I wake up to the sight of a wolf licking my face.
Upon closer inspection, I see two other figures watching me, but they immediately run away the moment they notice I'm awake.
The wolf, however, doesn't take the hint and continues licking my face.
I could just get up and leave, but my whole body aches. It feels as if I fell from the sky with nothing to cushion my landing. When I actually think about it, that is entirely possible. After all, I was just "standing" on the sky moments ago.
Maybe the Sovereign was the only reason I could do that, and when he told me to go, he disabled whatever power had been holding me up, causing me to fall.
Damn that Sovereign...
Still, I'm not completely sure, so I can't blame everything on him. No matter.
I grab the wolf's snout, push it away, and slowly pull myself to my feet.
There is one thing I must do, but first I need to figure out where I am.
It looks like I'm in the middle of a forest. A river flows beside me, and many of the surrounding trees appear to have been cut down.
The wolf runs over to the two figures I saw earlier.
When I look at them properly, I see a boy and a girl, no older than ten years old. If not ten, they're at least older than me. Their faces could pass for nobility if not for their ragged clothes.
The boy has long black hair tied in a ponytail and a small scar over his left eye. The girl has shorter white hair and a scar over her right eye.
The two of them huddle together inside a small… whatever you would call a bunch of logs stacked on top of one another. The fact that it hasn't collapsed yet is impressive.
"Excuse me, can you tell me where I am?" I call out.
The girl tries to respond, but the boy whispers something in her ear and she stops.
Did I do something to them?
I try to get closer, but they quickly scramble out of their shelter and run, the wolf following close behind.
Well, I tried.
If they don't want to talk, I won't force them. Besides, they might not even know where we are.
"Look, you're lucky we fished you out of the river, so do us a favor and go away!" the boy yells as they flee.
Oh, really? Well, I suppose they have my thanks.
That just means I'll have to find out on my own.
"Tempest Art: Storm Domain."
Within my Storm Domain, my strength and speed are enhanced, and I recover from damage quickly. Another benefit is that while the wind blows, I can hear and see everything happening within its range.
All I need to do now is extend it as far as possible.
A gust of wind bursts outward from my body. Leaves rustle as it passes.
"The Arcane Knights haven't evacuated everyone yet."
"No one's even allowed entry into the capital."
"They're still finding bodies."
"Half a year later… you'd think they'd have finished."
Bingo.
I hear voices a short distance away discussing the destruction of some capital. It must be serious, because hundreds of people seem to be talking about the same thing.
I now know where I'm heading.
"You can use magic?!" the girl yells enthusiastically.
I turn around to see both children hiding behind a tree. The wolf has completely vanished.
"Yeah," I reply. "You can't?"
"No, we don't have any mana."
Really? That is unusual. Every living thing in this world possesses mana—even the trees and plants have a minuscule amount.
This is the first time I've seen someone with no mana, two at that.
But… it's not impossible. While i haven't seen one until now, I have heard of conditions where people can lose their mana. Maybe something similar has happened to these kids.
I can't stand around chatting, though. I need to reach the town.
"Sorry, but I have to go," I tell them.
"Wa—!"
"Tempest Art: Tempest Drive."
A barrier of condensed wind forms around me. The ground explodes beneath my feet the moment I shoot off in the direction of the voices.
I can still hear the children—especially the girl—calling for me to stay. I don't feel guilt for running off, but I have no real connection to them. Still, they did pull me from the river, so I owe them that much.
Alright. If I have time, I'll check on them later.
A few minutes later, I arrive at the town. There aren't many people around, and the houses look old and worn down.
Nevertheless, I walk through the streets.
I spot an old man carrying a barrel of wheat and offer to help him with it.
I need information, and simply asking probably won't get me far, so I decide to lend a hand first.
After loading everything into a cart attached to a car, the old man thanks me. I take the opportunity and ask where I am.
"Well, boy, you're in the small city of Korvaal."
Korvaal, huh.
I had heard it was a small city in Terrath, the Earth Continent, but I didn't expect it to be this small. There are a few cars here and there and one train, but nothing impressive.
This continent prefers to stick to older ways rather than fully industrialize. The people of Terrath have a saying: "The land remembers," and they mean it literally. Anyone who harms the land will never grow a single crop again for as long as they remain.
If I'm here, that means I'm halfway across the world—far from the Ash Continent.
The Senate of Nobles operates on the Ash Continent, which is divided into seven territories, one for each major household.
It is called the Ash Continent because years ago the entire land was engulfed in a crimson barrier. The barrier lasted fifty years and only came down twenty-three years ago. The whole continent was devastated, and everywhere was said to have been bathed in blood.
It took time, but the Senate of Nobles eventually rebuilt it and made it their home.
The House of Morningstar is no longer part of the Senate, but we still have the right to live there. After all, rumor has it that my father was the one who brought the barrier down.
