Prologue Story

But those two are my seniors, aren’t they?

Suddenly, I found myself wondering how I should address them.

Should I call them “senior”?

Or, isn’t it common to call older kids “unnie” or “oppa” in elementary school, like Joo Min-hee does?

Inha and I remained silent in the meantime.

After about 20 minutes, the teacher returned, just as she said, and she wasn’t alone.

She had brought someone with her.

He was a tall man with a bright smile and a refreshing expression.

He looked around at us and smiled.

“Hello. It’s nice to see so many cute kids gathered here. My name is Yoomin.”

It seemed like his name was indeed two syllables, not that he was withholding his last name.

And come to think of it, we share the same last name.

I looked up at him silently, finding this fact a bit interesting.

“I’m in charge of the magical theory curriculum for upper elementary school students. I look forward to working with you.”

“Nice to meet you, teacher!”

“Yes, yes.”

As soon as Teacher Yoomin finished his introduction, Joo Min-hee responded energetically.

Thinking she was such a lively child, I looked at Min-hee with a slight smile of satisfaction when Teacher Jung Joon-hwi approached me.

He handed me a stack of documents and a thin book he had been holding.

I looked up at Teacher Jung Joon-hwi with a puzzled expression.

“……?”

“Illusions are quite difficult to handle. The more you study, the better. I saw that you wrote on the introduction form that you enjoy reading.”

Ah, that’s what I wrote on the third day of school.

I nodded.

“The more you can study, the better. Well, in the end, the most important things are your willpower and imagination. How do you want to use illusions?”

At his words, scenes from various comics flashed through my mind.

Since I’d chosen illusions as my main magic, I’d decided I had to make it happen.

Right, I’d already set some goals for each magic type.

The only magic I hadn’t planned anything for was Written Magic, which felt endless.

So I replied without much thought.

“An illusion……that I can make tangible, crossing between dreams, even showing others their desired dreams……something like that.”

“……Tsk.”

Did he just click his tongue?

I reflexively flinched.

As I lowered my head uncomfortably, Teacher Jung Joon-hwi spoke.

“Listen closely, Yoo Eun-ha. Illusion magic typically divides into two types. One is manipulating someone’s mental world, and the other is creating illusions in reality. A strong enough illusion can even control a person’s sense of time and reality. And that’s what we call ‘Illusion’.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s go chat over there. It won’t help us to overhear.”

“…….”

While we started the lesson, Teacher Yoomin led Inha’s group elsewhere, distancing them from us.

Despite my discomfort, I focused on Teacher Jung Joon-hwi’s words.

“It might sound difficult, so you may not understand it all yet……but what I mean is, the goal you set for yourself is incredibly challenging. Usually, people choose only one of the two aspects at best……then again, with your talent, it might not be impossible.

Your level in illusions is already that of a middle schooler, which is commendable.

Well, since you’re young, your mana isn’t quite at the level of your magic, but—”

The teacher unwrapped another candy and popped it into his mouth.

“The illusion you created earlier was reality control, wasn’t it? Can you use illusions to control someone’s mind, like the dream-controlling illusion you mentioned?”

“No, I can’t.”

“Right, that’s what I expected.”

He nodded and continued speaking.

“Dreams……have you ever manipulated them to have a lucid dream?”

“No.”

“Then start practicing. Lucid dreaming is the first step to entering your mental world. Begin by entering your mental world through lucid dreaming and practicing building that inner world. If you can manage that, you already know that imagination is essential.”

I nodded silently.

The teacher continued.

“To manipulate the mental world, you must be sensitive to mana and emotions to some degree. Most people are born with this sensitivity. Of course, it’s not impossible to develop through training……but some innate talent is necessary. How sensitive are you to mana?”

“…….”

“Answer honestly. I can’t say anything outside anyway. I’m also bound by restrictions.”

Even as a student, five violations mean suspension, so adults would face harsher consequences.

Understanding, I explained quietly the current state of what he called my “talent.”

“I think I’m fairly sensitive to mana.”

“If you’re sensitive, in what way?”

“Well, I can roughly guess the amount and attribute of mana just by looking at an ordinary magical item.”

“……That’s pretty impressive. Anything else?”

