“Extraordinary.”

  It was the one word Elder Hakken used to describe Shaden’s progress. By the second day, Shaden had created a mana circle, and on the third, had destroyed it. Under normal circumstances, it would have tangled and ruined his mana circulating paths, but under the watchful eye of the Elder and through his exceptional constitution and control, he succeeded—something only the highest of mages could achieve.

  The Elder had lived a long life. Even by his standards, Shaden was extraordinary.

  “Perhaps by the help of the old gods, the same could be achieved,” Elder Hakken mused. “But never alone. Might I ask—are you a reincarnation?”

  “I don’t think so,” Shaden half-lied. Technically, he hadn’t died, so it couldn’t be considered that.

  When the Elder had left, Eilae made a comment about her hypothesis on the truth of his birth.

  “The old texts tell of the return of the One Beneath the Diadem,” she recalled. “The so-called goddess of Skotos. Perhaps you have her blessings.”

  “Maybe—except that I never visited Skotos until the year I met you, and I was good at controlling mana even before then.”

  “Yes, you have told me before. That takes us to the next option, but it would be strange for a goddess to be reborn as a male.”

  “Also, the texts never mentioned reincarnation. Only that she would return when a promise was fulfilled.”

  “Really? I think I skimmed over a few bits.”

  “My memory is hazy as well. The texts are archaic in language.”

  For the first few days, Shaden spent time preparing Eilae’s body for a mana circle. The process included weaving together all of the body’s mana paths towards the heart and forming a perpetual cycle around it—a task normally requiring specialized instruments and an expert mage to foresee it.

  He could ignore all the complications.

  Before the first week of their trip was done, Eilae had received a mana circle from him, something she described as ‘opening her senses.’ When he’d asked Elder Neregal to examine it, he’d laughed aloud in surprise.

  “Rarely do I see such a beautifully crafted first circle,” the Elder complimented.

  He had mastered the art of crafting the first circle of mana. Higher circles became exponentially more complex to create, but he only needed one for now.

  Thus, Shaden knew that it was time to move on.

  “Oh. My. Word.”

  Demund’s clothes and bed were drenched with sweat, and a pile of vomit bubbled where he’d retched during his ordeal. But had he stopped, it would have led to something disastrous. Perhaps he’d underestimated the task. There was a reason why mages used specialized equipment to form mana circles. However, he’d believed that just one would be easy to create.

  He couldn’t have been more wrong.

  He’d spent the last three hours in the middle of the night struggling with his mana so that he wouldn’t get absolutely demolished. Thank goodness he’d constantly trained his mana, because it had just barely been enough to get him through. Now that the ordeal was over, he felt his body relax, and as it did, he felt the urge to vomit again.

  Demund felt so incredibly weak. All of his energy had been sapped into his heart. Yet, a smile formed on his lips. He grinned and breathed a sigh of relief.

  “I did it. I freaking did it!”

  He would have fallen on the bed if it weren’t for his nausea. Currently, though he wasn’t circulating, mana swirled around his body at a constant pace. He’d been scared when Neregal had taught him that mana circles hindered circulation, but he now realized that it only applied to people who were masters at circulating, those who could emit aura. Demund was nowhere near that level.

  As a result, the mana circle around his heart had improved his circulation instead. Hence, the nausea.

  Or maybe it was the vomit. It definitely made it worse.

  Demund glanced at the clock. Two forty-six. Everyone here made sure to sleep before twelve.

  “Gotta get out of here,” he muttered. The smell was killing him.

  But first, he’d have to clean up some things. Dragging his body around the room, he wiped the pool of vomit with a bunch of tissues from the toilet and wiped the residue with an old, wet towel. Thinking that a cold shower might ease his nausea, he rinsed his body only to discover that he felt raw. Quickly getting out and drying himself, he pulled on a new set of clothes and headed out of his room.

  He followed the dim lights to the exit. Opening the door, he stepped out into the cool, open air.

  He took in a deep breath. Perhaps the deepest he’d ever taken. The headache was subsiding, and in its place, a new sensation took hold.

  It was what Eilae had described.

  Demund could smell the salt in the humid air. He could taste the ocean merely by opening his mouth and hear the waves as if they were near. He was familiar with the sensation.

