The mark had disappeared by morning.
Yozaro rubbed the back of his hand several times.
Nothing.
“…Was it a dream?”
Yet deep inside, he knew it wasn’t.
Ever since touching the ancient stone in the forest, something had changed.
The world itself felt…
louder.
Outside the village…
The morning breeze carried thousands of whispers.
Not human voices.
The rustling leaves.
The flowing river.
The singing birds.
For the first time, Yozaro realized that mana wasn’t simply energy.
It was alive.
Every tree breathed mana.
Every flower absorbed mana.
Even the earth beneath his feet pulsed with it like a heartbeat.
He closed his eyes.
Tiny blue lights drifted through the air.
“They’re beautiful…”
“Yozaro!”
His father called from behind.
“There you are.”
Today was a special day.
Every child who reached the age of four would visit Elder Rowan to determine whether they possessed magical talent.
The village square buzzed with excitement.
Children stood in a long line, each hoping to become a knight, mage, or adventurer one day.
One by one, the children placed their hands on a crystal sphere.
Most remained silent.
Some glowed faintly.
The strongest child before Yozaro caused the crystal to shine a pale yellow.
The villagers applauded.
“A future mage!”
The boy grinned proudly.
Then…
“Yozaro.”
The square became quiet.
He stepped forward.
The crystal felt warm.
As soon as his fingers touched it—
BOOM!
A pillar of silver-blue light shot into the sky.
The crystal cracked.
Then another crack spread across its surface.
CRACK!
The crystal shattered into countless glowing fragments.
Silence.
Not a single person spoke.
Elder Rowan stared in disbelief.
“I… I’ve never seen anything like this.”
His father looked worried instead of happy.
“What does it mean?”
Rowan swallowed.
“It means…”
“Your son possesses more mana than this crystal can measure.”
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
“A genius…”
“No…”
“A monster.”
Yozaro lowered his head.
He didn’t enjoy the attention.
That evening…
Gareth sat beside the fireplace.
“You’ll leave this village someday.”
Yozaro looked up.
“…Why?”
“Because someone with your talent belongs in the wider world.”
He smiled sadly.
“But promise me one thing.”
“No matter how strong you become…”
“…never look down on those who are weaker.”
Yozaro nodded.
“I promise.”
A week later…
Yozaro returned to the forest.
The ancient stone was waiting.
This time…
It wasn’t alone.
A silver fox lay sleeping beside it.
Its fur shimmered under the sunlight.
The fox suddenly opened one golden eye.
Instead of attacking…
It walked toward him.
“You can see me…”
The fox spoke.
Yozaro froze.
“A… talking fox?”
The fox sighed.
“I’ve lived for over three hundred years.”
“Being called a talking fox is rather insulting.”
Yozaro couldn’t help but laugh.
The fox tilted its head.
“…You’re strange.”
“Most humans scream.”
“What is your name?”
The fox answered proudly.
“I am Lyra.”
“Guardian of these woods.”
For weeks, Yozaro secretly visited Lyra.
She taught him things no human knew.
“Mana isn’t something you force.”
“You ask.”
“The world answers.”
Under her guidance…
He learned to gather mana without chanting.
To strengthen his body.
To hear distant sounds carried by the wind.
To sense danger.
One afternoon…
Lyra smiled.
“Close your eyes.”
He obeyed.
“What do you hear?”
“The river.”
“The birds.”
“The wind.”
“And…”
His expression changed.
“Footsteps.”
Many footsteps.
Fast.
Heavy.
Lyra’s ears flattened.
“Run.”
Before they could move—
Three enormous horned boars burst through the trees.
Each stood nearly two meters tall.
Their crimson eyes glowed with madness.
“They’ve been corrupted by dark mana.”
Lyra growled.
“They’ve lost their minds.”
The largest boar charged straight at Yozaro.
His heart pounded.
His legs wanted to run.
But another memory surfaced.
His father’s voice.
“Protect what matters.”
Yozaro took a deep breath.
Mana flowed through his body.
Time seemed to slow.
He sidestepped at the last second.
The boar crashed into a massive tree.
CRACK!
The trunk split in half.
Before it could recover…
Yozaro picked up a fallen branch.
He poured mana into it.
The ordinary stick glowed pale blue.
He struck the monster’s forehead.
BOOM!
The impact sent the beast tumbling backward.
The other two hesitated.
Lyra leaped like silver lightning.
Within seconds…
The remaining monsters fled into the forest.
“You did well.”
Lyra smiled.
“You didn’t win because you’re strong.”
“You won because you stayed calm.”
Yozaro looked at his shaking hands.
“I was terrified.”
“Every warrior is.”
“The brave ones simply move anyway.”
That night…
Yozaro dreamed once more.
The cave appeared.
This time…
The Book of Greed slowly opened by itself.
Golden letters formed across the page.
First Desire Accepted.
Reward Granted.
A stream of light entered his chest.
When he woke the next morning…
His senses had become even sharper.
He could hear rain falling miles away.
He could feel mana moving beneath the earth.
Somewhere, something was preparing him.
But for what…
He still didn’t know.
Far beneath the continent…
In the ruins of an ancient temple…
A hooded man knelt before seven empty thrones.
He smiled.
“So…”
“The heir has finally begun walking the path.”
“Interesting.”
He slowly stood.
“Find the child.”
“No matter the cost.”