In Misaki City, the June sky was fickle.
One moment, it was a clear, transparent blue, as if dissolved in ink. The next, a veil of black was drawn, and a light rain began to fall with a soft patter.
The hazy lines of rain beat a rapid rhythm against the windowpanes. Inside the magus's workshop nestled in the mountains, the crisp, pleasant gurgle of boiling water could be heard.
"Rin, try opening your eyes. Can you see anything now?"
In a room cluttered with bottles, jars, and various experimental instruments, a young woman was gently placing a pair of black-framed glasses on the boy opposite her.
She wore a black sailor uniform, her long, slender legs wrapped in black thigh-high stockings beneath a pleated skirt. Her long black hair fell softly to her well-developed chest, revealing a clear forehead.
Opposite her, a black-haired boy slowly opened his eyes, revealing unfocused pupils.
His vision, which had previously been nothing but darkness, unexpectedly caught the faint outlines of things, causing the boy to freeze for a moment in surprise.
"I think... I can see a little now, Touko-nee..."
Blinking, Aozaki Rin came back to his senses, his delicate, youthful face filled with a bewildered joy.
"That's good. It seems my approach was correct. With a bit more time, I should be able to refine these glasses further."
Aozaki Touko let out a sigh of relief, a smile on her face. She took off the glasses she only wore when conducting magical research, picked up a freshly boiled kettle of water, and poured herself a cup of coffee, taking a small sip.
The rich aroma and bitterness spread through her mouth, instantly waking her up.
"This is already more than enough..."
Aozaki Rin held the arms of the glasses with both hands, looking around with the same novelty and caution as a child on a field trip.
In truth, at eleven years old, he was still just a child. It was only because of his blindness from birth that he appeared somewhat more mature in his dealings with others, making it easy for people to forget his actual age.
"Thank you, Touko-nee."
Although he couldn't see the world outside completely, nor could he perceive any extra colors—only able to judge that a table was a table and a person was a person through blurry white lines—for Aozaki Rin, this was already the second most precious gift he had ever received.
The most precious, of course, was the fact that the Aozaki family had adopted him eleven years ago.
"It's nothing. I am a magus, after all. If I can't even manage something like this, how could I ever hope to inherit True Magic?"
Patting the boy's head, Aozaki Touko chuckled softly. Seeing the lovely, innocent smile on his face, she felt that the fatigue from staying up all night for the past few days was all worth it.
Moreover, the success of her experiment proved her original hypothesis was correct.
The boy's blindness was not caused by a physiological defect, nor was it a self-imposed psychological block.
Rather, it was a curse from directly gazing upon some existence of high spirituality.
—Just as the saying goes, one must not gaze directly upon God.
When faced with an existence beyond their comprehension, most living beings lose their visual information because the brain and soul, as an act of self-preservation, sever the connection to the eyes to prevent information overload.
That brought up a question.
Aozaki Touko didn't know what the boy had seen as an infant to cause him to be deprived of light ever since.
Presumably, only their grandfather, who had found the boy back then and now resided deep in the mountains, knew the answer to that question.
Pushing her thoughts aside, Aozaki Touko began to tidy up the scattered magical tools on her desk, keen to maintain her dignity as an older sister. It was then that she noticed something "unusual" about the boy, who was sitting obediently in his chair and still looking around.
"By the way, what happened to your hands, Rin?"
Taking the boy's small hand, Aozaki Touko frowned.
The boy's hands were fair, with the unique soft touch and warmth of a child. Even in the peak of summer this June, they didn't feel uncomfortably hot, but rather radiated a gentle warmth.
But now, for some reason, his middle and index fingers were covered in several band-aids.
"It's nothing, I just pricked myself by accident while I was knitting."
"Knitting?"
Aozaki Touko blinked, puzzled, her eyes instinctively glancing at the red backpack the boy had brought with him.
"Mhm. It's because next month is Aoko-nee's birthday. I want to make a pair of gloves for her so she can use them in the winter."
Aozaki Rin nodded. As the initial excitement of "regaining his sight" slowly faded, his demeanor became calm once more. With a smile, his young voice conveyed a surprisingly thoughtful sentiment.
"I see, for Aoko's birthday? You're right, it is coming up soon..."
Thinking of her boisterous younger sister who always loved to cling to the boy, Aozaki Touko understood immediately. Although she didn't much care for things like birthdays, she couldn't help but feel a faint pang of envy.
"But you really don't have to work so hard. That girl would probably be happy enough if you just sang the birthday song with her. Besides, you've already prepared a gift for Aoko, but nothing for me, Rin?"
The corner of her lips curled up. Gently pinching the boy's soft, chubby cheek, Aozaki Touko felt the urge to tease him and asked with a smile.
To her surprise, the boy seemed to take her seriously and asked with a straight face.
"Is there something you want, Touko-nee?"
"I don't particularly want anything... and my birthday is still a long way off, so you can take your time thinking about it. But I have only one request: it can't be any worse than Aoko's gift, okay?"
A relaxed smile, one she would never show in front of others, appeared on Aozaki Touko's face as she spoke softly.
"Mm... I'll do my best."
His brow furrowed slightly, a troubled look on his face as he seemed to ponder the matter deeply. He was well aware that his two older sisters didn't quite get along, and for a moment, he had no idea what kind of gift to prepare.
"Alright, no need to be in such a rush. For now, just continue getting used to the glasses. Let me know if you feel any discomfort."
"Okay."
Nodding, Aozaki Rin stood up and picked up his small backpack from the floor. He didn't grope his way forward cautiously as he usually did. Instead, relying on the outlines of objects in his "vision," he accurately identified his direction, avoided obstacles, and smoothly walked over to a small sofa in the room to sit down.