  But now, it wasn’t he who had to consciously induce it. His first mana circle took on the burden of circulating, giving him a sense of freedom he’d never tasted before.

  “A few more circles, and I’ll have Shaden’s senses,” he laughed. The distance between them had increased so much that living as Shaden sometimes felt like dreaming, but this mana circle had brought them closer together.

  He gazed at the stars and knew that he’d found an answer to his worries.

  “Hmm…”

  He likely couldn’t teach this to anyone yet. Even his other self had required a teacher. With his skill level, he’d only ruin someone’s mana, not improve it.

  So for the time being, he’d enjoy his superiority over Laveny. If enough time passed, would he not be considered a genius as well? If he consistently practiced and built up his mana circles one by one, would he not be the one to change the world?

  His head was clear now. His fingertips felt vivid, all the way down to his toes. He thought he could feel the island’s mana swirling around him. The mana circle would automatically absorb and store mana for him, so even when he slept, he would grow more powerful. Slow, as of now, but consistent.

  He picked up two rocks. He threw one far up in the sky in an arc, then threw the other two seconds later. They collided perfectly in the air, falling into the darkness.

  The floor around him became covered in snow. It then proceeded to burst into flames; then, the illusion vanished.

  A gathering of insects formed at his feet, moving according to his command. He sent them back to the earth.

  Finally, he looked deep into himself. He sensed clouds but didn’t touch them yet. He would only read emotions for now.

  Demund took in a deep breath.

  Now, he could replicate the gifts of each family with precision. The mana circle acted as a device of control, allowing him to weave magic in ways he didn’t think were possible. He’d tested it as Shaden, but feeling it as Demund brought him a new kind of gratification.

  “I guess I’m a novice mage now,” he chuckled. There were those who claimed that they were mages, but Demund knew he was the first genuine one. Teaching magic was one thing, but if news got out that he could create mana circles—

  The era of powers would end, and an era of learnable magic would be born. Those without powers would get to enjoy the same experiences as those with powers.

  It would be a long journey, no doubt. But for the first time in his life, he felt like he’d found a clear purpose to pursue. A reason for his existence.

  Demund the Sage. Creator of the New Era! Not Laveny, not Enariss, not Deion—but him. As great as Laveny was, she would never experience the magic that Shaden could.

  Demund scratched his cheek. Maybe he was being childish, comparing himself to the young girl. As pleasant as it was to teach her, he’d felt more and more incompetent as Laveny sucked up his magic like a wet sponge. But he knew that with the mana circle, he’d catch up—if not surpass—her control.

  For what seemed like the first time, Demund felt pride.

  ……which quickly vanished when he smelled the lingering vomit in the room.

  He decided to sleep in the study room that night.

  “So—you threw up in the middle of the night.”

  “Yep.”

  “Because you…upgraded yourself?”

  “You could say that.”

  Laveny frowned, arms crossed. “The robots will take care of your room. And you?”

  Demund stretched his arms out. “Never been better.”

  “Hmm.”

  Jumping out of her chair, Laveny began to inspect him thoroughly. A bunch of machines appeared and scanned his head and body. After looking at the results, Laveny gasped.

  “Your SAP increased again! How much have you been practicing?”

  “I do practice, but it’s a little different this time.”

  “Explain.”

  “I created a kind of SAP engine that perpetually moves my mana,” Demund summarized. “Automated circulation.”

  Laveny stared at him like he was crazy.

  “Where is this...engine?”

  “Around my heart.”

  Laveny’s mouth dropped. “Y-your heart?”

  The machines appeared again, scanning his chest area more thoroughly this time. She made him lie down on her chair for the process.

  “What is that?” she breathed. “And it’s moving. You’re staying still like I told you to, right?”

  Demund nodded.

  “Is this another type of magic?”

  “It’s different. Magic is usually a phenomenon brought about through transforming mana. What you’re seeing isn’t a phenomenon, but the manipulation of the body’s mana flow. Sorry, SAP flow.”

  Laveny’s eyes widened. “W-what! Demund, make a fireball right now.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it!”

  He did—a fireball more perfect than any he’d created before.

  “Well?”

  “......you’re an moron.”

