough to build a house on the peak of Everest? No one would, because there is literally nothing there. You think climbing a mountain is hard? Sorry, call me when you build a space-colony.”

‘Space-colony?’ L blinked despite having nobody. ‘What is that?’

“It is a place for humans to live outside the planet, L,” Yuri answered.

‘Off-planet?’ T said. ‘You mean in a different realm.’

“Unbelievable,” Rem said. “All the space-time power, the pocket dimension, the Multiverse, and none of you ever considered exploring the cosmos. Talk about having a petty ambition.” Rem realized he was getting off-topic. “Anyway. Invincibility is never a thing, but that is no excuse for being unprepared.” Rem then asked the question. “Yuri, what is the top priority in battle.”

“Err,” Yuri was lost at that question.

It was T who butt in.

‘To survive,’ T said.

“Wow, someone isn’t a hopeless case,” Rem said. “Yes, the goal of the battle is to outlast your opponent. There will be a time we all have to risk our neck, but we don’t have an excuse for dying. Remember, if a hero dies, no one will save the innocent. Thus, my first lesson will be about helping you walk-out of a fight with your life.

“It might sound easy, but it is not. A bag of meat called a human is prone to dying from good old ballistic to excess heat or blood loss. I’m not even getting to mystical one-hit-kill. I’m not sugar-coating this, Yuri, but being in the Dawn is playing at veteran difficulty. As the guy who intervenes in the fight, everyone and everything will try to murk you. Therefore, every member of the Dawn must be able to take a decent amount of hits. We can’t afford to get one-shot by lucky torpedoes or random curse arrows fired by a possessed Elf.”

Yuri raised his hand, “How did you survive that anyway?”

“I’m getting to it,” Rem said. “The technique I am teaching is called Aura. It implements one of the hidden properties of Mana as a near universal energy conductor.”

‘A what?’ L said.

Even the stoic T was surprised by this revelation, ‘Okay, I don’t know that.’

“Er,” Yuri looked worriedly at his mental room-mate. “Should I be concerned that these two did not know about this?”

“You shouldn’t,” Dream explained. “Phantasian still doesn’t fully understand Mana. They are copying the Divine-races who used it unconsciously.” Rem rolled his eyes at the oblivious L and T. “Yes, that is bad. If you cannot explain how your power works, there is no differentiating you from a quirky beast. I’m still fascinated that this fact still hasn’t dawned on someone like Athena.” Rem then further went into detail. “You remember my explanation about Malice and Center Force, right?”

“Yeah,” Yuri said. “Two cosmic forces in eternal war.”

“Yep,” Rem said. “Mana operates on the same scale. It is the massive ocean of collective spiritual will and life-force underpinning the Multiverse. The ultimate energy conductor with a life of its own, dispersing over all reality like the ocean of tapestry for both Malice and Center Force to narrate their eternal war.” Rem waved his hand, and the wind rustled. “As a force, it is incredibly sensitive to individuality and traits. Certain methods can shape Mana into a separate will or change its state to adopt different properties. It is everywhere, but in different forms and personalities.”

“Then why isn’t it on Earth?” Yuri asked what was pinging in his mind for a year.

“We can’t use it on Earth because it operates on a wavelength humanity couldn’t detect,” Rem said. “That is obviously not the case with Phantasia.” He went back to Aura. “The utilization of Mana is a subject which will take you time to master, but now you only need to understand its application as a transmitter of energy.”

“You keep emphasizing on that conductor of energy,” Yuri said. “Why?”

“Because most magical attacks revolve around dumping and taking energy around you,” Rem said. “Aura is a technique to coat a layer of Mana above your body like a protective suit. It can conduct away harmful energy input like — I don’t know — a giant fireball launched by Shyme, or a pressure from Alpine. It can also contain your thermal energy, preventing you from being clapped the instant Orwell drops the temperature by two-hundred degrees.”

“Oh,” Yuri got it. “So that is how you stroll through all that fire and ice in the White Tower. Wait, is that why nothing we did landed on Orwell?”

“Exactly,” Rem smiled at the fact his newest student caught. “Orwell used Aura on top of Adamakles to make his already solid defense even more formidable.” Rem mused a little. “The high-ranking Divine Core of the god subconscious protects high-ranking Divine-race in the same way. That is why they are so difficult to kill.” Rem smiled. “But because they never learn the mechanism of the technique, they doesn’t know the variation I am about to teach you.”

“But don’t you say they can use it naturally?” Yuri said, beside him, L and T were stunned at this knowledge.

“Yuri, subconsciously using the technique is good, but true mastery comes with understanding,” Rem’s smile widened. “By the end of your training, you will agree with me.”