On the morning of their second day, Simon and Merida began their ’cleaning’ duties on the sixtieth floor. Their schedule was packed, starting early with a quota of at least five cores to destroy before they were granted any free time.
"Simon, over there!"
Merida seized Simon’s wrist and dragged him along.
"What’s the rush, Merida?" he panted.
She glanced back, blinking as if he’d asked the most obvious question in the world.
"I want to finish quickly so I can sleep."
"We just slept after breakfast!"
"I want to sleep more."
’She’s a true sleep fanatic.’ As they destroyed cores around the sixtieth floor, they encountered all sorts of people. The area seemed to be a hot spot, partly because Girdon’s presence prevented anyone from going above the seventieth floor.
"I’m so moved! To think I could witness the moment the Fonkure formula was completed!" one man wept with emotion.
"It would be my honor. I will stay with you until this day ends," another declared, having inserted himself into a historical reenactment as if he were one of the characters.
"No! War must be avoided at all costs! You’re going to be killed by an ally’s sword in exactly two weeks!" shouted an overly invested man. This was just an anomaly, a moment in history being replayed; changing it here wouldn’t alter the past. But the man, his face flushed with passion, continued to point fingers. "Yes, you! You killed the Count! Did you think I wouldn’t know you’re a spy from Kalos!"
He proceeded to spoil every historical event that was about to unfold. The gazes of the historical figures listening to him turned suspicious, and soon, their faces began to twist into monstrous, hideous expressions.
-How how how how how.
-But I know too. But I know too. But I know too.
-Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
The man finally let out a startled cry and stumbled backward.
"Get back!" Simon hurled a Chaos Sphere, which crackled as it blocked their approach. "Don’t you know the rules of the tower? Doing that will just create more monsters!"
"I-I was just...! It was so frustrating, knowing what was going to happen and not being able to do anything! That man is my ancestor!"
"Nothing you do here can change the present," Simon retorted coolly, summoning a second Chaos Sphere. "Merida! Help me... huh?"
But Merida was crouched by a warm, sunlit window in her signature cat-loaf pose, dozing off with a blissfully drowsy expression.
"Wake up, Merida!"
This dispatch was turning out to be utterly chaotic.
Dawn arrived. A thick darkness settled over the tower, and once again, Simon went to meet the Ghost of Time.
[You’ve come.]
Just like the day before, the Ghost helped him disable the security magic on the sixty-third floor. Simon entered without incident and activated Nephthys’s artifact.
"Phew."
Once the recording was complete, Simon stored the briefcase in his subspace and sank onto a chair, his expression complicated.
The Ghost of Time chuckled.
[You don’t look too happy.]
"Because I’m worried," Simon admitted, propping his chin on his hand. "Besides, aren’t you a little too calm, knowing the Tower of Time will collapse in three days? If something happens to the tower, you’ll disappear too."
[It’s not that I’m calm, but that I know it can’t be helped,] the Ghost said. [I can see time, but I am also a being that belongs to this tower. No matter what I do, I cannot change its blackened future.] He pointed a finger at Simon. [You, an outsider with special powers, are the only hope. All I can do is try to influence you.]
"Then wouldn’t it be faster to just tell me what I need to do, instead of showing me Meirin and Serne’s past?"
[There’s no need to rush,] the Ghost replied. [All events are destined to happen in their own time. The most important thing right now is for you to slowly learn the truth about the Ivory Tower.]
He was a bit evasive, but Simon supposed a transcendent being would have a different perspective. He stood from his seat.
"Then let’s begin."
[Very well.] The Ghost waved his hand, and the world around Simon once again dissolved into historical gray.
"Ahahaha!" They giggled.
As time passed, Meirin and Serne became inseparable. With them so close, the other children who had once mocked Serne as a beggar now naturally included her. With Meirin’s help, she quickly adapted to life in the Ivory Tower.
"Ah, I’m exhausted!" The two girls, having played to their hearts’ content, flopped onto the grass. They stared blankly at the white clouds before turning to look at each other and bursting into laughter. Just making eye contact was enough to bring them joy.
