The world was pitch black. Nothing was visible.
My entire body felt sluggish.
Comfortable yet powerless.
There was no sensation in my arms or legs, as if they had never existed.
It felt like I was floating somewhere, weightless.
My thoughts were hazy, and clarity eluded me.
Suddenly, memories of my childhood surfaced.
When I was a child, I once learned to swim.
My parents had heard it was good to know and decided I should take lessons.
Do you know what the first thing is when learning to swim?
Diving—going underwater.
When you submerge yourself and close your eyes, a peculiar feeling washes over you.
Your body floats, the surrounding sounds grow distant, and you see nothing but pitch blackness.
It’s an odd sensation, as if you’re being drawn somewhere, combined with the sudden realization that you are utterly alone in the world.
That feeling used to make me think I had entered another realm.
And now, I was experiencing that same sensation.
It felt as though my entire body had sunk underwater—mind, body, and everything else.
—Sis!
A sound echoed faintly in my ears. It was as if a voice was calling from a great distance, tickling the edge of my hearing.
—Sister!
The darkness around me began to brighten little by little. The faint voice grew louder.
At first, it sounded like a distant hum, but gradually, it drew closer and clearer.
—Sister Hella !
Finally, it became a loud, distinct call.
“Uh… huh?”
The noisy sound jolted me awake.
The moment I opened my eyes, the first thing to greet me was blinding sunlight.
I shielded my face with a hand, squinting against the brightness.
My thoughts were sluggish, as if I had just woken from a deep sleep. A slight dizziness lingered.
The chirping of birds reached my ears.
Other than that, the world was silent, an air of stillness enveloping the surroundings.
Groggily, I sat up. My body felt heavy, causing me to sway forward slightly. I rubbed at my drowsy eyes, trying to make sense of my state.
The first thing I noticed was a pristine white blanket covering my lower body.
Beneath me, the surface felt soft and cushioned. Was I lying on a bed?
My gaze shifted toward the light streaming in. It came from a window in front of the bed.
I focused on the window.
Beyond it, the scenery was lush and green—trees filled the view outside, their leaves rustling faintly.
The occasional chirping of birds explained the sound I was hearing.
With my surroundings somewhat clear, a single question filled my mind.
Where on earth am I?
At that moment, as if in response to my unspoken question, someone spoke.
“Get up already! How long are you going to sleep?”
I turned toward the voice.
Standing there was a young girl, perhaps around nine years old.
She had jet-black hair and eyes that sparkled like red gemstones.
The girl was shaking me while urging me to wake up.
Still half-asleep, and confused by the situation, I asked in a puzzled voice.
“Wh… who are you?”
“What do you mean, ‘who am I?’ Are you joking? Because it’s not funny!”
The girl puffed out her cheeks, pouting as she glared at me. Had I said something wrong?
Ignoring her reaction, I pressed a hand to my temple, trying to gather my thoughts.
As I sat there, clarity slowly returned, and memories resurfaced—where I was, who this child was, and who I was.
I whispered her name aloud, the one that had just come to me.
“Reina…?”
That’s right, her name was Reina. Reina Noblesse. My master’s beloved daughter.
Why had I forgotten her? I’d spent nearly eight years with her.
“That’s right! How could you forget my name? We’re together all day, every day!”
Reina puffed her cheeks again, her voice filled with playful indignation.
“Sorry,” I said with an apologetic smile, raising my upper body.
“Come on, get up! You overslept again. You were so confident yesterday, saying you’d live a more organized life. I knew this would happen the moment you asked me to wake you up.”
Did I really say that? Oh, right. I vaguely remembered asking her to wake me up yesterday after dinner, saying I’d start living more responsibly.
How embarrassing.
“Come on, hurry up, okay?”
Reina said as she opened the door and left, leaving me scratching my head in awkwardness.
I stared blankly at the closed door for a moment before getting up.
I changed from my pajamas into casual clothes and quickly tidied my messy hair.
Then, I headed to the living room.
As I entered, I saw Reina in someone’s arms.
“Mom! Mom! Do you know what Sister Hella said to me earlier? She asked, ‘Who are you?'”
“That’s an interesting story. Hella must’ve still been half-asleep,” said the woman, smiling as she stroked Reina’s hair.
