Rayen floated in the endless space, surrounded by colours that illuminated this realm, filling his grey and black form with vibrant hues. The colours in the sky bled into one another like watercolours on a beautiful canvas, each hue blending and swirling, obstructing the passage of time as Bella’s voice echoed throughout the space. Her words, fragmented and disjointed, cascaded around Rayen like shattered glass, their jagged edges glinting in the light. “A...K...R...” The tone was gentle and kept urging him to repeat after her.

The sounds and letters battered his confused mind, but a feeling of familiarity surged within him, refusing to be subdued. His eyes darted, struggling to make sense of the chaos, but the confusion only grew stronger. Like a tug of war between understanding and confusion, constantly pushing each other back and forth with Rayen’s mind as the battleground. The resulting chaos was such that it not only shadowed the time, but also the changes happening in this strange world.

Broken images flashed in the colourful sky, orbs with shadowy outlines flickering in and out of existence. They whispered their own broken words, adding to the cacophony. One moment, a brown orb appeared, manipulating boxes that released unknown waves; the next, sky-blue orbs emitted sounds both similar and different from the ones he recognised. But it's the golden orbs that dominated this strange landscape, appearing more frequently than all the others combined. Whenever they manifested, Rayen’s cloudy body rippled like a storm, brewing the chaos inside him with even stronger intensity.

“Z...E...Q...” Like a hammer moulding a metal, the words kept hammering his smokey body, but soon, amidst the overwhelming confusion, a pattern began to emerge. Unknown to Rayen, the noises became broken letters, symbols that transformed into something he could recognise but didn’t understand – A, F, C – their sequence as random as the images that filled the sky. Their intensity grew louder with each passing day, drowning out the other sounds until all that remained were the letters themselves.

With each word he uttered, his grey and black body quivered, the ripples within him growing larger and more powerful until they penetrated his very core. The confusion that had long plagued his pitch-black eyes began to recede, pushed back by the relentless tide of familiarity. With a surge of some unknown power. For the first time, he attempted to repeat what he had heard out of his own free will.

“K-K.” The vast expanse trembled with the power of the uttered sound, as if on the verge of rupturing. For a moment, silence fell in the world, only to be replaced by an even louder and stronger one. The broken words continued to flow from the golden orbs with overwhelming intensity. The sea of noise drowned out his voice.

“U... S... D”

“R...K...V...”

As he repeated, the fragmented letters began to form more coherent words. The once chaotic images that filled his world now appeared in sharper focus, their tearing and distortion long subsidised.

“Z...Q...M...” The letters flowed from Rayen, each one uttered with growing confidence. With the confusion receding in his eyes – once clouded with darkness and uncertainty – now shone bright with understanding. If light could travel through that nothingness, it would have illuminated his eyes with the intensity of a hundred suns.

The surrounding images transformed into something more recognisable – scenes of everyday life, fragmented memories that always escaped from his grasp once he returned here. The voices that had once threatened to consume him now seemed to be working in harmony, guiding him towards clarity.

“O...H... P…” His voice grew stronger as the remaining fog of confusion evaporated. Slowly, the letters coalesced into incomplete words, and Rayen found that the sounds did something else—made sense. As he tried to repeat the words, the last vestiges of the turbulent world around him melted away, leaving only the warmth of a newfound understanding.

“Ca...me...Grand...”

“Gran-d-ma!?” Absurdly, as this word sounded in the space, the images changed into streams of lights and rushed towards him. They passed through his shadowy body and concentrated on his heart. Intermixing among themselves, they formed a golden sphere and released an intense light that filled the entire space.

***

The morning sun spilt through the window, casting a warm golden light on the walls and furniture of Rayen’s room. For the first time, the house makes sense to him – the hazy shapes recognised by him as the pieces of furniture and the walls, though they weren’t things he desired in his vision. Lying on the thing he knew as the bed, his gaze turned toward the door, where the outline of a golden orb appeared.