"Today’s class was fun, wasn’t it, Seri?"
"Uh-huh. It was fun drawing what we want to be in the future. What do you want to be when you grow up, Meirin?"
"Me?" Meirin grinned. "I’m going to be a cool female Tower Master!"
"Wow!"
"And I’ll make the tower more prosperous than ever! I’ll make the people outside look up to us again!"
"But isn’t this the era of Kizen now?"
"We’ll rise higher than Kizen, become greater!" Meirin reached her hand toward the clouds and made a grasping motion. "I’ll use any means necessary to bring back the glorious era of the Ivory Tower!"
The subject the children of the Ivory Tower were taught most was history. Two thousand years of it, detailing the tower’s greatness. Every child here was instilled with an immense sense of pride.
"Uh-huh. I’m sure you’ll be a great Tower Master, Meirin," Serne said earnestly.
Meirin suddenly blushed, turning her head away in embarrassment. Serne giggled and held up her pinky finger.
"I promise, Meirin."
"What?"
She linked her finger with Meirin’s.
"I’ll make you the Tower Master."
"...Yeah. Thanks, Seri."
It was a heartwarming scene. Watching from a distance, Simon scratched the side of his head. ’They were so close back then. How did they end up as bitter rivals?’
The surroundings filled with gray light as the scene shifted.
A considerable amount of time seemed to have passed. Both Meirin and Serne had lost their childish features and now carried themselves like young ladies.
"Hah... Hah..."
Kneeling on the floor before them was a white orb. Meirin panted as she stared at it, its surface so completely covered in ice that it was barely visible. ’I did it...!’ She smiled, wiping away a bead of sweat. Her magic instructor smiled as well.
"An incredible talent, Lady Meirin. To be able to completely encase this orb in ice at your age is remarkable."
Meirin’s head snapped up.
"It’s amazing, right?"
"Of course. This is the ’Orb of the Frost Emperor’. It cannot be frozen simply through powerful ice magic. Only a chosen one, blessed by a spirit, can accomplish such a feat."
As a child, Meirin had shown off by freezing this orb, basking in the attention of all the adults. She loved this orb.
The teacher then turned to Serne.
"Now, shall Lady Serne give it a try?"
"Yes."
She calmly placed her hand on the orb. A sharp crackling sound filled the air.
The teacher gasped, his eyes wide, and stumbled backward. The other children were just as stunned. The Orb of the Frost Emperor was now covered in jagged spikes of ice, resembling a miniature glacier.
’H-How is this possible! Even adult necromancers with opened cores can’t do this...!’
Serne lifted her head.
"Is this sufficient?"
"...A-Amazing."
Serne was composed, but Meirin watched her with a look of raw envy. After class, the two walked side by side.
"Seri, that was incredible," Meirin muttered, her expression downcast.
Serne blinked, then smiled brightly.
"It’s nothing. With a little practice, you can do it too, Meirin."
In truth, Serne’s talent had exploded the moment she began learning magic. Meirin, who had received a gifted education, had been far ahead, but Serne surpassed her in less than a year. Some adults whispered that once she opened her core and could imbue her magic with Jet-Black, the gap between them would become a chasm.
"Seri!" Meirin couldn’t bear the thought of being left behind. She clenched her fists. "That ice magic assignment you received... could you teach me, too? Right now!"
"Huh?" Serne gave a troubled smile. "You want to learn from me? But Meirin, you’re the heir to the Ivory Tower."
"Hey, what does that matter! Teach me! I want to get better, too!"
"Ah... okay. If you insist..."
"Thanks, Seri!" Meirin threw her arms around Serne in a tight hug.
Serne smiled sweetly and stroked her hair.
"Then where should we—"
"Lady Serne!" A group of mages hurried over to them. "The tower elders are looking for you."
"Oh, are they?" Serne turned to Meirin. "I’m so sorry."
"...N-No, it’s fine!" Meirin forced a smile and waved her hands. "Hurry back, Seri!"
