Veronica Colt was the heiress of a powerful noble family. She had been born with talent most didn’t have, which alongside her father’s water magic and her mother’s constitution made it so that she had already made a bit of a name for herself despite being twelve.

Her next step now was to enter the Royal Magic Academy and grow into a powerful mage who could sustain being the head of her family.

Besides her, as she walked through the streets of the Royal Capital, Auryndale was her childhood friend—Chloe Frozenfall. She was from a noble family, one that had a culture about swords instead of magic.

“Do you still want to check out that new place that opened?” Veronica asked her friend.

Chloe brushed a strand of silver hair away from her face, pushing it closer to the rest of her hair that was in a low bun. Her other hand rested on her sword hilt at all times, ready for more training. “Yes, of course,” she said, her icy grey eyes shutting slightly as she smiled. “I’ve heard they have the best of the city there. Besides, it's better than just waiting for the festival, right? There’s still a few hours until it starts…”

“Alright, you’re the boss today,” Veronica giggled.

After a while of walking, Chloe stopped near an alley, it was much darker and slimmer than the grandiose polished streets. “If we go through here, we’ll get there faster.”

Veronica nodded. “Shortcut it is then.”

They veered off the main road, stepping into the narrow alley. The change in atmosphere was immediate—the lively sounds of the market faded, replaced by the distant hum of the city. The alley itself was dim and cramped, flanked by the high walls of aging buildings that made the ambient humid with dripping water.

As they walked further, two shadowy figures emerged from the far end, blocking their path. Their ragged clothes and pleading eyes made their intentions clear. One of the men, tall with greasy hair, stepped forward, his grin revealing a mouth full of missing teeth and a foul smell.

“Well, well, what do we have here?” he sneered, his voice laced with menace. “Two little girls wandering all alone. Your clothes look damn nice!” He said, eyeing them down. “How about you hand over your coin and… maybe we’ll leave you with your dignity.”

The other man, shorter but larger, let out a low chuckle, watching them from a few steps behind. “Might not be a bad idea to share more than just your money.”

Veronica didn’t even flinch. Instead, she exchanged a glance with Chloe, and they both burst into laughter.

“Seriously? This is your big idea? Going after a couple of kids in an alley?” Veronica asked, amused. She waved them off dismissively. “You know what is the punishment for attacking women—especially nobles. Just get out of the way.”

Veronica stepped forward, not even looking at the man.

Before she could move past them though, the tall one placed a hand on her shoulder. “That only means we have to leave no witnesses then-”

Before he could say another word, a blur of silver flashed in the air. Chloe moved faster than the man could react, unsheathing her magic rapier in one swift motion. The blade grazed past his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood running down his skin.

He yelped in shock, stumbling back before holding his face.

“Touch her again and you’re dead,” she said with piercing cold eyes that seemed to freeze the air around her.

No, it wasn’t just a feeling.

The man let out another yelp, drawing back his hand on his cheek. The small one went to check what was wrong and that’s when he noticed it—

—The wound was frozen, the blood covered by a thin ice cover.

The stockier man, seeing his friend’s panic, began to step forward, clearly ready to retaliate—until a shadow suddenly passed overhead.

It happened so fast, that no one had time to react. A figure fell from above, crashing directly onto the large man’s shoulder. The impact sent him crashing into the ground with a loud thud, knocking the wind out of him. His companion barely had time to shout in alarm.

The girls blinked in surprise. Lying on top of the stocky bandit was a boy, around their age, wearing a black shirt and green pants. His red, tousled hair was a wild mess, and in one hand, he held a large bag, slung over his shoulder by a string. He groaned, shaking his head as he pushed himself off the groaning man beneath him.

“W-what the hell…?” the frozen-cheeked bandit stammered, his voice shaking as he stared at the newcomer in confusion.

The boy rubbed his sore head, glancing around as though still piecing together what had just happened. “Ow… what did I land on?” he muttered, before finally noticing the man sprawled beneath him. “Oh… him.” The boy rubbed the back of his head and bowed slightly. “Soo… sorry for just doing that, now I gotta go, bye,” he said before looking looking up and getting into a squat position.

‘Is he gonna… jump?’ Veronica asked herself, still distraught by the situation.

