When Magic Fell Silent

To become a hero was never easy.

Stories often spoke of glorious victories, triumphant celebrations, and names remembered throughout history. Yet they rarely told of the sacrifices made along the way, the companions who never returned home, the wounds that never truly healed, or the impossible choices that heroes were forced to make.

Sometimes.

Being a hero simply meant choosing who would live, even if it meant giving up your own life.

By the time Yolina reached the source of the battle, she finally found herself standing before the lair of the Jörmungandr.

The cavern was immense, its perfectly circular walls rising so high that the ceiling disappeared into darkness. Countless bones lay scattered across the flooded ground alongside mountains of tarnished gold coins and broken weapons, remnants of adventurers who had challenged the beast and never escaped. Pale blue flames burned within ancient braziers set into the walls, their ghostly light dancing across the shallow water that covered nearly the entire chamber.

At the very center of the cavern stood six adventurers.

Among them was Leonardo.

Towering over them all, the enormous Jörmungandr twisted its colossal body through the flooded chamber. Every violent movement sent waves crashing against the stone walls, while each thunderous roar shook the entire cavern. Its emerald scales shimmered beneath the blue flames, and the brilliant gemstone embedded within its forehead glowed ominously as it stared down at the group before it.

Leonardo stood at the front, his sword already drawn.

His stance was far from perfect, and exhaustion was written plainly across his face, yet he refused to retreat. Every swing of his blade was meant not to defeat the monster, but simply to buy another second for the companions fighting behind him.

Without the slightest hesitation, Yolina rushed forward.

Behind a massive boulder near the edge of the battlefield, one of the adventurers had already collapsed. A deep wound tore across his abdomen, staining both his clothes and the surrounding water crimson. Beside him knelt a young woman whose trembling hands desperately pressed against the injury, desperately trying to stop the bleeding despite knowing it was already beyond her ability.

The moment Yolina reached them, she immediately knelt beside the injured man.

The young woman looked up in alarm.

"W-Who are you?"

Before Yolina could answer, Leonardo called out from the middle of the battle.

"Her name is Yolina!"

He narrowly avoided the sweep of the serpent’s tail before shouting again.

"She’s here to help us! Please… if you can, save him!"

The others continued struggling against the Jörmungandr, doing everything they could to keep its attention away from the wounded man while Yolina calmly examined the injury.

Her expression became noticeably more serious.

"What caused the explosion?" she asked without looking up.

"It was Massimo," the young woman answered hurriedly. "He used explosives to drive the sea snake away."

Yolina frowned.

"There was no need for that."

Everyone nearby looked at her.

"You only need to destroy the gemstone embedded in Jorjor’s forehead."

"…Jorjor?" the young woman repeated.

Yolina nodded absentmindedly as she continued examining the wound.

"Break the gem, and Jorjor will die."

The girl stared at her.

"…You named that thing… Jorjor?"

"It is irrelevant."

Yolina’s attention never left the dying man.

Instead, another question entered her mind.

"Why haven’t you healed him?"

The young woman lowered her eyes.

"We can’t."

"Why not?"

"Our healing medicines were destroyed during the fight."

Yolina frowned.

"Then where is your healer?"

Silence answered her.

Finally, someone spoke.

"…We don’t have one."

Yolina slowly looked up.

"You entered one of the deepest dungeons in Madrerra…"

Her voice remained calm, though disbelief had begun creeping into it.

"…without bringing a healer?"

The young woman bit her lip.

"…No one can become a healer."

Yolina blinked.

"What? What are you saying?"

The young woman said 
"…Because no one can use healing magic."

The words sounded almost absurd.

"No one can use…" Yolina’s voice grew quieter, "…magic?"

The young woman slowly shook her head.

"Magic disappeared long ago."

For a brief moment, everything around Yolina seemed to fade away.

The roaring of the Jörmungandr.

The crashing water.

The sounds of battle.

Everything vanished.