As if summoned by the sunlight, Bella entered with her usual warm face, her wispy white hair haloed by the morning glow. “Good morning, Rayen,” she whispered. “Did you have a pleasant dream?” This was a question she had asked him every day for the past four years, though she never received an answer.

She moved to begin her usual routine, but something caught her old eyes and made her freeze. The lack of confusion in Rayen’s eyes startled her, and for the first time, she witnessed something astonishing - a tiny blink from him. Different from the involuntary action of the body, like an attempt to answer her call. She didn’t know how he did it, but he did nevertheless.

“Rayen, did you just… ?” Her words hung in the air like delicate silk threads. She noticed Rayen’s eyes – they lacked the familiar confusion that plagued him when she greeted him every morning. For a moment, she wondered if her old eyes were playing a mirage on her, but when the unthinkable happened again, she realised it was the reality.

But her disbelief soon gave way to joy when, once again, Rayen answered by blinking his eyes. It’s as if he was confirming her questions without using any words.Bella couldn’t contain her elation and began to ask Rayen various questions, all of which he answered with a few more blinks. From his responses, she learned that he understood what she said and could communicate with her without speaking - a fact that amazed and delighted her beyond measure. “Cellia, Bardar, come quickly! Rayen can respond!”

***

In the living room, Bella sat beside Rayen on the sofa. Cellia stood nearby, controlling different animals made of water and asking for their names from Rayen. Though he couldn’t speak, Rayen had somehow learned to blink, which allowed them to gauge his understanding. It seemed like a miracle in Cellia’s eyes.

“Is this one called a sparrow?” Bella asked, her voice gentle, as an ethereal bird made from water fluttered above them.

Rayen blinked again, recognising the object before him in an instant. Of course, he only responded to questions asked by Bella and no one else. Cellia stood nearby, conjuring water animals, each one more intricate than the last. She asked their names, looking to Rayen for answers.

“Is this one the dolphin or the whale?” she queried, pointing at a shimmering creature hovering above her palm. Rayen looked at her for a moment but didn’t offer any response and went back to look at the sparrow again.

Cellia appeared content that Rayen was at least following her brief movements when he heard her. Her delight became even greater when she found Rayen refused to grant even a single glance at the other two in the room.

“I can believe he responds to Grandma, but also to this brute mage?” Bardar muttered, his voice a mixture of awe and annoyance.

“Maybe if you hadn’t refused when I asked you to come with me and teach Rayen, you wouldn’t be complaining now,” Cellia retorted with biting sarcasm. Bardar lacked words to counter her statement, left to stew in his frustration.

Meanwhile, Cherry lay slumped on the carpet, her golden fur reflecting the sunlight as she looked depressed. If she had known this would happen, she would have never left Rayen’s side and would sit on him until Bella dragged her out. ‘Wait…’

A sudden spark of inspiration ignited in Cherry’s eyes, her depressed body now filled with energy. What if she started trying to win Rayen’s attention from today? After all, he had started to remember others. Cherry’s once slumped form seemed to spring back to life, her golden fur bristling with renewed energy. She stared at Bardar, a fire igniting in her eyes. This was her chance to defeat him and avoid being last in the pecking order. This was a battle of pride, and she refused to lose.

Bardar, feeling the intense gaze from Cherry, became bewildered. Fortunately, he didn’t have to dwell on this for long, as Cellia posed a question to Bella that captured his attention.

“Grandma, what do you think caused this sudden change in Rayen?” Cellia asked, her voice laced with curiosity and concern.

Bella ruffled Rayen’s soft brown hair as she considered the question. “Sometimes life finds its way,” she said. “Instead of worrying about such things, we should celebrate his progress.”

At the mention of celebration, Cherry’s ears perked up, her fighting spirit disappeared and her once limp tail wagged. Woofing with excitement, she did a quick round body motion, expressing her delight at the prospect of a party.

“Let me translate,” Cellia interjected, smirking haughtily. “Cherry agrees and wants to add Spiced Carbs with sweet curd as a party dish.”

