The moment I regained consciousness, the first thing I saw was Mother and Aria. Both of them were slumped over the edge of my bed, asleep, their faces pale with exhaustion.
So it wasn't a dream. That strange space, that voice… it all really happened.
I blinked, my throat dry. Just as I tried to move, the door creaked open. Mella stepped in with a tray of food, her eyes immediately meeting mine.
The tray slipped from her hands.
Shatter!
The sound jolted through the room. Mother stirred, Aria's head shot up, and within moments both of them were awake—only to lunge forward and wrap me in their arms.
Aria buried her face in my shoulder, trembling, while Mother's embrace was firm but shaking. Their relief pressed against me more than their weight.
I froze for a moment, then slowly let out a breath. …So they were this worried, huh?
I wonder how much time has passed and how come they're looking like this.
[ Currently: the evening of the next day ]
[ Selena Bloodcrest and Aria Bloodcrest remained by your side without rest ]
[ Selena Bloodcrest continuously cast healing spells through the night ]
[ Both are severely exhausted from stress, lack of sleep, and mana depletion ]
I stared at the floating words, my chest tightening. So it wasn't just a dream after all. That voice is still here…
A faint smile tugged at my lips. "…I'm alright."
Mother's breath caught. Her golden eyes brimmed as she whispered, "Kaito… I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you so far on your very first day. Rest as much as you need. No training for a week. And after that, I'll shorten your sessions."
Despite my drained body, I forced a small grin. "It's fine, Mom. I promise I won't collapse again. Don't worry. And… if you shorten my training, how will I ever reach your level? I don't want to be a burden forever, you see."
Her hands trembled against mine.
Before she could answer, Aria's voice cracked through tears. "K…Kaito, don't you ever make me worry like that again. If something happens to you…" Her words faltered, her grip on me tightening. "…then I'll punish you myself."
I chuckled weakly. "Yeah, yeah. I promise it'll be alright from now on. Just you wait until I surpass you."
Aria pulled back, wiping her swollen eyes with the back of her hand. "As if. A kid who faints for an entire day won't be able to surpass me." She sniffled, then smirked faintly. "By the time you crawl up to my level, I'll already be on another mountain."
She paused, her eyes gleaming with a pride she couldn't contain. "I was planning to surprise you… but since you made me spill it. Yesterday, I reached Birth Ember."
My eyes widened. "…What?"
Her smirk sharpened. "That's right. I can cover my whole body in mana now. I could crush a tree barehanded if I wanted."
I gaped at her, my chest sinking. "…No way. Isn't that the earliest anyone has ever reached Birth Ember? I thought I was finally catching up, but… the gap just got even bigger."
Mother's golden eyes softened, though I caught the faint curve of pride on her lips. She brushed a lock of silver hair behind her ear and said, "Listen closely, Kaito. In this world, strength is measured by the heat of your core. The hotter it burns, the stronger you become. Every mage, every knight, every emperor—you can divide their path into five levels."
Her finger traced in the air, and faint motes of mana shimmered like embers.
"Spark → Ember → Flame → Inferno → Nova.
From the smallest spark to a star that can engulf the heavens."
Aria sat straighter, clearly enjoying this part. "And each level is broken into three stages—Birth, Rise, Apex. I just stepped into Birth Ember. You? You haven't even manifested yet." She smirked, wiping the last of her tears.
Mother gave her a look, but I caught the tiny twitch of her lips. She wasn't wrong.
She went on. "Commoners often awaken their cores late in their teens, but in noble bloodlines… and in royalty, much earlier. Still, even among us, progress is never guaranteed. Only three people in recorded history have reached Apex Nova."
Her gaze sharpened. "And one of them… sits before you."
I swallowed hard. The weight of those words pressed into me. Apex Nova. That meant Mother. My mother. Not in her old age like the others, but still in her thirties. The greatest mage alive—perhaps in all history. Father, by comparison, stood just beneath her at Rise Nova.
It was almost unfair.
Aria puffed her chest out, pride glowing brighter than the lantern light. "For reference, Mother reached Birth Ember at fifteen. And me? Thirteen, and already Birth Ember. Do you realize what that means, Kaito? I'm already recognized as the greatest prodigy alive."
I was both happy and disappointed at the same time and could just say so even after breaking myself in training, the gap between us was only widening.
Mother's hand brushed my hair, gentler than her words. "But remember this. Growth is not only about speed, but about method. Aria chose the harshest absorption technique, one that slows early progress but ensures a stronger foundation. That's why she will stand above her peers even in later stages."
Absorption method… right. That was why commoners never stood a chance against nobles, and why even nobles couldn't be compared to us—the royals.
But that wasn't all. Mother's tone shifted, firm now.
"And beyond core levels, Kaito, there is something else—the path of manifestation. A destiny one cannot choose, only inherit. The world divides us into two kinds."
Her fingers sparked with mana, forming a burning sigil. "Conduits—like me. External casters who command vast spells, shaping the battlefield, turning armies to ash with a single chant."
Aria leaned forward, her golden eyes sharp. "And Vessels—like me and Father. We burn our mana within, wrapping it around our bodies. Every muscle, every bone becomes a weapon. Our blades crush mountains. Our steps shake cities."
Hearing the two paths laid out like that, I felt the weight of both pulling me. Mother was preparing me for either outcome. Conduit? Vessel? No one could say what I would be yet.
Still… my chest tightened.
"Three years," I whispered. "That's all I have to manifest. If I don't…"
My thoughts were cut off by a faint murmur, slithering through my mind like a whisper of wind across fire.
[ Paths of Conduit and Vessel… mortal choices. ]
[ Yours will burn differently. ]
[ Mystery cannot be answered yet. ]
[ Time taken for manifestation cannot be analysed yet. ]
[ Can be analysed after practicing absorption method. ]
Veyra. The voice from the void. It hadn't been a dream. The skill of an unknown entity.
I forced a small smile as Aria smirked at me again, and Mother sighed in worry. But inside, my heart was pounding.
Because whatever this skill "Veyra" was… it promised something beyond mortal realm.