"I think I’m ready," Daniel eventually said. His knees had gone numb against the dewy grass.
Felicia's arms tightened a bit more around him before she let go.
"I don't think they blamed you..." Her voice was soft, like she was trying to handle something fragile. "They missed you, of course, but I think they were happy."
Happy.
Daniel wanted to believe that. Wanted to imagine that Lyra had lived a good life despite his absence, that she'd found joy and love a...
2025-12-21 21:53:06 +0000 UTC
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After the meeting, Daniel returned to Quill's office, finding him and the two sisters sitting quietly as the secret passage opened behind the bookshelf.
All three were staring at him—or in Felicia's case, tracking him with her mana perception.
Quill had a strange expression, like he was trying very hard not to appear too curious while being desperately, frantically curious.
Lily also had an expression of curiosity, but far less intense than her superior. Her eyes tracked D...
2025-12-21 21:51:45 +0000 UTC
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The threats Daniel knew of were all potentially world-ending, but some were far less urgent than others.
Best to start with the least urgent, I guess.
“The world serpent.”
Zoltran's eyes narrowed. "That's... an old legend. One of the creation myths from before even my time. You're saying it's real?"
"It's real. Thousands of kilometers in length, mostly buried beneath the sea floor. Dormant for so long that it's become a myth."
“Thousands of kilomet...
2025-12-21 21:49:55 +0000 UTC
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Quill took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Three knocks, sharp against the old wood. The sound echoed in the narrow passage, seeming to carry far more weight than simple knuckles on wood should.
This is it.
Daniel’s heart hammered against his ribs. The possibility of seeing someone who actually knew him. Knew Artorias, at least, which was becoming harder and harder to separate from himself.
For a moment, there was silence. Then an aged voice rang out, e...
2025-12-21 21:48:59 +0000 UTC
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Felicia turned to face her sister standing in the doorway, more than a little surprised.
She knew her oldest sister was studying here at the academy, but it had nearly slipped her mind completely. Between learning magic sight, escaping her brothers, and traveling to Novanny with Daniel, her sister's existence had become just another piece of background information, filed away and forgotten.
And she certainly hadn't expected her to be the personal assistant of the head teache...
2025-12-21 21:48:08 +0000 UTC
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Master Quill was a proud man. But right this moment, pride was the furthest thing from his mind as he scrambled around his office, knocking over a stack of ungraded essays and nearly upending his inkwell in the process.
Golden visiting notice?! I've never even seen red before!
The small lamp near the entrance cast everything in that golden glow—the visitor alert formation, warning him of an uncommon guest. No, not uncommon.
Unprecedented.
The visitor a...
2025-12-21 21:47:08 +0000 UTC
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The view that greeted Daniel the next morning was astonishing. As soon as he opened the curtains to let the sun in, he saw the great city of magic in the distance.
Novanny.
It was where most of his story had taken place. The home base of Artorias ever since he started the special class at the academy at ten years old.
Daniel pressed his palm against the cool glass of the airship window, studying the familiar yet alien landscape below. The large port on the south side a...
2025-12-21 21:46:15 +0000 UTC
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"Okay, where were we?" Daniel asked, settling back into his chair in the cabin. Dealing with the pirates had been a fun break, but he forced himself to focus on what mattered.
"You asked me what I thought of when I hear Alderic magic," Felicia replied from the couch. Her posture was more relaxed now that they were back to their studies. The pirate attack seemed to have affected her less than he'd expected
I’d say I handled that quite well, all things considered. No deaths or...
2025-12-21 21:45:00 +0000 UTC
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Captain Rask had pulled this job a dozen times before by now. The plan was simple: breach the barrier, sweep the deck, secure the crew, collect the indexes, split the gains with the corrupt captain, and disappear before anyone important noticed. Clean, simple, and profitable.
Another milk run, he thought as his boots hit the deck of the luxury airship. Rich passengers, minimal guards, cooperative crew. In and out in twenty minutes.
His crew moved almost like trai...
2025-12-21 21:43:54 +0000 UTC
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The view was truly extraordinary. The shouter hadn’t lied about that.
As the City of Artorias shrank ever smaller and the mountains around it turned to lesser hills, the land stretched out before him in every direction. It was as much as Daniel had ever seen of the world he once created.
There was nothing he could identify right away, but he knew the general direction of every major city—or at least those that existed a thousand years ago. The jagged mountains from the b...
2025-12-21 21:42:26 +0000 UTC
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Master Quill was a proud man, having worked his way up from a simple student without any notable support, to the man he was today—head teacher of the Magic Academy of Novanny.