“Of course,” Bella chuckled, amused by Cellia’s translation. Bardar, however, couldn’t help but comment on Cellia’s inflated confidence.

“Although mostly correct,” Bardar began as he tried to have his voice dripped with sarcasm.”I think anyone could have guessed that just by observing Cherry’s behaviour for some time.”

“Ho?” Cellia shot back, her navy-blue eyes narrowing for a challenge. The two began bickering, their voices overlapping and filling the room with a familiar cacophony. “Relying on luck is your job, isn’t it? And speaking of work, how come our ‘Explosion Master’ is sitting here instead of helping within the mines?”

“I’m a Golem Master!” Bardar shot back defensively. “And I need to keep tabs on some barbarian mage.”

“You are really bad at everything you do, aren’t you? Otherwise, you should be following her everywhere, whenever she calls.”

“I am keeping a watch, not working as a butler.”

As the argument continued, Bella shook her head, bemused by their inability to express their feelings for each other even after four years of living under the same roof. Cherry sidled closer to Rayen, releasing a small woof, as if concurring with Bella's musings with a tactic.

“Enough!” Bella’s firm voice cut through their bickering like a knife. “You two need to stop arguing in front of Rayen. He can understand your words now.”

Cellia paused, her face softening as she recalled Bella’s earlier revelation. She glanced at Rayen, her fiery expression melting into a warm, sisterly smile as she once again made small animals in her hand and asked their names. Bardar watched her transformation with wide eyes, his thoughts racing. ‘How is it possible for Cellia’s face to change this fast? Is it just her or is this normal among all women?’

“Ahem! Did you hear what I said?”

Bardar scratched his head. “Could you repeat that, Grandma?”

Bella gave him a stern look before repeating herself. “Cellia and Cherry will go fetch fresh crabs tomorrow morning. In the meantime, I want you to start teaching Rayen how to control mana.”

“Aren't we moving too quickly?” Bardar inquired hesitantly.

“No. Since Rayen can understand us now, there’s no reason to delay. The sooner he learns to control mana, the sooner he’ll be able to walk again.”

Bardar nodded. It will take Rayen years to reach the point where he can control his body with mana, so they should start early. He turned towards Rayen, determination shining in his eyes, and announced, “I’ll start teaching you first thing tomorrow morning.”

Bella noticed Cherry inching toward Rayen, preparing to plop down on top of the boy. With surprising agility, Bella grabbed Cherry’s brown collar and pulled her back. “What are you doing?” she demanded.

A woof escaped Cherry, prompting Bella to raise her eyebrows. Cherry woofed an explanation, and Bella understood. “Why do you want to stay in front of his eyes again?” Bella asked. Cherry woofed once more, causing Bella’s eyes to twitch with mild irritation. “That’s not how memory works," she sighed, giving her permission for Cherry to stay close.

“Fine, but don’t cause any trouble for him.”

Cherry agreed, wagging her tail triumphantly as she shot a victorious glance at Bardar.

‘Too bad, Cherry. You should have listened to Grandma,' Bardar thought smugly. ‘ No matter how long you stay in his vision, you can never beat the sacred bond between a teacher and his apprentice.’

Cellia sidled up to Bella, her voice just above a whisper. “Why are Bardar and Cherry making such strange faces? And are those evil smiles?”

“Never mind them, both are a bunch of idiots,” Bella dismissed their antics with a wave of her hand. “Let’s focus on getting some books for Rayen. Maybe we can lay some foundation work for his writing classes.” Cellia nodded, casting one last glance at Bardar and Cherry before following Bella and Rayen out of the room, ignoring the unusual duo to their silent battle of wills and evil smiles.

***

As he floated in his strange world, the pitch-black of his eyes was devoid of any confusion. His body, a smoky grey-black, appeared unchanged except for the small golden orb nestled within him, releasing faint pulses of light from time to time. The absence of confusion allowed memories to pour into Rayen's mind with greater ease.