The woman was beautiful. Like Reina, she had jet-black hair and crimson eyes. Their faces were strikingly similar.
It was easy to imagine that Reina would look just like her mother when she grew up.
The woman noticed me and smiled warmly.
“Awake?”
“Yes,” I replied with a nod.
Her name was Ruina Noblesse, my master.
She was the one who had saved me from danger and taken me in. A person I deeply respected and cherished.
“Then, could you make us some breakfast? I’m starving…”
With a languid voice, she slumped onto the table.
In my opinion, my master was perfect in every way. She was beautiful, intelligent, and incredibly strong.
But there was one thing she absolutely couldn’t do.
“If I cook, you know what’ll happen…”
That one thing was cooking. She was utterly terrible at it. So bad, in fact, that even making something as simple as soup turned into a disaster.
As always, the task of cooking fell to me.
“Just a moment, please.”
“Thank you.”
Leaving my master sprawled on the table, I headed to the kitchen.
After tying an apron around my waist, I heard the sound of small footsteps behind me. Reina had followed me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“I want to help!”
“Can you wash these, then? I’ll prepare the rest,” I said, handing her a bowl of vegetables.
“Okay!”
Reina nodded energetically and dashed off to her mother, holding out the bowl.
“Mom, fill this with water!”
Ruina smiled gently and pointed a finger at the bowl.
“[Water].”
A drop of water formed above the bowl, growing larger and larger until it burst, filling the bowl.
“Thank you!”
Reina cheerfully returned, carrying the water-filled bowl and started washing the vegetables.
Meanwhile, I began preparing breakfast.
Today’s dish was stew—simple, hearty, and perfect for a morning meal.
I picked up a large pot and approached Ruina, mimicking Reina’s earlier request.
“Could you help me too, please?”
Just like before, water filled the pot.
“Thank you,” I said, returning to the kitchen to start cooking.
Chopping ingredients, lighting the stove with magic tools, and stirring.
“Here you go!”
“Thank you.”
With Reina’s help, everything came together quickly.
Before long, the stew was ready.
“Breakfast is served.”
I placed the bowl of stew in front of her and said, “Breakfast is ready.”
Then, I set my own bowl and Reina’s on the table, and we began our meal.
“It’s strange. Why doesn’t it taste like this when I make it?”
Master rested her chin on her hand, staring at her bowl with a deeply contemplative expression.
“That’s because you’re terrible at cooking,” Reina quipped.
“I have no problem making potions, so I don’t understand why this happens,” Master said, glaring at the stew as though it were a puzzling riddle.
She began mumbling to herself, seemingly lost in deep thought.
It was almost like watching a scholar engrossed in groundbreaking research—if not for Reina’s exasperated gaze, which clearly conveyed her judgment of the situation.
As I glanced at Reina, something about her struck me as odd.
“Reina, you seem taller than before,” I remarked.
“Huh? Really? I don’t think so,” she replied, tilting her head.
“No way, for an eight-year-old, you’re really tall.”
“E-eight? What are you talking about? I’m eleven!”
Reina gave me a baffled look as though I’d lost my mind.
Oh, right.
Why did I think she was eight? I was sure that was her age…
“Mom! Look! I told you something’s wrong with her!” Reina cried, pointing at me dramatically.
Master gently patted her head and began to speak.
“It’s fine, my dear. This isn’t wrong—it’s perfectly natural. There comes a season in everyone’s life when they search for themselves.
During that time, they might say nonsensical things or make profound-sounding statements, like Hella is doing now.
It’s all part of the journey to find oneself.”
Master smiled warmly at me, her gaze soft as if she were looking at a particularly endearing child.
“So, it’s like that?” Reina asked.
“Exactly. One day, you’ll experience it too.”
“I’ll never do something like that!”
“Oh, really?”
“Never!”
“Well, we’ll see about that. I’m looking forward to it,” Master said with a teasing chuckle.
Watching their strange misunderstanding unfold, I sighed and stood up from the table.
“I’ll clean up,” I offered.
“Thank you, our little teenager Hella,” Master said with a playful grin.
“I’m not a teenager,” I replied curtly, though the amused look on her face didn’t fade.
