Or So I Thought...

• THE MAGIC ABILITIES DESCRIPTION •

The human body, in addition to its standard anatomical structure, also has an additional, magical element - the so-called magical fluid. This is a subtle, immaterial substance that flows through the veins together with the blood, nourishing the internal magical energy. However, not everyone is born with this Ability - some people have it, and some do not.

The amount of this magical fluid depends primarily on the genes that are inherited from parents and ancestors. People whose parents have strong Magic Abilities usually inherit a larger amount of magical fluid. In practice, this means that they are more predisposed to develop a unique, strong Magic Ability, which is often associated with the genetic line - Abilities that have a certain pattern in the family.

However, if one of the parents does not have any Magic Abilities, the risk of the child not having a Magic Ability increases. It is the genes that are responsible for whether we will be able to use magic in the future.

Anyone who has the right amount of magical fluid usually discovers their Magic Ability around the age of 10. This is when the first changes in body and mind occur - usually, colorful magical flashes of energy begin to be visible from the palms of the hands, which signal that the person has magical potential. (Each person has their own individual magic color, based on the individual's eye colour). However, if after this age someone shows no signs of Magic Abilities, they are considered Non-Magic - meaning they have no active Magical Abilities.

That fatal faith, has appeared in a life of one individual... Making his life, a real nightmare since he was a child...

--- END OF PROLOGUE ---

Tokyo.

Above the clouds of the Japanese metropolis, dark thunderclouds stretched, from which heavy rain was falling continuously.

However... One man didn't seem to mind the weather.

This man's name was Sekiguchi Seiji

A Japanese man of average height, he had fluffy platinum-blonde hair that contrasted with his darker, wide-set eyebrows. His cool-toned blue eyes, framed by thick black lashes, gave him a striking, almost melancholic look. But beneath them lingered dark circles — the kind that spoke of exhaustion, or perhaps a deeper weariness carved by life itself.

In his left hand, he held a piece of paper folded in four.

It was a suicide note.

Seiji was walking slowly towards the high skyscraper, passing by random people who rushed to the nearest subway station to avoid getting wet.

The relentless rain drenched his clothes completely. Water was dripping down the ends of his hair. He looked as if he had had enough of everything, mercilessly tired of something...

Seiji looked at his letter again and read it in his mind

"What the..." Seiji squinted against the sharp light. He looked around carefully but saw no one, nothing that could have caused such a sudden flash.

For a moment he stood still, scanning his surroundings — local shops, tall apartment buildings, and a dark, unlit alley between two blocks.

'There's nothing here that could reflect light... let alone create it,' he thought coolly, furrowing his brow. His inner voice was, as always, skeptical and analytical. He sighed quietly, trying to dismiss the illusion — but before he could move on, the flash appeared again. This time he noticed its source more clearly — it came from that very alley.

He hesitated only for a fraction of a second, then decided to walk toward it.

'That's the second time... Someone's definitely trying to get my attention... But... why?'

He pondered. When he reached the dark, deserted alley, he saw no one...

'Empty.' Seiji sighed and shrugged. 'Probably just my imagination playing tricks on me.' He was about to continue his walk when suddenly the same flash appeared again right before his eyes.

Seiji frowned. 'Again. But this time I'm sure. It's coming from deep inside that alley.'

He turned on the flashlight on his phone and, still a bit uncertain, took a few cautious steps into the alley.

Suddenly, ahead of him, he saw a person who, noticing Seiji, slowly started walking toward him.

With each step closer, the figure became clearer.

It was a short young man, Japanese, visibly gaunt. He had long, messy brown hair covering half of his face. He got a wide, terrifying smile spread across his face and red eyes but when you looked into them for too long, you could feel an overwhelming, inexplicable fear.

Seiji swallowed hard.

The man was panting heavily. His clothes were mostly torn and full of large holes, making him look homeless — but what caught Seiji's attention most was the bloodied knife in his right hand...

Suddenly, the man lunged at him.

At first, Seiji flinched — instinctively wanting to run — but then he realized that despite the terrifying appearance of this man with a knife, he was facing an opportunity he couldn't miss...

He could die sooner than he had planned.

He glanced around to check for witnesses, then stepped a little deeper into the alley... When he reached the chosen spot, he only sighed.

"Apparently, I'm allowed to die by this man's hand... Well then... goodbye... everyone..."

Ready for the strike, he closed his eyes and positioned himself for a quick, effective blow. He heard his attacker's footsteps grow louder; the man's breath quickened alongside Seiji's heartbeat.

The man raised his hand to attack, when suddenly...

Seiji heard a loud thud.

He opened his eyes and looked down. The murderer lay beside him, looking as if he had suddenly fainted.

Suddenly, a loud growl erupted from the killer's stomach.

Seiji didn't know what had just happened...

'Huh..? So he... isn't going to kill me?'

He crouched beside his would-be killer and began shaking him, trying to wake him.

"Hey, you. Get up. You alive?"

The brown-haired man showed no sign of life.

Seiji sighed again. "Well, looks like it's this building that'll get the honor of killing me after all..."

He turned and lifted his leg to keep walking, but at that moment, the killer grabbed his leg tightly. Seiji looked down at the man at his feet.

"What's this..? You still want to kill me?"

"D-die..." the attacker muttered softly.

Seiji sighed. "You know, words alone won't kill me... and judging by the noises your stomach just made, you're not doing it on an empty belly either."

"Die, you dick!" came a louder, yet still feeble reply.

The murderer tried to stab the knife into Seiji's legs, but he was too weak and tired even to aim properly. He tried to lift his head to look at his prey, but barely managed.

Suddenly his hand fell limp to the ground.

Seiji looked at him. 'Huh...? Did he just pass out?'

Seiji studied him. His gaze fixed on the hand that had just held a sharp, heavily chipped, and freshly bloodied knife. Then he looked again at the would-be killer's clothes — his shirt and part of his pants bore dried bloodstains.

'You really want to kill me, huh?' he thought, watching him for a moment.

'Judging by his looks and the state of his weapon, he might already have some kills under his belt...' he analyzed. 'Maybe it's not the best idea to leave him here... Someone might pick him up, and clearly, he wants to kill me. On top of that, if I don't help, he'll starve to death...'

Seiji lifted the man's hand. He raised it lightly, then carefully slung him over his shoulder. He was surprisingly light — lighter than Seiji had expected.

'Skin and bones.'

"Well... like I said, you can't do this on an empty stomach... Eh... I'll take you home" he said to the unconscious man and headed back toward his apartment.

In all of this, he didn't notice that his note had slipped from his pocket and now lay on the sidewalk, mercilessly bombarded by the rain, which was slowly washing the ink off the paper.