The morning after the Awakening Ceremony, the orphanage felt… different.
Not visibly. Not physically. The chairs were still old, the walls still carried the smell of aged wood, and Fenwick still drooled on his pillow the same way he always did.
But Seren heard everything differently now.
Every step, every whisper, every heartbeat—small details he had never noticed before etched themselves into his perception like brushstrokes on a fresh canvas.
When Sister Helena called for breakfast, Seren was downstairs before half the children even woke.
"Seren? Why are you up so early?" she asked, surprised.
Seren hesitated. He couldn't exactly say: Well, Sister, I can hear everyone's sleep patterns now.
"I… just woke up," he lied.
Fenwick stumbled down next, rubbing his eyes, hair sticking up in all directions.
"Ugh… my head hurts," he mumbled. "I dreamed someone hit me with a bell."
Seren tried not to smile.
He wouldn't say this out loud, but sleeping next to Seren after an awakening explosion probably did feel like getting hit by a bell.
Fenwick plopped next to him at the long table.
"Hey," he whispered, poking Seren's arm repeatedly. "Hey. Hey. Hey."
Seren sighed. "What."
"You're not allowed to suddenly be cooler than me."
Seren blinked. "I didn't plan it."
"Well—stop planning it!" Fenwick demanded confidently, before pointing at him.
"And today, I'm challenging you! A race! A duel! A contest! Something!"
"Right now?"
"YES!"
"…After breakfast."
Fenwick paused. "…Fine."
---
Training Begins — A Child's Curiosity
After eating, the children scattered to their chores while Seren slipped behind the orchard behind the orphanage. It was quiet, save the rustling leaves and the distant chatter of villagers.
Here, he could experiment.
He took a deep breath.
Sound… sound is vibration. If magic responds to intent, then maybe…
He focused mana—raw, unshaped—into his palm. He imagined it vibrating. Shaking. Humming.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—
BZZT—
A small pulse rippled through the air.
Leaves trembled.
The grass flattened.
Seren's eyes widened.
"A wave…"
A second attempt—
BZZZTT— whip
The air cracked, sharper this time, pushing dust outward.
Seren's heart thumped.
He was beginning to understand: sound magic was force hidden inside vibration. It had no color. No flash. No visible trail. Unless it was strong, most people wouldn't even see it.
Which made it terrifying.
His lips curled in excitement.
But excitement alone wasn't enough—because after the third attempt—
BOING!
"OW!"
Something slammed into the back of his head.
He spun around.
Fenwick stood there, arms crossed, glowering.
"I KNEW IT!" Fenwick shouted. "You snuck off to train without me!"
Seren rubbed his head. "Why did you throw a rock at me?"
"To test your reflexes."
"…While my back was turned?"
Fenwick puffed out his chest. "The enemy won't politely stand in front of you, genius."
Seren couldn't argue with that.
"Fine," Seren replied. "What did you want?"
"A duel, obviously!"
"…We're four."
"Age is just a number."
"We're literally children."
Fenwick raised his chin. "Seren, listen. If you and I are gonna be rivals, we need to start now."
Seren blinked.
"…Rivals?"
Fenwick nodded matter-of-factly.
"Obviously. You're weird, smart, and somehow awakened the rarest magic in the entire kingdom. I refuse to be overshadowed."
Seren stared at him for a moment… then laughed.
Fenwick froze.
"What? Why are you laughing?"
"No one's ever declared me their rival."
Fenwick tilted his head. "Is that good or bad?"
Seren smiled lightly. "It's… good."
Fenwick brightened. "Great! Then duel time!"
---
Sparring With Fenwick — A Lesson in Power
Fenwick moved back several steps, mimicking how village guards fought.
He inhaled deeply, eyes focusing.
"Enhance—body!"
Golden mana shimmered faintly around him. Nothing flashy, but enough to slightly tighten his muscles and lighten his steps.
Seren readied himself, unsure of what exactly would come out of him.
Fenwick charged.
And he was fast.
Faster than a normal four-year-old by far. Enhanced strength turned tiny legs into small bursts of speed.
He swung his hand down like an axe.
Seren stepped aside. Barely.
Fenwick grinned. "Ha! You can dodge? Good!"
He swung again.
Seren ducked.
Fenwick came from the side.
Seren slipped backward.
"…Did you awaken dodge magic?" Fenwick panted.