A teacher at twenty-two, a professor at thirty, and an archmage at forty-three. Few had managed to reach the position of archmage before fifty, so even in those circles, he carried weight.
The academy itself was renowned beyond the continent's borders, known as a highly prestigious institution of magic and...
2025-12-21 21:40:24 +0000 UTC
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Felicia was right—the hospital bed was big enough for two. But despite that, Daniel had hardly any space at all to sleep on. Ske kept moving over to his side in her sleep, leaning her back right against his.
He would have fallen off if he hadn’t created a golden barrier to lean against.
At least she seems to have slept well. But next time I’ll create a barrier between us…
The golden construct behind him hummed quietly, perfectly smooth and slightly warm agai...
2025-12-21 21:39:28 +0000 UTC
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A full medical team joined Daniel on the way back from the hospital to the hotel. They brought all the equipment they might need once they heard the situation, and were surprisingly efficient. Primarily due to being told the patient was the head maid of the Harrowblooms, Daniel figured.
Back at the hospital, Felicia was given a special room and treatment once they realized who she was. No one dared take risks when it came to the Harrowblooms, even the youngest.
But Daniel had stil...
2025-12-21 21:37:47 +0000 UTC
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Daniel could barely remember being so full of rage before.
Kidnapping her was one thing, and he had accepted Felicia wanting the men to die. He didn't care about hearing them out, letting the void flame do what it was best at. They didn’t suffer.
But he had felt a slight hesitation. At first.
Then he heard how her brothers had been behind Felicia’s blindness and the death of her mother.
He was glad she decided to let them live in torment. Death was too kind. ...
2025-12-21 21:35:57 +0000 UTC
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The scene stayed frozen for what felt like an eternity, but it probably lasted only a few seconds. Then the pressure vanished, instead turning into a dense haze of wind, creating a stiff breeze in the warehouse.
He turned it all into gas? All of that mana?
Norton fell to the floor, looking around in shock. The magic blaze on his arms had gone out, leaving only his bare arms. “W-What was that?! Who?!”
Oh, it was lovely seeing him squirm like this. The fear in his...
2025-12-21 21:35:06 +0000 UTC
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Felicia was having a nightmare. Rope cut into her wrists and legs, rough hemp that scraped raw against her skin with every slight movement. She could feel the circulation in her feet starting to tingle uncomfortably. And her mouth... gods, the gag tasted of old cloth and something metallic that made her stomach lurch.
This isn't real. This can't be real.
But the creaking stairs beneath the feet of her captors were real enough. Each wooden groan sent vibrations through her...
2025-12-21 21:34:17 +0000 UTC
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Franz looked far more tired than he had the day before, like he hadn’t slept a wink. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and his usual crisp posture had disappeared entirely.
But the moment Franz's gaze found Daniel across the cathedral, every trace of exhaustion vanished. His spine straightened, his jaw widened, and religious awe filled his eyes.
Daniel's stomach dropped.
Damn. So he really knows who I am. Don’t tell me he’s thinking of revealing it to anyone.
2025-12-21 21:32:58 +0000 UTC
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The grand cathedral was even more impressive up close than it had been on the way down from the mountain. Easily taller than any holy building Daniel had seen on earth.
The design was almost alien. Clean, geometric curves stretching upward into the sky, with minimal ornamentation, and an almost stark whiteness that made the building blend with the white clouds in the afternoon sky.
The only thing reminiscent of churches on Earth was the giant circular window in the middle, l...
2025-12-21 21:31:50 +0000 UTC
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Daniel sat there, holding Felicia in his arms, conflicted.
Her sobs had quieted to occasional hiccups against his shoulder, but her grip on his shirt remained fierce, as if she was afraid he might disappear if she let go. He could feel the dampness seeping through the fabric where her face pressed against him.
When she had suddenly asked to call him brother earlier, he had frozen for a second. The words dredged up memories he usually kept buried deep.
Is that why I'm doi...
2025-12-21 21:30:53 +0000 UTC
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"Ready for your first lesson?"
Felicia nodded excitedly, sitting across from Daniel in a couch salon in his hotel room. Despite his instructions, she had put on a beautiful green dress.
I don’t mind if my green dresses get ruined. They were just used for grandmother’s sake.
The soft creak of Daniel settling into his chair across from her was followed by the gentle whisper of fabric. He was probably leaning back, studying her. The thought made her straighten her ...
