As the garden Elizabeth tended grew bigger and brighter, thanks to Axe's obsession with gardening, Xiver's knowledge of magic grew exponentially under Emelia's guidance. Though his new present, Thrag, hadn't yet helped him control his mana, he refused to give up. Every day he focused on expanding his mana and sharpening his swordsmanship. Day after day, relentlessly, he trained—laughing, crying, sharing anger and sadness, giggles and laughs alike.
His bond with Axe strengthened through sword training, while Emelia taught him magic with patient guidance. Until one day, she explained the origins of magic.
"In the current era," she said, adjusting her glasses, "there are three kingdoms: Fentesy, Alt, and Holmes. But long ago, there was only one kingdom. Alt once ruled everything."
Xiver tilted his head, listening intently.
"Back then, Alt Kingdom was famous for one knight: Aizen. One day, six dragons—called the Remorse Dragons—attacked the kingdom. One of them, the Ultimate Dragon, was the strongest, and even the other five dragons called him their leader. But Aizen defeated him with his sword, Maverick, cutting straight to the dragon's core. The magic inside the dragon's heart was released, spreading into the world."
Xiver's eyes widened.
"What happened to the other dragons?" he asked.
"They confronted Aizen," Emelia continued, "but he warned them never to cross his path again."
She mimicked Aizen's deep, intimidating tone.
"For your kind, I eat their flesh, I chew their bones, and I fill myself with them. Next time, the slightest kindness in my heart will vanish if we meet. Remember my words in the deepest pit of your heart."
The dragons fled to the Abandoned Lands, where they eventually died of hunger and age, since dragons live for a thousand years.
Xiver gasped. "Who lives that long?!"
Emelia smiled faintly.
"For defeating the dragons, Aizen was rewarded with gold, riches, and whatever he desired. Eventually, humans learned to draw mana from nature using sorcery, and over time, mana became a normal part of life for everyone."
Xiver knew he possessed a massive amount of mana—but even with such an abundance, he could not control it. He buried the feeling deep inside, hiding the deficiency in his heart.
Years passed. Xiver turned ten. Everyone surprised him with presents. After returning from her trip when Xiver was seven, Emelia bore a scar on her back, which Xiver noticed but wisely chose not to comment on.
During the birthday celebration, even Elizabeth contributed—a simple football—but Alexander didn't show. Xiver felt a pang of sadness, but he refused to let it ruin his day. He had a good time with everyone, enjoying the moment.
After the party, Axe and Emelia headed home. Elizabeth, while cleaning the dishes, called out.
"Xiver, do you want to go out?"
"Huh?" he asked, surprised.
"You're ten now," she said, smiling. "If you want to go out, you can… just make sure you're back before nightfall. That's my extra present to you."
Xiver's lips curved into a small smile. Perhaps this was his new life. Slowly, he began letting go of his past life, finding comfort in the present.
He stepped outside, but attempts to interact with others failed. Most either avoided him out of fear of Alexander or pretended he didn't exist. After several tries, he gave up and bought a sandwich to eat, thinking of what to do next.
Then he remembered the city. Alexander didn't control the city, so people there might not be afraid. It could be a good place to go.
As Axe and Emelia walked together, they bumped into two men: one tall with spiky hair, the other short with a buzz cut. The tall man apologized to Axe, who responded in kind, and they continued walking.
Emelia froze.
"I… I just smelled something familiar," she whispered, blushing.
Axe raised an eyebrow. "Wow… how could you recognize that smell so fast?"
"S-shut up!" she snapped, turning red.
Axe laughed, but inside, he noticed something strange. That familiar scent—it was Emelia's, yet it felt… wrong. How could someone detect another's smell so precisely? He brushed it off and continued walking with her.
Meanwhile, Xiver trudged through the city streets. His small legs ached, and he considered renting a ride—but he had no money. With a deep breath, he forced himself to keep walking, determined to reach the heart of the city.
Xiver had spent hours walking just to reach the city.
His legs felt heavy, and the dust from the road clung to his clothes. Still, he forced himself forward. The city gates were finally in sight.
Just as he stepped onto the bridge leading toward the city—
CLANG!
A vehicle rushed past him.
It was pulled by two massive horses with huge wings, black eyes, and metal armor covering their bodies. The sound of their hooves echoed loudly across the bridge.
Startled, Xiver jumped aside.
He slipped and fell to the ground, dirt covering his clothes.
The vehicle stopped a short distance away.
A man quickly climbed down from it.
He was a fat man wearing a dark blue suit. His face was clean and round, with a huge nose and small glasses resting on it.
He hurried toward Xiver.
"Are you alright there, buddy?" the man asked while helping him up.
He began brushing the dust off Xiver's clothes and fixing them carefully.
But Xiver wasn't listening.
His eyes were locked onto the vehicle.
More specifically—
The girl sitting inside it.
She looked around the same age as him.
Long black hair fell down her shoulders, and her face was filled with annoyance. A sword rested beside her.
The horses stomped the ground impatiently while the driver checked the vehicle.
