--Eight years ago.

Koal sat on the floor, watching his daughter draw a beautiful picture on a piece of paper. It was true art, made up of random lines and handprints.

"Look, Papa," Christina said with a smile, showing her masterpiece to her father.

Koal examined it, trying to understand what it was supposed to represent.

"Wow, that's a..." he started to say but then faltered when he couldn't recognize it.

"Papa," Christina said indignantly while rolling her eye as if Koal once again can not see the obvious,

"It's clearly a liries. There's the tail, and there are the wings." She explained happily, pointing to the corresponding parts.

"Oh, now I see it. Of course! I'm sorry, your father is getting old and can hardly see anymore. You did a great job."

He kissed Christina on the forehead and ruffled her hair.

After a short hug, she happily proceeded back to her drawing. Koal stood up and went to the old wooden table to get something to drink. He sighed and looked around once again.

He still hadn't fully adjusted to his new lifestyle, even though it had been two months since a fortunate stroke of luck made him one of the few community leaders.

His life was really good now. It was even better than before he came to the camp.

Previously, he was nothing more than a serf to a powerful magician, barely owning anything of his own. But now, he was one of the richest people in the camp. And that was all thanks to Gerald.

He met him about seven years ago for the first time. Usually, one had to pay a lot to take an affinity test, but Gerald kindly offered to let him do it for free.

Unfortunately, Christina, like her father and mother, wasn't susceptible to magic. But Gerald, like the kind man he was, immediately suggested that they could settle in this camp with his family.

At first, Koal was hesitant, but Gerald managed to convince him and promised to help him as much as he could. And he really kept that promise.

He provided them with credits and helped him secure his current political position. Koal was now wealthy and influential, and it filled him with joy.

However, he would continue to push forward. He wanted Christina to become a great magician and wanted her to have a bright future, not confined to this camp.

He watched his daughter happily lying on the floor, doodling on her paper.

Koal let out another long sighed and took a sip from his glass.

Suddenly, there was a firm knock on Koal's door. He was startled, and his daughter glared at him.

"Papa, who's coming so late?" she asked.

Koal smiled at her. "I don't know wither. I guess I'll have to find out. I'll be right back. You wait here, okay?"

Christina nodded and returned to her drawing.

Suspiciously, Koal walked out of the kitchen and toward the large front door. He opened it and stared into the dark eyes of an unknown man. The man was noticeably smaller than Koal and had well-groomed brown hair.

He smiled up at Koal without a hint of respect.

Koal recoiled. He immediately realized that this must be a magician. No mortal in this camp was as well-groomed and dressed as this young man. And the disrespect he showed toward a community leader was also an obvious sign.

Koal composed himself. "How can I help you, Lord Magician?" he asked respectfully.

The man simply smiled at him and walked past him. Interested, he looked around the house as he headed toward the kitchen.

"This house is much bigger than those of ordinary mortals. You must be a community leader, right?" he asked. His voice was cold and cutting.

"Correct, sir. But why..." Koal began.

"But from what I can see of the furnishings, not for long..." he muttered, not even listening to Koal.

Then he entered the kitchen, where Christina was. Koal clenched his fists and exhaled heavily. He followed him into the kitchen and saw Christina standing up, looking suspiciously at the stranger. She held her drawing tightly to her chest.

The magician shook his head and knelt in front of the girl. "Hello, Christina. You don't have to be afraid. I won't harm you. I'm here to help, little one."

Christina looked into her father's eyes, and he gave her a silent signal. This intelligent girl understood immediately and smiled at the man.

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"I don't know what you are talking about, sir, but I have to go to bed now and can't stay any longer. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime."

She ran to her father, hugged him quickly, and then rushed to her room.

"This girl is very intelligent," he muttered. "But that doesn't surprise me. Otherwise, she wouldn't have caught his attention."

"What's going on?" Koal asked, his patience starting to wear thin. "How do you know my daughter's name, and what do you mean with "she wouldn't have caught his attention"?"

The man turned his dark eyes to Koal. "Of course, I am talking about Gerald. She's another one of the lucky ones he chose."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Gerald's twisted plan to exploit your daughter as a resource. To drain her body until no more blood flows through her veins."

"What?" Now Koal was even more confused. "What in the name of the Gods are you talking about? Could you kindly provide me with a straightforward response this time and not just continue talking?"

The man smiled at him and gestured to the chair. "Please, have a seat!"

Koal hesitated for a moment but then sat down across from the magician at his table.

"You know a magician named Gerald, don't you?"

Koal nodded.

"And he's a good friend of your family?"

Koal nodded again. "Ever since he..."

"...He offered to perform the affinity test for your daughter for free. Yes, I know. After that, he sent you to this camp, didn't he?"

Koal nodded. "Yes, that is accurate. But how do you know all this?"

The man laughed, "Because that's how he always does it. He simply can't come up with a new strategy. He's quite unimaginative. That's how we finally caught him."