"That's called a children's book," Bella's ethereal outline appeared before him, revealing a beast's skin tone. Etched on its cover were the words 'children's book by Bella.'

"Grandma, did you write this?" Cellia, also present in the images, asked with curiosity, to which Bella responded, "That's the book I used to teach children during my past days." The images flickered and showed Bella extending the book towards Rayen, her voice gentle as she read it aloud. Yet Rayen's attention fixated not on the book, but on the golden orb burning inside.

His vision in that world is limited, obscuring his view of anything further than the immediate foreground. Bella, sensing his rebellious attitude towards the book, made the book follow his gaze. As the only book left in the images, Rayen found himself unable to avoid it. When he was finally forced to think about the book in his vision, a change occurred, and an identical book materialised before him, capturing his black-eyed stare, only for a short while.

Yearning to focus on the images again, Rayen attempted to turn his head, but the same problem persisted – he couldn't get a ‌‌view of the golden orb. He tried flying sideways around the images, only to return to the beginning. Briefly, confusion threatened to cloud his eyes once more, but the golden orb within him released a pulse of warm light that circled his body, banishing uncertainty.

His gaze shifted between the floating book and the faint outline of Bella. Finally, he reached out and took the book in his hands. Holding the book, Rayen mimicked the posture of the images and moved his vision to where the orb was supposed to be. Yet no golden orb appeared in his line of sight. He tilted his head, flipping through the pages before looking again. Over and over, he went through the entire book, but nothing happened.

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The confusion threatened to resurface, but once again, it vanished as the light emitted from the golden orb within him. Rayen stared at the book in his hand. He finally thought of something and decided to re-enact the memory more closely.

As he thought so, the images changed again and showed Bella handing him something: a pen. Acting on instinct, Rayen reached out and grasped the empty space. Just like the book, the pen appeared out of nothingness. With the pen on his smokey fingers, Rayen did the exact movements from the images. His initial attempts were sluggish and rough, and the letters resembled gibberish. He didn't know what writing was, but for the golden orb to appear again, it needed to be perfect. Only then the golden orb will appear again.

Without losing focus, Rayen continued practising. The gibberish he had made disappeared from the book as soon as he wanted it gone. He repeated this until crafting a perfect rendering of a letter. The elegantly curved "A" danced across the page. Though Rayen had no concept of appreciation. He proceeded with the next letters. An unknown time slipped away before the entire book embraced meticulously written cursive, culminating in a concise yet compelling paragraph.

Done with the same movements, he turned his eyes to his side, but he found only the endless void – no golden orb in sight. It’s not perfect enough. He made a mistake. With such thought, Rayen turned his attention back to the book, which had become clean and new again. He repeated the process and looked again and again, but no matter how much time passed, and how many times he filled the book, the golden orb refused to appear in this endless realm.

***

After breakfast, Bardar carried a small box into Rayen's room and placed it near his bed. He gazed at the silent boy lying there and cleared his throat. "Rayen, let's get started with your mana training. But first, do you know what mana is?" The boy didn't even try to look at Bardar; instead, his pupils focused on his left, where the golden orb resided.

Bella sighed, her concerns validated. Although her grandson was a genius when it came to mana, he wasn't adept at teaching others – especially someone like Rayen. Thankfully, Bella had Cellia to help with household work, allowing her to oversee Bardar and Rayen's interactions. She couldn't help but feel elated about her decision to oversee Rayan’s first class.

Turning to Bardar, she advised, "First, you should introduce yourself and get familiar with your student. If they don't feel comfortable with you, it'll be a difficult boat to sail." Bardar scratched his head awkwardly, about to say something, but Bella beckoned him closer. "Kneel," she instructed, "so you can see eye-to-eye with Rayen. You shouldn't look down on patients."