The girl looked down at Xiver with irritation.
"What are you staring at?"
Xiver said nothing.
The fat man noticed the silence and lightly knocked Xiver on the head.
"Hey. Earth to you, kid."
Xiver blinked.
By the time he looked up again, the man had already climbed back onto the vehicle. The horses spread their wings slightly and began moving toward the city.
Xiver watched them leave.
"…Where have I seen her before?" he muttered.
The girl felt strangely familiar.
But he couldn't remember why.
A moment later, he noticed the dirt covering his clothes.
"Damn… damn… damn."
He quickly tried to clean himself before entering the city.
The moment he stepped inside, Xiver was amazed.
The city was far more beautiful than the village.
Tall buildings lined the streets, shops stood everywhere, and people moved in large crowds.
But something strange caught his eye.
A perfume shop.
It stood right next to a magic staff shop.
That part was normal.
What wasn't normal was the sign hanging on the perfume shop door.
"NO KIDS ALLOWED."
Xiver frowned.
"Why would a perfume shop ban kids…?"
He stared at it for a moment but eventually shrugged.
"Whatever."
He continued walking through the streets.
He tried talking to a few people.
But the reactions were always the same.
Some ignored him.
Others looked at him strangely.
Eventually he gave up.
He found a bench near a closed park and sat down.
After a while he bought some food from a nearby restaurant and returned to the bench.
He leaned back and stared at the sky while eating.
"…Well," he murmured.
"A few things changed, I guess."
He thought about his old life.
"I may have lost everything…"
"But with Emelia's recommendation letter, I could still climb back to the top."
He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"School…"
"If I get into one, I could use their library."
"Maybe I'll find a way to go back."
But then he hesitated.
"…Emelia and Axe…"
He looked down at his empty food wrapper.
After finishing the meal, he wiped his face.
"I need to learn magic quickly."
"But how the hell do I control the mana inside me?"
His eyes drifted toward a puddle of water on the ground.
His reflection stared back at him.
Xiver smirked.
"Well… at least I'm still handsome."
"Maybe I can regain what I lost in my past life with my looks and intelligence."
"I'm not as athletic as before, but my swordsmanship is improving."
Then he frowned.
"Actually…"
"That vehicle earlier was weird."
"The girl had a sword."
"…Why was I staring at her so much?"
He shook his head and stood up.
Walking again, he passed by a bar filled with loud laughter and shouting.
For a moment he considered entering.
Then he shook his head.
"Bad idea."
He kept walking.
Suddenly—
THUD!
A girl came running down a staircase and collided with another girl with blonde hair.
Both fell to the ground.
Something shiny dropped between them.
A necklace.
Xiver reached down to pick it up.
But the girl grabbed it before he could.
She quickly stood up.
Tears were streaming down her face.
For a moment she looked directly at Xiver.
Then she ran.
Right behind her—
A man in a long coat chased after her.
People nearby saw it.
But no one reacted.
They simply kept talking like nothing was happening.
Xiver realized immediately.
The girl was running from that man.
He clenched his teeth.
"Damn it…"
Without thinking, he ran in front of the man.
"STOP! STOP!"
The man ignored him completely and kept running.
Xiver quickly thought of another idea.
Then he screamed at the top of his lungs:
"THIS MAN TOUCHED MY NONO PLACE!!!"
"HE TOUCHED ME INAPPROPRIATELY!!!"
The street instantly froze.
People turned their heads.
A man stepped forward and blocked the path.
"Don't you have any shame touching a child?" he said angrily.
"I think I should—"
SLASH!
The man in the coat pulled out a knife and swung it.
Three fingers fell to the ground.
For a moment there was silence.
Then the man screamed.
"AAAAAAAGHHHHHH!!!"
Blood spilled across the street.
People panicked.
Guards quickly rushed in and surrounded the attacker.
But the man suddenly jumped sideways and sprinted into a narrow alley.
The guards chased after him.
When they reached the alley—
He was gone.
No trace.
Xiver suddenly remembered something.
"The girl!"
He ran through the streets searching for her.
Left.
Right.
Another street.
Nothing.
She had completely disappeared.
Fear suddenly filled his chest.
"Why did I even do that…?"
He didn't know the girl.
He had just revealed himself.
If that man discovered who stopped him…
Xiver's heart began pounding.
He turned and ran all the way home.
The sun was already setting when he arrived.
Elizabeth stood near the door.
She smiled.
"Hello, Xiver."
He froze.
She was home early.
"What's with that face?" she asked casually.
"Come on. I'll cook you dinner."
Something about her behavior felt strange.
But Xiver didn't question it.
After eating, he went toward his room.
Elizabeth suddenly spoke again.
"No goodnight kiss?"
Xiver looked confused.
But he walked over and kissed her.
She kissed him back.
Then he went to his room.
He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling.
"…What if that man finds me?"
The thought wouldn't leave his mind.
Eventually, exhaustion took over.
Xiver closed his eyes.
Hoping tomorrow would be better.
And hoping that man never found him.