"Winter Tsukoyomi," the principal said with a small, honest smile, "you graduate today in the field of magic creation, and I won't praise you as a genius, but as someone who had talent and chose, every single day, to work for it."
"I have watched many students walk across this hall," he continued, voice soft but firm, "some rise high, some fall hard, and most discover that life after graduation is never as kind as they expect."
"But students like you," the principal said, meeting Winter's eyes, "those with this level of will, never truly stop moving forward, no matter how many times the path breaks beneath them."
"I don't know what road you will take," he added with a quiet chuckle, "what kind of life you'll live, or what mistakes you'll make—but I want to see it, because paths like yours are never ordinary."
"And history," the principal finished calmly, "has a habit of being created by people who build instead of retreat, and I believe you will be one of them."
The entire hall erupted into applause, genuine and unforced .
***
[2 days ater]
"so what do you plan to do now " asked silver while sipping the tea.
"I plan to join XENO first and try to discover more about magic construction" as I said this, I walked towards the balcony and lean in it looking at the clear sky .
"I'm really curious—what's your goal? What kind of spell are you trying to make that makes you spend so much time studying magic like this? It's clear it's important to you, and I want to understand what drives you."
"I believe in superstitions, so I can't tell you that, but I can say this: yes, I am trying to create a spell."
I smiled and thought to myself I want to see what kind of spell would it be that need this much reserch .
[2 week later]
I was standing inside the XENO Research Center, one of the best organizations in the world. I walked around with Professor Abel as he guided me through the facility, showing me each section one by one. Eventually, he brought me to the battleground.
I looked down and saw two people fighting. One was using ice, the other earth. At first, it didn't make sense to me—the elements didn't seem like they should match. But the longer I watched, the clearer it became. Despite the difference in elements, the two of them were evenly matched, neither gaining the upper hand.
"They're volunteers," Professor Abel said quietly. "Test subjects. XENO studies how people handle magic under real pressure, especially when incompatible elements are forced to collide."
The fight ended without a winner. Both stepped back, exhausted, as if relieved it was over.
"Come," Abel said after a moment. He led me away from the arena and opened a door. "This is my office. Your real work begins here."
I stepped inside and took a look. The tables were perfectly arranged, each glass tube and instrument in its place, and rows of neatly stacked books lined the shelves. A small bed sat in the corner .
Abel then led me through the corridors, and soon we entered a larger room where a few people were working quietly.
"This is Professor Tim," Abel said, nodding toward a tall man adjusting a complex device. "And this is Matthiew," he added, gesturing to a boy about my age, focused on arranging some glass tubes.
I gave them a small nod and walked towards my research area.
****
I went back to my research room and started putting things in order. Papers went into drawers, tools were set neatly on the table, and I carefully placed the lighting formula into a glass tube. Everything had its place, and I made sure nothing was left lying around. I glanced outside the window, thinking it would take some time to get used to how everything worked here.
A soft knock at the door made me pause. I opened it to see Matthiew standing there, and beside him, a girl I hadn't met before. I held out my hand. "Hello," I said.
The girl laughed and waved my hand away. "Don't be so formal. We're around the same age, so just call me Luka." She smiled warmly. "I'm in the Forgery Department. And you are?"
"Winter," I said, shaking her hand. Matthiew gave a quiet nod, still holding a few glass tubes in his hands. Luka leaned a little closer, grinning. "We're basically the only young ones here, so we should get along. Otherwise, it gets kind of boring."
I thought about that for a moment. Boring… I guess she's right. I nodded, giving a small smile. Matthiew finally spoke. "Don't worry, Winter. You'll figure things out fast enough." Luka added jokingly, "And if not… I'll make sure you don't get into too much trouble." I couldn't help but chuckle .
Suddenly, Luka stepped into the room and held something up. "What's this?" she asked.
I turned and saw her holding the lighting formula. Calmly, I walked over, but inside my head, it was a whirlwind: Please don't drop it… please don't drop it…
Carefully, I took it from her hands and placed it in the drawer. "Sorry for my behavior," I said, still keeping my voice steady. Then I added, "It's a lighting formula. A lighting stike is trapped inside it, so if it gets dropped… a real lightning strike could happen here."
Luka's eyes widened a little, and she took a small step back, looking a little scared. Matthiew smiled and said "why did you caught it "
I shrugged lightly. "Nothing… I just wanted to research it and somehow try to enhance my lightning-type spells." Luka nodded while Matthiew seemed more curious.
We kept talking as we walked, casually introducing ourselves, until Luka suggested we head to the terrace. The moment we stepped outside, I felt the air flowing feeling pressing against my skin.
Without thinking too much, I gathered the air in front of me, shaping it into a tight ball, like a snowball made of nothing. I flicked my wrist and threw it at Matthiew.
"Hey—!" he turned around, confused, but there was nothing to see. The invisible force hit him squarely, making him stumble back. I laughed and threw another, this time toward Luka.
"Winter!" she shouted, trying to dodge, but she couldn't see what she was avoiding. Both of them moved around wildly, guessing where the attack was coming from, while I stood there casually forming another air ball .
Before I could throw it, Matthew grabbed my wrist and pinned me down. Luka lightly kicked me in the head .
"Sorry," I muttered, struggling to break free, but Matthew's grip was solid.
He finally let go, and I laughed softly. "You're strong," I said, then looked at them both. "Want to know what I was throwing at you?"
both of them nodded. I raised my hand, focusing as I tried to shape the air into a small sphere.
"Touch it," I said.
The moment they did, shock crossed their faces. I couldn't help but smile as Matthew found himself holding the ball of air.
Luka took it from him and pressed down hard. With a sharp crack, the sphere shattered and vanished.
"How did you form it? What kind of spell is that?" Luka asked.
I glanced at Matthew. He looked lost in thought, replaying the moment in his head. Then he spoke.
"I remember you opening your palm… then twisting it . The air shaped itself into a sphere. I want to know—how did you command the air to form like that?"
"You first have to cover your hand completely in mana," I said, raising my palm.
"Then act like you're forming a snowball. And just so you know, I'm not commanding the wind—I'm only borrowing it from nature."
Both of them tried right away. They focused, moved their hands, and tried again…and again. Nothing happened. The looks on their faces was pure curiosity.
I smiled at their effort. "Try starting with water first. Once you get the feeling, move toward air," I added. "It took me three months to get this right. And even now, I don't know how to turn it into a proper spell."
Luka let out a small sigh, shaking her hand. Matthiew stared at his palm in silence, as if daring the air to listen this time.
Then all three of us turned toward the stairs. Professor Abel was standing there, leaning against the railing, a cigarette resting loosely between his fingers. Thin trails of smoke curled upward as if he had been watching for a while. I hadn't sensed him at all.
He began to clap before pulling the cigarette from his mouth. "You really showed me something impressive," he said, his voice calm. "And in your very first day, too."
Abel's gaze shifted from me to Luka, then to Matthiew. He let out a slow breath, smoke drifting lazily into the air. "XENO's doing well," he said, almost casually. "People who think differently keep ending up here. That's not a bad thing."
His eyes settled back on me. "If you keep working the way you are," he added, voice calm and matter-of-fact, "you won't just blend in. You'll leave marks. The kind that stay in history ."
As Abel's words lingered, I remembered what the principal had said to me that day. To build instead of retreat. I wondered if it was really possible—if what I was doing now could truly leave something behind. Something that mattered.
I looked down at my hands and gave a small smile. "I think I've added a new goal in my life," I said quietly.
Professor Abel looked at me. "And what might that be?"
I lifted my head and met his gaze. "Like you said… to leave marks. My goal is simple—to make sure my existence is written into history."