Bardar obeyed, and Bella coaxed Rayen to shift his gaze towards his new teacher. That brief moment was enough for Bardar to provide a concise introduction of himself and his profession as a golem master. He added that he would be Rayen's teacher, eliciting a satisfied nod from Bella. Before Rayen could refocus on her, Bella suggested that Bardar perform a trick to pique the boy's interest. "Anything will do," she assured him.

Bardar racked his brain, unsure of what to do at first. ‘Explo-no, Golem creation was my forte, but that wouldn't draw Rayen's attention. He needs something more captivating.’ As sweat beaded on his forehead, Bardar finally had an idea. He moved his fingers, and mana streamed from his fingertips like shimmering silk threads. As he weaved his fingers before Rayen's eyes, lines of light appeared in the air. With a last flourish, Bardar connected the lines to form a miniature replica of their house. The glowing figures of Bella, Cherry, Cellia, himself, and even Rayen materialised within.

"Allow me to be your teacher," Bardar said with muted determination, "and I can teach you how to do this." Bella's heart swelled with warmth as she watched the disappearing figures of their house and family. Bardar turned to her, seeking approval. "Did I do well? I can try something else if that's not enough."

Bella reached out and ruffled Bardar's hair, a tender smile playing on her lips. "You did better than what I expected, like you usually do, dear." Peeling her eyes away from her embarrassed grandson, she glanced at Rayen.

To her pleasant surprise, Rayen's gaze remained fixed on the empty air where Bardar had drawn the house and family. Seizing the opportunity, Bella called out to him. “Rayen!”

The silent boy looked at her again, his brown eyes wide and curious.

“Wouldn't you like to listen to your brother?" Bella asked. “Trust him; He will not let you down"

He stared back into her eyes, seeming to search for something deep within that ice-blue hue. A silent tension hung in the air as Bella held her gaze, refusing to look away until she found the answer she sought. And then, as if finally understanding the depth of trust being offered to him, Rayen's eyelids moved ever so and stared back. She didn't look away until his silent gaze gave her the answer she sought as they blinked in a yes.

Bella glanced between Bardar and Rayen, her ice-blue eyes shimmering with determination. "Since Rayen now agrees to be taught by you, I am going to give you guys some space," she said, her voice firm but gentle. "But call me if you face any troubles." With Bardar’s nod, she stood up and left the room, her wispy white hair swaying behind her as the door closed.

Rayen's gaze flickered between his own hands and Bardar's anxious eyes. The slender man cleared his throat, breaking the stillness. "Before we get started, we need to thank our ancestors for their great contributions and sacrifices," Bardar murmured, joining his hands together. Rayen's hands also moved and did the same.

"See?" Bardar said, releasing control over Rayen's body. "It's not any spell, but pure control over mana."

Rayen stared at his own hands and blinked with confusion, for he had never seen anything like this. Finally, not getting an answer, his eyes turned back to Bardar, who said. "Interesting right? you can do the same, but first, we should ask ourselves: what is mana and what's its origin?"

The golem master offered a small smile, his words tumbling out like an eager stream. "There are lots of answers for the first one. Some say it's the source of life, some say it's the source that breaks laws, and so on. Every mage has a different answer; being a golem master myself, that influences mine. Mana is just another source of energy, and living beings are simply good at using it."

He didn't reply, but Bardar gave him a minute to process the information before continuing. "As for the second question, there's no conclusive evidence as to how and where mana originated from. Theories abound, but they're fiercely debated and thus irrelevant to us."

"Mana as energy," Bardar went on, "when used through some medium, produces physics-bending effects. The medium could be anything from spells, anchors, runes, and even the human body itself. Almost every living being – and sometimes dead – possesses some mana, which is usually fixed. But there are enough potions and artefacts to help overcome this limit."

As Bardar spoke, he used his mana to draw figures in the air. He gestured towards the first figure, drawing it closer to them. "Based on mana usage, we have four main branches of mana. Focus on the first one."

