LIAM POV — NIGHT
The house was quiet.
The soft blue glow of my wall lamp painted the room in a calm shade that matched the sky just before dawn. I lay on my back, staring at the faint patterns on the ceiling, listening to the gentle hum of mana running through the pipes in the walls.
My body felt light.
My mind didn't.
I had lived through many days in my lives before—but today…
today felt like a full lifetime squeezed into a single morning and afternoon.
I closed my eyes and let it replay.
First, the association—
the nervous walk, the room smelling like sterilized crystal, the soft buzz of the machine, and then the result that changed everything.
Fire and Shadow.
A normal affinity and a rare one… in the same body that barely survived a month ago.
Everyone had congratulated me there.
Hunters I didn't know.
Staff bowing to Kael.
Even strangers telling me I'd do great.
It didn't feel real.
Then the mall…
Rin dragging me around like the world was a playground made only for him.
Arin pretending she wasn't watching me but I caught her glancing every few minutes.
The Ardew family greeting me warmly.
Syna hiding behind her sister.
Lilia smiling politely, then comfortably.
Small things.
Normal things.
Things I'd never had before.
I remembered Arin's hesitation when someone praised me too much.
Not jealousy—just confusion.
She was used to being the one people talked about… and now suddenly I was beside her, catching up.
Then Rin's excitement…
Kael's silent approving looks…
Mom's gentle hand on my shoulder while checking prices…
Serin and Elra talking like old friends…
Varis laughing with Kael like nothing bad existed.
For once, nothing felt heavy.
And then… the gifts.
The things I had chosen carefully.
The things I hoped wouldn't feel "wrong".
My chest tightened a little.
For years I had survived on the bare minimum.
And now I was choosing presents based on what I thought matched people's personalities.
I turned on my side and exhaled slowly.
Tomorrow, I would have to face training, academy, mana—and whatever future was waiting for me.
But tonight… this bed felt warm.
This ceiling felt safe.
This day felt like the first day of my life.
The room was quiet.
He was happy there
But most of all…
the gifts.
The way each person reacted.
The way their expressions shifted—surprise, warmth, pride, embarrassment.
I let the memories come back one by one.
We stepped into the warm living room, bags hanging from our hands, feet tired from walking all day. Rin burst in like he lived on infinite energy. Arin walked in calmer, but she peeked at me as if she knew I was about to do something.
I took a breath.
"Can… everyone sit for a moment?" I said quietly.
They turned to me with curiosity.
No one questioned it.
They simply sat—Kael on the edge of the couch, Mom beside him, Arin on the floor, Rin bouncing on his heels.
I picked up the first two bags.
I held out two bags toward Arin.
She blinked.
"…Two?"
"Yes," I said simply.
She opened the first bag—
A large soft bear plush, brown with a white ribbon.
Her breath caught.
Her fingers froze around the fur.
"L-Liam…?"
Before she could recover, I nudged the second bag toward her.
She opened it slowly.
A snowflake-pattern diary
—white and silver, delicate and detailed, like frost forming on a window.
A pen shaped like a wooden stick
with small engravings, elegant but cute.
Her eyes widened.
"It's… beautiful," she whispered.
I shrugged lightly. "I saw it and thought it fit you."
She looked up sharply.
"Fit me? Why?"
"You like winter themes," I said, avoiding her eyes.
"And you write your training notes with too many loose papers."
Her lips parted in shock—then curved upward softly.
She hugged the bear tightly, burying her chin into its head.
"You're impossible," she murmured.
Then she paused.
"What did you get Lilia?"
I answered honestly.
"A diary with a waterflow cover—calming, blue, neat.
And her pen is sky blue… it matches her eyes."
Arin stared at me like I surprised her for the second time today.
Then she smirked.
"She might fall for you, you know."
I froze.
Rin cackled.
Mom muffled a smile.
Kael looked away like he suddenly found the window interesting.
Arin wasn't done.
"And what was all that 'gentleman' talk today? Those quotes? Those lines? 'A man should do what a man must do'? Where did that come from?"
I coughed lightly.
"…I read some things after getting the phone."
"So suddenly you're wise?"
"No. Rin kept asking about Syna."
Rin choked on his breath and puffed his cheeks.
"I DID NOT— okay maybe I did—BUT STILL—"
Arin and Mom laughed.
Even Kael cracked the tiniest smile.
I picked up the bag with the scarf.
"Mom," I said quietly, "this is for you."
She opened it slowly.
Inside was the soft green scarf, embroidered with a nature handprint pattern.
Her hand flew to her mouth.
"Oh… Liam…" she whispered.
Before she could recover, I handed her the small perfume bottle.
"It's nature-scented," I said. "Soft… not strong."
Her eyes shimmered.
She understood exactly what I meant.
She wrapped her arms around me gently—warm, steady, comforting.
"You noticed," she whispered into my shoulder.
"You noticed everything."
I swallowed, unsure what to say.
