In the deepest corner of darkness, Eira drifted without direction.
There was no sound, no light—only a suffocating cold that clung to her very soul. And yet, somehow, she could still feel time passing, not as seconds or minutes, but as faint pulses echoing through her veins.
Then, within that endless void, a silhouette began to take shape.
A woman stood before her—tall and unyielding, her long white hair shimmering like threads of moonlight. Her face remained obscured behind a heavy, oppressive aura, yet her presence felt strangely familiar… and deeply unsettling.
"Rise."
The voice did not reach her ears. It struck directly into her core.
"Your destiny has not ended here. It's not the time for you to disappear."
The woman raised her hand, reaching toward Eira's forehead.
As her fingers drew closer, the world around them slowed—stretching unnaturally, as if time itself had been forced to its knees.
A dense energy gathered in her palm.
Cold—yet alive.
ZAP!
Eira jolted awake.
Her lungs burned as she dragged in a sharp breath, then another, air flooding in too fast, too raw. Cold sweat clung to her skin as reality snapped back into place piece by piece.
The ceiling.The room.Morning light.
Then—the memory.
The black blade.. The moment it pierced through her.
Her hand shot to her abdomen.
She expected pain.Blood.Bandages.
Instead—smooth, unbroken skin beneath clean clothes.
"…So it's real…"
Her voice came out thin.
"I… didn't die?"
Soft sunlight slipped through the curtains, brushing gently across the room—and over Kaera, who had fallen asleep in a wooden chair beside the bed. Her head leaned slightly to one side, her expression unusually calm.
But what made Eira pause… was Kaera's hand.
Still gripping the edge of the blanket.
Tight.
As if letting go meant losing her again.
Eira pushed herself up slowly.
The movement tugged at the blanket.
Kaera stirred.
In an instant, her eyes snapped open, sharp, alert, searching and for a brief second, she looked ready to strike.
Then she saw Eira.
The tension dissolved.
"Ka… era…?" Eira's voice came out hoarse.
Kaera was already on her feet. She stepped forward quickly, placing a steady hand on Eira's shoulder, stopping her from moving further.
"Don't move too much."
The words were firm—but the concern beneath them was impossible to hide.
Eira's vision blurred slightly.
"I thought… I left you behind. I thought I failed to protect you…"
Kaera didn't answer immediately.
Her jaw tightened. Her fingers curled slightly—
Then she pulled Eira into an embrace.
It was sudden. Tight. Almost desperate.
Eira let out a soft hiss at the pressure, but she didn't pull away.
"Don't say that again," Kaera whispered, her voice unsteady against Eira's ear.
"I'm the one who refuses to lose you. So don't you dare leave me alone."
For a moment, Eira froze.
Then slowly, she returned the hug, resting her head against Kaera's shoulder.
"…I'm sorry, Kaera."
Silence settled between them.Not heavy.
Just… warm.
Real.
Alive.
Then—
"Pfft…"
Eira pulled back slightly, a grin forming despite everything.
"You actually care about me that much, huh~?" She winked.
"Cold Kaera acting all soft… that's kinda cute."
Kaera froze.
Then turned her face away sharply.
"…No way," she muttered.
"I just don't feel like finding a replacement. If you die first, I won't forgive you."
Eira chuckled softly.
"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that."
The moment broke as the smell of toasted bread and mushroom soup drifted into the room.
Sierra appeared at the doorway, wearing an apron dusted lightly with flour, a tray in her hands with steam rising gently from it.
"Oh, you're finally awake!" she said brightly. "Eira, right? I'm Sierra. Welcome to my place. Looks like the Grace Witch's magic worked perfectly."
Eira blinked at her, caught off guard by the sudden energy. But Sierra's warmth quickly eased the awkwardness.
Breakfast turned lively.
For once, there was no rush. No tension. Just simple conversation and the quiet comfort of a proper meal—something both Kaera and Eira hadn't experienced in a long time.
"…Does she always eat like that?"
Sierra asked, watching Kaera tear through her bread without hesitation.
Eira smirked.
"When she's hungry? There is no etiquette."
"Hey, I can hear you," Kaera muttered, mouth still full.
Sierra laughed softly. "Good. You'll need that energy."
She adjusted her apron slightly, her gaze shifting toward Kaera with a more meaningful look.
"Because after this… you still owe me. Remember?"