When it approached, Rayen's eye drew to it. The first figure resembled a tiny human clad in knight armour. Bardar explained, "If we're talking about improving physical strengths using mana, then we're talking about knights. Before the Alliance unified all human territory, knights were hardly worth mentioning compared to mages. But now they are incredibly strong and ridiculously fast at high and grandmaster levels – even faster than the speed of sound, generally speaking." The minuscule armoured figure flexed its muscles and punched a tiny boulder into pieces before moving back.

A second tiny figure appeared, dressed in mage clothes, wielding a massive staff. Bardar regarded it with interest. "This one is what we call a mage. They use a medium called spell or their staff, which acts as an anchor, turning raw mana into physics-bending effects known as magic." The tiny mage raised its staff and shot a small firecracker into the air. Bardar continued, "Mages should have turned to dust long ago, but some people in the Alliance are keeping them competitive with their Wizard counterparts."

The figure of the mage stepped back, making way for another tiny individual to approach Rayen and Bardar. This figure wore elegantly intricate robes, its right hand raised in a snapping motion. Bardar's voice became serious as he said, "These are called Wizards. Don't confuse them with mages; they're entirely different in how they learn and use their spells. In terms of pure power, mages can barely keep up with Wizards, and at higher levels, there's no comparison between them at all."

"Arguably," Bardar added, "Wizards are also the default rulers of this world if not for the Alliance keeping them in check and heavily regulating their movements. Grandma, Cellia, and I are wizards as well." The figure released several different coloured firecrackers into the air before being sent back to join the others. Bardar's voice grew eager as the fourth tiny figure appeared, accompanied by several tiny cubes beside it.

"Look, Rayen. This is the broadest path, as it includes rune masters, formation masters, and The Great Golem masters like me. Our strength lies in making others keep casting their spells or swinging their swords." He gestured towards the tiny figure and its assortment of cubes. "Just think of it: if you need to produce water for yourself, no problem, just use a spell. But what about your entire city? That's where we golem masters come in. We make formations and arrays to create water and free people to go on with their lives."

He continued, "We can also make shields to protect against the extreme heat of the sun, create suitable habitats for beasts, and even giant knights carrying shields to take care of mindless beast hordes. Alas, this branch is the least explored. Who wants to struggle for months upon months before they can even see the fruit of their labour when you could just use that time to learn five basic spells? But worry not, those brutes will be lining up to buy my golems soon—mark my words."

As Bardar finished speaking, the tiny figure moved its hands, and the cubes beside it transformed into multiple knights and mages before disappearing. The room grew muted, and Bardar looked at Rayen, who stared back at him. No one spoke, and Bardar was the first to blink, coughing to break the sudden awkward silence, given that Rayen couldn't reply.

"Alright, Let's not bore you with other theories and nonsense. Let me show you instead. You just have to remember the feeling you felt; no need to try anything for today; it's your first lesson, after all." He placed his hand atop Rayen's, and a warm current flowed through Rayen's hand and into his entire body. As the crystal seals most of his body, this feeling was the first sensory experience Rayen had felt since he had come to this world, and it made him blink.

It differed from the golden orb's sensation and drew his attention towards it. Bardar saw Rayen's eyes move towards his hands and became delighted. "See? I knew you would like it. Now concentrate and get used to this in the coming days; we will have to find this same feeling in your body."

Troubled about how to ask Rayen about his feelings of finding mana in his body, which, according to Grandma, was very low. However, he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind for now and started to have his mana circle around Rayen's body.

***

Meanwhile, in another part of the continent, as Rayen was having his first class in this world, Cellia stood at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a vast sea of jagged rocks jutting out from the water. She glanced down at Cherry, who wagged her tail.

"Didn't you say you knew the best place for fishing?" Cellia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cherry woofed, her tail shaking.

"Are you lost?" she asked, her tone flat and doubtful.

The dog woofed again, and Cellia sighed. "So this is what you mean by the best place for catching crabs?"

Cherry woofed once more, nodding as if proud of her choice. Cellia scrutinised the surroundings with a hint of scepticism, before deciding to trust Bella's judgement since she had told her that Cherry was familiar with the southern continent.