MorningStar territory occupies the eastern coastal region.
Back to the present—how did I even end up here?
I suspect the Sovereign had something to do with it, but I can't blame him for everything.
What matters now is getting back.
I ask the old man where I can find the nearest train heading to the Ash Continent, specifically to Morningstar territory.
"I'm sorry, did you say Morningstar?" the man asks, worry creeping into his voice.
"Yes, sir. The territory on the Ash Continent," I reply.
"Haven't you heard the news? Hmm, children these days…"
I choose to ignore that last part. What news is he talking about?
I ask him, but he puts his hand on his chin and looks up at the sky.
"Let's see, what was it again?"
I can't believe he criticized me when he doesn't even remember himself!
I chalk it up to old age and turn to leave.
"Boy," the old man calls out. "I don't know where you've been, but that place doesn't exist anymore."
The cheerfulness in his voice completely vanishes.
I stop and turn back to him.
"What do you mean?"
Maybe the old man's memory is foggy. There is no way the territory could just be… gone. Maybe they relocated while I was away.
Yeah, that has to be it. They just moved.
But the little delusion I built shatters with his next words.
"House Celestia destroyed it."
───
"Where… where am I?"
A blonde-haired girl mumbles under her breath.
Her head throbs as if she has been hit with a mallet.
Her vision is blurry, but she can make out debris scattered around her, growing farther and farther away. Her body rises and falls as if she is riding in a car over a bumpy road.
What's happening? she thinks.
The last thing she remembers is receiving an urgent letter saying her mother and father have gone missing—and worse, that her younger brother has been missing for a whole year.
She went to the principal's office to ask for permission to leave school, but the moment she opened the door—
That is where her memories end.
She doesn't understand what is happening or why her whole body aches.
"I'm sorry for the pain, but please bear with me."
A strange voice calls out from… somewhere. She can't see the speaker, but she can hear him clearly.
It takes her a few seconds to register it, but she realizes she is being carried by someone.
"Who are you?"
Under normal circumstances she might struggle to free herself. But even though she doesn't understand the situation, the destruction around her tells her something terrible has happened.
Besides, even if she wanted to move, her body wouldn't let her. It is a miracle she can even speak.
"Shiro."
The man named Shiro responds.
That is good. Now that she knows his name, she has another question.
"What's happening?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't have time to explain everything. I don't really understand much myself."
Shiro doesn't answer her question. It seems he is just as lost as she is.
So the two of them are simply two people who understand nothing.
Wonderful.
For what feels like ages, Shiro continues running through the devastated capital. He is much faster than she expected. He leaps from building to building as casually as someone out for an afternoon jog, without breaking a sweat.
And he isn't even using magic.
She could do something similar, but not while carrying another person—not without magic. She has to admit, she feels a little jealous.
From the corner of her eye, she notices a black-haired woman chasing them. The woman looks familiar, though her blurry vision makes it hard to tell. The only thing she can see clearly is the woman's crimson-red eyes.
Where has she seen them before?
Perhaps a classmate, or someone she met when she was younger.
It doesn't matter.
Then, in a flash of red, the black-haired woman vanishes. In the same instant, Shiro throws the girl high into the air.
As she ascends, she sees blurs of crimson and violet light clashing below her. A powerful shockwave erupts through the ruined buildings.
Gravity soon takes hold, pulling her back down. The violet light shoots upward, and Shiro catches her again.
As his hood shifts, she finally sees his face clearly: silver-white hair, sharp purple eyes, and beneath his uniform, a silver scabbard holding a silver katana.
The crimson light rises as well. Shiro shifts his body, and a crimson blade slices through the air where he had just been.
That isn't the end. The black-haired woman swings her blade at him, but he deflects it with his katana. She tries to cut off his limbs, but he dodges every strike.
Every attack is either deflected or evaded. Yet Shiro isn't counterattacking. With his skill, it should be easy, right?
The woman changes tactics. Instead of attacking Shiro, she goes for the blonde girl.
Shiro reacts instantly. He bends backward, lowering the girl with him, then kicks the woman squarely in the stomach with his left leg.
A shockwave erupts in the sky, and the woman crashes into a collapsed building below.
Only then does the girl realize they are flying. She hadn't noticed until the woman fell.
Wow.
In her heart, she can't help but admire Shiro's strength—but admiration is all she will allow herself.
Shiro suddenly drops to the ground and continues running.
"Why are you running? With your strength, you should be able to beat her."
"Maybe," Shiro replies, "but if I choose to fight, I can't protect you. And your safety is non-negotiable."
"..."
Shiro's body begins to radiate with mana.
"Hold on."
Hold on to what?
The moment the thought crosses her mind, the world around her twists.
Wind screams past her ears as everything turns into streaks of purple and gray