And so there I was... in the complete and utter shadow of my own consciousness.
All because I had decided to save that girl, Lara.
Everything here was pure emptiness. There was no sense, no connection, only scattered orbits of faint lights drifting inside my head like lonely stars in a sad, forgotten galaxy.
In truth... I was merely the darkness between them, a solitary presence in a lonely world.
But then my eyes opened, as if I were seeing the light at the end of a tunnel bursting inside my mind.
I tried to remember.
Try to remember. Try to remember, Mordred. What was so important?
It was the same vision again… the same tower. But this time the sea was in turmoil, the moon was stripped of its light, and the fog was completely clear. All around, waves crashed against countless shores, and in those lands, there were tombs. Each one bore a name.
How did I know those names? Who were they?
It didn't matter, I knew them all. And that terrified me.
The fog slowly returned, and the dragon coiled at the base of the marble tower spread its wings and looked to the sky.
And it saw the stars begin to fall.
Then I opened my eyes again and glanced around, still half-dazed. That's when I noticed someone nearby…
She had hair the color of dark wine, eyes as bright as winter itself, and the kind of beauty that belonged in fairytales.
"Oh! You're finally awake! Are you alright? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to— I swear! Forgive me, I wanted to thank.."
She kept speaking, but everything started spinning, her voice fading into silence as the dizziness took over. My eyes closed once more… and I slipped again into unconsciousness.
When I woke again, it was night. The same girl was still there, her eyes half-open and heavy with sleep.
"You didn't have to stay by my side all this time, you know?"
My voice came out weak, but enough to stir her from her half-sleep. Despite her exhaustion, she still found the strength to tease.
"Then I should've left you alone," she said with a small gesture. "After all, who'd want to wake up with a pretty girl next to them?"
"Not me," I said with a sarcastic grin — and instantly regretted it when she pinched me.
"With that, I hope you've learned your lesson, mister," she said, smiling with mock sweetness and venom in her tone.
I could swear a cold sweat ran down my forehead, but I had the courage to take that warning to heart.
Then she sighed again, her expression shifting to something between concern and excitement.
"Okay… you look—"
"Alright, let's start," she interrupted herself. "You finally woke up. I tried to apologize for what happened, but you passed out right after, so I couldn't really do much."
"Yeah, I noticed," I said with a faint smile, trying to sit up—
"Argh!" A sharp pain shot through my chest.
"Hey! Careful, you're not well yet," she scolded. "You'll faint again if you move too much."
With no other choice, I surrendered to her orders and lay back down on that absurdly soft bed. Her hands gently pushed me back, and she quickly withdrew them to her lap, taking a deep breath before speaking again.
It seemed to be a habit of hers — every time she wanted to say something, she'd take a breath first, as if to gather her thoughts and speak clearly.
"You like analyzing people, don't you?"
Her comment caught me off guard, leaving me speechless for a moment — which made her laugh softly. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind.
"Well, I have that same habit," she continued. "And the more I look at you, the more I realize I'm right about you. You haven't disappointed me."
"I'm… glad, I guess," I said, smiling faintly and staring at the ceiling.
"Take that as a compliment, idiot," she teased, giving me a light flick on the shoulder. "I don't give those often."
"Oh, yes! I'll cherish it forever, madam," I said dramatically, gesturing like an actor on stage.
"I hate you," she laughed, then sighed again. "Anyway, I have something to tell you — good news. Really good news, actually."
"Okay… you passed the First Circle?"
She nodded, pulling aside a lock of hair — a strand that was now pure white.
"Whoa, what happened?"
"Well… that's one of the consequences of the little 'incident' earlier," she said. "You know, that part where you jumped in to 'save me' and all?"
I sighed. She had passed the test — and I was genuinely happy for her.
"But there was something else during that test," she explained, her tone growing more serious. "I wasn't the only one who awakened that day. Somehow, my magic interacted with yours, and now…"
I tried to finish her sentence — but instead, I acted on instinct. Remembering the theories of Luciferius, I activated my mana flow and—
Flames.
Real, burning flames appeared in my hand.
A true fire spell.
Not smoke, not sparks — real fire.
"I'm… a mage? Me?"
Lara's smile was genuine, almost radiant. Then she waved her hands playfully.
"Well, congratulations, Mister Magus. I think you deserve it."
"This is… incredible," I whispered, barely believing it. "I thought I'd be 'deformed' for the rest of my life."
"You've become quite the topic around the orphanage," she said, "and even among the evaluators who came to visit."
I nodded, then asked the obvious question:
"How long was I out?"
She tilted her head thoughtfully, her lips curling mischievously. "A whole week… and a half."
"What!?"
"You're serious!?" I nearly shouted, panic in my voice.
"Yes," she said, then paused dramatically before breaking into laughter. "You really believed that!?"
I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck, half relieved, half embarrassed.
"To be fair," she continued, grinning, "you were out for quite a while — but nothing too extreme. The evaluators said your case was… unusual." She sighed once more. "Anyway, no jokes this time — you were unconscious for a single day. That's all."
I let out a long sigh, feeling relieved. Considering I'd tampered with magic itself, getting out with just that was a miracle.
"Well… I guess I should go," Lara said, adjusting her dress. "Get some rest, okay? We'll talk later."
"Wait! You can't just drop a revelation like that and leave—"
Before I could finish, she hugged me. Then, pulling back, she looked into my eyes.
"I'm glad you're alright. Truly."
For a moment, her eyes shimmered — and then she said something that left me frozen.
"Your eyes… they're like hers. They change too."
And with that, she turned and quietly left the infirmary.
"Good night… again," she said, closing the door gently behind her.
I was speechless.
What did she mean? The same eyes? Had she met someone else like me before?
What a headache…
Tsss…
What's that smell?
I looked down at the bedsheet.
It was… on fire!?
Panicking, I started waving it to put the flames out — but that only made it worse. The entire sheet caught fire, and when I finally realized what was happening, my eyes went wide: the poor thing had turned completely to ash.
But the flames were still burning.
Terrified of setting the orphanage ablaze, I focused my mind, reaching for that faint memory of how to dispel the spell — and suddenly, the fire vanished.
"It worked? It worked, didn't it!? I'm not dreaming!"
I grinned. "No," I beamed. I had never been so happy in my life.
I wasn't the weird one anymore.
Finally, I was normal.
Finally… I had magic.
Days passed.
It was now September 3rd, 1549—"The Crimson Year."
I had recovered completely from the infirmary, though things had… changed. People were avoiding me for reasons I couldn't quite grasp—but I didn't care.
"Ugh, these guys are unbearable," Sirius said, walking toward me with his lunch tray.
"Tell me about it," William added, sitting beside me. "Can't they stop whining already?"
"I think they're just jealous that he saved that girl's life," Sirius said, starting to eat.
"'Saved'? That's all you call it?" William argued, clearly offended. "You saw what this lunatic did? He jumped straight into death itself — where adults had failed before him—and with zero magic!"
"But you guys heard them, right?" I said, gaining their attention. "What are they calling me now?"
"'The one who should've died,'" Sirius replied, raising a brow before his face darkened. "Those bastards can eat dirt and choke on it. Don't let them get to you—they're just trying to scare you."
I smiled wide. Having my friends by my side made everything seem alright.
But then… something happened.
And she arrived…
like a crimson sun.