Shion jolted upright from his bed, gasping for breath, sweat soaking his chilled body. It took him a moment to calm his racing heart and realize that he was in his room, safe… or so it seemed. His voice trembled as he muttered through clenched teeth:
"That lunatic… was he trying to kill himself?! This technique is nothing but suicide!"
Visions poured into his mind without pause—memories of Shi Yun Lan while inside his body. His emotions, his struggles, his torment. Three long years in a pitch-black cave, a year forging the "Aura of Death," the moment he cut down the two men who had kidnapped Bi Ri… everything crashed down on him like a storm. They weren't just glimpses of the past, but living sensations—death crawling into his flesh, smothering his breath, gripping his heart as if the world itself had erased his existence.
"When I have the chance," he swore silently, "I'll make that idiot answer for everything."
He descended to the dining hall where he found Lindy with his mother, and beside them stood a girl he had never seen before. Her hair was pure white, her eyes crimson, and an ominous aura lingered around her. Yet he paid it little mind and smiled politely:
"Hello, Aunt! Is this your daughter?"
Lindy gave a sheepish smile.
"No, she's my brother's daughter. She's at the same academy, but a year older than you."
Shion bowed slightly.
"An honor to meet you, miss. I am Shion Lan."
The girl's cheeks flushed.
"Nice to meet you… I'm Sol Hart."
They chatted as they ate, but both Lindy and Sol were quietly astonished by his calmness. At last, Sol blurted out nervously:
"Um… sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but… do you feel anything from me?"
Both his mother and Lindy fixed their eyes on him expectantly. Lindy thought silently: Strange… Sol's ominous aura usually overwhelms men, even some women, yet he seems completely unaffected!
Shion met Sol's gaze with steady eyes.
"I only sense that you're a little shy. Forgive me if I've made you uncomfortable. Don't worry—I'll be leaving soon, and you can stay with my mother in peace."
Her face grew hotter. "N-no, that's not what I meant—"
But his mother suddenly interrupted: "Shion! How can you say that? The girl came here for you!"
An awkward silence filled the room. Inside, Shion mused: Her looks may be plain, but her crimson eyes… they're strikingly beautiful. Still, no one could ever rival Bi Ri.
Breaking the silence, he asked:
"Is there something you want me to do?"
Sol straightened herself.
"Yes. Since we're neighbors and you're preparing for your exam, I'd like you to train someone in swordsmanship. I heard you're a swordsman."
"Who is it? A beginner?"
"It's Baro Ferrer. He'll be taking the academy entrance exams. You know commoners must place in the top ten to be accepted, so… I hope you'll help him."
Shion nodded. "Fine. But one question—are you a mage?"
"Yes."
"And your element?"
"In fact… I'm a spirit mage of the Third Circle. I don't have a fixed element."
"Understood. Tell Baro to meet me at the camp…" He gave her the training site address.
Meanwhile, Lindy and his mother whispered to each other:
"They seem compatible, don't they?"
"Perhaps."
Shion then stood.
"Mother, I'll change my clothes. Prepare food for me—I'll be gone for a few days."
His mother called after Sol: "Dear, please help me with the cooking."
Lindy added quickly: "Don't worry, Sol will help with anything you need."
The girl nodded, realizing the women wanted her presence, and went with them.
Meanwhile, Shion's mind raged as he spoke inwardly to Shi Yun Lan:
"You idiot! Why didn't you tell me I'd suffer like that?!"
"What are you talking about?" Yun Lan replied, bewildered.
"Don't play dumb! I plunged into your memories—felt death itself crushing me! Was that your plan? To kill me that way?!"
Shi Yun Lan's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Impossible… the Vein Technique isn't like illusion magic. You were only supposed to see a few key moments, not live through them! Tell me—how much time passed for you?"
Shion's voice cracked: "Thirteen years… from the dark cave until I mastered your technique."
The words left a heavy silence. Then Shi Yun Lan's expression twisted. His gaze turned icy, and the Aura of Death surged from him like a blade. Shion's lungs seized as if strangled. Shi Yun Lan's voice dripped with murderous intent:
"Did you… see Bi Ri?"
"Yes, I saw her."
Before he could react, Shi Yun Lan moved like lightning. In an instant, Shion's head was severed.
…And then he jolted back to reality, gasping for air, sweat beading down his face.
"That bastard…!"
He hurried to change clothes, grabbed his food, and with a quick farewell, departed.
