Mornings in Aurora were nothing like those on Earth.There were no roosters, no alarm clocks.The day awoke with whispers of wind, with a soft hum that brushed the skin like a gentle shiver. Ren rose with his mind blank, but a single word echoing in his head: Flux.
The witch Gilda awaited him in the clearing behind the cabin, standing beside a circle of blue mushrooms glowing with dew. The forest mist swirled around her feet as if it were guarding her.
"Before you dream of throwing fireballs," she said, arms crossed, "you need to understand how magic works here."
Ren sat down, eager to begin his training.
"Flux," Gilda began, "is the essence that gives life and form to everything in Aurora. It isn't just energy—it's intention, memory, emotion, and will. It flows through every stone, creature, and thought. Without Flux, there is no magic. Without magic, this world withers."
Ren frowned.
"Then why do I feel it so... alive?"
"That's the strange part. Flux doesn't usually acknowledge humans. But it responded to you. As if you had been here before."
"Is that good?"
"It's dangerous. And fascinating."
Gilda raised her hand, and tiny glowing motes began to swirl around her like hypnotized fireflies.
"Flux magic manifests through the Five Primary Elements: Water, Fire, Air, Earth, and Aether."
"Aether?" Ren asked.
"It is the magic of the soul, of thoughts, of the invisible. The most unstable, but also the most powerful—if mastered."
Gilda drew a symbol in the air with her finger, and a glowing line remained suspended where it passed.
"There are also secondary branches of magic—Light, Shadow, Ice, Crystal, Poison, and rarer ones. Some are born with natural affinity. Others, like you, must discover theirs."
Ren swallowed hard. His heart beat as if it were answering that magic.
Gilda walked toward a stone table. Upon it lay an old map carved in wood.
"This is the continent of Eldareth, formed by five kingdoms. We are in the Kingdom of Lienn—the land of the eternal forest and floating springs. Here, the Flux is purer than anywhere else."
Ren studied the carvings. Some regions were surrounded by lightning, others drowned in shadow. Dry lands, volcanoes, glowing oceans.
"Do all of these places use magic?"
"Yes. But not all in the same way. In some kingdoms, Flux is worshiped. In others, controlled. And in some… feared. Lienn is one of the few where it's still taught in the old ways."
Ren looked up at the towering trees surrounding them.
A cold wind cut through the conversation. The leaves trembled, as if the forest itself had felt fear. Gilda was not surprised.
"Right on time."
From the sky descended a graceful figure. Her cloak shimmered like living frost, and her silver hair waved like mist. Her feet did not touch the ground—she floated. Her lavender gaze was sharp as a freshly forged blade.
Ren stood up, suddenly feeling ridiculously small.
"This is the human?" she asked without greeting.
"He is Ren," Gilda replied with a crooked smile. "And you're late, Anastasia."
Ren blinked.
"Your niece?"
Anastasia barely looked at him. She examined his clothes, his hands, his eyes.
"Doesn't look dangerous. Or useful."
"Hey!" Ren snapped. "I'm standing right here, you know?"
Anastasia raised an eyebrow
"He's got some spirit. That
Gilda chuckled briefly.
"Anastasia is good at sensing potential. Even if she won't admit it."
"And what magic do you use?" Ren asked.
"Aether and Wind magic," she replied coldly. "But I didn't come to teach."
"Then why?"
"To observe. I want to know why Flux accepted a human. Whether he'
That night, while Ren slept in the attic of the cabin, Gilda and Anastasia spoke quietly by the fire.
"Do you feel it too?" the old woman asked.
"I do. He doesn't just channel the Flux. He alters it. His presence… changes how the forest breathes."
"Should I be worried?"
"Not yet. But you should be ready."
Far away, an ancient root pulsed in the darkness. As if something in the fabric of the world had shifted.
Ren's arrival was no accident.And soon, that world would ask something in return.