"I think I’m ready," Daniel eventually said. His knees had gone numb against the dewy grass.
Felicia's arms tightened a bit more around him before she let go.
"I don't think they blamed you..." Her voice was soft, like she was trying to handle something fragile. "They missed you, of...
2025-12-21 21:53:06 +0000 UTC View PostAfter the meeting, Daniel returned to Quill's office, finding him and the two sisters sitting quietly as the secret passage opened behind the bookshelf.
All three were staring at him—or in Felicia's case, tracking him with her mana perception.
Quill had a strange expression, like he...
2025-12-21 21:51:45 +0000 UTC View PostThe threats Daniel knew of were all potentially world-ending, but some were far less urgent than others.
Best to start with the least urgent, I guess.
“The world serpent.”
Zoltran's eyes narrowed. "That's... an old legend. One of the creation myths from before even ...
2025-12-21 21:49:55 +0000 UTC View PostQuill took a deep breath before knocking on the door. Three knocks, sharp against the old wood. The sound echoed in the narrow passage, seeming to carry far more weight than simple knuckles on wood should.
This is it.
Daniel’s heart hammered against his ribs. The possibilit...
2025-12-21 21:48:59 +0000 UTC View PostFelicia turned to face her sister standing in the doorway, more than a little surprised.
She knew her oldest sister was studying here at the academy, but it had nearly slipped her mind completely. Between learning magic sight, escaping her brothers, and traveling to Novanny with Danie...
2025-12-21 21:48:08 +0000 UTC View PostMaster Quill was a proud man. But right this moment, pride was the furthest thing from his mind as he scrambled around his office, knocking over a stack of ungraded essays and nearly upending his inkwell in the process.
Golden visiting notice?! I've never even seen red before!
<... 2025-12-21 21:47:08 +0000 UTC View PostThe view that greeted Daniel the next morning was astonishing. As soon as he opened the curtains to let the sun in, he saw the great city of magic in the distance.
Novanny.
It was where most of his story had taken place. The home base of Artorias ever since he started the specia...
2025-12-21 21:46:15 +0000 UTC View Post"Okay, where were we?" Daniel asked, settling back into his chair in the cabin. Dealing with the pirates had been a fun break, but he forced himself to focus on what mattered.
"You asked me what I thought of when I hear Alderic magic," Felicia replied from the couch. Her posture was more re...
2025-12-21 21:45:00 +0000 UTC View PostCaptain Rask had pulled this job a dozen times before by now. The plan was simple: breach the barrier, sweep the deck, secure the crew, collect the indexes, split the gains with the corrupt captain, and disappear before anyone important noticed. Clean, simple, and profitable.
Another mi...
2025-12-21 21:43:54 +0000 UTC View PostThe view was truly extraordinary. The shouter hadn’t lied about that.
As the City of Artorias shrank ever smaller and the mountains around it turned to lesser hills, the land stretched out before him in every direction. It was as much as Daniel had ever seen of the world he once cre...
2025-12-21 21:42:26 +0000 UTC View PostMaster Quill was a proud man, having worked his way up from a simple student without any notable support, to the man he was today—head teacher of the Magic Academy of Novanny.
A teacher at twenty-two, a professor at thirty, and an archmage at forty-three. Few had managed to reach the posi...
2025-12-21 21:40:24 +0000 UTC View PostFelicia was right—the hospital bed was big enough for two. But despite that, Daniel had hardly any space at all to sleep on. Ske kept moving over to his side in her sleep, leaning her back right against his.
He would have fallen off if he hadn’t created a golden barrier to lean against....
2025-12-21 21:39:28 +0000 UTC View PostA full medical team joined Daniel on the way back from the hospital to the hotel. They brought all the equipment they might need once they heard the situation, and were surprisingly efficient. Primarily due to being told the patient was the head maid of the Harrowblooms, Daniel figured.
Bac...
2025-12-21 21:37:47 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel could barely remember being so full of rage before.
Kidnapping her was one thing, and he had accepted Felicia wanting the men to die. He didn't care about hearing them out, letting the void flame do what it was best at. They didn’t suffer.
But he had felt a slight hesit...
2025-12-21 21:35:57 +0000 UTC View PostThe scene stayed frozen for what felt like an eternity, but it probably lasted only a few seconds. Then the pressure vanished, instead turning into a dense haze of wind, creating a stiff breeze in the warehouse.
He turned it all into gas? All of that mana?
Norton fell to the ...
