Leena sits near the edge of the peak, legs crossed, a worn notebook resting on her lap. All around her, the mountain stretches into a vast field—once lush, now corrupted. The trees, the grass, the flowers—they're all blackened husks, still rooted, still swaying, but drained of life. Yet here, in a small circle no wider than twenty paces, the grass remains green, soft under her legs. A few bright flowers bloom near her feet, untouched by whatever rot crawls across the rest of the land. The wind brushes past gently, stirring the line where color ends and shadow begins.
"Mother said I should focus more on my studies."
"But studies are boring. Focusing on combat is way more fun."
"It's not supposed to be fun. That's right... I should really focus on magic." Her tone is calm and dull as she talks to herself, her fingers trembling every couple of seconds—reminders of the pain that still echoes from the regeneration pod. "Magic isn't easy, because the term is so vague. It applies to too much." She tilts her head, scratching her crimson hair while the flower embedded in her eye slightly shifts. "If I ask Mother for help, she'll look at me..."
"Still afraid of those cold eyes she has?"
Mirelith's voice cuts through her muttering as his hand pats her head. His golden wavy hair shimmers faintly, bringing a subtle warmth to the gloomy, cloud-covered night. Sitting cross-legged beside her, he glances at the runes and mathematical equations scattered across her notes, giving a tired sigh.
"Ugh... She really has you doing all this at your age?"
"Don't disrespect my mother," Leena replies flatly, no anger behind her words. "She can kill you with ease. And I told you to stay away from me." Her voice comes out bland, almost robotic, as she hides her trembling arm beneath her cloak.
Grabbing his stomach, Mirelith laughs through the pain. "Hahaha—seriously? Ouch, that hurts, you know. That woman is terrifying, but I'm not so weak as to lose to her." He sighs and leans his arm on a floating rock. "You are still mad about last time, right? How about I help you today? You have been stuck on magic for months now, haven't you?"
Leena tries to focus on her work, doing her best to ignore the fairy. Yet every time she writes, the numbers and letters start circling around her head like dust caught in wind. With a frustrated groan, she sets her pen down.
"I don't understand. Mother said once I stop causing the grass to turn green, she'll teach me herself... but I have no idea what I'm supposed to do."
"Well, I'll tell you what you're not supposed to do.", you are not supposed to do."
Mirelith snatches her notebook and flings it away with a flick of his wrist.
"The reason you turn the grass green is simple: you're revealing your magic power and your presence to everything around you."
He kneels, gliding his hand across the soft grass under them. "No plant in this forest is naturally black. That is your mother's doing. The tree that controls this land senses your energy, and fears you. That is why it keeps this circle untouched." He taps his temple and offers a faint smile. "You already know how to suppress your presence, so why haven't you shown her?"
Leena has, in fact, learned how to suppress herself—far faster than anyone expected.
"I... I want to learn more before she starts teaching me," she admits, voice quiet but steady. "The books I read make magic seem really hard. If I impress her, maybe she won't put me in the pod for a while."
She grabs a new notebook from her satchel and starts writing again, trying to refocus.
"Ugh… very well, let me give you a brief lesson on magic," Mirelith mutters. With another flick of his wrist, he blows the new notebook away. "That woman has a strange but surprisingly fair view of magic. What mortals refer to as 'magic' and what magic actually is—those are two very different things. The word 'magic' is slapped onto anything people don't understand."
He waves his hand, and an image forms in the air—a humanoid figure with no defining features. Inside it, glowing blue lines swirl and rotate, mimicking mana circulation.
"Now, as for what magic really is… it's the recreation of mana. The most common method in this cycle is by forming a mana core in your body. Once you have that, you can circulate mana naturally and create more of it over time. The results vary depending on how it's done, and how well the individual handles the mana they produce."
As the glowing image cycles through its patterns, Mirelith glances upward and waves the clouds aside with a single look. The red, blue, and white moons shine through, casting a soft hue across his hair. He pauses for a moment—remembering someone long gone. A companion who used to ramble endlessly about mana systems and theory.
"Witchcraft is typically considered taboo because of its methods; however, it is still magic. I have little knowledge in that field, so instead..."
He raises his palm, and a golden magic circle manifests in the air between them. The warmth it gives off is real, but the symbols floating within the circle only confuse her further.
"You have a very rare trait—that woman implanted it in you. You have the ability to adapt."
He stands, lightly tapping her lower eyelid where one of the black lines ends.
"There are individuals born with the ability to adapt to multiple affinities over time. They are rare... but you are something else. You can adapt to anything, given enough time. Now let me teach you the fundamental parts of casting."
-
[Several months later]
CoughCough...
Leena stumbles forward out of the tank, collapsing to her knees as she spits out the remaining liquid. Her body trembles, steam rising around her as her red-tinged skin fades back to pale.
"Mother..." she whispers through heavy breaths, staring at Dae's feet.
"My time is running thin. Your progress is slower than I desired."
Leena quickly dresses, struggling to keep up with Dae's pace as she walks ahead.
"You've reviewed the dungeon. Now choose a creature you like." Dae's tone remains flat as always. "You are too weak to be left alone, so I will leave you an attendant. Once you choose, inform me."
Leena lowers her gaze, unable to make eye contact, fiddling with the fabric of her shirt. As Dae moves ahead, a group of skeletons marches past in their daily patrol.
