The pace of the armored carriage carved with the Central High Magic Council emblem slowed down along with the topography change outside the thick glass window.
The thin snowy barren land they previously passed had now completely turned into a white landscape covered by a thick snowstorm and dense ice fog.
The temperature inside the carriage compartment felt much colder, forcing wooden walls coated with protective *rune* to continuously glow emitting blue-golden light to keep the air inside from freezing.
Erin sat upright on the comfortable bench upholstered in dark wool cloth, both hands placed on her lap while gripping her primary magic staff.
Even though Grand Magister Valen continued to observe her with a sharp and suspicious gaze, Erin's facial expression showed no signs of anxiety or fear.
Instead, the closer they got to the destination point, the stronger the strange pulse she felt inside her mana core became.
That pulse no longer felt like pain or a burden pressing her chest; it rhythmically harmonized with her own heartbeat, as if calling something long lost behind the ice storm out there.
*Bugh!*
The carriage stopped with a small jolt.
The outer iron door was knocked from outside, followed by the raspy voice of a council guard reporting the situation.
"Grand Magister, we have arrived at the final checkpoint before the North Seal Core Zone. The storm ahead is too thick to proceed using the carriage. We must continue the journey on foot."
Valen nodded slowly, then shifted his gaze to Erin.
"We have arrived, Professor Erin," Valen spoke with a cold tone implying implied challenge.
"Let's prove whether the theory and mana resonance you have been proud of can withstand the rampage of the dimensional storm out there, or if you will collapse like your predecessor."
The carriage door was opened wide.
The savage ice storm impact immediately rushed inside, bringing sharp snow grains like thousands of small needles piercing the skin.
Professor Adrian, who got down first from the guard compartment, immediately flicked his combat robe and cast a warm wind shield spell around the descent area to protect Erin from the initial storm onslaught.
"Stay close behind me, Erin," Adrian shouted amid the deafening roar of the storm wind.
Erin nodded, stepping down from the carriage steadily.
Her travel boots stepped on the thick layer of snow freezing under the steep cliff.
Before them, a giant valley stretched wide, covered by purplish-black fog swirling wildly forming a giant vortex in the gray sky.
That was the North Seal Core Zone—the meeting point between the real world and the vacuum void crack tightly guarded by magic ancestors.
In the middle of that valley, a giant stone monument shaped like an ancient rune circle glowed dimly, surrounded by black magical energy cracks hissing and emitting purple sparks.
"Extraordinary..." Valen whispered behind them, his eyes widening in awe mixed with horror seeing the seal condition in such critical condition.
"The weakening has reached the ten percent stage. If we don't find the balancing resonance source immediately, this entire dimensional structure will collapse within hours!"
However, as the small entourage stepped closer toward the seal monument, a strange thing happened.
The black energy vortex in the middle of the rune circle suddenly vibrated violently.
That purplish-black light suddenly shot out, not attacking the council guards, but heading straight and sharply toward where Erin stood!
"Watch out, Professor!" Adrian shouted panicky while unsheathing his magic sword to block the attack.
"Don't!" Erin shouted with a firm voice.
Before Adrian could swing his sword, Erin stepped forward to the front, releasing her own protective shield.
She could sense that the shooting black energy was not a destructive attack to kill, but a resonance pull—a desperate call from the seal core recognizing the blood and soul owner of the past guardian.
When that purple energy clump touched Erin's body, no huge explosion occurred.
Instead, a bright blue light glowed from inside Erin's robe, combining with the seal's purple light forming a very beautiful magical rainbow circle amid the ice storm.
Everyone in that place stood stunned in silence.
Even Grand Magister Valen, who previously looked down on Erin, stepped back in shock seeing the sight before him.
Inside that light vortex, faint shadows from the past began to flash through Erin's mind—memories of a blue-haired woman smiling gently before the same monument, surrendering all her remaining mana to seal the dimensional gap to protect humanity twenty years ago.
That woman... was the biological mother of the body she now inhabited.
And at the same time, Erin realized one grand truth: her soul's transfer from the modern world to this body was not a random cosmic accident; destiny had chosen her to complete the unfinished task.
With steady breathing and shining yellow eyes, Erin raised her magic staff high into the air, letting pure mana flow heavily from her body blending into the dimensional seal cracks beneath their feet.