Jade opened her eyes suddenly. At the same time, a groan escaped her as if someone was pounding on her head.

“Ugh, what… what’s going on…”

She squeezed her eyes shut. It felt as if someone was jabbing dozens of needles into her blood vessels from all directions.

The searing pain that rose up subsided after a while, fading to a dull ache that was just bearable.

When she opened her eyes again, she could finally take in her surroundings. She was still enveloped in a dim darkness.

Was it the fading evening light? Or the rising dawn?

Jade tried to raise her hand to help clear her still hazy vision. Or rather, she tried to raise it.

“Huh…?”

Only then did she realize her body was restrained.

What the… Am I tied up right now?

A chill ran down her spine. An unknown dark space, arms that couldn’t move, inexplicable pain – what did that add up to?

No matter how she thought about it, nothing came to mind except kidnapping. If that was the case, she needed to keep her mouth shut and her mind working quickly.

But even that was difficult. Every time she tried to recall what had happened just before she opened her eyes, a headache would arrive as if it had been waiting. The fairy living in her head was surely beating it like a drum.

Alright, I don’t know what’s going on, but first let’s get these bindings off.

Jade wriggled, trying to create distance between her hands and body.

After squirming like a caterpillar for a while, a small gap gradually opened up and she was able to build some momentum. The more she moved, the more it felt like escaping from a chrysalis.

It’s working, it’s working!

After considerable effort, she finally freed herself from whatever had been wrapped around her entire body. They seemed to be scraps of cloth, falling silently to the floor.

Jade cheered inwardly.

That’s it, that’s it! Well done, Jade Broen.

The next task was to properly assess this space. The lack of light still made it difficult to discern anything.

But she could make out something protruding from the wall. It looked like a doorknob, and it was indeed a doorknob.

Crawling silently on her knees towards the door, Jade suddenly felt dejected.

Damn it. If only I was skilled in wind attribute magic. Then I could have already chanted a spell and activated teleportation magic.

Why doesn’t fire attribute magic have anything like that?

She had great talent for vigorously burning things, but no ability to escape when waking up in an unknown place. Well, she could burn down this house, but then she wouldn’t make it out unscathed either.

As she grumbled internally, a sound came from outside. Jade froze again, curling up tightly.

Someone’s footsteps. The stride was wide and fast. Soon after came the creaking sound of a door opening, followed by a thin, gentle voice.

“Has… woken up yet?”

It wasn’t heard clearly, but somehow it seemed to be an older woman’s voice. The voice that followed had a low, deep resonance.

“Don’t know… ears… hurt.”

It was a man’s voice. The owner of the wide strides was likely the same person.

“If you bring… responsibility…”

“Damn…”

I’m not sure, but that’s definitely “damn it”. I’m certain, no doubt about it.

Jade finally pressed her ear right against the wooden wall. She needed to figure out who the people outside were, since she couldn’t recall at all what had happened just before waking up here.

Then the conversation became a bit clearer.

“I’m busy too, so hurry up! You know how much there is to prepare before the Water Season comes, since it’s the Wind Season now. I have as many as three plans set for today!”

“So you came at this early dawn?”

“That’s right. It’s a given fact that old people don’t sleep in, you young fool.”

We get sleepy early at night, you ignorant child.

The elder’s voice was full of contempt that the young man didn’t even know this, and the man replied, sounding very tired.

“Young fool… Right, fine then.”

And then those footsteps were heard again. The stride so wide and fast. The vibration that was felt from afar arrived in front of Jade in an instant.

There was no time to dodge. The door flung open and Jade’s forehead collided with it hard.

“Ow!”

“……”

Without even seeing who was standing in front of her, Jade rolled on the floor clutching her forehead, tears welling up.

The pain she had felt when first opening her eyes invaded her whole body again. From fingertips to toes, everything was buzzing and bursting.

Then someone’s large hand firmly supported the back of her neck and pressed strongly near her temple. Startled, Jade’s hands flailed in the air trying to push that person away.

“Stay still. You’re bleeding again.”

If you bleed on the floor, I won’t let you off easy.

The man’s low voice was full of irritation and menacing. Jade groped and grasped the thick forearm, groaning. Damn, it hurts like hell!

“Oh my, already awake. Well well, that’s good!”

Jade barely opened her eyes, but tears had pooled and she couldn’t see much.

So she asked the appropriate question first.

“W-who are you!”

“That’s my line. Just who are you to bother people like this?”

The curt tone intimidated her. Jade sniffled. But the voice she had assumed belonged to an old woman clicked her tongue.