2025-12-21 21:29:02 +0000 UTC
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Franz sat at his desk, elbows pressed against the surface and fingers digging into his hairline. The ledgers and correspondence that normally kept his attention lay forgotten, scattered across the desk.
It's too unbelievable.
The phrase had been cycling through his mind for hours. His hands trembled slightly as he lowered them, staring at the ink stains on his fingertips from where he'd gripped his pen too tightly.
Suddenly appearing inside the mountain barrier,...
2025-12-21 21:28:14 +0000 UTC
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The newly formed duo stood side by side in the elevator, on their way down to the offices. That was apparently where Franz stayed, even this late at night.
Daniel glanced sideways at his new apprentice, noting the way she held herself—shoulders rigid, hands clasped tightly in front of her. In the elevator's soft light, it was clear she had been crying recently, with mascara forming lines down her cheeks.
Good. Might help sell this whole thing.
The thought fe...
2025-12-21 21:26:55 +0000 UTC
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Felicia’s hands trembled as she fumbled through her wardrobe. Everything felt the same in the darkness. She barely knew where anything was, couldn't distinguish between her formal gowns and everyday dresses by touch alone.
And worst of all, she was stressed out of her mind about Daniel’s meeting with her grandmother.
He told me to trust him, but… how strong could he possibly be?
The question gnawed at her as she pulled dress after dress from their hangers, try...
2025-12-21 21:25:48 +0000 UTC
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Lyzelle sat in her usual chair by the fireplace, staring at the flame listlessly. It spoke to her sometimes, that spirit in the fire, but recently the sound had become muted and dull.
She sighed, feeling the years take their toll once more.
“What do you think, Thomas?”
The old butler bowed, like always—a motion that had remained unchanged for over thirty years of service. “I am not in a position to judge your actions, My Lady.”
“You know I value your ...
2025-12-21 21:24:42 +0000 UTC
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This girl… Does she greet everyone with questions like these?
“Yes, it’s just me. I’m sorry about coming in here uninvited, but I didn’t think I’d get in the normal way. And I’ll be leaving—”
Before he could finish, Felicia collapsed right next to him on the couch, face first. The sudden movement made his heart skip, thinking she had fainted. But then she sighed heavily, a sound so loaded with exhaustion and despair that it made his chest tighten.
...
2025-12-21 21:23:49 +0000 UTC
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Felicia pushed the button at the very top of the panel, taking another breath as the doors closed behind her. She had put on a beautiful green dress, knowing it was her grandmother’s favorite color.
Many months had passed since she last took the trip to the top floors. But now that only her grandmother lived there, she found visiting much less pleasant.
I miss grandpa… The entire mansion turned colder when he died.
She had hoped her father would join them during...
2025-12-21 21:23:07 +0000 UTC
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After walking only a few blocks, Daniel found a fancy hotel and spent the night there. The price seemed almost unreasonably cheap, at only a hundred slivers a night. Especially considering the luxurious room he eventually found himself in.
Magical formations were subtly integrated into every surface. Temperature regulation runes carved into the window frames, sound dampening arrays woven into the wallpaper, and what looked like air purification circles discretely hidden behind decorativ...
2025-12-21 21:15:39 +0000 UTC
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“No, no, you have to make the runes far more detailed,” Rowan corrected, not quite as pleasantly as he should have.
But this was the fifteenth time his stupid apprentice had made this error. How did he still not understand it?
“Then tell me what you mean by detailed!” his stupid apprentice growled back, chucking the chisel on the table. “A rune is a rune, isn’t it?”
Rowan sighed, shaking his head in a ‘this guy just doesn’t have the talent’ kind of way. ...
2025-12-21 21:14:36 +0000 UTC
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Once he was certain the man was out of sight, Franz deflated, leaning forward with his arms against his legs. His back was drenched with sweat.
An archmage! He had to be.
Without question, that young man was an archmage, or at least a powerful grandmage. And not a simple one, either.
Franz had faced plenty of archmages before, but he could count the number of times he had been threatened like this on a single hand. Most frequently by his mother, but even her mana pa...
2025-12-21 21:13:31 +0000 UTC
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Once she realized Daniel was telling the truth, Felicia’s expression crumbled into one of extreme internal debate. Her entire body leaned to the side, entirely unlike the noble young lady she was.
“Aaaah, you really can see it…”
For just a moment, her lashes parted—enough for Daniel to glimpse something odd beneath—but then she shut them tight again.
“I can use magic,” she murmured, almost too softly to hear. “I don’t know what kind, but… I can show you...
2025-12-21 21:12:12 +0000 UTC
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