"I gave Aunty Serin the same perfume," I added quietly.
Mom smiled with pride.
Rin bounced in place.
"MY TURN MY TURN MY TURN!"
I handed him two things:
1. The Zombie Series game
2. A small box containing two friendship bands
one green
one pink
He opened the box.
His face turned bright red.
Arin burst out laughing.
Mom covered her face.
Kael exhaled like he'd seen this coming.
I smirked.
Rin squeaked,
"B-BROTHER WHY WOULD YOU—"
"You said you needed something meaningful for Syna," I said calmly.
"I— I DIDN'T SAY THAT—"
"You absolutely did," Arin said. "Three times."
"And screamed it once," Mom added.
Rin melted into a puddle of embarrassment.
Kael sat with his usual calm, but I could tell he was curious.
I handed him the last bag.
He opened it and pulled out:
A pair of black daily-use leather gloves.
Practical. Strong. Clean design.
He flexed his hand in it.
"…Good fit," he murmured.
Then he found the perfume bottle.
"It's a soft-strong fragrance," I explained.
"It's strong for others but… soft enough for me to be around."
Kael looked at me for a long moment.
Not the scary gaze.
Not the strict one.
A warm one.
Heavy, meaningful.
"…Thank you, Liam."
He stored everything in his dimensional ring without another word.
Everyone stayed together in the living room.
Arin hugged her bear and flipped through her snowflake diary
Mom wrapped her scarf around her neck, smiling quietly
Rin kept staring at the two bands like he was deciding his entire future
Kael sat back, wearing the gloves, comfortable for once
I clicked photos with the new camera because Rin demanded it
It felt soft.
It felt warm.
It felt like… home.
We gathered around the table later, plates set, drinks poured.
Kael looked at the three of us—Arin, Rin, and me.
He rested one elbow on the table and said, voice steady:
"Like I said before… tonight I will explain everything about the core and affinities.
Things even the two of you—" he nodded at Arin and Rin "—never learned."
The table went silent.
And the real lesson began.
Kael placed his chopsticks down and looked at the three children sitting across the table—Arin, Rin, and Liam.
His single red eye softened, but his voice was steady.
Arin straightened instantly. Rin stopped chewing midway. Liam lowered his cup, attentive.
Kael cotinued
"First thing you must understand," Kael began, "every human in Aeren Thalla is born with a core. Even a child with no talent still has one."
He tapped the center of his chest lightly.
"It sits right here. It's like a seed. But seeds don't grow on their own."
Liam nodded slowly, thinking of his own awakening.
Kael raised two fingers.
"There are two energies in this world:
Aura — raw, physical
Mana — refined, controllable
Your core is the engine that can control one of them… or in extremely rare cases, both."
His gaze landed on Liam for a heartbeat.
"But most people? They can only awaken one."
3. Why Some People Never Awaken
"Awakening needs three things," Kael said.
He lifted his fingers one by one.
**1) Enough energy inside the body
A strong physical foundation
A strong soul & stable mind**
"That's why knights who try awakening mana fail," he added. "Their bodies adapt to aura, so their mana veins never strengthen."
"And some children never awaken at all," Elra added softly. "Their cores stay asleep their whole lives."
Kael nodded.
"Because the requirement is not strength—it's balance."
4. What Awakening Actually Is
Kael clasped his hands together.
"Awakening is when your core 'chooses' a path."
He drew a small circle in the air with mana, just enough for the kids to see a faint shimmer.
"It decides:
Will this body refine energy? → Mana path
Or absorb raw power? → Aura path
Once it chooses, the body transforms accordingly."
Arin frowned thoughtfully.
"So if it chooses wrong, can it switch later?"
Kael chuckled.
"There is no wrong. But no—once awakened, your body will never change paths."
Kael glanced at Liam again, careful not to overwhelm him.
"Some awaken under danger, some under peace, and some under… extreme pressure. That can result in unusual combinations."
Elra placed a hand over Liam's, protective and warm.
"We'll explain the details later," she said softly. "For now, you only need to know your core is strong."
Liam lowered his gaze but listened.
Kael finally leaned back.
"A core grows like this:
Clear → Yellow → Orange → Red → Green → Cyan → Blue → Violet → White → Black
But with each stage, it becomes harder.
A child may reach F rank quickly…
but to reach A rank takes years.
And S rank… decades."
He gestured toward himself.
"I've been in Blue-core / A-rank for twelve years. That's how slow it becomes."
Rin's mouth fell open.
"Twelve years!?"
Kael laughed quietly.
"Yes. And that's normal for someone without a great background."
Kael finished:
"To summarize:
everyone has a core
awakening decides your path
aura = raw
mana = refined
you cannot change paths
advancement gets slower over time
And the most important thing—"
He pointed at all three of them.
"Your talent only decides where you start. Your determination decides where you end."
Arin's eyes softened.
Rin grinned.
Liam listened silently, absorbing every word.