Tip‑tip‑top.
The sound of footsteps echoed across the lonely desert.
Two figures walked side by side through the endless dunes. One was a woman, the other a man.
The woman had her bow slung over her shoulder, the bowstring resting against her back like a second spine. The man, dressed in simple magus robes, walked beside her, eyes scanning the horizon.
He turned toward her.
"How long will it take before we find water?" he asked.
The woman wiped sweat from her forehead, squinting against the sun's glare.
"If we keep going north at this speed," she said, "we'll reach a water source in two days."
"That's long!" he groaned. "How are we supposed to survive this heat?"
He waved his hand, and two thin strings sprouted from his legs, twitching like living threads. A small spurt of blood followed as something invisible snapped away.
"And these stupid insects constantly biting me," Noel muttered, glancing at the woman beside him, "are driving me insane.
"Anna shot him an irritated look.
"Sigh," she said. "Just kill them. Why are you complaining so much and staring at me like it's my fault?"
"Okay, okay," Noel grumbled. "I won't do it anymore. But can you at least wait a bit? Let's find something to eat first."
"Fine," Anna replied. "Let's go."
Beneath the Green Aurora
Night fell over the desert.
The sky lit up in swaths of green aurora, dancing like comets across the vast darkness. Their light washed over the dunes, turning the sand into a sea of faintly glowing ripples.
A small bonfire crackled, and above it, meat sizzled, dripping with faint droplets of fat.
"Has it been ready?" Noel asked, mouth already watering.
"Yeah," Anna replied, nudging the meat with a stick. "It's done."
Noel picked up a piece and took a bite. The flavor was simple, slightly sweet, with no spices to mask it.
"Good," he said, chewing slowly. "Even this bland food tastes like heaven out here."
They both finished their meal in silence, then began setting up a small camp using the strange cactus‑like plants that dotted the desert.
"If you remove the needles, they're good for warmth at night," Anna explained, arranging the plants around their makeshift shelter.
"Yeah," Noel replied, slipping inside. "It really feels warm in here."They lay down beside each other, backs against the plant wall, and stared up at the aurora.
"How can something this beautiful exist here… in this hell of a nightmare?" Noel asked softly.
Anna's gaze drifted upward, tracing the shifting lights.
"Beauty exists in all things," she said. "Some people find it in material things. Some find it in abstract things like freedom, honor, or purpose. Everyone's definition of beauty is different, Noel."
Noel turned his head toward her, blinking in surprise.
"This is the first time you've said my name," he said.
"Huh," she replied, as if realizing it herself. "I haven't said it before."
"No, you haven't," Noel said, a grin breaking across his face. "This was the first time."
"Why are you so happy?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're grinning like an idiot."
Noel turned his head back to the sky, his smile softening.
"Well," he said, "you don't always need a reason to smile, do you?"
They both fell quiet then, staring at the sky, letting the aurora imprint itself into their memories.
"What do you think about the world outside?" Anna asked after a while. "We've left so much to discover. A lot of common knowledge has been lost from history."
Noel nodded slowly.
"The knowledge of deep space," he said. "I heard mortals figured a lot of that out without magic. They even left the planet once, before mana became dominant. Now, we don't even have a full understanding of our own continent… and there are seven of them."
"That's true," Anna replied. "In a way, you could say humanity has stagnated because of mana. Magic makes people lazy. They don't need to push further when they can warp reality itself."
She paused, then added, "But there are downsides and advantages to everything."
A Voice from the Dark
A voice, soft and clear like the tone of a pure angel, cut through the night.
"…In a way, you're right," it said. "Mana stabilizes, but it also hides the truth."
Noel and Anna snapped upright in an instant.
Noel's hand shot out, forming a small, writhing orb of dark mana at his fingertips—a Wither Orb, the first true expression of his new class. Anna's bow snapped up, an arrow already nocked, the tip blazing with flame.
"Who are you?" Anna demanded, voice sharp and cold.
From the shadows behind them, a girl stepped forward, hands raised in surrender. Her robes were plain, her hair tied back in a simple ponytail, and her eyes held a curious, almost innocent light.
"I'm not here to fight," she said calmly. "Just… exploring."
Noel and Anna didn't lower their weapons. For someone to get this close without them noticing, the girl would have to be at least 15 levels higher—or using something far more subtle.
Anna narrowed her eyes and raised her hand.
"Identify."
Level: 18
Noel glanced at her reaction.
"What's her level?" he asked. "Is it too high for us?"
"She's at Level 18," Anna replied. "Just one level below me."
Noel, still wary, kept his wither orb ready. The girl sat down cross‑legged beside them like a serene angel, not seeming to notice the tension—or not caring.
After a moment, Noel and Anna dissolved their attacks enough to step closer.
"So if you're only one level above Anna," Noel asked cautiously, "how did you get this close without us noticing?"
The girl shrugged.
"Because of my Aspect," she replied simply.
Both of them stiffened.
They hadn't expected someone else to have a Memory Aspect—or any Aspect, for that matter.
Anna cleared her throat.
"Put your hands down," she said, though she didn't fully relax. "And what are you doing here so late at night?"
"Nothing," the girl replied. "I was just roaming. I like the dark. My Aspect is stronger at night, and I can hide if I need to."
"And what is your Aspect?" Noel asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
The girl turned toward him, eyes gleaming with amusement.
"Well," she said, "I may look innocent, but I'm not that foolish. I won't just tell you my Aspect like that."
Noel blinked, then scratched his head sheepishly.
"Oh," he said. "I didn't know that. Sorry."
Anna let out a dry chuckle.
"You fool," she muttered. "Asking someone their Aspect like that is like giving them your weak point on a silver platter."
The girl shrugged again.
"I saw the fire smoke," she explained. "I was passing through, saw the light, and came closer. At first, I thought you two were doing something… inappropriate."
"What?!" Noel stammered, face flushing. "We were just sleeping!"
"I got that," the girl replied, smiling faintly. "Then I heard you talking about the world before the mana apocalypse, about the lost history…"
She reached up and pulled a small locket from beneath her robe. It hung from a thin chain, its surface etched with faint runes.
"I'm a historian," she said. "I study the world before mana. The world of mortals who had no magic, but still had more knowledge than we do."
She turned serious for a moment.
"So far, I haven't been disappointed in this job," she added. "The people of that time had more understanding of the universe than we do. They reached into the depths of space without magic."
Noel's eyes lit up immediately.
The cosmos had always fascinated him, the unknown vastness of space, the mysteries of time and motion beyond the stars. His curiosity burned bright.
"Did you find something interesting?" he asked, leaning forward.
The girl smiled, then formed a series of subtle hand seals. With a faint shimmer, a book appeared in her hands.
The cover was old, the edges worn, but the title was clear and bold:
Quantum Physics