“Hey, don’t think I’ll let you go after what you did—” the other bandit said but before he could even grab the boy, he punched him in the gut, sending him against the wall.

“Sorry, got no time!” he said before jumping over the building and disappearing.

The girls stood there, blinking several times. None said anything as this situation was far too weird.

“That was four stories tall right…?” Veronica was the one to break the ice.

Chloe sighed, sheathing her sword once again. “I honestly don’t get what just happened but I guess we’ll see him again?” she shrugged her shoulders. “He looks around our age so maybe he’ll do the entrance exams as well.

Veronica placed her hand on her chin. “Yes, I suppose that’s right…” despite the two girls being able to deal with the trouble easily, she would still like to thank the person—who although by accident—saved them.

‘He even looked quite pretty, but he doesn’t dress like a noble… I wonder who he is,’ she pondered as the clothes he wore were far too casual when nobles usually wore elaborate garments, even in informal settings. He must be a commoner.

Chloe, noticing Veronica deep in thought, tapped her nose with a smirk. "Come on, don’t tell me you’re thinking about him."

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Veronica blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. "I’m just curious, that’s all. It's not every day someone falls from the sky and helps us by accident."

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Chloe rolled her eyes. “You’re no fun, always looking at it logically,” she muttered, though Veronica heard it and pouted slightly. “Now, let's go to the damn store!” Chloe shouted with excitement, grabbing her friend's hand and dragging her along.

Despite the strong reaction, Veronica could only chuckle as she was forced to run through the streets.

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Finally, after several minutes of running, Erik spotted the familiar gathering of beggars in the alleyway. He landed gracefully on the ground and approached Bob Lee with a grin.

“I got it,” Erik said, pulling the package out from his bag. “Here’s what you asked for.”

Bob Lee, the so-called King of Beggars, stood with his arms crossed. A mischievous smile spread across his face. “Good job kid!” he exclaimed, grabbing the package eagerly. The other beggars around him began to gather around him, their breaths loud as if they were animals in anticipation.

As Bob Lee ripped the package open, revealing the white powder inside, a round of laughter erupted from the group. “Get the alcohol!” Bob Lee called out to one of his companions, who immediately ran off to the other end of the alley to fetch it.

Erik raised an eyebrow, watching the bizarre display unfold. The beggars acted like they had just struck gold. Their laughter and smiles spoke to Erik more than a thousand words could.

It made him wonder what that powder was but he had a feeling that it was better not to know.

“Want some?”

“Uhh no, I’m just here for my compensation. That was the deal,” Erik said, forcing a smile to not antagonize the man.

“Ah, yes, the compensation,” his hands once again rummaged underneath his pants—

“No, not your dirty gold coin!” Erik shouted to stop him in his tracks. “You talked about some metidians or whatever, I don’t know.”

Bob Lee slowly retracted his hand, bringing it back to his cheek to Erik’s dismay. “Oh yeah, I said I’d help with your meridians. Well, take your shirt off, Erik.”

“What.”

“You heard what I said.”

“I’m good, old man.”

“You want to get stronger, don’t you?” Bob wiggled his fingers dramatically. “This is how it’s done.”

Erik sighed but eventually took it off, realizing it was the only way. He was told to sit down with his back facing Bob and so he did.

Soon he felt Bob’s fat fingers scrambling throughout his back.

“Did you wash your hands?”

“Why, my underwear is clean,” Bob Lee answered nonchalantly.

Erik couldn’t believe his words, his face contorted for a moment as he felt like throwing up.

“Alright… I’ll wash later I guess… what are you gonna do exactly—” Erik gasped in the end as he felt the cold fingers press onto his spine.

“I’m looking for your meridians right now. They serve as pathways for your ki and are most likely clogged,” he pressed his finger deep into Erik’s flesh.

“W-What is ki?” the boy asked as he felt shivers throughout his body. It's like he had energy going through his veins.

“I suppose you call it mana here.”

Bob continued to prod at Erik’s back, his fingers pressing into various points along his spine. "Your meridians are all twisted and blocked up, kid. You’ve probably been forcing it out the wrong way this whole time."

“Is… that bad?” he asked between gasps.