  Laveny sighed deeply, looking relieved. Then she glared at him.

  “Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to change the body’s SAP structure?” she chided him, the color rising to her cheeks. “There are cases where people lost their powers because of it! And you made it around your heart? What were you thinking?”

  “It’s the safest place,” Demund answered.

  “Safest?” she exclaimed in disbelief. “Explain.”

  “What I created, as it alters the SAP structure in my body, causes disastrous consequences if destroyed. Therefore, I made it around my heart—the least likely place to get damaged.”

  “But what if you failed?”

  Demund shrugged. “I’d rather not think about it.”

  Laveny’s expression darkened, and when she snapped her fingers, he was rocketed out of the chair, causing him to yelp. He landed safely, thankfully, falling into a roll. When he got back up, Laveny was seated, and the screens around her were flickering with information.

  “Look. What do you see?” Laveny asked.

  Demund scratched his cheek. “Tests of some kind?”

  “All of them were attempts to replicate or create powers through manipulating the SAP structure within a person’s body,” she told him. “Look.”

  The screens suddenly filled with graphic images of people’s body parts bursting and rupturing. Someone’s head caved in on itself. A man melted into dust. Eyes popped out. Laveny herself wasn’t looking and was facing him. It only lasted for a few seconds before the screens went dark.

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  A wave of nausea swept over Demund. But he could handle it.

  “This is what happens if you tamper with the body’s SAP structure,” Laveny said. “Also, it is illegal to. All of the things you saw were uncovered secret experiments.”

  Demund furrowed his eyebrows. “Will I go to jail now?”

  Laveny shook her head. “Self-experimentation doesn’t apply. Also…”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I thought the video would shock you more.”

  “It did. But what for?”

  “So you won’t do something so stupid again!” Laveny squeaked. “I can’t afford to lose you. Please don’t try to kill yourself.”

  “I’ll be careful,” Demund said.

  “Promise me.”

  “To be careful?”

  “To not experiment!” Laveny complained.

  “But I can’t teach you new magic unless I experiment,” Demund reasoned. “Besides, this engine enhances my control over SAP.”

  “I can tell.”

  Laveny pursed her lips. He could feel her annoyance radiating off her body. And amidst it, a slight drop of…fear.

  “I will be very, very careful,” Demund promised. “Don’t worry about losing a teacher. Besides, I can’t continue to teach you if you surpass me in everything. Just like you’re improving, I am as well.”

  The young girl’s face filled with frustration, and she bit her lower lip hard enough to leave a deep mark.

  “You don’t understand,” she muttered. “I need to surpass you.”

  Demund frowned. “Need to? What does that mean?”

  Laveny chewed on her fingernail. The action was strange to him, and perhaps to Laveny as well, because she immediately winced and forced her hands into her armpits.

  “......just don’t experiment,” she told him quietly. “Please.”

  Her response irked him a little. “I don’t understand. You need to give me a proper explanation.”

  “It’s dangerous.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  The girl shook her head. “No, you can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “Because—”

  She seemed to want to say something, but stopped herself. “It’s dangerous!”

  There was no use convincing her. Sighing, Demund shrugged and smiled.

  “Okay, I won’t,” he lied.

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  It surprised him when Laveny’s face bloomed into a bright smile of relief. It wasn’t a big smile, but a genuinely happy one. Demund didn’t understand.

  “Okay,” she simply said. “Your room is clean now. Bye-bye.”

  Before he could respond, his leg shot towards the entrance, forcing him to walk out of the room. He nearly tripped from the sudden movement.

  “Hey!” Demund complained. “You really need to stop doing—”

  And the door shut before his eyes. Demund resisted the urge to kick the wall.

  “She’s just a child, just a child, just a child…” he muttered to himself. He knew how much Laveny cared about managing her time.

  “...............”

  Well, now he was even more motivated to experiment with himself. Taking in a deep breath, he made a mental note to ask Deion to keep Laveny from controlling his leg. When he came back, that is. In the meantime, he’d bear with the self-centered little girl.

  When he came back to his room, he couldn’t help but chuckle. It was spotless and smelled great, but the thing that made him laugh was the note that had been placed on top of his bed. It read:

  ‘Don’t experiment! Dolgo is sad.’