Who’s she calling a teenager? That phase of my life ended ages ago.
“Well, now that we’ve eaten, it’s time for today’s magic lesson. Come on, both of you, take your seats,” Master clapped her hands, gathering us.
“I don’t want to,” Reina grumbled.
“That’s not acceptable,” Master said sternly, placing her hands on her hips.
“The things you’re learning now are priceless. Many people would love to learn them but can’t.
And everyone should have at least one way to protect themselves. The world is a dangerous place!”
With Master’s firm insistence, Reina reluctantly plopped into her seat. I followed and took my place beside her.
Today’s lesson was about magic. As a witch, Master was incredibly skilled in magic, and she taught us without fail every day.
Her lessons weren’t easy. Magic, as an academic pursuit, required understanding complex concepts that weren’t always simple to grasp.
Still, I enjoyed these lessons.
No matter how difficult or tiring, learning magic was worth it. For someone like me, who had nothing, opportunities like this were rare. Without them, magic would’ve remained a distant dream.
Besides, knowing magic could only be an advantage in this world.
Reina, however, didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm.
“Let’s start with a review. What is magic?” Master asked, her smile unusually bright today.
“It’s the power to create phenomena by expending mana,” I answered.
“Good. And the methods?”
“Using magical formulas, incantations, or rune characters.”
“Excellent! Now, let’s talk about the realms of magic today,” Master said, nodding in approval.
She gestured, and a piece of paper floated from somewhere and landed on the table. Spreading it out, she began her explanation.
“In conventional magic, we often use the term ‘circles’ to define realms.
A circle measures how much magic one’s body can handle, determining the spells they can cast.
Magicians who use incantations divide their levels by circles and constantly train to increase their circle level.”
As she spoke, diagrams and symbols began to appear on the paper—depictions of the human body and various magical formulas.
Curious, I leaned closer to examine the drawings, but then—
“However, we’re different.”
A large X appeared over the diagrams, obscuring them.
I glanced at Master, annoyed, but she ignored my reaction and continued speaking.
As she explained, new diagrams and symbols began to emerge on the paper. This time, instead of formulas, the drawings depicted rune characters.
“For rune magicians like us, we don’t measure our realms in circles.
We don’t use incantations but rely solely on words.
Our activation words are composed of singular terms, unlike incantations that summon completed spells.
Instead, we call upon the essence of magic—like elements—and shape them using our imagination.”
“Imagination?” I asked.
“Yes, imagination.
Because our method relies on imagination, it might seem weaker than summoning complete spells.
After all, imagination varies greatly between individuals and is inherently abstract.
But it has its advantages—our activation words are shorter, making our magic faster and more intuitive.”
Thinking back, I realized Master always used single words to cast spells. Now I understood why.
“But that doesn’t mean we lack realms. Rune magicians also have levels of mastery.
While we usually use single words, some chosen individuals can create sentences imbued with magical energy.
Our levels are divided into two: those who can form sentences and those who cannot.”
“Can you create sentences, Master?”
“Unfortunately, no,” she said with a rueful smile.
I was surprised. Someone as perfect as Master hadn’t reached that level?
“But why does creating sentences matter?” I asked.
“According to records, those who can create sentences… can change the world.”
“Change the world? What does that mean?”
Master shook her head.
“I don’t know. I haven’t reached that level.
So if you ever achieve it, let me know what it means to change the world.”
“I… will,” I replied, though I couldn’t grasp the concept.
“If Sis ’s doing it, then so am I!” Reina suddenly exclaimed, raising her hand enthusiastically.
“My daughter can absolutely do it. After all, she’s my daughter,” Master said, smiling proudly at Reina, who beamed under her mother’s praise.
“Changing the world… I can’t even begin to imagine what that entails,” I murmured.
“It might not be a good thing,” Master said. “Our ancestors left warnings, saying the price of changing the world is steep.”
She gestured, and the paper returned to its original place.
“Now, that’s the end of today’s theory lesson! Let’s move on to practice!” Master announced, clapping her hands.
“Ugh… I don’t want to…” Reina whined, her voice filled with adorable protest.
Ignoring her, I began preparing for the magic practice.