Nine years ago.
Rain poured heavily, drenching the body of a young boy. His eyes stared intensely at the body of a woman, a knife embedded firmly in her chest. He clung tightly to her, shaking her with all his small might. He then felt someone embrace him, a warmth that was slight compared to the cold of that moment.
"Mother, mother, mother, mother…." The word repeated endlessly on his lips.
Kaboom!
Lightning illuminated their faces. A woman with a fair but slightly pale complexion, auburn hair, hazel eyes, and red lips tinged with blue from the cold.
"Souael, be patient, my dear." The words were soft yet held a strength that silenced Souael. He turned his head to the right, his eyes glancing at the woman.
"Rebecca, mother is gone." Souael sobbed.
Rebecca, who had been holding Souael, stepped back slightly and grasped his shoulders. She turned Souael's face from his mother to face her instead.
"Sleep." Rebecca whispered the word to Souael, a magical command unbeknownst to him.
As soon as Souael heard the word, his eyelids grew heavy, and he collapsed forward into Rebecca's arms.
While holding Souael, Rebecca recalled the events that had transpired earlier.
Flashback, Mikaila Royal Garden.
Ahead of Rebecca walked a woman dressed in white and gold, her hair flowing behind her, her face gentle and kind. She held the hand of a young boy, admiring the almost-blooming purple and blue flowers. Several magical lamps absorbed sunlight by day to illuminate the dark night. Each lamp stood a few meters apart, except in the flower area. It rained heavily that night, and Rebecca shielded the woman with a magical spell, umbrella, its protective radius extending five feet from the woman in all directions.
That was Lady Hyxnne, the daughter-in-law of the royal Irj family and wife to Lord Royll.
"Mother, why do you love Nightseducer flowers?" asked Souael in his sweet voice.
"These flowers will only bloom after drinking a lot of water at night, emitting a beautiful glow and a wonderful fragrance." The woman smiled, revealing her dimples and white teeth.
As lightning flashed across the sky, thunder roared, and the wind grew stronger. Amid the lightning, Rebecca saw a knife speeding towards her lady.
"Lady!"
Rebecca extended her right hand, palm forward, casting an aegis spell to protect her lady.
Zing!
The sound of the knife clashing with the aegis spell was brief but enough to break through it. The knife continued straight ahead, unimpeded. The collision between the knife and the royal aegis spell produced a white flash lasting less than a second.
Realizing the danger, the woman also cast the royal aegis spell, but the knife penetrated both Rebecca's aegis and the royal aegis.
Even the royal aegis spell couldn't withstand the knife's force.
The difference between the aegis and royal aegis spells lies in the complexity of manna flow in the royal aegis, making it three times slower to cast.
Rebecca quickly moved forward, drawing her sword to deflect the attack.
Clash!
After deflecting the attack, a figure in a black cloak covering his entire body appeared. He seemed to be a man, his face covered with a black cloth adorned with strange white symbols.
The figure sprinted towards Hyxnne. Rebecca used a speed spell to intercept him, creating an air pressure bubble around her that burst, scattering water droplets.
Rebecca's sword swung horizontally to decapitate the figure, but he seemed prepared to deflect her swift attack.
The figure used instant short teleportation magic to move behind Rebecca. With her skill, Rebecca redirected her sword from a horizontal slash to a downward thrust, then jumped, using the sword's hilt embedded in the ground to pivot and kick the figure in the neck. This caused the figure to fall backward. Using the momentum, Rebecca leaped next to the figure, raising her sword to stab him.
Suddenly, a strong wind pushed Rebecca forward, causing her to tumble beside Hyxnne. During Rebecca's battle with the figure, Hyxnne activated an emergency device signaling the area's emergency system. The device, shaped like a pendant, hung around her neck.
Rebecca turned against the wind to lessen its force, stabbing the ground before landing on her feet. At that moment, a second figure, moving faster than the first, stabbed Hyxnne in the chest and fled. Hyxnne's body fell backward.
Rebecca knew she had to act quickly. She used a speed spell on her legs, but the second figure was already far away. Rebecca hurled her sword, enhanced with a second-level speed spell, towards the second figure. The first figure intercepted the sword, which embedded in his chest and exploded. However, the explosion was minor, and they were far enough away not to be harmed.
Heavy rain poured down, decorating the earth with the beauty of Nightseducer flowers. Rebecca slowly walked towards the fallen body. Hyxnne smiled at Souael and spoke her final words.
"Souael…"
Library, Now.
"In this world, there are four types of energy that can alter or control physical energy or particles. These physical particles or energies are called insodau. The energies that control insodau are manna, lunasi, luminos, and ilm. Generally, all living beings with a soul possess manna…"
"Master Souael!" Souael heard the call from his personal maid, Rebecca.
Souael stood at the corner of the national library, listening to a man in his 40s teach some children about the types of energy. His attention was interrupted by Rebecca's shout.
Souael turned to see Rebecca smiling brightly at him. She held a loaf of cheese bread, her favorite snack, bought from the market before stopping by the library next door. Rebecca wore a long maid's dress, symbolizing her master's status.
"Young Master Souael, why haven't you entered the library yet?" Rebecca asked, her lips pouting slightly.
"I was about to, but I overheard that man teaching some children, so I listened in." Souael replied.
"Oh, let's go."
Rebecca immediately grabbed Souael's wrist and led him into the library. The library was vast, filled with various books. At the entrance, Souael saw a female librarian engrossed in a new-looking book.
As Souael walked past the librarian, she looked up. Hastily, she stood up, causing the chair to scrape the floor. The chair's front legs lifted as if to fall, but someone behind her caught it.
Both individuals then bowed respectfully to Souael. He and Rebecca smiled at their actions and continued into the library.
"Young Master Souael, you promised to tell me why you wanted to come here," Rebecca said, smirking.
Souael smiled as he walked beside Rebecca. "Do you remember, Rebecca, when I told you about my manna problem?"
"Hmm, I think I remember. You said your manna is limited. So, what does that have to do with coming here?"
Souael sighed, "Last week, while walking in the market, I heard a boy crying. His brother consoled him, saying there's a book explaining how to increase manna."
"But that's impossible," Rebecca interrupted.
"I know, but I have to try. I overheard the location from their conversation. The book might be hidden with magic, who knows." Souael's eyes looked somber.
The atmosphere grew gloomy, but Rebecca brightened it with her smile and words.
"It's okay, young master, I'm sure you'll find it. Hmm." Rebecca grinned.
Time passed as the sun did. Various books on magic and manna circulated on the library table where Souael sat. Rebecca showed various antics as she accompanied Souael—sleeping, eating, and teasing him.
While wandering the library, Souael noticed an unusual boy smiling at him. The boy had silver-white hair, wore neat clothes, but his eyes changed colors. Souael felt compelled to approach the boy, but the boy walked away. Souael quickened his pace, but no matter how fast he walked, the boy seemed to move faster, as if using magic to increase his speed. The boy led him through various directions. No matter how fast Souael chased, he couldn't catch the boy, as if a fixed distance separated them.
The boy suddenly stopped in front of him and turned to face him. Souael didn't realize he was no longer in the same library. The books around him looked older and contained significant hidden manna. Only a high-level magician could sense the anomaly in those books.
"Souael, look at me and come here. I am truly here for you." The voice sounded both gruff and soft, like a woman's.
Souael's face showed surprise and confusion. Although it had been difficult to approach the boy, he felt closer after hearing the voice. He walked towards the boy, taking the hand offered. His body grew heavy and cold, and he fell to the floor, unconscious.