SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

"Haaa…"

Neron Kaelid stood on the edge of a fractured world, gazing into the endless void of space where stars no longer dared to shine.

The Nether's corruption had spread far and deep, weaving through time like a malignant vine choking the life from the Aether Tree. The Singularity's heart was heavy with guilt and resolve. He had failed to stop it once.

He would not fail again.

Raising his hand, Neron summoned the infinite streams of Aether around him, the currents bending to his will. His eyes glowed with a fierce determination, and the world around him began to rewind.

Mountains that had crumbled into dust reformed, seas that had boiled away returned to their basins, and the sky, torn asunder, stitched itself back together. Time itself spiraled backward, resetting the ruined world to a point before the devastation began.

He tried again.

**********

The first attempt was precise, surgical. Neron intercepted the Nether's initial corruption, striking at the tendrils of darkness before they could spread.

His mastery of Aether ensured every strike landed true, severing the threads of chaos and sealing the cracks in reality.

But Legris' manipulations ran deep.

The moment he severed one tendril, another emerged from a place he hadn't foreseen. An entire continent fell into shadow before he could react, its people screaming as they were consumed by the Nether's endless hunger.

He rewound time again.

********

The second attempt was more aggressive.

Neron unleashed his full power the moment the Nether began its invasion, aiming to overwhelm it before it could gain a foothold. Entire armies of corrupted beings were wiped out in an instant, their forms reduced to ash by the blinding light of his Aether.

But Legris' influence extended beyond the physical.

His schemes were etched into the fabric of time itself. As Neron obliterated the Nether's forces, he realized too late that the corruption had already taken root in the minds of those he sought to protect.

Betrayals erupted among allies, civilizations turned against one another, and the timeline crumbled anew.

Time and time again, Neron rewound the world.

He fought harder, smarter, trying every tactic his boundless mind could conjure.

He rewrote events, erased battles, even sought alliances with beings he had once considered enemies.

Yet, every attempt ended in failure.

The timeline resisted his interference, fracturing further with each reset.

The Nether's presence was a stain too deeply embedded, and Legris' machinations were beyond anything he had faced before.

It was like knew him inside and out—every plan he could ever concoct.

On his final attempt, Neron stood amidst the chaos, exhausted.

His body ached from the strain of manipulating time, his Aether nearly depleted.

The Nether's laughter echoed across the void, mocking him.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

For all his power, for all his status as the Singularity, he was alone.

And that, he realized, was his greatest weakness.

*********

Neron released the timeline, allowing it to return to its natural course.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, the weight of his failures pressing down on him. He could not save the world alone.

Turning his gaze upward, he looked beyond the branches of his universe, into the infinite expanse of the Aether Tree.

Other branches, other worlds, other possibilities. He had to know how they fared. Perhaps within their wisdom, he could find answers.

Summoning his remaining strength, Neron tore open a portal, a shimmering gateway to another branch of the Aether Tree.

He stepped through, leaving behind the shattered remnants of his timeline.

The first branch he visited was a universe where Aether flowed like a river, untainted by corruption. The beings there wielded it with reverence, their mastery of Magic far surpassing anything Neron had witnessed.

Here, he learned of Merlin, the first Singularity and the one who had discovered Magic. Merlin's story was etched into the very fabric of this world, a tale of discovery, sacrifice, and creation.

Merlin had seen Magic not as a tool but as a gift, an extension of existence itself.

He had nurtured it, ensuring it grew alongside the beings who wielded it. Neron felt a profound respect for the ancient Singularity, realizing how integral Magic was to the world.

In the end, Merlin was also deceived and betrayed by one he viewed as a comrade. Still, he sacrificed himself to stop Aether… saving the world before it got destroyed.

He did a much better job than Neron did.

In another branch, Neron sought the Apostles of Aether, beings who had originated Magic itself. They welcomed him as a kindred spirit, a bearer of balance in a time of chaos.

With them, Neron trained, honing his understanding of Aether and Magic to levels he hadn't thought possible. They spoke to him of the Aether Tree's nature, how every branch was a reflection of the same truth, and how even the Singularity had limits when faced with the infinite possibilities of existence.

It was all so profound, but he humbled himself and learned it all.

Traveling to the past, Neron met the Apostles as they first began shaping Magic.

Their discussions were long and deep, filled with debates on responsibility, creation, and the dangers of power unchecked. He saw firsthand how Magic had been forged, how it had evolved, and how it had shaped the very foundation of reality.

For the first time, Neron began to appreciate Magic not just as a weapon but as a living force, one that needed balance as much as the universe itself.

But as his understanding grew, so did his realization of the monumental task before him.

Magic was a force of creation and destruction, and the Nether's corruption had twisted it into something unrecognizable. He could not simply fight the Nether with brute strength; he needed to outmaneuver it.

It was then the idea struck him.

A wild card. A variable Legris could not anticipate. Someone who could tip the balance in Neron's favor.

One name came to mind: Lewis Griffith, the Great Sage.

If anyone could help Neron find a way to stop the Nether, it was him.

Neron smiled faintly, his determination rekindled. He would find Lewis, bring him into the timeline, and together, they would rewrite fate itself.

For the first time in countless attempts, Neron felt hope.

"You may know me inside and out, Legris… but there is a man who is so unpredictable that even the world recognizes him."

And that was how the plan began…

—Lewis Griffith's reincarnation as Jared Leonard.

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[A/N]

The next chapter will be my final chapter of SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.

It's been an amazing ride.