Page 1: The Circus of Illusions
In a world where magic was everything, Sebastian had none.
Instead, he had tricks. Smoke, wires, and sleight of hand. No mana, no problem.
"Alright, watch carefully."
A coin danced across his knuckles before—poof!—it vanished into thin air.
The audience gasped. A boy in the front row nearly fell off his chair.
Behind the stage, a grizzled old man chuckled. "Good. But your hand movements are still too stiff," said Alfredo "The Amazing" Alfredo, master illusionist and Sebastian's adoptive father. "A real magician doesn't show the trick. He makes people believe it's real."
Sebastian grinned. "So what you're saying is... I just need to lie convincingly."
Alfredo snorted. "Exactly!"
For years, Sebastian lived in the world of illusions, not spells. The grand circus tents, the roaring crowd, the flickering lanterns—this was his magic. And Alfredo was the only father he'd ever known.
Until fate decided to play a cruel joke.
Page 2: The Great Disaster
The act was supposed to be legendary. A daring escape. A cannon. A hundred chickens.
What could go wrong?
…Everything.
BOOM!
The cannon misfired. Alfredo shot through the air like a very unfortunate firework, crashed through a fruit stand, and landed in the town's fountain.
The audience went silent.
Sebastian sprinted forward. "Pops?! Are you okay?"
Alfredo coughed, spitting out an apple core. His fingers twitched. "Sebastian… the secret… it's under the big top…"
Sebastian blinked. "...Huh?"
Before he could ask, Alfredo passed out.
The doctors called it a coma. The bill called it expensive.
Page 3: Desperation and a Mad Idea
Sebastian sat outside the hospital, staring at the cost of magical surgery.
Too expensive. Too impossible. One year. That's all he had.
He clenched his fists.
"The secret… under the big top…"
Sebastian exhaled. That could mean anything! A hidden treasure? A family heirloom? An old peanut?
He had no idea. And Alfredo wasn't waking up to explain it.
Selling the circus' remaining props wouldn't be enough. He needed something bigger. Something insane.
And then… he heard the rumors.
Elorian Institute.
The most prestigious magic academy in the kingdom. If he could get in—and trick them into believing he was a prodigy—he could win a sponsorship.
It was a terrible idea.
…But it was his only idea.
Page 4: The Road to Elorian
Sebastian sold everything except for one thing: Alfredo's secret illusion manual.
"That's the legacy," he muttered. "That stays."
With his pockets almost empty but his head full of tricks, he set off for Elorian Institute.
The moment he arrived, he knew he was in trouble.
Towering gates. Elite mages. Pure mana radiating from every student.
Sebastian took a deep breath. Time for the performance of his life.
If step one of your master plan is lying to the most powerful mages in the kingdom, what's step two? Running really fast?