Only after the boy had safely settled in another corner of the room did Aozaki Touko return her attention to the magical research before her.
Although the patter of rain made it a good day for lazing about, Aozaki Rin didn't waste any time. He soon took the half-finished gloves from his backpack and began to slowly complete their shape.
In the past, unable to see anything, Rin had to rely entirely on feel and familiarity. Now, with the help of this Mystic Code in the shape of glasses, his efficiency improved dramatically.
—At this rate, I should be able to finish in time.
As he imagined the smile on a certain girl's face upon receiving his gift, the boy, despite never having seen his sister's appearance, couldn't help but smile himself.
The rain pattered on, and a gentle breeze blew.
Perhaps because the temperature today was so comfortable, for Aozaki Rin, who had always relied on sound to perceive the world, everything around him seemed to be playing a slow, hypnotic lullaby.
After more than half an hour of knitting, an irresistible wave of drowsiness finally washed over the boy's mind, causing his eyelids to flutter and his body to sway slightly.
"Sorry, Touko-nee, I'm just going to sleep for a bit..."
Muttering drowsily, the boy curled up on the sofa, earning a helpless sigh from Aozaki Touko.
The young woman tiptoed over, gently placed a blanket over the boy, and then sat back down without a sound.
The rain whispered softly; everything was exceptionally quiet.
Aozaki Rin didn't dislike sleeping, nor did he dislike dreaming.
It was just that sometimes, he would dream of strange and wondrous things, like "Eternal Destruction," the "Golden Beast," or the "Endless Crimson Lotus."
Just like right now...
[Dream Simulator loading complete...]
What is this?
No one answered his question, because in the next second, the boy's consciousness sank into the depths, his mind echoing with what seemed like an illusory, magnetic, and majestic voice.
[Welcome to the world of possibilities, my beloved child of the goddess.]
...
[Time: 5th Century AD.]
[Age 0: You were born. Born with congenital blindness, you were abandoned by your parents on the roadside. Fortunately, an elderly knight happened to pass by. Drawn by your cries, he decided to take you home and adopt you.]
[Age 1: You grew up, stumbling along the way. Your precocious mind learned that your adoptive father's name is Ector, and that you have two older adoptive brothers, one named Kay, and the other Artorius.]
[Age 2: Aside from the inconvenience of your eyes, your body is exceptionally healthy. Your foster father wishes for you to live a peaceful life as a self-sufficient farmer, but you, at a young age, have developed a peculiar interest in swords.]
[You often sneakily touch the swords stored in the house when your father is away. Your older brother Kay discovers this but doesn't stop you, even occasionally teasing you with the hilt of his sword to make you happy.]
[Age 3: Your foster father discovers you've been secretly handling the swords.]
[Your older brother Kay gets a beating from your foster father.]
[Age 4: Now mostly capable of taking care of yourself, you begin to help your older brother Artorius look after the family stables.]
[You get along very well with your foster father's beloved horse, Aethel.]
[During this time, you notice that your brother Artorius's appetite seems somewhat startling. Often, he has already stuffed all his food into his stomach by the time you've just begun to enjoy your lunch.]
[Although your brother Artorius insists he just eats quickly, your heightened sensitivity to sound allows you to hear him occasionally swallowing saliva, as if his portion of food is not nearly enough to fill his stomach.]
[You share your food with Artorius, using the excuse that your own appetite is small. After a moment's hesitation, your brother accepts your kindness.]
[Age 5: Your foster father discovers you've been giving half your food to Artorius every day.]
[Your older brother Artorius gets a beating from your foster father.]
[Age 6: Your interest in swords has not waned. Upon realizing this, your foster father reluctantly gives up on the idea of you becoming a farmer and begins to teach you swordsmanship.]
[However, your talent in swordsmanship astonishes your father. Though unable to see, you can perceive your surroundings through the source of sounds and vibrations in the air, reacting in an instant.]
[You have awakened the talent 'Instinct (A)': In the heat of battle, you can instantly determine the most suitable course of action for yourself. The lack of sight is no longer a significant hindrance.]
[You have awakened the talent 'Clear Mirror, Still Water (A+)': A state of mentality that should only be reachable at the peak of training. However, having been born blind, you have always maintained a clear and tranquil heart, making you immune to any form of mental interference.]
[And so, from this day on, you become your foster father Ector's knight apprentice, practicing swordsmanship alongside your two older brothers.]
[However, you can't shake the feeling that as time goes on, your brother Artorius's voice seems to be growing more and more androgynous.]
[Furthermore, you occasionally hear the voice of a carefree, flirtatious older brother in your sleep.]
[Age 7: You defeat your older brothers Artorius and Kay in a sword practice match.]
[Age 8: Your foster father discovers that your older brother Kay has been teaching you and Artorius how to swear.]
[Your older brother Kay gets a beating from your foster father.]
[Age 9: You defeat your foster father Ector in a sword practice match.]
[But although your talent for the sword is rare, you are not like your brother Kay, who seeks out duels everywhere to build his fame. You simply treat the sword in your hand as a hobby, honing it day after day.]
[...]
[Tonight, as usual, you intended to go and tidy the stables after dinner.]
[But when you arrived, you found someone had already beaten you to it. At first, you thought it was a thief who had broken in, so you silently picked up a pitchfork and crept closer.]
[Unexpectedly, you heard the sound of splashing water from the other side, followed by the rustle of someone hastily getting dressed.]
[—And a girl's startled cry.]