“I can see the ‘color of mana.’”

“……!”

He fell silent for a moment, looking as if he’d lost his words.

“That requires quite a bit of training…… You’re naturally gifted, it seems. To what extent can you see it?”

“I can’t distinctly recognize the mana of someone stronger than me, but I can measure the amount and type of mana someone has through the density, size, or feeling of the color. By focusing harder, I can even see the color of mana flowing in the wind.”

“I see.”

He soon looked at me with a satisfied smile.

“Then practice it more diligently. It’s important for your magic. Have you ever felt any emotions associated with it?”

“No……”

When I shook my head, he returned to his usual expressionless face and continued.

“You have plenty of talent. But the fact that you haven’t felt anything like that means you haven’t tried to feel deeply. Try to understand mana with both your eyes and your senses. Imagine it. Try everything that comes to mind when you think of ‘perception.’ It’s essential for building your mental world.”

“…….”

I listened to his words in quiet thought.

‘If I concentrate harder, if I can see a little more.’

Perception means feeling, after all. I can mostly guess a spell’s attribute by observing the flow and feel of mana.

If I can feel a bit more, maybe I can predict the type of magic someone is casting before they even start, perhaps even discern the exact type of spell from the color of their mana.

I thought it would be fun to distinguish.

I smiled and nodded.

“Yes.”

“Well, just take it easy when it comes to mana. Kids don’t have large containers for mana anyway. The biggest growth happens during adolescence. Usually between ages 10 to 20. Even after that, mana grows according to each person’s potential, but the growth phase is crucial. I’ll go check on the others now, so you practice magic or read over there.”

“Yes.”

I nodded and moved toward the wall.

I wanted to start practicing mental magic immediately.

I already knew that the more you imagine, the stronger your power becomes.

But there’s something I need to do first.

I sat against the wall and opened the thinnest book among those that Teacher Jung Joon-hwi had given me.

It was a book explaining the basics of illusions.

I gazed at it intently, sensing that this lesson would greatly benefit me.

After reading through all the material Teacher Jung Joon-hwi had given me, I closed my eyes.

What if I envisioned the illusion taking shape in my mind?

Inside my mind, inside my world of imagination.

What kind of world would I create?

The Milky Way?

That felt a bit lacking.

The path of stars stretching beneath my feet would certainly be beautiful, but it felt too lonely and desolate for a dream world, even if it would work as a real-world illusion.

I opened my eyes, pausing my thoughts.

‘What would be nice…….’

I glanced at Inha.

She was receiving a personal lesson at that moment.

Lost in thought, I found myself drifting into random ideas.

At some point, my thoughts shifted unconsciously toward my own mana’s attribute and compatibility.

Right, it’s my mental world, so I can base it on that.

Imagining attributes like Mental or Special feels challenging, but what if I combine Darkness and Light?

‘Hmm…….’

Let’s keep it simple.

Darkness is generally associated with night, while Light symbolizes day.

If I combine those……dusk?

No, that doesn’t feel quite right.

Even the color of my mana doesn’t resemble twilight.

Then…….

「Dawn.」

I envisioned the most beautiful dawn scenery I could imagine.

A galaxy in the far night sky, a faint dawn light beyond the distant horizon.

While thinking it was a surreal scene, I found myself captivated by this image.

A sea would be nice.

A silver line would trace the dark horizon beyond the rolling waves.

An ocean sunrise is one of the most stunning sights, but I’d rather not see the sun rise.

Wouldn’t the starlight fade?

And just thinking about the sun rising over that horizon would make my heart swell with excitement.

I’d like a sandy shore before the sea.

I want to watch dawn from the beach.

The faint night darkness over the silver line of dawn stretching beyond the horizon.

That sky would be perfect.

And when I looked up, a galaxy dazzling across the black sky!

A field would be perfect for stargazing.

The scent of grass and the feel of dawn wind as I strolled through the park, flowers faintly illuminated by starlight.

Lying in the field, I’d gaze at the stars forever.

And if I stumbled upon a shooting star, what could be more delightful?

The faint dawn beyond the horizon and the galaxy of stars cascading above……

Without realizing, I closed my eyes again.