Lindy noticed the traces of anger lingering on Shion's face.
"Did something happen upstairs?" she asked with concern.
His mother replied uncertainly,
"I don't know…"
A little while later, Lindy and Sol left her room. Lindy's gaze lingered on Shion as she said with a smile:
"He seems like a promising young man… what do you think of him?"
Sol's face flushed crimson.
"W-what are you talking about?!"
But Lindy pressed on, unfazed by her embarrassment:
"Didn't your mother put a mark on you so no man could come near? Yet Shion wasn't affected by your ominous aura at all. That means he's allowed to be around you. And despite being a former noble, he's kind, not ill-mannered as people say."
Sol bit her lip, answering sharply:
"But he's the one who once tried to snatch a girl from someone else, nearly causing disaster if not for the princess's intervention…"
Lindy chuckled softly.
"I'll let you decide for yourself! Do you think he's despicable now?"
Sol hesitated, unable to answer. At last, she whispered:
"I don't know… I saw him once before, and he was truly unpleasant. But today… even ignoring how he resisted my cursed aura… he was kind, polite, and even…"
Her words slipped out unconsciously, while Lindy's lips curved into a sly smile, listening intently.
Meanwhile, Shion sat beneath the shade of a tree by the river, weary from training, his gaze drifting over the rippling water. A pensive expression settled on his face as he murmured inwardly:
"Spirit magic… could it be more than just a means of fighting or control? What if it could be used to uncover truths… to verify something hidden?"
He closed his eyes, recalling the fleeting images of spirits he had once seen in Shi Yon Lan's memories, and wondered:
"If spirits carry fragments of emotions and memories, could I summon them to reveal what has been concealed from me? Could spirit magic become a mirror that shows what lies beyond the shadows?"
A strange mix of awe and anticipation stirred within him, as though a new path had opened before his eyes. Yet, he tightened his grip on his sword with hesitation.
"If that is possible… what price must I pay for meddling with the souls of the departed?"
Shion had gone down to the river, intent on trying a new technique. He gripped his sword, but something strange stirred within him.
"Hm? What's this feeling?"
He had planned to practice Water Bomb, yet a deeper intuition told him he could do more than just cast magic. Gathering water into a compressed sphere with his magic circle, his eyes widened in shock:
"I didn't just use magic… I used aura too!"
Shion had never been a swordsman—only a water mage. Canceling the spell, another thought sparked: The Burning Flame was simple, but Flame Fist is no mere trick.
He focused, channeling aura into his fist. With a sharp punch into the air, the spell didn't yet manifest, but he knew with training he could bring it forth.
He tried reaching out to Shi Yun Lan, but no reply came.
What's going on? Are there conditions for contact now, or is he just ignoring me?
Reflecting, he muttered inwardly: Strange… every technique I got from Shi Yun Lan came through dreams. All I lacked were the circles and aura stars. What's more, I understand them exactly as he once did at the start. But aren't I a water mage? How can I wield fire, wind, sword, and aura alike?
He shook his head, setting aside the puzzle. He resumed training, focusing on his body. Closing his eyes, he activated Raindrops, relying on his magic circle in place of aura stars. Soon the air grew damp, and water droplets formed along his sword. With each motion, they flowed with him.
Targeting a tree, he swung down; the trunk split cleanly, droplets leaving behind puncture marks along the cut.
But his body staggered soon after. Magic drained the mind, combat demanded the body, inheritance consumed the soul. Mixing them all was exhausting.
To be sure of his limits, he headed back to the camp.
"Hey, do you have a measuring device?"
"I've got one!" a man called.
The device revealed a user's strength—circles, aura stars, veins, and elemental affinity. Taking it, Shion channeled magic. A single circle appeared, and the blue stone lit—water.
Closing his eyes, he shifted his spells. When he cast again, blue dimmed and red flared—fire. Then yellow—earth. Green—wind. Black—darkness. Only white, light, remained untouched.
He opened his eyes in awe: All that… with just one circle?
Switching to aura, the circle vanished, replaced by a faint dust over the device. The blue stone glowed again, echoing Raindrops. He repeated the process, recasting his techniques in martial form instead of magic—and achieved the same result.
The atmosphere grew unnaturally still. Shion opened his eyes to see a line of people staring at him in silence. Among them stood a boy clutching a sword. Recognizing him, Shion smiled faintly and called out:
"Welcome… Baro."