The great serpent slithered, mowing trees in its way. It laid a watchful eye on the village of Wehrau and leered at the inhabitants, eyeing them as if they were alluring prey. Crawling down furiously, it reached the base of the hill by the riverside. Just across the river, only a stone's throw away, was the village proper.

I watched from a distance, fascinated by the monster. Its scales shone like stars. Faintly, a black, fog-like substance hung onto the serpent.

“Luqa, come on, let’s go!” A hand tugged at me. It was Helena, urging me to run. But I stood still, mesmerized by the sight of the creature.

“Let me fight, auntie! I’ve learned from Uncle Ersham how to fight!” Tavarius, meanwhile, begged Helena to let him join the villagers who had gathered to repel the beast. In his hands was a curved sword he had run off back home to retrieve; it seemed much too large in his grip.

“Tavarius, that’s enough. I can’t let you do that. Leave it to the others. They know what to do.” Helena laid a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder as she said her firm, measured words. But the look on the boy's eyes told me her careful words fell on deaf ears.

“Ugh, whatever!” Tavarius pushed off Helena's hand and sprinted off in the direction of the skirmish.

I stood still as their exchange unfolded, opting to watch the villagers who were moving in to stop the serpent’s approach. Some, still in their work clothes, armed with simple spears, lined themselves by the riverside, while a few others stood back, using slings and bows to shoot projectiles from afar. A few housewives loudly banged pots with ladles as well, perhaps either to draw its attention or repel it with noise.

“Tavarius, stop! Get back here!”

Helena ran after her nephew. Her strides were surprisingly quick, but her dress seemed to constrained her movements, allowing her nephew to outrun her.

I continued to watch the fight between the villagers and the serpent with interest. Lucia stood and hid behind me, clutching to my clothes, her hands slightly trembling in fear. I turned towards her, meeting her downcast eyes, and tried to reassure her.

“It’ll be okay.” Or it would be, right?

She silently nodded, her unease apparent in her expression.

Turning back to watch the skirmish between the monster and the villagers, I returned to intently observing. I admired their strategy, using themselves to draw the monster’s attention and guide its movements. In reaction to its movements, the spearmen came in to launch attacks, using the serpent’s momentum to their benefit to sink their spears in deep. Whenever the serpent tried to approach someone, the others around acted to draw its attention away. The archers targeted the serpent’s face as well as its right eye, with the other eye being a bloody mess with a sword embedded in it.

They certainly made for no disciplined, professional soldiers, but they knew what they were doing. However, they wouldn't be able to kill the serpent. All they could probably hope for was to drive it off.

Part of me almost wished I could grow wings and fly above to get a better view and direct them. They were making do, but they lacked in many areas. They weren’t moving in unison enough. They weren’t taking the movement of their army as a whole to account. They didn’t have enough bravery to launch more risky offensives. Most of all, they lacked a commander.

I sighed.

If only I could join in the fun…

Running into the midst of the armed villagers was Tavarius, sword in hand.

“Boy, what are you doing?! Get away from here! That thing will kill you.”

A horned demon urged him away. Ignoring his warning though, Tavarius charged on alone.

His ineffectual attacks proved fruitless, as his sword simply slid off the tough scales of the monster.

The serpent, watching this lone attacker, moved to target him. Tavarius stood paralyzed in fear as the serpent opened its mouth, ready to devour the prey before it.

Out of the corner of my eye though, I spotted something unexpected. The appearance of a wild card on the battlefield.

On the river, two people glided down on a boat of ice at an extraordinary speed. It was Ersham and… my mother. Their boat cut through the river as if propelled by some outside force. Getting close to the site of battle, the two jumped off. The boat of ice beneath them melted and they landed between the villagers and the snake.

“Var, watch out!”

Ersham sprang forward, grabbing his nephew by his collar before he would be devoured, and retreated away. Clara waved her staff, pointing it at the monster.

“[Fireball]”

Projectiles of flame blasted the face of the serpent, drawing a spine-chilling shriek from it.

Ersham, who had left his nephew behind the line of armed villagers, returned with Tavarius’s sword in hand. The serpent flailing in pain, blinded by the flames, was helpless as Ersham rushed forwards and delivered a wide slash that separated the serpent’s lower jaw from its head.

Clara pointed her staff upwards.

“[Earth Shackle]”

Her magic formed rings of earth that wrapped around the serpent and binded it to the ground. She focused to maintain and strengthen the shackles as the monster trashed in its place, desperate to escape.

“This is our chance, charge!”

The villagers armed with spears charged forwards, impaling the monster from its sides and underbelly. The serpent’s flailing stopped, finally killed.

I stared with wonder. The swift and efficient movements of Ersham, who had shown himself to be a skilled swordsman and experienced monster slayer. And even more alluring, the feats of my mother, that familiar ability I could only call magic. The ability to manipulate water, fire, and earth to her wishes. I yearned to be like them.

