Chapter 1 - A New Light

Chapter 1 - A New Light

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Melanie

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A decade had passed since I first entered this world. Now, I was approximately sixteen. In those ten years, I had learned a great deal.

This world was called Horus, meaning ‘the land of the sun.’ Horus had three continents, which were all connected by land: a central continent, and two smaller continents to the northeast and northwest of the central continent.

Unlike modern-day Earth, or even the futuristic sci-fi worlds I lived in, Horus had a medieval fantasy setting, which was new to me.

Horus was said to be created by the Goddess of light, Lumira, whom the people here worshiped everywhere, much like a certain religion on Earth. But life here was not all sunshine and rainbows. Every century or two, a demon king would spring up, bringing immense destruction before being stopped by a hero.

Hm, why did I have a feeling that you already know this?

Anyways, I was born in Lunaris, a town located in the southeast region of the Kingdom of Valoria. The Kingdom of Valoria was situated on the northeast continent. With snowy winters to the north, mountain ranges to the east, and formidable forts to the south, the Kingdom of Valoria was hailed as an impenetrable country that even the previous demon kings had failed to take down.

On the note of the demon kings, it seemed that I was born during a really unlucky time, as the current demon king, called Apollon, was rumored to be the greatest in history. He first emerged on the central continent five years ago. At first, nobody took him seriously as he had rarely attacked human settlements and remained isolated inside the central continent’s mountain ranges.

But it turned out that he was secretly building his strength while lowering the guard of the surrounding countries, because all of a sudden, he burst out of his hermit shell and unleashed a surprise invasion of the central continent, taking over large swathes of land.

Currently, Apollon had yet to reach the Valoria kingdom, but at his current rate of expansion, I doubted that Valoria would be safe for long.

Based on the rate of expansion and the extent of Apollon’s conquest, I estimated that I still had another year or two before he reached Lunaris.

Death was inevitable, that much I already knew. But I wasn’t planning to roll over and die just yet. If surviving gave me a slim chance of being useful, even if in a small way, I’ll take it. Throwing away my life for no reason seems…kinda pointless.

That said, you may be wondering what I was doing for the past decade. The orphanage I lived in wasn’t filled with the kind smiles and dotting caretakers like the stories, but it was not completely bad either. There were a few people here who I suppose were worth helping.

How might I, a sixteen-year-old girl, be of use, you wonder? Well, luckily, there were magicians in this world, and I happened to be one of them. According to a book titled Introductory Course to Magic, which I picked up in the streets, there were four types of magic in this world: Ice/water manipulation, fire manipulation, earth/nature manipulation, and divine power, also known as light magic.

Ice/water magic was typically defensive; fire magic was all about offense; nature magic supported allies, while light magic was…well, it was reserved exclusively for demons.

Magicians were quite rare in this world, with only five percent of the population having the ability to use magic, even though everyone technically had the potential. According to this book, magic wasn’t just a skill that anyone could learn; it was a reflection of inner character and was unlocked through extreme situations.

I wasn’t entirely sure what counted as ‘extreme situations,’ but I was able to use ice magic since I was five, though it was very weak, such as being able to create cold air.

Of the four types of magic, light magic was the rarest. It was said that only heroes destined to defeat the demon king were ever capable of wielding it, though I remained skeptical of the prophecy’s authenticity. Additionally, it was said that humans were only capable of using one type of magic, though rare exceptions had appeared throughout history.

—

At the small orphanage in Lunaris, Layla worked as a caretaker and stood out from the rest: she was someone whom Melanie considered “worth helping.”

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Layla

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I lost my parents many years ago in a terrible accident. Being alone in the vast, unforgiving world taught me the value of care and kindness, which is why I worked at the orphanage. Unlike the other caretakers who came for a paycheck, I genuinely tried to help the kids grow.

There was quite a joy in seeing their faces light up whenever I gave them a treat.

*cough* *cough* *cough* *wheeze*

A sudden burst of nausea caused me to cough uncontrollably. It seemed I had been pushing myself a bit too hard recently.

“Layla,” the headmaster called.

“Yes,” I responded.

“We are running low on medical herbs, and I need you to go get some from the villages east of Lunaris.”

“I understand,” I responded quietly.

I packed my belongings into my bag, and just as I was about to head out, a certain child stopped me. Her name was Melanie.

“I’ll go instead; you need to rest.”

I had known many children in my life, but never had I seen someone as special and unusual as Melanie. Even at a young age, she carried herself with an air of maturity. Most children would whine and complain about chores or having to run an errand, but Melanie…she never complained.

When asked to do chores, she replied with “how so,” and when asked to run an errand, she said “where to.” She didn’t act like a child at all. I don’t think I had ever seen her laugh freely once or confide in others when times are rough. What’s even more absurd is that she could use magic at the age of five. I knew because I had once secretly caught her trying to freeze a cup of water.

Melanie also had remarkable perceptiveness. I had been trying to hide my sickness from the children, yet despite my efforts, she still noticed. It’s unusual…almost unsettling how mature she was, yet she still had a soft side to her. To be honest, I admired her. There was a quiet confidence about her, the sort that made you feel like she understood more than she should for someone her age. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of person she would become. So make sure you return safely, Melanie!

~ End of chapter ~