After that long day ended, Princess Jina Joul, the Second Princess, went to the royal palace to meet her father. Her eyes were cold—she wasn't interested in the struggle for the throne at the moment, but rather in her brother, the one who had brought that ring.
On her way, men in black clothes appeared from the shadows, blocking the path of the princess and her guards.
"Your Highness!" the leader of the black-clad men bowed deeply.
The Second Princess looked at them silently, saying nothing. The man then pulled a letter from his pocket.
"It's from His Majesty."
Knowing it came from her father, the princess broke the royal seal and began to read. With every line, her frown deepened. When she finished, she sighed and said quietly,
"Fine. Take it—and leave."
She drew out the ring and handed it to the masked commander, who bowed again and vanished as if he had never been there.
The princess then went to her private palace, smaller than the royal one. When she arrived, she changed her clothes and prepared to train. Drawing a thin sword, she focused her aura into it. Sparks of lightning flared along the blade as she began to swing. With every motion, the words of that letter echoed in her mind, fueling her anger.
That ring was supposed to make her the heir to the throne—but her father decided not to expose the truth and ordered her to hand it over. But why?!
Artificial rings are created by at least intermediate-level mages, and their power can reach up to the sixth circle—since the seventh circle is nearly unreachable. For a mage to reach the intermediate level, they must attain a state called the Mage's Mind. This state transforms a mage from beginner to intermediate.
Beginner mages must use incantations, hand signs, or pre-prepared spells to activate magic—just as Shion Lan does when he forms the (Water Bomb) in his left hand. But without the Mage's Mind, one cannot use fourth-circle spells, since the mind of a mage allows them to cast basic spells through thought alone. With the addition of the fourth circle, they can perform advanced magic that would otherwise be nearly impossible.
When Princess Jina's unique element—lightning—appeared, combined with her inherited Golden Eyes, it placed enormous pressure on the First Prince, forcing him to rely on an artificial ring.
But those rings are like contracts—their creators can impose conditions on the users. And what's worse, through her golden eyes, the princess realized that the creator of the ring was from another kingdom. She even managed to decipher part of the contract—and found her own name written within it!
What had that man done? What kind of pact had he dragged his sister into?
The reason the young princess could understand all this was because of the Heir of the Golden Eyes' Legacy.
As she swung her thin sword, Princess Jina shouted,
"(Thunder Birds)!"
A bird made of lightning burst forth in the direction of her strike, striking her target with a crackling shock. The bird was small—like a canary—but glowed in yellow and blue, darting swiftly with every slash.
"Stop."
It was a woman's gentle voice, though she wasn't physically in the room. She was, in truth, the master of the Golden Eyes' Legacy. The princess stopped and fell silent.
"The technique (Thunder Birds) is a mid-tier art that can take you to the sixth star," said the woman calmly. "It's a precious technique. But you must understand—its essence is that the little bird causes chaos, yet no one can truly hate it. They may be angry, but never hateful. You, however, are both angry and resentful. That's not the spirit of the (Thunder Birds). You're in turmoil, when you should be calm. You're letting your emotions control you—and that's unworthy of the technique.
If you're not in the right state of mind to train, then don't train. But don't waste time flailing like this."
The speaker was none other than Queen Celesia Joul, the first queen in the kingdom's history—the same woman the Moon Sorceress had once spoken of. She appeared before the Second Princess, radiating nobility and grace, correcting her stance before pausing as if to confirm something.
"By the way," she said softly, "aren't you going to tell me who the boy is—the one who's captured the princess's heart?"
At that, Gina's beautiful face flushed crimson, and she looked away in silence. Seeing this, Celesia closed her eyes thoughtfully, then said,
"Did you know that I too once loved someone when I was alive?"
The princess turned toward her with curiosity.
"He wasn't of noble blood," Celesia continued. "Yet he could approach me whenever he wished. I admired his boldness. But… that very boldness was what got him killed. During a guard's rampage, he confronted the man and slew him. I didn't know until it was too late. When I found out, I was forced to execute the man who killed my beloved—with my own hands, before the public. My heart was consumed by hatred and rage.
So, my dear…"
A tear fell down her cheek as she looked at the princess with deep sorrow.
"Don't give your heart to anyone. It will only shatter. If that boy cannot even protect himself, how can he protect your love?"
The princess lowered her head silently.
"I know it's hard," Celesia said gently. "But it isn't impossible. You'll surpass him soon enough—thanks to your legacy and your technique. When that day comes, he'll have no choice but to bow his head before you. And if that's truly his nature, then he doesn't deserve you."
