A young girl runs breathlessly into the room. "Mother's letter has arrived!" she announces.
Seated on a chair, Alexa looks up and asks, "Is Choi alright?" Her voice carries a hint of worry.
"Mother is fine," the girl replies calmly. "But she wants me to join the school this year. She thinks I should be there."
Alexa, a woman around forty, takes a deep breath. Sitting in her chair, she gently rocks it back and forth. They are in a remote, icy region where their house stands. Outside, snow falls steadily, visible through the window behind the warm, cozy bed draped with thick blankets. In the yard, a chimney glows with fire, casting warmth into the room. Various items are set neatly above the fireplace, adding to the room's comforting atmosphere.
Alexa repeats her question, or perhaps she is probing further. "Is Choi in some kind of trouble?"
Lowering her gaze, Ji Yeon replies in a steady voice, "Yes, she says the situation there isn't good. She needs me."
Alexa shakes her head, her tone grim. "Things there have never been truly stable. Only in recent years did we get any good news. Twenty years ago, Jeong-won took Kang Ha from me, saying I couldn't raise him safely. He told me that the sorcerer who killed my husband, Park-ha, could target him too."
After another pause, Alexa asks gently, "Are you sure you want to go?"
Ji Yeon nods firmly. "Yes, I want to go. For the first time, my mother has called for me. I think it's time."
Many people have died at the hands of the sorcerer, and this war has cost us greatly.
"Ji-yeon, my child," Alexa says, looking at her with a serious expression. "Do you promise me that you'll look after Kang Ha when you're there?"
Ji-yeon has heard his name for years but has never met Kang Ha herself. Now, it seems she might finally meet him. She has often heard her mother mention him—a mother who last saw her son twenty years ago when he was only about two years old. Ji-yeon knows that in this war, everyone has made sacrifices, whether to protect themselves or their loved ones. She, too, is about to see her mother for the first time in ten years. Ji-yeon was only eight years old when she left for school, leaving her own family behind to guard her friend's child. In her eyes, her mother and Alexa are the bravest women she knows.
Sitting on the floor next to Alexa, Ji-yeon says, "I promise. I will stand by him in every difficult moment." She takes Alexa's hands in her own and kisses them, wiping away her own tear-filled eyes.
Alexa gently places a hand on her head. "Perhaps it's time for Kang Ha to know everything about his past. He's brave, just like his father," she says, pride evident in her voice.
"Do you think he can defeat the sorcerer?" Ji-yeon asks quietly.
Alexa replies."The sorcerer was already immensely powerful twenty years ago; defeating him was nearly impossible then. By now, who knows how much stronger he's become?" "Sorcerers grow in power as they gain mastery over their magic. The more they learn, the more formidable they become."
"When will this war end?" Ji-yeon asks, her voice trembling. "When will we finally live together as a family? Where is the sorcerer now?" Tears stream down her face as she asks, not because of her own sorrow, but because she feels Alexa's grief deeply. She has so many questions; her mind always probes deeply into everything.
In a quiet, sad tone, Alexa replies, "I don't know, my child. But if we all try together, maybe we can end this... or perhaps, we'll perish in the effort." She sighs. "When the sorcerer finally takes over the school, maybe he'll stop killing, but if he doesn't, then someday, others will take our place in fighting him. Such dark power doesn't last forever."
Ji-yeon begins to sense that Alexa is only trying to console herself. In her heart, she knows that no one can truly defeat the sorcerer—not even their son, perhaps. Lifting her head, Ji-yeon sees the despair in Alexa's weary face.
Lowering her gaze, Ji-yeon rests her head on Alexa's lap, listening as Alexa continues to speak. Each word fills her with both sadness and a strange, quiet strength, knowing they are in this fight together, no matter the outcome.
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Miss Choi addresses Kang Ha as he approaches her.
"I have the names of the new students," she says, "and I've made a list. If you want to add your name, let me know."
Kang Ha shakes his head. "No, Miss Choi. I really want to leave this school, so I'm going to say goodbye to the headmaster."
As he starts to walk away, Miss Choi calls out to him. This time, he doesn't look back.
"I thought you were brave," she says. "I thought you would find the answers to your questions and become the headmaster next year."
Kang Ha pauses. "Miss Choi, I just want to leave here to find the answers to my questions, and I will find them."
Miss Choi steps forward, her voice carrying a hint of sadness. "This bridge, where you're standing, is four hundred feet above the ravine. It's part of the school, yet your father fell from here to his death. He was a better magician than you. Living outside, he lost his magic and died like a common man. If he had stayed, he would have become the headmaster. Jeong-woon is old now, Kang Ha. You should be the headmaster."
Kang Ha turns around, his face calm and unreadable. "Miss Choi, magic only takes lives and leaves nothing behind. I can do everything as a normal person—and as a magician."
"Don't worry," he adds before turning away and walking down the path without looking back.
Miss Choi watches him leave, feeling both sorrow and admiration for the journey he's about to undertake.
Miss Choi, a woman of thirty-nine, has long hair tied back, though the wind sends strands flying. Her beautiful features still hold grace, and her delicate face and long-lashed eyes watch Kang Ha with sadness as he walks away. She wears an elegant outfit that complements her dignified presence.
"We waited for so many years, hoping our children would become our support," she says softly. "My hope is that you'll find the right path, Kang Ha, and make the right choice. You have always been our last hope."
Miss Choi and Alexa had protected their children with the hope that, as they grew, they would try to set things right and become strong enough to fight in this war. But fate has a different plan. Each of them is tangled in their own struggles, unaware of where destiny will lead them or what it has in store. They realize now that their children's paths are not following the direction they had expected.
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''New paths is a 2 chapter, make sure you read the right one first. Thanks you.''