"Again, what the fuck are you talking about?" Koal exclaimed now even more annoyed. Why does this man have to be so vague and can't just give a clear answer?

"Don't worry I'll tell you. You've surely noticed how intelligent your daughter is, haven't you?"

Koal nodded, "Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Your daughter is a natural-born magician. Her early intelligence is a typical sign of it."

"What? That can't be true, the affinity test was..."

"Rigged. Gerald intentionally rigged it."

"Why the fuck would he do that?" Koal growled. The magician still looked calm as ever.

"Because he needed you and your daughter in this camp. Where he has hundreds of other candidates."

"Candidates for what?" Koal asked, confused.

The magician sighed, "I'll explain, but you have to listen to me. And I need you to listen carefully. No interruptions. And try to approach this conversation with an open mind. Think about what I say carefully!"

Koal hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Listen closely. Magic is something mystical and wonderful. It flows through each one of us. Even through ordinary mortals. But it is so weak in you that you cannot even use it to influence your environment a tiny bit. It's like a raindrop on a roof. It is there, but it cannot cause any damage. However, in people like Christina, it flows in abundance. It's like a whole stream of water crashing onto a roof. It fills her entire body and runs through her veins. It stimulates her intelligence, development, and resilience.

Normally, this stream of magic in your blood is calm and unmoving like a sleeping animal, but during the affinity test, it is forcibly awakened.

It starts to have a significant influence on a person's development. This is evident by the fact that individuals with magic usually become incredibly weak after the test and can hardly move. It's a slightly different story for adults, but a small child's body can hardly handle these changes. You should have noticed something similar like this on Christina"

Koal didn't have to think long. Immediately after the affinity test, Christina became incredibly weak and couldn't leave her bed for weeks. Now that he thought about it, he also noticed a change in her personality. How had he not noticed before?

"Yes," Koal said, "But why would Gerald hide her talent? What does he gain from it?"

"Blood!" the man replied immediately, "For years, he has traveled the world, collecting mortals with magic in their veins and not informing them. He wants to use the magic in their blood to create an incredibly rare artifact."

"A what?"

The man sighed as if he was teaching a toddler basic grammar, "An artifact is like a tool, but filled with magic. The small stone you use to charge your symbols, for example, is a typical and weak artifact.

We don't know the exact effect of the artifact Gerald wants to create, but we know it's not something good. Gerald is far from being a nice person. He is brutal and willing to sacrifice hundreds of people for his own benefit. Including your daughter."

"But why all this? We were already slaves before. Why go through the trouble of building such an exhausting and massive camp?"

The magician didn't answer but observed Koal attentively. Then it dawned on Koal. He remembered how mortals ran back and forth eagerly, without hesitation. He remembered how they collected credits with hope and happiness to get their positions.

Koal suddenly looked much older.

"So, it's all fake? Even the possibility of awakening magic anew?"

The magician nodded, "While there are indeed ways to give affinity to a person without magic, it's extremely rare and difficult."

"What happens to the mortals who are chosen?"

"They're killed."

Koal slumped and fell back into his chair, "And I enrolled Christina..."

The man shook his head, "Don't worry about that. Gerald makes sure she won't be chosen. He has a lot of influence in this camp. More than you might believe."

"What should I do now?" Koal asked, already accepting the man's words as fact. He had already questioned the trustworthiness of this camp, but now everything made sense. He knew this man had to be telling the truth. It explained the strange change in his daughter and her illness.

It explained why he had never heard of a mortal becoming a magician. It explained why Gerald wanted them here so desperately. It fit too well to be fabricated.

The man smiled slightly, "Quite simple. Nothing. At least, not yet..."

--Back to the present.

Yawning, Koal came down the stairs.

Many things had happened in the past eight years, but it had finally begun. He had planned for so long, considered and prepared so much, and wasted so much of his time. All for this moment.

The door to the basement opened, and Nero stepped out. Immense pain still lingered in his eyes. Koal didn't know what it was or where it came from, and he couldn't help him much. But according to Nero, Gerald was the key to his survival. Nero was covered in blood, and a satisfied smile played on his lips.

"A success?" Koal asked.

Nero flinched and looked at Koal. He seemed not to have noticed him.

"Yes," Nero said after a brief hesitation, "I now know what I have to do..."

His voice was firm and determined. He held a bloodied pair of pliers loosely in his hand. Nero turned around and walked away. Koal raised an eyebrow and entered the basement.

A candle, almost burnt out, stood on the holder on the wall. It looked like Nero had been in here for quite a while. Koal's gaze fell on the unconscious Gerald, and a smile crept onto his lips. Gerald looked gruesome. He was missing seven toes, some of them appearing cut, others torn. There was a large piece of skin missing from his leg. Blood streamed from his mouth, and Koal noticed teeth lying on the floor.

"Perfect," Koal said, laughing, and left the basement, "You're ready for the performance."