***

“Var, you stupid boy, why did you do that!”

“You could have been killed! Think about that! What would your parents think if you had…”

Tavarius listened as Ersham and Helena scolded him for his foolish actions.

“ … I’m sorry, I just thought I had… finally… grown strong enough. I’m sorry…”

The boy teared up. His one goal in life was to grow stronger. Strong enough to protect his family. Strong enough to fight against his enemies.

But a long road still awaited him. And his inflated pride had almost caused him to throw his life away. The life his parents had died for those years ago in order to preserve.

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“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

The usually prideful boy was unable to hold back the tears that came running down and the sobs that escaped his mouth. Silently, Helena moved in to embrace her crying nephew, gently stroking his head. Lucia, standing beside Ersham, seeing her cousin and her mother crying, started in tears as well.

“Just don’t do something like that again. Think about how young you are… Don’t throw away your life.” Ersham said, with a gentler voice. “With how hard you work, you’ll get stronger. You’ll be a strong man, I know it. Stronger than me. But until then, don’t put yourself in such danger.”

The boy reaffirmed his motivation then and there. He was weak. He could only see himself as such. He hadn’t trained hard enough.

Despite having only lived ten summers, he was exceedingly harsh on himself.

He swore to work hard to change himself. To be someone Uncle Ersham and Aunt Helena could be proud of.

***

“Luqa, what are you doing outside? What if the monster got you? Are you hurt at all?”

My mother went in to carry and embrace me.

“I’m fine, nothing happened, and I’m sorry, mother. I just wanted to see and explore the village because I’ve never really gotten a chance to,” I said honestly.

“Oh, I never knew you wanted to do that… How terrible of me! I’m sorry you have such a bad mother like me, Luqa.”

“No, no, it’s okay. I just realized I never asked upfront, actually.”

Oh, how special you are, mother. Having your three-year-old child comfort you while on the verge of tears. Never change.

“But still… it's dangerous. Did anyone treat you badly? Did anyone bully you? Did anyone say any mean things that made you feel bad? Did anyone throw—”

“Uh, no, mother, no one really did any of those things.” Well, not yet at least.

“Yes, Ms. Clara. You’re blessed with a good son. But it seems as if you’re a bit too overprotective.” A comment came from a man who approached us. It was that vendor with the cart who took me to the marketplace!

“Azar, you think so?” asked Clara

“Mhmm. Let the other villagers get to know him. Even if he is a half-demon, there won’t be a problem. He’ll need to grow up on his own anyway.”

“I guess you’re right. I’ve been a bit too paranoid. Luqa is my only son, so I couldn’t stand to see him hurt, but I also can’t protect and hover around him all the time. Thanks, Azar. And thank you too for watching over him today.”

“Not a problem at all.” The demon named Azar looked over at me, winked and gave me a thumbs-up. I could not thank this man enough.

My mother and I headed home. As we walked up the hilly path, I let my curiosity take over.

“So, mom, were you guys hunting down that overgrown snake?”

“Yes. I guess I should tell you this. Besides being a healer, I’m something a bit of a guardian for this village. Along with Ersham. Just south of this village, there’s a large, dark forest, filled with all sorts of monsters. Sometimes, a strong monster or two make their way here, and it's part of my job to stop that from happening.”

“I see… You’re really cool, mom.”

Clara’s eyes sparkled, smiling at my comment. All according to plan.

“Oh look at you! Who taught you to be such a flatterer!”

“ …so how did you do… what you did back then during the fight with the snake? Riding the water, throwing fire, controlling the earth…”

C’mon… talk about magic… talk about magic…

“ …oh, yes! That’s called magic! It’s kind of complicated, but—”

“Can you teach me? Please?” I asked quickly.

My mother’s smile grew even wider. Apparently, she approved of my interest.

“You really are my dear son, Luqa!”

***

That night, I had a dream.

Before my eyes, a boy was sitting on the ground. His features shared a resemblance to mine, except he had dark black hair and crimson-red eyes. He held the pale hands of a corpse. Sprawled in front of him was the mutilated body of a woman, her long disheveled black hair stained with blood. Tears ran down his face, as he cried out one word endlessly.

Mother.

In front of the boy, a faceless creature faced off against a one-armed man. The creature overwhelmed the man, using movements my eyes couldn’t comprehend. A series of motions ended with the creature’s arm impaling the man’s chest.

The faceless creature approached the boy.

Wait.

I was the boy.

I woke up from my nightmare in a cold sweat. Unaware, tears ran down my face. Beside me, my mother was sleeping. Eager to forget that dream, I nestled next to her and tried my best to drift back to sleep.