The Second Princess left quickly, her thoughts racing:
'I was the one who pushed him to that state, yet he never hated me. When he helped me, I only felt the warmth and kindness I've longed for in this cold palace. Even when he refused to join me, there was no anger or resentment in his eyes. He was… pure toward me. Because of my golden eyes, I can see people's true colors—but his were genuine, honest, and clear in a world full of deceit and schemes.'
When she reached her room, she wept. She was supposed to let him go—yet Shion was the only one she truly wanted.
---
Meanwhile, Shion Lan lay asleep, his body exhausted but still coursing with traces of starlight energy. The process continued throughout the night. When he finally opened his eyes and tried to move, he couldn't.
"As I thought… my body's in a miserable state… Mom!"
It was morning, and his mother hadn't gone anywhere. She soon came in carrying food.
"Shion! Are you alright?!"
"Yes, I'm fine. But… why'd you bring food here?"
"I wanted you to eat in your room so I could take care of you. But since you're awake, I'll prepare your portion properly."
She hurried off to the kitchen. Shion smiled faintly, trying to sit up, though every motion hurt. He finally managed to rest his back against the bed.
When his mother returned, she carried dishes different from those she brought earlier. Shion blinked.
"Why did you make something different? I thought we'd eat together."
"Well, I didn't make this," she said with a warm smile. "Sol did."
Shion didn't quite understand, but he just decided to eat. Every movement sent pain through his body, but he endured it, not wanting to worry his mother. The food Sol Hart had made was delicious, and though his body ached, he still enjoyed it.
When his mother saw his expression, she smiled playfully.
"So, tell me—which tastes better, mine or hers?"
Shion replied casually, "Sol's cooking is amazing, of course—but it doesn't carry the same care you put into your food, Mom."
"You little liar! You didn't even eat mine!"
Shion froze, realizing he'd only eaten Sol's meal and not his mother's. His face turned red from embarrassment, but his mother only laughed and let it go.
'He must have feelings for her, even if he doesn't realize it yet… '
As for Shion, his thoughts were different:
'Does Mom think I like Sol? That's ridiculous. We're just neighbors and classmats '
Those were his honest feelings toward Sol.
For the rest of the day, Shion tried to train in the (Stellar Summet Art), but every attempt brought pain. So he decided to visit Shi Yun Lan instead. Closing his eyes, he entered that space once again.
"I want to enter the second lineage," he said.
"You can't," Shion Lan replied without even looking at him.
"Why not?"
"You want to enter it to learn higher techniques—to reach greater power, right?"
"Yes."
"Listen—if you enter the lineage unprepared, you'll lose your mind. I'll give you some skills to help you. After all, you'll be entering my body, living my life. But your mind might be influenced by some of the techniques."
With a wave of his hand, Shi Yun Lan produced several books. Shion picked one up and found countless techniques related to strange elements—poison, sword, spear, even love—and many others unfamiliar to him.
In his world, there were six basic elements: fire, water, wind, earth, darkness, and light. Six others were considered special: lightning, ice, sound, gravity, corruption, and purification. But then he remembered—Academy Director Tim was a Time Mage; Kin Light was the Moon Duelist; Sol was a Spirit Sorceress; Princess Jina had the Golden Eyes; and he himself wielded the power of the stars.
Seeing his confusion, Shi Yun Lan smiled faintly.
"Does it surprise you, seeing all these unfamiliar paths?"
When Shion turned toward him, Shi Yun Lan continued,
"Let me tell you something—anything can be a path, as long as you devote yourself to it. Every path complements another; they all originate from the same source. It's not your fault you haven't succeeded—it's just that you haven't yet found the path that suits you."
Shion nodded in realization and began reading the books.
For three days, he lay in bed, studying the techniques and trying to understand them. He found many manuals up to the third level, but those of the fourth level were too complex for him. Still, he didn't give up.
Baro Ferrer and Fiore Tai visited him often. After mastering everything about the element of light, Shion modified the (Spear of Light) technique and created a new one for Fiore to train in—(Whirlwind of Destruction).
Knowing Fiore's personality, Shion felt it would suit him perfectly, and carefully explained its fundamentals.
By the fourth day, Shion could move freely again—but he didn't leave his room. Instead, he sat cross-legged and thought,
I have to strengthen my body.
He recalled a book on body enhancement and decided to merge its teachings with the Star Path. Though his progress was small, he knew he needed more physical power.
He meditated all day before finally opening his eyes.
"If I can pull this off… my raw strength alone will reach the third level!"