Two years passed quietly after Sunstar's eighth birthday.
The Star family mansion continued to be full of life. Every morning, the training field echoed with the sounds of magic. Fire bursts, water streams, and sometimes small explosions filled the air while Sun and Yuki practiced under the guidance of their teacher, Crystia.
Now they were ten years old.
Their magic had improved greatly.
Sun had become very skilled at controlling water magic, and he had also started learning small amounts of fire and earth magic from the books he loved reading.
Yuki's fire magic had grown much stronger. Her flames were brighter and hotter than before, and sometimes even Crystia looked impressed.
The two of them still trained together every day.
Sometimes they laughed.
Sometimes they argued.
Sometimes they fought each other during practice.
But one thing had never changed.
They were still best friends.
---
One quiet evening, the Star mansion was peaceful.
The sun had already set, and the sky was dark blue with many shining stars.
Inside the mansion, the family members were finishing dinner.
Deadstar sat at the head of the table, calmly drinking tea. Novastar and Alinastar were discussing some matters about the family business, while Redstar and Elinastar talked about the children's training progress.
Sun and Yuki sat together at the end of the table.
Yuki looked at Sun and whispered, "Tomorrow I'm definitely going to beat you in training."
Sun smirked.
"We'll see about that."
She crossed her arms confidently.
"You always say that."
Before Sun could reply-
A loud noise suddenly came from outside.
BOOM!
The large front gate of the mansion shattered.
Everyone in the room froze.
Then they heard shouting.
And screams.
Deadstar slowly stood up.
His eyes turned sharp.
"...Bandits."
Redstar and Novastar immediately rushed outside.
"Stay inside!" Redstar shouted to the others.
Sun and Yuki ran to the window.
Outside, chaos had begun.
More than twenty armed bandits had entered the mansion grounds. Some carried swords, others axes or bows.
Servants were running in fear.
Redstar's body suddenly burst into flames.
"Fire Blade!"
His sword ignited with blazing fire as he rushed toward the bandits.
Novastar followed beside him.
"Wind Cutter!"
Sharp blades of wind sliced through the air and knocked several bandits down.
For a moment, it looked like the two powerful knights were winning easily.
Bandits fell one after another.
But then-
More bandits suddenly appeared from the darkness behind them.
"Behind you!" someone shouted.
It was too late.
Two bandits attacked Novastar from behind.
A sword pierced his side.
"-!"
Redstar turned in shock.
"NOVA!"
But another bandit attacked Redstar from the back with a spear.
The spear stabbed deep into his shoulder.
Inside the mansion, Sun felt his heart drop.
"No..."
The battle quickly turned into a nightmare.
Deadstar fought fiercely, but there were too many enemies.
One by one, the defenders of the mansion fell.
Sun watched in horror.
His hands trembled.
Yuki grabbed his arm tightly.
"Sun... what do we do?"
Before he could answer-
The door behind them burst open.
Several bandits rushed inside.
They quickly captured Yuki.
"Let me go!" she shouted while struggling.
"YUKI!" Sun yelled.
He tried to run toward them, but one bandit kicked him hard, throwing him against the wall.
His head spun.
When he looked up again-
The bandits were already leaving with Yuki.
"Sun!!" she cried while reaching toward him.
Then they disappeared into the darkness.
The mansion fell silent.
Smoke rose from burning parts of the building.
Bodies were lying everywhere.
Sun slowly stood up.
His legs felt weak.
His mind refused to accept what had happened.
"...No."
Tears filled his eyes.
"...Everyone..."
He began running.
He ran down the road, following the path where the bandits had gone.
"YUKI!"
But the bandits had horses.
Sun ran as fast as he could, but the distance between them only grew larger.
Soon he collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
He hit the dirt with his fists.
"Damn it..."
"I'm too weak..."
At that moment, someone approached from the road.
A tall man wearing a dark cloak stood nearby.
His presence felt powerful and calm.
Sun looked up.
The man had sharp eyes and a strong build.
"...Who are you?" Sun asked weakly.
The man looked at him quietly.
"My name is Andrius."
Sun struggled to stand.
"Please..."
He looked directly at the man.
"Teach me magic."
Andrius raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
Sun's voice shook with emotion.
"They took my friend."
"I need to save her."
"I need to become stronger."
Andrius studied him silently.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Then the man finally sighed.
"...Very well."