"…Impossible."

The word escaped her lips almost as a whisper.

"Magic has existed since the founding of Madrerra."

She stared blankly ahead.

"For centuries… it has always existed."

Leonardo stepped backward after narrowly avoiding another strike from the monster.

"We don’t know why," he admitted between heavy breaths. "Nobody does."

He tightened his grip on his sword.

"As far as history remembers… magic simply disappeared."

"…It’s been that way since for almost maybe ten years."

Yolina lowered her gaze once more.

The wounded adventurer coughed violently.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth before dripping into the water below.

His breathing had become shallow.

Weak.

Painfully slow.

Leonardo turned toward her.

There was desperation in his eyes unlike anything she had seen before.

"…Please."

His voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"Save him."

Yolina remained motionless.

If magic had truly vanished…

Then what had she been using all this time?

The barrier protecting her chamber… she put that a long time ago, nobody dispelled the spell until today.

Had that truly been magic? Or had she simply imagined it?

Her fingers slowly reached toward the blue pendant resting against her chest.

She gently closed her hand around it.

Its familiar warmth remained.

Almost unconsciously, she lowered her head.

"Please… Goddess Neptunia…" Her voice was barely audible."If you have not abandoned me… lend me your strength once more."

She placed her free hand upon the young man’s wound.

Closing her eyes, she softly began chanting.

"Acqua…

Sacra…

Della…

Dea…

Azzurra…

Guarisci…

Ritorna…

Alla…

Vita…

Questa…

Povera…

Anima…"

The final word echoed softly through the cavern.

Then—

The water answered.

Every pool scattered throughout the chamber suddenly began glowing with a brilliant, crystal-clear azure light.

The battle stopped.

Leonardo and his party froze.

Everyone watched in stunned silence as the water gently rose into the air, flowing like countless ribbons of living light toward Yolina’s outstretched hand. The glowing streams wrapped themselves around the wounded man’s body before sinking into the injury, knitting together torn flesh, shattered muscle, and broken bone as though time itself were flowing backward.

The young man’s body jerked violently.

Then…

He inhaled. A deep, desperate breath filled his lungs. The color slowly returned to his face. His breathing steadied. The bleeding stopped completely.

Yolina slowly opened her eyes.
A quiet breath escaped her lips.

Magic… It had never disappeared.

"…How…"

The young woman stared at her with trembling eyes.

"…How did you do that?"

Yolina rose to her feet, saying nothing.

Instead, she looked toward the enormous serpent still occupying the center of the cavern.

"It is no longer necessary to continue this battle."

Her voice carried quietly across the chamber.

"Leave this place."

Leonardo immediately shook his head. "If we run now, it’ll follow us outside."

"You need not concern yourself with that."

Yolina’s gaze never left the Jörmungandr.

"I will draw its attention."

The room fell silent.

"You and your companions must leave."

Leonardo looked at her as though she had suggested something impossible.

"…No."

He stepped forward.

"Absolutely not."

His voice was firm despite his exhaustion.

"We’re not abandoning anyone."

His grip tightened around his sword.

"Not my friends."

He looked directly into her eyes.

"And not you."

For a brief moment…

Something stirred within Yolina’s heart.

A feeling she thought had disappeared long ago.

Someone…

Choosing not to leave her behind. She lowered her gaze.

"I have lived beside Jorjor for longer than I can remember."

A faint smile, almost impossible to notice, appeared upon her lips.

"I know how he fights."

She lightly touched the pendant hanging from her neck.

"And as you have just witnessed…"

She looked toward Leonardo once more.

"…I can still use magic, I will survive."

Leonardo wanted to object.

Every instinct told him not to let her face the monster alone.

Yet somehow…

He believed her.

After several long moments, he slowly lowered his sword.

"…Promise me one thing."

Yolina looked back.

"…Don’t die."

She offered no reply.

Instead, she gently pressed two fingers against the pendant resting upon her chest.