----
The morning mist lingered as they stepped outside. Dew clung to the grass, catching the soft glow of the rising sun. The air felt calm,almost too calm for a world that had never truly known peace.
Sierra led the way into a small clearing within the forest.
Kaera followed in silence, while Eira trailed behind, her curiosity returning as her eyes wandered.
"So this is the magic lesson?" Eira asked.
"If you don't interrupt, yes," Sierra replied calmly.
Eira pouted, but stayed quiet.
They stopped in the clearing.
Sierra turned to face Kaera, her expression shifting into something more focused.
"Alright. We start with the basics."
She raised one hand slowly.
"As you know, mana is the source of magic… and at the same time, it reflects the essence of one's soul."
Her gaze locked onto Kaera.
"Everyone's capacity is different. Some are shallow. Others… run so deep that you can't even see the bottom."
Kaera didn't respond. She simply watched, absorbing every word.
"First lesson—mana control."
Sierra placed her hand over her chest.
"Feel the flow inside your body. Focus on your core. Don't force it—let it move naturally."
Kaera closed her eyes and took a slow breath. The sounds of the forest faded as she let her mind settle.
Then—
She felt it.
A gentle current flowing from deep within her chest, spreading quietly through her body.
Unlike Chaos, it wasn't violent or overwhelming.
It was calm.
Like a clear stream moving steadily through her veins.
Her eyes opened slightly.
A soft blue glow flickered at her fingertips.
"Eh—EH?! That fast?!" Eira blurted out from behind.
Even Sierra paused for a brief moment before a small smile appeared.
"…Good. That's your mana."
Kaera stared at the light in silence. The power in her hands didn't feel like something trying to consume her from within.
Sierra stepped forward slightly.
"Basically, magic is creation."
She picked up a small stone and held it up.
"In theory, you can create almost any type of magic as long as you understand the coding and the spell."
She let the stone fall back to the ground.
"But the higher the level, the more complex the structure becomes. And that… is Code Magic's greatest weakness."
Her voice sharpened slightly.
"Mana control. Coding. Spell."
"If even one of them breaks… everything collapses."
She gestured toward the stone.
"Second test. Coding."
Stepping aside, she gave Kaera space.
"Mana is your ink,"
"And your mind… that's the pen. If your thoughts waver, your 'writing' collapses."
"Now, try to float the stone "
Kaera raised her hand slowly, focusing on the stone.
Blue light gathered at her fingertips.
This time, she didn't just feel it.
She shaped it.
LIFT.
The stone trembled.Dust stirred.
STABILIZE.
The stone rose slowly, hovering just above the ground.
Eira's face lit up. "Oi..It's working! You're actually—"
GRAVITY—
CRACK.
The stone didn't fall. It shattered from within.
Fragments scattered across the ground.
Silence fell.
"…That's not a normal failure," Sierra said quietly.
Kaera lowered her hand.
For a brief moment, the blue light at her fingertips flickered—then darkened into a deep crimson before disappearing completely.
"…My structure got corrupted."
She could feel it.
Chaos had slipped into her flow, distorting the code, breaking it from the inside.
Sierra didn't respond immediately, but her gaze sharpened. She had seen it.
Before she could say anything—
"Hey! Look at this!"
Eira's voice cut through the tension.
They turned.
Another stone floated steadily in front of her, moving smoothly as if weight meant nothing.
"Heh. Easy~"
Kaera stared at it.
Then slowly glanced at the shattered remains of her own attempt.
A faint vein pulsed at her temple. Her hand moved—resting lightly on the hilt of her sword.
"…Looks like someone wants to get cut this morning."
Eira froze. "Eh, WAIT?!"
She immediately dropped the stone.
"You can't use a sword in magic training!"
Kaera stepped forward, her expression blank, her presence turning cold.
"That wasn't magic."
"That was provocation."
"I was just showing off..!"
"Yeah. You showed enough."
Sierra let out a long sigh, pressing her fingers against her temple.
"…This is only the first lesson," she muttered.
"At this rate, I should start charging double."
Eira laughed nervously, quickly putting distance between herself and Kaera.
But Sierra didn't laugh.
Her gaze remained fixed on Kaera.
Because one truth had already become clear.
Mana and Chaos would never flow the same way.
And as long as both existed within her—
Kaera's path would never be that of a normal mage.
She wasn't learning magic.
She was learning how to tame a monster.
***