2025-12-21 21:35:06 +0000 UTC View PostFelicia was having a nightmare. Rope cut into her wrists and legs, rough hemp that scraped raw against her skin with every slight movement. She could feel the circulation in her feet starting to tingle uncomfortably. And her mouth... gods, the gag tasted of old cloth and something metallic that m...
2025-12-21 21:34:17 +0000 UTC View PostFranz looked far more tired than he had the day before, like he hadn’t slept a wink. Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and his usual crisp posture had disappeared entirely.
But the moment Franz's gaze found Daniel across the cathedral, every trace of exhaustion vanished. His spine strai...
2025-12-21 21:32:58 +0000 UTC View PostThe grand cathedral was even more impressive up close than it had been on the way down from the mountain. Easily taller than any holy building Daniel had seen on earth.
The design was almost alien. Clean, geometric curves stretching upward into the sky, with minimal ornamentation, and an al...
2025-12-21 21:31:50 +0000 UTC View PostDaniel sat there, holding Felicia in his arms, conflicted.
Her sobs had quieted to occasional hiccups against his shoulder, but her grip on his shirt remained fierce, as if she was afraid he might disappear if she let go. He could feel the dampness seeping through the fabric where her face ...
2025-12-21 21:30:53 +0000 UTC View Post"Ready for your first lesson?"
Felicia nodded excitedly, sitting across from Daniel in a couch salon in his hotel room. Despite his instructions, she had put on a beautiful green dress.
I don’t mind if my green dresses get ruined. They were just used for grandmother’s sake. 2025-12-21 21:29:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Franz sat at his desk, elbows pressed against the surface and fingers digging into his hairline. The ledgers and correspondence that normally kept his attention lay forgotten, scattered across the desk.
It's too unbelievable.
The phrase had been cycling through his mind for h...
2025-12-21 21:28:14 +0000 UTC View PostThe newly formed duo stood side by side in the elevator, on their way down to the offices. That was apparently where Franz stayed, even this late at night.
Daniel glanced sideways at his new apprentice, noting the way she held herself—shoulders rigid, hands clasped tightly in front of her...
2025-12-21 21:26:55 +0000 UTC View PostFelicia’s hands trembled as she fumbled through her wardrobe. Everything felt the same in the darkness. She barely knew where anything was, couldn't distinguish between her formal gowns and everyday dresses by touch alone.
And worst of all, she was stressed out of her mind about Daniel’...
2025-12-21 21:25:48 +0000 UTC View PostLyzelle sat in her usual chair by the fireplace, staring at the flame listlessly. It spoke to her sometimes, that spirit in the fire, but recently the sound had become muted and dull.
She sighed, feeling the years take their toll once more.
“What do you think, Thomas?”
This girl… Does she greet everyone with questions like these?
“Yes, it’s just me. I’m sorry about coming in here uninvited, but I didn’t think I’d get in the normal way. And I’ll be leaving—”
Before he could finish, Felicia collapsed right next to him on the...
2025-12-21 21:23:49 +0000 UTC View PostFelicia pushed the button at the very top of the panel, taking another breath as the doors closed behind her. She had put on a beautiful green dress, knowing it was her grandmother’s favorite color.
Many months had passed since she last took the trip to the top floors. But now that only h...
2025-12-21 21:23:07 +0000 UTC View PostAfter walking only a few blocks, Daniel found a fancy hotel and spent the night there. The price seemed almost unreasonably cheap, at only a hundred slivers a night. Especially considering the luxurious room he eventually found himself in.
Magical formations were subtly integrated into ever...
2025-12-21 21:15:39 +0000 UTC View Post“No, no, you have to make the runes far more detailed,” Rowan corrected, not quite as pleasantly as he should have.
But this was the fifteenth time his stupid apprentice had made this error. How did he still not understand it?
“Then tell me what you mean by detailed!” his stup...
2025-12-21 21:14:36 +0000 UTC View PostOnce he was certain the man was out of sight, Franz deflated, leaning forward with his arms against his legs. His back was drenched with sweat.
An archmage! He had to be.
Without question, that young man was an archmage, or at least a powerful grandmage. And not a simple one,...
2025-12-21 21:13:31 +0000 UTC View PostOnce she realized Daniel was telling the truth, Felicia’s expression crumbled into one of extreme internal debate. Her entire body leaned to the side, entirely unlike the noble young lady she was.
“Aaaah, you really can see it…”
For just a moment, her lashes parted—enough fo...
2025-12-21 21:12:12 +0000 UTC View Post