Silence.
Lionel stared at the figure before him.
King Solomon.
Or rather—
an echo of King Solomon.
A remnant.
A shadow left behind by a man too powerful to disappear completely.
---
The projection watched him calmly.
Golden eyes filled with amusement.
Curiosity.
And something else.
Something Lionel couldn't identify.
---
Finally—
Solomon spoke.
---
"You expected someone older."
---
Lionel nodded.
---
"Honestly?"
---
"Yes."
---
"I expected more wrinkles."
---
The ancient king laughed.
A genuine laugh.
---
"Many do."
---
"You look younger than my father."
---
"Your father looks stressed."
---
"...Fair."
---
For some reason—
talking to Solomon felt strangely normal.
Which was concerning.
Because Lionel was currently speaking to one of the most terrifying beings in existence.
---
The creator of witches.
The founder of the Library.
The Lord of Magic.
The man who had offended both Heaven and Hell.
---
Solomon suddenly tilted his head.
---
"You know that."
---
Lionel froze.
---
"...Know what?"
---
"That Heaven dislikes me."
---
Silence.
---
Then Solomon smiled.
---
"And Hell dislikes me."
---
More silence.
---
Then he laughed again.
---
"To be fair."
---
"I earned it."
---
Lionel suddenly became interested.
---
"What exactly did you do?"
---
Solomon looked upward.
As if remembering something.
---
Then casually answered.
---
"I stole souls."
---
"..."
---
"I stole knowledge."
---
"..."
---
"I stole fate."
---
"..."
---
"I stole a few worlds."
---
"..."
---
The system wasn't here.
Yet Lionel somehow still heard it screaming.
---
Then Solomon added—
---
"Oh."
---
"And I created a third destination."
---
Lionel blinked.
---
"A third destination?"
---
Solomon nodded.
---
"When mortals die."
---
"Most go to Heaven."
---
"Or Hell."
---
His smile widened.
---
"I thought that was boring."
---
Of course he did.
---
So Solomon continued.
---
"I created a place for legends."
---
The space around them trembled.
---
"A place where history refuses to die."
---
"A place where kings continue ruling."
---
"Where conquerors continue fighting."
---
"Where geniuses continue creating."
---
"Where monsters continue becoming monsters."
---
Lionel felt goosebumps.
---
Because this wasn't necromancy.
---
This was something far bigger.
---
"You made another afterlife."
---
Solomon nodded.
---
"Correct."
---
"..."
---
"..."
---
Lionel finally spoke.
---
"That sounds incredibly illegal."
---
"It was."
---
"Did Heaven try to stop you?"
---
"Yes."
---
"Did Hell try to stop you?"
---
"Also yes."
---
"And?"
---
Solomon smiled.
---
"They failed."
---
Silence.
---
Complete silence.
---
For the first time—
Lionel understood why people feared this man.
---
Not because he was powerful.
---
Because he simply refused to accept reality.
---
If something annoyed him—
he changed it.
---
If a rule existed—
he questioned it.
---
If a limitation appeared—
he broke it.
---
The projection suddenly looked directly at Lionel.
---
"And you."
---
Lionel straightened slightly.
---
"What about me?"
---
"You remind me of myself."
---
"There it is again."
---
Solomon laughed.
---
"No."
---
"This time I'm serious."
---
His golden eyes sharpened.
---
"You don't care about being good."
---
"You don't care about being evil."
---
"You care about results."
---
Lionel remained silent.
---
Because that was unfortunately accurate.
---
Solomon nodded.
---
"I thought so."
---
Then suddenly—
the atmosphere changed.
---
The smile disappeared.
---
The amusement vanished.
---
For the first time—
the ancient king became serious.
---
"Listen carefully."
---
Lionel immediately focused.
---
"Fate has noticed you."
---
His eyes narrowed.
---
"I suspected that."
---
"You are wrong."
---
Silence.
---
"What?"
---
Solomon looked toward the distant stars.
---
"It hasn't noticed you."
---
"It is actively moving against you."
---
The room became cold.
---
Lionel's instincts screamed.
---
Because those words confirmed everything.
---
William.
---
The opportunities.
The changes.
The impossible timing.
---
None of it was coincidence.
---
Fate was protecting its chosen hero.
---
Solomon continued.
---
"The boy called William."
---
Lionel froze.
---
"He is receiving knowledge."
---
"Fragments."
---
"Dreams."
---
"Possibilities."
---
"Future memories."
---
Lionel's expression darkened.
---
So he was right.
---
William wasn't regressing.
---
Fate was feeding him information.
---
Trying to repair the timeline.
---
Trying to protect its protagonist.
---
Solomon smiled.
---
"Now you're understanding."
---
"Every time you change the future."
---
"Fate adapts."
---
"Every time you steal an opportunity."
---
"It creates another."
---
"Every time you gain an advantage."
---
"It tries to compensate."
---
Lionel slowly exhaled.
---
That was annoying.
---
Very annoying.
---
Solomon nodded.
---
"Exactly."
---
"Which is why your second trial begins now."
---
The world suddenly shattered.
---
The Library vanished.
---
The projection vanished.
---
Reality cracked apart.
---
And before disappearing—
Solomon's voice echoed one final time.
---
"The First Trial tested wisdom."
---
"The Second Trial will test truth."
---
"Most geniuses fail."
---
"Try not to become an idiot."
---
The darkness swallowed everything.
---
Far away—
beyond Heaven.
Beyond Hell.
Beyond Fate itself.
---
Something ancient smiled.
---
Because after thousands of years—
someone interesting had finally arrived.