The moon hung high in the sky, its golden light spilling across the clearing as smoke from the small fire drifted lazily upward, disappearing into the night. The group had finally finished their strange dinner, the last crackle of roasted bugs still lingering in the air.
Theo leaned back, rubbing his stomach with a satisfied groan.
"I'm so full… that was good," he declared proudly.
Flint let out a loud burp, patting his chest.
"Yeah! That was a great dinner!"
Lilian stared at the two of them in pure disgust, her face twisted as if they had said something unforgivable.
"How can you make those faces after eating those… those disgusting things?" she said, almost gagging at the memory.
But the tips of her ears were red—because she had eaten a few herself.
Kairo chuckled softly, tossing a small twig into the fire.
"Well, we ate what we had," he said, the flames reflecting in his eyes. "And you didn't look that miserable while eating them."
Lilian flinched, immediately turning away, shoulders stiff.
"I—I was just… hungry," she muttered, trying to maintain her dignity.
Theo and Flint burst into laughter again, their voices rising into the cool night as the fire crackled warmly between them.
After the laughter faded, the ruined house settled into a quiet hum filled only by the crackling of fire and the whisper of cold night wind seeping through broken walls.
Theo sat cross-legged, wiping slime goo off his sword with a dusty rag he had scavenged from a collapsed corner. Every swipe left behind a faint, unpleasant trail of green.
"Ugh… why does this stuff smell like this…" he muttered.
Flint, meanwhile, was using one of his sharp claws to pick bits of bug shell from between his teeth, completely unfazed.
Lilian sat closest to the fire, hugging her knees. She stared into the flames, replaying the earlier fight in her mind—the moment she had cast that powerful spell.
A small smile tugged at her lips. (Maybe… maybe I'm not useless after all.)
But the smile vanished as fast as it appeared.
Because she hadn't used fire magic.
Her family's words echoed in her mind like a curse, (You couldn't even inherit our great family's legacy. What a disgrace.)
Her chest tightened. She covered her face, trying to hide the sting in her violet eyes.
Across from her, Kairo warmed his hands by the fire, deep in thought.
(For just the first day, today was productive… I hope tomorrow goes as well. I wonder how Shiri is doing…)
The memory of the looming threat tightened his expression. He needed to reach Tier 3—soon.
His gaze drifted to Theo and Flint.
(Theo's really grown. And Flint… he's exceeded my expectations. Maybe he really will reach Hero Rank someday.)
Then he looked at Lilian.
She was trembling slightly, her face hidden behind her hands—but the shine of tears in her eyes was unmistakable.
Kairo's heart jumped.
(Is she… crying? What happened? Should I say something?)
After a moment of hesitation, he made up his mind.
"Lilian."
She wiped her eyes fast—too fast—and turned toward him.
"W-What is it?"
Theo and Flint looked up, curious.
Kairo leaned forward slightly.
"Can you tell me about magic?"
Lilian blinked in confusion. "W-What do you mean?"
Kairo repeated himself, leaning forward a bit. "Your magic was really awesome. I… really want to know how you did it."
"My… magic?" she whispered, shocked.
Flint's eyes lit up as he scooted closer. "Yeah! I'm interested too! Your magic looked super useful."
Theo shrugged, poking the fire with a stick. "I don't know… it didn't seem that good to me."
Flint immediately grabbed Theo's head and rubbed it roughly. "Ignore him! He didn't mean it. We all want to know, right?"
Theo flailed. "Okay, okay! Ow—fine, I'm curious too!"
"So, Lilian," Kairo said gently, "would you tell us about your magic now?"
Lilian stared at them, speechless for a second. No one had ever asked her about magic before… not like this. Then slowly, a bright smile bloomed across her face, her eyes shimmering from the firelight.
"Okay!" she said, straightening her posture with sudden excitement. "I'll explain it!"
Lilian took a deep breath, steadying herself as the fire crackled softly beside her. "As most of you may already know," she began, "our world is filled with mana, the natural source of magic."
She barely finished her sentence when Theo raised his hand and interrupted loudly. "Actually, I didn't know that."
Lilian blinked in shock. "W-What? You didn't—?"
Flint nodded casually. "Yeah, me neither."
Kairo scratched his cheek with an awkward smile. "Shiri told me the basics, but… honestly, I don't really understand much beyond that."
