Abhimanyu stared at the book without blinking.
He did not even flutter his eyelashes.
His father's words kept echoing endlessly in his mind.
Just then, his father's voice came from outside the room—
"This book can only be opened with your blood.
Even I have never seen it to this day, because I never possessed what was required to open it."
After saying this, he walked away.
It took Abhimanyu a moment to fully grasp his words.
Suddenly, he hurriedly closed the door of his room and walked toward the garden behind the house.
This place always brought him peace..
Whenever he felt overwhelmed, this was where he found refuge.
But today, he had not come here to seek comfort—
he had come for a different purpose.
He quickly sat beneath a large tree and opened the old, worn-out book.
On the very first page, it read—
*"Abhimanyu,
I hope you are doing well.
You must be wondering where I am.
I cannot tell you that—and I hope you never find out.
I left this book only for you.
I wanted you to walk the path of magic.
I knew you would never be able to awaken the power of martial arts on your own, because I sealed it within you.
Forgive me, my child, if I did anything wrong.
But as a mother, I always wanted what was best for you.
That is why I wished to guide you toward magic.
Millions of years ago, everyone here was a mage.
But slowly, martial arts replaced magic.
Even today, magic is far more powerful than martial arts.
As your level of magic increases, so will your strength.
If you fully master this book, you will become a great mage—
perhaps even stronger than I ever was.
This is no ordinary book.
It is the same book left behind by a great mage millions of years ago.
The fact that it has remained safe until today is proof of its greatness.
If you complete its initial stages, the seal I placed upon you will break,
and you will be able to walk the path of martial arts as well.
Yet, I firmly believe you will choose magic.
Still, the choice is yours.
Whatever you decide, I will always stand by you.
—Your loving mother."
Tears welled up in Abhimanyu's eyes.
His memories of his mother were faint,
yet the warmth of her love and affection came alive before him as if she were standing right there.
He could remember how she used to place him on a swing and make him laugh.
Her face was blurred in his memory,
but through the portraits crafted by skilled artisans, he had finally learned what his mother looked like.
Quickly wiping away his tears, Abhimanyu turned the next page.
This time, the language was different—
complex and mysterious.
He could not fully understand it,
yet somehow, he was able to read it.
*"After the Great Cataclysm,
when humans defeated the demons,
human civilization had already collapsed.
Very few mages survived in this world.
Humans won the war,
but in doing so, they destroyed themselves.
Now, most people are slowly turning toward martial arts,
forgetting that magic is the very reason they are alive.
Our world is divided into two paths.
One is the path of martial arts—
a road where the body is tempered through extreme discipline
to reach the pinnacle of physical power.
The other is the path of magic—
a path not of the body, but of the soul.
This path is so difficult
that walking it is considered a hundred times more painful and terrifying
than the path of martial arts."*
"Now, I will show you a completely different power of magic…"
As soon as those words appeared, the ancient book began to rise into the air on its own.
It felt as if an invisible force was holding it.
The pages started turning without any hands touching them,
and glowing letters began forming in midair.
Abhimanyu tried desperately to understand those words—
but they were written in an unknown language.
The moment he focused on them,
his head began to spin.
Darkness covered his vision,
and the very next instant—
he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.
As Abhimanyu lost consciousness,
the book fell to the ground as well.
He had no idea when the night passed.
By evening, his eyes finally opened.
Slowly, Abhimanyu looked around.
The same book lay on the ground before him.
The moment he saw it, everything came rushing back.
He stood up, picked up the book, and returned to his room.
Closing the door behind him,
he sat down in a meditative posture.
He opened the book once again.
Once more, glowing letters began to appear—
but this time, they did not make him lose consciousness.
Instead…
they began to enter directly into his mind.
Darkness filled his vision again,
yet this time, he remained fully conscious.
A few moments later—
the book vanished from before his eyes.
And at that very moment,
a resonant voice echoed within his mind—
"Magic is a path that is extremely difficult to walk.
But once you choose it,
there is no turning back."
Knowledge surged within him.
Magic consists of many elements—
Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Darkness, Light…
and beyond these, many rare elements also exist.