  Complete with a drawing of a sad dolphin.

  “Right,” Demund rolled his eyes. He seriously didn’t get why Laveny was so against this. He’d be careful, and that would be the end of it. Laveny wouldn’t have to know a thing.

  So, the day continued like nothing had ever happened. He took his lessons, prepared for the magic one, taught Laveny, Aia, and Kenna some fire magic, ate dinner, and did his homework as well as some magic practice. A day just like any other day.

  And now, from 10:30 to 11:00, it was time for Laveny’s therapy session. Demund knocked on her door, and it opened for him. Laveny was seated in her chair with an annoyed look, like always.

  “Hurry up,” she muttered.

  Demund took a seat on a stool that had been placed for him. “You need to change that mindset,” he told her. “There is no hurrying up in laziness.”

  Laveny’s irritation seemed to deepen. How an eleven-year-old looked so subtly angry, Demund didn’t know.

  “Let’s try drawing today,” Demund suggested. “Doodling. With magic! It will help your control.”

  “Hm,” she replied. She didn’t seem to be amused. Well, he’d expected as much. Their past few sessions had been excruciatingly slow and awkward.

  So he’d prepared something special, now that he had a mana circle.

  “First—a cat.”

  From the shadows, a black cat emerged. It trotted towards them and pounced on his lap, tucking its legs beneath its body.

  Laveny raised an eyebrow.

  “When did you bring a cat in here?” she asked. “It’s unsanitary.”

  “This one is perfectly clean. Try touching it.”

  With a snort, she reached forward—and her hand passed right through the cat. Laveny’s eyes widened, and she did it again, only to touch nothing.

  “That’s an illusion?” she questioned, leaning closer to take a better look. “How did you make it look so real?”

  “Practice,” Demund smiled.

  “But you can see the individual hairs on it. And you made it move so naturally. How?”

  “Again, practice.”

  With a grunt, Laveny put her hand out. The air shimmered before it, and a blue holographic cat appeared. Its glow dulled as she lessened her output, and the cat’s colors shifted as she concentrated. The final product was a dully glowing dark-grey cat that clumsily floated through the air.

  “It doesn’t make sense!” she complained, making her cat illusion disappear. “How do you make it seem like light is reflecting off the object?”

  “Precise control,” Demund shrugged, “and a good understanding of physics. Why, is it too difficult for you?”

  Laveny’s face reddened. She hands tightly gripped her lab coat.

  “I didn’t say it was,” she muttered. Another glowing cat appeared before her and began shifting in texture and color.

  For the first time during their sessions, she looked properly invested. When she concentrated, it wouldn’t be long before she grasped and replicated the technique behind his magic. At most, it would be a day or two. Learning how to circulate had taken the longest. But Demund hypothesized that this would take her much, much longer.

  After all, he wasn’t using light magic. He was using the Seine’s special illusion magic, now available to him thanks to his enhanced control. Now that he had the tools for more advanced magic, he could recreate harder spells right away thanks to his practice as Shaden.

  Watching Laveny’s frustration was something he didn’t know he’d enjoy. But it was funny, and he almost felt bad for messing with her like this.

  Almost.

  “I guess it was too difficult for you,” Demund shook his head sadly. “Still, you’ve improved your cat.”

  Laveny’s cat sat crouched on the floor. It looked pitiful compared to his. His cat jumped down and began punching it, causing Laveny’s face to redden even more.

  “Oh no! We’re over by two minutes,” Demund gasped, getting up. “Sorry about that. I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

  “Wait!”

  Laveny got up from her chair. She scurried over and looked up at him.

  “Do the thing you do to teach me,” she asked, “through my hand.”

  Demund looked down at her. He smiled.

  “Nah. I need to go sleep.”

  “——!!”

  Waving goodbye, he exited the room and casually walked to his room. He was wary of Laveny watching him through the cameras, so he tried to act cool. Opening the door, he shut it behind him and stood in place for a few seconds.

  “......ha! Haha!”

  He punched a fist into the air in victory. It was satisfying to do the same thing she always did to him—keeping a strict schedule.

  “Haha! Take that!”

