Dusk Break of Dawn.
Yuric woke up to the chirping of birds. He opened the window right after getting out of his sleeping bag and looked at the forest in the early morning. The lungs warmed by the night air cooled in the cool morning air, and his hazy mind started to shine brightly again.
He gently stroked the statue placed by the window, grabbed his drawing tools, and left the hut.
Beautiful nature. Elegant hut. Peaceful air.
While he couldn’t capture everything in his painting, he tried his best to express as much as possible.
After a short time of drawing, he went to the vegetable garden to pick a few vegetables for breakfast before returning to the hut.
It had been two weeks since Yuric came here. Life in any place wasn’t much different, so there was no need to adapt for long. It was just that there were a few new household chores to do.
When Yuric returned to the hut, his master Hene was already sitting at the dining table in the living room, drinking tea while looking at the morning scenery. He prepared a simple breakfast, saying “You’re up.” Breakfast wasn’t anything extravagant—a soft piece of bread, a few slices of cut cheese, a few pieces of dried meat, and some vegetables to go with it.
After finishing the meal, the two went to the nearby lakeshore to wash up briefly and immediately began their daily routine. Master Hene conducted complex research, while Yuric studied runes.
Surprisingly, Yuric mastered runes, which were supposed to take a month, in just two weeks. Of course, he also perfectly learned the common language. It was undoubtedly an extraordinary pace. If Yuric had been slower in learning languages, she would have considered giving him more time.
However, Hene wasn’t one to praise excessively. With her usual composed expression, she simply said, “Well done.”
“Then I think I’m ready to start the introductory stage. Is that okay? Or should I give you more time?”
“No, it’s fine. Let’s start right away!”
The master handed Yuric a book of introductions. This book was incredibly thick compared to previous language books. Each page was densely filled with illustrations and text, suggesting it would take an enormous amount of time to read through it all.
“Runes are channels of mana. And our mages communicate with the universe through these runes. That is magic.”
Yuric raised his hand, wanting to ask a question. The master nodded, encouraging him to ask.
“Then can’t we communicate with the universe in common language?”
“No, but if we imbue common language with the power of mana, how would necessary communication among people work? We would constantly consume mana in everyday life. In short, common language has its own use, as does runes, and they must be distinguished.”
“I see. I understand.”
Their lesson continued without them noticing the passage of time. Master Hene momentarily forgot where to draw the line because of her apprentice’s remarkable absorption of knowledge. She finally realized that cultivating a talented apprentice was indeed rewarding.
After a while, the master took a moment to look out the window at the sky. The sun was already high in the sky.
“Let’s stop here today. Read the book until you can.”
“Yes.”
“If there are parts you don’t understand, try thinking about them deeply on your own first. You should ask yourself before asking me. If you struggle for a long time and still don’t understand, then come to me. Magic is like building your own tower within yourself. You must build your own tower, Yuric.”
The apprentice thought this was something to remember deeply and bowed his head.
“I will remember, Master.”
“Good.”
After the lesson, Yuric stayed in the study reading the introduction book. Despite many difficult contents, he gradually understood as he read it over and over.
– Runes are a way to communicate with the universe. The universe answers mortal requests with magic.
– The universe is an absolute existence. It is an eternal cycle with no beginning or end.
– To understand the universe even slightly, one needs a perspective beyond the mortal realm.
– The universe encompasses everything. Performer, do not think of the universe as distant. Remember that you are part of it.
Ultimately, the profound truth and theory of magic made Yuric as captivated as when he first learned drawing and sculpture.
He became so engrossed in magic that he almost forgot to breathe.
Hene did not disturb her absorbed apprentice. She didn’t urge him to eat or sleep. She simply let him be until he came out of his reverie on his own.
As days passed, Yuric’s understanding grew astonishingly fast.
And another month passed.
Yuric began to feel mana.
Certainly, Master Hene had believed that Yuric would quickly learn magic, but his achievement surpassed her expectations. Reaching the level of feeling mana just by reading the introduction book was beyond what could be explained without using the word “genius.”
Even those with talent usually take about a year to reach the first milestone. Hene herself took three months.
But Yuric reached it in just a month. Within a month of starting his magical journey, he had surpassed the first milestone.
His ability to absorb and grow knowledge increased day by day. Even Hene paused her own research to focus entirely on Yuric.
She even viewed Yuric as both an experiment and a subject of study, considering how much potential such a tiny creation compared to the vast universe might possess.
As Yuric’s magical understanding deepened, his artistic skills also improved.
And in the hut’s garden, small sculptures delicately embedded with mana added to the charm.
Thus, traces of Yuric continued to accumulate in the hut of Hene, the disciple of the Great Witch.
*
Like every other day, Yuric got up early and left the hut.
The place he arrived at was a large lake not far from the hut. The serene surface of the water reflecting the brilliant red dawn was a scene so beautiful that it could be counted among the most stunning moments in his past and present lives. It was a scene he wanted to show his brother and sister who remained in his hometown.
He opened his bag and took out paper and charcoal. Master Hene had recently provided him with paper instead of tree bark, saying he could ask for as much as he needed. Thanks to this, he could freely draw on high-quality paper.
In the quiet of dawn, he immersed himself in his own world.
Charcoal moved to depict the scenery—dense forests, beautiful flowers, the lake reflecting the sun’s brilliance. Mana infused each spot touched by his hand.
Though he had initially questioned why mana was present in his drawings after realizing it, it didn’t seem so strange if seen as communication with the universe.
Of course, he didn’t invest too much time in this hobby. His primary focus was on mastering magic, not drawing. He also remembered his role as the master’s apprentice.
He soon packed up and stood up, returning to the hut… and encountering a familiar figure in the garden.
This was the Somawitch who visited the hut every week to deliver necessities, whom Hene had introduced as the third disciple of the Great Witch Ingris, her senior.
The Somawitch examined a statue placed on a rock in the garden, bending her upper body slightly. When she sensed Yuric’s presence, she turned her gaze toward him.
Since they hadn’t exchanged greetings before, he saw this as a good opportunity to approach her. He missed having company after spending so much time in the hut.
“Hello. We’ve met before. My name is Yuric.”
The Somawitch stared intently at Yuric. She hesitated a bit about whether to greet him. Her master, Ingris, had warned her not to cause trouble there… but dismissing her greeting as unnecessary was harsh.
“…Hello. I’m Monica.”
Monica, who seemed two or three years older than Yuric, appeared quite mature for her age. Though Yuric was no less precocious himself.
“Nice to meet you, Sister Monica.”
Monica finally had a chance to examine Yuric closely.
Having grown up in Arphenheim, she rarely met boys her age, but she immediately recognized that Yuric was a very handsome and friendly boy.
“Do you have some time?”
Monica’s eyebrows slightly furrowed at the sudden question.
“…Time? I’m busy.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Why?”
“Would it be too presumptuous if I asked to draw your portrait?”
“Portrait?… Of me?”
“Yes, may I see this?”
Yuric pulled out a bundle of paper from his bag and showed it to her. Surprisingly, his drawing skills were impressive. Some of them were so good he wanted to frame them and display them on his desk.
Mages live and die by curiosity. Monica was no exception.
“…Alright. Then draw it next time.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Yuric watched Monica leave for a while before turning back towards the hut.
Master Hene observed the entire scene from the living room window.