Bob grunted, digging his fingers a bit deeper into Erik’s back, causing a sharp jolt of energy to run through him. "Yes, it’s bad—but in this country, not so much, I suppose. Most people here haven’t worked well on their meridians. For mages it's not a big deal I suppose but for those who fight with punches and kicks, not having worked on that makes them rely more on brute strength. This means they have less raw mana output at the end of the day."

Erik winced, trying not to squirm under the old man’s touch. “So, what? I’m getting stronger now?”

“Once your meridians are clear, you’ll be able to channel ki more efficiently. More power, less strain."

A fresh surge of energy coursed through Erik’s body, and he gasped as he felt the mana inside him flowing more freely than it ever had before. It was like a dam had been unblocked, allowing the energy to rush through his veins with ease. Soon, pain followed, however. It was like someone was pouring boiling water inside his flesh.

Erik grunted as his system seemed to burn from the inside.

“There you go. You’ll feel some pain for a day or two and you shouldn’t use magic for around a week but when you do you’ll be more efficient than before.”

Erik’s eyes widened, and he turned to look at Bob. “Wait, but I have the entrance exam to the Magic Academy TOMORROW!” he said in a desperate voice.

Erik had heard about what examinations they did, there was a written exam + one or two magic tests that changed every year. If he couldn’t perform at his best then his chances of getting in would go down.

Bob shrugged, his nonchalant expression told Erik that he wasn’t sorry at all. “Well, it's not like you can’t use magic. It will just hurt a lot and if you force it too much, you’ll get crippled or whatever it's called,” as he kept on talking, Erik’s face seemed more and more terrified. Perhaps he noticed it and that’s why he stopped. “Well… you’ll get like 3% stronger after you’re rested so it’ll be worth the pain kid!”

‘Wait…’

Erik walked closer to the man. “So you’re telling me I’ll just get 3% stronger—” he stopped talking as jolts of pain ran through his nerves just as he was going to grab him by the collar.

Erik fell face down on the ground.

“Yeah, take it easy kiddo. "Anyway, I have to party with my boys so see ya later," Bob Lee waved, a grin planted on his face, and before anything else, he walked away.

“I’ll kill you…” Erik mumbled as his mouth still rested on the ground. He couldn’t believe he went through all this for such a small power boost, besides as the man had explained it would only be noticeable when fighting hand to hand and not necessarily casting magic.

It was a horrible deal.

Somehow though, Erik couldn’t help but believe that he would meet Bob again. Such a strange figure was bound to have a greater importance in the world.

A few minutes later Erik finally managed to get up. He groaned as he stretched, pain irradiated through his mana core to every inch of his body but the stretches seemed to help a bit.

Then, as he recovered, Erik heard a loud explosion. He jumped backward—immediately feeling his insides hurting—but there was nothing there. He furrowed his brow for several seconds, but nothing happened.

Then he heard several other explosions.

‘They are coming from above…?’

The boy didn’t know what was happening but he knew he didn’t want to be left in the dark so he picked up his bag and ran out of the alley as the adrenaline numbed the pain.

There were entire crowds in the main streets, looking up with smiles on their faces. The kids pointed to the darkening evening sky and parents picked them up with laughs.

“It's starting!” a street vendor selling food said.

“I waited for this all year!” A woman in fine clothes said within the crowd.

Erik was confused, his eyes twitched. That’s when he finally got the courage to look up in the sky.

At first, he saw only darkness, the deep blue of twilight taking over the sky. Then, suddenly, a bright, streaking light shot upward, leaving a glowing trail behind it. Erik's eyes widened in awe.

‘What is that?’ His breath caught in his throat as the light climbed higher and higher until it seemed to vanish.

Before he could think of anything though, it exploded. A burst of blazing red, shimmering gold, and electrifying blue filled the sky. It was as if the stars themselves were exploding.

Erik’s heart pounded. He had never seen anything like that.

Another explosion lit up the sky, this time with radiant green and purple arcs, spreading outward like giant, glowing flowers blossoming in the night.

The lights reflected off his blazing red eyes. He couldn’t tear his gaze away. Each explosion seemed more magnificent than the last, each new burst of color painted the sky in patterns he could barely comprehend. It was magic, but not the kind he had ever seen or heard of.

It was pure, beyond what he thought the world could offer.

Slowly, a grin spread across his face. “I guess I have much to learn still.”