Among them, one stands out, not for strength, but for clumsiness. It's much shorter than the rest, more like a child compared to the others. It can't keep up with the group, tripping over its own feet as it scrambles to stay in formation.
"That... that one..." Leena mumbles, pointing toward it.
She doesn't know why she chose it. It's clearly the dumbest skeleton there. No facial expressions, no coordination, no presence, just a stumbling idiot in bone form.
But to her, it looked... cute.
Dae stops, turns to the skeleton, and waves her hand. Whisper-like commands redirect it toward them.
"This little one?" she asks, tilting her head as she inspects it. "It is the skeleton of a rather weak species. There are many creatures that could overpower it easily. Are you certain of your choice?"
Her tone is plain, her face unreadable. Leena looks up, just for a moment, then flinches and takes a few steps back before nodding.
"I see."
Dae places her palm against the skeleton's skull and rests her other hand on Leena's head. A red flow of power washes over them both for a brief moment.
When it's done, she pulls her hands away and walks off.
"Now study."
And with that, her body dissolves into dust and vanishes.
Leena stares after her, then slowly turns toward the skeleton, now practically doing acrobatics around the field in pure excitement. She blinks, a little confused, then raises her hand and waves.
The skeleton turns, sees her, and immediately points its sword at her.
"Eeeh?"
She steps back, surprised. "Are you... challenging me to a duel?"
The tiny skeleton nods furiously, swinging its sword through the air with exaggerated flair—clearly convinced of its own victory.
Several minutes later, it lies slouched over a rock in defeat.
"Hey… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to drop you that quickly…"
She walks over and gently pats its back, only for the skeleton to suddenly grab her arm and begin dragging her toward the training ground her mother built.
-
[Several years later]
"I got this... I got this... I-I can do this."
Leena's breath hitches as she stares at the tank, the glowing red liquid rippling like a heartbeat. The room hums with low vibrations, the mana pressure heavier than usual. Her palms sweat. Every step toward the platform feels heavier than the last.
"Just 80 years…" she whispers.
She turns toward Skelly, who gives her a silent thumbs-up from below. He's covered in mismatched armor, his skull slightly tilted, trying to smile without a face.
The glass hatch hisses open. Steam rolls out. Her heart pounds.
She places one foot inside. Then the other.
The door seals shut.
And the pain begins again.
[80 years later]
"Uuuhhhgh!"
Leena stumbles out of the tank, coughing and vomiting. Her body vibrates violently as her skin finishes regenerating.
"Hmp!"
She slaps her hand over her mouth, trying to stop the sobs, but the tears pour out anyway.
Skelly is already there, wrapping a warm blanket around her shoulders, gently guiding her toward the bed without a word.
The next morning, she groans under the covers. She doesn't want to move. Doesn't want to breathe.
Until Skelly climbs onto the bed and drags her out by the arm.
"Let me sleep... I haven't slept in 80 years."
Ignoring her, he tugs her to the cave entrance and points at the sky—Mirelith's doing. The clouds have cleared, the full radiance of the three moons spilling across the world.
Her eyes water. She wipes them quickly, annoyed.
"That's right. This is barely the start."
She raises a shaky arm, pointing toward the edge of the black forest. Far off, the colorful land waits.
"I'll live through this. And when she wakes up... we can leave and explore. Together."
She turns to Skelly.
"You're coming with me, right?"
Skelly nods fiercely, lifting his sword high like a declaration of war, then nearly drops it out of excitement.
[200 years later]
"Say, Skelly... do you really think the world is impressive?"
Leena hugs her knees, sitting on the stone ledge near the cavern's mouth. Rain pelts the trees in the distance, the black forest rippling under the downpour. Her voice is calm.
"I've killed so many people who enter this dungeon. And they're all the same. Greedy, self-entitled, rude... Even the kind ones only act that way to survive."
She leans her chin on her knees.
"I was just thinking… if people are like them, then wouldn't all those stories I read, about kingdoms, heroes, noble wars, just be lies? Just pretty words they made up to justify themselves?"
Skelly, sitting beside her, offers no response. Just a slow nod. His helmet falls off in the wind.
[200 years later]
"I don't want to go outside..."
Leena pants heavily, steam rising from her skin. Her limbs tremble. The memory of pain lingers under her bones.
"I-I just want to rest right now, Skelly. Go have some fun."
Her voice is a weak whisper as she retreats to her room.
She collapses to her knees.
"H-how much longer do I have to do this..."
Her hands shake as she wipes tears and snot off her face.
"Mother... please just wake up already."
She grabs a pen and starts frantically scratching at one of her mother's old journals, pages written in a language she doesn't understand. She doesn't care. She crosses out random pieces anyway. It fills time. Gives her something to do.
"I... I just want this to s-stop."
She hugs her knees again, shaking. Skelly enters, pushing a plate of food into her mouth against her will. She gags on it, but chews anyway. After a moment, he sets the plate down and jumps around, holding up her favorite book.
The one filled with hand-drawn illustrations of distant lands and unknown creatures.
She takes it slowly. Flips to a random page.
"What's the point, Skelly?"
She exhales, setting the book aside.
"I just want this to end already..."
Her eyes stare at the ceiling, blank and unblinking. Skelly sits beside her and leans against her side, his sword clattering quietly to the floor.