Another year quietly passed, with Zelos continuing his studies under Kratos, focusing on combat skills and the discipline of strengthening his physical body. What became clear to both of them was how overwhelming the Essence of the Sorcerer's Lord truly was.
The blessing not only enhanced Zelos' magical ability but also granted him natural growth in terms of physical strength, stamina, and adaptability. Unlike most mages, who were vulnerable in close combat, Zelos was developing into an all-around fighter who could match both at a distance and at arm's reach.
At the same time, his magical studies expanded into more complex fields. Through experimentation, Zelos managed to create a functional golem from the raw magic in the surrounding area. The achievement gave him satisfaction, but he noticed quickly that these constructs were fragile in nature.
Without enchantments layered on them, the golems crumbled easily under pressure, making them unreliable in battle. This discovery pushed Zelos toward studying enchantment magic more seriously, hoping to create a system that would reinforce such creations.
It was during these thoughts that another idea emerged. Zelos recalled a character from The Seven Deadly Sins, someone he considered to have the most overpowered magical ability in anime—Merlin, with her Infinity magic. That ability allowed any spell to remain active indefinitely, its effect maintained without faltering, and even Merlin's death could not undo it. The concept fascinated Zelos, for if he could replicate such a thing, it would become one of the strongest foundations of his magical path.
He began theorizing on how such a spell could function. From all his studies, he knew one principle above all else: every spell demanded a cost. Every casting required mana, every effect had a price. Infinity, however, seemed to ignore that rule.
'How could a spell remain active forever, without draining the caster endlessly? How could it loop infinitely without breaking?' Zelos questioned this again and again, the thoughts refusing to leave his mind.
This problem became the first true obstacle since receiving the Essence. He wrestled with the concept for months, often losing himself in thought to the point that Faye and Kratos noticed his distraction.
"What troubles you, Zelos?" Faye asked him one evening, her tone carrying both concern and curiosity.
"I'm struggling with a concept," Zelos admitted honestly. "It's about a form of magic that runs on the principle of infinity. The goal is to make a spell remain active for as long as I desire—years, centuries—unless I myself cancel it."
His words made Faye pause. It was the first time she had heard her son confess difficulty in grasping a magical concept. She shook her head softly, aware that in all her knowledge, both Vanir and Giant, there was nothing remotely close to what he described. It seemed impossible.
"Perhaps," Faye said gently, "if you cannot conceive it, then it may not be possible—at least not yet."
"Perhaps," Zelos echoed, though his eyes still carried determination.
Inwardly, he admitted the truth. 'Maybe it really is impossible. Maybe Infinity isn't a spell but a trait, something innate, like a divine gift. In its original world, it was a power even the Demon King and Goddess sought after. Perhaps it cannot be replicated here.'
But then, another thought struck him. He remembered the Infinity Barrier he had already created, the one inspired by Gojo's cursed technique. That spell functioned on the manipulation of space and time, placing infinite distance between himself and an incoming attack. If he could apply similar principles, perhaps Infinity magic was not impossible after all.
With this in mind, Zelos designed a new enchantment circle. Its function was simple in theory but complex in practice: the circle would trap a spell in stasis, looping its activation so that each casting was reset over and over. He tested it with a basic fire spell. To his satisfaction, the flame reignited endlessly, repeating itself without him manually recasting it. This breakthrough became the cornerstone of his work.
He refined the process further. By adjusting the magic circle, he discovered a way to combine spells before they were released, creating layered effects. Two separate fire spells could merge into one flame with double the intensity. With more adjustments, he began developing stacking effects, amplifying simple spells into devastating forces.
The work consumed years. From ages seven to ten, Zelos poured his focus into refining this system. Three years may not have seemed long compared to how slow magical development usually was, where even a single advancement could take centuries, but for Zelos, it felt long. The Essence gave him overwhelming clarity, but Infinity still required constant trial and error.
Finally, when he succeeded in fully stabilizing the technique, the result filled him with quiet satisfaction. A single spark of fire, when placed within the circle, became an eternal blaze, endlessly sustained and infinitely amplified, waiting only for release.
Zelos, now ten years old, returned home with a smile that he could not hide. During a family meal, both Faye and Kratos immediately sensed the change.
"Have you succeeded, Zelos?" Faye asked, watching his expression closely.
"Yes, Mother," Zelos answered, his voice unable to mask his excitement. "I've succeeded." He then explained the workings of his Infinity enchantment, his hands moving slightly as he described the process. Kratos listened silently, his expression unreadable, while Atreus simply continued eating, uninterested in words he could not understand.
At one point, Zelos' eyes shifted toward Kratos, noticing the Leviathan Axe resting at his father's side. "Father," he said suddenly, "would you like me to enchant your weapon?"
Kratos looked at him directly. "What would you do?"
"I want to amplify its frost, to make its power to freeze a thousand times stronger."
Kratos shook his head slightly. "I have no need for that strength. But if the day comes when such a thing is required, then we will speak again."
Zelos nodded, accepting the answer without protest. The conversation ended there, and the four of them continued their meal, the quiet atmosphere broken only by the sound of Atreus chewing, unaware of the significance of what his brother had just achieved.