  Demund was about to do a dance of joy until he remembered that Laveny was eleven. Suddenly feeling a sense of shame, he stopped and crossed his arms in thought.

  …well, mentally, she considered herself 245 years old, right?

  “......ah, crap.”

  The whole point of their sessions was so that he could help Laveny out emotionally. But she’d been very disinclined to receive help, and he’d gotten a little annoyed.

  Consequently, he’d probably made her situation worse.

  “Argh, whatever,” Demund sighed, jumping into his bed. He’d already showered and was ready to sleep. He’d worry about it more in the other world.

  To put it bluntly, Shaden did not worry about Laveny at all.

  Traveling with Eilae had been amazing, and learning from Elder Hakken every night was enough to use up all the spare time he might have had left. Magic was more than just spells; it was seemingly alive, fluid, yet systematic at the same time. So time flew by, and before he knew it, he’d woken up as Demund again.

  While observing Laveny’s tired face as she ate breakfast, he promised himself that he’d actually help her this time. She threw him a few odd glances before she retreated into her room. It was even stranger when she didn’t emerge for the afternoon magic training, prompting worried looks from Kenna and, surprisingly, Aia Laia.

  “I don’t mind her attitude,” she told him when he’d asked while Kenna had gone to talk with Laveny. “I think she’s adorable. She’s like a wary cat, I think. I’m just on the unfortunate side.”

  Demund nodded. “How long have you known her, exactly?”

  “Since Deion took her in,” Aia said. “You look surprised.”

  He was. “You didn’t see her often, I guess?”

  “No, but enough to say we’re friends. Believe it or not, there was a time when Laveny lived at my house.”

  “Really?”

  “Deion had circumstances, and I was a good friend,” Aia sighed. “She was really small back then.”

  Aia took out her phone from her pocket and began scrolling through the images. Once she found what she needed, she showed it to him.

  It was a picture of her and a 5-year-old Laveny. Aia was smiling, doing a peace sign. Laveny, on the other hand…

  “She looks like a standing corpse,” Demund exhaled in shock. The girl’s eyes were lifeless, and she stood there without a trace of emotion on her face.

  “This was months after she was rescued,” Aia said. “She’s like a different person now, right?”

  “Yeah…”

  Aia put her phone away. “You can tell Deion tried very hard to take care of her. Still, I think some things can’t fully heal.”

  She pursed her lips. “Like her wary personality. Which is why it's special that she’s willing to learn from you…”

  Her eyes turned towards the direction of Laveny’s room. “But it looks like she’s shut herself out again.”

  “Er…I think that’s partly my fault,” Demund coughed.

  “How so?”

  “I showed her something she can’t learn.”

  He conjured a black cat before their eyes, and it jumped onto his lap, staring up at Aia—who’d yelped away in surprise. The cat merely looked at her judgingly, licking its paws and wiping its face.

  “It’s only an illusion,” Demund explained, moving his hand through the cat. “An extension of light magic.”

  “An—an extension?” Aia choked. She crawled forward and reached for the cat, only for her hand to grasp air. “I could never do this. And my power is making illusions!”

  Aia narrowed her eyes. “This is something else, isn’t it?”

  “No, it really is an extension,” Demund defended. “But there are more factors to account for than light. You need a good understanding of perspective, physics, texture, refraction…”

  All of which Shaden had learned for him.

  “Okay, okay!” Aia nodded. “I get it. You’re a genius. So, Laveny is sad because she couldn’t do what you could?”

  “I wouldn’t say sad. She’s likely practicing by herself right now.”

  Aia held her head. “Of course! She can’t let go of anything until she’s satisfied with it. So this whole situation is…your fault.”

  They exchanged a look.

  “I never said she had to master it,” Demund said. “We were just doodling.”

  “You can’t do that for Laveny,” Aia told him. “She’ll become even more depressed if she fails!”

  Demund felt a bead of sweat roll down his back. “She will?”

  “Yes! If she didn’t accomplish everything before, she was tortured!”

  “Tortured?”

  Aia Laia’s eyes widened, and she covered her mouth in shock. Demund stared at her for an explanation.

