Marvel's master of cosmic magic-Chapter 606
Rowan could have taken the simple route.
Rise into the sky. Spread his consciousness across the entire city. Locate every individual with supernatural energy. Tear information directly from their minds.
He chose not to.
Power did not excuse recklessness.
Yes, he was strong. Absurdly so. But strength never guaranteed absolute dominance in an unfamiliar world. Assuming nothing could threaten him was the fastest way to die somewhere embarrassing.
Unknown world. Unknown rules. Unknown ceilings.
Caution came first.
New incarnations were valuable. Each one represented another path to power, another foundation for the future. If he ever reached the point of forging complete universes of his own, every additional incarnation would become another pillar supporting that ascension.
Wasting one for impatience would be foolish.
"Shirou Emiya. Sakura Matou."
Rowan’s gaze followed the two students walking ahead of him.
Neither was ordinary.
The teacher living with them was mundane. Entirely human.
But the two teenagers carried magical energy within their bodies.
Not just personal reserves.
Rowan could sense two distinct artifacts embedded in each of them. Not external. Not worn. Bound directly to their existence. Their magical signatures were profound, layered with conceptual weight, far beyond anything Rowan could casually replicate.
Objects like that did not belong to background characters.
"These two are probably tied to the center of this story," Rowan concluded.
Sticking close to them was the most efficient way to learn how this world truly worked.
If he was wrong, he could always change approach later.
Time was something he had in abundance.
Shirou and Sakura separated upon reaching school.
Shirou headed toward the second-year building. Sakura turned toward the first-year wing.
Rowan split his focus.
One presence continued following Shirou.
Another shadow followed Sakura.
He lost neither.
Within minutes, Rowan had a clearer picture of Shirou’s personality.
Helpful. Excessively so.
Before classes even began, Shirou had already repaired a broken heater, carried boxes for a club, and helped a classmate with materials.
He never refused.
What intrigued Rowan more was what Shirou did not know.
Despite possessing an extremely powerful internal artifact, Shirou barely understood magic at all. His crude ability extended little further than reinforcing and repairing machines.
A locked door holding a dragon.
Meanwhile, Rowan noticed someone else.
A girl in Shirou’s year.
Rin Tohsaka.
Unlike Shirou, Rin possessed both strong magical circuits and refined control. She walked like someone who knew exactly what she was.
Rowan assigned a third shadow to her.
Classes passed.
Lunch passed.
Nothing unusual.
By all appearances, three ordinary high school students living ordinary days.
After school, that illusion cracked.
Rin Tohsaka returned to an enormous mansion perched atop a quiet hill.
Rowan’s perception swept through the building.
Empty.
No parents. No servants. No guardians.
Only Rin.
"A wealthy family... but strangely alone," Rowan noted.
Inside, Rin pressed the answering machine.
A recorded voice played.
"January thirty-first. Three twenty-one p.m.
This is your final deadline. Two seats remain: Saber and Archer.
Summon your Servant and awaken your Command Spells.
If you value your life, report to the Church."
Rin slammed the button.
"I know already."
Rowan’s eyes narrowed.
"Saber. Archer. Servants. Holy Grail War. Church."
He followed Rin down into the mansion’s basement.
Rows of books stretched wall to wall. Ancient tomes. Modern grimoires. Magical research spanning generations.
"A long-standing mage lineage," Rowan judged.
He mentally copied every book.
Later, he would read them.
At the center of the basement lay a summoning circle carved directly into the floor. The structure was intricate, layered, and unlike most summoning arrays Rowan had encountered.
"A specialized system," he muttered.
Rin placed a jewel infused with her mana into the circle.
"Time and alignment confirmed. Even without a catalyst, I’ll summon Saber," she said with confidence.
She began chanting.
Light erupted.
The circle drew power from deep beneath the city, anchoring itself to a distant plane beyond ordinary space.
Rowan felt it immediately.
A soul was being pulled.
Not a spirit alone.
A spirit given form.
"A forced incarnation," Rowan realized. "Interesting."
The ritual ended.
A figure appeared within the circle.
Rowan watched silently.
This world’s magic had just revealed its first true card.
And Rowan intended to learn every rule.
