Scene 1
Haruto was trying to control his Photon Ray — a laser-like spell of Light Magic — but his aim kept wavering. Sometimes the beam struck the wall exactly where he intended, but most of the time, it didn't.
Once again, Haruto interlocked his fingers tightly, took a deep breath, and focused on the distant wall of the Kingdom. His eyes narrowed. He pointed his index fingers forward and chanted,
"Light Magic: Photon Ray!"
Only one of his fingertips began to glow. The faint light brightened gradually, growing hotter with every second. Haruto clenched his pointed fingertips harder, forcing the light to release — but the thin beam didn't shoot out.
Then—
"Aaaarghhh!"
A raw, painful scream tore from his throat. The light flared wildly as his fingertip burned from the inside, searing the tissue beneath the skin. The pain shot through his nerves like fire. Haruto dropped to his knees, clutching his hand in agony before collapsing onto the ground, writhing in pain.
Naoki froze for half a second, panic flashing across his face before he rushed toward Haruto. He crouched beside him, his expression tight with worry.
"H-Hey! What happened!? Haruto!"
The glow at Haruto's fingertip quickly dimmed until it vanished completely — as if the magic itself had exhausted its strength. The pain subsided with the dying light. Haruto's cries softened into heavy breaths as he lay on the ground, clutching his hand tightly.
His finger looked normal from the outside, but the light had burned deep into the flesh, cauterizing the tissue and sealing the blood vessels. His left index finger was… lifeless.
Naoki stared at it, his brows furrowing in concern.
"You're still not able to control your magic energy," he said, concern mixed with frustration. "That's why it keeps backfiring."
Haruto forced himself up, with Naoki helping him stand. He looked both determined and confused.
"Then tell me," Haruto said. "Tell me how I can use my magic perfectly. I want to control it."
Naoki thought for a moment, arms crossed, then explained,
"You're using Light Magic — a bloodline magic. That means its source isn't an external mark… it's your heart."
Haruto blinked, confused. "Source? What do you mean by that?"
Naoki exhaled through his nose, his tone half tired, half teasing.
"You seriously use these dangerous spells, but you don't even know how your energy works?"
Haruto just stared blankly.
Naoki exhaled deeply. "Alright, fine. Just do what I say."
"Okay," Haruto nodded obediently.
"First, stand straight. Close your eyes, and focus."
Haruto did as told — standing upright, closing his eyes, and taking calm breaths as he concentrated.
Naoki spoke evenly, his voice calm and instructional.
"Your Light Magic flows from your heart. The energy travels through your blood vessels, carried by your blood. So, concentrate on your heart."
Haruto focused, and for the first time, he sensed something — a faint, constant energy flow pulsing through his body.
Naoki continued, "Now, if you were using an Element Magic, like Stone, the source would be your Elemental Mark. That energy travels through a separate invisible path — a kind of inner highway — completely different from your bloodstream. Each element has its own channel that spreads its energy across your body. But bloodline magic doesn't use that. It flows directly through your veins, carried by life itself."
Haruto felt it — two separate networks of flow inside him.
One was the invisible channel that carried the energy of his Stone Element, spreading from the Stone Mark on his neck.
The other was his bloodstream, where two distinct energies flowed: one pale white, one pitch black. Both circled endlessly through his heart like oil and water — never mixing, yet constantly turning.
Naoki's voice grew softer.
"Now focus on that Light Energy — the white one flowing from your heart to every corner of your body. You need to direct it."
Haruto tried to concentrate harder but struggled to visualize it.
Naoki sighed. "Idiot. Bring your hand forward. Point at the wall."
Haruto obeyed, extending his right hand and pointing his index finger straight ahead.
"Now," Naoki said, "try to increase the flow of Light Energy from your heart to that fingertip. Normally, the energy spreads evenly across your body. That's why your beam keeps failing — it's not getting enough power at the tip."
Haruto focused, tracing the energy in his mind from his heart through his veins toward his fingertip. The light energy surged like rising pressure in his blood, while the dark energy flowed smoothly throughout his body, undisturbed and equal.
Soon, the energy concentrated at his fingertip. The rest of his body stayed normal, but his heart and that one finger pulsed with a bright glow.
Inside him, a small glowing orb formed within his heart. It raced through his blood vessels, following the amplified flow until it reached his fingertip, where it stopped and began to spin rapidly.
Haruto's body trembled slightly. Sweat rolled down his forehead as his breathing quickened.
He drew in a long breath through his mouth, closed it again, opened his eyes, and whispered firmly,
"Light Magic: Photon Ray."
The small glowing orb at his fingertip flared brightly — and then—
ZING!
A thin, blinding beam of light burst from his fingertip, piercing through the wall and leaving behind a tiny burning dot.
Haruto's eyes widened, his lips curving into a bright grin.
"Whoa! That was… smooth! It actually worked!"
Naoki smirked proudly, pointing at himself with his thumb.
"See? Getting advice from your senior wasn't a waste of time, was it?"
Haruto grabbed his hand, grinning with excitement.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Naoki! You're amazing! Now I can finally control my magic properly!"
Naoki chuckled but then his tone shifted slightly serious.
"Just remember," he said, half-grinning, "only use Photon Ray when you really want to make your enemy regret being born."
He glanced at Haruto. "This spell doesn't look dangerous from the outside, but inside, it sears you from within. If it's not healed fast, it can permanently disable the body part it hits."
The smile faded from Haruto's face.
Naoki gently took Haruto's left hand and inspected his finger. "Try moving it."
Haruto tried — but only the base joint moved slightly. The rest stayed stiff, lifeless.
Fear clouded his expression.
Naoki quietly rolled up his sleeve. A bandage was wrapped around his forearm. He unpinned it and slowly unrolled the fabric.
"Here. Look."
Beneath it was a small, round burn mark on his forearm.
Haruto's eyes widened. "I—I'm sorry… I didn't know it was this dangerous…"
Naoki waved dismissively as he rewrapped the bandage.
"It's fine. That happened earlier. Ms. Inazawa healed it completely — just left this little mark."
He tightened the last fold of the bandage, his voice calm.
"It hurt like hell at the time, though. My hand didn't work properly for days before it finally healed."
Haruto looked down, guilt washing over his face. "Still… I left a scar on you. I'm sorry."
Naoki laughed lightly, brushing it off.
"Don't worry about it. Accidents happen. Just get your finger healed before it becomes a real problem, alright? We can train later."
He clapped Haruto on the shoulder, and together they started toward the Kingdom.
Later, they returned from the hospital — Haruto's finger was wrapped in a softly glowing bandage, slowly healing.
Feeling hungry, Naoki stretched. "Let's grab something to eat."
The two walked down the cobblestone street, chatting and laughing again — until they suddenly bumped into someone broad and solid.
The man turned, frowning slightly. "You two?"
It was Marumoto.
Both Haruto and Naoki froze. A bead of sweat slid down their faces as they awkwardly smiled.
"Oh… hey, Sensei…" Haruto said weakly.
Naoki muttered under his breath, "We're so dead."