“My my, every word is so bothersome, just like someone who crawled into Athanase Forest.”

“Stop saying useless things.”

What did you say? Athanase?

Desperately blinking her eyes, tears rolled down the corners and finally her vision slowly returned. What she saw through the open door in the crimson light was:

The most handsome man with the most impressive jawline she had ever seen, and behind him, a thin old woman standing with eyes full of curiosity.

“What the…?”

Such a strange… combination….

It was so strange that it stuck firmly in her mind.

Not seeming to understand her words, the thick eyebrows on the face before her furrowed. As the space between the eyebrows and eyes narrowed, it gave an even more intense impression.

Clear and deep ash-colored eyes that almost seemed blue at a glance.

“Handso-, no, what did you just say?”

Jade stammered as if entranced, then snapped to her senses and asked the most important question.

The man looked closely into her eyes. It was a gaze as if checking whether her pupils were dilated or if she was crazy.

“You said it’s bothersome?”

“No, not that! Which forest did you say we came into?”

Only then did the man seem to understand and nodded.

“Athanase Forest.”

Damn it.

There are three forest names that every magician born in this era must have heard of. Florencio, Dawood, Athanase.

The first, Florencio Forest, for its abundance of rare medicinal herbs and magical animals. The second, Dawood Forest, as a historic site where a magician king left traces of powerful magic.

The last, Athanase Forest. This was a place one would hear of for a slightly different reason.

A place where all magic is inexplicably nullified.

A place where no spell offered to the gods comes to fruition.

A place where even the greatest magician cannot create a single spark or float a single feather in the air.

“It must be a dream….”

No, it has to be a dream….

Feeling the headache spreading again with a sting, Jade fainted once more.

This was Jade’s first memory. Unexpectedly fallen into Athanase Forest.

It is said that in ancient times, the gods walked upon this earth. But as everything they created flourished and the land became complex, the gods decided to remain in the heavens.

However, just before departing, the gods left their language to all people, and to the person they cherished first, they bestowed their spirit, and to the person they cherished second, they gave a part of their physical form.

Thus, the language of the gods became spells, the person who received the spirit became the first magician of this land, and the person who received the physical form became the first knight of this land, it is said.

It was a story passed down like a fairy tale.

And there was Jade Broen, born long after that story was nearly forgotten.

The magician Jade Broen, as her name suggests, was born into the Broen family, and as soon as she was born as the first child of the family head, her name was listed as the heir.

If there was anything peculiar, it was that while she had exceptionally outstanding talent in fire magic, she strangely lacked talent in other attribute magics. Water attribute magic was absolutely terrible.

Her grandmother, Mabel Broen, seemed quite displeased with this, but it was still fine. Because her parents believed in her and loved her.

Their affection made Jade Broen strong.

But one day, her parents, who had gone to make donations in the slums, contracted an unknown fever and passed away within days. It was unbelievable, but that was reality.

Jade attended the funeral as the designated heir. She held back her tears and placed flowers on the ornately decorated coffin.

It was from that moment. People who openly disliked her or mocked her began to appear.

“Jade, look at this.”

Asela, her cousin two years younger, showed her a wound that had healed instantly, smiling brightly. It was earth attribute healing magic, which was difficult in terms of power control.

“That’s amazing, Asela. You’re improving quickly.”

Jade congratulated her with a gentle smile. Asela wasn’t just a simple cousin, but also her most cherished friend.

“It was super easy! I did it in just a month. I heard you still can’t do it well, is that true?”

“Yeah, I’m not good at it. I don’t have talent in earth attributes.”

There was no need for it, but Asela comforted Jade in a cheerful voice.

“It’s okay. They said if you’re lacking, you just shouldn’t be greedy. Jade is very very kind, so you won’t be greedy!”

Maybe she was being sensitive. But it didn’t seem like innocent boasting from young children. It was as if someone was whispering through a child’s mouth.

Jade asked without losing her smile.

“Who said that?”

“Dad.”

Jade was also young, but she was quicker to catch on than ten-year-old Asela. Asela was her best friend, but she was also the daughter of her uncle, Felix Broen.

Felix Broen, who had only been kind when her father was alive, sometimes had a strange look in his eyes. What was it, a look tinged with greed?

So at this moment, Jade perfectly understood what was happening.

“I see. Asela, look at that.”

Jade smiled brightly and pointed at a huge tree. Asela looked at the tree with round eyes.

“Why?”

No sooner had Asela finished speaking than there was a boom, a sound like an explosion, and the huge tree began to blaze.

The sharp red against the green background was highly incongruous. Screams erupted from the surroundings.