The chill of late autumn grew sharper with each passing morning.
Signs of desolation were creeping through the forest. The flower field Garlan used to pass frequently seemed to have withered overnight, leaving behind nothing but deep yellow fallen leaves and clusters of tangled weeds.
"Time really flies," Garlan muttered, exhaling rhythmic puffs of white mist. He jogged along, rubbing his hands together to warm his stiff fingers through friction.
"Whew—"
His arms relaxed as he slowed to a stop under a large tree. There was a mark carved into the trunk, signaling the end of his morning run. He hadn't noticed it before, but the notch he had originally made with his knife had darkened significantly. If much more time passed, he might not even be able to find it without looking closely.
Time is a concept both cruel and fair.
He sighed, rolling his joints to loosen up after the workout, and began a leisurely walk back home. He had an appointment to head out for field training with Glenn today, so he needed to prepare.
Glenn had accepted a monster subjugation request yesterday. There were two parties involved, and while they weren't lacking for vanguards, Garlan had previously asked Glenn for advice on warrior training. Aside from daily drills, actual combat was an indispensable part of the process.
"Whoa! I'm really flying! This is amazing!"
From a distance, Lia's excited voice drifted over. Garlan looked up and saw her hovering about seven or eight meters above the ground, cheering down at Denken.
[Flight Magic]
It was once an esoteric branch of magic existing only within the demon race's systems. However, after the war, human mages spent centuries researching and finally succeeded in deciphering it a few years ago. It was now slowly becoming more common.
As a court mage, Denken naturally knew the spell, but this was the first time Garlan had seen him teaching it to Lia.
Must be nice.
Looking at Lia's radiant smile, Garlan couldn't help but grin himself. The pursuit of magic truly seemed to be a source of pure joy.
"Focus on controlling your mana flow while in the air! Don't make any sudden movements yet, or you'll lose control!" Denken shouted from the ground. His brow was furrowed with worry, fearing she might lose her balance and fall due to her lack of experience. At this height, a fall could easily result in broken limbs.
But Lia didn't seem to hear him. She was staring blankly at the distant landscape, completely immersed in the awe of flight. The brilliant, warm morning sun bathed her face, draping her in a golden veil. That light seemed to illuminate the hope and anticipation in her eyes.
It had been so long since she felt this kind of excitement in learning magic.
Lia had possessed immense mana since childhood—a precious talent—but because she was protected by her family and tribe, she never had a reason to fight for survival. Consequently, she only knew a few spells, all of which her mother had taught her. Her small village didn't have many grimoires; their methods of recording magic were primitive, with most knowledge passed down orally by the village elders.
Life had been simple and rustic back then, but she had been happy every single day.
Until the day the demons arrived...
Lia's eyes suddenly darkened. In her vision, the golden autumn woods seemed to transform into a sea of fire. The phantom flames scorched her gaze, and a few crystalline tears flickered at the corners of her eyes.
I had more talent than anyone, yet I failed in my responsibility to protect them. In the end, I was the only one who ran away... such a coward...
Abruptly, the mana within her body grew turbulent. Her suspended form lost its balance, swaying precariously in the air.
"Nngh—!"
She snapped back to reality, trying with all her might to regain her earlier state, but she couldn't stabilize. She began to zip through the air like a headless fly.
Seeing her spiraling out of control, Denken realized something was wrong and immediately took flight to intercept her. However, in her panic, Lia veered in the opposite direction, hurtling toward the edge of a nearby cliff.
"Stop using your mana! Calm down!" Denken yelled. Although Lia's altitude was dropping, there was still a significant gap between them. If he couldn't reach her in time, she would fall straight off the precipice.
"Mmm—!!!"
Lia couldn't hear him clearly. She kept struggling to right herself, her lips pressed tight in fear, but her attempts only made things worse. As the cliff edge loomed, panic completely severed her connection to her mana. After a brief moment of weightless hovering, she plummeted toward the ground.
Whoosh!
A dark shadow blurred past. Just as Lia was about to hit the earth, a pair of arms caught her mid-air and landed steadily on the grass.
Lia's fingers were still clenched tight, her heart pounding from the near-death experience. But as she felt a familiar scent, she slowly opened her eyes to find Garlan looking down at her with a look of helpless resignation.
Inexplicably, something stirred deep within her. It felt just like that time—not when he brought her home from Locke's, but the very first time their eyes had truly met.
"You really are a handful, aren't you?" Garlan said, slowly setting her down.
Behind them, Denken landed and ran over, looking frantic. "It's my fault... I shouldn't have been teaching her Flight Magic in a place like this. I wasn't careful enough."
Looking at Denken, who was taking all the blame, Garlan didn't know what to say. "Forget it. At least nothing happened."
He stood up, rubbing a shoulder that had accidentally collided with Lia's "charred stick" wand during the catch. "Man, if only I were a mage. I really want to fly, too..."
"Pfft—!"
Hearing him say that, Lia, who had been trembling seconds ago, burst into laughter. Garlan stared at her. Is she incredibly resilient, or just... scatterbrained? She nearly died just now.
"What's so funny? Flying is every man's dream! It's called romance, okay?" Garlan struck a pose of mock indignation. When he was a kid, he'd genuinely dreamed of soaring through the clouds like a superhero, keeping company with the birds and the stars.
"That truly is a pity," Denken remarked from behind, a look of mock mourning on his face. "Magic is a world of imagination. Who knows? You might have actually made a decent mage."
___
There's a few advance chapters on my P@treon
Usually upload 2 Chapters a day in there, except Saturday and Sunday
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