"I possessed all of these elements…
but my primary element was— Lightning."
"Now, you must determine
which element will be your primary one."
"For that, you must go to a mysterious magic stone
and place your hand upon it."
Abhimanyu froze.
A mysterious magic stone?
He had never heard of such a thing.
He wondered—
perhaps it was similar to the Martial Art Stone,
the artifact used to measure a warrior's strength.
The only difference would be this:
instead of physical power,
this stone would reveal his aptitude for magic.
Just then, the voice echoed once more—
as though it had read his thoughts.
"You are thinking correctly…
but no such magic stone exists anywhere near you."
"I have long since lost track of how much time has passed
since I was sealed inside this book…"
The moment Abhimanyu heard those words,
a chill ran down his spine.
"Sealed…?"
he whispered, his voice trembling.
"What do you mean…?"
In the next instant, a figure appeared before him.
It was impossible to tell whether it was male or female.
Its face was blurred, as though hidden behind a veil,
and its voice did not belong to any single human being.
Yet it spoke calmly—
"There is no need to be afraid.
Who I am, what my name is,
and where I come from—
you will learn all of that in time."
"For now, it is enough for you to understand this—
without me, you will never be able to learn magic."
"I was once an extraordinarily powerful magician of my era,
one who played a decisive role
in a great and catastrophic war."
Abhimanyu stood rooted to the spot.
A storm of questions raged within his mind—
Who are you?
What was this great war?
And which era does all of this belong to…?
It was as if the figure could sense every thought.
A soft laugh escaped its lips—
a laugh laced with both wisdom and faint mockery.
"All your questions will be answered,"
it said gently.
"But for now… let us return to our true subject."
"Magic…"
The word lingered in the air.
"Have you ever wondered what magic truly is?"
Then, without waiting for an answer, it continued—
"No, of course you haven't.
How could you?
Until today, you didn't even know it truly existed."
There was a subtle sarcasm in its voice,
as though it were amused by Abhimanyu's ignorance.
"As I told you before—
magic is not merely power.
It is a story."
"Sometimes it is born from truth,
sometimes it is forged from the harmony of elements."
"No matter which element you obtain,
there is one truth you must never forget—
until you accept it with your entire heart,
you will never truly master it."
The figure paused.
"So now…
I will teach you
what magic truly is."
Suddenly, as if recalling something crucial—
"Wait.
There is one important thing I almost forgot to mention."
Its tone turned grave.
"You must never reveal your magic to just anyone."
Abhimanyu's heart began to pound violently.
"Even today, there are those
who seek to erase magic from this world entirely."
"The moment I returned to this place, I sensed it—
in this era, true magicians are exceedingly rare."
"So rare…
that compared to ordinary warriors,
their numbers are almost insignificant."
"And yet—
those people still fear magic.
They still despise it.
Even now, magicians are hunted."
A strange darkness flickered within its eyes.
"That is why you must be cautious."
Then it looked at Abhimanyu—
not at his face, but far deeper,
as though gazing straight into his soul.
"But within you…"
"I see something different."
"Your body was made for martial arts.
You can train it,
and you can become a great warrior."
"But your soul…"
Its voice softened.
"Your soul was born for magic."
"That is why you are capable of learning it as well."
Abhimanyu's breath caught in his throat.
"Learning both at the same time is extraordinarily difficult,"
the figure said.
"In this cruel world,
only a handful of individuals have ever succeeded
in mastering both—
martial arts and magic."
A mysterious smile slowly appeared.
"But…
you can become one of them."
"You can conceal your magic
behind the guise of martial arts."
"The world will see you as a warrior,
but in the shadows—
you will be a magician."
The figure straightened.
"Enough talk."
"Stop straying from your path
and focus on what lies ahead."
Its voice echoed through the empty space.
Will Abhimanyu truly be able to master
both magic and martial arts?
Who are the ones
determined to erase magic from this world?
And if Abhimanyu chooses this forbidden path—
will he survive?
The answers to these mysteries
will be revealed
in the chapters to come…