Lilian stared at them all, speechless. Then she let out a long sigh. (This is going to be difficult…) she thought.
But the confusion quickly melted into excitement, her eyes brightening as she continued.
"Every living being in this world can absorb mana—at least in small amounts. That mana is stored inside something called the mana heart. Each person's mana heart has a different capacity. And through special rituals, you can increase that capacity over time."
Kairo rubbed his chin with genuine fascination. "That's… really amazing."
Flint leaned forward, listening carefully, ears perked.
Theo, however, looked as bored as ever, flicking a pebble at the wall.
Lilian continued, "Magic is the act of releasing the mana stored in your mana heart. But not everyone can use magic."
Kairo tilted his head. "Why not? If everyone has mana, shouldn't everyone be able to use magic too?"
Lilian smiled proudly. "Because only individuals blessed by the Great Eve can use magic!"
Kairo blinked. "Who is Eve? And what does she have to do with magic?"
Lilian gasped dramatically. "You don't know?! Eve was the first human—and the very first magic user! She was blessed by God himself with the power to create miracles. And even today, her spirit remains in every mage's mana heart, giving us the ability to use magic."
Kairo nodded slowly. "I see, I see…"
But inside, he thought deeply:
(So Eve was the first human here… and her blessing lets people use magic. But I'm not from this world.)
Kairo quietly stared down at his hands, uncertainty tightening his chest.
(Does that mean… I'll never be able to use magic?)
Kairo nodded, saying, "Lilian, you really know a lot about magic."
Flint chuckled. "Yeah, you're seriously smart."
Lilian lifted her chin proudly. "W-well, it's nothing special," she said aloud.
Inside, however, she sighed. (Even small children know this… boys really are such idiots.)
Lilian cleared her throat and continued, "Magic is divided into multiple attributes—fire, water, earth, wind, and many more. Some powerful families even possess special magic unique to their lineage… just like mine."
Flint leaned forward, eyes sparkling. "Can you show us?"
Lilian froze. "Uh—I mean, of course! I'm totally a master at it." She coughed loudly. "B-but I can't use it right now."
Theo blinked. "And why's that?"
"It's… so powerful it would implode the entire ruins, you know," she declared dramatically.
Theo nodded mockingly. "Mm-hmm. Sure."
Lilian grumbled into her sleeves as Kairo quickly smoothed things over. "So, Lilian, how do we actually use magic?"
That brightened her instantly. "Every mana heart has affinities for different elemental attributes. When you channel your mana into those elements, you can activate spells—each one created through thousands of years of research!"
Kairo was astonished. (One spell took that long to make? This world really is built differently…)
"So how do we know if we can use magic?" he asked.
"I can teach you," Lilian said proudly.
Kairo and Flint perked up immediately. "Yes!"
Theo waved them off. "Hard pass. Magic seems boring."
"Perfect," Lilian said with a cheerful smile, that clearly meant less noise. Theo pouted.
She sat straighter. "Alright, Kairo. First: try to feel the mana inside you. Then focus it from your mana heart into your fingertips. Release the mana outward—gently."
Kairo closed his eyes and tried. Nothing.
He tried again. Still nothing.
"That's normal," Lilian encouraged. "Most people can't do it on their first try. Training is important—don't give up."
Kairo inhaled deeply and tried one more time. (Maybe… maybe I really can't use magic after all. But still, one last try…)
He focused harder than before.
Suddenly—everything went black.
Kairo opened his eyes to a void. The world had vanished. Floating before him was a shifting blue cube, constantly changing shape, humming softly.
"What… is that?" he whispered.
But his concentration snapped—and he was yanked back into reality.
He opened his eyes to find Lilian's face inches from his. Both turned bright red and pulled back instantly.
Lilian, cheeks burning, laughed nervously. "S-so… did you sense anything, Kairo?"
Kairo scratched his cheek, avoiding her gaze. "N-no, nothing."
Inside, he thought, (Let's keep that to myself… for now.)
Theo stretched. "Ughhh, I'm bored. Let's just sleep."
They all agreed—until Flint suddenly called out from the corner.
"Uh, guys?"
Everyone turned.
Flint lifted his hand nervously. "Is… is this how you do it?"
A tiny flame flickered on his claw.
Silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!" everyone screamed at once.
To be continued...