Ascension Gates: Rise of the Beast Monarch-Chapter 66: The Trace That Should Not Exist
Skygate Academy had already returned to its usual rhythm, as though the strange and dangerous events within the ruins had never taken place.
Students moved between training halls and lecture rooms in steady streams, their conversations filled with determination and quiet tension. The upcoming examinations had changed the atmosphere in subtle but unmistakable ways. Every discussion carried purpose. Every movement held intent. Even the laughter that occasionally echoed across the grounds felt restrained, as though everyone understood that the days ahead would not be easy.
Instructors walked along the pathways, observing carefully. Some offered guidance, while others simply watched, silently marking those who showed potential worth cultivating.
Everything continued as it always had.
Orderly.
Predictable.
Unchanged.
But beyond the academy—
Far beyond the boundaries of the lower world itself—
Something else had begun to move.
Something that did not belong.
---
Arven walked alone across a barren stretch of land.
The polite smile he had worn inside the academy was completely gone now. In its place remained a calm, controlled expression—one that revealed nothing, yet concealed everything.
The notebook in his hand was no longer a mere accessory.
It was a tool.
A record.
A silent witness to truths that most would never be allowed to know.
He stopped walking when he reached the center of the empty land.
This was the place.
The exact location where the ruins had once stood.
The same place he had visited before—when he had arrived too late to witness what truly mattered.
Now, he had returned.
This time, not as an observer.
But as a seeker of truth.
---
A slow wind moved across the barren terrain, lifting dust into the air before letting it fall again in quiet spirals.
There was nothing here.
No broken walls.
No remnants of ancient structures.
No lingering energy.
No trace of anything that had once existed.
It was as if the ruins had never been there at all.
Arven slowly exhaled as he looked around.
"So this is what remains after everything has been erased," he said quietly, his voice carrying a faint note of curiosity. "Not even a fragment... not even a residual echo of energy. Whoever did this ensured that nothing was left behind."
He crouched slightly, letting his gaze fall closer to the ground.
"This level of precision..." he continued thoughtfully, "...goes far beyond the capabilities of any ruin or formation I have encountered before. Even ancient systems leave behind something—some flaw, some trace. But this... this is absolute."
He straightened slowly.
"But that only makes it more suspicious," he added.
---
Arven closed his eyes briefly.
Then—
The air around him began to shift.
The calm, human-like presence he had maintained disappeared almost instantly.
In its place, something darker emerged.
Black mist began to seep from his body, curling outward in slow, deliberate motions. It twisted like living shadows, responding to an unseen will.
His true presence surfaced.
Heavy.
Distorted.
Oppressive.
The ground beneath his feet cracked faintly as the pressure intensified.
Arven opened his eyes again.
His gaze had changed.
"There’s no point in maintaining appearances here," he said calmly. "No one is watching... and even if they were, they wouldn’t understand what they’re seeing."
He raised his hand slowly, his fingers extending outward.
"Let’s see what you tried so hard to hide," he murmured.
---
A wave of dark energy surged outward from his body.
It spread silently across the barren land, like ripples moving through still water.
Invisible.
Undetectable.
But immensely powerful.
The energy penetrated the soil, drifted through the air, and slipped into deeper layers of existence.
It searched.
For anything.
For any disturbance.
Any fragment.
Any trace left behind.
For several long seconds—
There was nothing.
Then—
Arven’s eyes narrowed sharply.
"...There you are," he said, his voice lowering slightly as he focused.
---
He stepped forward slowly, his movements guided by instinct rather than sight.
Then he stopped.
Right in front of him—
The air shimmered.
Faintly. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Almost imperceptibly.
But it was there.
A distortion.
A crack.
Not something physical.
Not something that could be seen by ordinary means.
But something deeper.
Something tied to the fabric of reality itself.
Arven extended his hand carefully.
"This... should not exist in the lower world," he said quietly. "Not in this form. Not with this level of stability."
His fingers hovered just inches away from the distortion.
"If my assumptions are correct," he continued slowly, "then what I am looking at is not merely a residual phenomenon... but the result of a direct interaction with the boundary between world layers."
He paused briefly.
Then—
He touched it.
---
The air trembled.
A ripple spread outward.
And for a single moment—
He saw it.
---
A tear.
Not in space.
But in layers.
The boundary between worlds—
Disturbed.
Opened.
Closed.
---
Arven pulled his hand back instantly.
His expression shifted.
"...This is beyond anything I anticipated," he said under his breath. "A controlled fracture of this nature... in a location like this..."
He exhaled slowly.
"...Impossible."
--
He stepped closer again, his gaze sharpening with intense focus.
"This is not a natural occurrence," Arven said firmly. "No system within the lower world possesses the authority to create or manipulate something at this level."