"Okay. I will."
Recently, Serne had become the center of the adults’ attention. It was only natural for a talent said to appear only once in a millennium.
’The word ’genius’ is an understatement!’
’This magic! Can you try this!’
’My goodness! You actually did it! My late master, are you watching!’
Teach her one thing, and she understood twenty. Her talent was truly heaven-sent. And naturally, whispers followed.
’Of course, the heir, Lady Meirin, is also excellent, but...’
’She’s up against the wrong person.’
’It’s ridiculous to even compare them.’
The same adults who had once scorned Serne for her low birth were now completely captivated by her talent.
"Serne! Hi!"
"How have you been? Want to eat lunch together?"
The children who had once teased her for being a beggar now followed her every move. Every boy had a crush on her; every girl wanted to be her. Ironically, the only person left by Meirin’s side—the one who had first opened her heart to Serne—was now Serne herself.
"The elders called me, but it was nothing special," Serne said with a giggle. "Just another magic demonstration."
"Uh, I see..." Meirin smiled, careful not to let her true feelings show. It was all because Serne was so skilled. It wasn’t her fault. But the more she told herself that, the more pathetic she felt.
"H-Hey, Seri."
"Yeah?"
"About the position of Tower Master..."
"Yeah?"
"The adults..." Her lips trembled. "They say you’re a better fit than me... and to be honest, I think so too..."
Serne took hold of Meirin’s shoulders. Meirin looked up, startled.
"I made a promise, didn’t I?" Serne gazed at her, her eyes serious. "Do you remember what we promised with our pinkies?"
"...Ah, yeah."
"What did I say?"
Meirin blushed, her voice barely a whisper.
"...That you’d make me the Tower Master."
"That’s right." Serne finally broke into a brilliant smile. "No matter what the adults say, you are the Tower Master, Meirin."
Tears welled in Meirin’s eyes. There was no need for jealousy or envy. Serne was still her friend, the one person who truly, more than anyone, supported her dream.
"Thank you, Seri." Meirin burst into tears and hugged her friend tightly.
The next morning, Meirin hurried along with light steps, on an errand from the elders to deliver a book to the Tower Master. She was secretly pleased. This was another chance to make a good impression on the tower’s ruler. She knew he and her father didn’t get along, but he was still the most powerful mage in the tower and the one who had named her his successor.
Suddenly, a thought struck her. ’I wonder if the Tower Master regrets making me the heir?’
After all, his own daughter, Serne, was a genius hailed as the greatest in the Ivory Tower’s two-thousand-year history.
’Actually...’
A part of Meirin had to admit it. Serne was better suited for the role. The adults said so, and she felt it, too. Of course, the succession was already decided, but there was talk of changing the tower’s laws just to put Serne in that position.
’I promise. I’ll make you the Tower Master.’
’No matter what the adults say, you are the Tower Master, Meirin.’
She could trust Serne. If the laws were changed and Serne became the heir, Meirin was prepared to accept it. She even planned to be the one to persuade Serne to take the position she would surely refuse. This time, ’she’ wanted to be the one to say it. ’I’ll make you the Tower Master.’
’Phew.’
Meirin cleared her troubled mind and walked on with purpose.
"@^$#&!!"
A loud noise echoed from the Tower Master’s room. Was someone already there? Meirin quieted her footsteps and crept closer.
"What happened, Father?!"
It was a sharp, piercing voice. Meirin froze in shock. ’Seri?’
She had never heard the always graceful and calm Serne shout with such fury. Overcome with curiosity, Meirin moved closer.
"Meirin doesn’t have the skill for it!"
Meirin felt her heart plummet with a dull thud.
"Look at this! I froze the Orb of the Frost Emperor this much! Meirin can’t do this!"
The Tower Master’s placating voice followed, but Serne’s harsh shout cut him off.
"Let me be clear, I cannot concede on this matter!"
That day, Meirin heard the words that shattered her world.
"I will become the Tower Master!"

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