"No," Seren replied calmly. "I can hear where your weight shifts."
"…What?"
"Your footsteps are loud."
Fenwick froze mid-swing.
"LOUD?!"
Seren nodded. "Like this—THUMP THUMP THUMP—"
Fenwick turned red. "STOP—DESCRIBING—MY—STEPS!"
Seren smiled faintly.
Fenwick rushed again, angry but energized—
And Seren instinctively pushed mana outward.
PFFFT—
A tiny pulse escaped his palm.
Fenwick's hair flew wildly as he stumbled back, landing in a bush.
Seren panicked. "Are you okay?!"
Fenwick slowly sat up, leaves stuck in his head.
"That… was… AWESOME."
Seren blinked. "It wasn't even strong."
"It BLEW me back! Do it again!"
"…No."
"Why not?!"
"It looked like it hurt."
Fenwick fist-pumped. "Pain means progress!"
Seren almost face-palmed.
---
Sister Helena's Eye
Later that day, Sister Helena found them both behind the orchard—Fenwick covered in leaves and dirt, Seren sitting like he'd done nothing wrong.
She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"What… happened this time?"
Fenwick stood proudly.
"We trained!"
Seren opened his mouth—
"Fenwick fell into a bush."
"I WAS TRAINING!"
Sister Helena sighed.
"Boys… please don't destroy the orchard. And Seren, remember—your magic is rare. Don't get reckless."
Seren nodded.
Fenwick nodded too, though clearly for a different reason—probably imagining new training methods.
When she left, Fenwick elbowed Seren.
"Tomorrow, we train again."
Seren nodded. "Sure."
A small feeling bloomed in his chest.
It felt like… something he missed from his past.
A friend.
---
Whispers in the Village — And a Warning
As Seren and Fenwick walked through the village later, they overheard villagers whispering.
"That boy with the strange awakening…" "They say sound magic can shatter minds." "Or summon spirits…" "No—silence! Rare magic attracts trouble."
Seren pretended he didn't hear.
But he did.
Every whisper. Every rumor.
Fenwick scowled. "Ignore them. They did the same when I awakened enhancement magic."
Seren kicked a pebble. "Does it ever stop?"
"People fear what they don't understand," Fenwick shrugged. "But that's why we get stronger, right? So nobody can talk down to us."
Seren paused.
That… made sense.
Fenwick continued, "You're my rival. So you HAVE to get strong too. Otherwise it's boring."
Seren smiled slightly. "Right."
---
Nightfall — A Power Seren Didn't Expect
That night, Seren sat alone in the chapel after everyone else had gone to sleep. He didn't know why, but his heart felt heavy.
Sound magic…
People feared it. The priest didn't understand it. Even Sister Helena warned him.
Suddenly, the chapel bell tower creaked outside as a soft breeze passed.
Then—
DING…
The bell softly rang on its own.
Seren froze.
Everything went silent.
No wind.
No insects.
No snoring from Fenwick two floors away.
Only the faint echo of the bell bouncing through the chapel walls.
He swallowed, placing a hand on his chest.
Was that… me?
He had not used mana.
He had not touched anything.
But something inside him resonated—like his very presence disturbed nearby vibrations.
A new awareness spread through his mind.
He could feel the shape of the room.
The curve of the ceiling.
The hollow space beneath the floorboards.
Not visually—
But through faint returning echoes.
Like a subtle form of echolocation.
His heart pounded.
"That's… new."
He concentrated.
The world sharpened.
He could sense footsteps—quiet, soft… approaching the chapel door.
One person.
Slow.
Confused heart rhythm.
Sister Helena?
No… the pattern was wrong.
He stood up abruptly.
The footsteps paused…
…then walked away.
Seren's small fists tightened.
Something is changing in me.
Something he barely understood.
Something dangerous if he wasn't careful.
And he was only four years old.
Resolve for the Future
Seren walked back to the orphanage under the moonlight. Fenwick snored loudly again so loudly Seren wondered how everyone else slept.
He lay down in his own bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
He thought of his past life.
His regrets.
His loneliness.
His wasted potential.
His death.
And quietly, he whispered:
"This time… I'll live differently."
Something vibrated faintly in the room.
But he closed his eyes anyway.
Tomorrow, he would train harder.
He would get stronger.
And soon—
He would enter the Demon Beast Forest for the first time.