***

The following days after the incident with the serpent, I started learning magic. My mother had offered to teach me how to use practical magic spells in a few days, after she had finished her survey of the area, to make sure no more monsters from the Black Forest had wandered to the vicinity of the village.

In the meantime, I was left with a stack of books, the same ones I was forbidden from reading before. One was a rather thin book on magical theory, while the rest were thick tomes, cataloging common spells. She had boasted that these books came from the Republic of Zauberburg, a predominantly human nation south of here famed for being a center of magical studies.

I started with theory.

The book confirmed a lot of what I already knew… or rather what I had deduced about magic. Every being was born with a reservoir of magical energy — also known as mana. What separated a mage from a non-mage was the knowledge and ability to channel this mana, either inside their body or outside their body, to manifest as spells.

Spells were a method to formulate the mana into a specific form, of a specific amount, to manifest as a manipulation of natural phenomena. Elemental manipulation, magic involving the four common elements, earth, water, fire, and air, seemed the most common form of magic. The tales recorded in apocryphal chronicles told also of mages who were also capable of manipulating the two greater elements, aether and time.

Most spells involve the external manipulation of mana. Apparently, the internal manipulation within one’s own body was more difficult than the other, with the book reporting that “the internal manipulation of mana to certain parts of the body is notoriously difficult – something akin to expanding and shaping one’s magical reservoir at will, a feat only legendary mages were capable of.” In practice, spells that strengthen or enchant one’s body are done by drawing mana out externally and “applying” the spell from outside, a method less efficient than the more difficult internal method.

That brought questions… Where was one’s magical reservoir? I closed my eyes and looked “within.” I could imagine the mana swirling inside of me, centered around my upper chest. Maybe there?

Curious to try out this “notoriously difficult” feat, I imagined directing this mana towards my lower legs.

And then I felt mana move towards my lower legs.

Huh. That can’t be right. Notoriously difficult?

I tried imagining the mana in my legs moving towards my hands… and it happened again. I stared at my hand, opening and closing my fist, feeling magical energy abundant in it.

Is the book wrong?

Or maybe I’m special?

Or maybe— no. It might be because I have demonic blood. This was a magic theory written by a human mage. Their theories might only apply to humans.

Curious to see what this internal mana manipulation could achieve, I imagined flowing mana into my lower legs until I felt it saturated with energy.

Here I go.

I jumped at an alarmingly quick velocity, realizing I may have underestimated the magical enhancement’s effects.

“Gaaah!”

I screamed as I looked up and saw the ceiling approach me closer and closer.

Mana to the head! Mana to the head! Maybe that’ll make my head more durable!

As my head made contact with the ceiling, I heard a crunching noise as the wood collapsed under the impact. Descending back then, I stuck the landing with my magic-enhanced legs, but I stopped the mana manipulation, feeling my body a bit more exhausted than before.

Ouch. Despite the mana, that still hurt a lot.

Rubbing my head to ease the pain, I looked up at the ceiling to assess the damage.

This isn’t good.

A ray of sunlight shone through the newly-made hole in the roof.

“…”

I pride myself on being a good son who had never yet been scolded by my mother, but… it seems as if I’ll be breaking that record today.

***

Clara cautiously wandered through the edge of the Black Forest. She was eager not to repeat the incident from before. Within the thick, oppressive forestry, the sunlight found itself blocked by the canopy of the forest. Heavy vegetation, poisonous plants, and venomous insects made themselves home in this hostile place. Inexperienced adventurers could easily find themselves lost, good as dead in this forest.

It doesn’t seem like there are any large beasts around here though.

Her survey continued on nonetheless, making markings occasionally to keep track of her location; she couldn’t afford to be careless. The people of Wehrau relied on her.

Suddenly.

Something stirred in the distance.

“[Sight]”

Magical energy focused Clara’s vision, allowing her to see farther. She saw two humans, dressed in fanciful armor. A seal embroidered on their capes gave away their allegiance.

That symbol. It belongs to those Holy Knights of the Church.

Clara realized the gravity of the situation. The two most likely hailed from the Millieun Empire, which was home to the Holy Church of the Goddess, a group intolerant to the very existence of demons.

What are they doing here? In the Black Forest of all places? Is the Millieun Empire launching expeditions this deep into the demonlands?

“[Stillness]”

Clara applied a spell of noiselessness on her and moved closer to the two knights, intending to follow wherever they were going.

Trailing them for an hour, she eventually saw the two knights unite with a larger group of humans in a small clearing. Some were cutting down trees. Others were hammering posts into the earth. A few were cooking food over a fire.

An outpost. The Holy Knights are making an outpost here. This is bad. Their presence alone could bring danger to the village of Wehrau. Monsters inhabiting the forest might even be driven out, leaving them to wander to the village.

Clara clenched her fists, fearing what the future may bring.