He leaned slightly forward, studying the edges of the fracture.
"They’re too precise," he continued. "Too controlled. There’s no instability, no chaotic fluctuation. This wasn’t forced open through brute strength."
His eyes darkened.
"This was done deliberately."
A brief pause followed.
"Someone opened this boundary," he said.
"...and then sealed it again."
---
Arven closed his eyes and extended his senses further.
Deeper.
Past the visible distortion.
Past the fracture itself.
Into the faint traces that should have remained.
But what he found—
Was nothing.
He opened his eyes slowly.
"...There’s no trace of origin," he said. "No energy signature. No residual imprint. Not even a distortion in the temporal layer."
His voice lowered.
"This isn’t concealment."
"This is removal."
He frowned slightly.
"...Whoever passed through this boundary didn’t just leave," he continued. "They erased themselves completely."
---
He took a slow breath.
"...From space," he said.
"...and from time."
---
Aether’s words resurfaced in his mind.
A humanoid figure...
With wings...
And a tail...
Arven looked back at the fracture.
"...So the boy wasn’t entirely lying," he said quietly. "But he wasn’t telling the full truth either."
He straightened.
"What he described... was only a fragment," Arven continued thoughtfully. "A simplified image. A shadow of something much greater."
---
Arven stepped back slowly.
"If a being capable of manipulating the boundary between world layers was present here..." he said, "...and that being has now escaped..."
He exhaled.
"...then this situation has escalated far beyond initial expectations."
His gaze hardened.
"This is no longer a matter for lower-world observation."
---
Arven lowered his hand.
The black mist surrounding him began to withdraw, fading back into his body.
His human appearance returned.
Calm.
Controlled.
Unremarkable.
He looked at the fracture one last time.
"This is not something I can handle alone," he said quietly. "And attempting to interfere further would be... unwise."
---
He opened his notebook.
The pages shifted.
Symbols replaced ordinary writing.
Ancient markings formed, glowing faintly.
Arven began speaking as he wrote.
"Report designation: Lower World Anomaly."
"Subject classification: Ruin Collapse Event."
He paused briefly.
Then continued in a clear, measured tone.
"The ruins have been completely erased. There are no structural remnants or residual energy signatures remaining at the original site."
"A controlled fracture has been detected at the location."
He glanced toward it again.
"The nature of this fracture indicates a deliberate breach between the lower world and a higher-layer boundary."
He continued writing.
"Conclusion: An unidentified entity has escaped containment."
---
He paused again.
Then added more.
"The entity has removed all traces of its existence from both spatial and temporal layers."
"No identifiable signature remains."
"Memory suppression has affected all participants involved in the incident."
"Final individuals exhibit instinctual irregularities but lack conscious recall."
---
He stopped.
Then spoke one final line.
"Risk assessment: Elevated beyond initial operational parameters."
"Recommendation: Immediate review by higher authority required."
---
The symbols faded.
The message—
Had already been sent.
---
Arven closed the notebook slowly.
"...So that’s how it is," he said quietly.
He looked at the fracture.
"You’ve already moved beyond this place," he continued. "And whatever your purpose was here... it has already been fulfilled."
He paused.
"...But you left something behind."
A faint smile appeared.
"...And that is enough."
His body dissolved into black mist.
And vanished.
---
Far beyond the lower world—
Arven stood within a dark, endless corridor.
A presence formed before him.
Vast.
Silent.
Overwhelming.
He lowered his head.
"The report has been completed," Arven said calmly.
The pressure increased.
A signal.
He continued.
"The ruins have been erased entirely. A controlled boundary fracture was detected at the site."
He paused briefly.
"A higher-level entity has escaped into an unknown layer."
Silence followed.
Then—
A voice.
"...Identity?"
Arven hesitated slightly.
"The identity remains unknown," he replied. "However, a witness described a humanoid figure... possessing wings... and a tail."
The pressure shifted.
Interest.
---
The presence responded.
"...Observe."
Arven bowed his head further.
"I understand," he said. "I will continue monitoring the situation and gather further information."
---
The presence faded.
Arven stood alone.
"...So this is where things begin to change," he said quietly.
"This is no longer an investigation."
A faint smile formed.
"It is a hunt."
---
Unaware of everything—
Aether continued training.
The Flame Sovereign Pup moved with increasing precision, its flames sharper and more controlled with each passing moment.
Aether’s expression remained calm.
Focused.
He believed he was preparing for the exams.
But in truth—
He was preparing for something far greater.
---
Far beyond sight—
Between the unseen layers of existence—
A faint crimson glow flickered.
Watching.
Waiting.
Because Arven was not the only one—
Who had begun to notice.
