Deep in the eastern mountains of the Kingdom of Dawn's capital, a lush black forest grows thick and wild.
Hidden in the depths of this dark forest stands a massive graveyard, silent and still.
The evening light shines like gold, covering most of the cemetery in its glow.
But this light can't chase away the gloomy atmosphere at all—if anything, it makes everything feel weirdly ominous.
This graveyard is huge.
All the tombstones are carved from marble, looking pretty fancy.
Though it seems like it's been abandoned for ages.
Weeds grow everywhere, and vines crawl all over the tombstones.
You'll hear owls hooting from time to time, their weird calls echoing through the air.
The villagers living down at the bottom of the mountain are always scared of this graveyard up in the hills, even though they know it's not really a graveyard at all—it's actually a magician's mage tower.
These simple villagers blame every strange wind, weird fog, and mysterious beast on the magician's anger, and they warn their kids to never go near that black forest, or the magician will definitely put some kind of spell on them.
If they're lucky, they'll just get turned into tombstones for the mage tower or become one of his pet monsters. If they're unlucky, well...
Whenever they get to this part, they never finish what they're saying.
This unknown fear haunts generation after generation of villagers.
Lots of people think of him as some kind of unspeakable horror, but the truth is, an elderly magician who's really good at making potions lives there.
He's got a weird personality, keeps to himself, hardly talks to anyone, and just sends his apprentice down the mountain to buy food or handle other business.
Heddy, wearing her hooded cloak and carrying the groceries she bought, leaves under the fearful stares of the villagers. Their wild gossip swirls around her ears, but she doesn't really care.
As that old magician's apprentice, she's gotten used to all this stuff by now.
Right now she just wants to get through this last stretch of the journey as fast as possible.
But even so, by the time she gets back to the center of the graveyard, night has already fallen.
The creepy, scary atmosphere gets even thicker.
But she doesn't care one bit—she walks straight toward the very center of the graveyard.
That's where another huge tombstone stands.
It looks like the tombstone of a massive black tower!
"You're finally back."
The statue next to the tombstone suddenly speaks in a dry, scratchy voice. As its mouth opens and closes, bits of dust fall down: "Hurry up and go inside. The master is waiting for you."
As soon as it finishes talking, a door actually appears on the tombstone.
Spiral stairs stretch down and down, gradually disappearing into the darkness.
Heddy walks right in without hesitation.
Sure, this place looks creepy and scary, but it's actually a rare spot where magic power acts weird.
In a place like this, whether you're meditating or recovering your magic power, everything happens way faster.
Down on the second underground level.
The old magician, wrapped in his black robes, is standing in the center of the potion lab, but he's not holding one of those glowing potions he usually has.
His hair is gray and white, he looks all withered, and time has left deep marks on his face—like he could die any second. But Heddy knows this old magician is still a long, long way from returning to the divine realm... or the underworld.
She even suspects this old guy could live forever and ever.
"You're back."
The old magician shows a completely different expression than usual—he looks excited beyond belief: "Heddy, you need to come congratulate me right now, congratulate the birth of a new 'living saint'!"
"I have passed God's test and witnessed God's greatness!"
"God has fully recognized my dedication to studying mysteries!"
"God said I'm someone with the potential to explore the truth of this world!"
Heddy stares at her teacher, kind of stunned.
He usually doesn't like to show emotion, but today he's talking way more than usual.
And... his words are absolutely mind-blowing!
Did he take too many drugs or something?!
Did he eat too much of his own experimental medicine and get poisoned?
But the detection device isn't giving any warnings, so he seems to be in normal condition.
How did he suddenly get a response from the Goddess of Magic?
This old guy only prays when he's making potions at crucial moments, right?
He only converted to the Goddess of Magic so he could pray when he needs luck, didn't he?
But after being stunned for a few seconds, she quickly shows the old magician proper respect and congratulations.
Only fanatics, only the most devout fanatics, could possibly get a response from God.
No matter who it is, if they get a response from God, they deserve respect!
Especially since he got a response from the God of All Spells, the Lady of Mysteries...
The old magician's face is full of smiles: "God's wisdom is with each and every one of us!"
After all that excited talk, the old magician finally seems to have let out all his excitement: "Now, I need you to do something—give these rings to every magician, or every mage apprentice."
"What are these?" Heddy is obviously stunned.
She's been living here ever since she accidentally wandered in when she was six years old.
She can say for sure that she's never seen these rings before.
"These are gifts from God." The old magician's eyes are full of fanaticism: "God said they will affect every spellcaster in the world."
"Everyone will become stronger because of them."
"In the process of exploring mysteries, they will become spellcasters' greatest help!"
Heddy stares at the old magician, kind of dazed.
For a moment, she even wonders if this old guy got influenced by some cult members, but these rings really are appearing in the mage tower for the first time.
These are just rings made from refined iron, but they're covered with tiny, dense runes that even she, who's almost become a mid-level magician, couldn't possibly make.
With this many rings, even if all the magicians in the capital worked together, it would probably take several years.
Could these... really be gifts from God?!
Because of her teacher's influence, she also believes in the Goddess of Magic.
She prays every time she makes potions.
But she never imagined that someone close to her would actually get God's attention!
Does that mean she might also...?!
Thinking about this, cold sweat starts forming on her forehead.
"Don't worry! I'll make sure every magician gets one."
"Good, you should leave right away. Here's the proof and suggestions I'm giving you."
The old magician waves his hand, and a box appears next to Heddy—it's made of luxurious golden metal with rivets and reinforcements, covered in complex patterns, and shaped like a coffin. There are some documents inside too: "You can put them in this box and take them with you..."
In the Goddess of Magic's divine realm.
Ren watches this scene and can't help but twitch his lips: "You're sure this is the highest-level fanatic of the Goddess of Magic near the capital?"