If that were my world, it would be……

‘It would be…….’

……Huh?

I opened my eyes wide and sat up.

When did I lie down?

And how was I lying here, in the middle of this field…….

“Wow!”

I gasped, looking up at the sky.

The darkened sky was illuminated by a galaxy made of shimmering star dust.

I followed the Milky Way with my eyes.

“The morning sun……?”

At the distant edge of the horizon, beyond the black sea reflecting the color of night, there was a faint silver line shining softly.

The sun would take a long time to appear, but a faint light stretched along the horizon, a promise that the sun would eventually rise.

How beautiful…….

“Wait? This feels familiar……”

Ping, and a memory flashed by.

I opened my eyes wide in realization.

I remembered myself before I arrived here, just moments ago.

I had been envisioning my world.

Then I realized.

Ah. This is a dream.

I looked out over the distant sea at dawn.

What would it feel like to gaze at stars from the middle of the water?

Isn’t that scene sometimes shown in comics?

Lying on a vast, dark ocean and looking up at the sky……

As I thought that, the world distorted.

Suddenly, I was standing on the sea.

“Huh……?”

I saw the dawn light far in the distance.

But the sky was still full of stars and constellations.

At that moment, I looked around in awe.

Stars glowed vividly on the surface of the dark ocean.

“Wow…….”

I understood.

Usually, stars don’t reflect clearly on the sea.

Maybe on a lake, but ocean waves always move.

But this is a dream.

In this place, where I’m aware and anything I desire can come true.

I lay down on the ocean and closed my eyes.

Starlight seeped through my eyelids.

“……!”

……Huh?

“……H……uh!”

Ugh……so noisy…….

“Yoo Eun-ha!”

What?!

I snapped my eyes open and looked around, startled.

The kids around me looked surprised or puzzled.

“Gasp……!”

Finally realizing the situation, I was taken aback.

My face grew warm on its own.

‘Did I just fall asleep? In class?’

I mean, it’s possible to sleep in class.

In my previous life, I often dozed off at school.

But being caught sleeping in front of these few students was so embarrassing that I raised myself up in silence.

Even just being seen sleeping felt embarrassing.

Park Hansoo scolded me.

“How can you fall asleep during such an important class?”

“…….”

“Don’t pick on Eun-ha. She can fall asleep if she wants.”

“You’re just defending her because it’s Eun-ha, right?”

“Shut up.”

“Alright, quiet over there. I might forgive this one since she was practicing mental illusion training, so it’s understandable if she falls asleep. We’ll let it slide.”

“That’s favoritism!”

At Teacher Jung Joon-hwi’s words, Kim Hyun-ho grumbled.

Feeling slightly relieved, I looked up at the two teachers.

Teacher Jung Joon-hwi asked me.

“So? Did you make any progress?”

“Well……I had a ‘lucid dream.’”

“So soon? That’s unbelievably fast. Anything else?”

“Hmm……before I fell into the dream, I envisioned my world, and it appeared just as I imagined in the dream.”

“Wow. I’ve never seen anyone progress so quickly in mental abilities with just one piece of advice.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

The two of them looked at me with astonished expressions.

Well, isn’t it a good thing?

I thought to myself, feeling slightly awkward.

“Well, class is over while you were imagining in your dream. You can go now.”

I silently nodded.

Inha extended her hand to me.

Taking her hand, I walked out of the building.

At that moment, I felt mana cast over me and everyone else.

‘Ah, right, the restriction.’

The type of mana applied matched that image so clearly that I immediately recalled it.

A circular band of mana compressed around our bodies, then seeped into us and disappeared.

“What’s wrong?”

Inha, with a puzzled expression, looked back at me as I stood there.

But I was the one feeling curious now.

“Didn’t you feel it?”

Was the mana so subtle?

True, it did feel fainter than usual spells.

But for me, it was noticeable.

I looked down at my hand.

The sensitivity I have to mana grows each time I observe it.

Though I have no intention of formally developing it with specialized magic, this was quite an intriguing trait.

If that’s the case, could this be possible?

With eyes that perceive mana, could I someday replicate magic I’ve seen before?

I let out a small laugh at this unlikely idea and turned my head.