"Alright then," Cellia said, resigned.

She reached into her tiny thumb-sized purse and pulled out a huge fishing net, spreading it across not the sea but the plain rock surface behind her. Cherry came to the edge, woofing before lying down beside Cellia, motioning for her to do the same. "Whatever you say," Cellia thought, sitting down beside the eager dog. As she waited, until the sky turned dark without anything noteworthy. She wanted to quit earlier but Cherry told her to wait for something so she waited.

Suddenly, ominous sounds echoed from the sea and monstrous waves grew ever higher, spinning Cellia's attention to the edge of the cliff. When she staggered up to it she encountered a different scene than before. The terrifying roars of the treacherous swells seemed to deafen her ears, while the whipping wind pounded against her body like a relentless hammer. Chills ran down Cellia's spine and every single hair on her body stood on end as the thoughts screamed at her--something evil was fast approaching.

Grey tentacles wriggled through the water, snaking around jagged rocks with a loud and shrill crackle. A colossal face broke through the surface with an intimidating number of giant red eyes transfixed upon Cellia. The beast's gigantic figure had risen so high that only a third of its stronghold was visible yet towered hundreds of metres above Cellia who remained petrified in terror.

The creature soon unfurled one of its long tentacle-like arms and dropped a load of crabs onto the net without even glancing at Cellia. Cherry, picked up one in her mouth and released a muffled woof, finally drawing the creature's attention to the scared woman. Another tentacle descended towards Cellia but stopped just above her head. A murky, thick liquid formed at its end and soon dropped on the top of the trembling woman, dousing her with an icy, fish-like smell. Even though the smell was disgusting to her, her terrified frozen body refused to move.

As abruptly as it had appeared, the creature retreated into the sea, its massive body fading from view. Unlike Cherry who yelped at the disappeared figure, her drenched body trembled, with a pale face. She murmured “Prince of the Sea..."

****

Away from the shores of the Southern continent, at Rayen’s ever so empty world, a new book in his hands, he was busy reading the story Bella just read for him. She said this story defines a lesson of life but he doesn't know what that means so he just read it again and again.

‘Deaf Things May Not Be Death, After All’. It tells the story of a mage who once found a ghost and made a garden with him. When he finished the story for the last time, his smokey body started to drift into the ethereal world. But this time, some odd assortment of objects orbited around him—books, pens, flower pots, sofas—yet his dark eyes remained fixated on his hands. They seemed to call out to him, begging him to remember the warm sensation gifted by the mysterious brown orb he had encountered earlier. A strange feeling indeed; he knew how it felt, yet didn't somehow.

His gaze shifted between his hands and the golden orb nestled against his heart, a vague recollection stirred within him. It too had emitted something akin to warmth, but 'when or why', eluded him. Compelled by an inexplicable force, Rayen's mind lingered on the orb, in search of the elusive sensation from before. The intensity of a silent stare can unnerve the target by itself and the orb seemed no exception to this rule. After a long time, the orb finally responded by releasing a minuscule amount of warmth. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, but it was enough for him to latch onto.

Time held no meaning for him, and neither did the number of times the orb shared its warmth with him. Their stubborn exchange continued like a dance between two obstinate partners, each refusing to back down. Unbeknownst to Rayen, something shifted in the two hollow spheres of darkness on his head. That once foreign warmth began to feel familiar, like a part of his body, and when he looked at his hand again, the same sensation returned but this time, it came from the golden orb and moved into his hands, under his will.

The entire realm vibrated at this as the colourful sky shone even brighter than before, but Rayen had more pressing issues to deal with to notice that. He raised his fingers and the warmth flowed out not from the fingers but his elbows and dissipated into nothingness. Rayen did what he did best, kept trying and trying. Kept repeating the same without any success and change is madness, and Rayen is no stranger to it. In this strange world with nothing to find other than the empty space and the unreachable sky.

