I heard birds chirping loudly. The sunlight warmed my face and stirred every cell in my body.
I stretched and cracked my back.
Which, by the way? Felt amazing.
The wind was fresh and soothing. The scent of sand, mixed with the clear blue sky above, made me feel peaceful.
I hated to admit it but…Yeah.I was a morning person.
Then it hit me.
Hunger.
I felt like the Sin of Gluttony himself.
"Damn... to think a mere name scared me this much."
I shook it off and headed toward the kitchen.
Surprisingly, there were no customers.
"Anna, what's going on? Where is everyone?" I asked, glancing at the blue-haired beauty.
She was scribbling something in her notebook but glanced up briefly.
"Today's Sunday. What would you expect?" another voice cut in before she could answer.
"Nara… I'm too tired for your games. Just tell me what's happening."
BANG.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"For disrespecting me, you brat! 'Games'? Tch—what would a slumber-head like you know?""You've been sleeping for three days straight, you idiot!"
She started beating my head like I owed her money.
"Three days?! What the hell—?!"
Well. That explained the hunger.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
"Ow—Nara, I swear to God! I'm gonna kill you—control yourself, you barbaric woman!"
"Barbaric?! Look who's talking, skeleton boy! 'Kill me'?! Please—I'll snap you like a twig!"
And so began our daily morning ritual:Nara throwing hands.Me running like a moron.
What stopped it?
My stomach growling.
Anna gave Nara a quick glance that shut her up immediately.Then she brought me a plate of rice with curry.
Goddamn.It tasted divine.
"What were you doing in the library?" Anna asked. "I've never seen you go there, Roy."
"I wanted to study mana. I even tried to feel it, but I felt a bit—"
"Wavy?" she cut in, her eyes narrowing.
"Yes." I nodded, still munching.
Of course, I was lying.
No way I could tell them I uttered some demon's name, nearly died, and blacked out for three days.
I didn't even know if I had an affinity for magic.From what I'd read, only those with innate affinity could use mana.
Anna and Nara exchanged a look — like they were silently deciding something.
I beat them to it.
"Where's Alice?"
"She's training with the sword at the broken house," Anna replied."Now that I think of it, didn't you want to learn swordsmanship too?"
"Well… yeah," I said. "I want to be stronger. And, also… it's kinda cool."
Anna touched my head and smiled gently.
"First, let's check your mana issue. Did you really feel dizzy?"
"I did," I lied again.
"Hmm… Nara, bring the orb."
Nara left the room. Anna turned to me.
"Look at me, Roy. I'm going to test both your mana and your elemental affinity.""Before that, I'll be flooding your body with mana. Tell me if you feel anything — like air flowing inside, or anything strange."
She placed both hands on my back.
Nothing happened at first.
I waited.Seconds dragged.
Then—
"CLOSE YOUR EYES!" Anna shouted.
I obeyed instantly.
1… 2… 3…
Suddenly, an enormous surge rushed into me.Like a dam burst open right into my soul.
My body rattled.
Like I was facing a storm of pure kinetic energy.
It felt like my insides were being ripped apart.
Needles—Thousands of them—Stabbing every cell in my body.
It hurt.Badly.
But then—The chaos settled.
The energy began to flow. Smooth. Gentle. Organized.Like a river winding through me.
I was drenched in sweat.But it felt… good.
I was floating.Like drifting in warm water.
"Try collecting the energy in your chest," Anna said softly."Remember how it felt.Try to harness it."
I focused.
I directed all that energy — to a single point in my chest.
A small ball of light began forming inside me.
But then—
BOOM.
It exploded.
"ARGHH!" I screamed, coughing up blood.
Blood poured from my eyes, ears, nose, and even my mouth.
It felt like my body was about to explode.
SNAP.
Anna snapped her fingers.
Instant relief.
I gasped for air, eyes wide.
"What… was that?" I croaked, completely breathless.
Anna smiled.
"That… was mana."