Sun looked surprised.
Andrius turned around.
"Follow me."
---
They traveled for many hours.
Eventually they reached an old stone temple deep in the mountains.
The temple looked ancient and quiet, surrounded by tall trees and rocky cliffs.
"This will be your training place," Andrius said.
Sun nodded.
"I'm ready."
Andrius looked at him seriously.
"My training will not be easy."
"I don't care."
Andrius's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Good."
From the very next morning, the training began.
And it was brutal.
Sun woke before sunrise every day.
First came physical training.
Running through the mountains.
Climbing cliffs.
Carrying heavy stones.
If he stopped-
Andrius made him start again.
Then came combat training.
Andrius taught him how to fight with a sword, how to move quickly, and how to attack without hesitation.
After that came magic training.
Sun practiced water magic, fire magic, earth magic, and even small thunder spells.
He collapsed from exhaustion many times.
But every time he fell-
He remembered Yuki.
And he stood up again.
One month passed.
One evening, while Sun was resting near the temple entrance, Andrius approached him.
"I found them."
Sun instantly stood up.
"...Where?"
"A bandit hideout in the forest valley."
Sun's eyes burned with determination.
"Let's go."
---
Night had fallen when they reached the bandits' hideout.
A wooden house stood in the center of a small clearing.
Two guards stood near the gate.
Andrius looked at Sun.
"Your move."
Sun nodded.
He closed his eyes and gathered mana.
Quietly, he placed his hand on the ground.
"Earth Spike."
Two sharp spikes suddenly rose from the ground beneath the guards.
Before they could even scream-
Both of them fell silently.
Sun took a deep breath.
Andrius gave a small approving nod.
They entered the house.
Inside, three bandits were drinking and laughing loudly.
Sun raised his hand.
"Fire Shot."
A blazing flame burst forward, hitting the first bandit.
Before the others could react-
"Thunder Strike!"
Lightning flashed through the room, knocking the second bandit down.
The third tried to grab his weapon-
But Sun used water magic to slam him into the wall.
The room became silent.
Sun ran deeper into the house.
Then he saw her.
"YUKI!"
She was tied to a wooden pillar.
Her face lit up with shock and relief.
"Sun!"
But five bandits were standing around her.
One of them laughed.
"Well, well... a brave little hero."
They attacked him immediately.
Sun reacted quickly.
"Water Wave!"
A powerful wave of water crashed into two of them, throwing them across the room.
But one bandit slipped behind him.
Before Sun could turn-
A sword slashed across his back.
"-!"
The pain exploded through his body.
Sun collapsed to one knee.
Blood quickly soaked his clothes.
The bandits laughed cruelly.
"You're finished."
Then-
A sudden powerful pressure filled the room.
Andrius stepped forward.
His eyes were cold.
"...Pathetic."
He raised his hand.
A massive wave of energy burst from his body.
In a single moment-
All five bandits were cut down.
The room fell silent.
Yuki rushed toward Sun.
"Sun!"
She quickly untied herself and knelt beside him.
Her hands glowed with soft green light.
"Healing Magic!"
Warm energy flowed into his wound.
But the injury was too deep.
Her magic slowed the bleeding, but it could not fully heal him.
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I can't fix it..."
Andrius stepped forward.
"Move."
He placed his hand on Sun's back.
A powerful golden light spread across the wound.
Within seconds, the injury began closing.
Sun slowly opened his eyes again.
Yuki looked at him with relief.
"You idiot... why did you come alone?"
Sun smiled weakly.
"...I promised I would save you."
She wiped her tears.
"...Thank you."
Andrius crossed his arms.
"You two need to be more careful."
"Next time you may not be so lucky."
Sun and Yuki nodded.
After returning to the ruined Star mansion, the reality of their situation became clear.
They had no family left.
The large house felt empty.
One evening, Sun looked at Andrius.
"...Will you stay with us?"
Andrius shook his head immediately.
"I don't live in places like this."
But he looked at the two children standing alone in the large, silent mansion.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he sighed.
"...Fine."
Sun and Yuki looked surprised.
"I will stay."
From that day forward, Andrius became their teacher.
He trained them in magic.
He trained them in sword combat.
He trained them to survive in a dangerous world.
And the quiet mansion of the Star family slowly became a place of training once again.
But now-
Two young magicians were preparing themselves for a much harsher future.