  “I—I guess it’s alright for you to know,” Aia sighed. “Yes, she was tortured at the laboratory she was raised in. Deion told me there were nearly two hundred children there. Would it be enough to say that she was the only survivor?”

  He didn’t know what to say. He merely lowered his eyes.

  “I shouldn’t have shown off,” he finally uttered.

  “Um—no, no!” Aia frantically waved her arms. “Don’t blame yourself. Laveny is smart enough to figure it out, right?”

  “What if she can’t?”

  “Then you can teach her. See, problem solved!”

  The problem was…he didn’t really want to. This was something the Seines had taught him; it was magic that had been bestowed upon the Heir of Skotos. Something exclusive to him.

  “Will it be that bad if she fails?” Demund muttered.

  Aia had misunderstood his selfishness for worry, because she sat down properly in front of him and patted him on the shoulder. Her expression had softened.

  “I can’t say how bad it will be,” she began, “but while Laveny was at my house, there was a time when she caught me practicing my light performance.”

  Demund looked up.

  “So I got a little excited and did a short dance for her,” Aia continued. “You should have seen Laveny’s eyes. It was like they’d come alive for the first time. I thought I’d done something good, and it made me happy when she tugged on my shirt to do it again. Only that…I did it again, and again, and again…”

  Aia shuddered. “I…ignored her once. I think she lost interest in me since then. So is it bad if she doesn’t learn? I mean…maybe you’ll get ignored?”

  “...............”

  “......what?”

  “Considering her memory, I wouldn’t be surprised if she still remembers it,” Demund said. “So, there was a valid reason why she dislikes you.”

  “I was young and immature!” Aia Laia complained. “Besides, you can’t teach powers.”

  “I don’t think she was trying to learn it,” Demund snorted. “She was five, right? She must have been charmed by your performance.”

  Aia shook her head. “Oh, but she was trying to learn.”

  “Huh?”

  Demund blinked. “But that’s not possible.”

  “......?”

  “What?

  “You don’t seem to be aware.”

  “Aware of?”

  “Why Laveny was in that laboratory,” Aia said. “I think it’s classified, but at least you should know. The reason why Laveny was in that laboratory was that it was an attempt to artificially produce individuals with powers. Learning and replicating powers, I think, was part of the experimentation.”

  Demund’s insides churned when he remembered what Laveny had shown him.

  “Did it…succeed?”

  “All but one.”

  Laveny.

  He felt sick.

  “Demund? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied, fighting the dizziness. Those experiments that he’d seen—they’d been done to her. And he, being able to teach magic, was carrying on what Laveny had been subjected to do as a child. Artificial powers. That was essentially what he was creating.

  No wonder Laveny had reacted so strongly against him experimenting with himself.

  “I—am I not making her repeat her childhood?” he asked. “What I’m doing here…is it really okay?”

  “Okay, now you’re overthinking,” Aia said, placing her hands on his cheeks, forcing him to look at her. “Are you harming her in any way?”

  “No.”

  “Did she say she didn’t want to learn?”

  “No?”

  “Listen, Demund. You’re letting her do what she failed to do before. You’re not making her relive her past, but helping her overcome it. It’s something only you can do!”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah! Why do you think Deion brought you here?”

  “Uh…”

  Because I almost exploded a dude with a fireball?

  “The guy knows everything,” Aia stated. “He can travel—”

  Aia covered her mouth instantly. Her eyes were as wide as saucers.

  “He can travel?”

  “Really fast,” she finished.

  “...I’m aware.”

  She sighed, and finding him looking at her, smiled brightly. “Anyways, don’t worry too much, okay? You’re doing great. I think you’re very charming.”

  The person before him was a popular celebrity, so it wasn’t strange for his cheeks to flare up a little. He lost his words for a second.

  “Thank you?” he managed to reply.

  Just then, Kenna emerged from the hall. They turned towards her to see what she had to say.

  “Laveny says she’ll see you tonight,” Kenna shrugged. “And I happened to remember that I have some chores to do. You two should carry on with the lesson, yes?”

  Then she disappeared. When Demund looked around to see Aia Laia, she had an amused grin on her face while she hugged her knees.

  “I guess I can get a private lesson now?” she giggled.

  “............”

  Demund didn’t understand why this celebrity was teasing him so much.