***

Back in Rayen’s room, Bardar sat beside his bed, his tousled hair framing kind, anxious eyes. Today Bella decided not to come with him and he was worried if Rayen would ever notice him but his worries seemed to settle down when two eyes moved towards him.

"Are you ready for our second class, Rayen?" he asked softly, not expecting a response. "Do you remember anything from yesterday's lesson?" To his astonishment, Rayen blinked at him. It’s the moment Bardar remembered that Rayen seemed to have a good memory considering he could differentiate between different objects Grandma showed him. Thinking himself to be the stupid one for thinking that, he coughed in an attempt to change the topic.

"Great, since that’s the case, let me show you what I did earlier." He chuckled, assuming Rayen would at most recall different branches of mana users and since other theories were unnecessary for him, there was no need to waste their time.

But Rayen heard what the brown orb said and when Bardar held Rayen's hand, a subtle warmth emanated from the boy's fingers. It’s minuscule—barely a tenth of what a normal teenager could produce—but it’s there and ‌concentrated at a point instead of being scattered all around.

"Ra-Rayen," Bardar’s eyes widen with surprise, "wait here for a moment." And with that, he darted out of the room, leaving Rayen alone. Rayen, seeing the brown orb disappear, turned his attention back to the faint warmth in his hand, but moving this warmth in this world was much more difficult than his last attempt in the endless world.

***

“I told you to go get the crabs, not to call the Prince out. Not only are you bullying that guy to get some crabs but you also frightened Cellia. Do you know how much trouble I had to calm that child down?” Bella said with an angry look on her face. In the living room, in front of Bella, Cherry released a little whine with her head lowered. “You are only getting pickles from now on.”Cherry’s body slumped on the wooden floor after hearing Bella’s verdict.

“Wait, grandma,” Bella was going to say something more but both of them heard a sound, along with rapid footsteps on the stairs. Both looked up as Bardar rushed in. Cherry's eyes lit up at the sight of Bardar. In her heart she always knew Bardar cared about her, not only was he rushing to greet her. Just look how he was rushing towards them, most likely he heard what Bella said to her and wanted to help her.

Cherry’s slumped body stood up and bent as she also sprinted towards him. The true friend’s feelings need to be reciprocated and so she leapt into his arms with unrestrained joy, But her dreams shattered by the hammer of reality followed by Bardar’s words.

"Get away!" His mana stopped Cherry’s body in the air and pushed her out of the room from the window as she released a long confused dying woof.

"Grandma," he panted, facing the equally confused Bella, "Genius, we have a genius in our home! We need to do something about his lack of sufficient mana."

Bella, who became confused seeing his arrival, became even more baffled and said. "Calm down, Bardar. Stop shouting in my old ears and explain slowly, please."

Bardar took a deep breath. "You remember how I showed Rayen how to feel mana yesterday, right? And I was going to do it again, but to my surprise, he already can."

“So what about it? It’s normal when you jus-wait what did you say? He could already do what?”

“That’s what I am saying-…”Before he could continue, Cherry woofed as she jumped back from the window, having recovered from her shock. Bardar paused. "What's that? Cellia brought a gift for me and is waiting in the garden?" Cherry woofed again, which made Bardar scold her. "You should have said so earlier." He began walking toward the door.

"Wait, don't go to the garden now! it's dangerous," Bella warned, trying to hold him back. She had just calmed Cellia and one should not mention her trip in front of her, even more so if it’s Bardar. But the guy didn’t wait for her to finish.

"Don't worry, Grandma," Bardar assured her, his voice full of determination. "I'll be back in a moment and we can continue discussing Rayen's situation. As Bardar disappeared from view, Bella turned to Cherry, who wore a smug expression.

"You're very evil, Cherry. What if he dies?"

"Woof!" Cherry replied calmly, her tail wagging. Just as she spoke, Bardar's scream echoed through the house, followed by water crashing against something. Cherry cocked her head and added another woof with a hint of uncertainty, which said. "He won't die … Probably".